In plain words
They went on fostering it. But it is an ugly trait in our country that many people, taking up these upāsanas, keep arguing back and forth, ‘Is saguṇa upāsana the greater, or is nirguṇa upāsana the greater?’ Into this, one more slips in between, called saguṇa-nirguṇa upāsana. But these differ only as sādhanas; the goal of all three is one and the same. One meaning of this, too, is that they are relative terms. Now, if you want to understand the principle of saguṇa upāsana, nirguṇa upāsana and saguṇa-nirguṇa upāsana easily, the saguṇa-upāsaka holds the view of the cloth. The view of the cloth is saguṇa upāsana. Saguṇa-nirguṇa upāsana is the view of the thread. Nirguṇa upāsana is the view of the cotton. Now, this is cloth, that is thread, that is cotton: we experience three kinds of names and three kinds of uses, but the substance in all three is one and the same. From cotton, thread; from thread, cloth. Pull the thread out again and there is no cloth. Separate the thread and it all turns into cotton itself. When someone asks what is on the surface, you may say cloth. When someone asks what is within, you may say cotton. Vedānta settles that what is within and what is without is cotton itself. So in all three, which are called saguṇa, nirguṇa and saguṇa upāsana, Prema alone, the one thing, has taken the seat of oneness. When we fill our heart with this thing called Prema, we can reach that goal by any path at all. Now, this very Prema they have also been calling priya. When do they call it priya? The joy that comes when we see the very person we like, or the very thing we like, is called priya. Then, when we see such a dear thing, the Ānanda that comes in drawing it somewhat close is called moda. Then, what comes when we enjoy that dear thing is called pramoda. That is, priya, moda, pramoda: what comes merely on seeing what we like is priya.