Navadha-bhakti

[Guest guest]

Dear Madana-mohana Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

Thank you for compiling these interesting quotes.

 

> How do we put together the fact that the 7 first principles of

> devotional service belong to vidhi-marg and the 2 last - sakhyam and

> atma-nivedanam - to raga-marg, with the following statements of Srila

> Prabhupada?

 

If you want to know my imperfect opinion, I would say that the above

statement refers more to devotee's realization, and the ones you quoted

refer more to the ongoing practice.

 

Your servant apd

 

> It seems to imply that the processes of sakhyam and atma-nivedanam,

> while essensially belonging to the realm of raga-bhakti, could still

> be performed on the level of pancaratrika, or vaidhi, in relation to

> the Deity, or on the level of bhagavata, or raga, in relation to

> preaching (see SB 7.5.23-24 purp.) Is it correct?

>

> Your servant,

> Madana-mohana das

>

>

> SB 4.13.3 purp:

>

> "There are two different ways of approaching the Supreme Lord. One is

> called bhagavata-marga, or the way of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the other

> is called pancaratrika-vidhi. Pancaratrika-vidhi is the method of

> temple worship, and bhagavata-vidhi is the system of nine processes

> which begin with hearing and chanting."

>

> SB 4.24.45-46 purp:

>

> "Worship according to the pancaratrika-vidhi is called vidhi-marga,

> and worship according to the bhagavata-vidhi principles is called

> raga-marga. The principles of raga-marga are especially meant for

> devotees who are elevated to the Vrndavana platform."

>

> SB 4.27.24 purp:

>

> "All devotees are in the disciplic succession stemming from Narada

> Muni because they worship the Deity according to Narada Muni's

> direction, namely the Narada-pancaratra, or the pancaratrika-vidhi. A

> devotee follows the principles of pancaratrika-vidhi as well as

> bhagavata-vidhi. Bhagavata-vidhi includes preaching work-sravanam

> kirtanam visnoh-the hearing and chanting of the glories of Lord Visnu,

> the Supreme personality of Godhead. The pancaratrika-vidhi includes

> arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam."

>

> SB 7.5.23-24 purp:

>

> "Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gives the following

> explanation in his Tathya...Thinking oneself to be nitya-krsna-dasa,

> everlastingly a servant of Krsna, is called dasyam, and sakhyam means

> being a well-wisher of Krsna. Krsna wants everyone to surrender unto

> Him because everyone is constitutionally His servant. Therefore, as a

> sincere friend of Krsna, one should preach this philosophy, requesting

> everyone to surrender unto Krsna. Atma-nivedanam means offering Krsna

> everything, including one's body, mind, intelligence and whatever one

> may possess."

>

> Lecture on SB 6.2.24-25, Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971:

>

> Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada? You said... When you were speaking of

> bhagavata-vidhi, you said that of the nine devotional methods, it

> includes... I didn't understand which ones it includes, up to what

> point.

>

> Prabhupada: Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam-this is bhagavata-marga.

> And arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam-that is

> pancaratrika, arcanam. So out of the nine-nine, eight, seven, six,

> five-whatever you do, that is sufficient because absolute.