Mahāprabhu Glorifies Śrī Rūpa: Bhakta-vātsalya, Simple Austerity and Śacīnandana as Our Iṣṭa-deva
• Rūpa Knows Mahāprabhu’s Heart: In the mood of Mahāprabhu at the Ratha-yātrā, Rūpa Gosvāmī writes Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s words at Kurukṣetra (priyaḥ so ’yaṁ) on a palm leaf and leaves it in Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s hut. Mahāprabhu reads it, is overwhelmed with prema, and embraces Rūpa, asking how he knew His confidential heart. Svarūpa Dāmodara says that only Mahāprabhu’s own mercy, given to Rūpa at Prayāga, makes this possible.
• Svakīya and Parakīya: Prema-mādhurya fully manifests only in the parakīya mood, with its vāmatā and pracchanna-kāmukatā, not in the svakīya mood, as in Satyabhāmā. In this world the paramour mood is the most fallen and leads to hell, as in the story of Rāmī the prostitute from an article by Prabhupāda, but in the transcendental realm it is the highest and sweetest, and it is centred only on Kṛṣṇa.
• Parīkṣit’s Question: Asked why Kṛṣṇa, who establishes dharma, enjoys with others’ wives, Śukadeva points out that it is Bhagavān Himself who performs the rāsa (bhagavān api), and that the powerful, like fire, are untouched by fault (tejīyasāṁ). The līlā is to be heard with firm faith; like a woman attached to another (para-vyasaninī nārī), the gopīs are inwardly absorbed in Kṛṣṇa alone.
• Fruit Reveals the Tree: Just as people who have never seen mango and jackfruit trees recognize them only by their fruit, Mahāprabhu recognizes Rūpa by his verses. He praises Rūpa’s pearl-like handwriting (unlike a doctor’s, which only pharmacists can read) and is overwhelmed by the verse on the holy name in Vidagdha-mādhava.
• The Sweetness of the Name: When the pure name appears it dances on the tongue, and one longs for thousands of mouths, eyes and ears to chant, see and hear (… karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī…). Hearing it, Haridāsa Ṭhākura dances, and Mahāprabhu, with Sārvabhauma and Rāmānanda, praises Rūpa’s two verses as if with five mouths (śloka śuni haridāsa, dui śloka kahi’).
• Bhakta-vātsalya: Bhagavān does not take His devotee’s offences, just as parents clean a baby who soils their lap and take it back on their lap. He asks only for praṇāma with both hands (… mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru): ten horse sacrifices bring rebirth, but one who bows to Kṛṣṇa is not born again (daśāśvamedhī punar eti janma).
• Five Things Forbidden in Kali: The horse and cow sacrifice, meat in śrāddha, begetting a son through the husband’s brother and karma-sannyāsa are given up in Kali-yuga (aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ). No one can give up all action, so one who claims to do so is a pretender (mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate); instead all actions are done for Kṛṣṇa.
• Simple Austerity of Cāturmāsya: Following the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, leafy greens are avoided in Śrāvaṇa, yogurt in Bhādra, milk in Āśvina, and mustard oil, urad dal, lauki, eggplant, parwal and beans in Kārttika, rules with a scientific basis known to the ṛṣis for thousands of years. Many other foods remain, so this small renunciation is the tapasyā of Kali-yuga; austerity without worship of Hari is useless (ārādhito yadi haris). Onion and garlic are given up always, being tamasic.
• Offered Food Becomes Nirguṇa: Food is sāttvika, rājasika or tāmasika and shapes the mind, but even sāttvika food not offered to Bhagavān is like stool. Offer everything to Kṛṣṇa (patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ); He eats it and returns it as prasāda, which brings peace to the home and is beyond the three modes.
• Anugraha and Nigraha: Bhagavān does not take His devotee’s offences and values a little service as much (‘īśvara-svabhāva’). His anugraha to devotees is direct mercy, and His nigraha of the wicked is indirect mercy that purifies their hearts. He sells Himself for a tulasī leaf and a palmful of water (tulasī-dala-mātreṇa), so one should offer water to Tulasī and perform her ārati and parikramā.
• Five Kinds of Rāgānugā Sādhana: Gurudeva explains bhāvamayī, bhāva-sambandhī (Gopāla-mantra and kāma-gāyatrī), bhāva-anukūla (wearing tulasī and kaṇṭhī), bhāva-pratikūla (meditating on Dvārakā and Rukmiṇī) and bhāva-aviruddha (serving cows and brāhmaṇas, and the pīpal tree) sādhana. The secondary rasas, including the ten kinds of laughter described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, nourish the main bhāva. He urges the devotees to read and remember what they hear, as in Bhajana-rahasya.• Respect for Brāhmaṇas: Brāhmaṇas, the bhūsuras of Manaḥ-śikṣā (… goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu sujane bhūsura-gaṇe …), should be respected and given dakṣiṇā without quarrelling, for they are never satisfied, as the devotees will see in Barsana today.
