Chapter 9 - Bhagavad-rasa-tattva
The Principle of the Mellows of Divine Rasa in relation to Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, the Ocean of Transcendental Mellows, Appears Differently to Devotees
9.1
"O king, the reservoir of all rasas, the fountainhead of all divine mellows, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was seen in different ways by those who are acquainted with Him in different relationships. When Kṛṣṇa entered the arena of Kaṁsa, accompanied by His elder brother, Balarāma, He was seen according to the respective mentality of every spectator; He appeared like a thunderbolt to the heroic athletes; the people in general saw him as a superhuman being; the ladies saw Him as the god of Love; the cowherdess, with a mood of friendship, saw Him as their own kinsman. Wicked monarchs saw Him as a strict ruler and dispenser of justice. His parents saw Him as a child. Kaṁsa saw Him as death personified. The worldly minded saw Him as the universal form; the śānta-rasa yogīs saw Him the indwelling Super-soul, the Supreme Principle; and the Vṛṣṇis saw Him as the Supreme Deity.
(Bhāg. 10.43.17)
Note: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura remarks that this verse gives a clue as to the different rasas in which devotees of different points of view relate to the Lord. Bhaktivinoda says that in this verse, the yogīs are seen to be representative of śānta-rāsa, the Vṛṣṇis of dāsya-rasa, while the cowherd boys represent sakhya-rasa mixed with hāsya-rāsa (the sub-mellow of comedy). The cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, exemplify vātsalya-rāsa and karuṇā-rasa (the sub-mellow of compassion). The ladies exhibit mādhurya-rasa. The wrestlers exhibit vīrya-rasa, while the people in general are examples of adbhuta-rāsa (the sub-mellow of wonder.) The kings exhibit raudra-rasa (the sub-mellow of anger) and the Bhojas, headed by Kaṁsa exemplify bhayanaka-rasa (the sub-mellow of fear). The worldly-minded, who view the Lord as the Universal Form relate to Him in vībhatsa-rasa (the sub-mellow of ghastliness). In this way, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme object of the five principle and seven secondary rasas. For this reason He is known as akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti, or the embodiment of all transcendental mellows.
The Absolute Truth is the Personification of Divine Mellows
9.2
Lord Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of all-ecstatic bliss; He is the reservoir of all pleasure. Having derived ecstasy from Him, the individual souls become blissful. For, who indeed, could breathe, who could be alive if this blissful Lord were not present within the hearts of all souls. He alone bestows ecstasy.
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7)
The Five Principle Rasas
9.3
The chief transcendental mellows experienced with the Supreme Personality of Godhead are five śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya-rāsa.
(Cc. Madhya 19.185)
The Seven Secondary Rasas
9.4
In addition to the five direct mellows, there are seven indirect mellows known as laughter, wonder, chivalry, compassion, anger, disgust, and fear.
(Cc. Madhya 19.187)
9.5
Everything is Brahman. That is everything that exists has emanated from Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. Nothing can exist that is unrelated to Him. From Him everything emanates, by Him everything is maintained, into Him everything is dissolved. Therefore, one who is śānta, or peaceful, who has intuitive wisdom, should worship Him through devotional service. [One who worships the Lord in this way, free from any trace of material hankering, is said to be a devotee in śānta-rasa.]
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad. 3.14.1)
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam on Śānta-rasa
9.6
Sages who subsist on air, those who exert themselves in penance, those who observe strict celibacy for life, those who are peaceful, and those who are sannyāsīs, attain to the spiritual abode known as Brahman.
(Bhāg. 11.6.47)
Being Fixed in Kṛṣṇa is a Quality of Śānta-rasa
9.7
The word śama, or śānta-rasa, indicates that one is attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. His mind is fixed in constantly meditating on the Lord. Dama means controlling the senses and not being deviated from the Lord's service; titikṣā means to tolerate unhappiness; dhṛti means complete control of the tongue and the genitals.
(Bhāg. 11.19.36)
The Essential Feature of Śānta-rasa
9.8
When a devotee is on the platform of śānta-rasa, he desires neither elevation to the heavenly planets nor liberation. These are the results of karma and jñāna, and the devotee considers them no better than hell. A person on the śānta platform manifests the two transcendental qualities of detachment from all material desire and full attachment to Kṛṣṇa. It is the nature of śānta-rāsa that not even the smallest intimacy exists. Rather, knowledge of impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā is prominent.
(Cc. Madhya 19.215,218)
Dāsya-rasa = Śānta-rasa + Service
9.9
In śānta-rasa one only realizes his constitutional position, but when one is raised to dāsya-rasa, he better understands the full opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In dāsya-rasa, knowledge of the Supreme Person is revealed with awe and veneration. By rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, the devotee in dāsya-rasa gives constant happiness to the Lord. The qualities of śānta-rasa are also present in dāsya-rasa, but in dāsya-rasa service is added. Thus dāsya-rasa has the qualities of śānta-rasa and dāsya-rasa.
(Cc. Madhya 19.219-221)
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam on Dāsya-rasa
9.10
Those engaged in self-realization, appreciating the Brahman effulgence of the Lord, and those engaged as servants of the Supreme Lord, accepting Him as master, as well as those who are under the clutches of māyā, thinking the Lord an ordinary person, cannot understand that certain exalted persons after accumulating heaps of pious activities are now playing with the Lord in friendship as cowherd boys.
(Bhāg. 10.12.11)
Note: Rāmānanda Rāya cited this verse to Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an example of the superiority of sakhya-rasa over dāsya-rasa.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam on the Glories of Dāsya-rasa
9.11
Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils, clothes, and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants will indeed conquer Your illusory energy.
(Bhāg. 11.6.46)
The Glories of Being a Servant of Kṛṣṇa
9.12
[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said] Those who are devoid of a service attitude and don't wish to call themselves "Kṛṣṇa-dāsa," have little good fortune. The Lord will never accept them as His servants. Let those who would be liberated from material bondage accept the service of Kṛṣṇa.
(Cb. Madhya 17.103-104)
The Śrutis on Sakhya-rasa
9.13
The Supreme Lord is the friend of the living being. He is so kind to him that He always accompanies the living being. In the same way that two birds occupy the same branch of a tree, the Lord sits in the heart of every living being ready to bestow auspiciousness upon the soul. In this way the Lord acts as the indwelling witness, even while the soul pursues the fruits of karma happiness and distress
(Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.6)
In Sakhya-rasa There may be Quarrels in Which the Lord is Defeated by the Jīva
9.14
Being defeated, Kṛṣṇa bore His friend Śrīdāma upon His back; and Vrṣabha and Pralambha took Balarāma; the powerful son of Rohinī, upon their back.
(Bhāg. 10.18.24)
Sakhya-rasa = Śānta-rasa + Dāsya-rasa + Feelings of Kinship,
Friendship, and Intimacy
9.15
The qualities of śānta-rasa and the service attitude of dāysa-rasa are both present in sakhya-rasa. In fraternity, the qualities of dāsya-rasa are mixed with the confidence of fraternity instead of awe and veneration. In sakhya-rasa, the devotee sometimes offers the Lord service and sometimes makes Kṛṣṇa serve him in exchange. In their mock-fighting, the cowherd boys would sometimes climb on Kṛṣṇa's shoulders, and sometimes they would make Kṛṣṇa climb on their shoulders. Since the platform of fraternity is dominated by confidential service, awe and veneration are absent. Therefore, sakhya-rasa is characterized by three qualities. In sakhya-rasa, the Lord is obliged to the devotees who are intimate with Him and think themselves equal to Him.
(Cc. Madhya 19.222-224)
Vātsalya-rasa = Śānta + Dāsya + Sakhya + the Feeling of Nurturing
9.16
In vātsalya-rasa, the qualities of śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, and sakhya-rasa are transformed into a form of service called nurturing. The essence of fraternal love is intimacy devoid of the formality and veneration found in dāsya-rasa. Due to a greater sense of intimacy, the devotee functioning in paternal love chastises and rebukes the Lord in an ordinary way. In paternal love the devotee considers himself the Lord's maintainer and protector. Thus the Lord is the object of protection, like a son, and therefore this mellow has the qualities of śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, and vātsalya-rasa. This is more transcendental nectar.
(Cc. Madhya 19.226-228)
Mādhuyra-rasa = Śānta + Dāsya + Sakhya + Vātsalya + the Desire for Offering one's Body in Service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa
9.17
In conjugal love, attachment for Kṛṣṇa, rendering service to Him, the relaxed feelings of fraternity and the feelings of maintenance all increase in intimacy. In conjugal love, the devotee offers his body in the service of the Lord. Thus on this platform all five transcendental qualities are present. All the material qualities one after another in the material elements, beginning with ether, by gradual evolution, first one quality develops, then two develop, then three and four, until all five qualities are found in earth. Similarly, in conjugal love, all the feelings of the devotees are amalgamated. The intensified taste is certainly wonderful.
(Cc. Madhya 19.231-234)
Sthāyi-bhāva, Together With Different Kinds of Affection are Transformed Into Rasa.
In Other Words, Rati is the Root Cause of Rasa.
9.18
When the permanent ecstasies are mixed with different kinds of rati, devotion in ecstasy is transformed and becomes transcendental mellows. The permanent ecstasy becomes a more and more tasteful rasa through the mixture of special ecstasy, subordinate ecstasy, natural ecstasy, and transitory ecstasy.
(Cc. Madhya 23.47-48)
The Cause of Rasa
9.19
There are two kinds of particular ecstasies (vibhāva). One is called the support (ālambana), and the other is called the awakening (uddīpana). The vibration of Kṛṣṇa's flute is an example of the awakening, and Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself is an example of the support.
(Cc. Madhya 23.50)
Two Kinds of Ālambana
9.20
According to the learned scholars, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His devotees are ālambana-vibhāva. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the object of love and the devotee is the reservoir of the love.
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Dakṣiṇa-vibhāga 1.16.)
Kṛṣṇa is the Best of all Objects of Worship
9.21
Although the Lord of Lakṣmī (Nārāyaṇa) and Kṛṣṇa are essentially one and the same, the super excellence of Kṛṣṇa's position lies in His being the object of the highest prema-rasa, because the very nature of rasa shows the most supreme excellence of the form of Kṛṣṇa in whom alone all twelve rasas find their highest expression.
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Purva-vibhāga 2.59)
Śrīmatī Rādhārāoī is the Best of all Aśrayas
9.22
[The Vraja-gopīs said] O my friend! Leaving us aside Kṛṣṇa has gone off to a secluded place with a particular gopī. She must truly be expert in worshiping (anayārādhito) Him, for He was so pleased with Her service that He has left us all behind.
(Bhāg. 10.30.28)
NOTE: The hidden meaning of this verse is that Śrī Rādhā, who is indicated here by the word "ārādhita" is the topmost maidservant and devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the very crown jewel of devotion.
9.23
Lord Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Kaṁsa, left aside the other gopīs during the rasa dance and took Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to His heart, for She helps the Lord in realizing the essence of His desires.
(Gīta Govinda 3.1)
Subdivisions of Rasa
9.24
The subordinate ecstasies are smiling, dancing, and singing; as well as different manifestations in the body. The natural ecstasies, such as being stunned, are considered among the subordinate ecstasies (anubhāva).
(Cc. Madhya 23.51)
9.25
There are other ingredients, beginning with complete despondency and jubilation. Altogether there are thirty-three varieties and when these combine the mellow becomes very wonderful.
(Cc. Madhya 23.52)
Thus ends the Ninth Jewel of the Gauḍīya Kaṇṭhahāra entitled, Bhagavad-rasa-tattva.