Anubhavas

[Guest guest]

"When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Krsna fructifies, the

following nine symptoms manifest in one's behavior:

 

1) forgiveness (ksanti), 2) concern that time should not be

wasted (avyartha-kalatva), 3) detachment (virakti), 4) absence of false

prestige (mana-sunyata), 5) hope (asa-bandha), 6) eagerness (samutkantha),

7) a taste for chanting the holy name of the Lord (nama-gane sada ruci),

8) attachment to descriptions of the transcendental qualities of the Lord

(asakti), and 9) affection for those places where the Lord resides--that is,

a temple or a holy place like Vrndavana (pritis tad-vasati sthale).

 

These are all called anubhava, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion.

They are visible in a person in whose heart the seed of love of God has

begun to fructify."

 

Srila Rupa Gosvami, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, 1.3.25-26

[Guest guest]

> "When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Krsna fructifies, the

> following nine symptoms manifest in one's behavior:

> 5) hope (asa-bandha)

> Srila Rupa Gosvami, Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, 1.3.25-26

 

Here is an example of asha-bandha, given by Srila Rupa Gosvami;

in his Nectar of Devotion; Srila Prabhupada translates asha-bandha as

"hope against hope":

 

"I have no love for Krsna, nor for the causes of developing love of

Krsna--namely, hearing and chanting. And the process of bhakti-yoga, by

which one is always thinking of Krsna and fixing His lotus feet in the

heart, is also lacking in me. As far as philosophical knowledge or pious

works are concerned, I dont see any opportunity for me to execute such

activities. But above all, I am not even born of a nice family. Therefore

I must simply pray to You, Gopijana-vallabha [Krsna, maintainer and

beloved of the gopis]. I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may

be able to approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, because

I think myself quite incompetent to approach that transcendental goal of

life."

 

Elsewhere (Teachings of Lord Caitanya), Srila Prabhupada gives the

original verse as follows:

 

na premA zravaNAdi-bhaktir api vA yogo 'thavA vaiSNavo

jJAnaM vA zubha-karma vA kiyad aho saj-jAtir apy asti vA |

hInArthAdhika-sAdhake tvayi tathApy acchedya-mUlA satI

he gopIjanavallabha vyathayate hA hA madAzaiva mAm ||

 

"I am poor in love of Godhead, and I have no asset for hearing

about devotional service. Nor do I have any understanding of the science

of devotional service, nor any cultivation of knowledge, nor any righteous

activities to my credit. I am not even born in a high family. Nonetheless,

O darling of the damsels of Vraja, I still maintain hopes of achieving

You, and these hopes are always disturbing me."

 

MDd