bhakta-bhede rati-bheda pañca parakÄra
Å›Änta-rati, dÄsya-rati, sakhya-rati Ära
vÄtsalya-rati, madhura-rati, — ei pañca vibheda
rati-bhede kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rase pañca bheda

 bhakta-bhede - according to varieties of devotees; rati-bheda - the different attachments; pañca parakÄra - five categories; Å›Änti-rati - neutral appreciation; dÄsya-rati - attachment in a service attitude; sakhya-rati - attachment by friendly appreciation; Ära - also; vÄtsalya-rati - attachment by parental affection; madhura-rati - attachment by conjugal love; ei - these; pañca - five; vibheda - divisions; rati-bhede - by attachment on different platforms; kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rase - in mellows derived from devotional service to Kṛṣṇa; pañca - five; bheda - varieties.


Text

“According to the devotee, attachment falls within the five categories of Å›Änta-rati, dÄsya-rati, sakhya-rati, vÄtsalya-rati and madhura-rati. These five categories arise from devotees’ different attachments to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The transcendental mellows derived from devotional service are also of five varieties.

Purport

ÅšÄnta-rati is described in the Bhakti-rasÄmá¹›ta-sindhu (2.5.16-18) as follows:

mÄnase nirvikalpatvaá¹ Å›ama ity abhidhÄ«yate

“When one is completely free from all doubts and material attachments, he attains the neutral position, called Å›Änta.â€

vihÄya viá¹£ayonmukhyaá¹ nijÄnanda-sthitir yataḥ
Ätmanaḥ kathyate so ’tra  vabhÄvaḥ Å›ama ity asau
prÄyaḥ Å›ama-pradhÄnÄnÄá¹ mamatÄ-gandha-varjitÄ
paramÄtmatayÄ kṛṣṇe jÄtÄ Å›ÄntÄ« ratir matÄ

The Å›Änta-rati realization of Kṛṣṇa is in the neutral stage between the conception of impersonalism and personalism. This means that one is not very strongly attached to the personal feature of the Lord. An appreciation of the greatness of the Lord is called Å›Änta-rati. This is attachment not to the personal feature but to the impersonal feature. Generally, one in this stage is attached to the ParamÄtmÄ feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Ä«Å›varaḥ sarva-bhÅ«tÄnÄá¹ há¹›d-deÅ›e ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrÄmayan sarva-bhÅ«tÄni yantrÄrÅ«á¸hÄni mÄyayÄ

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine made of the material energy.†(Bg. 18.61) On the strength of this statement from the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ, we can understand that in Å›Änta-rasa a devotee sees the Lord’s representation everywhere.

DÄsya-rati is explained in the Bhakti-rasÄmá¹›ta-sindhu (2.5.27) thus:

svasmÄd bhavanti ye nyÅ«nÄs te ’nugrÄhyÄ harer matÄḥ
ÄrÄdhyatvÄtmikÄ teá¹£Äá¹ ratiḥ prÄ«tir itÄ«ritÄ
tatrÄsakti-ká¹›d anyatra prÄ«ti-saá¹hÄriṇī hy asau

When the Supreme Lord in His localized aspect is appreciated and a great devotee understands his subordinate position, not only does he surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but, due to his subordinate position, he wishes to render some service and thus become favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee in Å›Änta-rati is not very much willing to render service to the Lord, but a devotee in dÄsya-rati voluntarily wants to render service. Due to this attitude, the devotee in dÄsya-rati realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead more fully than a devotee in Å›Änta-rati. He considers the Lord to be a worshipable object, and this means that his attachment for the Lord increases. Thus dÄsya-rati is characterized as bhaktiḥ pareÅ›Änubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. (BhÄg. 11.2.42) In other words, on the dÄsya-rati platform a devotee is attached to rendering service to the Lord, and he is detached from material activities. ÅšÄnta-rati is neither material nor spiritual, but dÄsya-rati is actually on the spiritual platform. There is no attachment for material things on the spiritual platform (viraktir anyatra ca). A devotee in dÄsya-rati has no attachment for anything but Kṛṣṇa’s service.

Sakhya-rati is described in the Bhakti-rasÄmá¹›ta-sindhu (2.5.30) as follows:

ye syus tulyÄ mukundasya te sakhÄyaḥ satÄá¹ matÄḥ
sÄmyÄd viÅ›rambha-rÅ«paiá¹£Äá¹ ratiḥ sakhyam ihocyate

According to the opinion of advanced devotees and learned scholars, a devotee in sakhya-rati feels equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is a relationship in friendship. Due to having a friendly relationship with the Lord, not only is one free from material attachment, but one believes in equal dealings with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sakhya-rati. The sakhya-rati devotee is so advanced that he treats the Lord on an equal level and even exchanges joking words with Him. Although one is never equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sakhya-rati devotee feels equal to the Lord, and he does not feel guilty because of this. Usually it is offensive to consider oneself equal to the Lord. The MÄyÄvÄdÄ«s, for example, consider themselves equal to the Lord, but such feelings entail bereavement because they are material. Sakhya-rati, however, is a feeling experienced in the mind by a pure devotee, and he is eternally related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in that feeling.

VÄtsalya-rati is described as follows in the Bhakti-rasÄmá¹›ta-sindhu (2.5.33):

guravo ye harer asya te pÅ«jyÄ iti viÅ›rutÄḥ
anugraha-mayÄ« teá¹£Äá¹ ratir vÄtsalyam ucyate
idaá¹ lÄlana-bhavyÄśīś cibuka-sparÅ›anÄdi-ká¹›t

When a living entity is situated on the platform of vÄtsalya-rati, he thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His childhood feature. In this feature, the Lord has to be protected by the devotee, and at this time the devotee takes the position of being worshiped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These feelings of parental love are called vÄtsalya-rati. When the devotee is situated on this platform, he wants to maintain the Lord like a son, and he desires all good fortune for the Lord. He offers blessings to the Lord by touching His feet and head.

Madhura-rati, or attachment in conjugal love, is described as follows:

mitho harer má¹›gÄká¹£yÄÅ› ca sambhogasyÄdi-kÄraṇam
madhurÄpara-paryÄyÄ priyatÄkhyoditÄ ratiḥ
asyÄá¹ kaá¹­Äká¹£a-bhrÅ«-ká¹£epa- priya-vÄṇī-smitÄdayaḥ

Madhura-rati, the conjugal relationship experienced between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the young damsels of Vrajabhūmi, continuously exists in eight kinds of remembrances. This intimate relationship brought about by conjugal love produces movements of the eyebrows, glancing, sweet words and exchanges of joking words.