During the monsoon season of cāturmāsya, Mahāprabhu stayed in Śrī Raṅga-Kṣetra, South India, at the home of Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda, Venkatta Bhaṭṭa, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and Trimala Bhaṭṭa. With them, He discussed vraja-bhakti and the sublime glory of rādhā-rasa, and in this way, He gave inspiration and enthusiasm to many devotees to embark on the path of rāga-bhakti, spontaneous loving devotion. He advised them to forsake the path of worship in awe and reverence for the opulence of the Supreme, saying:
aiśvarya-jñānete saba jagata miśrita aiśvarya-śithila-preme nāhi more prīta
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā ٣.١٦
[Aware of My supreme majesty, the entire world worships Me in a mood of awe and veneration. Love that is weakened by such reverence gives Me no pleasure.]
“The highest divine love cannot be obtained,” He said, “until we have given up all greed for opulence and have surrendered and been accepted by Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s expansions and intimate associates. They have mercifully appeared on this Earth to bestow the rasa of that very divine love.”
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has defined the word rasa in the following manner (2.5.132):
vyatītya bhāvanā-vartma yaś camatkāra-bhāra-bhūḥ hṛdi sattvojjvale bāḍhaṁ svadate sa raso mataḥ
[That which has an extraordinary taste and is experienced only in the heart which is illuminated by śuddha-sattva, one's pure existence, or the appearance of the sthāyibhāva, permanent loving mood, is called rasa. The experience of rasa is far more intense than that of rati, loving attraction and for this reason, when rasa is experienced, it bypasses the individual perception of vibhāva, vyabhicāri-bhāva and other spiritual emotions.]
Samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam ―Mahāprabhu came with the purpose of bestowing this vraja-bhakti-rasa. He knew that the exalted devotee Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda is none other than Tuṅgavidyā-sakhī, one of Rādhikā’s most intimate circle of eight sakhī friends. There in Raṅga-Kṣetra, He discussed vraja-bhakti and rādhā-rasa with Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda and his family, especially his nephew, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, who is Guṇa Mañjari, Rādhikā’s dear maidservant, and encouraged them to soon come to Vraja.
When Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda came to Vṛndāvana soon after, he resided on the bank of Kālīya-hṛada, the lake by the river Yamunā. Before the powerful serpent Kālīya came to Vraja, this lake was known as Nandini-hrada, and was very dear to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Taking shelter of that Nandini-hrada, Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda deeply absorbed himself in internal bhajana.
He thought, “Kālīya had a violent, cruel nature, yet taking shelter of this Nandini-hrada, in time his heart changed and he became a servant of the Vrajavāsīs. Kṛṣṇa freed Kālīya of his anarthas and cruel nature and gave him such mercy that the other demons never obtained. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa mercifully bestowed the dust of His feet on the hoods of Kālīya; dust that had become reddish when the gopīs placed His feet to their vermilion smeared chests when they feared His tender feet may have been cut by thorns as He grazed cows in the forest. That vraja-raja, dust of Vraja, sanctified by the love of the gopīs, is the most potent tonic. It transforms the wretched nature of the conditioned souls and bestows divine love. I will reside at this place and daily adorn my body with this dust of Vraja. By Śrīmatī’s mercy, I may obtain Her service and fulfill Mahāprabhu’s desire to distribute the sudhā-nidhi, full moon of pure nectar, of rādhā-rasa, to the fallen souls in bondage.
“Even though Kālīya was violently antagonistic to the Vrajavāsīs, by coming here, he obtained the greatest fortune. His wives prayed to Kṛṣṇa, ‘Aho! Our husband is so fortunate! He easily received the dust of Your lotus feet for which even the goddess Lakṣmī, despite earnest prayers, could not attain.’ Kālīya received the darśana of all the rasa-vigraha Vrajavāsīs: Nanda, Yaśodā, Śrīdāma, Sudāma, Madhumaṅgala, and especially the kṛpa-dṛṣṭi, merciful glance, of the Vraja-devīs: Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, and all their associates. And Kṛṣṇa danced on his hoods in such a wonderful manner as He did not display even in the Rāsa dance. Seeing Kālīya’s many coils wrapped all around Kṛṣṇa, and his many hoods biting all over Kṛṣṇa’s body, the Vraja-devīs became greatly envious and jealous of his fortune, and exclaimed, ‘Just see! Kālīya has embraced all of Kṛṣṇa’s limbs and kissed every inch of His beautiful form! And that in front of all the Vrajavāsīs! We cannot meet openly with Kṛṣṇa and even if we are somehow able to meet Him, we can only embrace or kiss Him in one place at a time. How is it he has obtained such great fortune?’ ”
The crest jewel of rasika-bhaktas, Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda, thus resided at Kālīya-hṛada, and from there, he manifested the process of worship by which one can attain entrance into Vraja and the service of the mādhurya-rasa-āśraya-vigraha-svarūpa, Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. Through his numerous works, he described and showed how rādhā-rasa is the one and only sudhā-amṛta or sudhā-nidhi, the purest nectar of divine love for which all souls yearn. Indeed, he showed that Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi is the elixir that Kṛṣṇa Himself is ever eager to relish and the only nectar by which He is satisfied.
Not only did Śrīla Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda propagate the glory of rādhā-rasa and thus assist Mahāprabhu in manifesting the flow of vraja-rasa in this world, he also inspired many ācāryas in future generations of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya to further spread these teachings. Foremost among the illustrious Gauḍīya-ācārya preceptors in the 21st century is our own dearmost beloved and most worshipable Paramārādhyatama Śrī Guru-pāda-padma, Bhakta-bāndhava, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Being vraja-rasa-rasika and always absorbed in the nectar of rādhā-rasa, by the desire of the Guru-varga, he carried on the mission of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, spreading the teachings and glory of vraja-bhakti all over the world.
Śrīla Gurudeva taught his followers, “You can never attain the ultimate goal of vraja-bhakti and rādhā-dasyam without performing rasa-upāsanā and without taking shelter of the mādhurya-rasa-vigraha-svarūpa.”
kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya
preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau
kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā
The devotee who desires rāgānuga-bhakti should constantly remember Vṛndāvana-Kṛṣṇa, along with Kṛṣna’s beloved associates who have the same mood as himself. He should remain engrossed in hearing and speaking narrations of their pastimes and always reside in Vraja.
tiṣṭhan vraje tad-anurāgi-jana anugāmī
kālaṁ nayed akhilam ity upadeśa-sāram
Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (٨)
Residing in Vraja-maṇḍala the bhakti-sādhakas should follow in the footsteps of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s associates who have deep attachment for Him, and fully utilize every moment of their time performing kīrtana and smaraṇa (remembrance) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, character, and pastimes. This is the essence of all teachings.
Śrīla Gurudeva showed by his own example and teachings how to perfectly follow Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu’s paramount instruction to reside in Vraja practicing sādhana under guidance of the anurāgi-rasika Vaiṣṇavas. Only by focused engagement in vraja-bhakti under the proper guidance in Vraja can we gain entrance into eternal Vraja.
We thus offer our obeisance again and again at the lotus feet of Śrīla Guru-pāda-padma, and in his shelter, we offer praṇāma and pray to Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Prabhodānanda Sarasvatīpāda, the Rūpānuga Guru-varga and Vaiṣṇavas, and pray for the ultimate fortune of always remaining in their service.
Although we are unfit, unqualified, foolish, ignorant, without understanding of siddhānta, and devoid of any sādhana-bhakti, we have faith that despite all our shortcomings, by their causeless mercy, we can achieve pure vraja-bhakti. For their pleasure, we spend our days absorbed in vraja-katha, keeping the sublime dictum of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.39) on our heads:
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvit’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
A sober person who, with full faith, continuously hears or describes Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental rāsa-līlā with the damsels of Vraja will first attain the highest devotion for the lotus feet of Bhagavān. Thereafter, he will quickly conquer his senses and become forever free from the disease of the heart—worldly lust.
Always remembering Guru-pāda-padma and praying for his mercy, we keep our hope alive with his words:
dīnera adhika dayā karena bhagavān
The greatest mercy is bestowed upon the most fallen and destitute.