Two types of Sādhana Bhakti
The initial stage of practice (sadhana) is the time
when one who aspires to become a servant of the Transcendental Lord
begins to cultivate his relationship with Him.
aiśvarya-jńāne vidhi-bhajana kariyā |
vaikuṇṭhake yāya catur-vidha mukti pāńā || (Caitanya Caritamrita 1.3.17)
"One who performs worship according to the revealed scriptures (up to Sri Caitanya) by being attracted by the supernatural powers of the Transcendental Lord attains one of the four kinds of liberation in Vaikuṇṭha."
vaidhi rāgānugā ceti sā dvidhā sādhanābhidhā || (brs 1.2.5)
"The practice is of two kinds , respectively vaidhi and rāgānugā."
vaidhi -rāgānugā-mārga-bhedena parikirtitaḥ |
dvividhaḥ khalu bhāvo'tra sādhanābhiniveśajaḥ || (brs 1.3.7)
"The vaidhi and raganuga paths are known to be different from each other.
Engaging in these two types of sādhana definitely awakens two different types of spiritual love."
Thus rāgānugā bhakti is not a spontaneous activity, as the followers of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, fownder of Gaudyia Mat claim, but a devotional practice as described for example by Ś𝐫ī 𝐆𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐆ū𝐫𝐮 gosvami, direct associate of Śrī Caitanya, in his Arcana Padhati.
Vaidhi and Rāgānuga accordingly lead to two different realms of the Transcendental World:
1. Vaidhi to Vaikuṇṭha - the Transcendental World of the Opulence and Majesty of the Transcendental Lord.
2. Rāgānuga to Goloka-Vrindavan - the Transcendental World of intimate relationships and sweetness of the Transcendental Lord in his original form as Krishna.
Thus, when one is engaged in Vaidhi Bhakti, the result becomes liberation in Vaikuṇṭha:
aiśvarya-jńāne vidhi-bhajana kariyā |
vaikuṇṭhake yāya catur-vidha mukti pāńā || (Caitanya Caritamrita 1.3.17)
"One who performs worship according to the revealed scriptures (up to Sri Caitanya) by being attracted by the supernatural powers of the Transcendental Lord attains one of the four kinds of liberation in Vaikuṇṭha."
The four types of liberation in the spiritual world are also mentioned in Bhagavat Purāṇa:
mat-sevayā pratītaḿ te / sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam
necchanti sevayā pūrṇāḥ / kuto 'nyat kāla-viplutam (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.67)
(The Transcendental Lord said)
My devotees, who are always engaged in My service out of love,
are not even interested in the four kinds of liberation beginning with:
sālokya - reaching the same planet where the Transcendental Personality lives.
(sārūpya - attaining the same form as that of the Transcendental Personality,
sāmīpya - the attainment of the direct association of the Transcendental Personality,
sārṣṭi - the attainment of the opulence of the Transcendental Personality,)
although they are automatically attained by the performance of bhakti - loving service,
what to say about elevation to the paradisiacal planets of the gods (like Indra - the god of rain and thunder).
rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate || (Bhakti rasamrita Sindhu 1.2.270)
"The devotion which is present in the associates of Krishna in Vraja, is full of love-attachment (Rāgātmika-bhakti), and the devotion which the Rāgātmika-bhakti (the mood of Krishna's companions in Vraja) follows, is known as raga-anuga-bhakti."In the way the aspirant desires to approach the Lord, in the same way the Lord approaches him.
This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita 4.11
ye yathā māḿ prapadyante / tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante / manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ
In the way they surrender to Me (the Transcendental Personality), so do I reward them.
All men follow My ways oh son of Partha.
Also the Supreme Personality says in Bhagavad-gita 8.6.
yaḿ yaḿ vāpi smaran bhāvaḿ / tyajaty ante kalevaram
taḿ tam evaiti kaunteya / sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
The state of being that one remembers at the time of leaving the body,
oh son of Kunti, that very state one will surely attain.
Reflecting on these words from the Bhagavad Gita, one can easily understand that after leaving the body, different destinations are attained according to the activities performed during one's life, activities that foreshadow a certain type of consciousness, i.e., spiritual attachment (possibly material attachment for souls who are still attached to material nature).
It is by no means true that all spiritual paths lead to the same destination.
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