Rāgānugā-bhakti-rīti · The Way of Rāgānugā Bhakti

I shall now describe the path of spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa, which is glorified by the exalted devotees and the Vedic literatures. By traversing this path of spontaneous love one becomes a follower of the gopīs and attains the perfect spiritual body of a liberated soul.

I shall now describe the most important of Srimatī Radharāṇī's gopī-friends. Lalitā, Viśākhā, Sucitrā, Campakalatā, Raṅgadevī, Sudevī, Tuṅgavidyā, and Indulekhā, are the eight most important gopī-friends of Srimatī Radharāṇī. Her other gopī-friends are divided into groups; the narma-sakhīs, priya-sakhīs, and preṣtha-sakhīs. All these gopīs constantly render loving service to Srimati Radharāṇī.

Sri Rūpa-mañjarī, Sri Rati-mañjarī, Lavaṅga-mañjarī, Manjunālī, and Sri Rasa- mañjarī eagerly and lovingly serve Srimatī Radharāṇī, supplying her musk and various other articles.

I am the follower of all these gopīs. I shall serve them with great love. I will completely understand their orders, even when couched in casual hints or gestures. I shall become immersed in wonder at their transcendental virtues and beauty, and I shall dearly love them. I shall always remain in their company.

Immersed in the happiness of serving the Divine Couple surrounded by Their gopī-friends in Vṛndāvana, I will understand the gopīs' hints, and, taking up the camara wisk I will fan the Divine Couple, and after than I will place betel-nuts

Someday I will constantly serve the lotus feet of the Divine Couple with great love. At present I will follow the rules of sādhana-bhakti until I attain a perfected spiritual body and am able to love the Divine Couple spontaneously.

That treasure of pure love of God for which I hanker while I follow the regulative practices of sādhana-bhakti, I will attain when I have the spiritual body of a liberated soul. Actually sādhana-bhakti and prema-bhakti are the same devotional service. Sādhana-bhakti is the stage where love for Kṛṣṇa has not fully ripened yet, and prema-bhakti is the same devotion where loveof Kṛṣṇa has reached the mature, ripened stage. That is the description of devotional service.

Narottama dāsa says: I hope that I may attain the stage of spontaneous love for the Divine Couple in the town of Vraja. I hope that I will be counted among the gopī-friends of the Divine Couple. O Divine Couple, in this way I will be able to serve You and satisfy all Your desires.

One should meditate on one self as being the maidservant of the gopīs, and in this way one will attain their mercy."

The devoteeshouldalwaysthinkof Kṛṣṇa within himself, and one should choose a very dear devotee who is a servitor of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. One should constantly engage in topics about that servitor and his loving relationship to Kṛṣṇa, and one should live in Vṛndāvana. However, if one is physically unable to go to Vṛndāvana, he should mentally live there."