Bhakti Rasa Is a Mellow
"Bhakti means devotional service. Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Everyone of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it" (NOD). "Every living entity, beginning from Brahma, the first living entity within the material world, down to the insignificant ant, desires to relish some taste derived from sense perception. These sensual perceptions are technically called rasa" (SB 1.1). In the BHAGAVAD-GITA, Krishna says, RASO HAM APSU KAUNTEYA: "I am the taste in water." The rasa or the liquid taste of any experience is actually a form of Krishna. During His lectures in New York City in the 1960's, Shrila Prabhupada used to say that for the Bowery bums, Krishna was the taste of the wine they regularly imbibed." Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works day and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow whose taste is very sweet.
"Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification. The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and therefore mundane workers are apt to change their position of enjoyment, and death ultimately finishes all their happiness" (NOD Preface). "In other words, our love and affection are actually meant for Shri Krishna. Unfortunately, out of ignorance we stubbornly try to squeeze happiness and love out of material relationships, which are not directly connected to Krishna, and thus life becomes a constant frustration. The solution is simple: Surrender to Krishna, love Krishna, live with Krishna's devotees and be happy forever" (SB 10.43.17p.) "Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow (sweet loving mood or relationship), relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. By executing devotional service for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, one becomes purified of all material designations. When the purified senses are employed in the service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life; and any action performed for the satisfaction of Krishna in this bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually" (NOD Preface).
"The particular mood or attitude relished in the exchange of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow. The different types of rasa, when combined together, help one to taste the mellow of devotional service in the highest degree of transcendental ecstasy. Without relishing some sort of mellow, or loving mood in one's activities, no one can continue to perform such activities. Similarly, in the transcendental life of Krishna consciousness and devotional service there must be some mellow, or specific taste from the service. We may understand that the various feelings of happiness derived from discharging devotional cervice may be termed the "mellows" of devotional service" (NOD Chap.20).
The Embodiment of Rasa
"Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur quotes the following Vedic sloka, RASO VAISAH RASAM... 'Krishna Himself is rasa, the taste or mellow of a particular relationship. And certainly one who achieves this rasa becomes filled with bliss.' Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quotes a further verse to explain the word rasa: 'That which is beyond imagination, heavy with wonder and relished in the heart shining with goodness—such is known as rasa' " (SB 10.43.17p.).Shri Krishna is not only the embodiment of bliss but of rasa, which means relish. Krishna is both the object that is relished and the person who relishes. Rasa has two distinctive qualities; Absorption and astonishment or wonder. Astonishment is the essence of rasa. Spiritual rasa is characterized by total absorption of the mind and senses. The mind and senses are so much absorbed in the astonishingly delicious experience of rasa that they become completely oblivious to everything else.The material rasa is not rasa in the real sense, because it soon becomes stale; causing neither astonishment nor absorption of the mind and senses. Transcendental rasa, however, remains forever astonishing and ail-attractively absorbing; because Shri Krishna manifests newer and newer transcendental features at every moment. Krishna is full of an infinite variety of rasas and the ability to relish them. Therefore, Krishna is known as AKHILA-RASAMRTA-MURTI, the embodiment of all rasas.
Shri Krishna's Svarupa-Sakti
The Svarupa-sakti is the internal potency of the Lord Himself. The Svarupa-sakti is the very essence of the Hladini (bliss) and samvit (knowledge) potencies and it serves the Lord in many ways. The Svarupa-sakti manifests as Krishna's spiritual abodes, His eternal associates, the love within the hearts of Krishna's pure devotees, and it gives bliss to Krishna and to His eternal associates and devotees. The Svarupa-sakti performs all activities necessary to facilitate Shri Krishna's enjoyment of the various rasas in unlimited pastimes with His eternal associates and devotees.The Hladini-sakti portion of Krishna's Svarupa-sakti provides Him with two types of ananda (bliss) known as: Svarupananda and Svarupa-saktyananda. When the blissful pleasure potency (Hladini-sakti) resides in Krishna, He enjoys the bliss within Himself called Svarupa-ananda. When the Hladini-sakti resides within His pure devotee as priti (love of Krishna), it produces a superior form of bliss called Svarupa-saktyananda, which Krishna enjoys far more than the bliss contained within Himself.Shrila Jiva Gosvami explains how Lord Shri Krishna derives greater happiness from the Hladini-sakti emanating from the heart of His devotee. A flute player can produce a pleasing sound simply by whistling. But when he blows the same air into a flute and directs it through different holes; it produces a melodious sound, far more pleasing than merely whistling without the flute. Similarly, the hladini-sakti within Krishna is sweet and relishable, but its sweetness increases a thousand-fold when it is placed in the heart of the devotee who desires to serve Shri Krishna. [PRC]
The Spilling Over of Perfection
"Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti says that both the Supreme Lord and His devotees are rasa-jna, full of transcendental humor (rasa)" (SB 4.31.22p.). "In Vrindavana, for example, although Lord Krishna is full in Himself, He wants the cooperation of His devotees like the cowherd boys and the gopis to increase His transcendental bliss" (SB 8.4.64). Krishna's desire for relishing new forms of rasa with His devotees does not indicate any imperfection like the faulty conditioned souls who are forever harassed by countless material desires."Krishna's desire for rasa springs from fullness like the spilling over of boiling milk from a pot that is full to the brim. It is the spilling over of perfection. It springs from the very nature of Krishna as rasa. The desire for rasa is a necessary condition for rasa, just as hunger is a prerequisite for relishing food. The greater the desire, the greater the enjoyment.The desire for rasa is as natural to Krishna as the power of burning is natural to fire. Otherwise how could Krishna be the supreme enjoyer of rasa (rasika-sekhara) or the embodiment of all rasas (AKHILA-RASAMRTA-MURTI)" (PRC).
Majesty and Sweetness
Devotees realize the Supreme Lord either in His aisvarya feature of majesty and reverence, or His madhurya aspect of sweetness and intimacy. When a devotee's love is predominated by knowledge of Shri Krishna's opulences (aisvarya) and restricted by the distance of awe and veneration, he resides in Vaikuntha to serve the all-mighty Supreme Godhead. Other devotees, the residents of Vrindavana, know Krishna only as a sweet loving person possessing human-like desires and frailties. Krishna is their intimate loving friend, son or conjugal lover; but never God—the supreme creator, maintainer and destroyer.The Vaikuntha planets are completely dominated by aisvarya."In Mathura as in the Vaikuntha planets, attachment to Krishna is mixed with awe and veneration and characterized by a certain lack of freedom; wherein the spirit of transcendental loving service is restricted. In Vrindavana, however, awe and veneration evaporate as love is freely exchanged in the great intimacy of the relationships between Shri Krishna and His cowherd boys and girls" (TLC Chap.l). Unlike Vaikuntha, Mathura and Dvaraka are governed more by madhurya than aisvarya, but they can't compare to Shri Vraja-dhama, which displays both aisvarya and madhurya in their most perfect form.
Mathura Madhurya and Aisvarya
"Madhurya and aisvarya are in equal degrees in Mathura. Lord Krishna and Balarama's killing of Kamsa and his associates illustrates this point. After killing these demons in the wrestling arena at Mathura, Krishna approached His parents Devaki and Vasudeva, who just stood looking awestruck in a mood of total reverence. Since Krishna hadn't seen His parents from the day He was born (about eleven years), Krishna was expecting some heartfelt reciprocation of emotions. But Devaki and Vasudeva, seeing Krishna as the Supreme Lord and not as their son, remained firm in their mood of aisvarya. Krishna, who is always hankering for his devotees' love, began to cry upon seeing his parents relating to Him in awe and reverence.''This immediately opened Mother Devaki's heart, which flooded with vatsalya rasa. She took Krishna on her lap, covered His head with her sari and tried to breast-feed Him. Meanwhile, Lord Balarama threw Himself at die feet of His father. And Vasudeva, overcome with vatsalya rasa, picked up Balarama, sat Him on his lap, smelled His head and treated Him in a very loving fatherly way. From this example we see how both madhurya and aisvarya manifest diemselves equally in Mathura" (SVMP).
Dvaraka Madhurya
"In Dvaraka the predominating mood is aisvarya or awe and reverence. There is very little madhurya. The madhurya exhibited by Krishna's queens like Rukmini, Satyabhama and others is not the same quality as the madhurya in Vrindavana. The love of the Dvaraka queens in the mood of madhurya cannot captivate and control Krishna like the love of Shrimati Radharani and the gopis in Vrindavana."The Gosvamis explain that the madhurya of the Dvaraka queen's was sakhya, or friendship in the mood of husband and wife. Also, here in Dvaraka the queens mood is more of dasya or servitorship, a symptom of aisvarya. Just like Sita-devi's relationship with Lord Rama is in the mood of servitorship, so the same is true in Dvaraka" (SVMP).
The Infinite Deliciousness of Vrindavana
Madhura means sweetness. The principal quality of Vrindavana is the sweetness of Krishna's pastimes. Vrajavasis are Krishna's most intimate devotees relishing the most nectarean sweetness in their relationships with Krishna, whom they consider their dependent, subordinate or equal at best. Gone is the greatness of God, the awe inspiring fear of His omnipotence and the distance created by passive adoration. The greatness and opulence of the Lord can't exist there, for the Vrajavasis are only absorbed in appreciating the playful activities of their beloved Krishna. The mood of intimacy is prominent in Vrindavana and governs all activities of Krishna's associates, who relish sweet satisfaction from His charming human-like pastimes. All relationships in Vrindavana carry a distinctly sweet taste.Vrindavana surpasses all other dhamas in its majesty (aisvarya) and sweetness (madhurya). In Vrindavana, however, madhurya reigns supreme for everything there assumes a form of infinite deliciousness. In Vrindavana Krishna lays down his Godhead and kingly crown to sport a peacock feather in His topknot, and walk barefoot along the Yamuna river; while charming His gopi consorts with His mellifluous flute playing and amorous sports.
The acaryas explain that Vrindavana actually displays more opulence than any other spiritual realm, but madhurya covers that His aisvarya. When Brahma stole the calves Shri Krishna displayed His opulence by expanding Himself to become each and every calf and cowherd boy; adopting their identical and individual features. The mothers of the calves and the boy's fathers felt increased loving attraction for the "Krishna copies" of their progeny. Due to madhurya's sweet covering over this extraordinary display of mystic opulence (aisvarya), the Vrajavasis were completely unaware that this was an exhibition of God's power.The love of the gopis is so deep that when Krishna once showed them His form as the all-powerful Supreme Godhead, Lord Narayana,He could not maintain this majestic form. The sight of Shrimati Radharani defeated all the majestic power and opulence of Lord Narayana, and forced Krishna to give up this four-armed form. The unlimited power of the sweetness of Radha's love caused Krishna to abandon the opulent, majestic form of Lord Narayana, and reappear in His original sweet and intimate two-armed form as Shymasundara.
The Supreme Opulence of Vraja-Dhaam
"Shri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead full of all opulences, and His complete opulences are exhibited only in Vraja'dhama. Vraja-dhama is made of transcendental touchstone. Its entire surface is the source of all valuable jewels, and the cintamani stone is used to decorate the lotus feet of the maids of Vrindavana. Vrindavana is a natural forest of desire trees and creepers, and the inhabitants do not want anything but the fruits and flowers of those desire trees."In Vrindavana there are cows that fulfill all desires (Kama-dhenus), and their number is unlimited. They graze from forest to forest delivering only milk. The people want nothing else. In Vrindavana, the natural speech of the people sounds like music and their natural motion resembles a dance. The water in Vrindavana is nectar, and the brahmajyoti effulgence, which is full of transcendental bliss, is directly perceived there in its form" (CC Madhya 14.220-27v.).
"Krishna's opulence was verified by Bilvamangala Thakur when in KRSNA-KARNAMRTA he addressed Krishna thus: 'My dear Lord, what can I say about the opulence of Your Vrindavana? Simply the ornaments on the legs of the damsels of Vrindavana are more than cintamani, and their dresses arc as good as the heavenly parijata flowers. And the cows exactly resemble the surabhi cows in the transcendental abode. Therefore, Your opulence is just like an ocean that no one can measure' " (NOD Chap.22).
"On the summit of Nandisvara Hill is Nanda Maharaja's palace, which the PURANAS describe as existing since ancient times. Nanda Maharaja's capitol is enclosed by a great wall built of sapphires. The homes within the capitol are made of emeralds, with coral pillars, golden roofs and crystal windows. Nanda Maharaja's palace is made of glistening sapphires, with lapiz lazuli roofs and large gates made of rubies" (VRC).
A Darling Little Boy
"In Vraja the Lord is just a small boy playing around with His friends, causing mischief like an ordinary child. In Vraja there is no feeling of awe and reverence, and worship there with prayers, mantras and Vedic hymns. Here, the Supreme Lord is simply one's son, one's friend or one's lover, and this wonderful and most ecstatic relationship is only to be had in Vraja."Whether Krishna shows His universal form lifting Giriraja, swallows a forest fire, subdues Kaliya or kills many demons like Putana and Bakasura, Krishna makes the Vrajavasis think He's doing all these wonderful pastimes by the mercy of the Lord. Because Krishna doesn't want to be worshiped in Vraja with pompous adoration or feelings of awe and reverence—-the mood of aisvarya. Here in Vraj a, Krishna wants to be loved only as the darling little boy of Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja; just like any other darling little boy" (SVMP).
Laksmi Can't Enter Vrindavana
"Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, has complete knowledge of Krishna's opulence, but she could not achieve the association of Krishna by dint of such knowledge" (CC Antya 7.28p.). Laksmi-devi is a subordinate expansion of Shrimati Radharani. She is always performing austerities to attain the position of a gopi in Vrindavana, in order to enjoy with the superexcellently beautiful Shri Krishna. Because of maintaining attachment to Her spiritual body in the form of Laksmi, and not following in the footsteps of the Vraja gopi's mood of worship of Shri Krishna; Laksmi "tried to be on an equal level with the gopis, but was unsuccessful.""Laksmi-devi is the goddess of fortune Herself. And She performed tapasya for many, many years to enter the rasa-dance; but still Krishna said that Laksmi couldn' t enter rasa-lila without the supreme good fortune of being born as a gopi in Vraja" (SVMP).
A Golden Line... But Not a Gopi
"Shrila Rupa Gosvami, in his LAGHU-BHAGAVATAMRTA, has quoted from the PADM A PURAN A, where it is stated that Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, after seeing the attractive features of Lord Krishna was attracted to Him, and to get the favor of Lord Krishna, She engaged herself in meditation. When asked by Krishna why she engaged in meditation with austerities, Laksmi answered, 'I want to be one of Your associates like the gopis in Vrindavana.' Hearing this, Lord Shri Krishna replied that it was quite impossible. Laksmi then said that she wanted to remain just like a golden line on the chest of the Lord. The Lord granted the request, and since then Laksmi has always been situated on the chest of Lord Krishna as a golden line" (CC Adi 5.223p.).
Love Conquers Krishna
Lord Shri Krishna explains the type of love that pleases Him the most." Prahlada, because you think of Me as the Supreme Lord, you show fear and respect toward Me. Give up all fear and veneration; for I don't like this kind of attitude. Although I am free from all desires, I hanker for the love of My devotees who talk and behave freely with Me. Their love attracts Me and gives Me ever new relish" (HBS 14.27-30). Shri Krishna makes the same point to Durvasa Muni: "The pure devotees are always in My heart, and I am always in theirs. They do not know anyone else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them" (SB 9.4.68). Shri Krishna eternally hankers to taste the ecstatic bliss derived from the unalloyed love of His pure devotees. Krishna becomes subservient to the love of such devotees. Although He is the supreme controller of everything and everyone, Krishna is controlled by prema (pure ecstatic love). When Krishna once manifested His colossal universal from within Mother Yasoda's mouth, Her motherly affection remained unaffected. Mother Yasoda continued with Her protective parental feelings; but thought her vision had temporarily failed. The sweet prema of Mother Yasoda's love drove away Krishna's opulent display of power and majesty. Krishna forgot all about His divinity, and again considered Himself a helpless child entirely dependent on Yasoda's tender loving care.To be conquered by the prema-bhakti of His devotee is not a defect in Krishna but an embellishment. Subjugation by bhakti does not imply Krishna's loss of freedom, because bhakti is a function of His own Hladini-sakti which enables Krishna to enjoy the topmost rasa.
Krishna Reciprocates With His Devotees
In the PADMA PURANA Shri Krishna says, "All the different activities I perform are meant to bring happiness to My devotees." Shri Krishna loves His devotees as much as they love Him. Both Krishna and the devotee desire each other's happiness. Krishna manifests different forms to increase the pleasure of His devotees. Experiencing different kinds of relish, each devotee worships Krishna according to His own taste. Therefore, Krishna appears before His devotees in different forms according to their individual relish. YE YATHA MAM PRAPADYANTE: "All who surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly" (BG 4.11). Shri Krishna loves His devotees in the same manner in which they love Him.
Shri Krishna brings happiness to His devotees in two ways. 1) By injecting His hladini-sakti into their hearts, which then overflow with love and the taste of priti-rasa. 2) Krishna Himself (in the particular form meditated upon by the devotee), moves into the heart and allows the devotee to enjoy His svarupananda (Krishna as the personified form of bliss). Krishna Himself experiences the highest bliss in giving happiness to His devotees. Shrila Krishna dais Kaviraja wuswmi explains explains that the happiness Shrimati
Radharani feels when She is enjoying with Krishna is increased millions of times when She sees Her gopi friends enjoying Krishna's association.
"So we have to offer Krishna what He likes, and then we'll take prasadam. Krishna likes Radharani. Therefore, all the gopis are trying to push Radha to Krishna. 'Krishna likes this gopi. All right, push her.' That is Krishna consciousness: To satisfy the senses of Krishna, not to satisfy my senses. That is called prema—love for Krishna. 'Ah, Krishna likes this, then I must give Him this' " (PQ Chap. 6)."Aborigines generally go to the village to sell fruits. Krishna took some grains in His lotus hands and hastily ran to barter with the fruit vendor. With great affection the woman filled Krishna's palms with fruits, and Krishna, in turn, filled her whole basket with jewels and gold. From this incident one should learn that for anything offered to Krishna with love and affection, Krishna can reciprocate many millions of times over, both materially and spiritually. The basic principle involved is an exchange of love" (SB 10.11.lip.).
In Vraja Everyone Loves Krishna
"Love means that one does not think of his own sense gratification, but of the sense gratification of his beloved. That is pure love, and that is not possible in the material world. We see examples of pure love, however in Vrindavana, a village wherein men, animals, fruits, flowers, water and everything else exist only for the sake of loving Krishna. They are not interested in any return from Krishna. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the supreme object of love, and this love can be expressed through adoration, service and friendship. Or we can love Krishna as a child, or as a conjugal lover. There are five basic relationships expressing true love of Godhead" (DS Chap. 11).
"The cowherd boys do not know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that is the nature of Vraja-lila— Krishna's pastimes in the village of Vrindavana. Not knowing Krishna's identity, the cowherd boys simply love Krishna and their love is unending. This is true of everyone in Vrindavana. For example, Yasoda and Nanda love Krishna with parental affection. Similarly, Krishna's friends love Krishna, Krishna's girlfriends love Krishna, the trees love Krishna, the water loves Krishna, the flowers, the cows, the calves—-everyone loves Krishna. That is the nature of Vrindavana. So if we simply learn how to love Krishna, we can immediately transform this world into Vrindavana" (TQK).
Twelve Flavors of Devotional Service
"Transcendental pleasure derived from devotional service can be divided into two groups: direct and indirect devotional service. Direct devotional service is divided into five transcendental humors with flavors or rasas; and indirect devotional service is divided into seven transcendental humors. Direct devotional services are as follows: neutrality (santa rasa), servitude (dasya rasa), fraternity (sakhya rasa), paternal affection (vatsalya rasa), and conjugal love (madhurya rasa). Indirect devotional service is divided into laughter; compassion, anger, chivalry, dread, astonishment and ghastliness. In any of the above mentioned twelve transcendental humors (rasas) of devotional service, everything is transcendentally pleasing. The twelve different kinds of transcendental humors are controlled by different incarnations of God, such as Kapila,Madhava,Upendra,Nrsimha, Nanda-nandana, Balarama, Kurma, Kalki, Raghava, Bhargava, Varaha and Matsya" (NOD Chap.34)."Every living entity has his individual position in one of the five above mentioned different kinds of reciprocating means with the Lord, and in one's pure spiritual form of svarupa, the relationship becomes manifest without mundane affinity" (SB 1.10.28). "The five primary rasas (santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya) constantly remain within the heart of the pure devotee, and the seven secondary rasas sometimes appear and disappear to enrich the flavors and tastes of the primary ones. After enriching the primary rasa, they disappear. The secondary rasas are; laughing, having wonderful visions, entering into a chivalrous relation, experiencing pity, feeling anger and expcri-encing ghastliness and devastation" (TLC Chap.l).
A special characteristic of rasas is that although madhurya is considered the topmost, a devotee in a particular rasa has the feeling that his own rasa is the highest. "Each kind of devotee (santa-bhakta, dasya-bhakta, etc.,), feels that his sentiment is the most excellent, and thus in that mood he tastes great happiness with Lord Krishna" (CC Adi 4-43v.). "The Lord exchanges transcendental relations in five ways; as proprietor, master, friend, son and lover, and in each of these positions He plays fully by His internal potency, Yogamaya" (SB 1.11.39p.)
A Rasa Collection
Shri Krishna displayed practically all the primary and secondary rasas when He entered King Kamsa's wrestling arena in Mathura. "There were ten different moods (rasas) displayed toward Krishna: Fury (perceived by the wrestlers opposing Krishna); Wonder (by the men); Conjugal attraction (the women); Laughter (the cowherds); Chivalry (kings); Mercy (Krishna's parents); Terror (Kamsa); Ghastliness ( the unintelligent); Peaceful neutrality (the yogis); Loving devotion (santa-rasa of the Vrsnis)" (SB10.43.17p.)
Rasa Develops From Adoration to Self-less Love
" There are five kinds of love: Santa, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya. In the beginning there is love in awe and adoration (santa), and one thinks, 'Oh, God is so great. God is everything.' When the soul understands God's unlimited potencies, the soul adores Him, and that adoration is also love. When our love advances, we serve God as a servant serves his master (dasya)" (DSChap.5)."When the relationship with Krishna increases in affection, the mood of fear and the consciousness of the superiority of the Supreme Lord diminish. Here the fraternal relationship (sakhya) manifests in a sense of equality between Krishna and His friends. When the affection of the fraternal relationship increases, it develops into the paternal relationship (vatsalya) that is found between father and son. In other words, intimate relationships with Krishna develop from an ordinary conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (santa rasa); to the conception of master and servant (dasya rasa); and when this becomes confidential, it develops into a friendly relationship (sakhya), and when this relationship further develops, it becomes paternal (vatsalya), and when this develops to the highest point of love and affection, it is known as conjugal love (madhurya) with the Supreme Lord.
"When these transcendental relationships are studied, it can be seen that the neutral stage of realization (brahma-bhutah) is the first. When one accepts the Lord as master and himself as servant, the relationship develops, and it develops further when one becomes a friend of the Supreme Lord, yet still further when one becomes a father. Thus the relationship advances from friendship to paternal love and finally to conjugal love. Just as the various characteristics develop in the progression of ether down to earth, which contains sound, touch, form, taste and smell; similarly, the five characteristics of devotion develop and are all found in the relationship of conjugal love. Thus the relationship with Krishna in conjugal love is accepted as the supreme relationship with the Lord, expressing the highest perfectional stage of love of God" (TLC Chap. 29).
Santa Rasa
"Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur states that in Vrajabhumi; the Yamuna River, the kadamba trees, the cows, Krishna's cowherding stick and flute all belong to the santa- rasa (the mellow of neutrality or passive adoration)" (CC Madhya 8.294p.). "The passive relationship with Krishna that the cows have is called santa. Their perfect happiness is achieved when Krishna comes and simply touches them" (SSR).Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur contends that santa rasa really doesn't exist in Vraja-dhama, therefore, he gives this explanation: "The cows loved Lord Krishna in vatsalya rasa, or the love of parents for a child, because the cows were always supplying milk to the child Krishna. Unmoving objects like Govardhana Hill and other hills and mountains loved Lord Krishna as a friend, and ordinary animals, trees and bushes of Vrindavana loved Lord Krishna in dasya-rasa, or with the love of a servant for his master. Snakes like Kaliya also developed this love in servitude, and after relishing their loving service to Lord Krishna, all of them went back home, back to Godhead" (SB 11.12.8.p.).
Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur's unique view of the rasas in Vrindavana does not contradict the statements of the other acaryas, but it simply reveals another facet of the infinitely beautiful transcendental jewel named Shri Vrindavana-dhama. As their submissive students, our position is to appreciate the realized insights of all the acaryas and to see how they agree about the ultimate conclusion: Surrender to Krishna, serve Krishna, love Krishna and return to Krishna.The following examples illustrate how Lord Shri Krishna personally exchanges love even within santa-rasa. "The Supreme Personality of Godhead called out to the animals in a voice that resounded like the rumbling of a cloud. Hearing the sound of their own names, the cows were overjoyed and called out to the Lord in reply" (SB 10.19.6v.). "The cows had to move slowly because of their weighty milk bags, but they quickly ran to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as soon as He called them, their affection for Him causing their udders to become wet" (SB 10.20.26v.).Shri Krishna's flute is another example of rasa mixing which is so characteristic of Vrindavana. Although usually categorized in santa rasa, Krishna's flute participates in the sweetest, most intimate conjugal pastimes (madhurya rasa) of Radha, Krishna and the gopis. Amazed at the wonderful fortune of Krishna's flute, the gopis exclaimed: "What auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Krishna's lips, independently and leave only a taste for us gopis; for whom that nectar is actually meant! (SB 10.21.9v.).
Dasya Ras?
Beginning with dasya rasa, each rasa includes all the qualities of the preceding one, besides a distinguishing quality of its own. The distinguishing feature of santa rasa is freedom from all material attachments and doubts, and appreciation of the greatness of the Lord. In both the passive, neutral position (santa), and the active service position (dasya), one understands that Krishna is great, but generally in santa rasa there is no inclination for service.Dasya rasa implies a personal relationship as between a master and a servant. "Some devotees are actually inclined to give service. They think, 'Krishna wants to sit down. I will arrange a place for Him. Krishna wants to eat, I will get Him some nice food.' And the - actually make these arrangements" (SSR).The servant, filled with respect, is attached to pleasing Krishna with a variety of services. Transcendental affection in servitude is usually mixed with other rasas. The dasya rasa of the servants living with Krishna in Nandagrama, for example, is combined with vatsalya rasa (protective parental sentiments).Citraka, Patraka and Raktaka are direct servants of Shri Krishna that embody the mellow of dasya rasa. "The causeless mercy of Krishna, the dust of His lotus feet, His prasadam and association with His devotees are some impetuses toward a devotee's engagement in the transcendental loving service to the Lord (dasya rasa)" (NOD Chap.37).
Sakhya Rasa
"Then when one attains friendship with Krishna, another transcendental quality is added. There is the consciousness that God is great and that service must be rendered to Him, but there's an extra feeling: 'Krishna is my friend. Therefore, I must treat Him in such a way that He will be happy.' With a friend we are not simply content with rendering service but in making him actually happy and satisfied. There is also equality in such a relationship, for Krishna and the devotee relate on equal terms. Thus the devotees in this position actually forget Krishna's superiority."Krishna is their lovable friend, and they cannot forget Him for a moment. All day and all night they think of Krishna. At night when they are sleeping they think, 'Oh, in the morning I shall go and play with Krishna.' And in the morning they go to Krishna's house, and stand by while Krishna is decorated by Mother Yasoda before going out with His friends to play in the fields" (SSR).
The cowherd boys lovingly serve Krishna, and He in turn serves them by sometimes carrying them on His shoulders. Shri Krishna's boyhood pastimes perfectly portray the friendly dealings within sakhya rasa. "At this time Krishna and Balarama began to tend the calves and engage in sporting activities. Sometimes Krishna and Balarama would play on Their flutes; sometimes They would throw ropes and stones devised for getting fruits from the trees;; sometimes Krishna and Balarama would only throw stones; and sometimes, Their anklebells tinkling, Krishna and Balarama would play football with fruits like amalaki. Sometimes Krishna and Balarama would cover themselves with blankets and imitate the cows and fight with one another,' roaring loudly, and sometimes Krishna and Balarama would imitate the voices of the animals" (SB10.11.40v.).
Cops and Robbers
"All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some boys imitated the buzzing of bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the bird's shadow on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some boys sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks. Some boys attracted the young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sound of their own echoes. In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Krishna" (SB 10.12.7-lOv.).
"In this way the boys spent their childhood in the land of Vrindavana playing hide-and-go-seek, (or cops and robbers according to Shrila Sanatana Gosvami), building bridges, jumping about like monkeys and engaging in many other such games" (SB 10.14.61v).Shri Damodara Krishna enjoyed stealing the neighboring gopi's butter and yogurt, and happily feeding it to his friends and to the monkeys. Shrila Prabhupada very wonderfully describes the special quality of the "stealing" of Krishna, who is glorified everywhere and for all time as "Makhana-cora" (the butter thief)-
" How is Krishna stealing, and how is Krishna fighting? It is not as a thief or an enemy, but as a friend in a loving condition. Krishna steals as a child, not because He is in want, but as a natural instinct. In this material world also, small children, without enmity or bad will, sometimes go to a neighboring house and steal, and sometimes they fight. Krishna also, like other children, did all these things in His childhood. Without the existence of the stealing propensity and fighting propensity in the spiritual world, they cannot exist here in this material world. The difference between the material and spiritual world is that stealing in the spiritual world is done in friendship and love, whereas fighting and stealing within this material world are executed on the a basis of enmity and envy" (CCAdil4.42p.)."Lord Krishna's transcendental body was decorated with peacock feathers and flowers and painted with forest minerals, and His bamboo flute loudly and festively resounded. As He called out to His calves by name, His cowherd boyfriends purified the whole world by chanting His glories. Thus Lord Krishna entered the cow pasture of His father, Nanda Maharaja, and the sight of His beauty at once produced a great festival for the eyes of alt the cowherd women" (SB 10.14.47v.)-
Sakliya Mixed with Madhurya Rasa
"Another important feature of the friends of Krishna was that they served as messengers to and from the gopis; they introduced the gopis to Krishna and canvassed for Krishna. When the gopis were in disagreement with Krishna, these friends would support Krishna's side in His presence—but when Krishna was not present, they would support the side of the gopis. In this way, some supporting one side, some the other, they would talk very privately, with much whispering in the ears, although none of the business was very serious" (NOD Chap. 42). "Shrimati Radharani said, 'My dear friend, just see how Krishna is resting His hand on the shoulder of Subala who is dressed up just like a young girl! I think he must be sending some message to Me through Subala.' The purport is that the superiors of Radharani do not like Krishna or His cowherd friends to associate with Radha, therefore these friends sometimes clothe themselves in female dress so they can give Radharani a message from Krishna" (NOD Chap.49).
Krishna's Vrindavana friends are classified according to their age and the degree of intimacy they share with Him. Mandalibhadra is older, acts like a well-wisher and always wants to protect Krishna. Balarama's love for Krishna is a mixture of three rasas; Dasya, Sakhya and Vatsalya. Sometimes Balarama plays equally with Krishna; sometimes He serves Krishna humbly; and sometimes Balarama chastises Krishna or protects Him like a concerned father. Shridhama and others are considered confidential friends (Priya-sakha). They are almost Krishna's age and they relate equally on the basis of pure friendship, sometimes cutting jokes for Krishna's pleasure. The most confidential friends, such as Subala, often arrange for Krishna's private meetings with the gopis. "The degree of intimacy shared :>y Krishna and Subala can be understood by the fact that the talks between them were so confidential that no one else could under-stand what they were saying" (NOD Chap. 41).
Krishna Himself is the collective impetus for awakening fraternal love (sakhya rasa) in the devotees. Individually, Krishna's names, forms , paraphernalia and transcendental qualities provoke fraternal love. "Krishna's age, Krishna's beauty, Krishna's bugle, Krishna's flute, Krishna's conchshell, Krishna's pleasing attittude, Krishna's exceptional joking abilities— all give impetus to devotees developing love for Krishna in friendship" (NOD Chap. 42)l.
Vatsalya Rasa
The main qualities of vatsalya rasa are affection and parental love. Devotees with parental love surpass the idea of equality with Krishna and think themselves superior to Krishna. They are convinced that Krishna absolutely depends on their care and Krishna cannot possibly live without them. Nanda Miaharaja and Mother Yasoda exhibit the highest degree of parental affection among Vraja's elderly persons. Nanda and Yasoda are the very "emblem of paternal love." "Specific provocations for parental love of Krsina are listed as Krishna's blackish bodily hue, which is very attractive and pleasing to see, Krishna's all-auspicious bodily featuires, Krishna's mildness, Krishna's sweet words, Krishna's simplicity, Krishna's shyness, Krishna's humility, Krishna's constant readiness to offer respect to the elderly and Krishna's charity" (NOD Chap.43).
Madhurya: The Touchstone Rasa
"The five rasas exist eternally and are also compared to metals like copper, bell metal, silver, gold and touchstone" (CC Madhya 8.294p.). Madhurya rasa, the relationship with Krishna as Jover and beloved, is the highest relationship, most valuable and like touchstone; it transforms iron into gold. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked, "What is the most valuable thing in the world?"(|He who has love for Radha-Krishna," replied Ramanianda Raya, possesses the most valuable jewel and the greatest riches." Krishna maintains His personal abode, Goloka Vrindavana, through "is conjugal love, and Krishna maintains the spiritual world containing the Vaikuntha planets by His opulences" (CC Madhya ^•22v.). "The sixty-four transcendental qualities of Krishna reared to in NECTAR OF DEVOTION are fully noticeable in the madhurya rasa of Vraja" (CS). The word "madhu" means honey sweet, and sweetness is the main quality of madhurya rasa.
The Adi Rasa: Pure Conjugal Love
"As described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, the original mellow, adi-rasa, is conjugal love and Krishna is the origin of pure spiritual conjugal love" (SB 6.9.45p.). "In the body there are different types of humor, rasa or mellow. The supreme mellow is called the sexual mellow, adi-rasa" (SB 4.25.18p.)."Qualitatively, we are as good as Krishna. Therefore whatever propensities Krishna has, we have also. For example, Krishna has the propensity to love someone of the opposite sex, and therefore we have this same propensity. The beginning of love is present in the love between Radha and Krishna. We are also seeking eternal love, but because we are conditioned by the material laws, our love is interrupted. But if we can transcend this interruption, we can take part in loving affairs similar to those of Krishna and Radha" (TQK).
Shri Chaitanya's Highest Contribution
"In unalloyed love of Godhead we have to engage our senses, sarvendriya, all the senses. This means that sex is also to be engaged in Krishna consciousness. The conception of God as father or mother (vatsalya rasa), does not allow engagement of one's sex din the service of the Lord, because there is no sexual relationship with the father and mother. But in the conception of God as a lover, there is sexual engagement also. Therefore, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the most perfect information of our engagement with the Supreme Lord.
"Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu informs us that one can even have sexual engagement with the Lord. This information is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's unique contribution. In this material world, sexual engagement is considered to be the highest engagement, the greatest pleasure, although it exists only in a perverted form. No one, however, has conceived that there can be sexual engagement in the spiritual world. There is not a single instance of such theology anywhere in the entire world. This information is given for the first time by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; one can have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one's husband, as one's lover "This is possible in the worship of Radha
and Krishna, but no one, especially impersonalists can understand Radha-Krishna. The impersonalists have no idea; they cannot even conceive that God has form. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that not only does God have form, but He has sex life also. This is the highest contribution of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" (SSR).
Follow the Gopis
"Pure love on the transcendental platform is the paragon of purity devoid of material affection and completely spiritual. Lord Chaitanya admitted that the exchange of feeling between Radha and Krishna is the highest position of transcendental loving reciprocation, and He told Ramananda Raya: 'Such a position cannot be attained without the performance of transcendental activities. So will you kindly explain to Me how I can raise Myself to this platform?'"Ramananda Raya then began to relate the confidential and transcendental activities of Radha and Krishna. These activities cannot be understood in the emotional relationship with the Supreme Lord as master and servant, friend and friend, or parent and son. This confidential subject matter can be understood only in the association of the damsels of Vraja, for the confidential activities have arisen from the feeling and emotions of those damsels. Without the mercy of the gopis one cannot understand the confidential pastimes of Radha and Krishna" (TLC Chap. 31).
Pure Love Without Lust
Shri Krishna's love affairs with the gopis of Vraja are the completely spiritual pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna's gopi girlfriends are transcendental expansions of His own blissful spiritual potency, hladini sakti. When Krishna sports with the gopis, who are actually expansions of His own transcendental body, it is compared to a boy dancing with his own shadow.Although Krishna's outward movements with the gopis may resemble the activities of ordinary lovers of the mundane world, they have no similarity. Material relationships are ruled by lust to fulfill selfish desires; whereas spiritual love, prema, is self-less dedication for the pleasure of the beloved. "Therefore, lust and loveare quite different. Lust is like dense darkness; but love is like the bright sun. Thus there is not the slightest taint of lust in the gopi's love. Their relationship with Krishna is only for the sake of His enjoyment" (CC Adi 4.171v.).There is an apparent similarity between Krishna's spiritual love affairs with His gopis and the exploits of worldly people. This is because the material world is simply a perverted reflection of the perfect reality existing eternally in the spiritual world, Goloka Vrindavana. In the material world sexual enjoyment is considered the highest form of pleasure. Similarly, in the spiritual world, Krishna's conjugal love sports with the Vraja gopis exhibit the highest and most perfect expression of spiritual bliss. Material sex desire, however, is an imperfect and contaminated imitation of Krishna's perfectly pure desire to enjoy with His own energies, or saktis, the gopis of Vrindavana.
Madhurya rasa or Srngara rasa, as it is sometimes called, provides the highest experience of ecstasy, because it incorporates and condenses all the sweet tastes found in the four subordinate rasas. "Attraction for Krishna in santa-rasa, rendering service to die Lord in dasya-rasa, rendering relaxed service in fraternity, and serving in parental love with feelings of maintenance; all combine on the platform of conjugal love (madhurya rasa), when the devotee wants to serve the Lord by offering Him his personal body. Thus the qualities of the other rasas combine to form the nectar of conjugal love. On this platform, all the different feelings of a devotee are amalgamated" (CC Madhya 19.230p.).
As long as one remains shackled to his senses and controlled by the lust-filled mind, one can neither appreciate nor understand the transcendental realm; where pure love flows freely without the putrid contamination of selfish desires. By hearing the realized accounts of great devotees, one learns about and becomes gradually attracted to the divine loving pastimes of Shri-Shri Radhika-Krishnacandra. Shrila Sukadeva Gosvami explains in the SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM that faithful and devoted hearing of Shri Krishna's transcendental conjugal pastimes with the gopis will cleanse lusty desires from the heart, thus enabling one to perceive the purity of prema-bhakti.
Union in Separation
Madhurya rasa expresses itself in two forms: Vipralambha and Sambhoga. Vipralambha is separation in love; Sambhoga is union or consummation in love. "Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Th °kur quotes Bharata Muni's NATYA-sastra: 'Direct contact is fully appreciated until separation has been experienced'" (SB ?Q29.47p-)- Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tasted and taught that nralambha represents the highest form of spiritual realization. The six Gosvamis directly experienced vipralambha and discussed . extensively in their writings. The Gosvamis were continuously wandering in the forests of Vrindavana searching for Radha and Krishna. "Oh Krishna! Oh Radha! Where are You! Are You on die banks of the Yamuna? Are You in the caves onGovardhana Hill? Oh, My Lord! Where are You?" Vipralambha (separation from Krishna) increases the intensity of prema and enhances the joy of meeting (sambhoga). Just as the more days one goes without food, the greater he relishes the taste of eating.
"First the heart is made ripe through separation, then in the state of union the Lord appears from the heart before die bhakta. At that stage, the devotional feeling that bhakatas have in their soul manifests before them. It is not merely the Supreme Godhead that appears before them , but their own personal beloved Lord. In separation Krishna is experienced more completely. In union the Lord is found in one place, while in separation He is seen everywhere. The gopis thrive on the mood of intense separation; it is the supreme devotional condition. The gopis devotional separation, or "Viraha" represents the pinnacle of devotion, and it is only realized by those who have the highest qualification, bestowed by Shri Krishna Himself. Until that stage of separation is felt, the Lord's glories, the remembrance of His pastimes, as well as the knowledge of His greatness, can all nourish the experience of union. "What does Viraha (separation) mean? Viraha means that the external perception goes inside and the outside world ceases to exist. Internally one experiences great transcendental bliss. In reunion it is just the opposite. The feelings kept within the heart bubble out and all these emotions become externalized. 'My beloved is before me. Now I can take him into my arms, whisper sweet words in his ear and show him how much I love him.' Internal perception ceases as one experiences the beloved externally. In vipralambha, the mood of separation, all emotions are internalized, but in sambhoga (union), all these same feelings are expressed outwardly" (SVMP).
The sadness caused by separation is only apparent because time and space have no influence in the spiritual world. It is nothing at all like the devastation felt by materialistic lovers separated by days anddistance. "The spontaneous attraction of Shri Krishna for His dearest parts and parcels generates an enthusiasm that obliges Shri Krishna and the gopis to meet together. To celebrate this transcendental enthusiasm, there is need of a sentiment of separation between the lover and the beloved. In the condition of material tribulation, no one wants the pangs of separation. But in the transcendental form, the very same separation, being absolute in nature, strengthens the ties of love and enhances the desire of the lover and beloved to meet" (CC Adi 4.31p.)."Just like the gopis are full of anxiety: 'Oh, Krishna has gone to the pasturing ground.' There is anxiety there. The anxiety is that one may not be separated from Krishna. And actually there is no separation, but the feeling of separation out of ecstatic love. Just like one who has love for another person, he always thinks like that, 'My beloved may not be separated from me.' This is die ecstasy of love" (CN Vol.9).
"In the Vedic literature, it is said, VrindavanaM PARITYAJYA NO PADAM EKAM GACCHATI: 'Krishna never goes even one step from Vrindavana.' He is so much attached to Vrindavana. How is it, that Krishna left Vrindavana and went to Matliura, and then far away to Hastinapura and Dvaraka, and did not return for many years?
"Actually Krishna did not leave, for all the inhabitants of Vrindavana, after Krishna left, were always thinking of Krishna and crying. The only engagement of mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja, Radharani and all the gopis, cows, calves and cowherd boys was to think of Krishna and cry, and in this way they felt Krishna to be present, because Krishna can be felt more strongly in separation from Him. That is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching: To love Krishna in separation" (TQK). "Without special grace bestowed by Shrimati Radharani, how can one understand the supreme transcendental mystery of divine love. Love in separation is the highest stage of prema" (VT).
Parakiya Rasa—Paramour Love
"The most important contribution of Shri Chaitanya to the rasa-sastra is his doctrine of Parakiya-rasa, Krishna's paramour love with the gopis" (PRC). A parakiya (a paramour) is a gopi who offers herself to Krishna on account of her natural attachment to him- without marriage or moral considerations. The natural • e'diments and inaccessibility in paramour love heightens the 'T^sure of meeting; and delivers greater happiness to Krishna than P,e |ove easily available from a lawfully wedded woman.
"According to Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti, although the oois of Vrindavana were apparently married, their husbands ctually had no contact whatsoever with their supremely attractive qualities of form, taste, fragrance, sound, touch and so on: Rather, their husbands merely presumed, 'These are our wives.' In other words, by Lord Krishna's spiritual potency, the gopis existed entirely for His pleasure, and Krishna loved them in the mood of a paramour. In fact the gopis were manifestations of Krishna's internal nature, His supreme pleasure potency, and on the spiritual platform they attracted the Lord by their pure love" (SB 10.46.6p.). "Some devotees think that Krishna is eternally the enjoyer in Goloka Vrindavana, but only sometimes comes to the platform of Vraja to enjoy parakiya rasa. The six Gosvamis of Vrindavana, however, have explained that Krishna's pastimes in Vraja are eternal, like His other activities in Goloka Vrindavana. Vraja is a confidential part of Goloka Vrindavana. Krishna exhibits His Vraja pastimes on the surface of this world, and similar pastimes are eternally exhibited in Vraja in Goloka Vrindavana, where parakiya rasa is ever-existent" (CC Adi 4.50p.).
The Extracted Essence of All Rasas
"The rasa of paramourship is the extracted essence of all the rasas. Shri Krishna, therefore relishes it in a distinct form in Goloka in the spiritual world, and in another unique form in Gokula, in the material world. In the majestic realm of Vaikuntha Lord Krishna manifests His own cit potency as the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, and He enjoys with Her as His wedded consort in svakiya rasa (svakiya means married). But in Goloka Vrindavana where absolute sweetness predominates, Shri Krishna divides up His Clt potency into thousands of doe-eyed gopis. There, Krishna eternally engages in amorous pastimes with them by forgetting the sentiment of ownership. The essence of paramourship is the cessation of ownership. The state of being another's wife is only j*n assumed egoistic sentiment on the part of the gopis in Goloka. n reality they have no husbands with independent and separate Xlstence. But their egoistic sentiment makes them adopt the nature of the wedded wives of others."The gopis in Goloka Vrindavana, therefore, from time immemorial have the innate sentiment of being married toothers. In response to that sentiment Shri Krishna assumes the reciprocal sentiment of 'paramourship,' and performs rasa lila and other amorous pastimes with these gopis. "When these transcendental personalities enact Their pastimes in the material world at Vraja Gokula, Their spiritual sentiments become somewhat more tangible to the mundane view. In madhurya rasa the corresponding sentiments of concubinage felt by the respective gopis becomes manifest in the form of their "marriages" with Abhimanyu, Govardhana- malla and other cowherd men. But in reality there are no such separate entities as the husbands of the gopis either in Goloka or in Gokula.
"In Goloka Shri Krishna enjoys one rasa with the gopis accommodating both features of paramourship and husbandhood. It is the same in Gokula but it appears differently to observers belonging to the mundane plane. In Lord Govinda husbandhood and paramourship exist above all piety and impiety, and free from all contamination. In the rasa of conjugal love where the corresponding egoistic sentiments of concubinage and paramourship are mere eternal assumptions; there is no question of immorality or the violation of scriptural injunctions. Hence, the sastras declare the gopis have no sexual union with their 'so called husbands' "(BB).
Shri Krishna's Spiritual Love Affairs
"The impetuses of conjugal love are Krishna and His very dear consorts, such as Radharani and Her immediate associates" (NOD Chap.44) "There are six features of conjugal loving affairs called peacemaking; picking a quarrel, going to meet one's lover, sitting together, separation and support. Lord Krishna expanded an empire of these six features, of which He was the ruling prince. Somewhere Krishna was picking quarrels with the young girls; somewhere Krishna was scratching them with the nails of parrots, somewhere Krishna was busy going to visit the gopis and somewhere Krishna was negotiating through some cowherd friends to take shelter of the gopis" (NOD Chap. 26)."O Gokulananda! (bliss of Gokula), O Govinda! O Gosthendra-kula candramah! (moon arisen in the family of Vraja's king), O Pranesa! (master of our lives), O Sundarottamasa! (crown of all handsome men), O Nagara-sikha mani! (crest jewel of amorous heroes), O Vrindavana-nidhu (moon of Vrindavana), OGostha-yuva-raja-manohara (handsome prince of Vraja). These are some of the names used by the goddesses of Vraja to affectionately address their lover, Shri Krishna" (UN).
An Oath
"After Krishna had stolen some yogurt from the pots of two gopis, Krishna told one of His gopi friends: 'My dear beautiful friend, I can take an oath that I have not stolen even one drop of yogurt from your yogurt pot! But still your friend Radharani is very shamelessly smelling the flavor of My mouth. Kindly forbid Radha from this devious policy of putting Her face near Mine.' When Krishna was speaking like this, the friends of Radharani could not check their laughter" (NOD Chap.30). Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur glorifies the Lord's conjugal pastimes, stating that these romantic affairs have an inconceivable spiritual potency to attract the polluted hearts of conditioned souls" (SB 10.33.36p.).
Generating Transcendental Sentiments
"Devotional service following in the footsteps of the gopis of Vrindavana is called devotional service in conjugal love. This development of conjugal love can be possible only with those who are already engaged in following the regulative principles of devotional service, specifically the worship of Radha and Krishna in the temple. Such devotees gradually develop a spontaneous love for the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord's exchanges of loving affairs with the gopis, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes."This development of conjugal love for Krishna is not manifested in women only. The material body has nothing to do with spiritual loving affairs. A woman may develop an attitude for becoming a friend of Krishna, and, similarly, a man may develop the feature of becoming a gopi in Vrindavana. How a devotee in the form of man can desire to become a gopi is stated in the PADMA PURANA as follows: At the time of Lord Ramacandra lived in the Dandakaranya forest there were many advanced sages who were captivated by the beauty of Lord Ramacandra, and who desired to become women in order to embrace the Lord. Later on, these sages appeared in Gokula Vrindavana when Krishna adventcd Himself there.The sages were then born as gopis, or girlfriends of Krishna. The perfection of their human form of life was thus achieved by their generating a transcendental sentiment to share conjugal love with Lord Krishna" (NOD Chap. 16).
"Attainment of this stage of pure spiritual life is the highest perfection, and this stage is called svarupa, or the factual identity of the living being. Liberation means renovation of this stage of svarupa. In the perfect stage of svarupa, the living being is established in five phases of loving service, one of which is madhurya-rasa, or the humor of conjugal love" (SB1.10.28p.).
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