Chapter 9 of the Nectar of Devotion where Prabhupada explains lalasamayi refers to the verse 1.2.152 of the Second Wave of Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu dealing with Sadhana Bhakti.
"That is called lālasā-mayī, or very eagerly desiring to go to one's natural position. This lālasā-mayī stage of submission comes in the stage of perfect liberation, which is technically called svarūpa-siddhi, when the living entity understands, by perfect spiritual advancement and revelation, his original relationship with the Lord." (NOD-9)
So, lalasamayi or laulyam is not to be cultivated only after being liberated. Second Wave of BRS is about Sadhana.
samprārthanātmikā dainya-bodhikā lālasāmayī |
ity ādir vividhā dhīraiḥ kṛṣṇe vijñaptir īritā ||1.2.152 ||
“The wise have explained that there are varieties of entreaty to Kṛṣṇa, such as prayers, admission of incompetence and expressions of longing.”
We have to consider that lalasamayi in svarupa siddhi stage is very intense, but lalasamayi or laulyam begin well before in Sadhana stage. And this is what Prabhupada is explaining when he says that lalasamayi (intense) comes in the stage of svarupa siddhi.
Not to mention that lobha is also described in Sadhana stage. BRS 1.2.292.
In Sadhana stage the devotee can meditate on his siddha svarupa. Perhaps not with many details (ekadas bhava), but in a more simple way as instructed by Sadasiva to Narada Muni in Sanat Kumara Samhita (in this case there aroused lobha by madhurya). And then will slowly increasing the details of his meditation:
Sanat Kumara Samhita:
184 and 185
atmanam cintayet tatra
tasam madhye manoramam
rupa-yauvana-sampannam
kisorim pramadakritim
nana-silpa-kalabhijnam
krishna-bhoganurupinim
prarthitam api krishnena
tato bhoga-paranmukhim
The sadhaka should think of oneself as a beautiful young gopi girl expert in various arts, pleasing to Lord Krishna, reluctant to directly enjoy with Lord Krsna even if He were personally to invite you, . . .
186
radhikanucarim nityam
tat-sevana-parayanam
krishnad apy adhikam prema
radhikayam prakurvatim
. . . a follower of Sri Radha, always devoted to Her service, more affectionate to Sri Radha than to Lord Krsna Himself, . . .
187
prityanudivasam yatnat
tayoh sangama-karinim
tat-sevana-sukhasvada-
bharenati-su-nirvritam
. . . every day carefully and affectionately arranging the meeting of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, and becoming happy to see Them pleased by your service.
188
ity atmanam vicintyaiva
tatra sevam samacaret
brahma-muhurtam arabhya
yavat santa maha-nisa
Thinking of oneself in this way, one should serve Sri Sri Radha-Krsna from the early morning of brahma-muhurta to the end of night. (Prahladesh)
From Srila Prabhupada's Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.16-17, Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:
Hansadutta: So Prabhupada, a neophyte devotee, he may think it might be very nice to be Krishna’s friend, but he may actually be a blade of grass and he’ll be fully satisfied when he comes to that stage?
Prabhupada: No. If he thinks like that, then he should cultivate that knowledge in that way. Yes. That is described in The Nectar of Devotion and Teachings of Lord Caitanya.
Hansadutta: But that may not be his actual position. It may be something else?
Prabhupada: No. But when, at the time of devotional service, if such impetus comes, that means he has got such relation. It is to be developed. That’s all. That means the actual relationship with Krishna is coming out gradually. It is being developed.
So one has to develop it, following the footsteps of the Krishna’s friends in Vrindavana. These are described here.
Yes. Not directly. No. You cannot say that “I have become Sudama.” No. You have to follow the footsteps of Sudama. “I have become mother Yashoda.” No. You have to follow the footsteps of mother Yashoda.
That is real position. And as soon as you say, “I am Yashoda. I am Sudama,” then it is as good as the Mayavadis say, “I am God.” You see? So dasa-dasanudasa. That process should be followed.
Hansadutta: Suppose someone is satisfied simply being related with the spiritual master.
Prabhupada: That is everyone’s business. Everyone’s business. That is not a particular taste. That is the duty of all devotees.
Once in LA in Srila Prabhupada's room, I asked him (brazenly), "If we are just neophyte devotees but we feel a relationship towards Krishna in a certain way, is that our maya or should we practice it, or what?" And his eyes opened large like they do at times and he replied, "OH, that is what is wanted!"
Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, 1.2.33, Vrindavan, 12 November 1972. Note the first 3 sentences. That is not describing a passive mindset of waiting for realizations:
“So you have to uncover. You have to discover. That discovering process is devotional service. The more you are engaged in devotional service, the more your senses become pure or uncovered.
And when it is completely uncovered, without any designation, then you are capable to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is apprenticeship.
Vaidhī-bhakti, that is apprenticeship. Real bhakti, parā-bhakti, that is rāgānugā-bhakti.
This rāgānugā-bhakti, we have to come to after surpassing the vaidhī-bhakti.
In the material world, if we do not try to make further and further progress in devotional service, if we are simply sticking to the shastric regulation process and do not try to go beyond that…
Shastric process also regulation, that is required. Without shastric process you cannot go to that platform. But if we stick to the shastric process only and do not try to improve ourself…
The shastric process is kaniṣṭha-adhikāra, lowest stage of devotional service.
arcāyām eva harayepūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehatena tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣusa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
Generally, people come to this temple, they are very devoted to the Deity.
They offer their respects, flowers and other things, make the regulative process, circumambulate. This is nice beginning, but one has to go above this.
One has to know who is actually bhakta, who is, Na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu. One has to do good for others. That is madhyama-adhikārī.
If I become satisfied only with these regulative principles for worshiping the Deity in the temple and following the regulative principles daily, but if I have no other idea, then sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ. Prākṛta means on the material platform.
Such devotee can fall down at any moment, because he’s on the prākṛta stage. And prākṛta means this guṇamayī, prakṛti. It is very strong.
So any devotee can fall down if he remains prākṛta-bhakta. So he has to raise himself above this to the madhyama-adhikāra. So here it is said that sva-nirmiteṣu nirviṣṭo bhuṅkte bhūteṣu tad-guṇān.
So we are not enjoying actually. We are enjoying the interaction of the three modes of material nature. And we are thinking…
The same thing, as my Guru Mahārāja used to say, that licking up the bottle of honey. That is not real honey. You have to open the bottle of the honey and lick up the real honey, then you’ll get taste. That is advancement of spiritual knowledge.”
<BUT - Srila Prabhupada DOES STATE - in Glorious "Black and White" in his Nectar of Devotion that such spontaneous sadhana is not possible unless the aspiring devotee "is liberated from all material "contamination". And we all know that, and know exactly what he means in saying that.>
The discussion of raganuga-bhakti in BRS is in the chapter titled, Sadhana-bhakti, ie: bhakti in practice. This practice/sadhana leads us to the goal of bhava, the preliminary stage of prema, which are described in the next two chapters.
That is the purpose of sadhana. By definition, sadhana is performed while we are still dealing with anarthas.
VCT explains in MK that anartha-nivritti continues all the way up to the stage of prema where they are fully eradicated, and not before. (see the attached chart based on MK)
So there is no question of being completely liberated from all material contamination before that stage. In BRS it is also explained that even at the stage of bhava there may be some anarthas.
At the end of the chapter on bhāva-bhakti, Rūpa Gosvāmī makes surprising and very thought provoking statements.
If some apparent fault is seen in a person who has developed real bhāva, one should not be hostile to him, because he has accomplished the goal in all respects. BRS, 1.3.59
From Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary:
There may be some external bad conduct, but one should not be hostile to him, because by having bhāva the person cannot be contaminated by those external actions. Thus, it is said:
Whether one is pure or contaminated, and regardless of one’s external situation, simply by remembering the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead, one can cleanse one’s internal and external existence.
Garuda Purāṇa
This person cannot be criticized, because he has accomplished the goal – he has attained bhāva.
Thus, it is said in the Narasiṁha Purāṇa: A person who is dedicated completely to the Lord may show externally, serious contamination (but internally he is pure). The full moon, though marked by the figure of a rabbit, is never overcome by darkness. BRS, 1.3.60
Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary:
A person may show serious contamination. This means that it is seen externally that he performs forbidden activities. However, he shines with internal bhakti, which cannot be defeated by anyone (he is incomparable). A particular case, the moon, is introduced to support the general principle.
This is called arthantara-nyāsa. In the Hari-vaṁśa, it is said: the dark spot on the moon is called a rabbit. Though there is a fault in the beauty of the moon, that fault is only superficial. [end]
So it is clear from the acaryas' teachings that we cannot be completely freed from anarthas before bhava or prema.
Therefore, since SP would never deviate from the previous acaryas, we can understand that what SP actually means by his statement is that we have to be freed from the 'influences' of these material conditions and our spiritual aspirations are thus the dominant force in our lives.
It would be completely contradictory and illogical to conclude that we have to be completely liberated in order to engage in a 'practice' that is specifically designed to help us reach the liberated stage of bhava.
That makes no sense whatsoever. Therefore, SP's meaning is clear when we harmonize it with the previous acaryas, whose teachings he has given us.
Here are some excerpts from SP's lectures explaining this further:
If all the unwanted things are vanquished, then you'll have firm faith. Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu... Naṣṭa [SB 1.2.18]. Not that I am completely free from all sinful activities, but prāyeṣu, say, fifty percent, sixty percent is gone. At that time, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu... How it has come to take place? Nityam bhāgavata-sevayā.
So nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Not all cleansed, but praya, say, seventy-five percent cleansed. At that time, you become fixed-up in devotional service, naisthiki. There are different stages of devotional service. That I have explained several times. First of all, sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya, anartha-nivrttih syat.
When anartha-nivrttih syat, all unwanted things are finished, at that time, nistha, firm faith.
So bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. So, so long there are dirty things, our faith and devotion in Krsna is not very fixed up, sometimes we deviate, we go away. But then nasta-prayesu, when seventy-five percent of the dirty things are cleansed, then our faith in God becomes fixed up. Bhagavaty uttama-sloke. [end]
Raganuga-bhakti, sometimes referred to as 'spontaneous devotion', does not mean a spontaneous attraction to sadhana. That is not the definition given in BRS or any of the books of the acaryas.
It specifically refers to being spontaneously attracted to a particular type of relationship with Krsna in Vraja, ie: dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhurya.
Only when a person has awakened or realized what type of relationship they desire with Krsna are they qualified to being the practice of raganuga-bhakti, providing they also have the requisite intense desire, ie: lobha/greed, or laulyam/intense hankering. That is confirmed by all acaryas, including SP, as indicated in my previous posts from him.
Vaidhi doesn't necessarily become spontaneous in time.
That is the intention and hope, but unless there is a conscious cultivation at some point of relative maturity, it may not happen on its own.
And once again, to be clear, it's not that the sadhana becomes spontaneous. Spontaneous refers to a natural attraction to a relationship with Krsna in Vraja. That point must be made clear.
And I forgot to mention in my previous post that none of the acaryas or sastra state that a prerequisite for raganuga-bhakti is complete freedom from sex desire.
That is absolutely not a criterion for being qualified. These details are found throughout the books of the acaryas, and especially in the last 20 chapters of BVT's Jaiva-dharma, which is primarily focused on raganuga-bhakti.
From Jiva Gosvami's BS:
For this reason we will now discuss rāgānugā-bhakti, the practice of devotion following in the wake of the moods of natural affection.
When a person develops a taste for the aforesaid specific rāga [i.e., any of the four major rasas], even though that rāga itself has not arisen in her or him, the heart becomes like a crystal, shining as it reflects the rays of the moon of that rāga.
By hearing about this rāga from scripture or from one’s teacher, one develops a taste for the actions of the rāgatmika associates also, that are expressions of this rāgatmika-bhakti.
Then by adhering to the rāga of a particular associate of the Lord, according to one’s taste, one executes devotion, which is called rāgānugā. BS, Anuccheda 310
Regarding sex desire and overcoming its influence to make progress in sadhana-bhakti, Viśvanātha Cakravartī talks about lust in Mādhurya-kadambinī to give us a broader perspective on the issue of lust in conjunction with the rasa-lila pastimes:
Although lust is also considered a fault on the path of bhakti, one can still enter the devotional path, despite being still afflicted by lust and other material desires.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says:
A person who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s pastimes of rāsa-līlā with the gopīs of Vraja attains supreme devotion of the Lord. He quickly becomes steady and conquers over the senses, giving up lust, the disease of the heart. SB, 10.33.39
In this text, “after attaining supreme devotion” is an unfinished act showing that bhakti can be attained even though one has lusty desires. This shows the most independent nature and power of bhakti to destroy lusty desires.
Sometimes lusty desires exist even while practicing devotion. From verses like, “If the most sinful person worships Me exclusively...” and, “Though my devotee is afflicted by lusty desires...” it is clear that though lusty desires may exist in a devotee, still he is not condemned even slightly. MK, 1.11
Here are some further highlights from Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s commentary on the above verse in Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (10.33.39):
One who continuously hears, glorifies or writes poetry about this autumnal rāsa-līlā and similar pastimes of Kṛṣṇa described by other poets, first of all, even if he has the heart disease of material lust, he becomes imbued with prema. Then, by it’s effect, the disease of the heart is destroyed. Thus, it is understood here that this prema is independent; it is not weak or dependent like jñāna-yoga.
…One who faithfully hears and glorifies Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance is described as learned, for he does not foolishly doubt, “How can kṛṣṇa-prema appear if material lust is present?”
Kṛṣṇa-prema will definitely appear in that person who is devoid of foolishness, and who accepts the statements of scripture with full faith. However, kṛṣṇa-prema will not appear within those who have no faith in Kṛṣṇa or who offend the Holy Name.
I believe the implication was there in the original article posted to start this thread, ie: the "just wait and it will be revealed" mindset. No need to do anything proactive in that regard, ie: realizing your relationship with Krsna. (Uttama)
Deliberate effort is required in order to progress from vaidhi to raganuga:
”On the path of gradual development, care must be taken to to become steadily elevated to a higher level, no matter what the present level.
By good fortune, the tendency of the soul is to elevate itself gradually, but there are certainly obstacles along the path, and so the soul may fail to reach the ultimate goal. Those who desire to reach a higher standard must always be conscious of this fact.
In progressing from one level of life to the next, two things should be considered. The aspirant should be firmly fixed in one position to take a firm step to the next higher level.
Then in order to advance successfully to the higher level, when one foot gives up the previous place, that foot must firmly fix itself in the higher level before the other foot can follow on to that new level.
Simultaneously, the aspirant must give up attachment to the lower level, becoming firmly established on the higher level. By moving too quickly, the aspirant will fall. By moving too slowly the results will come slowly...
Some people lament that they have not attained devotion to Krsna but at the same time they do not make any real attempt to raise themselves to the level of Krsna bhakti.
They remain bound to one of the levels and do not attempt to progress to the practices of the next higher level- this is known as niyamagraha. If people stop at one stage, how can they expect to progress to the top?
Thus, many devotees on the level of vaidhi-bhakti make no attempt to progress to bhava bhakti, but then lament they have not attained bhava. Again many people remain attached to the rules of varnasrama and are indifferent to bhava and prema.
This bondage to one level is an obstacle to their advancement.” (BVT)
