Vairāgya or real renunciation stems from vīśeṣa-anurāga, or a special form of love. If you have any desire for this anurāga then you must take shelter and pray to those personalities who possess that love. This we see in the sixth verse, vairāgya-yug-bhakti-rasaṁ prayatnair.
“I had no desire for vairāgya-yug-bhakti,” Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī said, “but Sanātana Gosvāmī is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, said to see the suffering of others. The conditioned souls have forgotten their own service, misplaced their love, and gone the wrong way. Therefore they are suffering. If one doesn’t collect this bhakti-rasa, he will always suffer. Therefore what did Sanātana Gosvāmī do? By trick, he gradually gave me this nectar of bhakti-rasa. He taught by his own example how to follow bhakti.”
bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir
anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ
prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.42
With each mouthful of food that a hungry person takes, three effects are simultaneously accomplished: he obtains satisfaction, he is nourished, and his hunger ceases. Similarly, surrendered souls who are engaged in the performance of bhajana simultaneously experience three effects: the awakening of bhakti which ultimately develops into prema, direct manifestation of Bhagavān’s beloved form, and detachment from material objects.
On one side, if there is bhakti, then automatically vairāgya, detachment, arises. If you externally follow the limbs of bhakti but vairāgya does not awaken, then you should know that you are not really practicing bhakti. Vairāgya is the process to protect the soul from mundane attraction.
This vairāgya is necessary. If we come in contact with too many mundane things, we will lose all good desire. If we want to have anurāga for bhakti, then it is necessary to have a good guardian. Who is that? Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī teaches us to take shelter of Sanātana Gosvāmī. He says, “Without my desire, by force he gave me bhakti-rasa. He is the ocean of mercy and thought, ‘This person has no knowledge; he drinks drain water.’ He told me, ‘Oh! Please drink one drop of this bhakti-rasa, then taste will come. After that, when you are healthy, you will understand this.’ He carefully distributed this bhakti-rasa to me daily.”
In this world people have bhakti for mother, father, country, and society. Many people have a desire for help in furthering their interests, and they think that the helpers for this are great.
Some say, “In this life I did nothing wrong. Why am I suffering?” But he does not know that his actions are improper. Independently, with his own choice, he does everything, but this is not helpful for himself and for God’s pleasure. God gives all facility and chance, but he takes and misuses everything. He thinks it is right, but in truth it is completely wrong and for this he suffers.
Dāsa Gosvāmī continues, “O Caitanya-candra! Caitanya-candra! Caitanya-candra!” How kind is He? If anyone remembers Him, then His followers take him in their lap and stroke with love, “Oh, you like Caitanya-candra? You are trying to follow Caitanya-candra and His movement? Okay, I will help you.”
yatheṣṭaṁ re bhrātaḥ! kuru hari-hari-dhvānam aniśaṁ
tato vaḥ saṁsārāmbudhi-taraṇa-dāyo mayī laget
idaṁ bāhu-sphoṭair aṭati raṭayan yaḥ pratigṛhaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi
Nityānandāṣṭakam 5
I perpetually worship Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, the root of the kṛṣṇa-bhakti tree, who approached every doorstep, and with upraised arms exclaimed, “O Brothers! Without inhibition, all of you together continuously chant harināma. If you do so, I will take the responsibility to deliver you from the ocean of material existence. Nityānanda Prabhu says, “If you chant harināma even once, then I will run to you! I will maintain you in every way, I will take care of everything. You will be free of all worry.” Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmīsays, “I only heard Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s name from my Gurudeva. I heard and remembered Him. I went to Him and Svarūpa Dāmodara always took care of me; all the Vaiṣṇavas took care of me. Without any condition, Sanātana Gosvāmī came to me and took care of me. He taught me the process of bhakti and made me drink this bhakti-rasa.”
Excerpted from the Bhakta Bandhav Publication “Śrī Vilāpa-Kusumāñjali”, Verse 6, The Kṛpā-kaṭākṣa Commentary
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