When one actually becomes situated on the transcendental platform, he becomes steady. Unless one is so situated, his position may not be steady and he may fall down. When one is actually situated transcendentally, there is no fear of falling down. This stage of understanding is technically called sthāyi-bhāva. There are even stages beyond this position, and they are known as vibhāva, anubhava, sāttvika and vyabhicārī. After one attains these, there is actually an exchange of rasa, or transcendental activity with the Supreme Lord. This exchange in loving reciprocation between the lover and the beloved is generally called kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa. It should be noted that the transcendental loving exchanges stand on the steadfast position of sthāyi-bhāva, as explained before. The basic principle of vibhāva is sthāyi-bhāva, and all other activities are auxiliary for the development of transcendental love.
Bhakti-rasa
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
In the dakṣiṇa-vibhāga (southern division) there is a general description of the mellow (relationship) called bhakti-rasa, which is derived from devotional service. There are also descriptions of the stages known as vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika, vyabhicārī and sthāyi-bhāva, all on this high platform of devotional service. Thus there are five waves in the dakṣiṇa-vibhāga division. In the western division (paścima-vibhāga) there is a description of the chief transcendental humors derived from devotional service. These are known as mukhya-bhakti-rasa-nirūpaṇa, or attainment of the chief humors or feelings in the execution of devotional service. In that part there is a description of devotional service in neutrality, further development in love and affection (called servitude), further development in fraternity, further development in parenthood, or parental love, and finally conjugal love between Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Thus there are five waves in the western division.
In the northern division (uttara-vibhāga) there is a description of the indirect mellows of devotional service—namely, devotional service in laughter, devotional service in wonder, and devotional service in chivalry, pity, anger, dread and ghastliness. There are also mixing of mellows and the transgression of different humors. Thus there are nine waves in this part. This is but a brief outline of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
“The chief transcendental mellows experienced with the Supreme Personality of Godhead are five—śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhura.
Śānta-bhakti-rasa is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (3.1.4–6) as follows:
- vakṣyamāṇair vibhāvādyaiḥ śamināṁ svādyatāṁ gataḥ
- sthāyī śānti-ratir dhīraiḥ śānta-bhakti-rasaḥ smṛtaḥ
- prāyaḥ sva-sukha-jātīyaṁ sukhaṁ syād atra yoginām
- kintv ātma-saukhyam aghanaṁ ghanaṁ tv īśa-mayaṁ sukham
- tatrāpīśa-svarūpānubhavasyaivoru-hetutā
- dāsādi-van-mano-jñātva-līlāder na tathā matā
When śānta-rati (neutral attraction) exists continuously and is mixed with ecstatic emotion, and when the devotee relishes that neutral position, it is called śānta-bhakti-rasa. Śānta-bhakti-rasa devotees generally relish the impersonal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since their taste of transcendental bliss is incomplete, it is called aghana, or not concentrated. A comparison is made between ordinary milk and concentrated milk. When the same devotee goes beyond the impersonal and tastes the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1) (His transcendental, blissful body, complete in knowledge and eternity), the taste is called concentrated (ghana) transcendental bliss. Sometimes the devotees in śānta-rasa relish transcendental bliss after meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but this is not comparable to the transcendental bliss relished by the devotees situated in dāsya-rasa, the transcendental mellow in which one renders service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Dāsya-rasa, or dāsya-bhakti-rasa, is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (3.2.3–4) as follows:
- ātmocitair vibhāvādyaiḥ prītir āsvādanīyatām
- nītā cetasi bhaktānāṁ prīti-bhakti-raso mataḥ
- anugrāhy asya dāsatvāl lālyatvād apy ayaṁ dvidhā
- bhidyate sambhrama-prīto gaurava-prīta ity api
When according to his desires the living entity develops love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this beginning stage of love is called dāsya-bhakti-rasa. Dāsya-bhakti-rasa is divided into two categories, called sambhrama-dāsya and gaurava-dāsya. In sambhrama-dāsya, the devotee renders respectful service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but in the more advanced gaurava-dāsya, his service takes the form of giving protection to the Lord.
Sakhya-bhakti-rasa is described as follows in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta sindhu (3.3.1):
- sthāyi-bhāvo vibhāvādyaiḥ sakhyam ātmocitair iha
- nītaś citte satāṁ puṣṭiṁ rasaḥ preyān udīryate
"According to one's original consciousness, ecstatic emotions may be exhibited as continuously existing in fraternity. When this stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is mature, it is called preyo-rasa or sakhya-bhakti-rasa."
Vātsalya-bhakti-rasa is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (3.4.1) as follows:
- vibhāvādyais tu vātsalyaṁ sthāyī puṣṭim upāgataḥ
- eṣa vatsala-nāmātra prokto bhakti-raso budhaiḥ
"When eternally existing love of Godhead transforms into parental love and is mixed with corresponding emotions, that stage of spiritual existence is described by learned devotees as vātsalya-bhakti-rasa."
Madhura-bhakti-rasa is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (3.5.1) as follows:
- ātmocitair vibhāvādyaiḥ puṣṭiṁ nītā satāṁ hṛdi
- madhurākhyo bhaved bhakti-raso ‘sau madhurā ratiḥ
"If in accordance with one's own natural development in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one's attraction leans toward conjugal love within the heart, that is called attachment in conjugal love, or madhura-rasa."
“In addition to the five direct mellows, there are seven indirect mellows, known as laughter, wonder, chivalry, compassion, anger, disaster and fear.
Hāsya, adbhuta, vīra, karuṇa, raudra, bhaya and bībhatsa—the seven indirect mellows—are explained in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (4.1.6). The hāsya-bhakti-rasa, laughing devotion, is explained as follows:
- vakṣyamāṇair vibhāvādyaiḥ puṣṭiṁ hāsa-ratir gatā
- hāsya-bhakti-raso nāma budhair eṣa nigadyate
"When through devotional service a laughing attachment to Kṛṣṇa is developed, it is called hāsya-bhakti-rasa by learned scholars."
Similarly, adbhuta-rasa is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (4.2.1):
- ātmocitair vibhāvādyaiḥ svādyatvaṁ bhakta-cetasi
- sā vismaya-ratir nītādbhuta-bhakti-raso bhavet
"When one's general attachment is fixed in wonder, it is called adbhuta-bhakti-rasa."
Vīra-bhakti-rasa is described as follows (B.r.s. 4.3.1):
- saivotsāha-ratiḥ sthāyī vibhāvādyair nijocitaḥ
- ānīyamānā svādyatvaṁ vīra-bhakti-raso bhavet
- yuddha-dāna-dayā-dharmaiś caturdhā-vīra ucyate
"When attachment to Kṛṣṇa mixes with the bellicose tendency, the charitable tendency or the merciful tendency in the heart of the devotee, such devotion is called vīra-bhakti-rasa."
Karuṇa-bhakti-rasa is described as follows (B.r.s. 4.4.1):
- ātmocitair vibhāvādyair nītā puṣṭiṁ satāṁ hṛdi
- bhavec choka-ratir bhakti-raso hi karuṇābhidhaḥ
"When one's devotional attitude and attachment for Kṛṣṇa is mixed with lamentation, it is called karuṇa-bhakti-rasa."
Similarly, raudra-bhakti-rasa is described as follows (B.r.s. 4.5.1):
- nītā krodha-ratiḥ puṣṭiṁ vibhāvādyair nijocitaiḥ
- hṛdi bhakta-janasyāsau raudra-bhakti-raso bhavet
"When devotion is mixed with anger in the heart of the devotee, the taste is called raudra-bhakti-rasa."
Bhayānaka-bhakti-rasa is described as follows (B.r.s. 4.6.1):
- vakṣyamāṇair vibhāvādyaiḥ puṣṭiṁ bhaya-ratir gatā
- bhayānakābhidho bhakti-raso dhīrair udīryate
"When devotion is mixed with fear, it is called bhayānaka-bhakti-rasa."
Bībhatsa-bhakti-rasa is described as follows (B.r.s. 4.7.1):
- puṣṭiṁ nija-vibhāvādyair jugupsā-ratir āgatā
- asau bhakti-raso dhīrair bībhatsākhya itīryate
"When one's attachment for Kṛṣṇa develops in an abominable way, and the devotee enjoys it, that is called bībhatsa-bhakti-rasa."
In conclusion, when a pure devotee is situated in any of the five principal mellows (śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya or madhura) and that mellow is mixed with one or more of the seven indirect bhakti-rasas (hāsya, adbhuta, vīra, karuṇa, raudra, bhayānaka or bībhatsa), the indirect mellows become prominent.
“When the permanent ecstasies (neutrality, servitorship and so on) are mixed with other ingredients, devotional service in love of Godhead is transformed and becomes composed of transcendental mellows.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.4–5), the following definition is given:
- athāsyāḥ keśava-rater lakṣitāyā nigadyate
- sāmagrī-paripoṣeṇa paramā rasa-rūpatā
- vibhāvair anubhāvaiś ca sāttvikair vyabhicāribhiḥ
- svādyatvaṁ hṛdi bhaktānām ānītā śravaṇādibhiḥ
- eṣā kṛṣṇa-ratiḥ sthāyī bhāvo bhakti-raso bhavet
"Love for Kṛṣṇa, Keśava, as previously described, reaches the supreme state of being composed of mellows when its ingredients are fulfilled. By means of vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika and vyabhicārī, hearing and chanting are activated, and the devotee is able to taste love for Kṛṣṇa. Then attachment for Kṛṣṇa, or permanent ecstasy (sthāyi-bhāva), becomes the mellow of devotional service (bhakti-rasa)."
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Nectar of Devotion
Bhakti means "devotional service." Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it. Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works day and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow (relationship) whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers.
Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. It continues perpetually and is therefore called amṛta, that which does not die but exists eternally. This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. Bhagavad-gītā says that a little advancement in bhakti-rasa can save the devotee from the greatest danger—that of missing the opportunity for human life.
This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation, because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Generally, neophyte devotees are anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, or God, but God cannot be seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The process of devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion will gradually elevate one from the material condition of life to the spiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations. The senses can then become uncontaminated, being constantly in touch with bhakti-rasa. When the purified senses are employed in the service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life, and any action performed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa in this transcendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually. When one is thus engaged in devotional service, all varieties of rasas, or mellows, turn into eternity. In the beginning one is trained according to the principles of regulation under the guidance of the ācārya, or spiritual master, and gradually, when one is elevated, devotional service becomes automatic and spontaneous eagerness to serve Kṛṣṇa. There are twelve kinds of rasas, as will be explained in this book, and by renovating our relationship with Kṛṣṇa in five primary rasas we can live eternally in full knowledge and bliss.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
In another poetry Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate. The, our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I have taken this from this word kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. This is actual translation in Sanskrit or... Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. So Rūpa Gosvāmī advises that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if it is possible, please purchase. Don't delay." Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatām. "Purchase immediately!" Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi. "Where it is available? It is very nice thing." "Yes, it is available. You can purchase. The movement is going on." "And what is the price?" "Price?" "It is such a nice thing; you have to pay price." "Yes, there is price." "What is that?" Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam: "Simply your eagerness. That is price. This price you have to pay."
Kṛṣṇa, although the Supreme, He becomes within the grip of the bhaktas. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Adurlabha. For bhakta He becomes, He becomes controlled by the bhakta. The topmost bhakta is Rādhārāṇī. So although Kṛṣṇa is the īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, the supreme controller, He is controlled by Rādhārāṇī, because She is bhakta. Nobody can excel Her devotion, Her service. In sixty-four ways... These are described in the Bhakti-rasa..., Nectar of Devotion, how Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī excels in Her devotional service, everyone, everyone. There are stages, different.
So this is matsara. The matsaratā, enviousness, that is the nature of this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ, it is very, very rare. Rūpa Gosvāmī said, "This rare thing, if you can purchase, do it immediately wherever available." Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "If it is available, if you can purchase it, you do it." "So purchase it? I can try, but what price I have to pay?" Tatra laulyam ekalam mulyam: "The price is simply you must be very, very eager to have it. That's all."
Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "No, no. It is not so easy."
- kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ
- krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate
- tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam
- na labhyate janma-koṭibhis sukṛtibhiḥ...
Janma-koṭi sukṛtibhiḥ. If you become pious... Because pious is the good position. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. So to become pious is good because there is hope of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, if you remain impious, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). If you remain sinful, then you'll remain always rascal. You'll never understand Kṛṣṇa.
So this eagerness to have Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ, that eagerness is even impossible—janma-koṭi-sukṛtibhiḥ. It is simply happened by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Vedeṣu durlabham. Practical purpose of studying Vedas, vedānti... That vedānti means to understand Kṛṣṇa.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
And actually, when we relish some mellow, rasa, that is called bhakti-rasa. We are trying to explain Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī. So this is bhakti-rasa. The leg is serving the body under some rasa. The hand is serving the body under some rasa. The brain is serving the body under some rasa. So similarly... That is natural division, throughout the whole universe, anywhere. And because the whole universe is being carried on by the three modes of material nature, goodness, passion, ignorance... And there are mixture also.
So bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is to taste the mellow of serving Kṛṣṇa. That is the science of serving Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have named this book, "Nectar of Devotion." It is summary study of bhakti-rasa, the mellow, the transcendental mellow which one can taste. Everyone is tasting. Otherwise he cannot work. So yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi. Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever engagement you may have, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam, do it for Kṛṣṇa." Don't take the result yourself. Give it to Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll taste the rel..., relish the mellow, transcendental mellow, bhakti-rasa. And then you'll be happy.
Pradyumna: "Death is therefore taken as the representative of God for the atheist class of men. The devotee realizes the presence of God by devotional service, whereas the atheist realizes the presence of God in the shape of death. At death everything is finished, and one has to begin a new chapter of life in a new situation, perhaps higher or lower than the last one. In any field of activity, political, social, national or international, the results of our actions will be finished with the end of life. That is sure. Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. It continues perpetually and is therefore called amṛta, that which does not die, but exists eternally."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Rasa. Rasa means mellow. Everything we have, there is a rasa. Without rasa, we do not deal in anything. So this material rasa or mellow, which we relish in our daily dealings... Suppose our dealings with wife, children, friends or others, enemy also. There is a rasa. When we kill our enemy, there is also some pleasure rasa. When we see something ghastly... In European and Western countries, they want to see some ghastly things in the television. So they enjoy rasa. There is some rasa, relishment. Otherwise, how they are all day, practically, they are sitting before the television and seeing?
Pradyumna: "This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. The Bhagavad-gītā says that a little advancement in bhakti-rasa can save the devotee from the greatest danger, that of missing the opportunity for, of human, for human life."
Prabhupāda: Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Just like Ajāmila. Ajāmila, when he was young, he was executing devotional service just like a pure brāhmaṇa under the direction of his father, but when he was young, he was captivated by prostitute and fell down, became a thief, drunkard, and cheater. So many ways his life became sinful. But at the end of his life, when he was just going to die, he simply chanted "Nārāyaṇa". His youngest son's name was Nārāyaṇa. So when the Yamadūtas, the messengers of Yamarāja... (break) ...carrying him. So he thought that his youngest son, because he was beloved, would save him. So he chanted, not chanted, he called his youngest son, Nārāyaṇa. Immediately he remembered Nārāyaṇa. Because in the beginning he was a devotee of Nārāyaṇa. So immediately, because he remembered Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa immediately sent His messengers to take him back to Vaikuṇṭha. So therefore this is the instance. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Go on.
Pradyumna: "In any field of activity—political, social, national or international—the results of our actions will be finished with the end of life. That is sure. Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life."
Prabhupāda: Yes, this is very important. Whatever we are doing in this life, everything will be finished with the end of the body. My position, my wealth, my family, my this or that—everything will be finished, because I'll have to accept another body. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa jantor deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). This gross body will be finished. I'll have to accept another gross body. But if you begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it will not be finished, because it is the business of the soul. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the original consciousness, "I am Kṛṣṇa's. I am God's, part and parcel of God," this consciousness.
Pradyumna: "This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Generally..."
Prabhupāda: Bhakti-rasa is better than liberation, mukti. Because generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, jñāni-sampradāya, they consider mukti means to merge into the spiritual existence, Brahman. Brahma-sayujya-mukti, to, to merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. They consider it, that is the highest. And the Buddha philosophers, they think to make all these activities zero.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like we have seen, we have experience. Sometimes the car becomes blocked. But some fellow pushes it. We have got this experience. What is called that? Chocked up? Then you get, get down and push the car and (makes noise:) brut brut brut, goes. Similarly the bhakti-rasa is there in everyone's heart. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Because we, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Just like father and son. A father and son may be separate for many, many, many, many years. But as soon as they meet together, again the same affection comes.
Pradyumna: "...in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties, and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. People generally think that liberation is the ultimate goal or the full achievement. But liberation is a very insignificant thing in the presence of devotional service. Therefore Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Mokṣa means liberation.
Pradyumna: "Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling a liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. As soon as you are engaged in the service, loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately you feel liberation. This is practically. When you are fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if you walk on the street, you'll feel that "I am separate from these persons. I am in a, I am walking on a different path." This is the feeling.
Pradyumna: (reading:) "The process of devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion will gradually elevate one from the material condition of life to the spiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations. The senses can then become uncontaminated, being constantly in touch with bhakti-rasa. When the purified senses are employed in the service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life, and any action performed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa in this transcendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually."
Prabhupāda: So Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is giving us the process how to elevate one's self from this material platform to the spiritual platform. That is devotional service. Devotional life means purifying the present conditional life, contaminated life, life under the influence of the three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa.
Prabhupāda: Rūpa Gosvāmī says that yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. Somehow or other, just be absorbed within your mind about Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). Some way or other. It doesn't matter which way. And another place Rūpa Gosvāmī says, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate. Purchase this kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if it is available somewhere. Tatra laulyam eka mūlyam, na janma koṭibhiḥ sukṛtibhiḥ labhyate.
Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu compared bhakti as the, a great ocean. So when He was speaking before Rūpa Gosvāmī, He said that "It is just like a ocean. So I'll take a drop of it, and you taste it, and you'll understand what is this ocean." Just like by tasting one drop of sea water we can understand the taste of the whole ocean, similarly Caitanya Mahāprabhu described a small portion of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Bhakti rasa amṛta. Bhakti, devotional service, there is a rasa, taste, and the taste is amṛta, eternal.
Prabhupāda: That Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the Sanskrit word... We have short cut the translation, Nectar of Devotion, but the, Rūpa Gosvāmī's purpose is to present the ocean of bhakti-rasa. Rasa means mellow. The juice. It is just like ocean. This ocean has limitation, but that is unlimited. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said this ocean is increasing. Now, this material ocean, it has got limit. It cannot increase unlimitedly.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Rūpa Gosvāmī also recommended like that. Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam. Rūpa Gosvāmī advised, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate. He advises that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if it is available, you purchase. You purchase anywhere it is available." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's advice, that one should be eager to purchase this Kṛṣṇa consciousness at any price.
General Lectures
I am not manufacturing the answer, but I am giving you evidence from Rūpa Gosvāmī, our ācārya. He says, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "My dear gentlemen, my dear boys and girls, if you can purchase a..., your sense of loving Kṛṣṇa—'How I can love Kṛṣṇa more and more'—this, this much, this anxiety, if you can purchase this matiḥ,"—means intelligence; it is very nice intelligence—" 'How I shall serve Kṛṣṇa...' " Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ. Matiḥ means intelligence or status of mind, that "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa." "If you can purchase this status of mind anywhere, please immediately purchase."
Conversations and Morning Walks
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: And anxiety for Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: That is spiritual. (break) ...Gosvāmī's śloka. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "The anxiety for Kṛṣṇa, if it can be purchased, immediately purchase it." Rūpa Gosvāmī said. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatām: "Just purchase Kṛṣṇa anxiety if it is available somewhere." So the next question will be that "What is the price?" Tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam: "That anxiety can be purchased by anxiety." "So I'll do it." No. Janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate: "That anxiety is not available even by millions of births' pious activities." So this anxiety is not so easy.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: If you cannot attract people to some rasa, they'll not stay. Just like these Americans, foreigners, they have tasted little rasa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore they are sticking. That we have to create. That is bhakti-rasa. So our first beginning is that the villagers may come, we have our temple, and they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and give them nice prasādam. And then, gradually, they will be attracted to this rasa.
Prabhupāda: There are four kinds of rasa, catur-rasa: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. So somebody is tasting dharmārtha, ritualistic ceremonies. Somebody is economic development in the cities, artha. Somebody is attracted, sense enjoyment, sex. And somebody, very pure, mokṣa-rasa. Catur-rasa. So in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness all the four rasas are there. Simply we have to present. So that is possible by the bhakti-rasa. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanam... (SB 7.5.23).
| Page Title: | Bhakti-rasa |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva, ChandrasekharaAcarya, Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 03 of Apr, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=4, OB=4, Lec=20, Con=3, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 31 |