Text 8

Śrīman Mahāprabhu (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 1.211) has described the public behaviour of rāgamārga-bhaktas with the following words:

पर-व्यसनिनी नारी व्यग्रापि गृह-कर्मसु
तम् एवास्वादयत्य् अन्तर् नव-सङ्ग-रसायनम्

para-vyasaninī nārī vyagrāpi gṛha-karmasu
tam evāsvādayaty antar nava-saṅga-rasāyanam

When a woman is attached to a man other than her husband, she continues to carry out her many household duties, but within her heart she relishes the new pleasure of her meeting with her paramour. Similarly, a devotee may be engaged in activities within this world, but he always relishes the rasa of Kṛṣṇa that he has tasted in the association of devotees.

पर-पुरुषेते रत थाके ये रमणी
गृहे व्यस्त थाकियाओ दिवस-रजनी

para-puruṣete rata thāke ye ramaṇī
gṛhe vyasta thākiyāo divasa-rajanī

गोपने अन्तरे नव-सङ्ग-रसायन
परम-उल्लासे करे सदा आस्वादन

gopane antare nava-saṅga-rasāyana
parama-ullāse kare sadā āsvādana

सेइ रूप भक्त व्यग्र थाकियाओ घरे
कृष्ण-रसास्वाद कर निःसङ्ग अन्तरे

sei rūpa bhakta vyagra thākiyāo ghare
kṛṣṇa-rasāsvāda kara niḥsaṅga antare

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

In this verse, by using a mundane example, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains both the internal and external behaviour of the rāgamārga-sādhaka. A woman who is attached to her paramour very competently performs her household duties, but her mind and heart are with her lover. She remembers their laughing and loving exchanges, and she relishes the happiness of their recent meeting. Similarly, the rāgamārga-sādhaka always tastes the pleasure of serving the Supreme Lord within his heart, even though he seems to be occupied with his various duties. The opinion of the ācāryas is that externally, one should serve with the physical body, and internally, one should remember Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities, pastimes, associates and so forth.

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings: “gṛhe vā vanete thāke, ‘hā gaurāṅga’ bale ḍāke, narottama māge tāra saṅga–whether a person lives in his home as a householder or in the forest as a renunciant, if he exclaims ‘O Gaurāṅga!’ Narottama dāsa begs for his association.”