“Those who have not attained the platform of spontaneous attachment in devotional service render devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master according to the regulative principles mentioned in the revealed scriptures. According to the revealed scriptures, this kind of devotional service is called vaidhi bhakti.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya, 22.109)

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राग-हीन जन भजे शास्त्रेर आज्ञाय
‘वैधी भक्ति’ बलि’ तारे सर्व-शास्त्रे गाय

rāga-hīna jana bhaje śāstrera ājñāya
‘vaidhī bhakti’ bali’ tāre sarva-śāstre gāya

An area of possible contention when deciding which group of transcendentalists to follow is the division between vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti. You see, this one group focuses on the vaidhi kind of devotional service. The vaidhi Sanskrit word has the origin of vidhi, which is ritual, principle, or rule. The vaidhi group puts emphasis on the daily practices, in something like a discipline of yoga, meant for eventual advancement to a higher standard of living.

The raganuga group says that it is silly to settle for vaidhi. Rather, the yoga, which is a connection between the individual and the Almighty, should be spontaneous in nature. The attachment should be part of a person’s very being. It is already their dharma, or essential characteristic. They simply need to be made aware. Like a doctor detecting the presence of a disease during a routine examination. There is both the detection and the subsequent remedy. There is a way to reach a healthy condition.

Vaidhi is like the initial medicine to clear the confusion of illusion, which is maya. But raganuga is the way to live once that confusion is gone. It is like the self-realized individual described in Bhagavad-gita. They no longer hanker or lament, and so they are well-positioned to follow devotion.

ब्रह्म-भूतः प्रसन्नात्मा
न शोचति न काङ्क्षति
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु
मद्-भक्तिं लभते पराम्

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.54)

As per making a choice between the two, there need not be any controversy on the matter, as vaidhi-bhakti always has applicability. Even if a person remains on that platform, it is not like they have lost anything. We can compare the two kinds of devotional service to the situation of a person having to explain everything they do.

Imagine if we were to put a philosophy behind every one of our daily movements. Waking up at a certain time. Taking a shower. Brushing teeth. Putting on clothes appropriate for the eventual destination, which could be the office or the classroom. Eating meals at specific intervals. Choosing what kind of house to live in.

Most people don’t carry a philosophical explanation for these routine behaviors, but imagine if they were conscious of such philosophy. If they were always thinking of the justification for doing basic things to maintain the body-spirit combination. That approach is something like vaidhi-bhakti.

We can take the example of a father living at home with his family. One of the children is still rather young, and so they eventually reach a phase where they need to know how things work. They observe the daily behavior of the father, who follows something resembling vaidhi-bhakti. The father has not explained anything yet. It is not like they are involved in a public exhibition or are trying to attract followers. The child eventually does start asking questions, and the father explains in the following manner.

1. Waking up early

“My dear child, I wake up this early every day because that is the perfect way to begin. If I sleep for too long, then I am lethargic after waking up. I do not have as much energy to accomplish my work. In addition, the early morning hours are ideal for following through on spiritual activities. These are my vows taken so long ago that I have since forgotten them, but I still follow.”

“The time early in the morning, one and a half hours before sunrise, is called brahma-muhurta. During this brahma-muhurta, spiritual activities are recommended. Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.46 Purport)

2. Chanting the holy names

“My dear child, I chant the holy names because this is the process recommended to me by the guru. They are the person I respect the most. I follow out of a show of allegiance. They say that the names within this mantra are non-different from God. I chant so much because I want to be with God. I never fail to finish my specific allotment, which I vowed to complete a long time ago. Even though I chanted yesterday, I am again repeating the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

3. Preparing food

“My dear child, I am preparing this food to be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The food consists of items in the mode of goodness. You could say that it is sattvic in nature. No meat, fish, eggs, onion, or garlic. This was recommended to me by higher authorities. They say that if the offering is made with love and devotion, the food turns spiritual in nature. It loses its association with karma. Why would I not want to please God with my offerings? I think this is the most blissful activity, so I try to repeat it as often as I can.”

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं
यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति
तद् अहं भक्त्य्-उपहृतम्
अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.26)

4. Worshiping at the altar

“My dear child, though God is everywhere, He is also kind enough to appear within a visual manifestation, staying right within our home. This is a sacred place, and I try to bring the appropriate level of seriousness to the exchange. Though I worshiped yesterday, I am doing so again. I try to worship every single day; otherwise my standard in devotional service will gradually diminish.”

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

5. Reading books

“My dear child, I read these books to gain knowledge. It is like I have a personal meeting with great personalities. I am sitting in their classroom. They are the teacher and I am the only student. There is so much to learn. I was born into the darkness of ignorance. This knowledge opened my eyes and showed me the way. I vow to read at least a little every single day, such that I will not fall back into ignorance.”

…

In this case, the father has a philosophical backing for the practices he follows, but once the daily activities no longer become part of an obligation, the bhakti becomes spontaneous. It no longer requires a philosophical foundation, though it always has one. The devotee in raganuga no longer requires convincing. Rather, it is impossible for anyone to convince them out of that allegiance to the one who is the greatest well-wishing friend to every living entity.

In Closing:

Routine not my own,
By my own parents first shown.

Following that way now,
Long ago the vow.

Always with philosophical backing,
But need to convince lacking.

Since wanting with Him to be,
And His lotus-like features to see.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga