The qualification to hear rāsa-līlā

Chapters 29-33 of the Bhāgavatam describe the rāsa-līlā of Bhagavān and the gopīs. Some claim that sādhakas should not hear these chapters till they have freed themselves from material desires, as otherwise, hearing the rāsa-līlā can further inflame their material desires. However, these claims do not find support in the Bhāgavatam itself. Indeed, at the end of the rāsa-līlā, we find the following verse, which states that by hearing the rāsa-līlā of Bhagavān or speaking about it, one attains prema, which in turn cleanses lust from the heart:

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ śraddhānvito nu śṛṇuyād atha varṇayed vā |

bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati parilabhya kāmaṁ hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ ||

A person who is resolutely fixed ( dhīraḥ ) and endowed with faith ( śraddhānvitaḥ ) who repeatedly hears or relates these and other amorous sports of Śrī Viṣṇu [Kṛṣṇa] with the gopīs of Vraja soon ( acireṇa ) attains supreme devotion ( bhaktiṁ parām ) to Bhagavān and is quickly ( āśu ) freed from lust, the disease of the heart. ( SB 10.33.40 )

I will translate Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentary on this verse, where he makes the qualification to hear rāsa-līlā abundantly clear. His explanation of the first line is as follows:

viśvanāthaḥ: sarva-līlā-cūḍāmaṇe rāsasya śravaṇa-kīrtana-phalam api sarva-phala-cūḍāmaṇi-bhūtam evety āha—vikrīḍitam iti | ca-kārād īdṛśam anyad apy anya-kavi-varṇitaṁ tābhiḥ saha vikrīḍitam | viṣṇor iti tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayor ity-ādy-ukta-vyāpakatvābhiprāyeṇa nu niścitam anudinaṁ vā śṛṇuyāt | atha varṇayet kīrtayet | sva-kavitayā kāvya-rūpatvena vibadhnīteti vā |

The fruit of hearing and singing the rāsa-līlā, which is the crest jewel of all līlās, is indeed the crest jewel of all fruits. This is stated in this verse. The word ‘ca’ includes other similar descriptions by poets. The word viṣṇor in the word conveys His presence everywhere, such as when He was present between two-two gopīs [during the dance]. The word ‘nu’ indicates that one should definitely hear, or that one should regularly hear. The word varṇayet means one should sing, or one should compose one’s own poetry.

Now he explains the fruit of hearing the rāsa-līlā —

parāṁ prema-lakṣaṇāṁ prāpyeti ktvā-pratyayena hṛd-rogavaty apy adhikāriṇi prathamata eva premṇaḥ praveśas tatas tat-prabhāvenaivācirato hṛd-roga-nāśa iti premāyaṁ jñāna-yoga iva na durbalaḥ para-tantraś ceti bhāvaḥ | hṛd-roga-rūpaṁ kāmam iti bhagavad-viṣayakaḥ kāma-viśeṣo vyavacchinnas tasya premāmṛta-rūpatvena tad-vaiparītyāt|

[The word parilabhya means] attaining [bhakti], characterized by prema. The ktvā suffix [in parilabhya indicates that] prema first enters the hearts of even those who are qualified to get it despite having the disease of the heart [of lust], and after that, by prema’s influence, the disease of the heart is destroyed very quickly (acireṇa). Thus, this prema is not rare like jñāna-yoga, nor dependent like it. The disease of the heart in the form of lust (hṛd-roga-rūpaṁ kāmam) indicates the exclusion of the specific kāma related to Bhagavān, because it is the nectar of prema, which is completely opposite to lust.

Śrī Viśvanātha astutely notes the ktvā suffix in the gerund ‘parilabhya’. The sūtra that teaches this suffix in Śrī Jīva Goswami’s Harināmāmṛta vyākaraṇam is as follows:

eka-kartṛkayoḥ kriyayoḥ pūrva-kāla-stha-dhātoḥ ktvā:

the suffix ktvā is to be applied to the dhātu that expresses the preceding of the two actions [in a sentence] of one agent.

The word ‘parilabhya’ does not appear to have the suffix ktvā in it. The reason for this is the following sūtra:

ktvo yab anañ-pūrva-samāse:

Replace ktvā with yap [when the gerund is present] in a non-nañ compound.

The indeclinable ‘pari’ is compounded with verbal root ‘labh’ to which is added the suffix ktvā. As such, ktvā is replaced with yap, and the resulting gerund is ‘parilabhya’ (the letter ‘p’ is dropped from ‘yap’). The rule is also the reason for the word ‘namaskṛtya’ instead of ‘namaskṛtvā’.

The point is that the action indicated in the word ‘parilabhya’ precedes the action in the verb ‘apahinoti’. Therefore Śrī Viśvanātha states that prema first enters the heart, and then removes lust from the heart. It is for this reason also that he points out the independence of prema. Jñāna-yoga depends on purity of heart; in fact, purity of the heart is the necessary qualification for anyone taking up jñāna-yoga. Because prema precedes purity of the heart and cleanses the impure heart, prema is not dependent on it.

He now explains a very important point –

dhīraḥ paṇḍita iti hṛd-roga saty api kathaṁ premā bhaved ity anāstikya lakṣaṇena mūrkhatvena rahita ity arthaḥ | ataeva śraddhānvita iti śāstrāviśvāsinaṁ nāmāparādhinaṁ premāpi nāṅgīkarotīti bhāvaḥ ||39||  

The word ‘dhīra’, meaning a paṇḍit, implies freedom from the foolishness characterized by a lack of belief, of the type, “When I have material lust, how can prema arise?”. Therefore, [he is] “śraddhānvitaḥ”, “endowed with belief”, meaning even prema does not accept those who do not believe in śāstra, [and who are therefore] offenders to the name [of Bhagavān].

The only qualification for hearing the rāsa-līlā is belief in the meaning of śāstra, meaning śāstriya śraddhā.

Summary

The qualification for hearing the rāsa-līlā is śāstriya śraddhā, belief in the meaning of śāstra.

Such a person believes that prema destroys lust.

Those who do not wish to hear the rāsa-līlā because of material desires in the heart, actually may not have śāstriya śraddhā.