Principles of love divine

[anadi]

The pure love is the innate attraction of the soul towards the Lord.

Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami writes in Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya lila 22.107):

 

nitya-siddha krishna-prema sadhya kabhu naya

shravan-adi shuddha-citte karaye udaya

 

The divine love for The All Attractive -Krishna-prema is an eternally established reality of the soul; it is not brought about by sadhana (the practical process). It automatically manifests itself in the purified soul by the performance of the various limbs of bhakti beginning with hearing - shravan –adi about the pastimes of the Lord.

 

The meaning is that, when the soul got cleansed from the coverings of material attachments, she attains the state of pure goodness – shuddha sattva, and in this state, by practicing the limbs of saddhana bhakti, beginning with hearing (shravan –adi) about the pastimes of the Lord, the rays of love will awaken “on the horizon of the heart” as Rupa Gosvami says in Bhakti Rasa-amrita Sindhu (1.3.1):

 

śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā / prema-suryāḿśu-sāmyabhāk

rucibhiś citta-māsṛṇya kṛd asau bhāva ucyate:

 

When the soul -atmā attains her pristine state of pure goodness - śuddha-sattva and a specific viśeṣa loving relation has been established between the soul and the Lord, than the rays of the divine attraction - prema-suryāḿśu manifest - sāmyabhāk as his innate consciuousness –citta, which is melted – māsṛṇya by a blend of divine tastes – rucibhiś, and one attains the state of Bhava.

 

This bhava-bhakti is not obtained by any means of sadhana.

Rather, by continual performance of shravana (hearing about the Lord), kirtana (loud praising the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord) and other limbs of sadhana-bhakti, when bhakti attains maturity (shraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana kryia, anarta nivriti, nishta, ruch ashakti), it automatically cleanses all misgivings from the heart of the sadhaka (practitioner). At that time bhava manifests itself in the transparent heart by the mercy of Sri Krishna or His devotees.

 

Bhava which melts even more “the heart”, much more so than in its initial stage,

which greatly augments the feeling of transcendental bliss and

which bestows a deep sense of mamata (possessiveness) in relation to Sri Krishna,

is called prema - pure love by the learned,

writes Srila Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu (1.4.1):

 

samyaṇ masṛṇita-svānto / mamatvatiśayaṇkitaḥ

bhāvaḥ sa eva sāndrātmā / budhaiḥ premā nigadyate

[anadi]

The dominant loving mood

 

The sentiments or mood which dominates over all other, whether they are favourable or antagonist to it, and lords over them like a strong king, is called the dominant emotion or sthayi-bhava.

 

The mediums through which emotion arises are called the vibhavas, and they are:

1. the persons, who are experiencing the loving emotion , and are called the alambanas.

2. the circumstances/ objects that stimulate the loving sentiments of the protagonists, and are called udipanas.

 

The persons involved in the loving relation are of two types:

1. the “object” of love – vishaya alambana – which is always the Supreme (in the form of Krishna, one of His expansions, or the Divine Couple - Radha-Krishna).

2. the one who experiences the dominant emotion. - ashraya alambana – the devotee.

[Bhakta Devarsi]

 

" The divine love for The All Attractive -Krishna-prema is an eternally established reality of the soul, it is not brought about by sadhana (the practical process). It automatically manifests itself in the purified soul"

 

Key word, Purified.

 

The soul must already be purified. How did the soul reach that platform?

Being PRIORLY engaged in the Practical Process of Vaidhi Bhakti Sadhana under the specific instruction of his chosen Spiritual Master and Acharya(ideal teacher).

 

Sadhana first.

 

Prema later.

 

Inconceivably, that which is eternally already existing and is not brought about by any practical process of sadhana, is not realized and embodied by a conditioned soul until they practice sadhana.

 

Inconceivable. Hope we can all get used to knowing the inconceivable.

 

Happy Gaura Purnima

 

ys

 

B.M

[anadi]

Sacred love is the essence of Krishna’s internal potency, which is known as ananda or hladini or bliss-giving energy.

This energy manifesting in different types of devotees, appears in four types of dominant sentiments, known as love dominated by the sentiment of

- servitude – dasya rasa

- friendship – sakya rasa

- parenthood and guardianship – vatsalya rasa

- eroticism of the lover – madhurya rasa

 

The type of love, the residents of the intimate spiritual realms (Vrindavan) of the All Attractive, have for Him, is imbibed with an extraordinary sense of possession (mamata) for Him, thinking: Krishna is mine, and therefore their love is called raga-atmika, imbibed up to saturation with attachment for Him.

 

virAjantIm abhivyaktaM vrajavAsi-janAdiSu |

rAgAtmikAm anusRtA yA sA rAgAnugocyate || (brs 1.2.270)

“The devotion which is clearly present in the associates of the Lord in Vraja is called devotion filled with loving attachment (ragatmika-bhakti),

and devotion following in the wake of this ragatmika-bhakti is called raganuga-bhakti.”

 

Such a powerful attachment cannot be found anywhere else in the spiritual worlds.

 

vidhi-bhaktye pArSada-dehe vaikuNThete yAya || (cc 2.24.87)

 

“Through vidhi-bhakti, one will attain the form of an associate in Vaikuntha.”

 

aizvarya-jJAne vidhi-bhajana kariyA |

vaikuNThake yAya catur-vidha mukti pAJA || (cc 1.3.17)

“Those who worship according to scriptural commandments, being aware of the Lord's superhuman prowess,

attain the four kinds of liberation in Vaikuntha.”

[anadi]

The activities of the eternal residens of Vraja are determined only by the raga-atmika love, and are called raga-atmika bhakti. This type of bhakti (divine devotional service) is present only in the eternal residents of Vrindavan, which are direct expansions (kaya vyuha) of Krishna or Radha.

The souls, which are marginal energy (tatashtha shakti) of Krishna, as us, and whose existence is first manifested in the Causal Ocean, wherefrom they choose between the spiritual and material worlds, can eventually follow the loving sentiments of the eternal residents of Vrindavan, by constantly hearing about the sweetness of their love.

 

In sanskrit anuga means to follow, and that bhakti which is practiced by souls like us, who try to follow the loving sentiments of the eternal residents of Vrindavana, is called raga-anuga bhakti.

 

The activities of the eternal residents of Vrindavan which are determined by love dominated by the sentiment of

- servitude – dasya rasa

- friendship – sakya rasa

- parenthood and guardianship – vatsalya rasa are called sambandha-atmika bhakti, grounding in a love which resembles that of a social relation (sambandha),

and the souls, that want to follow such loving sentiments, perform sambandha-anuga bhakti.

 

The activities of the eternal residents of Vrindavan which are determined by love dominated by the erotic sentiments of lovers– madhurya rasa, are called kama-atmika bhakti,

grounding on eroticism (kama) and the souls, that want to follow such loving sentiments, perform kama-anuga bhakti, where the object of love is The All Attractive.

The eternal residents of Vrindavan, which are drawned in kama-atmika bhakti are called gopis – girls that take care of the divine cows, kama-dhenu.

 

The erotic love for The All Attractive is called sweet love (madhura rati) because it is the most relishable of the devotional emotions. It is of three types:

- common (sadhanrani rati)

- compromising (samanjasa rati)

- competent (samartha rati)

the last one is the most … perfect (all types of love are stages of perfection) being the source of the most perfect type of divine devotional activity:

kama-rupa bhakti

[brajeshwara das]

I personally think it unwise to post about madhurya rasa on the internet among neophytes. I can only assume you are also a neophyte too since you are even posting this, so please stop and be careful going forward. Most of our understandings of erotic sentiments are purely mundane and offensive to try and discuss or think about in regards to the Lord. I would dig up the appropriate shastric reference but I don't believe there is a need. It should be common sense.

 

No offense intended anadi, I'm not against you and it is said in a sincere attempt to be helpful.

[anadi]

 

I personally think it unwise to post about madhurya rasa on the internet among neophytes. I can only assume you are also a neophyte too since you are even posting this, so please stop and be careful going forward. Most of our understandings of erotic sentiments are purely mundane and offensive to try and discuss or think about in regards to the Lord. I would dig up the appropriate shastric reference but I don't believe there is a need. It should be common sense.

 

No offense intended anadi, I'm not against you and it is said in a sincere attempt to be helpful.

Dear brajeshwara, dandavat pranam,

 

The Absolut Truth is love, and if one wants to attain the Absolut Truth as presented by Mahaprabhu, one needs to understand what is this love

 

One should learn by heart this siddhanta of the spiritual love, so that one may understand the love dealings in the spiritual world.

 

Only the lowest of mankind, the unfaithful is against knowledge of love.

 

As long as you have faith in the message of Mahaprabhu, you can learn, ... you must learn this knowledge.

Love is everything.

One should not ignore at any time love...

and in this world we live in ... there is no love.

So learn about love and understand that here there is no love, because the people of this world put their affection in something else than the real Object of Love - the sweet Lord of Sweetness, and the Embodiment of All Love - Sweet Radha.

[brajeshwara das]

Again, you selectively bold eroticism, that's my contention really. Anyhow, do as you wish.