What is roopdhyan?

Roopdhyan

Pratibha often speaks about »roopdhyan« and »leela chintan«. So people are wondering what this is and how to do it.

Actually roopdhyan (rupa dhyana) and leela chintan (līla chintana) are very important spiritual practices which belong to nava-anga bhakti, the nine main limbs of bhakti-sadhana: sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam adi.

So roopdhyan and leela chintan are in fact smaranam – meditation. It’s also called »leela smaran«. The meaning is meditation upon the leela of Radha and Krishna in the nikunj of Vrindavan.

What is the effect of it?

You will experience real spiritual feelings (bhava) very quickly. This bhaav flows from the lotusfeet of Sri Guru ji, Radhey ju and Thakur ji constantly. With the meditation you can connect to this stream and enter into the nikunj yourself.

You can experience your siddha-svarupa, your spiritual form, and take part in the leela.

This form of meditation is described by all acharyas like Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Ragunath das Goswami etc.

This spiritual practice is unknown in the west so far. So take the chance to learn it from an authentic Vrajavasi, Pratibha Goswami, as it is the missing link for making real and fast progress in your Bhakti-life.

How to do it

Roopdhyan is the meditation upon the form of Radhey ju and Thakur ji, their body color, dress, hair, feet, hands, tighs, hips, shoulders, ornaments, body posture etc.

Leela chintan is the extended version of it. You add the movements of their bodies and the interactions between Radha, Krishna and the Gopis. So you envision the whole leela. Well known is the asta-kaliya-leela, the eightfold daily pastimes of Radha and Krishna. But you can meditate upon any leela of Radha and Krishna, for instance plucking flowers, joking, water sports, eating together, singing, dancing etc. The highest meditation of all is nikunj upasana, the medition upon the rati keli of Kishor-Kishori ji.

As a very beginner, you can first start with the lotusfeet of your Guru ji. Your Guru has a personal connection to you and is very merciful. So it is easier to catch the bhaav in this way. This is also the first prayer for getting permission to enter the leela, a praise and reference to your Guru, which should be done at the beginning of the meditation in general.

Then you start with roopdhyan and envision a glimpse of Radhey ju’s body, f.i. her foot or her hand. You may feel a specific bodypart or bodyposition that attracts you. Maybe you see her lying on a bed or on the bank of Yamuna, or walking, or hugging you. You can search for a while what wants to show up, or you set a specific topic. You can use pictures of Radha and Krishna or scenes from a romantic movie even, putting Radha and Krishna into that scene. This is all done in your mind and is also called »manasik seva«.

When you catch a glimpse, you will immediately feel a strong wave of bhaav coming into your heart. This is the sign that it works. When you have the feeling, the connection is installed. You continue on this stream of feelings and hold the internal vision. Advanced practitioners can stay in this vision and bhaav for hours and take part in the leela witnessing and acting in the pastimes, like Ragunath das Goswami is doing it as Tulasi Manjari in his book Vilapa Kusumanjali.

It is recommended to do japa together with roopdhyan and leela chintan. This is the real japa. But you may be unable to do japa because the smaran is too strong. That’s okay.

When you connect to the bhaav you will experience tears, goosebumps, shivering, and/or other sattvika-bhavas respectively and the ecstatic feeling of divine love. If you don’t have these symptoms, you don’t have the access yet. Don’t worry, these feelings are natural, and every soul can feel them. So tune in and enjoy!