Raganuga-Bhakti And Lobha

Raganuga-Bhakti And Lobha
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Vaidhi-bhakti is devotion inspired by following scriptural rules, whereas raganuga-bhakti is devo¬tion inspired by Lobha, or greed. To be inspired towards bhakti means to be single-minded in executing all the different processes of bhakti. Therefore the two ways to foster bhakti are first by strictly following scriptulal rules, and, second through developing intense greed (Lobha) to serve the Lord. Of these two methods, Srila Rupa Goswami gives more importance to Lobha, as he expresses in his book the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu:
tat tat-bhava-ādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr-yad-apekṣate
nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ-ca tallobhotpatti-lakṣaṇam
This verse means that after the devotee has heard the detailed descriptions of the sweetness of Lord Krishna’s loving spiritual sentiments (bhava-mād¬hurya) with His associates, he is spontaneously drawn towards those sentiments of Krishna’s beloved associates. Such a devotee, desiring to possess those feelings, shakes free the shackles of logical and scriptural bindings. Liberating himself from these bonds is the devotee’s first symptom of Lobha.
When a devotee becomes greedy for Krishna while hearing about the different ecstatic emotions displayed by a parikara (confidante) participating in Krishna’s Vraja pastimes, the devotee thinks, let this spiritual emotion also bloom in my heart. Such meditations are never interrupted by a need to seek consent from either the scriptures or logic. If by chance a devotee feels any uncertainty, then, his desire to possess the spiritual emotions of a Parika¬ ra cannot be called Lobha. No one can ever develop Lobha from following scriptural injunctions, nor, can one obtain the desired spiritual object if the mind is endlessly analyzing whether or not one is eligible. Real Lobha appears immediately when one sees or hears about Krishna.
Lobha has two divisions according to the two sources from which it may develop: (i) the pure devotee’s mercy and (ii) the Supreme Lord’s mer¬cy. The first division of Lobha, that which is owing to the devotee’s mercy, is of two kinds: ancient and modern. Ancient Lobha appears by the mercy of pure devotees steeped in the same sweet, eternal devotional mellows the constant associates of Lord Krishna relish. When Lobha originates from the grace of pure devotees in the present time it is known as contemporary, or modern. When Lobha starts from the previous birth and begins to bloom in the present life then the devotee must take shelter of a guru who is a raganuga pure devotee. The second kind of Lobha, or modeni Lobha, is developed only after the devotee Likes shelter of his spiritual master.
The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu confirms:
kṛṣṇa tat-bhakta kāruṇya-mātra Lobhaika hetukā
puṣṭi-mārga-tayā kaiścid iyam rāgānugocyate
Lobha is produced solely by the mercy of Krishna and His pure devotees. Devotion initiated by such Lobha is defined as raganuga bhakti; sometimes it is termed puṣṭi-mārga-bhakti.
When both kinds of devotees, the one yearning for ancient Lobha, the other for modern Lobha, hear how to acquire the devotional mellows possessed by Krishna’s eternal associates, or nitya parikara, they seek guidance from the proper scriptures. This is because the authorized meth¬od for attaining bhava is delineated in scriptural injunctions and purports; no other sources for receiving this information are indicated anywhere.
The following analogy illustrates this point: A person becomes greedy for milk and its products, but first he must want to know how to procure milk. He then has to seek advice from a trust¬worthy person conversant with the subject who will tell him how to purchase a cow and how to take care of her properly. In other words, knowl¬edge on a subject cannot be simply invented-prop¬er guidance is necessary. As Lord Brahma explains in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (8.6.12):
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu
bhuvy annam ambūdyamane ca vṛttim
yogair manuṣyā adhiyanti hi tvāṁ
guṇeṣu buddhyā kavayo vadanti
As one can derive fire from wood, milk from the milk-bag of the cow, food grains, and water from the land, and prosperity in one’s livelihood from in-dustrial enterprises, so, by practise of bhakti-yoga, even within this material world, one can achieve Your favor or intelligently approach You. Those who are pious all affirm this.
For a raga-bhakta (the devotee who is following the path of raga-bhakti) this intense eagerness for hearing and chanting about the all-purifying qualities and activities of Krishna, begins with the raga-bhakta’s surrender to the lotus feet of his guru and continues to flourish until he attains his spiri¬tual goals. The more a devotee is purified by hear¬ing and chanting, the more spiritual realizations he will have; just as medicine applied correctly to diseased eyes cures, so hearing and chanting cures of material ignorance.
– Ragavartma-Candrika – Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura; Translated by Sarvabhavana dasa.