Verse Text
vaidha-bhakty-adhikārī tu bhāvāvirbhavanāvadhi |
atra śāstraṁ tathā tarkam anukūlam apekṣate ||293||
Translation
Those qualified for vaidhi-bhakti are dependent on the rules of scripture and favorable use of logic until the appearance of bhāva-bhakti.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In performing sādhana-bhakti, the vaidhi-bhakti practitioner will depend on scriptural injunctions and favorable use of logic until the appearance of rati. After the appearance of rati, he no longer depends on these things. However, as soon as the greed manifests in him (for attaining a bhava similar to that of the Vraja-vāsis), and he develops an inclination for raga-bhakti, the practitioner of rāgānuga-bhakti does not depend any longer on scriptural rules and logic. Thus, it is greatly superior. However, wherever that greed has appeared, it is understood that the person must have studied the scriptures in order to attain that greed. It is also necessary to study the scriptures in order to understand the proper sādhana for rāgānuga-bhakti.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Because of following after the rāgātmikas, those practicing rāgānuga-bhakti practice bhakti with no limitations. That means that there is no specific rule concerning the time at which they will give up dependence on the rules of scripture. Is there a limit to how long those practicing vaidhi-bhakti should depend on the rules? This verse answers. Bhāva here means rati or the stage of bhāva-bhakti after sādhana-bhakti. [Note: At the stage of rati, the devotee would not commit sin by his nature, and thus would not have to consider the rules of scripture. However, his vaidhi-sādhana would influence his bhāva and prema, coloring it with awareness of Kṛṣṇa as the Lord.] It is said:
na mayy ekānta-bhaktānāṁ guṇa-doṣodbhavā guṇāḥ
sādhūnāṁ sama-cittānāṁ buddheḥ param upeyuṣām
Material piety and sin, which arise from the good and evil of this world (rules and regulations), cannot exist within My unalloyed devotees (bhāva-bhaktas), who, being free from material hankering, maintain steady spiritual consciousness in all circumstances. Indeed, such devotees have achieved Me, the Supreme Lord, who am beyond anything that can be conceived by material intelligence. SB 11.20.36
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Therefore, in the beginning, everyone should strictly follow the regulative principles of devotional service, according to the injunctions of the scriptures and the spiritual master. Only after the stage of liberation from material contamination can one actually aspire to follow in the footsteps of the devotees in Vṛndāvana.