Jaiva-dharma
BY: SUN STAFF
Feb 18, 2013 — CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)
by HDG Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur
Volume Five
Chapter Twenty-eight
Rasa-vicara (The Rasas) - Part Two
Vrajanatha: What is the rasa of astonishment (vismaya-rati)?
Gosvami: When one sees something extraordinary, astonishment is manifested in his heart. Some of the symptoms of astonishment are: opening the eyes wide, speaking words of praise, and standing of the body's hairs.
Vrajanatha: What is the rasa of chivalry (utsaha-rati)?
Gosvami: When the heart is determined to perform the noble deeds that are glorified by great saints, that is called chivalry. Promptness, impatience, and enthusiasm are among the symptoms of chivalry.
Vrajanatha: What is the rasa of anger (krodha-rati)?
Gosvami: When actions of an enemy make the heart burst into flames, that is called anger. Harshness, knitting the eyebrows, and redness in the eyes are among the symptoms of anger.
Vrajanatha: What is the rasa of dread?
Gosvami: When the sight of horrible things makes the heart wish to flee, that is called dread. Hiding oneself, dryness of the heart, and fleeing away are among the symptoms of dread.
Vrajanatha: What is the rasa of ghastliness?
Gosvami: When one is averse to abominable things, that is called ghastliness. Spitting, curling the lips and speaking harsh criticisms are among the symptoms of ghastliness. When this emotion is in relation to Lord Krsna, then it is considered on the spiritual rasas. Otherwise it is merely another material emotion.
Vrajanatha: How many bhavas (emotions) are present in bhakti-rasa (the mellows of devotional service)?
Gosvami: Sthayi-bhava has eight bhavas, sancari bhava has 33 bhavas, and sattvika bhava has eight bhavas. Combined together there are 49 bhavas. When these bhavas are manifested from the three modes of nature and are thus material, they are causes of material happiness and material suffering. When these bhavas help one attain Krsna, they are spiritual, beyond the material modes, and filled with bliss, and what seems to be sorrow in them is actually spiritual happiness. Srila Rupa Gosvami explain that Lord Krsna and Krsna's dear devotees are the two alambanas, or resting places, and therefore the causes of the rasas of spiritual love (rati). The ecstatic symptoms that begin with being stunned are counted among the effects of rati and the ecstatic symptoms that begin with lamentation help the progress of rati. When the rasas are awakened, these ecstatic symptoms are no longer called cause, effect, and helper. Then they are called vibhava. Because these activities then have an especially sweet taste, the panditas call them 'vibhava'.
When dancing and other activities increase the sweetness of vibhava, the vibhava is called 'anubhava'. Spiritual (sattvika) activities bring spiritual results. Thus these actions are called 'sattvika-bhava'. When these vibhavas bring renunciation and other like emotions, the bhava is called 'sancari-bhava'. Readers attracted to poems, plays, and other books describing Lord Krsna know that the vibhavas are causes of devotional service. In truth these activities of rati (pure love) are inconceivable. They are very great pastimes of devotional service. In Mahabharata and other scriptures it is said that these activities of devotional service are very exalted. They are beyond the touch of ordinary, material logic.
In the Mahabharata it is written that these bhavas are beyond the understanding of the material mind, and therefore material logic cannot be employed to understand them. Whatever is beyond the world of matter cannot be understood by the material mind. One who attains sweet love for Lord Krsna's form and other features attains vibhava. This vibhava does not remain static. It spontaneously increases, growing greater and greater. Rati (love for Krsna) enables one to directly perceive Lord Krsna, who is the resting place of transcendental sweetness and other virtues. On the other hand, when he directly sees Lord Krsna's form and other features, the devotees love Lord Krsna more and more. In this way vibhava, anubhava, sattvika-bhava and vyabhicari-bhava all increase rati, and rati increases them.
Vrajanatha: What is the difference between love for Krsna (krsna-rati) and material love (visaya-rati). Please kindly explain.
Gosvami: Material love is part of the material world. Lord for Krsna is beyond the material world, and it is also the origin of many wonderful things. Material love is pleasant when the beloved and present and unpleasant when the beloved is absent. When a person loves Krsna and Krsna is present, then the lover experiences the taste of a certain kind of rasa, the rasa of sambhoga-sukha (the happiness of enjoying with Krsna). However, when Krsna is absent, the lover experiences the rasa of vipralambha (separation), which itself produces a specific kind of wonderful transcendental bliss. In answer to one of Lord Mahaprabhu's questions, Ramananda Raya described (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 8.194) the wonderful bliss the devotee feel in separation from Krsna, a bliss he called 'vivarta'. Therefore what seems here to be suffering is in truth the highest spiritual bliss.
Vrajanatha: Material logician says that the rasas are unimportant. They are only a small portion of what exists. What is the answer to that claim?
Gosvami: It is true that the material rasas are unimportant. And why not? In the material rasas material ingredients (samagri) may nourish the material sthayi bhava (permanent emotions). However, these are only material rasas. They are not spiritual. In the state of spiritual perfection, the spiritual rasas are eternal, complete and self-manifest. However, to an inexperienced devotee the spiritual rasas may seem to be material. When the lover is separated from the beloved, the material rasas o love do not remain indefinitely. The spiritual rasa of love in separation is much more beautiful and glorious than its material counterpart. The great potency hladini-sakti brings transcendental bliss to the rasa of spiritual love in separation. That is why the rasa of spiritual love in separation is blissful and why it is beyond the power of material logic to understand. Therefore it is said to be inconceivable.
Vrajanatha: How many kinds of spiritual rasas are there?
Gosvami: Even though the primary rasas are five, they are still considered as one. Therefore, adding the seven secondary rasas, there are eight rasas all together.
Vrajanatha: Please recite the names of these eight rasas. The result of my hearing your words is that my desire to hear grows stronger and stronger.
Gosvami: Srila Rupa Gosvami explains (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 2.5.115-116):
"The five primary rasas each more exalted than the preceding one, are: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood, and conjugal love.
"The seven secondary rasas are: laughter, astonishment, chivalry, lamentation, anger, dread, and ghastliness."*
Vrajanatha: In the context of the spiritual rasas, what is the proper definition of the word 'bhava'?
Gosvami: Considering the truth in their spiritually purified hearts, great panditas have written many books about rasa (rasa-sastras), and in these books they have defined the word 'bhava'. I have already explained that rasa is of two kinds: 1. cintya-bhava (bhava that can be understood by the material mind), and 2. acintya-bhava (bhava that is inconceivable, beyond the understanding of the material mind). Material logic can be used to understand cintya-bhava. And why not? The emotions that arise in the heart of a conditioned soul imprisoned in the material world are all material in nature. The conditioned souls material ideas and emotions about the Supreme Lord are also understandable by the material mind. However, true ideas and emotions directed to the Supreme Lord are inconceivable, beyond the power of the material mind to understand. And why not? The Supreme Lord is far beyond the touch of matter.
Because the Supreme Lord is inconceivable, it is not good to think there can be no bhavas (emotions) in relation to Him. All emotions are possible in relation to the Supreme Lord. But they are inconceivable, beyond the material mind's understanding. In your heart remain rapt in meditation on one of the inconceivable rasas in relation to the Lord. Meditate on the appropriate sthayi-bhava and samagris. Then the eternal and perfect spiritual rasa will be manifest to you.
Vrajanatha: O master, what does 'being rapt in meditation' mean?
Gosvami: Baba, contaminated by matter, you have wandered in the circle of karma for many births. Meditation is of two kinds: previous meditation (praktani) and present meditation (adhunika). By staying in the material world your originally pure heart and pure thoughts have both become contaminated. However, by associating with saintly devotees and by performing spiritual pious activities, one can throw far away the contaminated material thoughts and regain his original, natural, spiritual meditation. When this spiritual meditation becomes strong, the inconceivable truth appears in his heart. That is the meaning of 'being rapt in meditation'.
