How did Prabhupada provide sadhana-bhakti and raganuga bhakti together?
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Transcript
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So how Aishwarya Prabhupada preached both Sadhana Bhakti and Raghunga Bhakti together in parallel. Basically, at our stage, if we get too much into technicalities of these things, we'll unnecessarily confuse ourselves. So keep things simple.
Simple thing is that bhakti is a process of developing a relationship with Krishna. And how does a real relationship develop? If we want to develop a relationship with someone, we find out what they like. We do that and we avoid the things that they don't like.
It's as simple as that. So similarly, in bhakti, we learn about Krishna. We learn about the things that Krishna likes.
We do those things and we avoid the things that Krishna does not like. If we do this, if we try to do what we can to please Krishna, then we will move closer to Krishna. Now for moving closer to Krishna, there is a process given.
That process is given in the scripture. That process is elaborated by the acharyas. And that process centers primarily on associating with those who love Krishna.
Because when we want to love someone in this world, that person is there in front of us. We can see them. We can talk with them.
And affection can develop. Of course, sometimes aversion can also develop. But whatever it is, Krishna is not that easily accessible for us.
So therefore, for developing love for Krishna, we need to connect with those for whom Krishna is more accessible than He is for us. Those who are more spiritually advanced, those whose consciousness is more pure, Krishna is more accessible to them. So now, in sadhana bhakti, basically there are two kinds of sadhana.
There is Vaidhi Bhakti and there is Raghana Bhakti. So now, what does Vaidhi Bhakti mean? This is the instruction. The spiritual master has told you, the shastra has told you, do this.
Now by doing this, gradually, the affection develops for Krishna. Just like initially, when a person tries to play music, I want to play some harmonium, play some violin. Okay, just press this button, press this button, press this button.
Or if somebody wants to learn harmonium, okay, move your fingers like this. Initially, there is no mesthetic sense, but just they are training their fingers. By doing the mechanical activity, gradually their hands become comfortable on the keys.
And then the musical sense evolves, and then they start developing a taste for music. So the artistic comes later. First, the mechanical functionality one has to learn.
And then the artistic will emerge gradually. So like that, there are certain activities that we do mechanically in Bhakti. That means, okay, this is what I have been told to do, I do it.
I chant the holy names, I worship the deities, I study scripture, even if this doesn't immediately lead to the bhava for Krishna. And by doing this, gradually the bhava will come. So now the point is, some people may do some things only as rules.
And by doing it as rules, they may not actually look at the devotional element at all. They may not try to connect with Krishna. So such people are told, just mechanically doing the thing is not enough.
The point is, you have to have some raag for Krishna. You have to have some attraction towards Krishna. And that means you associate with those who are attracted to Krishna and try to develop their mood.
So the essential difference between Vaidya Bhakti and Raga Bhakti is that whether the impetus for doing the devotional activities is coming from instruction or whether it is coming from affection. So now there is of course, apart from this difference in the origin, there is also a difference in specifics of how the bhakti is practiced. But the important thing is that when we are practicing bhakti right now, Prabhupada is a bhakta who is under Raga Bhakti.
He is spontaneously attracted to Krishna. And we are doing bhakti on his instruction. So although we can say our bhakti is Vaidya Bhakti right now, but along with that, we are associating with somebody who is spontaneously in love with Krishna.
And by his spontaneous love for Krishna, our spontaneous love for Krishna will also come. So by focusing on the principles, rather than getting caught in the technicalities, we can tap the opportunity for bhakti that Srila Prabhupada has provided us and we can march towards Krishna. So thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai.