Siddha-praṇālī and meditation about one’s perfect body
In order to meditate on the spiritual body, one must reach the second step of the Spiritual Practice Ragānuga Bhakti, when the practitioner receives 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚-𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Siddha-praṇālī is the perfect chain or the chain of perfect guru-disciple leading to Śrī Caitanya, and these perfect gurus have themselves Gopīs Svarūpas, and accordingly,
their chain of gopi Svarūpas leads to Vṛndāvan-Krishna.
One gets siddha-praṇālī,
- at the second stage of Ragānuga Sādhana Bhakti - Varan-daśa - the stage of accepting this initiation,
- to connect with a certain chain of such gurus to which one belongs, so that one can be connected with Gaurāṅga in a Nagarī (romantic lover) form, in Nagarī-bhava in Nabadvīpa and,
- simultaneously, or only, in the male form, as an intimate associate of Gaurāṅga in his Caitanya form in Puri-dham
- and also accordingly to be in a Nagarī (romantic lover) form, in Gopī-bhava in Vṛndāvan.
One also receives this initiation,
- about one's own spiritual form, revealed by guru.
Śrī Gopala Guru Goswami, the first ācārya in Gambira,
wrote at the command of Śrī Caitanya a Manual
(Arcana Paddhati) about the procedure of Ragānuga bhakti which gives details
about siddha pranali, as given also in Śrī Gaura-Govindārcana-Smaraṇa-Paddhati 92-93
of his disciple Ṣrīpāda
Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī:
asyaiva siddha-dehasya sādhanāni yathā-kramam
ekādaśa-prasiddhāni lakṣyante 'timanoharam
nāma rūpaṃ vayo veśaḥ sambandho yūtha eva ca
ājñā sevā parākāṣṭhā pālya-dāsī
nivāsakaḥ
The eleven features ekādaśa comprising one's eternal siddha-deha are as follows:
name - nāma,
form - rūpa
age - vaya,
dress - veśa
relationship- sambandha, group - yūtha,
instruction - ājñā, specific service - sevā,
highest ambition (to attain a particular blessing)- parākāṣṭhā,
the Sakhī one serves under - pālya-dāsī
residence (in a particular Kuñja and village) - nivāsakaḥ.
Also Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states in Jaiva Dharma, that according one's spiritual taste one may get different Svarūpas, and meditating accordingly one may attain more Svarūpas
Nowadays the Gaura-nagarī bhava is condemned and discredited by the followers of the Vrindavan School of the Six Gosvāmīs.
Śrīman Mahāprabhu entrusted the responsibility for promoting the details of
the practice of ragānunga bhakti to Sri Gopal Guru Gosvāmī who, as the
foremost disciple of Vakreswara Pandit, became intimately connected with
the Lord during His last eighteen years at Puri. Due to intimacy with
Svarūpa Dāmodar also, Gopal gained an exceptional insight into Śrīman Mahāprabhu's
internal movements. This pleased the Lord so much that Mahāprabhu selected him
to be the first Ācārya of Gambhīra after His departure.
The Lord also instructed him to write a Paddhati on Siddha-praṇālī and lil-smaran and awarded him the title of "Guru". Sri Gopal Guru's disciple, Sri Dhyan-candra Goswami was also ordered later to compile a second Paddhati which has received equal acclaim.
Still later, following these two Arcana Paddhati Sri Siddha Krishna Das Babaji compiled Sadhan-amrita-candrika, which combines upasak poriskriti, lila smaran, archana, dhyan and sadhu kritya, all in one book. These three have been recognized since as the original Archana Paddhati of the Gaudiya Sampradaya commonly referred to as Paddhati-traya
The commentators on the 1.2.295 verse from the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu state with a single voice:
siddha-rūpeṇa antaś-cintitābhīṣṭa-tat-sevopayogi-dehena
(in both the tikas of Srila Jiva Goswami and
Srila Vishvanatha Cakravartipad Thakur)
"In the siddha-form means in an internally conceived, desired body suitable for His service."
siddha-rupena manas-cintita-svabhishta-tat-sevopayogi-dehena
(tika by Sri Mukunda Goswami)
"In the siddha-form means in a mentally conceived, desired body suitable for His service."
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