Sri Priti-Sandarbha
BY: SUN STAFF
Srila Jiva Goswami
Aug 28, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Priti-sandarbha
Volume One
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 192
These and other seeming examples of rasabhasa in Srimad-Bhagavatam are thus shown to be free of any true rasabhasa. It is said: "Even if there is some seeming rasabhasa, if the sthayi-bhava is very exalted and powerful, then there is no rasabhasa. Then the rasas are properly manifest. An example of a very exalted and powerful primary rasa negating the possibility of rasabhasa is seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.32):
aho bhagyam aho bhagyam
nanda-gopa-vrajaukasam
yan-mitram paramanandam
purnam brahma sanatanam
"How greatly fortunate are Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd men, and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhumi! There is no limit to their good fortune because the Absolute Truth (Brahman), the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend."*
In this verse spoken by the demigod Brahma to describe the people of Vraja there is a misture of jnana-bhakti (the santa-rasa mixture of devotion and philosophical speculation present here by the description of the Brahman feature of the Lord) and bandhu-bhava (love for Lord Krishna as one's friend or kinsman). This mixture is not rasabhasa because the taste of the sentiment of thinking of the Lord is one's friend is so sweet and exalted that its glory eclipses the dry mellow of santa-rasa here. The description here of jnana-bhakti is done in the mood of wonder felt within the heart, in the mood of praising the glorious good fortune of Vraja's people. Therefore there is no rasabhasa and the rasas are properly manifest (rasollasa) in this description. A similar situation is seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.21.11
ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
"All the cowherd boys used to play with Krishna, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence "*
A similar situation is also seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.49.9):
bhratreyo bhagavan krishnah
sharanyo bhakta-vatsalah
paitri-shvasreyan smareati
ramash camburuhekshanah
"Does my nephew Krishna, the Supreme Personality and the compassionate shelter of His devotees, still remember His aunt's sons? And does lotus-eyed Rama remember them also?"***
For Lord Krishna's paternal aunt devotion mixed with knowledge of Lord Krishna's supreme power and opulence (aishvarya-jnana-mayi bhakti) is not appropriate. For her vatsalya-rasa is proper and appropriate. Here the knowledge that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead is eclipsed by overwhelming feelings of vatsalya-rasa, feelings seen here in the words “bhratreyo", "paitri-shvasreyan", and “amburuhekshanah" Because vatsalya-rasa is so glorious and prominent in this verse there is no rasabhasa. All is proper with the rasas (rasollasa). This verse was spoken by Queen Kunti.
Anuccheda 193-194
In Lord Ramacandra's sweet pastimes Hanuman has pure dasya-rasa, a rasa still mixed with the knowledge that his master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although initially it may seem that this is not an appropriate mixture, the sweetness of Hanuman's dasya-rasa eclipses his knowledge that his master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus there is not rasabhasa and everything in these rasas is proper (rasollasa). The glory of this kind of mixture of madhurya (perception of the Lord's sweetness) and aishvarya (knowledge of the Lord's power and opulence) is seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.19.3):
om namo bhagavate uttamashlokaya. . .
"Let me please Your Lordship by chanting the bija-mantra omkara. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the best among the most highly elevated personalities. Your Lordship is the reservoir of all the good qualities of Aryans, people who are advanced. Your character and behavior are always consistent, and You always control Your senses and mind. Acting just like an ordinary human being, You exhibit exemplary character to teach others how to behave. There is a touchstone that can be used to examine the quality of gold, but You are like a touchstone that can verify all good qualities. You are worshiped by brahmanas who are the foremost of all devotees. You, the Supreme Person, are the King of kings, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."*
In this verse the word "bhagavatah" shows the Lord's feature of aishvarya and the word "uttama-shlokaya" shows the Lord's feature of madhurya. The Lord's true nature is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.19.4):
yat tad vishuddhanubhava-matram ekam. . .
"The Lord, whose pure form [sac-cid-ananda-vigraha] is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, can be perceived by pure consciousness. In the Vedanta He is described as being one without a second. Because of His spiritual potency, He is un- touched by the contamination of material nature, and because He is not subjected to material vision, He is known as transcendental. He has no material activities, nor has He a material form or name. Only in pure consciousness, Krishna consciousness, can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord. Let us be firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Lord Ramacandra, and let us offer our respectful obeisances unto those transcendental lotus feet."*
In this verse the words "yat-tat" refer to Lord Ramacandra's celebrated form dark like durva grass. The word "matram" describes the Lord's qualities and form, a form manifest sometimes in a white color and sometimes in other colors, a form more effulgent and glorious than the sun and other luminaries. The Lord's nature and His internal potency have already been described in the Bhagavat-sandarbha and other books. Here the Lord's nature is described by the word "ekam". Here the words "sva-tejasa dhvasta-guna-vyavastham" mean "His internal potency throws far away the external potency consisting of three modes". Here the word “prasantam" means "he is never stopped by any obstacle", and "pratyak" means "He is seen only by spiritual eyes". This is described in the following words of Katha Upanishad (2.3.9 and 1.2.23):
na cakshusha pashyati rupam asya
"With material eyes no one can see the Supreme Lord's form."
yam evaisha vrinute tena labhyas
tasyaisha atma vivrinute tanum svam
"The Lord is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form."*
What is the nature of the Supreme Lord's form? Srimad-Bhagavatam declares: "anama-rupam" (His name and form are not material). Material names and forms are described in these words of Chandogya Upanishad 6.3.2):
etas tisro devata anena jivenatmananupravishya nama-rupe vyakaravani
"In this way the individual spirit souls entered three kinds of material bodies and obtained various material names."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not have material names and forms like those of the conditioned spirit souls. The reason the Lord has no material names or forms is given here in the word "niraham" (He is free of material false-ego). In the passage from Chandogya Upanisad the word "atma" refers to the individual spirit soul, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (paramatma). The word “anena" (by him) here indicates that the individual soul is different from the Supreme Lord. That individual spirit soul then enters a material body. The word "devata" here refers to the various kinds of material bodies made of the elements fire, water, and earth. Because of material false-ego the individual soul enters a material body. Although He is present within thr material body as the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not affected by material false ego and thus remains always free from possessing a material name or material body. Free from material false ego, He does not accept a material name or material body. Here someone may ask: "Why does not everyone accept this idea that Lord Ramacandra's form is spiritual in nature?" To this Shrimad-Bhagavatam gives the answer:
"sudhiyopalambhanam" (Only in pure consciousness, Krishna consciousness can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord). The spiritual nature of the Supreme Lortd's form is also described by Lord Brahma in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.3):
natah param parama yad bhavatah svarupam. . .
"O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge."*
Return to Anuccheda 189-191
