256 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

Personality of Godhead in any one of the different modes of affection is in
the relationship just suitable for him. But actually a relationship with the
Supreme Lord begins with the relationship of Master and servant, and further
develops into friendship, and further develops into paternal love, and further
develops into conjugal love. Anyone who is situated in his particular rela-
tionship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in the best relationship
for him, but when we study all these different flavors of transcendental taste
in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can see that
the first stage is Brahmabuta, or the neutral stage of realization of the Supreme
Lord. The state accompanying the conception of accepting the Lord as Master
and oneself as His servant is better; and the more developed conception of that
relationship is as a friend; and still further as a father; this is the superior
quality of development. From friendship to paternal love, the relationship
is advanced and of superior quality, and the further advance to conjugal love
is the supreme relationship with the Supreme Lord.

Self realization with the sense of servitude is certainly a transcendental
development. And the mode of Master and servant, with fraternity added,
is a further development. And with progressive affection, it develops into
parenthood. But the highest development is conjugal love in relationship
with the Supreme Lord. In this connection, Ramananda Roy quoted a verse
from Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu. It is stated there that the development of spiritual
affection for the Supreme Lord is in all categories transcendental, but that
the specific aptitude of a devotee to a particular state is more relishable by
him than others.

Such a transcendental relationship with the Supreme Lord cannot, however,
be manufactured by the mental concoction of a pseudo devotee. In this con-
‘nection, Rupa Goswami in his Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, has stated that devo-
tional service without reference to the Vedic Scriptures as well as to Vedic
literature, following the principles of Vedic Scripture, can never be approved.
Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj remarks that those who
are professional spiritual masters, professional Bhagwatam reciters, professional
performers of Kirtan, or persons who are engaged in so-called devotional
service of their own mental concoction, cannot be accepted. There are different
kinds of professional communities known as Aul, Vaul, Kartabhaza, Nada
Darbesa, Snai, Atibibadi, Chudadhari, Gaurnaganagari. A member of the Ventor
Goswami society, or the caste called Goswami, cannot be accepted as the des-
cendent of the six original Goswamis. Similarly, so-called devotees who manu-
facture different kinds of songs in connection with Lord Chaitanya, or those
