Tarun Govinda Das Each sadhaka is individual.
My Gurudeva was asked once when Sri Gurudeva introduces the spiritual identity to the disciple.
The argument was brought to him that it should happen at the stage of asakti.
He didn´t agree and told that the introduction can happen at the stage of bhajana-kriya.
I asked him about this too.
He told me that without having information of your spiritual identity (and with this, of your relationship with Sri Sri Yugal Kishor), it is very very difficult to even ATTAIN the stage of RUCI, what to speak of ASAKTI.
Of course, by the mercy of the Holy Name, everything is possible. But if you look at the definitions of RUCI or ASAKTI...these are very very elevated stages, and they are usually defined with a VERY DEEP affection to the Divine Couple...especially ASAKTI...
If you have absolutely NO IDENTIFICATION during bhajana-kriya, anartha-nivritti and nistha...it is very difficult to reach a stage of RUCI (deep taste) or even ASAKTI (deep attraction).
It is certainly very difficult if we cannot develop a change from being a "generic" jiva (servant and part of God) to becoming a specific lover of God in any of the 5 rasas.
Now it will be described how the raganugiya bhakta gradually advances through the stages of anartha nivritti (cessation of bad habits), nishtha (fixation), ruci (taste), and asakti (attachment to the beloved deity) up to the stage of prema (love of God) and the direct attainment of his beloved deity.
(Raga Vartma Chandrika)
Tika:
Now it is described how the sādhaka attains the personal service of his beloved deity in His līlā-kingdom, after attaining the perfection of prema. Two kinds of sādhana have been described of the rāgānugīya devotees – the external practice of hearing and chanting in the sādhaka-body and the desired mental service in the self-conceived siddha-body. When the sādhaka's obstacles, such as anarthas are removed by the continued practice of bhajana, gradually niṣṭha, ruci and āsakti for the Lord awaken.
Then, when rati and prema are attained, the practice in the sādhaka-deha is completed. In other words, when all the stages of the stream of sādhanā – faith, śaranāgati (surrender), taking shelter of the feet of Śrī Guru, serving Śrī Guru and Vaiṣṇava, hearing, chanting, remembering, meditating, anartha-nivṛtti, niṣṭha, ruci, āsakti and rati – have been fulfilled, then one reaches the culmination called prema.
It is described in the book called Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi how, after attaining this prema, all these rāgānugīya sādhakas who engage in bhajana in the madhura-rasa with the feelings of sakhīs or maṣjarīs, will attain the personal service of the Lord in the kingdom of līlā:
tad bhāva baddha rāgā ye janās te sādhane ratāḥ tad yogyam anurāgaughaṁ prāpyotkaṇṭhānusārataḥ tā eko ‘thavā dvi-trāḥ kāle kāle vraje ‘bhavan (Śrī Haripriyā Prakaraṇam, 49-50)
“Those who are especially attracted to the feelings of the gopīs and are thus engaged in rāgānugā-bhajana, attain the abundance of anurāga that is proper for rāgānugā, and according to their eagerness, take birth in Vraja at different times as Vraja-gopīs alone or in groups of two or three.”
In the above verse, the word anurāgaughaṁ means the eagerness that is proper for rāgānugā, not the sthāyi-bhāva called anurāga, because only stages up to prema can appear in the sādhaka-body.
The stages above prema, from sneha up to mahābhāva, that are required to attain personal service in the mood of the gopīs, can only appear in a transcendental gopī-body, for a sādhaka-body is unable to tolerate the coolness of meeting with Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the heat of separation from Him.
The words vraje ‘bhavan, meaning “taking birth in Vraja”, must be understood to mean that the sādhana-siddhas appear in the womb of a gopikā in the same way as the eternally beloved Vraja-vadhūs of Śrī Kṛṣṇa appear during the manifest pastimes.
After that, on the strength of the association of nitya-priyās like Śrī Rādhā and Lalitā, they gradually attain sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga and mahābhāva through seeing, hearing and glorifying Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His associates.
Without this mahābhāva, the personal devotional service of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a gopī-body cannot be attained.
Srila Ananta das Babaji
Nice expanation from my beloved brother, Madhavananda Baba:
Radhe Radhe!
This is discussed at the end of Sri Raga Vartma Chandrika. In Baba's commentary he mentions the gopis who had been sages of Dandaka. They came as a group. Also the sruti cari gopis came in pairs or larger groups according to their place in sastra.
In all cases there is a variation of how specific their goal is or isn't.
Normally we come alone as our goal is very specific in aspiring for Manjari bhava under proper guidance.
Our goal isn't simply to be a gopi or take birth from a gopi's womb but to attain Mahabhava so as to render service to Yugal Kishor. Without such clarity we will still be looking to others for help, others who aren't necessarily clear or specific.
Our bhajan is performed in solitude and quite specific.
To put it briefly.
Your,
Madhavananda das
