Life's ultimate goal

[Guest guest]

Madhy Lila 23:13

 

TEXT 13

sei 'bhäva' gäòha haile dhare 'prema'-näma

sei premä 'prayojana' sarvänanda-dhäma

 

TRANSLATION

"When that ecstatic emotional stage intensifies, it is called love of Godhead.

Such love is life's ultimate goal and the reservoir of all pleasure.

 

PURPORT

Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura summarizes this growth of love of Godhead as a

gradual process. A person becomes interested in devotional service by some good

fortune. Eventually he becomes interested in pure devotional service without

material contamination. At that point, a person wants to associate with

devotees. As a result of this association, he becomes more and more interested

in discharging devotional service and hearing and chanting. The more one is

interested in hearing and chanting, the more he is purified of material

contamination. Liberation from material contamination is called

anartha-nivåtti, indicating a diminishing of all unwanted things. This is the

test of development in devotional service. If one actually develops the

devotional attitude, he must be freed from the material contamination of

illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. These are the preliminary

symptoms. When one is freed from all material contamination, his firm faith in

devotional service awakens. When firm faith develops, a taste arises, and by

that taste one becomes attached to devotional service. When this attachment

intensifies, the seed of love of Kåñëa fructifies. This position is called

préti or rati (affection) or bhäva (emotion). When rati intensifies, it is

called love of Godhead. This love of Godhead is actually life's highest

perfection and the reservoir of all pleasure.

Thus devotional life is divided into two stages-sädhana-bhakti and

bhäva-bhakti. Sädhana-bhakti refers to the development of devotional service

through the regulative principles. The basic principle for the execution of

devotional service is faith. Above that, there is association with devotees,

and after that there is initiation by a bona fide spiritual master. After

initiation, when one follows the regulative principles of devotional service,

one becomes freed from all unwanted things. In this way one becomes firmly

fixed and gradually develops a taste for devotional service. The more the taste

grows, the more one desires to render service to the Lord. In this way one

becomes attached to a particular mellow in the Lord's service-çänta, däsya,

sakhya, vätsalya or madhura. As a result of such attachment, bhäva develops.

Bhäva-bhakti is the platform of purified goodness. By such purified goodness,

one's heart melts in devotional service. Bhäva-bhakti is the first seed of love

of Godhead. This emotional stage is there before one attains pure love. When

that emotional stage intensifies, it is called prema-bhakti, or transcendental

love of Godhead. This gradual process is also described in the following two

verses, which are found in the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.4.15-16).

 

 

 

 

..Putting a straw in his mouth and bowing down, Sanatana Goswami clasped the

lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu CC: Madhya lila 20:98