The point
of the pastime in Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya līlā, chapter 18, in which Mahāprabhu saw the jala-keli (Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s watersports) standing on the shore
of Yamunā, not participating, is not whether He was in sakhī
bhāva or mañjarī bhāva - the
point is that it showed the difference between the three stages of
consciousness – antar (internal), bāhya (external) and ardha bāhya daśā (half-external). Surely
there is no harm in seeing mañjarī bhāva
in it, it is not an apasiddhānta, but
I personally doubt if this was Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāja's intention.
*
Devotees
reminiscing the past, in which they personally associated with their now
deceased Guru are not sentimental old men. To accuse them of living in the past
is guror avajña, disregarding Guru, thinking
the Guru is dead. All bhakti-activities
and thoughts are eternal. To think otherwise is māyāvāda or materialism.
*
Śrīla
Raghunāth Dās Goswāmī’s Vraja Vilāsa Stava is the ultimate index of sambandhānugā (generic, non-amorous)
bhakti, while his Vilāpa Kusumāñjali is the ultimate index of kāmānugā (purely amorous) bhakti. Both are essential reading.
*
There is no condemnation of ‘sectarianism’ in bhakti śāstra –
instead there is a glorification of niṣṭha,
fixation. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī speaks of ekāntīs,
or focused ones, in Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.58) –
yeṣāṁ śrīśa prasādo’pi mano hartuṁ
na śaknuyāt
This focus
is based on rasa, but it shows
exclusivity nonetheless. Surely we must respect others’ practices but it is
also not so that for a soul surrendered to Mahāprabhu and the 6 Goswāmīs that
everything and everyone is right. Bhagavad Gītā makes these points:
aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani
and –
yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti na
sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim
“He
who giving up the rules of scripture acts according to his own whim does not
attain perfection, happiness, or the supreme goal.” 16.23
*
Objections
have been raised against the use of the English word 'demigods' for 'devatās', as ‘demigods’ is an English
term for persons in Greek mythology who had half god-half human descent. In the
Vedic context that would make the Pāṇḍavas demigods, but devatās 'gods' with a small ‘g’. either the word ‘gods’ can be used
or the original term ‘devatā’ can be
kept, because most readers of English translations of śāstra will know what that means, just like the word ‘guru’ needs no English translation.
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