Siddha-pranali

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Siddha-pranali ("Path of Perfection") is often equated with manjari-sadhana,

which is first mentioned by Krsnadasa Kaviraja in his commentary on Krsna

Karnamrta by Bilvamangal. The detailed paddhati was written by Dhyancand

Goswami, the successor of Gopal Guru Goswami, who got it from Vakresvara

Pandit who received it from Swarupa Damodara. Also it is mentioned in the

1st chapter of Jaiva Dharma wherein Sannyasi Thakur got siddha-pranali from

Paramahamsa Babaji Mahashoy. So siddha-pranali per se is not bogus, although

suitable candidates to execute it may be few nowadays. The siddha-pranali

recommended directly by Lord Caitanya is chanting the holy names (ihä haite

sarva-siddhi haibe sabära; Cb Madhya 23.78).

 

When Srila Prabhupada warns us to be careful of siddha-pranali, it appears

that he refers to that process which is based on an interpretation of the

sloka of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.295, quoted as Cc. Madhya 22.158) that

is deviant in two ways. The deviant siddha-pranali originates with Rüpa

Kaviraja, a wayward disciple of Hemalata Thakurani, Srinivasa Acarya's

daughter. The first deviation is to prematurely imagine one's eternally

perfect spiritual form (siddha-rüpa). Srila Prabhupada writes, "They [the

deviants] imagine that they have become associates of the Lord simply by

thinking of themselves like that.." (NOD) According to our acaryas,

realization of our siddha-rüpa develops when our hearts become purified. The

second deviation is their proposal that the word vraja-loka (residents of

Vrndavana) refers exclusively to the residents of Vrndavana in krsna-lila,

such as Sri Rüpa-manjari, and not to residents of Vrndavana in their

gaura-lila, such as Srila Rüpa Gosvami. Thus they wrongly interpret seva

sadhaka-rüpena, siddha-rüpena catra hi to mean that we should imitate the

gopis' activities both as our external sadhana and our internal meditation.

One can see such men in saris, jewelry, etc., not worshiping guru or Tulasi,

yet making a show of imitating the behavior of the gopis-even though they

are not yet purified of basic material desires. Srila Prabhupada states

succinctly (in NOD), "Their external behavior is not at all according to

regulative principles.''

 

 

(Culled from the contributions of various learned devotees)