All Glories to A.C. Prabhupada, Sripada Maharaja All Glories to Gouranga Mahaprabhu and Goura Bhakta Vrnda Ki Jay! Guru Maharaja! Dandavat Pranam, Please accept my humble obeisances unto Guruji Maharaja's padmacharan that I am continuing the reading of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu 2:2:70. The sangskrit words used here, the meaning and the translation into English are very tough and difficult to graps the idea. For example “ Raga, Raganuga-Bhakti, Ragatmika-Bhakti, Vaidhi-Bhakti etc.” In Gita 2.56 the word Raga is translated as attachment and in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and other related books it is the process of thinking in the spiritual life. The Ragatmika is related only the inhabitants of Vraja. Please explain the differences between Bhakti and Vaidhi Bhakti, Seva and Bhakti. Guruji, please explain in a simpler way or form of expression of the above mentioned sangskrit words.

HpS - AGTSP!!  Paoho. It is such an inspiration to get you association. For a simple answer to your question as we understand Rupa Goswami: Raga means attachment or taste. Bhakti is the general process it has three categories: Sadhana bhakti, bhava bhakti and prema bhakti. Sadhana bhakti can be divided into Vaidhi bhakti and Raganuga bhakti. In Vaidhi bhakti we do our Seva, service, Bhakti, according to rules given by an Acharya. The prophet Mohammad tells his followers they must bow down several times (5?) a day to Mecca, fast for Ramadan etc. These rules have the potency of waking up our spontaneous, Bhava bhakti. Bhakti, love for Krsna, which is always manifest with Seva, service to Krsna, and is an eternal aspect of the soul: 'nitya siddha Krsna prema...' (quotes in Nectar of Instruction). When that Bhava is a little bit awake we can start to do our service not just according to external rules for the mind, speech, body, but with feeling if we have the association of a Raga-atmica devotee, a devotee whose soul (atma), is fully awake to its natural attachment (raga) to Krsna.

You practice the piano in a very mechanical way following the written notes, but your teacher comes and says,"You play on the piano, I will play on the violin". In his association you can play with feeling. You are above plain Vaidhi bhakti and can do Raga anu ga bhakti. A raganuga bhakta follows a ragatmica bhakta. When the soul itself begins to express its natural rasa, raga, with Krsna that is Bhava bhakti. It is like a green mango, and when it is fully ripe, awake in its seva, bhakti, then it is prema bhakti.

O.K?

See you in a few days.

We try calling but there is no good connection with Manipur. Tell the Gaurangi that Dr. Samaresh is not coming. Things were not organized well enough so for his necessities so he will be going to Delhi for work then. Our apologizes. We suspect she has been doing the best that anyone can do. 

The regular Sunday Bhagavatam Patha is also continuing and as a part of it I will narrate the portion of 9:10.4 and will continu further. In the meantime, we are planning for the Guruji’s Manipur visit programme from 1-4 Nov. 2017. We will finalise the exact number of Prasadam and books required for the function with Banamali Prabhu, Ekanatha Prabhu and Sadhubhusan Das shortly in Imphal and the amounts to be deposited. How was Australia tour completed?

HpS - Australia tour was very, very, very hard work with very, very, very good results. We will talk about it when we arrive.

We are eagerly waiting Guruji Maharaja's arrival on the 1st Nov. 2017 at 10.00 a.m.,

HpS - Indigo 523 arriving 10.30AM.

. . . though our service (seva) will not be satisfactorily. Please bear the troubles of inconveniences cause from our side. What types of prasad will be arranged and who are accompanying this time excluding Dr. Samaresh and family? Yours fallen servant; Yamunesvara Das

HpS - From Kolkata only myself but from other states others are coming. Some pasta is good for our body - macaroni, spaghetti, simple Dahl.

See you very, very soon.