rāgānugā bhakti leads rapidly to the sādhya

In a previous article, I examined the methodology of rāgānugā bhakti.  Śrī Jīva Goswami’s exposition of the topic in the Bhakti Sandarbha contains some startling insights, one of which is the speed with which rāgānugā bhakti leads to the sādhya. In Anuccheda 325 of Bhakti Sandarbha, he astutely notes the following verse from the Bhāgavata as indicative of rāgānugā bhakti:

atha tad-bhajana-mātrasya māhātmyam upakramata eva yathā—

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo’haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgala |

yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati || [bhā.pu. 1.2.5] iti |

The glory of worshiping Śrī Kṛṣṇa was stated by Śrī Sūta at the very beginning of Śrīmad Bhāgavata :
O sages, you have questioned me in a highly significant manner, beneficial for the entire world, because thorough inquiry about Kṛṣṇa, as conducted by you, is itself that by which the self is completely fulfilled ( ātmā suprasīdati ). ( SB 1.2.5 )

According to Śrī Jīva Goswami, the above verse indicates rāgānugā bhakti. His logic is as follows:

tatraitad vaktavyaṁ—pūrvaṁ manasaḥ su-prasāda-hetuḥ pṛṣṭaḥ | anena tu śrī-kṛṣṇa-praśna-mātrasya tad-dhetunoktā |

The intention of Śrī Sūta’s statement is as follows: Earlier [in SB 1.1.11 ], the sages headed by Śaunaka had inquired as to the cause of the fulfillment of the self [ ātmā suprasīdati ], or of the heart – mind faculty ( manasaḥ suprasāda ). Here, however, in his reply to their question, Sūta says that inquiry about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in and of itself, is the cause of such fulfillment.

As seen above, the means of fulfillment, which is inquiry about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is in itself the cause of fulfillment. This means that the means, the sādhana, instantly leads to the sādhya, which is bhāva. This is a characteristic of rāgānugā bhakti, and the Bhāgavata teaches it at the very beginning. This is in contrast to the vaidhī bhakti taught in the immediately next several verses. Śrī Jīva Goswami writes:

na tu sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ [bhā.pu. 1.2.6] ity-ādinā tadīyānantara-prakaraṇe yathā mahatā prayatnena karmārpaṇam ārabhya bhakti-niṣṭhā-paryanta eva jāte prādurbhāvāntara-bhajanasya tad-dhetutoktā, tatheti |

In SB 1.2.5 , Sūta did not answer, as he does beginning from the next verse ( SB 1.2.6 ), that the cause of the self’s fulfillment is the bhajana that is enacted only at the culminating stage of the entire practice. This progression is outlined beginning with the following statement:

That alone is humanity’s supreme essential duty by which causeless, unobstructed bhakti to Adhokṣaja, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, can come into being, as a consequence of which the self is completely fulfilled. ( SB 1.2.6 )

In the section immediately following this verse [up to SB 1.2.22 ], Sūta describes a progression that begins with offering one’s karma to Bhagavān through painstaking effort and culminates in the development of fixity ( niṣṭhā ) in bhakti . After this, the first dawning of love of God [ bhāva ] manifests in the heart and the worship that the practitioner then performs becomes the cause of the fulfillment of the self.

Fulfillment in vaidhī bhakti is not experienced in the the sādhana stage, but rather occurs after culmination of the practice when the sādhya is achieved. Verse 1.2.6 above makes the difference between sādhana and sādhya explicit followed by an explanation of the gradual steps moving from sādhana to sādhya. This takes huge effort (mahatā prayatnena), unlike in rāgānugā bhakti.

Śrī Jīva Goswami appears to make another subtle point here- that vaidhī bhakti is not for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti to Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is necessarily rāgānugā bhakti as evident in the reply in 1.2.5. In contrast, vaidhī bhakti is for the avatāras of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. For a rāgānugā bhakta, hearing about the avatāras of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also ultimately for attaining bhāva for Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone. He cites the following verse to make this point:

ata evāvatārāntara-kathāyā api tad-abhiniveśa eva phalam ity āha—

Therefore, even the descriptions of other avatāras culminate in absorption in Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone, as indicated by King Parīkṣit:

harer adbhuta-vīryasya kathā loka-sumaṅgalāḥ | kathayasva mahābhāga yathāham akhilātmani || kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsaṅgaṁ manas tyakṣye kalevaram | [bhā.pu. 2.8.3-4] iti |
The stories of Śrī Hari, who has inconceivable potencies, are highly auspicious for all humanity. O most blessed Śukadeva, please disclose them to me such that I may give up this body while fixing my mind, free of all attachments, on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Self of all beings. ( SB 2.8.2 – 3 )

hares tad-avatāra-rūpasya | akhilātmani sarvāṁśini kṛṣṇe śrīmad-arjuna-sakhe ||

In this verse, the word hareḥ , “of Hari,” refers to the various avatāras who originate from Kṛṣṇa, while the compound akhilātmani , “the Supreme Self of all beings,” refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the friend of Arjuna, who is the original source of all avatāras ( sarva – aṁśī ).

Summary

The bhakti taught in the Bhāgavata for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is rāgānuga bhakti alone.

Rāgānuga bhakti rapidly leads to bhāva.

Vaidhī bhakti is for other avatāras of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.