Raganuga is sadhana
Q. Isn't raganuga-bhakti understood to be a sadhana or spiritual practice unto itself?
A. Raganuga is sadhana and thus practice, but this practice is mature when our svarupa (spiritual identity) is revealed. Even though bhava-bhakti is distinct from sadhana-bhakti, bhava bhaktas still engage in sadhana. Bhaktivinoda Thakura's opinion is that raganuga sadhana can be practiced before attaining bhava, but it will be mixed with and supported by vaidhi-bhakti.
Jiva Goswami calls this mixture ajata-ruci-raganuga-bhakti, or raganuga-bhakti practiced in the stage before one develops spiritual taste for a particular bhava of Vraja. He discusses two divisions of raganuga-bhakti in his Bhakti-sandarbha. These he calls jata-ruci and ajata-ruci-raganuga. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami refers to them as jata-rati and ajata-rati-raganuga-bhakti. These terms imply that raganuga-bhakti is cultivated by those without ruci (ajata-ruci) or with ruci (jata-ruci) or in the language of Krsnadasa Kaviraja, with bhava (jata-rati) or without bhava (ajata-rati).
Kaviraja Goswami says, jata-ajata-rati-bhede sadhaka dui bheda vidhi-raga-marge cari cari-asta bheda. The context of this verse is Mahaprabhu's explanation of the atmarama verse to Sanatana Goswami in which he explains four types of atmaramas: the eternal associates of God (parisads), those who have attained perfection by sadhana (sadhana-siddhas), and and two types of sadhakas, those cultivating vaidhi-bhakti and those cultivating raganuga-bhakti.
Thus we have the parisads, sadhana-siddhas, and two types of sadhakas, totaling four atmaramas. Then he explains that there are two types of sadhakas within both vaidhi- and raga-bhakti sadhana, those with rati (jata-rati), and those without (ajata-rati). This brings the total of atmaramas to eight. He goes on from here to delineate 32 types of atmaramas by discussing the four types (parisads, sadhana-siddhas, and two types of sadhakas) in terms of four rasas both in vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti.
Out of all of this, we learn that there are devotees who are raganuga-sadhakas who are either mature in their practice or immature. They have attained ruci/rati or have yet to attain them. The terms ruci and rati are not however, interchangeable. Ruci refers to advanced sadhana-bhakti, and rati to bhava-bhakti. In either case we have two types of raganuga bhaktas. In the language of Kaviraja Goswami we find a blurring of sadhana-bhakti and bhava-bhakti.
This is not inappropriate because although bhava-bhakti is distinct from sadhana-bhakti, sadhana continues in bhava-bhakti nonetheless. Ruci is also the basis of rati. Thus the two, Jiva Goswami and Krsnadasa Kaviraja, are saying the same thing--that there are two types of raganuga-bhaktas, the mature and immature. The conclusion is that those who are grounded in ritualistic bhakti with their ideal being raganuga-bhakti can cross over ritualistic bhakti and tread the path of sacred passionate love in due course.
A. Raganuga is sadhana and thus practice, but this practice is mature when our svarupa (spiritual identity) is revealed. Even though bhava-bhakti is distinct from sadhana-bhakti, bhava bhaktas still engage in sadhana. Bhaktivinoda Thakura's opinion is that raganuga sadhana can be practiced before attaining bhava, but it will be mixed with and supported by vaidhi-bhakti.
Jiva Goswami calls this mixture ajata-ruci-raganuga-bhakti, or raganuga-bhakti practiced in the stage before one develops spiritual taste for a particular bhava of Vraja. He discusses two divisions of raganuga-bhakti in his Bhakti-sandarbha. These he calls jata-ruci and ajata-ruci-raganuga. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami refers to them as jata-rati and ajata-rati-raganuga-bhakti. These terms imply that raganuga-bhakti is cultivated by those without ruci (ajata-ruci) or with ruci (jata-ruci) or in the language of Krsnadasa Kaviraja, with bhava (jata-rati) or without bhava (ajata-rati).
Kaviraja Goswami says, jata-ajata-rati-bhede sadhaka dui bheda vidhi-raga-marge cari cari-asta bheda. The context of this verse is Mahaprabhu's explanation of the atmarama verse to Sanatana Goswami in which he explains four types of atmaramas: the eternal associates of God (parisads), those who have attained perfection by sadhana (sadhana-siddhas), and and two types of sadhakas, those cultivating vaidhi-bhakti and those cultivating raganuga-bhakti.
Thus we have the parisads, sadhana-siddhas, and two types of sadhakas, totaling four atmaramas. Then he explains that there are two types of sadhakas within both vaidhi- and raga-bhakti sadhana, those with rati (jata-rati), and those without (ajata-rati). This brings the total of atmaramas to eight. He goes on from here to delineate 32 types of atmaramas by discussing the four types (parisads, sadhana-siddhas, and two types of sadhakas) in terms of four rasas both in vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti.
Out of all of this, we learn that there are devotees who are raganuga-sadhakas who are either mature in their practice or immature. They have attained ruci/rati or have yet to attain them. The terms ruci and rati are not however, interchangeable. Ruci refers to advanced sadhana-bhakti, and rati to bhava-bhakti. In either case we have two types of raganuga bhaktas. In the language of Kaviraja Goswami we find a blurring of sadhana-bhakti and bhava-bhakti.
This is not inappropriate because although bhava-bhakti is distinct from sadhana-bhakti, sadhana continues in bhava-bhakti nonetheless. Ruci is also the basis of rati. Thus the two, Jiva Goswami and Krsnadasa Kaviraja, are saying the same thing--that there are two types of raganuga-bhaktas, the mature and immature. The conclusion is that those who are grounded in ritualistic bhakti with their ideal being raganuga-bhakti can cross over ritualistic bhakti and tread the path of sacred passionate love in due course.
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