[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on January 13th, 1998, Australia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 23]
Srila Gurudeva: All the Vaisnavas, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, feeling separation, although they are in so much pain and there is so much burning sensation, yet they realize some happiness. That wonderful, indescribable ananda. That is why it has been called viraha-mahotsava. Utsava means festival. There is no festival, but yet in Vaisnava culture, they know that God cannot die, Radha cannot die, my Guru cannot die, any realized Vaisnava cannot die. They are out of death, but yet, out of all kinds of sorrows and suffering, all kinds, this is the highest. Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Raya Ramananda, “Among all kinds of dukha, miseries, what misery is topmost?” He told him, “Vaisnava separation is the highest misery.” But even in separation, any pure and sincere devotee can remember all the qualities in the person for whom this separation mahotsava is going on. He remembers him and he tries to take all the good things in his life into his practice. If he is doing so, then it is called viraha-mahotsava. Otherwise, you are taking puri and rasagulla and thinking that this is a viraha-mahotsava. Only giving and taking and tasting rasagulla is not viraha-mahotsava. So, this separation is the highest thing. Especially at the time of chanting and remembering of Krsna and Krsna’s name, if anyone is not feeling separation, then his bhajana is actually not bhajana. “O where are You? O Krsna!`”
Like Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to tell, “O Krsna, where are You? Without You, My heart is breaking. I am sometimes rolling down on the earth, sometimes weeping so much, sometimes laughing, running here and there. O Krsna, where will I find You?” Then it is actually bhajana. There is so much difference between sadhana and bhajana. Sadhana is doing, but not realizing. And in bhajana, he will realize all these things, this separation mood also. “I have been separated from Krsna. How will I serve Him? When will I see Srimati Radhika?” This thing. At the time of doing bhajana, you should feel this separation. If you are not feeling separation, then it is not such a high class of bhajana. Nowadays we are so much misguided in bhajana. Only to criticize, only to control is bhajana. But actually it is so far away from bhajana. We should not have any time to criticize anyone, always chanting and remembering, glorifying Vaisnavas, Krsna or Radhika. This is called bhajana. Any pure Vaisnava, bona-fide Vaisnava, has no time, not a single moment to criticize anyone. He is always chanting, remembering, and weeping bitterly.