rÄgÄtmikÄ-bhakti — 'mukhyÄ' vraja-vÄsi-jane
tÄra anugata bhaktira 'rÄgÄnugÄ'-nÄme
rÄgÄtmikÄ-bhakti - spontaneous devotional service; mukhyÄ - preeminent; vraja-vÄsi-jane - in the inhabitants of Vraja, or Vá¹›ndÄvana; tÄra - that; anugata - following; bhaktira - of devotional service; rÄgÄnugÄ-nÄme - named rÄgÄnugÄ or following after spontaneous devotional service.
“The original inhabitants of Vá¹›ndÄvana are attached to Kṛṣṇa spontaneously in devotional service. Nothing can compare to such spontaneous devotional service, which is called rÄgÄtmikÄ bhakti. When a devotee follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vá¹›ndÄvana, his devotional service is called rÄgÄnugÄ bhakti.
In his Bhakti-sandarbha, JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« states:
tad evaá¹ tat-tad-abhimÄna-laká¹£aṇa-bhÄva-viÅ›eá¹£eṇa svÄbhÄvika-rÄgasya vaiÅ›iá¹£á¹ye sati tat-tad-rÄga-prayuktÄ Å›ravaṇa-kÄ«rtana-smaraṇa-pÄda-sevana-vandanÄtma-nivedana-prÄyÄ bhaktis teá¹£Äá¹ rÄgÄtmikÄ bhaktir ity ucyate. . . . tatas tadÄ«yaá¹ rÄgaá¹ rucyÄnugacchantÄ« sÄ rÄgÄnugÄ.
When a pure devotee follows the footsteps of a devotee in Vá¹›ndÄvana, he develops rÄgÄnugÄ bhakti.
