Topic: Madhurya Kadambini
Yesterday we dealt till ashathi. Ashathi is the attraction for Krsna. When the taste for Bhajan reaches an extreme death and Krsna becomes the very object of the devotional activities, ashathi develops. Prabhupada often pointed out that the attraction between a young boy and girl is intense. In the course of rendering devotional service, one becomes intensely attached to Krsna and He alone becomes the object of love. Thus, the devotee doesn’t care for anything else but Krsna. At the stage of ashathi, the creeper of bhakti bears the clusters of buds which within no time become flowers at the stage of bhava and fruits at the stage of prema. Ashathi polishes the mirror of the heart to such a condition that the Lord becomes suddenly visible in one’s heart. One can become effortlessly fixed up on the Lord in this stage. The acquaintances of the devotee will apologize for him seeing his condition – “He was all right before. But now his intelligence has become marred”. His unacquainted neighbor will conclude that he was an idiot by birth. The followers of Vedic rituals will consider him to be stupid. The admirers of impersonal Brahman will consider him to be under the spell of illusion. The followers of pious activities will say that he is fallen. The devotees will say that he has acquired a great fortune. The offenders will consider him to be pretending. The devotees far from these dualities having fallen into the celestial river of attachment to the Lord will continue in the same manner.
The bhava is also known as rathi. Bhava is the manifestation of spiritual emotions. When ashathi achieves full maturity, inception of bhava begins. It is the immature stage of spiritual perfection. A flower is an immature fruit. Similarly, the bhava is the immature stage of prema. It is also the blossoming flower of the creeper of bhakti. Its outer luster is the quality of rarity and inner luster being the quality of considering liberation as insignificant. Rupa Goswami categorizes that there are six results of devotional service - termination of all sufferings, all auspiciousness, realizing the rarity of devotional service, to perceive liberation to be insignificant, experiencing transcendental bliss, it attracts even Krsna. So here we can see that in this stage, the flower of bhava is so beautiful and fragrant that it attracts even Madhusudana. In this state of bhava, all the emotions of heart like clusters of sesame seeds liquefy into perfumed oil readily fit to smear all over the transcendental body of the Lord. The appearance of bhava makes even a candala as respected as Brahma. This is the glory of the devotional service. A devotee becomes indulged in the lotus feet of Krsna. A bumble bee is completely attracted by the lotus flower. At the time of obtaining a spiritual body suitable for eternal service, the indestructible soul enters that body and material body almost becomes lifeless. At this stage one begins to experience extreme possessiveness for Krsna. A devotee having obtained the precious jewel of bhava, hides these emotions from common public just as a miser hides his possessions. But others who see with distracted mind will see him as lunatic person. Bhava is of two types - one arising raaga bhakti and other arising from vaidhi bhakti. The first type of bhava arising from raaganuga bhakti, is greater in strength and natural feeling with the predominance of the feeling that the Lord is on an equal level. The distaste for seeing Lord as the almighty Lord in the mood of awe and reverence is very thick. The second type arising from vaidhi bhakti is lesser in strength and natural feeling, with the type of possessiveness mixed with the love as the almighty Lord. There are five types of devotees-santha, dasya, sakya, vatsalya and madurya. Bhava by its own energy causes the appearance of vibhava, anubhava and datichari. The dominating mood from these elements is called “saibhava” which by mixing with these elements produces santha, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and ujjala rasas.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.