Siddha-Pranali & Bhaktivinoda Thakura

[anadi]

Siddha-Pranali

 

Throughout his extensive writings Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura speaks about the system of Siddha-pranal in many places, particularly in three major works:

Caitanya-shiksamrita

Jaiva-Dharma and

Harinama-ciintamani.

In Gita-mala the Thakura has even disclosed his spiritual identity in eleven phases.

Such mercy is seldom seen in the Vaishnava world; for traditionally Gaudiya-Vaishnavas keep secret the confidential matters concerning their personal svarupa.

Srila Narottam Das Thakur warns in this regard:

 

apana bhajana katha nakahibe jata tatha

ihate hoibe sabdhan

 

“One should be careful not to speak one’s personal bhajan-katha here and there.”

 

Why would Bhaktivinoda Thakur reveal his apana bhajan katha and the topics concerning siddha-pranali in his foremost books which are read by thousands?

His pen surely sought reform for the future. On one hand Srila Bhaktivinoda’s teachings begin with basic principles to ideally preach to the masses. But on the other hand, we find the Thakura himself a mature rasika-Bhagavat who strongly realizes the necessity to preach even the most confidential aspects of Gopi-anugata-bhajan.

To inform the Vaishnava community at large, the didn’t hesitate to write about siddha-pranali and its importance. Then for his future intimate followers, he also disclosed the details of his own svarupa. (Without having done so, it would not have been possible for others to follow in his footsteps on the Raganuga path.) Thakura Bhaktivinoda is acclaimed as the jpioneer who inaugurated the mass preaching of Vaisnava Dharma in the Western countries. It would surely be unfortunate, therefore, to overlook manjari-sadhana and Siddha-pranal which are part and parcel of Srila Bhaktivinoda’s broad vision: for in the Thakura’s opinion these items are essential for every progressing Rupanuga practitioner.

[url="http://spirituality.forumup.de/viewtopic.php?t=255&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&mforum=spirituality"]

[Guruvani]

The modern day KC movement in the western world is known as the Saraswata school of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya.

This designation as "Saraswata" indicates that the movement is marked most specifically with the innovations and standards estabablished by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswata Thakur, as it was his disciples who were the actual ambassadors of KC to the western world.

 

The global KC movement of today is principally established by the disciples of Srila Saraswati Thakur according to the guidelines and doctrine of Srila Saraswati Thakur. Srila Saraswati Thakur, though the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, made his own contribution to the formula of the global KC movement.

 

What Bhaktivinoda Thakur did himself personally is not a practical formula for a global movement meant for reaching all countries and cultures of the world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur standardized a basic format with which his disciples could take the KC movement worldwide to all peoples of the world.

 

As such, the paradigm that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave his disciples to work within are the established parameters and practices that the Saraswata Gaudiyas follow for the global KC movement.

 

So, imitating Bhaktivinoda Thakur is neither practical or proper within the Saraswata school. The disciples of Srila Saraswati Thakur employ the innovations and the doctrine of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in conducting the global KC movement.

 

As such, the personal practices of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur cannot be imitated on a mass scale in a global KC movement. That is why Srila Saraswati Thakur adapted a practical and feasible forumula with his his disciples could spread KC all over the world.

 

Thus the KC movement is called Saraswata because of following the doctrine of Srila Saraswati Thakur which does not allow for imitating such great bygone masters as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

[Guruvani]

 

To inform the Vaishnava community at large, the didn’t hesitate to write about siddha-pranali and its importance. Then for his future intimate followers, he also disclosed the details of his own svarupa. (Without having done so, it would not have been possible for others to follow in his footsteps on the Raganuga path.

 

In typical siddha-pranali fashion you are trying to restrict and limit raganuga bhakti to the siddha-pranali system of smarana and the ekadasa-bhava concept.

 

The Saraswata acharyas do not support such a narrow defintion of raganuga bhakti.

 

In "traditional" siddha-pranali practices this process of smarana in ekadasa-bhava marks the stage of raganuga bhakti, but in the Saraswata Gaudiya school that myth has been shattered and the practical aspect of raganuga bhakti has been established.

[Guruvani]

Nectar of Devotion

Chapter 16: Spontaneous Devotion Further Described

 

 

In this connection, we should be careful about the so-called siddha-praṇālī. The siddha-praṇālī process is followed by a class of men who are not very authorized and who have manufactured their own way of devotional service. They imagine that they have become associates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that. This external behavior is not at all according to the regulative principles. The so-called siddha-praṇālī process is followed by the prākṛta-sahajiyā, a pseudosect of so-called Vaiṣṇavas. In the opinion of Rūpa Gosvāmī, such activities are simply disturbances to the standard way of devotional service.

[anadi]

 

The modern day KC movement in the western world is known as the Saraswata school of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya.

This designation as "Saraswata" indicates that the movement is marked most specifically with the innovations and standards estabablished by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswata Thakur, as it was his disciples who were the actual ambassadors of KC to the western world.

 

The global KC movement of today is principally established by the disciples of Srila Saraswati Thakur according to the guidelines and doctrine of Srila Saraswati Thakur. Srila Saraswati Thakur, though the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, made his own contribution to the formula of the global KC movement.

 

What Bhaktivinoda Thakur did himself personally is not a practical formula for a global movement meant for reaching all countries and cultures of the world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur standardized a basic format with which his disciples could take the KC movement worldwide to all peoples of the world.

 

As such, the paradigm that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave his disciples to work within are the established parameters and practices that the Saraswata Gaudiyas follow for the global KC movement.

 

So, imitating Bhaktivinoda Thakur is neither practical or proper within the Saraswata school. The disciples of Srila Saraswati Thakur employ the innovations and the doctrine of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur in conducting the global KC movement.

 

As such, the personal practices of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur cannot be imitated on a mass scale in a global KC movement. That is why Srila Saraswati Thakur adapted a practical and feasible forumula with his his disciples could spread KC all over the world.

 

Thus the KC movement is called Saraswata because of following the doctrine of Srila Saraswati Thakur which does not allow for imitating such great bygone masters as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Dear guruvani, dandavat,

Well it might be true that the Saraswata school does not follow the raganunga bhakti as described by the previous acharyas,

as the founder of that school had no guru, who would initiate him in raganunga sadhan-bhakti.

 

In his Jaiva-dharma (Chapter 39) his father, Thakur Bhaktivinod describes the two parts of Raganuga sadhana’s internal aspect:

1. The mental conception of one’s siddha deha as:

- upasak-poriskriti (a purificatory process directed to the sadhak)

2. Gour-Govinda Asta-kala-manasi-seva as

- upasya-poriskriti (the purificatory process in connection with the worshippable object).

 

As concerning upasak poriskriti Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Sanatan Goswami:

 

Mone nija siddha deha koriya bhavan (CC Madhya 22)

 

“Use the mind for contemplating your siddha deha.”

 

The Lord similarly instructed Ramananda Raya that:

“siddha dehe cinti kore tahai sevan” CC Madhya 8

 

“Visualize your siddha-deha and mentally serve in that form.”

 

Sriman Mahaprabhu entrusted the responsibility for promoting the details of these instruction to Sri Gopal Guru Gosvami who, as the foremost disciple of Vakreswara Pandit, became intimately connected with the Lord during His last eighteen years at Puri. Due to intimacy with Svarupa Damodar also, Gopal gained an exceptional insight into Sriman Mahaprabhu’s internal movements. This pleased the Lord so much that Mahaprabhu selected him to be the first Acarya of Gambhira after His departure. The Lord also instructed him to write a Paddhati on Siddha-pranali and lila-smaran, and awarded him the title of “Guru”. Sri Gopal Guru’s disciple, Sri Dhyan-candra Goswami was also ordered later to compile a second Paddhati which has received equal acclaim. Still later, following these two Arcana Paddhati Sri Siddha Krishna Das Babaji compiled Sadhan-amrita-candrika, which combines upasak poriskriti, lila smaran, archana, dhyan and sadhu kritya, all in one book. These three have been recognized since as the original Archana Paddhati of the Gaudiya Sampradaya commonly referred to as Paddhati-traya.

 

It is to draw attention to the authority of Sri Gopal Guru and Dhyan-candra Goswami that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura includes them in his Jaiva-dharma. In the narrative story Gopal Guru is given the important role of Sri Guru Gosvami who awards Siddha-pranali to his qualified disciple Vijaya Kumar. Thakur Bhaktivinod thus supports Gopal Guru Gosvami, the authenticity of Siddha-pranali, and its important function as well.

 

What is Siddha-pranali?

There are eleven specific items (ekadas-bhava) which comprise one’s Manjari-svarupa.

This is explained in Sri Gopal Guru and Sri Dhyan-candra Goswami’s Archana Paddhatis:

Asyaiva siddhadehaysya sadhanani jatakramam

ekadasa prasidhani lakhyantehati monoharam

nama rupam bayo beshah sambandho jutha eva ca

ajna seva parakastha palyadasi nivasakah

 

The eleven features comprising one’s siddha-deha are as follows:

name, form age, dress

relationship, group, order seva,

highest ambition, residence and the sakhi one serves under.

 

In the latest chapter of Sri Harinam-cintamini Thakura Bhaktivinoda also gives the same list:

Sadhite ujjvala rasa, ache bhava ekadas

Sambandha, bayas, nama, rupa

Jutha, besh, ajna, vasa, seva parakasthasvas

Palyadasi ei aparupa

 

“In order to fulfill one’s ambitions for attaining madhura rasa there are eleven items:

relationship, age, name, form,

group, dress, order, residence,

seva, highest ambition and the sakhi one serves under.”

 

How does one receive ekadas bhava?

Thakur Bhaktivinod answers as follows:

 

Sadhaker jakhon raganugamarga lobha hoy, takhan

sadgtzur nikata prarthana korile tini sadhaker

ruci parikha koriya tahar bhajan nirnoyer

sange sange siddha deher paricaya koriya diben

 

When the sadhak’s lobha is awakened for Raganuga bhakti he will approach his Gurudeva with great humility.

After testing the disciple’s sincerity the bonafide Guru will instruct the disciple and adjust his bhajan according to the identity of his siddha svarupa.”

[Guruvani]

The siddha-pranali process is currently being advertised publicly on international media by Vaishnavas from opposing parivars who have been critical of Srila Saraswati Thakur and the successor Saraswata acharyas.

 

The Saraswata acharyas have given a system of preaching and propagating the KC movement on a wide scale globally. Such a missionary movement should not practice or preach such esoteric principles that were private and esoteric aspects of bhajan of some sects of Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

 

The entire process of Bhagavat-marga is within the range of raganuga.

Raganuga bhakti is not exclusively the lila-smaranam in ekadasa-bhava which has been restricted by the Saraswata acharyas.

 

If one does not come in a line of gurus who practice the siddha-pranali process, then it is a violation against one's own guru to go outside the parivar to acquire things forbidden by one's guru.

[Guruvani]

 

As concerning upasak poriskriti Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Sanatan Goswami:

 

Mone nija siddha deha koriya bhavan (CC Madhya 22)

 

“Use the mind for contemplating your siddha deha.”

 

 

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami translates the verse as:

 

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22.156-157

 

bāhya, antara, — ihāra dui ta' sādhana

'bāhye' sādhaka-dehe kare śravaṇa-kīrtana

'mane' nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhāvana

rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana

 

SYNONYMS

bāhya — externally; antara — internally; ihāra — of this spontaneous love of Godhead; dui — two; ta' — indeed; sādhana — such processes of execution; bāhye — externally; sādhaka-dehe — with the body of an advanced devotee; kare — does; śravaṇa-kīrtana — hearing and chanting; mane — the mind; nija — own; siddha-deha — eternal body or self-realized position; kariyā bhāvana — thinking of; rātri-dine — night and day; kare — executes; vraje — in Vṛndāvana; kṛṣṇera — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; sevana —

service.

 

 

TRANSLATION

"There are two processes by which one may execute this rāgānugā bhakti — external and internal. When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the śāstric injunctions, especially those concerning hearing and chanting. But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way. He serves Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, all day and night.

 

 

 

So, your translation

 

“Use the mind for contemplating your siddha deha.”

 

reads a little different from Srila Prabhupada's:

 

"But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way."

[anadi]

 

The siddha-pranali process is currently being advertised publicly on international media by Vaishnavas from opposing parivars who have been critical of Srila Saraswati Thakur and the successor Saraswata acharyas.

 

The Saraswata acharyas have given a system of preaching and propagating the KC movement on a wide scale globally. Such a missionary movement should not practice or preach such esoteric principles that were private and esoteric aspects of bhajan of some sects of Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

 

The entire process of Bhagavat-marga is within the range of raganuga.

Raganuga bhakti is not exclusively the lila-smaranam in ekadasa-bhava which has been restricted by the Saraswata acharyas.

 

If one does not come in a line of gurus who practice the siddha-pranali process, then it is a violation against one's own guru to go outside the parivar to acquire things forbidden by one's guru.

 

Dear Guruvani, dandavat

Well if one's guru goes against the previous Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas, then he cannot be considered a bonafide Gaudiya Vaishnava guru.

 

In Sri Harinam-cintamani Srila Bhaktivinoda provide the details of how the bonafide Guru will instruct the disciple and adjust his bhajan according to the identity of his siddha svarupa:

Ei ekadas bhava sampura sadhane

pancha dasa lakhya hoy sadhakjive

sravan, baran ara smaran, apana

sampatti ei pancha vidha dasay ganan

 

The sadhana relating to the eleven items of ekadas-bhava (Siddh-pranali ) is executed in five progressive stage:

1) Shravan – dasha (the stage of hearing)

2) Baran- dasha (the stage of accepting)

3) Smaran-dasha (the stage of remembering)

4) Apana –dasha (the mature stage)

5) Sampatti dasha (the stage of hearing)

 

1) Shravan dasha (the stage of hearing)

 

nijapekha srestha suddha bhavuk je jana

bhavamarge gurudeva sei mahajan

tahar sri mukhe bhava tattver sravan

hoile sravan dasa hoy prakatan

bhava tattva dviprakar koraba bicar

nija ckadasbhava Krishna lika ara (Harinama Cintamani)

 

“The ekadas bhava tattva and Krishna’s Asta-kala lilas should be heard from a suddha-bhakta more advanced than oneself. (This suggests one’s guru, who should be a pure bhavuk devotee – one that can taste Braja-bhava).”

 

The fortune to have darshan (audience) of, and hear Hari katha (Krishna’ pastimes) from a Bhava-bhakta is a rare opportunity. If one can find such a rare person hearing from him will bear results very quickly. In this connection Caitanya Caritamrita says:

“labha matra sadhu sange sarva siddhi hoy”

 

All perfection can be gained by just a moment of association with a sadhu.

 

This statement is not an exaggeration.

The merciful touch of a jata-rati sadhu can pass on the same rati; just as a fire lights other objects ablaze.

 

Unfortunately, we may not be incorrect in saying that the majority of Vaisnava Gurus in the present day are not on the jata-rati (asakti-bhava) platform. So it is advisable that a person interested to hear the ekadas-bhava-tattva and asta-kala lila, do so from his Guru if he is well versed in these matters; and, furthermore, to read about these topics directly from the Gosvami literature. Because the books of the Gosvamis have all been written by Premika-bhaktas, hearing from them is both safe and flawless.

 

In Jaiva-dharma, Thakura Bhaktivinoda describes two types of sravan-dasa

1) Krama-suddha

2) Krama-hina.

Krama-suddha-sravan means to hear Hari-katha, which is directly meant for awakening the relationship a bhakta wishes to establish with the Lord.

 

Krama-hina sravan referes to hearing all sorts of Krishna-katha not particularly related to one’s adopted mood. Such hearing will not be profitable to the raganuga sadhak.

[Guruvani]

 

 

As concerning upasak poriskriti Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Sanatan Goswami:

 

“siddha dehe cinti kore tahai sevan” CC Madhya 8

 

“Visualize your siddha-deha and mentally serve in that form.”

 

That line comes from text 229 of Madhya 8.

 

Srila Prabhupada translates it a little differently than you do.

 

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.229

 

siddha-dehe cinti' kare tāhāńñi sevana

sakhī-bhāve pāya rādhā-kṛṣṇera caraṇa

 

SYNONYMS

siddha-dehe — in the perfected stage; cinti' — by remembering; kare — does; tāhāńñi — in the spiritual world; sevana — service; sakhī-bhāve — in mood of the gopīs; pāya — gets; rādhā-kṛṣṇera — of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa; caraṇa — the lotus feet.

 

 

TRANSLATION

"After thinking of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and Their pastimes for a long time and after getting completely free from material contamination, one is transferred to the spiritual world. There the devotee attains an opportunity to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa as one of the gopīs.

 

Obviously, Srila Prabhupada understands the verse a little differently than you do.

[Guruvani]

 

Well if one's guru goes against the previous Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas, then he cannot be considered a bonafide Gaudiya Vaishnava guru.

 

I have not seen anywhere in the teachings of Bhaktivinoda Thakur that he declares that the giving of siddha-pranali and the ekadasa bhava is absolutely mandatory.

Can you show that he has?

 

If one successor acharya leaves out certain esoteric aspects of bhajan considering the adhikar of a particular target audience, I don't see how that has to be considered as "going against the previous acharya".

 

No acharya slaps absolute restrictions on successor acharyas as to what adjustments they can make according to the time, place and circumstance that the successor acharya finds himself in.

 

 

Bhaktivinoda Thakur fully expected that succeeding generations of acharyas would all have to make whatever adjustments they felt necessary according to time, place and audience.

 

To say that Bhaktivinoda Thakur declared that siddha-pranali and the giving of ekadasa bhava is mandatory for all time in all circumstances is of course just a stupid idea.

[anadi]

 

<table style="width: 100%;" class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="border: 1pt solid rgb(102, 102, 102); padding: 4.5pt 18pt; background: rgb(224, 224, 224) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> bāhya, antara, — ihāra dui ta' sādhana

'bāhye' sādhaka-dehe kare śravaṇa-kīrtana

'mane' nija-siddha-deha kariyā bhāvana

rātri-dine kare vraje kṛṣṇera sevana

SYNONYMS

bāhya — externally; antara — internally; ihāra — of this spontaneous love of Godhead; dui — two; ta' — indeed; sādhana — such processes of execution; bāhye — externally; sādhaka-dehe — with the body of an advanced devotee; kare — does; śravaṇa-kīrtana — hearing and chanting; mane — the mind; nija — own; siddha-deha — eternal body or self-realized position; kariyā bhāvana — thinking of; rātri-dine — night and day; kare — executes; vraje — in Vṛndāvana; kṛṣṇera — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; sevana —

service.

TRANSLATION

"There are two processes by which one may execute this rāgānugā bhakti — external and internal. When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the śāstric injunctions, especially those concerning hearing and chanting. But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way. He serves Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, all day and night.

</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

 

 

So, your translation

 

“Use the mind for contemplating your siddha deha.”

 

reads a little different from Srila Prabhupada's:

 

"But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in his particular way."

 

Dear guruvani, dandavat,

If you read carefully into the word for word translation, with a minimum of Bengali (Sanskrit) knowledge, you will see that there are some interpolations in the translation, which are not in the original text, and some mistranslations.

The word ihara does not refer to “spontaneous love of Godhead”

If you look in the verse 2.22.153, it is spoken about raga-anuga bhakti.

Raga-anuga bhakti is not “spontaneous love of Godhead”, but a practice, a type of sadhana, and this verse says it clearly:

Raga-anuga bhakti - ihara - is a practice – sadhana - done in two ways dui ta (namely)

internally - antara – in the mind and externally – bahya.

Many people falsely translate raganuga-bhakti as spontaneous love of Godhead

The spontaneous love of Godhead is the property of the associates of Krishna in Vraja, and they do raga-atmika bhakti not raganunga-bhakti

What means externally? The verse explains it further:

Externally - bāhye – in the body - dehe - of a practicing devotee - sādhaka one does kare

śravaṇa-kīrtana

In the mind - mane one should do - kariyā contemplation bhāvana of one`s nija- perfect siddha body – deha. And

Day and night - rātri-dine one should do kare service – seva of <st1:place>Krishna</st1:place> in Vraja.

The verse doesn’t say anything about an original or purified or self-realized… position.

The verse says clearly that one should use his mind for two purposes:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<!--[endif]-->to contemplate upon once perfect body – siddha deha while

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<!--[endif]-->one will serve (in the mind) Krishna of Vrindavan

The same it is said by Rupa Gosvami in the sloka 1.2.295 from Bhakti-rasämrita-sindhu

sevA sAdhaka-rUpeNa siddha-rUpeNa cAtra hi |

tad-bhAva-lipsunA kAryA vraja-lokAnusArataH ||

 

The Raganuga practitioner desirous of becoming an eternal Brajavasi, should follow in the moods and mellows of those particular associates in two ways:

- externally, in the sadhaka-deha (practitioner body) one should follow the rules of shastra

- internally, in one’s siddha-rupa (eternal body, conceived in the mind) one should perform manasi-seva to Krishna in the company of His dearest Vrindaban companions.”

Here it is some more elucidation regarding this process:

Sri Rupa Gosvami presents the basis of Raganuga sadhana saying in Bhakti-rasämrita-sindhu 1.2.294

 

kṛṣṇaḿ smaran janaḿ cāsya preṣṭhaḿ nija-samīhitam

tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaḿ vraje sadā

 

“Smaran is to be performed focusing on Krishna in the company of those prya Vrindaban associates that one desires to eternally serve.

Interrelated lila-katha should always be discussed while taking up residence in Vrindaban.”

 

“Remember Krishna kṛṣṇaḿ smaran with ca His asya very dear preṣṭhaḿ (eternal) associates janaḿ chosen by oneself (one prefere) nija-samīhitam

And in this way cāsau being attached rataś to a certain type of loving pastimes tat-tat-kathā always sadā one should live kuryād vāsaḿ in Vrindavan vraje.

 

Commenting on this sloka Sri Jiva Gosvami says:

“To physically live in Vrindaban and Braja-mandala is best; but, if that is not possible one should alt least try to live there mentally.”

 

Sriman Mahaprabhu (Sri Krishna Caitanya) said:

“mora mona vridaban” – My mind is Vrindaban.

Hence, wherever the Lord remained, Vrindaban was created by His absorption on <st1:place>Krishna</st1:place>’s Braja pastimes.

Following in Sri Gouranga’s footsteps, every determined sadhak should learn the art of transferring the mind to Ananda-Vrindavan.

Sri Rupa presents the formula for becoming a factual Brajavasi in this sloka.

Those able to both physically and mentally reside in Braja-mandala are most favorably situated because the atmosphere of the Dham (holly place) is ideal for arousing the proper divine sentiments.

The meaning of Sri Rupa’s “kRSNaM smaran janaM casya” sloka, is re-confirmed in Srila Kaviraja Gosvami’s Bengali translation:

 

nijābhīṣṭa kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha pācheta' lāgiyā

nirantara sevā kare antarmanā hañā (Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 22.159)

 

The raganuga sadhak should constantly perform “internal” manasi-seva to Krishna following in the footsteps of the priya-Braja associates

who are nija-abhīṣṭa (having the same relationship that the sadhak desires to establish with Sri Krishna).

 

(The raganuga sadhak) should be hañā constantly nirantara engaged kare in divine devotional service sevā within the mind antarmanā

following pācheta' lāgiyā the dear associate of <st1:place>Krishna</st1:place> kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha of one's own choice nija-abhīṣṭa.

Besides the meditation of the Guru’s Manjari-svarupa, the Gaudiya Vaisnava Acharyas also recommend that the sadhak conceive of his own siddha-svarup. It should be noted however, that his is an internal practice only having nothing to do with one’s outward dress.

Commenting on Sri Rupa’s kṛṣṇaḿ smaran janaḿ cāsya verse, Sri Jiva Gosvami says:

“The meditation of oneself (atma-dhyan) as an eternal Brajavasi is of two types:

- alada rupa – separate form and

- abheda manan – identical from.

 

Abheda manan - mentally identifying oneself as being Lalita Sakhi, Rupa Manjari or any Braja associate is a grave offense that will lead the devotional practitioner to ruination being as offensive as thinking oneself to be Sri Krishna.

Alada rupa - mentally identifying oneself as a separate exquisitely beautiful Braja-kishori maidservant of Rahda is the proper way.

The alada Rupa is recommended in the next sloka 1.2.295 from Bhakti-rasämrita-sindhu.

[Guruvani]

 

Dear guruvani, dandavat,

If you read carefully into the word for word translation, with a minimum of Bengali (Sanskrit) knowledge, you will see that there are some interpolations in the translation, which are not in the original text, and some mistranslations.

 

So, you are asking us to accept that the translations of Srila Prabhupada are "interpolations" and "mistranslation" why you propose to know the proper translation.

That is going to he a hard sell, as I am more inclined to accept the version of the nitya-siddha acharya over the novice sadhaka who has learned a little Bengali.

 

You have already made it clear that you consider that Srila Saraswati Thakur as having "gone against the previous acharyas" and is therefore "not a bona fide Gaudiya guru".

 

I am not going to argue or debate with you anymore about this topic.

Word jugglery could keep the debate going on ad nauseum, ad infinitum till we are both blue in the face.

 

There is no use in the discussion.

It is simply the Saraswata doctrine verses the siddha-pranali, which I doubt will ever be resolved due to the fact there the two schools have different standards.

 

I can't defeat you and you can't convert me, so maybe you can find somebody else to talk about your ideas with.

 

Very few devotees in the western world are interested in the siddha-pranali cult.

Good luck with your recruitment efforts on this forum.

[gHari]

This certainly is a topic that should appear on a neophyte internet discussion forum, where the cheated come to be cheated by the cheated.