NECTAR OF DEVOTION

Shortened Course (Day 6)

1. Recite Nana sastra vicaranaika......yesterday we

concluded the discussion about vaidhi sädhana bhakti,
by discussing some things which apprently might be
considered part of the process, but which are actually
peripheral.

2. Chapters 15 and 16 are discussing the nature of the

spontaneous devotional service found mainly in the
inhabitants of Våndävana, although it is also found in lesser
degrees in the inhabitants of Dvaraka and Mathura.

Çréla Prabhupäda explains that the Vrajbasis are

perfect in all regulative principles and have achieved
spontaneous loving attraction to the Lord. eg The cowherd
boys. They don’t have to learn by austerity or penance how to
relate with Him.

They have already passed all tests of regulative principles in

previous lives, and as a result are in direct relationship with
Him. This spontaneous attitude is called rägänüga-bhakti

3. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé’s definition of rägätmika-

bhakti: spontaneous attraction for something while
completely absorbed in thoughts in it, with an intense desire
of love. (This is explained in the second paragraph on
page 19)

Actually this is more a definition of RÄGA

So raganuga sadhana bhakti means practicing

devotional service, following in the footsteps of those
who really have räga - particularly the inhabitants of
Våndävana.
4. There are 2 types of this rägätmika-bhakti: sensual
relationship

kämäd dveñäd bhayät snehäd

yathä bhaktyeçvare manaù 
äveçya tad-aghaà hitvä
bahavas tad-gatià gatäù

“My dear King, there are many devotees who first become
attracted to the Personality of Godhead for purposes of sense
gratification, from being envious of Him, out of fear of Him or
from desiring to associate affectionately with Him. Ultimately
these attractions become freed from all material
contamination, and gradually the worshiper develops spiritual
love and achieves that ultimate goal of life desired by the
pure devotee.”

The gopis are examples of spontaneous love in sensual

attraction. Superficially appears like material relationship.
Çiçupäla attracted through envy.
Kamsa attracted through fear.
Yadus attracted in family relationship

gopyaù kämäd bhayät kaàso   

dveñäc caidyädayo nåpäù      
sambandhäd våñëayaù snehäd  
yüyaà bhaktyä vayaà vibho

“My dear King Yudhiñöhira, the gopés by their lusty desires,

Kaàsa by his fear, Çiçupäla and other kings by envy, the
Yadus by their familial relationship with Kåñëa, you Päëòavas
by your great affection for Kåñëa, and we, the general
devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy
of Kåñëa.”

This verse adds the Pandavas being connected by

affection, and Narada by devotional service (or vaidhi
bhakti).
5. The attraction of the gopis and the Yadus is
accepted as spontaneous, or rägätmika.
Attraction of Kamsa and Çiçupäla not rägätmika, because
unfavourable. Therefore they are not part of devotional
service.

Närada's attachment to Kåñëa is called bhaktyä. Jéva

Gosvämé explains that the Sanskrit verb tenses used here
indicate that Närada's devotional service arises from a sense
of duty. Thus it is vaidhi-bhakti, and cannot be counted
amongst the genuine forms of rägätmikä-bhakti. 1

Affection
The affection of the Päëòavas may or may not be rägätmikä-
bhakti, depending on whether or not it is mixed with awe and
reverence. Generally it is mixed with a mood of reverence,
which introduces restraints of formal etiquette that hinder
rägätmikä-bhakti. However, when this reverence sometimes
subsides, their affection can be rägätmikä-bhakti. Çréla
Prabhupäda explains, “Again he analyzes the affection of the
Yadus. If it is on the platform of friendship then it is
spontaneous love, but if it is on the platform of regulative
principles, then it is not (pg 120).”

6. “Lusty attitude” is not material. In the perfectional

stage everyone has a spontaneous attraction to serving the
Lord. This is what is meant by “lusty desire”.

It is an attraction to serving the Lord in a particular way.

Description given of someone who wants to serve the Lord as
a cowherd boy. It may appear material but it is a desire to
serve the Lord in that way, spontaneously, in love.

7. Sensual attraction:
An extreme desire to serve the Lord in Våndävana, specifically
by the gopis. Sometimes it is called “lusty desire”.

ätmendriya-préti-väïchä——täre bali ‘käma’

1 See Jéva Gosvämé - BRS 1.2.274 & 275.
 kåñëendriya-préti-icchä dhare ‘prema’ näma

“The desire to gratify one’s own senses is käma [lust], but the
desire to please the senses of Lord Kåñëa is prema [love].”

Such an idea as simply wanting to satisfy the senses of

the beloved is unknown in the material world. But the gopis
only want to satsify Kåñëa’s senses, and have no desire to
satisfy their own.

So the use of the term “lusty desire” is “simply a way of

trying to understand the transcendental situation”.

Someone as great as Uddhava desired to follow in the

footsteps of the gopis, so how could their attitude be material.
Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu was a sanyassi, but a He also
desired like this. He said there was no higher example of pure
devotional service in pure love for Kåñëa than the gopis, and
that their method of worshipping Him is the highest.

************** notes

And in Caitanya-caritamrta it is also said that when

Radharani meets with Krsna, the other gopis enjoy
thousands and millions times more than when they meet with
Krsna directly. So this is very different from sense
gratification, very different from sense gratification. This is
love.

There's nothing like cheating or anything like we have here.

They love Radha and Krsna both but they are more partial to
Radha than to Krsna. They won't...we have so many material
conceptions, so it's very hard to discuss. But there is nothing
like personal interest, either in meeting with Krsna or
arranging for Radharani to meet with Krsna; there is no
personal interest, no sense gratification. The whole purpose is
to please Krsna.

But they know that when Krsna is with Radharani, Krsna

enjoys more, so they always want that Radharani should be
with Krsna. And the manjaris, they're compared to leaves on
the creeper of Radharani and whatever Radharani
experiences when she meets with Krsna, they have the same
experience. They may have more. Everything that Radharani
experiences, the manjaris also experience. Not less. So these
are inconceivable spiritual facts.

*****************notes end

However, the attraction of Kubja is described as being

“almost lusty desire.”

8. Relationship:
Parental in Våndävana is like Nanda and Yasoda
In Dvaraka the Vrsnis feel like this also, in their way.

Çréla Prabhupäda makes the comment in the last paragraph

in this section that on the level of regulative devotional
service there is no point in discussing this love in depth, for it
must develop of itself at a more advanced stage.

9. Eligibility
Read Chapter 16 to end of section (or thereabouts)

10. How it is Practiced

sevä sädhaka-rüpeëa
siddha-rüpeëa cätra hi
tad-bhäva-lipsunä käryä 
vraja-lokänusärataù

“ ‘The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous

loving service should follow the activities of a particular
associate of Kåñëa in Våndävana. He should execute service
externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from
his self-realized position. Thus he should perform devotional
service both externally and internally.’

******************** (Notes)
So here two bodies are mentioned. I mean, service with two
types of bodies. Seva means service. Seva sadhaka-rupena -
with the external body as a devotee practicing regulative
devotional service; siddha-rupena - with a body suitable for
eternal, self-realized service; ca - also. Now, this is very
difficult to conceive in the conditioned stage. But still, we can
understand from the scripture that within the material body,
there is a spiritual body.

Srila Prabhupada has given the example of a coconut, that as

a coconut matures and dries, the milk inside the coconut
solidifies and it becomes... in America they call it flesh, that
white. And that becomes harder and harder and ultimately it
separates from theshell. So in the same way the spiritual
body exists within the material body and it gradually becomes
manifest. But I won't go into too much detail into it, but I'll
just make the point that when one's greed becomes very
intense and when one is in the stage of asakti, and just
entering the stage of rati, or bhava, then the spiritual body
comes out, becomes manifest.

Then with the spiritual body, internally, he serves the eternal

associate of Krsna in Vrndavana. Just like suppose my spiritual
body is, my greed is to become a cowherd boy, so my
spiritual body will manifest as a cowherd boy, then internally
with the spiritual body, I will become an assistant of Subala,
and if any cow wanders away from the herd, I will chase it and
bring it back as my service to Subala, who is the leader in my
service. So that's internally. But externally, I will act just like a
regulative devotee.