ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ, the younger brother of SanÄtana GosvÄmÄŤ, went to PrayÄga, the modern city of Allahabad, with his younger brother Vallabha. When the two brothers heard that Lord ĹrÄŤ Caitanya MahÄprabhu was staying there, they both became very much pleased and went to see the Lord. At that time the Lord was on His way to visit the temple of Bindu MÄdhava. On the way to the temple the Lord was chanting and dancing, and thousands of people were following Him. Some were crying and some were laughing, some were dancing and some were singing, and some were falling on the ground, offering obeisances to the Lord. And all of them were roaring the holy name: âKášášŁáša! KášášŁáša!â It is said that in spite of being at the confluence of the rivers Ganges and YamunÄ, PrayÄga was never flooded until the appearance of Caitanya MahÄprabhu, at which time the city was overflooded by love of KášášŁáša.
The two brothers, RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ and Vallabha, stayed aloof in an uncrowded place and witnessed the great crowd and wonderful scene. When the Lord danced, He raised His arms and shouted, âHaribol! Haribol!â The people all about Him were astonished to see His activities. Indeed, the wonderful scene is difficult to describe.
After visiting the temple, the Lord accepted prasÄdam (food offered to the Deity) at the house of a Deccanist (southern) brÄhmaáša with whom He was acquainted. While sitting alone at the brÄhmaášaâs home, the Lord was visited by RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ and Vallabha. From a distance the two brothers fell down on the ground to offer obeisances, and they chanted many Sanskrit verses from the scriptures. When the Lord saw RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ offering obeisances before Him, He became very much pleased and said, âMy dear RĹŤpa, please get up.â The Lord then informed RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ of the causeless mercy of KášášŁáša upon him, for KášášŁáša had just delivered him from the materialistic way of life, which is based simply on pounds-shillings-pence.
The Lord accepted the two brothers as His devotees, and He cited a verse from the scriptures stating that the Lord will not accept a brÄhmaáša who has studied the four Vedas if he is not a devotee, but He will accept someone from a very low family if he is a pure devotee. Then the Lord embraced the two brothers, and out of His causeless mercy He touched their heads with His lotus feet. Blessed in this way, the brothers offered prayers to the Lord in their own words. The prayers indicated that Lord ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Caitanya MahÄprabhu was KášášŁáša Himself, that He had assumed a fair-complexioned form (gaurÄáš ga), and that He was the most munificent incarnation of KášášŁáša because He was distributing love of KášášŁáša. ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ also recited a verse later found in the book Govinda-lÄŤlÄmášta (1.2):
yo âjĂąÄna-mattaáš bhuvanaáš dayÄlur
ullÄghayann apy akarot pramattam
sva-prema-sampat-sudhayÄdbhutehaáš
ĹrÄŤ-kášášŁáša-caitanyam amuáš prapadye
âLet me surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri KášášŁáša Caitanya MahÄprabhu, who is the greatest, most merciful Personality of Godhead. He delivers those who are merged in ignorance and offers them the highest gift, love of KášášŁáša, and thus makes them mad after KášášŁáša consciousness.â
After this incident, Vallabha Bhaášáša invited the Lord to go to the other side of the Ganges, and the Lord went. On this trip RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ accompanied the Lord, and, indeed, wherever the Lord went RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ would follow Him and stay with Him. Because the Lord felt inconvenienced in crowded places, He asked RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ to accompany Him to a place on the banks of the Ganges known as DaĹÄĹvamedha-ghÄáša. For ten days He instructed RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ about the truth of KášášŁáša, the principles of devotional service, and the transcendental mellows (relationships with KášášŁáša). All of this was described in full detail so that in the future RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ could distribute the science of KášášŁáša in his book Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu. ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ described this incident in the first verse of Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu, in which he speaks of the causeless mercy of the Lord upon him.
The Supreme Lord is cognizant and all-powerful, and by His causeless mercy He empowers a living entity to receive His mercy. People in general, being under the spell of conditioned life, are averse to rendering devotional service and practicing KášášŁáša consciousness. They are unaware of the teachings of KášášŁáša consciousness, which reveal one's eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the process by which one can return to the spiritual world, and the ultimate goal of life, which is to return home, back to Godhead. Because these things are unknown to the conditioned soul, Lord Caitanya, out of His causeless mercy, instructed RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ in the principles of devotional service. Later, RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ distributed this science to the people in general.
In the prologue to the Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu (1.1.2), RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ describes Lord Caitanya as follows:
hášdi yasya preraášayÄ
pravartito âhaáš varÄka-rĹŤpo âpi
tasya hareḼ pada-kamalaáš
vande caitanya-devasya
âI offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Caitanyadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He has inspired me with the desire in my heart to write something about devotional service. For this reason I am writing this book on the science of devotion, known as the Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu.â
Beginning His ten days of continual instruction to RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ, Lord ĹrÄŤ Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, âMy dear RĹŤpa, the science of devotional service is just like a great ocean, and so it is not possible to show you its entire length and breadth. But I shall try to explain the nature of that ocean by taking just one drop out of it. In this way you can taste it and understand what that ocean of devotional service actually is.â
The Lord then explained that within this brahmÄášá¸a, or universe, there are innumerable living entities who, according to their own fruitive activities, are transmigrating from one species of life to another and from one planet to another. In this way their encagement in material existence has continued since time immemorial. In actuality, these living entities are atomic parts and parcels of the Supreme Spirit. It is said in the ĹvetÄĹvatara Upaniᚣad that the length and breadth of the individual soul is 1/10,000th part of the tip of a hair. The atomic magnitude of the living entity is confirmed in the Eleventh Canto of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (11.16.11). And in the Tenth Canto (10.87.30) Sanandana-kumÄra, while performing a great sacrifice, quotes the following statement by the personified Vedas: âO Supreme Truth! If the living entities were not infinitesimal sparks of the Supreme Spirit, each minute spark would be all-pervading and could not be controlled by a superior power. But if the living entity is accepted as a minute part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, one can automatically understand how he is controlled by the supreme power. The latter is his actual constitutional position, and if he remains in this position he can attain full freedom. If one mistakenly considers his constitutional position equal to that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes contaminated by the doctrine of nonduality and his efforts in transcendental life are rendered ineffective.â
Lord Caitanya continued His teachings by pointing out that there are two kinds of living entities, the eternally liberated and the eternally conditioned. The eternally conditioned living entities can be divided into two types, the moving and the nonmoving. Those that remain in one place – trees, for example – are classified as sthÄvara, or nonmoving entities, and those that move – such as birds and beasts – are called jaáš gama, or moving entities. The moving entities are further divided into three categories: those that fly in the sky, those that swim in the water, and those that walk on land. Out of the many millions and trillions of living entities on land, human beings are very few. Out of that small number of human beings, most are totally ignorant of the spiritual science, are unclean in their habits, and have no faith in the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In short, most human beings live like animals. Therefore these can be deducted from the number of human beings that constitute civilized human society.
We can hardly find any human beings who believe in the Vedic scriptures and the existence of God, or even in proper behavior. Those who do believe in these things, and in advancing in spiritual life, are known as Äryans. Out of those who believe in the scriptures and the advancement of human civilization, there are two classes – the righteous and the unrighteous. Those who are righteous generally execute fruitive activities to derive some good result for sense gratification. Out of many such persons who engage in righteous activities for sense gratification, only a few come to know about the Absolute Truth. These are called jĂąÄnÄŤs, empiric philosophers in search of the Absolute Truth. Out of many hundreds and thousands of such empiric philosophers, only a handful actually attain liberation. When one is liberated, he theoretically understands that the living entity is not composed of material elements but is spirit soul, distinct from matter. Simply by understanding this doctrine, even theoretically, one qualifies as a mukta, or liberated soul. But the actual mukta is he who understands his constitutional position as part and parcel of the Lord and as His eternal servant. Such liberated souls engage with faith and devotion in the service of the Lord, and they are called kášášŁáša-bhaktas, or KášášŁáša conscious persons.
KášášŁáša-bhaktas are free from all material desires. Although those who are theoretically liberated by knowing that the living entity is not material may be classified among liberated souls, they still have desires. Their main desire is to become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such persons are very much attached to performing Vedic rituals and righteous activities in order to enjoy material prosperity. Even when some of them transcend material enjoyment, they still try to enjoy in the spiritual world by merging into the existence of the Supreme Lord. Some of them also desire to attain mystic powers through the execution of yoga. As long as any of these desires are within a personâs heart, he cannot understand the nature of pure devotional service, and on account of constantly being agitated by such desires, he is not peaceful. Indeed, as long as there is any desire for material perfection at all, one cannot be at peace. Since the devotees of Lord KášášŁáša do not desire anything material, they are the only peaceful persons within this material world. This is confirmed in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (6.14.5):
muktÄnÄm api siddhÄnÄáš
nÄrÄyaáša-parÄyaášaḼ
su-durlabhaḼ praĹÄntÄtmÄ
koášiᚣv api mahÄ-mune
âO great sage, out of many millions of liberated persons and persons who have achieved success in mystic yoga, it is very rare to find one who is completely devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is therefore filled with peace.â
Lord Caitanya next explained that of the many thousands and millions of living entities wandering in the material world, one who by the grace of Lord KášášŁáša and the spiritual master gets the seed of devotional service is very rare and fortunate. A pious or religious man is generally inclined to worship deities in various temples, but if by chance, even without his knowledge, he offers his obeisances and worshipful respects to Lord Viᚣášu and receives the favor of a Vaiᚣášava, a devotee of the Lord, at that time he acquires the asset necessary to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is plainly understood from the history of the great sage NÄrada, which is related in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam. By serving Vaiᚣášavas in his previous life, NÄrada was favored by those devotees of the Lord and became the great sage NÄrada Muni.
Vaiᚣášavas are generally very compassionate toward the conditioned souls. Without even being invited, a devotee will go from door to door to enlighten people, to bring them out of the darkness of nescience by imparting knowledge of the living entityâs constitutional position as a servant of Lord KášášŁáša. Such devotees are empowered by the Lord to distribute devotional consciousness, or KášášŁáša consciousness, to the people in general. They are known as authorized spiritual masters, and it is by the mercy of such a spiritual master that a conditioned soul gets the seed of devotional service. The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is first appreciated when one comes in touch with a bona fide spiritual master, who can enlighten the conditioned soul and bring him to the highest position of devotional life. Therefore Lord Caitanya said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one can achieve the causeless mercy of the Lord and by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can attain the mercy of the bona fide spiritual master.
Thus by the mercy of the spiritual master and KášášŁáša one receives the seed of devotional service. Then one has to sow the seed in the field of his heart, just as a gardener sows the seed of a valuable tree. After sowing this seed, one has to water it by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Supreme Lord and by taking part in discussions about the science of devotional service in a society of pure devotees. When the plant of devotional service sprouts up from the seed of devotion, it begins to grow freely. When it is fully grown, it surpasses the length and breadth of this universe and enters the transcendental atmosphere of the spiritual world, where everything is bathed in the effulgence of the brahmajyoti. The plant penetrates even the brahmajyoti and gradually enters the planet known as Goloka VášndÄvana. There the plant takes shelter at the lotus feet of KášášŁáša. That is the ultimate goal of devotional service. After attaining this position, the plant produces the fruit of love of Godhead. To taste this fruit, however, it is necessary for the devotee, or transcendental gardener, to water the plant daily by chanting and hearing. Unless one waters the plant by chanting and hearing, there is every chance that it will dry up.
Lord Caitanya pointed out to RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ that there was another danger to be encountered while watering the root of the devotional plant. After a plant has grown somewhat, an animal may come and either eat it or destroy it. When the green leaves of a plant are eaten by some animal, the plant generally dies. Thus one has to take precautions so that the plant of devotional service is not disturbed by animals, which represent offenses. The most dangerous animal is a mad elephant, for if a mad elephant enters a garden, it causes tremendous damage to plants and trees. An offense to a pure devotee of the Lord is called vaiᚣášava-aparÄdha, the mad elephant offense. In the discharge of devotional service, an offense to the feet of a pure devotee creates havoc and stops oneâs advancement. Thus one has to defend the plant of bhakti by fencing it off properly and taking care not to offend pure devotees. Then the plant of devotional service will be properly protected.
An offense to a pure devotee is one of the ten offenses against the holy name. The first offense is to blaspheme the great devotees who have tried to spread the glories of the holy name all over the world. The greatest offender at the feet of the holy name is the rascal who is envious of such devotees. The holy name of KášášŁáša is nondifferent from KášášŁáša, and Lord KášášŁáša cannot tolerate offenses against a pure devotee who, following the order of his spiritual master, is spreading the holy name all over the world. The second offense is to deny that Lord Viᚣášu is the Absolute Truth. Since there is no difference between the Lord and His name, qualities, form and pastimes, or activities, one who sees a difference is considered an offender. The Lord being supreme, no one is equal to or greater than Him. Consequently, one who thinks that the name of some demigod is equal to the Lordâs name is an offender. The Supreme Lord and the demigods should never be considered on the same level.
The third offense is to consider the bona fide spiritual master to be a common man. The fourth offense is to blaspheme the Vedic literature – the Vedas and such corollaries as the PurÄášas. The fifth offense is to consider the glories of the holy name to be exaggerations. The sixth offense is to imagine a perverted meaning of the holy name. The seventh offense is to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name. It is understood that by chanting the holy name one is freed from sinful reactions, but this does not mean that one should perversely act sinfully on the strength of chanting. That is the greatest offense. The eighth offense is to equate chanting the holy name with religious rituals, austerity, renunciation or sacrificial performances. Chanting the holy name is as good as associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas these pious activities are only means of approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they can also be performed for some material reason. It is an offense to equate them with chanting the holy name. The ninth offense is to preach the glories of the holy name of God to a faithless person. The tenth and last offense is to maintain material attachments even after hearing and chanting the holy name of God. The idea is that by chanting the holy name without offense one is elevated to the liberated platform, where one is freed from all material attachments. Thus if one chants the holy names and still has material attachments, he is committing an offense.
There are still other factors which can disturb the plant of devotional service. As this plant grows, the weeds of material desires may also grow. When a person advances in devotional service, it is natural that many persons will come to him requesting to become disciples and will offer him some material gains. If one is attracted by a large number of disciples offering material conveniences and forgets his duty as a bona fide spiritual master, the growth of the plant will be impeded. Simply by taking advantage of material conveniences one may become addicted to enjoying material comforts.
Other impediments are to desire liberation or material name and fame by discharging devotional service, or to neglect the prohibitions. These prohibitions are mentioned in the authorized scriptures: One should not indulge in illicit sex, intoxication, gambling or eating meat – indeed, one should not eat anything other than kášášŁáša-prasÄdam, food offered to KášášŁáša. These are the restrictions for one who is attempting to advance in devotional service. If one does not follow these principles strictly, there will be a severe disturbance in the discharge of devotional service.
If one is not particularly careful, by watering the plant of devotional service one will instead nourish the weeds described above, which will then grow very luxuriantly and hamper oneâs progress. The idea is that when one waters a garden, not only does the desired plant grow rapidly but the unwanted plants grow also. If the gardener does not see these weeds and cut them down, they will overcome and choke the plant of devotion. It is thus the duty of the neophyte devotee to cut down all the weeds that may grow by the watering process of devotional service. If one is careful to guard against the growth of these weeds, the plant of devotion will grow luxuriantly and reach the ultimate goal, Goloka VášndÄvana. When the living entity engaged in devotional service relishes the fruit of love of Godhead, he forgets all religious rituals aimed at improving his economic condition. He no longer desires to satisfy his senses, and he no longer desires to become one with the Supreme Lord by merging into His effulgence.
There are many practices leading to spiritual knowledge and transcendental bliss, including the ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas, the execution of austerities and pious duties, and the practice of mystic yoga. These all reward different results to their performers. But all these rewards appear to glitter only as long as one is not elevated to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Love of God is dormant in everyone, and it can be awakened from its dormant position by the execution of pure devotional service, just as a person bitten by a serpent and fallen unconscious can be revived by smelling ammonia.
After speaking in this way about pure devotional service, Lord Caitanya began to describe that service and its symptoms to RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ. He explained that in pure devotional service there can be no desire other than the desire to advance in KášášŁáša consciousness. In KášášŁáša consciousness there is no scope for worshiping any demigod or even any other form of KášášŁáša, nor is there room for indulgence in speculative empiric philosophy or fruitive activities. One should be free from all these contaminations. A devotee should accept only those things that are favorable for keeping his body and soul together and should reject those things that increase the demands of the body. Only the bare necessities for bodily maintenance should be accepted. By making oneâs bodily necessities secondary, one can primarily devote his time to the cultivation of KášášŁáša consciousness through the chanting of the holy names of God. Pure devotional service means engaging all oneâs senses in the service of the Lord. At the present moment our senses are all designated because the body is designated. So we think that our body belongs to a particular society or a particular country or a particular family. In this way the body is bound by so many designations. Similarly, the senses belong to the body, and when the body is subject to such designations, the senses are also. Thus one engages the senses on behalf of family, society, nation and so on. When the senses are so engaged, one cannot cultivate KášášŁáša consciousness. The senses must be purified, and this is possible when one purely understands that he belongs to KášášŁáša and that his life belongs to KášášŁáša – in other words, that his identity is to be an eternal servant of KášášŁáša. In this way one can engage his senses in the service of the Lord, and such engagement is called pure devotional service.
A pure devotee accepts the transcendental loving service of the Lord but rejects all kinds of liberation for his personal sense gratification. This is stated by Lord Kapila in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (3.29.11â14), in His explanation of the nature of pure devotional service. As soon as a pure devotee hears the glories and transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in everyoneâs heart, his mind at once flows toward the Lord, just as the waters of the Ganges flow down toward the sea. Such spontaneous attraction of the devoteeâs mind to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead signifies pure devotional service.
Devotional service is pure when one engages in the service of the Supreme Lord without any selfish motive and without being hampered by any material impediment. The pure devotee does not desire to live on the same planet as the Supreme Lord, nor does he desire the same opulence as the Lord, nor does he desire to have the same form as the Lord, nor to live with Him side by side, nor to merge into His existence. Even if the Lord offers the pure devotee such rewards, he rejects them. The point is that a pure devotee is so much absorbed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord that he has no time to think of any benefit beyond his immediate engagement. Just as an ordinary materialistic businessman thinks of nothing else when he is absorbed in his business, a pure devotee, when engaged in the service of the Lord, does not think of anything beyond that engagement.
One who possesses the symptoms described above has been elevated to the topmost position of devotional service. And it is by such transcendental loving service alone that one can surpass the influence of mÄyÄ and relish pure love of Godhead. As long as one desires material benefit or liberation, which are called the two witches of allurement, one cannot relish the taste of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord.
There are three stages of devotional service: The first is the beginning stage of cultivation, the second is the realization of service, and the third, the supreme stage, is the attainment of love of Godhead. There are nine different methods of cultivating devotional service – hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. – and all these processes are employed by the neophyte in the first stage. If one is engaged in chanting and hearing with devotion and faith, his material misgivings gradually become vanquished. As his faith in devotional service increases more and more, he becomes assured of a higher perfectional position. In this way one becomes firmly fixed in devotional service, increases his taste for it, becomes attached to it, and feels ecstasy, the preliminary stage of love of Godhead. Attainment of ecstasy is produced by executing this process of cultivating devotional service. When one continues the process of hearing and chanting, attachment to KášášŁáša gradually thickens and at last is called love of Godhead.
In the stage of transcendental love of God there are further developments, known as transcendental affection, emotion, ecstasy, and extreme and intense attachment. These are technically known by the terms rÄga, anurÄga, bhÄva and mahÄbhÄva. The progress from one stage to another is like the thickening of sugarcane juice. In the first stage sugarcane juice is a thin liquid. When, by evaporation, it becomes thicker and thicker, it turns into molasses. Then it turns into granules of sugar, then rock candy, and so on. Just as sugarcane juice progresses from one stage to another, similarly transcendental love for the Supreme Lord develops by stages.
When one actually becomes situated on the transcendental platform, he becomes steady. Unless one is so situated, his position is not steady and he may fall down. When one is actually situated transcendentally, there is no fear of falling down. This stage is technically called sthÄyi-bhÄva. There are further developments within this stage, known as vibhÄva, anubhÄva, sÄttvika and vyabhicÄrÄŤ. When these four ingredients are added to the steadfast position of pure transcendental life, there is actually an exchange of rasa, or transcendental mellows, with the Supreme Lord. This exchange in loving reciprocation between the lover and the beloved is generally called kášášŁáša-bhakti-rasa, the transcendental taste of exchanging loving sentiments between the devotee and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It should be noted, however, that the transcendental loving exchanges stand on the steadfast position of sthÄyi-bhÄva, as explained above. The basic principle of vibhÄva is sthÄyi-bhÄva, and all other activities are auxiliary for the development of transcendental love.
The ecstasy of transcendental love has two components – the context and the cause of the excitement. The context is also divided into two parts – the subject and the object. The exchange of devotional service is the subject, and KášášŁáša is the object. His transcendental qualities are the causes of excitement. This means that a devotee who becomes enamored by the transcendental qualities of KášášŁáša becomes excited to serve Him. The impersonal (MÄyÄvÄdÄŤ) philosophers say that the Absolute Truth is nirguáša, âwithout qualities,â but the Vaiᚣášava philosophers say that the Absolute Truth is described as nirguáša because He has no material qualities. This is not to say that He has no spiritual qualities. Indeed, the Lordâs spiritual qualities are so great and so enchanting that even liberated persons become attracted to Him. This is explained in the ÄtmÄrÄma verse of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (1.7.10), where it is said that those who are already situated on the platform of self-realization are attracted by the transcendental qualities of KášášŁáša. This means that KášášŁášaâs qualities are not material but are pure and transcendental.
The highest stage of ecstasy is characterized by the following thirteen transcendental activities: (1) dancing, (2) rolling on the floor, (3) singing, (4) clapping, (5) stretching the body, (6) thundering, (7) yawning, (8) breathing heavily, (9) forgetting social conventions, (10) drooling, (11) laughing, (12) shaking the head and (13) hiccoughing. All these symptoms are not awakened simultaneously; they appear according to the exchange of transcendental mellows. Sometimes one symptom is prominent, and at another time another is prominent.
There are five transcendental rasas, or mellows. The initial stage is called ĹÄnta-rati, wherein one who is liberated from material contamination appreciates the greatness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who attains this stage does not exactly engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, for this is the neutral stage.
In the second stage, which is called dÄsya-rati, a person appreciates his position as being everlastingly subordinate to the Supreme Lord, and he understands that he is eternally dependent on the causeless mercy of the Supreme Person. At that time there is an awakening of natural affection, such as is felt by a son who grows up and begins to appreciate his fatherâs benedictions. At this stage the living entity wants to serve the Supreme Lord instead of serving mÄyÄ, illusion.
The third stage in the development of transcendental love is called sakhya-rati. In this stage one associates with the Supreme as a friend on an equal level, with love and respect. As this stage is further developed, there is joking and such relaxed exchanges as laughing. On this level there are fraternal exchanges with the Personality of Godhead, and one is free from all bondage. One forgets his inferior position as a living entity, but at the same time he has the greatest respect for the Supreme Person.
In the fourth stage, called vÄtsalya-rati, the fraternal affection of the preceding stage develops into parental affection. At this time the living entity acts as the parent of God. Instead of worshiping the Lord, the living entity, as a parent of the Supreme Person, becomes an object of worship for Him. At this stage the Lord depends on the mercy of His pure devotee and puts Himself under the control of the devotee to be raised nicely. Such a devotee can embrace the Supreme Lord and even kiss His head.
In the fifth stage, called madhura-rati, there is a transcendental exchange of conjugal love between the lover and the beloved. It is at this stage that KášášŁáša and the damsels of Vraja glanced lovingly at one another, for on this platform there is an exchange of glances, movements of the eyebrows, pleasant words, attractive smiles, etc.
Besides these five primary rasas there are seven secondary rasas, which consist of laughing, wonder, chivalry, pity, anger, ghastliness and devastation. For example, Bhčᚣma related to KášášŁáša as a warrior in the chivalrous rasa. HiraášyakaĹipu, however, experienced an exchange of the ghastly and devastating rasas. The five primary rasas constantly remain within the heart of the pure devotee, and the seven secondary rasas sometimes appear and disappear to enrich the flavors and tastes of the primary ones. After enriching the primary rasas, they disappear.
Examples of ĹÄnta-bhaktas, or devotees in the neutral stage, are the sages known as the nine Yogendras, namely, Kavi, Havi, AntarÄŤkᚣa, Prabuddha, PippalÄyana, Avirhotra, Draviá¸a (Drumila), Camasa and KarabhÄjana. The four KumÄras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanat-kumÄra and SanÄtana) are also examples of this stage. Examples of devotees in the second stage, servitorship, are Raktaka, Citraka and Patraka. These are all servants of KášášŁáša in Gokula. In DvÄrakÄ there is DÄruka, and in the Vaikuášášha planets there are HanumÄn and others. Devotees in the third stage, friendship, include ĹrÄŤdÄmÄ in VášndÄvana and BhÄŤma and Arjuna in DvÄrakÄ or on the Battlefield of Kurukᚣetra. As for those relating to KášášŁáša in parental love, they include His mother, father, uncle and similar relatives. In conjugal love there are the damsels of Vraja (VášndÄvana), the queens in DvÄrakÄ, and the goddesses of fortune in Vaikuášášha. No one can count the vast number of devotees in this rasa.
In general, attachment to KášášŁáša is of two kinds. The first kind is attachment with awe and veneration. Characterized by a lack of freedom, such attachment is exhibited in MathurÄ and on the Vaikuášášha planets. In these abodes of the Lord, the flavor of transcendental loving service is restricted. But in Gokula (VášndÄvana) love is freely exchanged, and although the cowherd boys and damsels of VášndÄvana know that KášášŁáša is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they do not show awe and veneration, because of the great intimacy of their relationship with Him through thick and thin. In the five principal transcendental relationships, awe and veneration are sometimes impediments to oneâs service to the Lord. When there is friendship, parental affection or conjugal love, such awe and veneration are impediments. For example, when KášášŁáša appeared as the son of Vasudeva and DevakÄŤ, they prayed to the Lord with awe and veneration because they understood that the Supreme Lord KášášŁáša or Viᚣášu had appeared before them as their little child. This is confirmed in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (10.44.51): âDevakÄŤ and Vasudeva, knowing their son to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to pray to Him although He was present before them as their child.â Similarly, when Arjuna saw the universal form of the Lord, he was so afraid that he begged pardon for his dealings with KášášŁáša as an intimate friend. As a friend, Arjuna often behaved unceremoniously with the Lord, and upon seeing the awesome universal form, Arjuna said:
sakheti matvÄ prasabhaáš yad uktaáš
he kášášŁáša he yÄdava he sakheti
ajÄnatÄ mahimÄnaáš tavedaáš
mayÄ pramÄdÄt praášayena vÄpi
âMy dear KášášŁáša, sometimes I insulted You by calling You âmy dear friend KášášŁášaâ without knowing the greatness of Your inconceivable power. Please forgive me. I was mad to address You like a common friend or a common man.â (Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ 11.41)
Similarly, when KášášŁáša was playing jokes on RukmiášÄŤ, she feared that He might leave her and became so perturbed that she dropped the fan with which she was fanning Him and fainted. Her hair scattered as she fell unconscious to the floor, like a plantain tree blown down by a blast of wind.
But as far as YaĹodÄ, KášášŁášaâs mother in VášndÄvana, is concerned, ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam 10.8.45 states:
trayyÄ copaniᚣadbhiĹ ca
sÄáš khya-yogaiĹ ca sÄtvataiḼ
upagÄŤyamÄna-mÄhÄtmyaáš
hariáš sÄmanyatÄtmajam
âMother YaĹodÄ thought that the Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped by all the Vedas and Upaniᚣads, as well as by the sÄáš khya system of philosophy and all authorized scriptures, had been born from her womb.â It is also stated in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (10.9.14) that Mother YaĹodÄ bound the child KášášŁáša with a rope as if He were an ordinary son born of her body. Another description of KášášŁášaâs being treated as an ordinary person appears in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam 10.18.24. There it is stated that when KášášŁáša was defeated in games with His friends, the cowherd boys, He had to carry ĹrÄŤdÄmÄ on His shoulders.
Regarding the gopÄŤsâ dealings with ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša in VášndÄvana, ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam 10.30.36â38 describes how when ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša took ĹrÄŤmatÄŤ RÄdhikÄ alone from the rÄsa dance, She proudly thought, âMy dear Lord KášášŁáša has left the other gopÄŤs, although they are as beautiful as I am, and He is satisfied with Me alone.â In the forest She told KášášŁáša, âMy dear KášášŁáša, I am unable to move anymore. Now if You like You can take Me wherever You desire.â KášášŁáša replied, âYou can climb on My shoulder,â but as soon as He said this He disappeared, whereupon ĹrÄŤmatÄŤ RÄdhikÄ repented very much.
When KášášŁáša disappeared from the scene of the rÄsa dance, all the gopÄŤs began to lament, saying, âDear KášášŁáša! We have come here and left aside our husbands, sons, relatives, brothers and friends! Neglecting their advice, we have come to You, and You know very well the reason for our coming here. You know that we have come because we are captivated by the sweet sound of Your flute. But You are so cunning that in the dead of night You have left girls and women like us! This is not very good of You.â
The word Ĺama means controlling the mind and keeping it from being diverted in various ways while fixing it on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, one whose mind is fixed on the Supreme Lord is situated on the Ĺama platform. On that platform the devotee understands that KášášŁáša is the basic principle of everything within our experience. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (7.19): âAfter many, many births of cultivating knowledge, one who has attained real knowledge surrenders unto VÄsudeva [KášášŁáša] because he can understand that KášášŁáša is present in everything, that He is distributed all over the cosmic manifestation.â Although everything is under the control of the Supreme Lord and is situated in His energy, everything is nonetheless different from KášášŁáša in His personal form. It is stated in the Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu that the platform of Ĺama, on which one understands that KášášŁáša is the basic principle of everything, is the same as ĹÄnta-rati. Unless one is elevated to the platform of ĹÄnta-rati, one cannot be fixed in knowledge of the greatness of KášášŁáša or of the diffusion of His different energies, which are the cause of all manifestations. This same point is explained in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam (11.19.36):
Ĺamo man-niᚣášhatÄ buddher
dama indriya-saášyamaḼ
titikášŁÄ duḼkha-sammarᚣo
jihvopastha-jayo dháštiḼ
âĹama, equilibrium of mind, is achieved by one who has concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of everything. And when one can control his senses, that is called Ĺama. When one is ready to tolerate all kinds of sufferings to control the senses and keep the mind steady, that is called titikᚣÄ, or tolerance. And when one can control the urges of the tongue and genitals, that is called dháštiḼ.â One who has attained dháštiḼ is a dhÄŤra, a pacified person. A pacified person is never disturbed by the urges of the tongue and genitals.
One who can fix his mind on KášášŁáša without deviation attains ĹÄnta-rasa, the steadfast position in KášášŁáša consciousness. One in ĹÄnta-rasa exhibits two main qualities: unflinching faith in KášášŁáša, and the cessation of all material desires. These specific characteristics of ĹÄnta-rasa – unflinching faith in KášášŁáša and cessation of all desires not connected with KášášŁáša – are common to all other rasas as well, just as sound is present not only in sky, where it is produced, but also in all the other elements – air, fire, water and earth. So these two characteristics of ĹÄnta-rasa are also present in dÄsya-rasa (servitorship), sakhya-rasa (fraternity), vÄtsalya-rasa (parental affection) and madhura-rasa (conjugal love).
When we speak of desires not connected with KášášŁáša, or ânon-KášášŁáša,â this does not mean that anything exists without KášášŁáša. Actually there cannot be anything non-KášášŁáša because everything is a product of the energy of KášášŁáša. Since KášášŁáša and His energies are identical, everything is KášášŁáša indirectly. For example, consciousness is common to every living entity, but when consciousness is centered solely on KášášŁáša (KášášŁáša consciousness) it is pure, and when consciousness is centered on something other than KášášŁáša, or when it is directed to sense gratification, it may be called non-KášášŁáša consciousness. Thus it is in the polluted state that the conception of non-KášášŁáša comes. In the pure state, however, there is nothing but KášášŁáša consciousness.
Active interest in KášášŁáša – the understanding that KášášŁáša is mine and that I am KášášŁášaâs and that my business is therefore to satisfy the senses of KášášŁáša – is typical of a higher stage than the neutrality of ĹÄnta-rasa. Simply by understanding the greatness of KášášŁáša, one achieves the status of ĹÄnta-rasa, in which the worshipable object may be the impersonal Brahman or ParamÄtmÄ. Worship of the impersonal Brahman and the ParamÄtmÄ is conducted by those engaged in empiric philosophical speculation and mystic yoga. But when one develops even further in KášášŁáša consciousness, or spiritual understanding, he can appreciate that the ParamÄtmÄ, the Supersoul, is his eternal worshipable object and master, and he surrenders unto Him. BahĹŤnÄáš janmanÄm ante jĂąÄnavÄn mÄáš prapadyate (Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ 7.19): âAfter many, many births of worshiping Brahman and ParamÄtmÄ, when one surrenders unto VÄsudeva as the supreme master and accepts himself as the eternal servant of VÄsudeva, he becomes a great transcendentally realized soul.â At that time, due to his intimate relationship with the Supreme Absolute Truth, the devotee begins to render some sort of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus the neutral relationship known as ĹÄnta-rasa is transformed into dÄsya-rasa, servitorship.
On the platform of dÄsya-rasa one exhibits the greatest quantity of awe and veneration for the Supreme Lord. That is, in dÄsya-rasa one appreciates the greatness of the Supreme Lord. It should be noted here that on the platform of ĹÄnta-rasa there is no spiritual activity but on the platform of dÄsya-rasa service begins. Thus in dÄsya-rasa the quality of ĹÄnta-rasa is exhibited, and, in addition, there is consciousness of the transcendental taste of service.
In sakhya-rasa, fraternity, the transcendental qualities of ĹÄnta-rasa and dÄsya-rasa are certainly present, but beyond these there is another quality, confidential attachment, which is pure transcendental love. This confidential attachment for the Supreme Personality is technically known as viĹrambha. On the platform of viĹrambha there is no sense of awe or veneration toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus in the transcendental fraternal relationship, sakhya-rasa, there are three transcendental characteristics: the sense of greatness, the sense of service, and the sense of intimacy without awe or veneration. Thus sakhya-rasa adds one transcendental quality to the qualities of ĹÄnta- and dÄsya-rasa.
Similarly, on the platform of parental affection (vÄtsalya-rasa) there are four qualities. In addition to the three qualities already mentioned, there is the sense that the Supreme Lord is dependent on the mercy of the devotee. As a parent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotee sometimes chastises the Lord and considers himself the Lordâs maintainer. This transcendental sense of being the maintainer of the supreme maintainer is very pleasing to both the devotee and the Supreme Lord.
The Lord instructed ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ to write the transcendental literature named Bhakti-rasÄmášta-sindhu, the science of devotional service, and indicate therein the substance of the five transcendental relationships with the Lord – ĹÄnta-, dÄsya-, sakhya-, vÄtsalya- and madhura-rasa. It is explained in that great literature how the transcendental relationship of ĹÄnta-rasa, taking the shape of unflinching faith in KášášŁáša, is further developed into dÄsya-rasa with the spirit of service, and then to sakhya-rasa, or undeterred fraternity, and further to the transcendental platform of parental love, wherein one feels himself to be maintaining the Lord. All these transcendental relationships culminate on the highest platform, conjugal love (madhura-rasa), wherein they all exist simultaneously.