Siddha Pranali

Siddha-pranali ("Path of Perfection") is often equated with manjari-sadhana, which is first mentioned by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in his commentary on Krishna Karnamrta by Bilvamangal. The detailed paddhati was written by Dhyancand Goswami, the successor of Gopal Guru Goswami, who got it from Vakresvara Pandit who received it from Swarupa Damodara. Also it is mentioned in the 1st chapter of Jaiva Dharma wherein Sannyasi Thakur got siddha-pranali from Paramahamsa Babaji Mahashoy. So siddha-pranali per se is not bogus, although suitable candidates to execute it may be few nowadays. The siddha-pranali recommended directly by Lord Gauranga is chanting the holy names (iha haite sarva-siddhi haibe sabara; Cb Madhya 23.78).

When Shrila Prabhupada warns us to be careful of siddha-pranali, it appears that he refers to that process which is based on an interpretation of the sloka of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.295, quoted as Cc. Madhya 22.158) that is deviant in two ways. The deviant siddha-pranali originates with Rupa Kaviraja, a wayward disciple of Hemalata Thakurani, Shrinivasa Acarya's daughter. The first deviation is to prematurely imagine one's eternally perfect spiritual form (siddha-rupa). Shrila Prabhupada writes, "They [the deviants] imagine that they have become associates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that.." (NOD) According to our acaryas, realization of our siddha-rupa develops when our hearts become purified. The second deviation is their proposal that the word vraja-loka (residents of Vrndavana) refers exclusively to the residents of Vrndavana in krishna-lila, such as Shri Rupa-manjari, and not to residents of Vrndavana in their
gaura-lila, such as Shrila Rupa Gosvami. Thus they wrongly interpret seva sadhaka-rupena, siddha-rupena catra hi to mean that we should imitate the gopis' activities both as our external sadhana and our internal meditation. One can see such men in saris, jewelery, etc., not worshiping guru or Tulasi, yet making a show of imitating the behavior of the gopis-even though they are not yet purified of basic material desires. Shrila Prabhupada states succinctly (in NOD), "Their external behavior is not at all according to regulative principles.''

In Hari-nama-cintamani (and also in Jaiva Dharma), final chapter of Bhajana Pranali, the bonafide authorized process of siddha-pranali by the nama-tattva-vit guru is described in detail. Please read it for furthur
details.

This is the authorized process of bhajana or siddha-pranali or babaji-diksha or manjari-svarupa which Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada gave to thirteen of his disciples as described in the following extracts from Shripada Bhakti Vikasa Swami's upcoming book Lion Guru:

"He gave thirteen babaji initiation. Jotisekhara recalls some of their names: Bhaktisvarupa Puri Goswami; Tirtha Goswami; Bhaktisaranga Maharaja, etc. They were so absorbed in bhajan that even when it was time for eating they were unaware.

"Sarasvati Thakura gave trija (third birth), or manjari-svarupa (siddha- svarupa), to thirteen of his disciples; not all at once, but at different times, according to the rules given in Sat-Kriya-Sara-Dipika - a book by
Gopal Bhatta Goswami, which describes the different rituals for Vaishnava rites. Their samadhis were also made according to Sat-Kriya-Sara-Dipika. Some of the samadhis are at Mayapur, and some at the Radha Damodar temple in Vrndavan.

"Some were grhasthas and some were tyagis. Since that time, in our line (Sarasvati Thakura's line), no one has given this trija.

"One interesting point is that Sarasvati Thakura gave babaji initiation even though he externally kept himself in the position of a sannyasi in the varnasrama system. Traditionally a sannyasi cannot give babaji initiation,
as a babaji is considered above a sannyasi, above varna and asrama. Becoming a babaji means initiation into the life of a paramahamsa. However, Sarasvati Thakura could do this, because although externally he played the role of a sannyasi, he was an actual paramahamsa, enabling him to give paramahamsa babaji initiation also. Those who became babajis gave up their brahmana thread and didn't strictly follow all the rules and regulations of the sastras, governing behavior according to varna and asrama.

"He warned his babaji disciples not to tell their manjari svarupa to others. They would stay in the Mathas, in the three dhamas of Vrndavan, Navadvip, and Puri, and attend all the temple functions, such as lectures and
kirtanas, but they themselves would not give lectures in the temple. They would go for bhiksa (begging for alms) and go outside for nagar sankirtan. They wouldn't go for preaching and most of their time would be spent in bhajan. Sometimes they would help with the Deity worship, or arcana. One babaji, named Radha Govinda Brijabasi, the father of Ananta Vasudeva, it would seem he lived in the Math in Vrndavan, Puri."

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