Personal relationship

Expressions researched:
"personal relationship" |"personal relationships"

CC Madhya-lila

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states, "Vaiṣṇavas following the path of Śrī Nārada and his successors endeavor to establish a personal relationship with the Lord by receiving the grace of a bona fide spiritual master through initiation, and in this tradition the devotees are obliged at the time of initiation to begin engaging in Deity worship."

CC Madhya 15.108, Purport: In his Bhakti-sandarbha (283–84), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī describes the importance of Deity worship and initiation (dīkṣā) as follows:

āvaśyakatvaṁ nāsti, tad vināpi śaraṇāpattyādīnām ekatareṇāpi puruṣārtha-siddher abhihitatvāt, tathāpi śrī-nāradādi-vartmānusaradbhiḥ śrī-bhagavatā saha sambandha-viśeṣaṁ dīkṣā-vidhānena śrī-guru-caraṇa-sampāditaṁ cikīrṣadbhiḥ kṛtāyāṁ dīkṣāyām arcanam avaśyaṁ kriyetaiva.

yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi-sambandhena kadarya-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat-tat-saṅkocī-karaṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kvacit kācit kācin maryādā sthāpitāsti.

“It is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s opinion that the process of Deity worship is not actually necessary, just as the specific prescriptions of the Pañcarātra and other scriptures do not have to be followed. The Bhāgavatam enjoins that even without practicing Deity worship one can achieve the complete success of human life by any of the other devotional processes, such as simply offering oneself at the Lord’s feet for His protection. Nonetheless, Vaiṣṇavas following the path of Śrī Nārada and his successors endeavor to establish a personal relationship with the Lord by receiving the grace of a bona fide spiritual master through initiation, and in this tradition the devotees are obliged at the time of initiation to begin engaging in Deity worship.

A devotee in the śānta-rasa relationship does not develop a personal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 19.218, Translation and Purport: “It is the nature of śānta-rasa that not even the smallest intimacy exists. Rather, knowledge of impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā is prominent." Because of an impersonal impression of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee in the śānta-rasa relationship worships the impersonal Brahman or localized aspect of the Absolute Truth (Paramātmā). He does not develop a personal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

CC Adi-lila

CC Antya 4.171, Translation: “Although one has affection for many persons, different types of ecstatic love awaken according to the nature of one’s personal relationships."

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

No one can render devotional service to an impersonal entity because such service implies a reciprocal personal relationship between the servant and the master.

Mukunda mala-stotra mantra 4: The spiritual master in the authoritative line of disciplic succession is the "son of God," or in other words the Lord's bona fide representative. The proof that he is bona fide is his invincible faith in God, which protects him from the calamity of impersonalism. An impersonalist cannot be a bona fide spiritual master, for such a spiritual master's only purpose in life must be to render service to the Lord. He preaches the message of Godhead as the Lord's appointed agent and has nothing to do with sense gratification or the mundane wrangling of the impersonalists. No one can render devotional service to an impersonal entity because such service implies a reciprocal personal relationship between the servant and the master. In the impersonal school the so-called devotee is supposed to merge with the Lord and lose his separate existence.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

That is the personal relationship with the devotee and God. The devotee, he does not know anything beyond God, and God also does not know anything beyond His devotee. So sweet relation.

Lecture on BG 7.15-18 -- New York, October 9, 1966: So therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham. The man who is actually in knowledge of the science of God is very dear to God. Priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ. That is the personal relationship with the devotee and God. The devotee, he does not know anything beyond God, and God also does not know anything beyond His devotee. So sweet relation. God is always after me, as we have discussed many times, that He is sitting in the same tree, in this heart. I am sitting, and my friend, God, is also sitting, Supersoul, eternally. Wherever I am taking my transmigration, when I leave this body and enter into another body, God also goes there just to see what I am doing. When I shall turn my face towards Him—He is simply waiting. And as soon as I turn my face towards God, oh, He says, "My dear son, come on." Sa ca mama priyaḥ. Lord says, "You are eternally dear to Me. Now you are turning your face to Me. So I am very glad."

Philosophy Discussions

The perfection, highest perfection of spiritual life, is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the person, personal feature of the Lord, and engages himself, the living entity engages himself in His service.

Philosophy Discussion on Origen:

Hayagrīva: Origen believed that it is through divine grace and man's free will working together that the individual soul attains perfection, and perfection consists of attaining a personal relationship with the Infinite Person.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is called Bhakti-mārga. The Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Bhagavān is the personal feature, and Paramātmā feature may be compared with the Holy Ghost when situated in everyone's heart. And Brahman feature, everywhere. By His energy He is present everywhere. So the perfection, highest perfection of spiritual life, is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the person, personal feature of the Lord, and engages himself, the living entity engages himself in His service. Then he is situated in his original, constitutional position, and he is eternally happy and blissful.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Yes, God is person. Bhagavān is person, and Paramātmā, all-pervading, localized, and Brahman, impersonal.

Room Conversation with devotees about Twelfth Canto Kali-yuga, and Conversation with Guest -- June 15, 1974, Paris:

Jyotirmayī: So he says he agrees on this point. As you say, God is... We have a personal relationship with God.

Prabhupāda: Yes, God is person. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Absolute Truth is realized from three angles of vision, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Bhagavān is person, and Paramātmā, all-pervading, localized, and Brahman, impersonal. Just like the sunshine is impersonal the sun globe, localized, and the sun-god person. [break]