The Nectar of Devotion - 1970 ISKCON press edition ... - Prabhupada

crhe GNect rof C:Ve ·t ·By CJ!is crJiville {jtaceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The Nectar of Devotion is a uniquespiritual text that explains the devotionalscience of bhakti-yoga, or KrQaconsciousness. Astonishingly intimatein its detailed descriptions of the lovingrelationships between Lord SriKrQa and His devotees, it is at the sametime practical, authoritative and philosophicallysubstantial. It is a summarystudy of Bhakti-rasarhrta-sindhu, whichwas written in Sanskrit over 400 yearsago by the great philosopher-devoteeSrila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, andit contains hundreds of quotes fromsuch important Vedic literatures asBhagavad-glta, Srlmad-Bhagavatam, theUpaniads, Mahabharata and thePura(las.The Nectar of Devotion has beencalled the "lawbook of KrQa consciousness,"for it is the text whichguides the devotees of the Hare Krr;Jamovement in the details of their dailylives. It elaborately explains the philosophicalbackground behind the manyrules and regulations that devotees ofKrr;Ja voluntarily follow, and it probesdeeply into the thoughts and emotionsthat motivate a Kr11a conscious devotee.Most importantly, The Nectar ofDevotion goes beyond the limitationsof both empty religious sentiment anddry, impersonal philosophy. It bringsthe reader to a factual understandingof the eternal activities of the spiritualworld and offers practical step-by-stepinstructions which can enable theserious student to actually enter intothese pastimes, in a personal, face-tofaceloving relationship with Krl)a,the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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jOTHER BOOKS by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. The Bhagavad-gitii As It IsSrimad-Bhiigavatam (12 volumes)Teachings of Lord CaitanyaKnfla, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (2 volumes)Sri lsopan4adEasy Journey to Other PlanetsKr§fla Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga SystemBack to Godhead Magazine (Editor)

Ii·JtII:fI-I-1IItICopyright © 1970 by ISKCON PRESSLibrary of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 78-118082All Rights ReservedIf·IiPrinted in the United States of America by ISKCON PRESSBoston, Massachusetts

To the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavananiinii-siis tra-vicii ra rwika -n ipur-au sad-dharma-sarhs t hiipak aulokiiniim hitakiirir-au tribhuvane miinyau sarar-yiikarauriidhii-kf§!la-padiiravinda-bhajaniinandena mattiilikauvande riipa-saniitanau raghuyugau sri-fiva-gopiilakau."I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis,namely Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Rupa Gosvami, SriRaghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami,Sri ]iva Gosvami and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all thereveald scriptures with the aim of establishing eternalreligious principles for the benefit of all human beings.Thus they are honored all over the three worlds, and theyare worth taking shelter of because they a,re absorbed inthe mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendentalloving service of Radha and Krpa."

I'ContentsPrefaceixIntroductionxviiPART ONE1 Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 12 The First Stages ofDevotion 183 Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service 284 Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 355 Purity of Devotional Service 466 How to Discharge Devotional Service 537 Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles 588 Offenses to be Avoided 689 Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 7310 Techniqt(es of Hearing and Memorizing 8911 Aspects of Transcendental Service 9612 Revealed Scriptures 10213 The Maha-man tra 10814 Devotional Qualifications 11415 Spontaneous Devotional Service 12116 Varieties of Love for K[l}a 12717 Ecstatic Love 13318 Character of One in Ecstatic Love 13819 Devotional Service in Love of God 147PART TWO20 Transcendental Mellow 15221 Qualities of Srf K[l}a 15622 Qualities of K[l}a Further Explained 17823 KIJa s Personality 200

24 Further Traits of Srf KrIJa 20525 Devotees of KrIJa 20926 Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 21427Symptoms of Ecstatic Love 22528 Other Ecstatic Symptoms 23529Expressions of Love for K!Ja 24030 Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K!Ja 25431 Additional Symptoms 27032 Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy 27933 Conjugal Affection 28334 The Nectar of Devotion 286PART THREE35 Neutral Love of God 29036 Transcendental Affection (Servitude) 29837 Impetuses for Kn!Ja s Service 30638 Indifference and Separation 31339 Ways of Meeting K[IJa 31840 Reverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates 32141 Fraternal Devotion 32642 Fraternal LOJling Affairs 33643 Parenthood 34744 Devotional Service in Conjugal Love 360PART FOUR45 Laughing Ecstasy 36546 Astonishment and Chivalry 36947 Compassion and Anger 37748 Dread and Ghastliness 38349 Mixing of Rasas 38750 Further Analysis of Mixed Rasas51 Perverted Expression of Mellows395401Concluding Words 404Glossary 405Index 407

PrefaceThe Nectar of Devotion is a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrtasindhu,which was written in Sanskrit by Srila Riipa Gosvami Prabhupada.He was the chief of the six Gosvam.ls who were the directdisciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he first met LordCaitanya, Srila Riipa GosvamiPrabhupada was engaged as a minister inthe Mohammedn government of Bengal. He and his brother Sanatanawere then named Sakara Mallik and Dabir Khas respectively, andthey held responsible posts as ministers of Nawab Hussain Shah. Atthat time, five hundred years ago, the Hindu society was very rigid,and if a member of the briihmarza caste accepted the service of aMohammedan ruler he was at once rejected from briihmarza society.That was the position of the two brothers, Dabir Khas and SakaraMallik. They belonged to the highly situated siirasvata-briihmarzacommunity, but they were ostracized due to their acceptance ofministerial posts in the government of Hussain Shah. It is the grace ofLord Caitanya that He accepted these two exalted personalities as Hisdisciples and raised them to the position of gosviimis, the highestposition of brahminical culture. Similarly, Lord Caitanya acceptedHaridasa Thakur as His disciple although he happened to be born ofa Mohammedan family, and Lord Caitanya later on made him theiicarya of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord: Hare Kr9!1a,Hare Kr9!1a, Kn!la Kr9!1a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, RamaRama, Hare Hare.Lord Caitanya's principle is universal. Anyone who knows thescience of Kr9!1a and is engaged in the service of the Lord is acceptedas being in a higher position than a person born in the family of aX

XThe Nectar of Devotionbriihmar;w. That is the original principle accepted by all Vedic literatures,especially by the Bhagavad-g"ita and the Srimad-Bhiigavatam.The principle of Lord Caitanya's movement in educating andelevating everyone to the exalted post of a gosviimi is taught inThe Nectar of Devotion.Lord Caitanya met the two brothers, Dabir Khas and SakaraMallik, in a village known as Ramakeli in the district of Maldah, andafter that meeting the brothers decided to retire from governmentservice and join Lord Caitanya. Sakara Mallik, who was later tobecome Rupa Gosvami, retired from his post and collected all themoney he had accumulated during his service. It is described in theCaitanya-caritiimrta that his accumulated savings in gold coins equalledmillions of dollars and filled a large boat. He divided the money ina very exemplary manner which should be followed by devotees inparticular and by humanity in general. Fifty percent of his accumulatedwealth was distributed to the Kra conscious persons, namelythe briihmar;ws and the Vai§r-avas; twenty-five percent was distributedto relatives; ahd twenty-five percent was kept against emergencyexpenditures and personal difficulties.· Later on when Dabir Khasalso proposed to retire, the Nawah was very much agitated and puthim into jail. But Dabir Khas, who was later to become Srila SanatanaGosvami, took advantage of his brother's personal money, which hadbeen deposited with a village banker, and escaped from the prison ofHussain Shah. In this way both ·brothers joined Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu.Rupa Gosvami first met Lord Caitanya at Prayag (Allahabad,India), and on the Dasasvamedha bathing ghat of that holy city theLord instructed him continually for ten days. The Lord particularlyinstructed Rupa Gosvami on the science of Kra consciousness.These teachings of Lord Caitanya to Snl.a Rupa Gosvami Prabhupadaare narrated in our book Teachings of Lord Caitanya.Later, Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada elaborated the teachings ofthe Lord with profound knowledge of revealed scriptures and authoritativereferences from various Vedic literatures. Srila Srinivasa Acaryadescribes in his prayers to the six Gosvamis that they were all highlylearned scholars, not only in Sanskrit but also in foreign languages

PrefaceXlsuch as Persian and Arabian. They very scrutinizingly studied all theVedic scriptures in order to establish the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhuon the authorized principles of Vedic knowledge. The present Krwaconsciousness movement is also based on the authority of Srila RiipaGosvamiPrabhupada. We are therefore generally known as rilpiinugas,or followers in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Gosvami Prabhupada. It isonly for our guidance that Srila Rupa Gosvami prepared his bookBhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, which is now presented in the form of TheNectar of Devotion. Persons engaged in the KH:.;ta consciousnessmovement may take advantage of this great literature and be verysolidly situated in Kr:.;ta consciousness.Bhakti means devotional service. Every service has some attractivefeature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every oneof 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.Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man worksday and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love ofthe greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his countryand countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, thehouseholder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow(relationship) whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellowdifferent from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers.Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relisha certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gtatification.The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, andtherefore mundane workers are always apt to change their positionof enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the wholeweek; therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a placewhere he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekendis spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes hisactual business activities. Material engagment means accepting aparticular status for some time and then changing it. This positionof changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyiiga, whichmeans a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation. Aliving entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or inrenunciation. Change is going on perpetually, and we cannot be happy

XllThe Nectar of Devotionin either state because of our eternal constitutional position. Sen_segratification does not endure for long, and it is therefore calledcapala-sukha, or flickering happiness. For example, an ordinary familyman who works very hard day and night and is successful in givingcomforts to the members of his family thereby relishes a kind ofmellow, but his whole advancement of material happiness immediatelyterminates along with his body as soon as his life is over. Deathis therefore taken as the representative of God for the atheistic classof men. The devotee realizes the presence of God by devotionalservice, whereas the atheist realizes the presence of God in the shapeof death. At death everything is finished, and one has to begin a newchapter of life in a new situation, perhaps higher or lower than the lastone. In any field of activity, political, social, national or international,the result of .our actions will be finished with the end of life. That issure.Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendentalloving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. Itcontinues perpetually and is therefore called amrta, that which doesnot die but exists eternally. This is confirmed in all Vedic literatures.The Bhagavad-gitii says that a little advancement in bhakti-rasa cansave the devotee from the greatest danger, that of missing theopportunity for human life. The rasas derived from our feelings insocial life, in family life, or in the greater family life of altruism,philanthropism, nationalism, socialism, communism, etc., do notguarantee that one's next life will be as a human being. We prepareour next life by our actual activities in the present life. A living entityis offered a particular type of body as a result of his action in thepresent body. These activities are taken into account by a superiorauthority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva isexplained in the Bhagavad-gitii as the prime cause of everything, andin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated that a man takes his next bodyby daiva-netrel}a, which means by the supervision of the authority ofthe Supreme. In an ordinary sense daiva is explained as destiny. Daivasupervision gives us a body selected from 8,400,000 forms; the choicedoes not depend on our selection, but is awarded to l;lS according toour destiny.lf our body at present is engaged in the activities of Kra

Prefacexmconsciousness, then it is guaranteed that- we will have at least a humanbody in our next life. A human being engaged in Kra consciousness,even if unable to complete the course of bhakti-yoga, is allowed totake birth in the higher division of human society so that he canautomatically further his advancement in KHa consciousness. Therefore,all bona fide activities in Kra consciousness are amrta, orpermanent. This is the subject matter of The Nectar of Devotion.This eternal engagement in· bhakti-rasa can be understood by aserious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoptionof bhakti-rasa or Kra consciousness will immediately bring oneto an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one withtranscendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation.Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation becauseit attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kra. Generally,neophyte devotees are anxious to see Kra or God, but God cannotbe seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The processof devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotionwill gradually eievate one from the material condition of life to thespiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations.The senses can then become uncontaminated, being constantlyin touch with bhakti-rasa. When the purified s-enses are employed inthe service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life,and any action performed for the satisfaction of Kra in thistranscendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually.When one is thus engaged in devotional service, all varieties of rasas ormellows turn into eternity. In the beginning one is trained accordingto the principles of regulation under the guidance of the iiciirya orspiritual master, and gradually, when one is elevated, devotionalservice becomes automatic and spontaneous eagerness to serve Kra.There are twelve kinds of rasas, as will be explained in this book, andby renovating our relationship with Kra in five primary rasas wecan live eternally in full knowledge and bliss.The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a generalpropensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someoneelse. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animallike a tiget has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it

xwThe Nectar of Devotionis certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however,is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. Atthe present moment the human society teaches one to love hiscountry or family or his personal self, but there is no informationwhere to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can becomehappy. That missing point is Kr!la, and The Nectar of Devotionteaches us how to stimulate our original love for Kr!la and how tobe situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.In the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers andsisters, and as he daily grows up he begins to love his family, society,community, country, nation, or even the whole human society. Butthe loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human society;that loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we knowwho is the supreme beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied only whenit is reposed in Kr!la. This theme is the sum and substance of TheNectar of Devotion, which teaches us how to love Krwa in five.different transcendental mellows.Our loving propensity expands just as a vibration of light or airexpands, but we do not know where it ends. The Nectar of Devotionteaches us the science of loving every one of the living entitiesperfectly by the easy method of loving Kr!la· We have failed to createpeace and harmony in human society, even by such great attempts asthe United Nations, because we do not know the right method. Themethod is very simple, but one has to understand it with a cool head.The Nectar of Devotion teaches all men how to perform the simpleand natural m.ethod of loving KrtJ.a, the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. If we learn how to love Kr!la, then it is very easy toimmediately and simultaneously love every living being. It is likepouring water on the root of a tree or supplying food to. one'sstomach. The method of pouring water on the root of a tree orsupplying .foodstuffs to the stomach is universally scientific andApractical, as every one of us has experiencea. EvP,ryone knows wellthat when we eat something, or in . other words when we putfoodstuffs in the stomach, the energy created by such action isimmediately distributed throughout the whole body. Similarly, whenwe pour water on the root, the energy thus created is immediately

Preface.XVdistributed throughout the entirety of even the largest tree. It is notpossible to water the tree part by part, nor is it possible to feed thedifferent parts of the body separately. The Nectar of Devotion willteach us how to turn the one switch that will immediately brighteneverything, everywhere. One who does not know this method is missingthe point of life.As far as material necessities are concerned, the human civilizationat the present moment is very much advanced in living comfortably,but still we are not happy because we are missing the point. Thematerial comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy.The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, havingall facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completelyconfused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith tosuch confused men to learn the art of devotional service as directedin The Nectar of Devotion, and I am sure that the fire of materialexistence burning within their hearts will be immediately extinguished.The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormantloving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancementin the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give uspractical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engagedin devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and thenext. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn any way ofmaterialistic life, but the attempt is to give information to religionists,philosophers and people in general how to love Kra. One may livewithout material discomfiture, but at the same time he should learnthe art of loving Kra. At the present moment we are inventing somany ways to utilize our propensity to love, but factually we aremissing the real point, Kra. We are watering all parts of the tree butmissing the tree's root. We are trying to keep our body fit by allmeans, but we are neglecting to supply foodstuffs to the stomach.Missing Krwa means missing one's self also. Real self-realization andrealization of Kra go together simultaneously. For example, seeingoneself in the morning means seeing the sunrise also; without seeingthe sunshine no one can see himself. Similarly, unless one has realizedKra there is no question of self-realization.The Nectar of Devotion is specifically presented for persons who

XVlllThe Nectar of DevotionIIII:IIIIIacaryas (holy teachers), who are compared with sharks in the greatocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation.Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, likerivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can becompared with liberation and the rivers with all the different pathsof liberation. The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water,which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information,however, that within the ocean, as within the river, there areinnumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in theocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it. Thedevotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and theydo not care for the rivers. In other words, those who are pure devoteesalways remain in the ocean of transcendental loving service tothe Lord and have no business with the other processes, which arecompared to the rivers that only gradually come to the ocean.Srila Riipa Gosvami prays to his spiritual master, Srila Sanatana Gosvami,for the protection of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu-the Ocean ofthe Pure Nectar of Devotional Service-from the argumentative logicianswho unnecessarily meddle in the science of service to the Lord.He compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in themidst of the ocean. In the midst of the ocean such volcanic eruptionscan do very little harm, and similarly, those who are against devotionalservice to the Lord and who put forward many philosophicaltheses about the ultimate transcendental realization cannot disturbthis great ocean of devotional service.The author of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, Srila Riipa Gosvami, veryhumbly submits that he is just trying to spread Kr!la consciousnessall over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for thiswork. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Kr!la consciousnessmovement, following in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Gosvami.We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, butshould always consider that we are simply instrumental to the previousiiciiryas, and simply by following in their footsteps we may beable to do something for the benefit of suffering humanity.Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu is divided into four parts, j ust as the oceanis sometimes divided into four parts, and there are different sections

IntroductionXlXtwithin each of these four divisions. Originally in Bhakti-rasiimrtasindhu,the ocean is divided like the watery ocean into east, west,north and south, while the sub-sections within these different divisions re called waves. As in the ocean there arc always differentwaves, either on the eastern side, the western side, the northern sideor the southern side, so similarly Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu has differentwaves. In the first part there are four waves, the first being ageneral description of devotional service. The second concerns theregulative principles for executing devotional service, and the thirdwave devotional service in ecstasy. In the fourth is the ultimate goal,love of God. These will be explicitly described along with their differentsymptoms.The authorized description of bhakti, or devotional service, followingin the footsteps of previous iiciiryas, can be summarized in thefollowing statement by Srila Rupa Gosvam1: "First-class devotionalservice is known by one's tendency to be fully engaged in Kr9!la consciousness,serving the Lord favorably." The purport is that one mayalso be in Kr9!la consciousness unfavorably, but that cannot becounted as pure devotional service. Pure devotional service should befree from the desire for any material benefit or for sense gratification,as these desires are cultivated through fruitive activities and philosophicalspeculation. Generally, people are engaged in different activitiesto get some material profit, while most philosophers are engagedin proposing transcendental realization through volumes of word juggleryand speculation. Pure devotional service must always be freefrom such fruitive activities and philosophical speculations. One hasto learn Kr9a consciousness or pure devotional service from theauthorities by spontaneous loving service.'J=.his _devotional service is a sort of cultivation. It is not simply inactionfor people who like to be inactive or devote their time tosilent meditation. There arc many different methods for people whowant this, but cultivation of Kr9a consciousness is different. Theparticular word used by Srila Rupa Gosvam1 in this connection isanusilana, or cultivation by following the predecessor teachers(iiciiryas). As soon as we say "cultivation," we must refer to activity.Without activity, consciousness alone cannot help us. All activities

may be divided into two classes: one class may be for achieving acertain goal, and the other may be for avoiding some unfavorablecircumstance. In Sanskrit, these activities are called pravrtti andnivrtti-positive and negative action. There are many examples ofnegative action. For instance, a diseased person has to be cautious andtake medicine in order to avoid some unfavorable illness.Those who are cultivating spiritual life and executing devotionalservice are always engaged in activity. Such activity can be performedwith the body or with the mind. Thinking, feeling and willing are allactivities of the mind, and when we will to do something, the activitycomes to be manifest by the gross bodily senses. Thus, in our mentalactivities we should always try to think of Krwa and try to plan howto please Him, following in the footsteps of the great iiciiiyas and thepersonal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activitiesof the different senses and activities of speech. A Kra consciousperson engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This iscalled kirtana. And by his mind a Kra conscious person alwaysthinks of the activities of the Lord-as He is speaking on the battlefieldof Kuruketra or engaging in His various pastimes at V rndavanawith His devotees. In this way one can always think of the activitiesand pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Kra con­XX The Nectar of DevotionsciOusness.between,] L,Similarly, we can offer many services with our bodily activities. Butall such activities must be in relationship with Kra. This relationshipis established by conecting oneself with the bona fide spiritual masterwho is the direct representative of Kra in disciplic succession.Therefore, the execution of Kra conscious activities with the bodyshould be directed by the spiritual master and then performed withfaith. The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation.From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connectionKrwa and a person cultivating Kra consciousness isestablished. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, theactual connection with Kra consciousness is never performed.This cultivation of Krwa consciousness is not material. The Lordhas generally three energies-namely, the external energy, the internal

IntroductionXXl.:.energy, and the marginal energy. The living entities are called marginalenergy, and the material cosmic manifestation is the action ofthe external or material energy. Then there is the spiritual world,which is a manifestation of the internal energy. The living entities,who are called marginal energy, perform material activities whenacting under the inferior external energy. And when they engage inactivities under the internal spiritual energy, their activities are calledKrpa conscious. This means that those who are great souls or greatdevotees do not act under the spell of material energy, but act insteadunder the protection of the spiritual energy. Any activities donein devotional service or in Krpa consciousness are directly under thecontrol of spiritual energy. In other words, energy is a sort ofstrength, and this strength can be spiritualized by the mercy of boththe bona fide spiritual master and Krtta.In the Caitan ya-caritiimrta by Krttadasa Kaviraja Gosvam'i, LordCaitanya states that it is a fortunate person who comes in contactwith a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krpa. One who isserious about spiritual life is given by Krtta the intelligence to comein contact with a bona fide spiritual master, and then by the grace ofthe spiritual master one becomes advanced in Krtta consciousness .In this way the whole jurisdiction of Krtta consciousness is directlyunder the spiritual energy-Krtta and the spiritual master. This hasnothing to do with the material world. When we speak of Krrta werefer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His manyexpansions. He is expanded by His plenary parts and parcels, His differentiatedparts and parcels and His different energies. Krtta, inother words, means everything and includes everything. Generally,however, we should understand Krtta to mean Krtta and His personalexpansions. Krwa expands Himself as Baladeva, Sarikaratta,Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Rama, Nrsimha and V araha, aswell as many other incarnations and innumerable Vittu expansions.These are described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam to be as numerous as theuncountable waves. So Krtta includes all such expansions, as wellas His pure devotees. In the Brahma-samhitii it is stated that Krtta'sexpansions are all complete in eternity, blissfulness and cognizance.

XXllThe Nectar of DevotioniIllI !IIDevotional service means to prosecute Kr9!1-a conscious activitieswhich are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the SupremeLord Kr9!1-a, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendentalfavor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service.For example, great demons like Rava!la, Kamsa and Hira!lyakasipuwere always thinking of Kr9!1-a, but they were thinking of Him as theirenemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or KrwaconsciOusness.The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service insuch a way that they divide Kr9!1-a from His paraphernalia and pas ­times. For example, the Bhagavad-gitii is spoken on the battlefield ofKuruk9etra, and the impersonalists say that although Kr9!1-a is ofinterest, the battlefield of Kuruk9etra isn't. The devotees, however,also know that the battlefield of Kuruk9etra by itself has nothing todo with their business, but in addition they know that "Kr9!1-a" doesnot mean just Kr9!1-a alone. He is always with His associates andparaphernalia. For instance, if someone says, "Give something toeat to the man with the weapons," the eating process is done by theman and not by the weapons. Similarly, in Kr9!1-a consciousness, adevotee may be interested in the paraphernalia and locations-suchas the battlefield of Kuruk9etra-which are associated with Kr9pa, buthe is not concerned with simply any battlefield. He is concerned withKr9pa-His speech, His instructions, etc. It is because Kr9pa is therethat the battlefield is so important.This is the summary understanding of what Kr!la consciousness is.Without this understanding one is sure to misunderstand why thedevotees are interested in the battlefield of Kuruk9etra. One who isinterested in Kr9!1-a becomes interested in His different pastimes andactivities.The definition of a pure devotee, as given by Riipa Gosvami inBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorableand is always in relation to Krpa. In order to keep the purity ofsuch Kr§!la conscious activities, one must be freed from all materialdesires and philosophical speculation. Any desire except for the serviceof the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculationrefers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a11l

IntroductionXXlllconclusion of voidism or impersonalism. This conclusion is uselessfor a Kr9a conscious person. Only rarely by philosophical speculationcan one reach the conclusion of worshiping Vasudeva, Kr9p.a. This isconfirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii itself. The ultimate end of philosophicalspeculation, then, must be Kra, with the understanding thatKr9a is everything, the cause of all causes, and that one should thereforesurrender unto Him. If this ultimate goal is reached, then philosophicaladvancement is favorable, but if the conclusion of philosophicalspeculation is voidism or impersonalism, that is not bhakti.Karma or fruitive activities are sometimes understood to be ritualisticactivities. There are many persons who are very much attractedby the ritualistic activities described in the Vedas. But if one becomesattracted simply to ritualistic activities without understanding Kr9a,his activities are unfavorable to Kr9a consciousness. Actually, Kr9aconsciousness can be based simply on hearing, chanting, remembering,etc. Described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam are nine different processes,besides which everything done is unfavorable to Kr9a consciousness.Thus, one should always be guarding against falldowns.Srila Riipa Gosvam'i has also mentioned in this definition of bhaktithe word jfiiina-karmiidi. This karmiidi (fruitive work) consists ofactivities which are unable to help one attain to pure devotionalservice. Many fotrns of so-called renunciation are also not favorableto Krwa conscious devotional service.Srila Riipa Gosvam'i has also quoted a definition from the Niiradapaficariitra,as follows: "One should be free from all material designationsand must be cleansed of all material contamination by Kr9aconsciousness. He should be restored to his pure identity, where heengages his senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses." Sowhen our senses are engaged for the actual proprietor of the senses,that is called devotional service. In our conditional state, our sensesare engaged in serving these bodily demands. When the same sensesare engaged in executing the order of Kr9a, it is called bhakti.As long as one identifies himself as belonging to a certain family, acertain society or a certain person, he is said to be covered withdesignations. When one is fully aware that he does not belong to anyfamily, society or country, but is eternally related to Kr9a, he then

xxwThe Nectar of Devotionrealizes that his energy. should be employed not in the interests of socalledfamily, socie!:y or country, but in the interests of Kra:' This ispurity of purpose and the platform of pure devotional service inKrsna consciousness .. . .

3NO11Vd

I I Characteristicsof Pure Devotional ServiceIn the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Third Canto, 29th Chapter, lOth verse,Srila Kapiladeva, while instructing His mother, has given the followingcharacteristics of pure devotional service: "My dear Mother, thosewho are My pure devotees, and who have no desire for materialbenefit or philosophical speculation, have their minds so much engagedin My service that they are never interested in asking Me foranything-except to be engaged in that service- They do not even begto live in My abode with Me."There are five kinds of liberation, namely to become one with theLord, to live with the Supreme Lord on the same planet, to have thesame features as the Lord, to enjoy the same opulences as the Lord,and to live as a companion of the Lord. A devotee, not to speak ofrejecting material sense gratification, does not even want any of thefive kinds of liberation. He is satisfied simply by discharging lovingservice to the Lord. That is the characteristic of pure devotion.In the above statement by Kapiladeva from the Srimad-Bhiigavatam,the actual position of a pure devotee is described, and the primarycharacteristics of devotional service are also defined. Further characteristics·of devotional· service are described by Riipa Gosvami withevidences from different scriptures. He states that thre are six characteristicsof pure devotional service, which are as follows:1) Pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds of'material distress.2) Pure devotional service is the beginning of all auspiciousness.3) Pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcendentalpleasure.

2 The Nectar of Devotion4) Pure devotional service is rarely achieved.5) Those in pure devotional service deride even the conception ofliberation.6) Pure devotional service is the only means to attract Kfgta.Krtta is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts evenHim. This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentallystronger than Krwa Himself, because it is Krtta's internal potency.Relief from Material DistressIn the Bhagavad-gitii, the Lord says that one should surrender untoHim, giving up all other engagements. The Lord also gives His wordthere that He will protect such surrendered souls from the reactionsof all sinful activities. Srila Riipa Gosvami says that the distressesfrom sinful activities are due both to the sins themselves and to sinscommitted in our past lives. Generally, one commits sinful activitiesdue to ignorance. But ignorance is no excuse for evading the reaction-sinfulactivities. Sinful activities are of two kinds: thosewhich are mature and those which are not mature. The sinful activitiesfor which we are suffering at the present moment are calledmature. The many sinful activities stored within us for which wehave not yet suffered are considered immature. For example, a manmay have committed criminal acts but is not yet arrested for them.Now, as soon as he is detected, arrest -is awaiting him. Similarly, forsome of our sinful activities we are awaiting distresses in the future,and for others, which are mature, we are suffering at the presentmoment.In this way there is a chain of sinful activities and their concomitantdistresses, and the conditioned soul is suffering life after lifedue to these sins. He is suffering in the present life the results ofsinful activities from his past life, and he is meanwhile creating furthersufferings for his future life. Mature sinful activities are exhibitedif one is suffering from some chronic disease, if one is sufferingfrom some legal implication, if one is born irt a low and degradedfamily, or if one is uneducated or very ugly.

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 3There are many results of past sinful activities for which we aresuffering at the present moment, and we may be suffering in the futuredue to our present sinful activities. But all of these reactions tosinful deeds can immediately be stopped if we take to Kns!laconsciousness. As evidence for this, Riipa Gosvami quotes from theSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 14th Chapter, 18th verse. Thisverse is in connection with Lord Krpa's instruction to Uddhava,where He says, "My dear Uddhava, devotional service unto Me isjust like a blazing fire which can burn into ashes unlimited fuelsupplied to it." The purport is that as the blazing fire can burn anyamount of fuel to ashes, so devotional service to the Lord in Krpaconsciousness can burn up all the fuel of sinful activities. Forexample, in the Gitii Arjuna thought that fighting was a sinful activity,but Krwa engaged him on the battlefield under His order, andso the fighting became devotional service. Therefore, Arjuna wasnot subjected to any sinful reaction.Srila Riipa Gosvami quotes another verse from the Third Canto ofSrimad-Bhiigavatam, 33rd Chapter, 6th verse, in which Devahiitiaddresses her son, Kapiladeva and says, "My deG\r Lord, there arenine different kinds of devotional service, beginning from hearingand chanting. Anyone who hears about Your pastimes, who chantsabout Your glories, who offers You obeisances, who thinks of Youand, in this way, executes any of the nine kinds of devotional service-even if he is born in a family of dog-eaters [the lowest grade ofmankind] -becomes immediately qualified to perform sacrifices."As such, for anyone who is actually engaged in devotional service infull Kg;pa consciousness, how is it possible that he has not becomepurified? It is not possible. One who is engaged in Krpa consciousnessand devotional service has without doubt become freed from allcontaminations of material sinful activities. Devotional service thereforehas the power to actually nullify all kinds of reactions to sinfuldeeds. A -devotee is nevertheless always alert not to commit any sinfulactivities; this is his specific qualification as a. devotee. Thus theSrimad-Bhiigavatam states that by performing devotional service aperson who was born even in a family of dog-eaters may becomeeligible to take part in the performance of the ritualistic ceremonies

4 The Nectar of Devotionrecommended in the Vedas. It is implicit in this statement that a personborn into a family of dog-eaters is generally not fit for performingyajna, or sacrifice. The priestly caste in charge of performing theseritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas is called the briihmar-aorder. Unless one is a briihmar-a, he cannot perform theseceremomes.A person is born in a briihmar-a family or in a family of dog-eatersdue to his past activities. If a person is born in a family of dog-eatersit means that his past activities are all sinful. But if even such a persontakes to the path of devotional service and begins to chant the holynames of the Lord-Hare Kr§fLa, Hare Kr§fLa, Kr§r-a K[§[La, Hare Hare/Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare-he is at once fit toperform the ritualistic ceremonies. This means that his sip.ful reactionshave immediately become neutralized.It is stated in the Padma Puriir-a that there are four kinds of effectsdue to sinful activities, which are listed as follows: l) the effectwhich is not yet fructified, 2) the effect which is lying as seed, 3) theeffect which is already mature, and 4) the effect which is almostmature. It is also stated that all these four effects become immediatelyvanquished for those who surrender unto the SupremePersonality of Godhead, Vi9u, and become engaged in His devotionalservice in full l(rg1a consciousness.Those effects described as "almost mature" refer to the distressfrom which one is suffering at present, and the effects "lying as seed"means that in the core of the heart there is a certain stock of sinfuldesires which are like seeds. The Sanskrit word kutam means that theyare almost ready to produce the seed, or the effect of the seed. An"immature effect" refers to the case where the seedling has not begun.From this statement of Padma Puriir-a it is understood thatmaterial contamination is very subtle. Its beginning, its fruition andresults, and how one suffers such results in the form of distress, arepart of a great chain. When_ one catches some disease, it is often verydifficult to ascertain the cause of the disease, where it originated, andhow it is maturing. The suffering of a disease, however, does notappear all of a sudden. It actually takes time. And, as in the medicalfield, for precaution's sake, the doctor injects a vaccination to pre-

Characteristics of Pu.re Devotional Service 5vent the growing of contamination, similarly, the practical injectionto stop all the fructifications of the seeds of our sinful activities issimply engagement in Krwa consciousness.In this connection, Sukadeva Gosvam1 speaks in the Sixth Cantoof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 2nd Chapter, 17th verse, about the story ofAjamila, who began life as a fine and dutiful briihmw;w but in hisyoung manhood became wholly corrupted by a prostitute. At theend of his wicked life, just by calling the name of "Narayaa[Kra] ," he was saved despite so much sin. Sukadeva points outthat austerity, charity and the performance of ritualistic ceremoniesfor counteracting sinful activities are recommended processes, butthat by performing them one cannot remove the sinful desire-seedfrom the heart, as was the case with Ajiimila in his youth. This sinfuldesire-seed can be removed only by achieving Kn;a consciousness.And this can be accomplished very easily by chanting the mahiimantra,or Hare Krffla mantra, as recommended by Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu. In other words, unless one adopts the path of devotionalservice, he cannot be one hundred percent clean from all thereactions of sinful activities.By performing Vedic ritualistic activities, by giving money incharity and by undergoing austerity, one can temporarily becomefree from the reactions of sinful activities, but at the next momenthe must again become engaged in sinful activities. For example, aperson suffering from venereal disease on account of excessiveindulgence in sex life has to undergo some severe pain in medicaltreatment, and he is then cured for the time being. But because hehas not been able to remove the sex desire from his heart, he mustagain indulge in the same thing and become a victim of the samedisease. So medical treatment may give temporary relief from thedistress of such venereal disease, but unless one is trained to understandthat sex life is abominable, it is impossible to be saved fromsuch repeated distress. Similarly, the ritualistic performances, charityand austerity which are recommended in the Vedas may temporarilystop one from acting in sinful ways, but as long as the heart is notclear, one will have to repeat sinful activities again and again.Another example is given in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam of the ele-

L6 The Nectar of Devotionphant who enters into a lake and takes a bath very seriously, cleansinghis body thoroughly. Then as soon as he comes onto shore heagain takes some dust from the earth and throws it over his body.Similarly, a person who is not trained in Kr!la consciousnesscannot become completely free from the desire for sinful activities.Neither the _yoga process, nor philosophical speculations, nor fruitiveactivities can save one from the seeds of sinful desires. Only by beingengaged in devotional service can this be done.There is another evidence in the Fourth Canto of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, 22nd Chapter, 37th verse, wherein Sanat-kumara says,"My dear King, the false ego of a human being is so strong that itkeeps him in material existence as if tied up by a strong rope. Onlythe devotees can cut off the knot of this strong rope very easily,by engaging themselves in Kr!J.a consciousness. Others, who are notin Kr!la consciousness but are trying to become great mystics orgreat ritual-performers,cannot advance like the devotees. Therefore,it is the duty of everyone to engage himself in the activities ofKr!la consciousness in order to be freed from the tight knot offalse ego and engagement in material activities."This tight knot of false ego is due to ignorance. As long as one isignorant about his identification, he is sure to act wrongly andthereby become entangled in material contamination. This ignoranceof factual knowledge can also be dissipated by Krr;ta consciousness,as is confirmed in the Padma Puriirw as follows: "Pure devotionalservice in Kr!J.a consciousness is the highest enlightenment, andwhen such enlightenment is there, it is just like a blazing forest fire,killing all the inauspicious snakes of desire." The example is beinggiven in this connection that when there is a forest fire the extensiveblazing automatically kills all the snakes in the forest. There aremany, many snakes on the ground of the forest, and when a firetakes place, it burns the dried foliage, and the snakes are immediatelyattacked. Animals who have four legs can flee from the fire or canat least try to flee, but the snakes are immediately killed. Similarly,the blazing fire of Kr!la consciousness is so strong that thesnakes of ignorance are immediately killed.

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 7Kra Consciousness is All-AuspiciousSrila Riipa Gosvami has given a definition of auspiciousness. Hesays that actual auspiciousness means welfare activities for all thepeople of the world. At the present moment groups of people areengaged in welfare activities in terms of society, community ornation. There is even an attempt in the form of the United Nationsfor world-help activity. But due to the shortcomings of limitednational activities, such a general mass welfare program for the wholeworld is not practically possible. The Kr9!1a consciousness movement,however, is so nice that it can render the highest benefit to the entirehuman race. Everyone can be attracted by this movement, and everyonecan feel the result. Therefore, Riipa Gosvami and other learnedscholars agree that a broad propaganda program for the Kr9!1a consciousnessmovement of devotional service all over the world is thehighest humanitarian welfare activity.How the Kr9!1a consciousness movement can attract the attentionof the whole world and how each and every man can feel pleasure inthis Kr9!1a consciousness is stated in the Padma Puriirw as follows: "Aperson who is engaged in devotional service in full Krwa consciousnessis to be understood to be doing the best service to the wholeworld and to be pleasing everyone in the world. In addition tohuman society, he is pleasing even the trees and animals because theyalso become attracted by such a movement." A practical example ofthis was shown by Lord Caitanya when He was traveling through theforests of Jharikhanda in central India for spreading His sankirtanamovement. The tigers, the elephants, the deer and all other wild animalsjoined Him and were participating, in their own ways, bydancing and chanting Hare Krwa.Furthermore, a person engaged in Kr9a consciousness, actingin devotional service, can develop all the good qualities that aregenerally found in the demigods. It is said by Sukadeva Gosvami inthe Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 18th Chapter, 12th verse,"My dear King, persons who have unflinching faith in Kr9!1a andare without any duplicity can develop all the good qualities of thedemigods. On account of a devotee's high grade of Kr9a conscious-

8 The Nectar o.fDevotionness even the demigods like to live with him, and therefore it can beunderstood that the qualities of the demigods have developed withinhis body."On the other hand, a person who is not in Kg;!J.a consciousness hasno good qualities. He may be highly educated from the academicpoint of view, but in the actual field of his activities he can be seento be baser than the animals. Even though a person is highly educatedacademically, if he cannot go beyond the sphere of mental activitiesthen he is sure to perform only material activities and thus remainimpure. There are so many persons in the modern world who havebeen highly educated in the materialistic universities, but it is seenthat they cannot take up the movement of Kr!la consciousnessand develop the high qualities of the demigods.For example, a Kr!la conscious boy, even if he is not very welleducated by the university standard, can immediately give up allillicit sex life, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication; whereas thosewho are not in Kr!la consciousness, although very highly educated,are often drunkards, meat-eaters, sex-mongers and gamblers. Theseare practical proofs of how a Kr!la conscious person becomes highlydeveloped in good qualities, whereas a person who is not in Krpaconsciousness cannot do so. We experience that even a young boy inKr1a consciousness is unattached to cinemas, night clubs, nakeddance shows, restaurants, liquor shops, etc. He becomes completelyfreed. He saves his valuable time from being extravagantly spent inthe way of smoking, drinking, attending the theater and dancing.One who is not in Kr!la consciousness usually cannot sit silentlyeven for half an hour. The yoga system teaches that if you becomesilent you will realize that you are God. This system may be all rightfor materialistic persons, but how long will they be able to keepthemselves silent? Artificially, they may sit down for so-calledmeditation, but immediately after their yogic performance, they willengage themselves again in such activities as illicit sex life, gambling,meat-eating and many other nonsensical things. But a Kr!la consciousperson gradually elevates himself without endeavoring for this socalledsilent meditation. Simply because he is engaged in Kr!laconsciousness he automatically gives up all this nonsense and develops

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 9a high character. One develops the highest character by becoming apure devotee of Kr!la. The conclusion is that no one can truly haveany good qualities if he is lacking Kr!la consciousness.Happiness in Kr!la ConsciousnessSrila Riipa Gosvami has analyzed the different sources of happiness.He has divided happiness into three categories, which are: 1)happiness derived from material enjoyment, 2) happiness derived byidentifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and 3) happinessderived from Krsna consciousness.In the Tantra-·s.dStra Lord Siva speaks to his wife, Sati, in this way:"My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself at the lotusfeet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kr!la consciousnesscan be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by theimpersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achievedby the pure devotees."Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highestbecause it is eternal. But the happiness derived from materialperfectionor understanding oneself to be Brahman is inferiorbecause it is temporary. There is no preventing one's falling downfrom material happiness,· and there is even every chance of fallingdown from the spiritual happiness derived out of identifying oneselfwith the impersonal Brahman.It has been seen that great miiyiiviidi (impersonalist) sannyiisis-very highly educated and almost realized souls-may sometimestake to political activities or to social welfare activities.The reason is that they actually do not derive any ultimate transcendentalhappiness in the impersonal understanding and thereforemust come down to the material platform and take to suchmundane affairs. There are many instances, especially in India,where thesemiiyiiviidi sann yiisis descend to the material platformagain. But a person who is fully in Krwa consciousness will neverreturn to any sort of material platform. However alluring andattracting they may be, he always knows that no material welfare

10 The Nectar of Devotionactivities can be compared with the spiritual activity of KraconsciOusness.The mystic perfections achieved by actually successful yogisare eight in number. A-t;limii-siddhi refers to the power by which onecan become so small that he can enter into a stone. Modern scientificimprovements also enable us to enter into stone because they providefor excavating so many subways, penetrating the hills, etc. So,al}imii-siddhi, the mystic perfection of trying to enter into stone,has also ben achieved by material science. Similarly, all of theyoga-siddhis, or perfections, are material arts. For example, in oneyoga-siddhi there is development of the power to become so lightthat one can float in the air or on water. That is also being performedby modern scientists. They are flying in the air, they are floating onthe surface of the water, and they are traveling under the water.After comparing all these mystic yoga-siddhis to materialisticperfections it is found that the materialistic scientists try for thesame perfections. So actually there is no difference between mysticperfection and materialistic perfection. A German scholar once saidthat the so-called yoga perfections have already been achieved bythe modern scientists, and so he was not concerned with them.He intelligently went to India to learn how he could understand hiseternal relationship with the Supreme Lord by means of bhaktiyoga,devotional service.Of course, in the categories of mystic perfection there are certainprocesses which, the material scientists have not yet been able todevelop. For instance, a mystic yogi can enter into the sun planetsimply by using the rays of the sunshine. This perfection is calledlaghimii. Similarly, a yogi can touch the moon with his finger.Though the modern astronauts go to the moon with the help ofspaceships, they undergo many difficulties, whereas a person withmystic perfection can extend his hand and touch the moon with hisfinger. This siddhi is called priipti, or acquisition. With this priiptisiddhi,the perfect mystic yogi can not only touch the moon planet,but he can extend his hand anywhere and take whatever he likes. Hemay be sitting thousands of miles away from a certain place, and if

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Servicellhe likes he can take fruit from a garden there. This is priipti-siddhi.The modern scientists have manufactured nuclear weapons withwhich they can destroy an insignificant part of this planet, but bythe yoga-siddhi known as isitii one can create and destroy an entireplanet simply at will. Another perfection is called vasitii, and bythis perfection one can bring anyone under his control. This is a kindof hypnotism which is almost irresistible. Sometimes it .is found thata yogi who may have attained a little perfection in this vasitii mysticpower comes out among the people and speaks all sorts of nonsense,controls their minds, exploits them, takes their money and then goesaway.There is another mystic perfection which is known as priikiimya(magic). By this priikiimya power one can achieve anything he likes.For example, one can make water enter into his eye and then againcome out from within the eye. Simply by his will he can performsuch wonderful activities.The highest perfection of mystic power is called kiimiivasiiyitii.This is also magic, but whereas the priikiimya power acts to createwonderful effects within the scope of nature, kiimiivasiiyitii permitsone to contradict nature-in other words, to do the impossible. Ofcourse, one can derive great amounts of temporary happiness byachieving such yogic materialistic perfections.Foolishly, people who are enamored of the glimmer of modernmaterialistic advancement are thinking that the Krl).a consciousnessmovement is for less intelligent men. "I am better off being busy withmy material comforts-maintaining a nice apartment, family and sexlife." These people do not know that at any moment they can bekicked out of their material situation. Due to ignorance, they do notknow that real life is eternal. The temporary comforts of the bodyare not the goal of life, and it is due only to darkest ignorance thatpeople become enamored of the glimmering advancement of materialcomforts.Snl.a Bhaktivinode Thakur has therefore said that the advancementof material knowledge renders a person more foolish because it causesone to forget his real identification by its glimmer. This is doom for

12 The Nectar of Devotionhim, because this human form of life is meant for getting out of thematerial contamination. By the advancement of material knowledge,people are becoming more and more entangled in material existence.They have no hope of being liberated from this catastrophe.In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is stated that Prahlada Maharaj, agreat devotee of the Lord, prayed to Nrsimhadeva (the half-lion halfmanincarnation), as follows: "My dear Lord, I repeatedly pray untoYour lotus feet that I may simply be stronger in devotional service. Isimply pray that my Krwa consciousness may be more strong andsteady, because happiness derived out of Kra consciousness anddevotional service is so powerful that with it one can have all theother perfections of religiousness, economic development, sensegratification and even the attainment of liberation from materialexistence."Actually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these perfectionsbecause the happiness derived from devotional service inKrpa consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that noother happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one dropof happiness in Kra consciousness stands beyond comparison withan ocean of happiness derived from any other activity. Thus, anyperson who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotionalservice can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derivedfrom religiousness, economic development, sense gratificationand liberation.There was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya known as KholavecaSridhara, who was a very poor man. He was doing a small businessselling cups made from the leaves of plantain trees, and his incomewas almost nothing. Still, he was spending fifty percent of his smallincome on the worship of the Ganges, and with the other fifty percenthe was somehow living. Lord Caitanya once revealed Himself tothis confidential devotee, Kholaveca Srldhara, and offered him anyopulence that he liked. But Srldhara informed the Lord that he didnot want any material opulence. He was quite happy in his presentposition and wanted only to gain unflinching faith and devotion untothe lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. That is the position of the pure de-

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 13votees. If they can be engaged twenty-four hours each day in devotionalservice they do not want anything else, not even the happinessof liberation or of becoming one with the supreme.In the Niirada-paiicariitra it is also said that any person who hasdeveloped even a small amount of devotional service doesn't carea fig for any kind of happiness derived from religiousness, economicdevelopment, sense gratification, or the five kinds of liberation.Any kind of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development,liberation or sense gratification cannot even dare to enterinto the heart of a pure devotee. It is stated that as the personalattendants and maidservants of a queen follow the queen withall respect and obeisances, similarly the joys of religiousness, economicdevelopment, sense gratification and liberation follow the devotionalservice of the Lord. In other words, a pure devotee does not lack anykind of happiness derived from any source. He does not want anythingbut service to Kra, but even if he should have another desire,the Lord fulfills this without the devotee's asking.Rareness of Pure Devotional ServiceIn the preliminary phase of spiritual life there are different kindsof austerities, penances and similar processes for attaining selfrealization.However, even if an executor of these processes is withoutany material desire, he still cannot achieve devotional service.And aspiring by oneself alone to achieve devotional service is alsonot very hopeful because Kra does not agree to award devotionalservice to merely anyone. Krwa can easily offer a person materialhappiness or even liberation, but He does not agree very easily toaward a person engagement in His devotional service. Devotionalservice can in fact be attained only through the mercy of a puredevotee. In the Caitanya-caritiimrta it is said: "By the mercy of thespiritual master who is a pure devotee and by the mercy of Kra onecan achieve the platform of devotional service. There is no otherway. "The rarity of devotional service is also confirmed in the Tantra-

14 The Nectar of Devotionsiistra where Lord Siva says to Sati, "My dear Sati, if one is a veryfine philosopher, analyzing the different processes of knowledge, hecan achieve liberation from the material entanglement. By performanceof the ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas one canbe elevated to the platform of pious activities and thereby enjoy thematerial comforts of life to the fullest extent. But all such endeavorscan hardly offer anyone devotional service to the Lord, not even ifone tries for it by such processes for many, many thousands ofbirths."In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is also confirmed by Prahlada Maharajthat merely by personal efforts or by the instructions of higherauthorities one cannot attain to the stage of devotional service. Onemust become blessed by the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devoteewho is completely freed from the contamination of material desires.In the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 6th Chapter, 18th verse,Narada also says to Yudhithira, "My dear King, it is Lord Kr!la,known as Mukunda, who is the eternal protector of the Pa!\9-avasand the Y ad us. He is also your spiritual master and instructor inevery respect. He is the only worshipable God for you. He is verydear and affectionate, and He is the director of all your activities,both individual and familial. And what's more, He sometimes carriesout your orders as if He were your messenger! My dear King, howvery fortunate you are, because for others all these favors given toyou by the Supreme Lord would not even be dreamt of." The purportto this verse is that the Lord easily offers liberation, but Herarely agrees to offer a soul devotional service because by devotionalservice the Lord Himself becomes purchased by the devotee.The Happiness of Becoming One with the SupremeSrila Rupa Gosvami says that if brahmiinanda, or the happiness ofbecoming one with the Supreme, is multiplied by one trillionfold,still it cannot be compared with an atomic fraction of the happinessderived from the ocean of devotional service.In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya Prahlada Maharaj, while satisfying

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 15Lord Nrsimhadeva by his prayers, says: "My dear Lord of the universe,I am feeling transcendental pleasure in Your presence and havebecome merged in the ocean of happiness. I now consider the happinessof brahmananda to be no more than the water in the impressionleft by a cow's hoof in the earth, compared to this ocean of bliss."Similarly, it is confirmed in the Bhavartha-dipika, Sridhara Svami'scommentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam: "My dear Lord, some ofthe fortunate persons who are swimming in the ocean of Your nectarof devotion, and who are relishing the nectar of the narration of Yourpastimes, certainly know ecstasies which immediately minimize thevalue of the happiness derived from religiousness, economic development,sense gratification and liberation. Such a transcendental devoteeregards any kind of happiness other than devotional service as nobetter than straw in the street."Attracting KaSrila Riipa Gosvami has stated that devotional service attracts evenKra. Kra attracts everyone, but devotional service attracts Kra.The symbol of devotional service in the highest degree is Radharai.Kra is called Madana-mohana, which means that He is so attractivethat He can defeat the attraction of thousands of Cupids. ButRadharani is still more attractive, for She can even attract Krsna.. . ..Therefore devotees call Her Madana-mohana-mohani-the attractor ofthe attractor of Cupid.To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps ofRadharai, and devotees in Vrndavana put themselves under thecare of Radharai in order to achieve perfection in their devotionalservice. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of thematerial world; it is directly under the control of Radharai. InBhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the mahatmas, or great souls, areunder the protection of daivi prakrti, the internal energy-Radharai.So, being directly under the control of the internal potency of Kra,devotional service attracts even Kr!la Himself.This fact is corroborated by Kra in the Eleventh Canto of

16 The Nectar of DevotionSrimad-Bhiigavatam, 12th Chapter, lst verse, where He says: "Mydear Uddhava, you may know it from Me that the attraction I feelfor devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be attainedeven by the performance of mystic yoga, philosophical speculation,ritualistic sacrifices, the study of Vedanta, the practice of severeausterities or the giving of everything in charity. These are, of course,very nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendentalloving service rendered by My devotees."How Kn;a becomes attracted by the devotional service of Hisdevotees is described by Narada in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, SeventhCanto, lOth Chapter, 37th verse. There Narada addresses KingYudhithira while the King is appreciating the glories of the characterof Prahlada Maharaj. A devotee always appreciates the activities ofother devotees. Yudhithira Maharaj was appreciating the qualitiesof Prahlada, and that is one symptom of a pure devotee. A puredevotee never thinks himself as great; he always thinks that otherdevotees are greater than himself. The King was thinking, "PrahladaMaharaj is actually a devotee of the Lord, while I am nothing,"and while thinking this he was addressed by Narada as follows:"My dear King Yudhithira, in this world you [the Pa9ava brothers]are the only fortunate people. The Supreme Personality of Godheadhas appeared on this planet and is presenting Himself to you as anordinary human being. He is always with you in all circumstances.He is living with you and covering Himself from the eyes of others.Others cannot understand that He is the Supreme Lord, but He is stillliving with you as your cousin, as your friend and even as your messenger.Therefore you must know that nobody in this world is morefortunate than you."In the Bhagavad-gitii, when Krwa appeared in His universal form,Arjuna prayed: "My dear Kra, I thought of You as my cousinbrother,and so I have shown disrespect to You in so many ways,calling You Kra, or friend. But You are so great that I could notunderstand." So that was the position of the Pap9avas; althoughKrwa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the greatest among allgreats, still He remained with those royal brothers, being attractedby their devotion, by their friendship and by their love. That is the

-Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 17proof of how great this process of devotional service is. It can attracteven the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is great, but devotionalservice is greater than God because it attracts Him. People whoare not in devotional service can never understand what great valuethere is in rendering service to the Lord.JI!

2 I The First Stages of DevotionThe three categories of devotional service which Srila Riipa Gosvamidescribes in Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu are listed as devotionalservice in practice, devotional service in ecstasy and devotional servicein pure love of Godhead. There are many sub-headings in each ofthese categories. Generally it is understood that in the category ofdevotional service in practice there are two different qualities; devotionalservice in ecstasy has four qualities, and devotional service inpure love of Godhead has six qualities. These qualities will be explainedby Srila Riipa Gosvami later on.In this connection, Srila Riipa Gosvami suggests that the personeligible for .Kra consciousness or devotional service can be classifiedby his particular taste. He says that devotional service is a continualprocess from one's previous life. No one can take to devotional serviceunless he has had some previous connection with it. For example,suppose in this life I practice devotional service to some extent. Eventhough it is not one hundred percent perfectly performed, still whateverI have done will not be lost. In my next life, from the very pointwhere I stopped in this life, I shall begin again. In this way there isalways a continuity. But even if there is no continuity, if only bychance a person takes interest in a pure devotee's instruction, he canbe accepted and advance in devotional service. Anyway, for personswho have a natural taste for understanding books like the Bhagavadgitiiand Srimad-Bhiigavatam, devotional service is easier than for thosewho are simply accustomed to mental speculation and argumentativeprocesses.To support this statement there are many authoritative assertions18

The First Stages of Devotion 19by the learned scholars of bygone ages. According to their generalopinion, a person may become governed by certain convictions derivedby his own arguments and decisions. Then another person, whomay be a greater logician, will nullify these conclusions and establishanother thesis. In this way the path of argument will never be safeor conclusive. The Srimad-Bhiigavatam recommends, therefore, thatone follow in the footsteps of the authorities.Here is a general description of devotional service given by SriRiipa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu. Previously, it has beenstated that devotional service can be divided into three categoriesnamely,devotional service in practice, devotional service in ecstasy,and devotional service in pure love of God. Now Sri Riipa Gosvamiproposes to describe devotional service in practice.Practice means employing our senses in some particular type ofwork. Therefore devotional service in practice means utilizing ourdifferent sensory organs in service to Krrta. Some of the senses aremeant for acquiring knowledge, and some are meant for executingthe conclusions of our thinking, feeling and willing. So practicemeans employing both the mind and the senses in practical devotionalservice. This practice is not for developing something artificial.For example, a child learns or practices to walk. This walking is notunnatural. The walking capacity is there originally in the child, andsimply by a little practice he walks very nicely. Similarly, devotionalservice to the Supreme Lord is the natural instinct of every livingentity. Even uncivilized men like the aborigines offer their respectfulobeisances to something wonderful exhibited by nature's law, andthey appreciate that behind some wonderful exhibition or actionthere is something supreme. So this consciousness, though lyingdormant in those who are materially contaminated, is found inevery living entity. And, when purified, this is called Krrta consciOusness.There are certain prescribed methods for employing our senses andmind in such a way that our dormant consciousness for loving Krrtawill be invoked, as much as the child, with a little practice, can beginto walk. One who has no basic walking capacity cannot walk bypractice. Similarly, Krrta consciousness cannot be aroused simply by

20 The Nectar of Devotionpractice. Actually there is no such practice. When we wish to developour innate capacity for devotional service there are certain processeswhich, by our accepting and executing them, will cause that dormantcapacity to be invoked. Such practice is called sadhana-bhakti.Every living entity under the spell of material energy is held to bein an abnormal condition of madness. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam itis said: "Generally, the conditioned soul is mad because he is alwaysengaged in activities which are the causes of bondage and suffering."Spirit soul in its original condition is joyful, blissful, eternal and fullof knowledge. Only by his implication in material activities hashe become miserable, temporary and full of ignorance. This is dueto vikarma. Vikarma means actions which should not be done. Therefore,we must practice sadhana-bhakti-which means to offermangala-aratrika (Deity worship) in the morning, to refrain fromcertain material activities, to offer obeisances to the spiritual masterand to follow many other rules and regulations which will be discussedhere one after another. These practices will help one to becomecured of madness. As a man's mental disease is cured by thedirections of a psychiatrist, so this sadhana-bhakti cures the conditionedsoul of his madness under the spell of maya, material illusion.Narada Muni mentions this sadhana-bhakti in the Srimad­Bhagavatam, Seventh Canto, lst Chapter, 30th verse. He says thereto King Yudhithira: "My dear King, one has to fix his mind-on Kraby any means." That is called Kra consciousness. It is the duty ofthe acarya, the spiritual master, to find the ways and means for hisdisciple to fix his mind on Krwa. That is the beginning of sadhanab!Jakti.Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us an authorized program forthis purpose, centered around the chanting of the Hare Kr§!Wmantra.This chanting has so much power that it immediatelyattaches one to Kra. That is the beginning of sadhana-bhakti.Somehow or other, one has to fix his mind on Kra. The greatsaint Ambar'ia Maharaj, although a responsible king, fixed his mindon Kra, and similarly anyone who tries to fix his mind in this waywill very rapidly make progress in successfully reviving his originalKra consciousness.

The First Stages of Devotion 21Now this siidhana-bhakti, or practice of devotional service, can alsobe divided into two parts. The first part is called regulative principles:one has to follow these different regulative principles by the orderof the spiritual master, or on the strength of authoritative scriptures,and there can be no question of refusal. That is called vaidhi, orregulated. One has to do it without any argument. Another part ofsiidhana-bhakti is called riigiinugii. Riigiinugii refers to the point atwhich, by following the regulative principles, one becomes a littlemore attached to Kraand executes devotional service out ofnatural love. For example, a person engaged in devotional service maybe ordered to rise early in the morning and offer iiriitrika, which isa form of Deity worship. In the beginning, by the order of hisspiritual master, one rises early in the morning and offers iiriitrika,but then he develops real attachment. When he gets this attachment,he automatically tries to decorate the Deity and prepare differentkinds of dresses and thinks of different plans to execute his devotionalservice nicely. Although it is within the category of practice,this offering of loving service is spontaneous. So the practice of devotionalservice, siidhana-bhakti, can be divided into two parts-namely,regulative and spontaneous.Riipa Gosvami defines the first part of devotional practice, orvaidhi-bhakti, as follows: "When there is no attachment or nospontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in theservice of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of thespiritual master or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatoryservice is called vaidhi-bhakti."These principles of vaidhi-bhakti are also described in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Second Canto, lst Chapter, verse 35, where SukadevaGosvami instructs the dying Maharaj Parikit as to his course ofaction. Maharaj Parikit met Sukadeva Gosvami just a week beforehis death, and the King was perplexed as to what should be donebefore he was to pass on. Many other sages also arrived there, butno one could give him the proper direction. Sukadeva Gosvami,however, gave this direction to him as follows: "My dear King, if youwant to be fearless in meeting your death next week (for actuallyeveryone is afraid at the point of death), then you must immediately

22 The Nectar of Devotionbegin the process of hearing and chanting and remembering God."If one can chant and hear Hare K:ra and always remember LordK:ra, then he is sure to become fearless of death, which may comeat any moment.In the statements of Sukadeva Gosvami it is said that the SupremePersonality of Godhead is K:ra. Therefore Sukadeva recommendsthat one should always hear about K:ra. He does not recommendthat one hear and chant about the demigods. The miiyiiviidis(impersonalists) say that you can chant any name, either that ofK:ra or those of the demigods, and the result will be the same.But actually this is not a fact. According to the authorized versionof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, one has to hear and chant abou't LordViu (K:ra) only.So Sukadeva Gosvami has recommended to Parikit Maharaj thatin order to be fearless of death one has to hear and chant and rememberthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, K:ra, by all means. Healso mentions that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sarviitmii.Sarviitmii means "the supersoul of everyone." K:ra is also men- .tioned as isvara, the supreme controller who is situated in everyone'sheart. Therefore, if some way or other we become attached to K:ra,He will make us free from all danger. In the Bhagavad-gitii it is saidthat anyone who becomes a devotee of the Lord is never vanquished.Others, however, are always vanquished. Vanquished means thatafter getting this human form of life, a person does not come out ofthe entanglement of birth and death and thus misses his golden opportunity.Such a person does not know where he is being thrown by'the laws of nature.Suppose one does not develop K:ra consciousness in this humanform of life. He will be thrown into the cycle of birth and death involving8,400,000 species of life, and his spiritual identity will remainlost. One does not know whether he is going to be a plant, or abeast, or a bird, or something like that, because there are so manyspecies of life. The recommendation of Riipa Gosvami for revivingour original Kra consciousness is that somehow or other we shouldapply our minds to Kra very seriously. and thus also become fearlessof death. After death we do not know our destination, because

The First Stages of Devotion 23we are completely under the control of the laws of nature. OnlyKra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is controller over thelaws of nature. Therefore, if we take shelter of Kra seriously, therewill be no fear of being thrown back into the cycle of so many speciesof life. A sincere devotee will surely be transferred to the abodeof Kra, as affirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii.In the Padma Puriir;w also the same process is advised. There it issaid that one should always remember Lord Viu. This is calleddhyiina, or meditation-always remembering Kra. It is said that onehas to meditate with his mind fixed upon Viu. Padma Puriir;wrecommends that one always fix his mind on the form of Viu bymeditation and not forget Him at any tnoment. And this state ofconsciousness is called samiidhi, or trance.We should always try to mold the activities of our lives in such away that we will constantly remember Viu, or Kra. That is Kraconsciousness. Whether one concentrates his mind on the four-.handed form of Viu or on the form of two-handed Kra, it is thesame. The Padma Puriirza recommends: somehow or other, alwaysthink of Vil)U without forgetting Him under any circumstances.Actually, this is the most basic of all regulative principles. For, whenthere is an order from a superior about doing something, there issimultaneously a prohibition. When the order is that one should alwaysremember Krwa, the prohibition is that one should never forgetHim. Within this simple order and prohibition all regulative principlesare found complete.This regulative principle is applicable to all varrzas and iisramas, thecastes and occupations of life. There are four varrzas, namely, thebriihmarzas (priests and intellectuals), the k§atriyas (warriors andstatesmen), the vaisyas (businessmen and farmers) and the siidras(laborers and servants). There are also four standard iisramas, namelybrahmacarya (student life), grhastha (householder), viinaprastha (retired)and sannyiisa (renounced). The regulative principles are notonly for the brahmaciiris (celibate students) to follow, but are applicablefor all. It doesn't matter whether one is a beginner-a brahmaciiri-orif one is very advanced-a sannyiisi. The principle of rememberingthe Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not for-

24 The Nectar of Devotiongetting Him at any moment is meant to be followed by everyonewithout fail.If this injunction is followed, then all other rules and regulationswill automatically fall into line. All other rules and regulationsshould be treated as assistants or servants to this one basic principle.The injunctions of rules and regulations and the resultant reactionsare mentioned in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 5thChapter, 1st and 2nd verses. Camasa Muni, one of the nine sages whocame to instruct King Nimi, addressed the King and said, "The foursocial orders, namely the briihma!las, the k§atriyas, the vaisyas, andthe siidras, have come out of the different parts of the universal formof the Supreme Lord as follows: the briihmaflaS have come out fromthe head, the k§atriyas have come out from the arms, the vaisyas havecome out from the waist, and the siidras have come out from the legs.Similarly, the sannyiisis have come out from the head, the viinaprasthasfrom the arms, the grhasthas from the waist, and the b rahmaciirisfrom the legs."These different orders of society and grades of spiritual advancementare conceived in terms of qualification. It is confirmed in theBhagavad-gitii that the four social orders and the four spiritual ordersare created by the Lord Himself, in terms of different individualqualities. As the different parts of the body have different types ofactivities, so the social orders and spiritual orders also have differenttypes of activities in terms of qualification and position. The targetof these activities, however, is always the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii, "He is the supreme enjoyer."So whether one is a briihma!la or a siidra, he has to satisfy theSupreme Lord by his activities. This is also confirmed in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam by a verse which reads: "Everyone must be engaged inhis particular duty, but the perfection of such work should be testedby how far the Lord is satisfied with such activities." The injunctionherein is that one has to act according to his position, and by suchactivities one must either satisfy the Supreme Persorality or else falldown from his position.For example, a briihma!la who is born out of the head of the Lordhas as his business to preach the transcendental Vedic sounds, or sabda-

u,\The First Stages of Devotion 25brahman. Because the briihmar.a is the head, he has to preach thetranscendental sound, and he also has to eat on behalf of the SupremeLord. According to Vedic injunctions, when a briihmar.a eats it is tobe understood that the Personality of Godhead is eating through him.It is not, however, that the briihmal)a should simply eat on behalf ofthe Lord and not preach the message of the Bhagavad-gitii to theworld. Actually, one .who preaches the message of the Gitii is verydear to Kra, as is confirmed in the Gitii itself. Such a preacher isfactually a briihmar.a and thus by feeding him one feeds the SupremeLord directly.Similarly, the k§atriya has to protect people from the onslaughtsof miiyii. That is his duty. For example, as soon as Maharaj Parikitsaw that a black man was attempting to kill a cow, he immediatelytook his sword, wanting to kill the black man, whose name was Kali. *That is a k§atriya's duty. Violence is required in order to give protection.In the Bhagavad-gitii, Lord Kra directly gave His order toArjuna to commit violence on the battlefield of Kuruketra, just togive protection to the people in general.The vaisyas are meant for producing agricultural products, tradingthem and distributing them. And the working class, or sudras, arethose who haven't the intelligence of the briihmal)as or the k§atriyasor the vaiSyas, and therefore they are meant to help these higherclasses by bodily labor. In this way, there is full cooperation andspiritu:tl advancement amongst all the different orders of society.And when there is no such cooperation, the members of society willfall down. That is the present position in the kali-yuga, this age ofquarrel. Nobody is doing his duty, and everyone is simply puffed-upby calling himself a briihmal)a (intellectual) or a k§atriya (soldier orstatesman). But actually, such people are without status. They areout of touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead because theyare not Krsna conscious. Therefore the Krsna consciousness move-.. . .ment is intended to set the whole of human society in proper condi-..*Not to be confused with Kali, the demigoddess who is the devastating featureof material nature. The latter is actually pronounced kiih-lee, whereas the Kaliunder discussion here (as in the age of kali) is pronounced kuh-ly.

26 The Nectar of Devotiontion so that everyone will be happy and take profit from developingKrsna consciousness ..Lord Sri Kra instructed Uddhava that by following the injunctionsof the social and spiritual orders of human society one cansatisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as a result of suchsatisfaction the whole society gets all the necessities of life amply andwithout difficulty. This is because, after all, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead maintains all other living entities. If the whole societyperforms its respective duties and remains in Kra consciousness"'"there is no doubt that all of its members will live very peacefully and hl.happily. Without wanting the necessities of life, the whle world willbe turned intoVaiku!'-tha, a spiritual abode. Even without beingtransferred to the kingdom of God, by following the injunctions ofthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam and prosecuting the duties of Kra consciousness,all human society will be happy in all respects.There is a similar statement by Sri Kra Himself to U ddhava inthe Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 5th Chapter, 2nd verse.The Lord says there, "My dear Uddhava, all persons are engaged inactivities, whether those indicated in the revealed scriptures or ordinaryworldly activities. If by the result of either of such activitiesthey worship Me in Kra consciousness, then automatically they becomevery happy within this world as well as in the next. Of thisthere is no doubt." We can conclude from this statement by Kn;athat activities in Kra consciousness will give everyone all perfectionin their desires.Thus the Kra consciousness movement is so nice that there is noneed of even designating oneself briihma!'-a, k§atriya, vaisya, siidra,brahmaciiri, grhastha, viinaprastha or sannyiisi. Let everyone be engagedin whatever occupation he now has. Simply let him worshipLord Kra by the result of his activities in Krwa consciousness. Thatwill adjust the whole situation,and everyone will be happy and peacefulwithin this world. In the Niirada-paiicariitra the regulative principlesof devotional service are described as follows: "Any activitiessanctioned in the revealed scriptures and aiming at the satisfaction ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead are accepted by saintly teachersas the regulative principles of devotional service. If somebody regu-

...The First Stages of Devotion 27larly executes such service unto the Supreme Personality of Godheadunder the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, then gradually herises to the platform of serving in pure love of God."lr

3 I Eligibility of the Candidatefor Accepting Devotional ServiceOn account of his association with mahatmas, or great souls onehundred percent in the devotional service of the Lord, one may attaina little bit of attraction for Sri' Kra. But at the same time onemay remain very much attached to fruitive activities and materialsense enjoyment and not be prepared to undergo the different typesof renunciation. Such a person, if he has unflinching attraction toKra, becomes an eligible candidate for discharging devotionalserVIce.This attraction for K{a consciousness in association with puredevotees is the sign of great fortune. It is confirmed by Lord Caitanyathat only the fortunate persons, by the mercy of both a bona fidespiritual master and Kra, will get the seed of devotional service. Inthis connection, Lord Kra says in Srimad-Bhagavatam, EleventhCanto, 20th Chapter, verse 8: "My dear Uddhava, only by exceptionalfortune does someone become attracted to Me (Kra).And even if one is not completely detached from fruitive activities,or is not completely attached to devotional service, such service isquickly effective."Devotees can be divided into three classes. The first or uppermostclass is described as follows: one is very expert in the study of relevantscriptures, and he is also expert in putting forward arguments interms of those scriptures. He can very nicely present conclusionswith perfect discretion and can consider the ways of devotional servicein a decisive way. He understands perfectly that the ultimategoal of life is to attain to the transcendental loving service of Kra,and he knows that Kra is the only object of worship and love. This28

Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service 29first-class devotee is one who has strictly followed the rules and regulationsunder the training of a bona fide spiritual master and has sincerelyobeyed him in accord with revealed scriptures. Thus beingfully trained to preach and become a spiritual master himself, he isconsidered first-class. A first-class devotee never ·deviates from theprinciples of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scripturesby understanding with all reasons and arguments. When we speak ofarguments and reason, it means arguments and reason on the basis ofrevealed scripture. The first-class devotee is not interested in dryspeculative methods meant for wasting time. In other words, onewho has attained a mature determination in the matter of devotionalservice can be accepted as the first-class devotee.The second-class deotee has been defined by the following symptoms:he is not very expert in arguing on the strength of revealedscripture, but he has firm faith in the objective. The purport of thisdescription is that the second-class devotee has firm faith in the procedureof devotional service unto Kra, but he may sometimes failto offer arguments and decisions on the strength of revealed scriptureto an opposing party. But at the same time he is still undauntedwithin himself as to his decision that Kra is the supreme object ofworship.The neophyte or third-class devotee is one whose faith is notstrong and, at the same time, does not recognize the decision of therevealed scripture. The neophyte's faith can be changed by someoneelse with strong arguments or by an opposite decision. Unlike thesecond-class devotee, who also cannot put forward arguments andevidences from the scripture, but who still has all faith in the objective,the neophyte has no firm faith in the objective. Thus he is calledthe neophyte devotee.Further classification of the neophyte devotee is made in theBhagavad-gitii. It is stated there that four classes of men-namelythose who are distressed, those who are in need of money, those whoare inquisitive and those who are wise-begin devotional service andcome to the Lord for relief in the matter of their respective selfsatisfaction.They go into some place of worship and pray to God formitigation f material distress, or for some economic development,

30 The Nectar of Devotionor to satisfy their inquisitiveness. And a wise man who simply realizesthe greatness of God is also counted amongst the neophytes. Suchbeginners can be elevated to the second-class or first-class platformif they associate with pure devotees.An example of the neophyte class is Maharaj Dhruva. He was inneed of his father's kingdom and therefore engaged himself in devotionalservice to the Lord. Then in the end when he was completelypurified he declined to accept any material benediction from theLord. Similarly, Gajendra was also distressed and prayed to Krgmfor protection, after which he became . a pure devotee. Similarly,Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda and Sanat-kumara were all in the categoryof wise, saintly persons, and they were also attracted by devotionalservice. A similar thing happened to the assemblage in theN aimiara!lya forest, headed by the sage Saunaka. They were inquisitiveand were always asking Siita Gosvami about Kr9!1a. Thus theyachieved the association of a pure devotee and became pure devoteesthemselves. So that is the way of elevating oneself. In whatever conditionone may be, if he is fortunate enough to associate with puredevotees, then very quickly he is elevated to the second-class or firstclassplatform.These four types of devotees have been described i'n the SeventhChapter of the Bhagavad-gitii, and they have all been accepted aspious. Without becoming pious no one can come to devotional service.It is explained in the Bhagavad-gitii that only one who has continuallyexecuted pious activities and whose sinful reactions in lifehave completely stopped can take to Kr9!1a consciousness. Otherscannot. The neophyte devotees are classified into four groups-thedistressed, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise-accordingto their gradations of pious activities. Without pious activities,if a man is in a distressed condition h_e becomes an agnostic,communist or something like that. Because he does not firmly believein God, he thinks that he can adjust his distressed condition bytotally disbelieving in Him.Lord Kr9!!a, however, has explained in the Gitii that out of thesefour types of neophytes, the one who is wise is very dear to Him becausea wise man, if he is attached to Kr9p.a, is not seeking an ex-

Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service 31change of material benefits. A wise man who becomes attached toK r wa does not want any return from Him, neither in the form of relievingdistress, nor in gaining money. This means that from the verybeginning his basic principle of attachment to Krpa is, more or less,love. Furthermore, due to his wisdom and study of siistras (scriptures),he can understand also that Krpa is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead.It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii that after many, many births,when one becomes actually wise, he surrenders unto Vasudeva,knowing perfectly well that Kr!la (Vasudeva) is the origin and causeof all causes. Therefore, he sticks to the lotus feet of Krwa andgradually develops love for Him. Although such a wise man is verydear to Kr!la, the others are also accepted as very magnanimousbecause even though they are distressed or in need of money, theyhave come to Kr!la for satisfaction. Thus they are accepted as liberal,broad-minded mahiitmiis.Without being elevated to the position of a jiiiini, or wise man,no one can stick to the principle of worshiping the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. Others who are less intelligent, or those whoseintelligence has been taken away by the spell of miiyii, are attachedto different demigods, on account of the influence of the modes ofnature. The wise man is he who has thoroughly understood that he isspirit soul and not simply a body. Because he realizes that he is spiritand that Kr!la is the supreme spirit, he knows that his intimaterelationship should be with Krwa, not with this body. The distressedand the man in want of money are in the material concept of lifebecause distress and need of money are both in relationship with thisbody. One who is inquisitive may be a little above the distressed andthe man in need of money, but still he is on the material platform.But a wise man who seeks Kr!la knows perfectly well that he is spiritsoul, or Brahman, and that Kr!la is the supreme spirit soul, or Param­Brahman. He knows that the spirit soul, being subordinate and finite,should always dovetail himself with the infinite and supreme soul,Krwa. That is the relationship of the wise man with Krpa.It can be concluded that a person who is freed from the bodilyconcept of life is an eligible candidate for pure devotional service. It

32 The Nectar of Devotionis also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii that after Brahman realization,when one is freed from material anxieties and can see every livingentity on an equal level, he is eligible to enter into devotional service.As has been stated before, there are three kinds of happiness:material, spiritual and devotional. Devotional service and the happinessdue to its execution are not possible so long as one is materiallyaffected. If someone has desire for material enjoyment or for becomingone with the supreme, these are both considered material concepts.Because the impersonalists cannot appreciate the spiritual happinessof association and the exchange of loving affairs with the SupremePersonality of Godhead, their ultimate goal is to hecome onewith the Lord. This concept is simply an extension of the materialidea. In the material world, everyone is trying to be the topmost headmanamongst all his fellow men or neighbors. Either communally,socially or nationally, everyone is competing to be greater than allothers, in the material concept of life. This greatness can be extendedto the unlimited, so that one actually wants to become one with thegreatest of all, the Supreme Lord. This is also a material concept,although maybe a little more advanced.However, the perfect spiritual concept of life is complete knowledgeof one's constitutional position, and thus one knows enough todovetail himself in the transcendental loving service to the Lord. Onemust know that he is finite and that the Lord is infinite. Thus it isnot possible to actually become one with the Lord even if one aspiresfor this. It is simply not possible. Therefore, anyone who has anydesire or aspiration for satisfying his senses by becoming more andmore important, either in the material sense or in the spiritual sense,cannot actually relish the really sweet taste of devotional service.Snl.a Rupa Gosvami has therefore compared possessing these bhukti(material) and mukti (liberation) desires with being influenced by theblack art of a witch: in both cases one is in trouble. Bhukti meansmaterial enjoyment, and mukti means to become freed from materialanxiety and to become one with the Lord. These desires are comparedto being haunted by ghosts and witches, because while these aspirationsfor material enjoyment or spiritual oneness with the supreme

Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service 33remain, no one can relish the actual transcendental taste of devotionalservice.A pure devotee never cares for liberation. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhuprayed to Kr:ra: "My dear son of Nanda, I do not want anymaterial happiness in the shape of many followers, nor immenseopulence in wealth, nor any beautiful wife, nor do I want cessationfrom material existence. I may take birth many times, one afteranother, but what I pray from You is that my devotion unto Youmay always remain unflinching."The attention of a pure devotee is so much attracted to glorificationof the pastimes, name, qualities, forms, etc., of the Lord thatthe devotee does not care for mukti. Sri Bilvamailgala Thakur hassaid, "If I am engaged in devotional service unto You, my dearLord, then very easily can I perceive Your presence everywhere.And as far as liberation is concerned, I think liberation stands at mydoor with folded hands waiting to serve me." To pure devotees,therefore, liberation and spiritual emancipation are not very importantthings.In this connection, in the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,Chapter 25, verse 23, Kapiladeva has advised His mother, Devahuti,as follows: "My dear Mother, My pure devotees are charmed byseeing My different forms, the beauty of My face, the structure ofMy body so enchanting. My laughing, My pastimes and My glanceappear to them so beautiful that their minds are always absorbedin thoughts of Me, and their lives are dedicated fully unto Me. Althoughsuch people do not desire any kind of liberation or any kindof material happiness, still I give them a place amongst My associatesin the supreme abode."This evidence from Srimad-Bhiigavatam gives assurance to the puredevotee of being elevated to association with the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. Snl.a Rupa Gosvami remarks in this connection thatone who is actually attracted by the beauty of the lotus feet ofSri Kr:ra or His service, and whose heart, by such attraction, isalways full with transcendental bliss, will naturally never aspire afterthe liberation which is so valuable to the impersonalists.A similar passage is also there in the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, of

34 The Nectar of Devotionthe same book, wherein Uddhava addresses Lord Krt;ta and says,"My dear Lord, for persons who are engaged in Your transcendentalloving service there is nothing worth obtaining from religiousness,economic development, sense gratification or liberation-althoughhappiness from these different sources can be very easily had bythem. In spite of such facilities, my dear Lord, I do not aspire toachieve any such results. My only prayer is that I may have unflinchingfaith and devotion unto Your lotus feet."A similar passage appears in the Third Canto, 25th Chapter, 31stverse, wherein Kapiladeva instructs His mother and says, "My dearMother, devotees whose hearts are always filled in the service of Mylotus feet, and who are prepared to do anything for My satisfaction,especially those who assemble together to understand My qualities,pastimes and form, and thus glorify Me congregationally and derivetranscendental pleasure therefrom, such fortunate devotees never desireto become one with Me. And not to speak of becoming one withMe, if they are offered a post like Mine in My abode, or opulencelike Mine, or even personal association with Me with similar bodilyfeatures, they refuse to accept because they are satisfied simply bybeing engaged in My devotional service."In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Fourth Canto, 9th Chapter, lOth verse,King Dhruva says, "My dear Lord, the transcendental pleasure derivedby meditation upon Your lotus feet, which is enjoyed by thepure devotees, cannot be approached by the transcendental pleasurederived by the impersonalists through self realization. So how can thefruitive workers, who at most can aspire to promotion to the higherheavenly planets, understand You, and how can they be described asenjoying a happiness similar to the devotees' happiness?"

4 I Devotional ServiceSurpasses All LiberationHow much a devotee is seriously attached to the devotional serviceof the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood from thestatement of Mahariij Prthu (Adiraja) which is described in Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Fourth Canto, 20th Chapter, 21st verse. He prays tothe Supreme Personality of Godhead thusly: "My dear Lord, if aftertaking liberation I have no chance of hearing the glories of YourLordship, glories chanted by pure devotees from the core of theirhearts in praise of Your lotus feet, and if I have no chance for thishoney of transcendental bliss, then I shall never ask for liberationor this so-called spiritual emancipation. I shall simply always prayunto Your Lordship that You may give me millions of tongues andmillions of ears so that I can constantly chant and hear of Yourtranscendental glories."The impersonalists desire to merge into the existence of the supreme,but without keeping their individuality they have no chanceof hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. Becausethey have no idea of the transcendental form of the Supreme Lordthere is no chance of their chanting and hearing of His transcendentalactivities. In other words, unless one is already beyond liberation,one cannot relish the transcendental glories of the Lord, nor can oneunderstand the transcendental form of the Lord.A similar statement is found in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Fifth Canto,14th Chapter, 43rd verse. Sukadeva Gosvami addressesParikitMahiiriij there and says, "The great soul of King Bharata was so muchattached to the service of the lotus feet of Krwa that he very easilygave up his lordship over the earthly planet and his affection for his35

36 The Nectar of Devotionchildren, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He wasso very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him allkinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these materialopulences." Sukadeva Gosvami' eulogizes this behavior of KingBharata very highly. He says, "Any person whose heart is attractedby the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Madhusiidana, not to speak of material opulences, does notcare even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages."In the Bhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 11th Chapter, 23rd verse, there isa similar statement by Vrtrasura, who addresses the Lord as follows:"My dear Lord, by leaving Your transcendental service I may be promotedto the planet called Dhruva-loka [the Pole Star], or I maygain lordship over all the planetary systems of the universe. But I donot aspire to this. Nor do I wish the mystic perfections of yoga practice,nor do I aspire to spiritual emancipation. All I wish for, myLord, is Your association and transcendental service eternally."This statement is confirmed by Lord Siva in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 17th Chapter, 52nd verse, wherein LordSiva addresses Sati' thusly: "My dear Sati', persons who are devoted toNarayaa [ Kra] are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated tothe higher planetary systems, or if they get liberation from materialcontamination, or if they are pushed down to the hellish conditionof life-or, in fact, in any situation whatever-they are not afraid ofanything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet ofNarayaa, for them any position in the material world is as good asanother."There is a similar statement by Indra, the King of heaven, inSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Sixth Canto, 18th Chapter, 52nd verse. ThereIndra addresses his mother in this manner: "My dear Mother [Aditi],persons who have given up all kinds of desire and are simply engagedin devotional service to the Lord know what is actually their selfinterest.Such persons are actually serving their self-interests and areconsidered first-class experts in the matter of advancing to the perfectionalstage of-life."In the Seventh Canto of the Bhiigavatam, 6th. Chapter, 23rd verse,Maharaj Prahlada says: "My dear friends who are born into atheistic

--.::Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 37families, if you can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Kr!la, then there is nothing more rare in this world. In other words,if the Supreme Lord Kr!la is pleased with you, then any desire thatyou may have within the core of your heart can be fulfilled withoutany doubt. As such, what is the use of elevating yourself by the resultsof fruitive activities, which are automatically achieved in allevents by the modes of material nature? And what is the use for youof spiritual emancipation or liberation from material bondage? If youare always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord and- always relishing the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord, then there isno necessity for any of these." By this statement of PrahHida Maharajit is clearly understood that one who takes pleasure in chantingand hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord has already surpassedall kinds of material benedictions, including the results ofpious fruitive activities, sacrifices and even liberation from materialbondage.Similarly, in the same Seventh Canto, 8th Chapter, 39th verse,when the demigQdS are offering prayers to Lord Nrsi:rhha, lndra, theKing of heaven, says, "0 Supreme One, these demons talk of ourshare of participation in the performances of ritualistic sacrifices, butsimply by Your appearance as Lord Nrsi:rhhadeva You have saved usfrom terrible fears. Actually, our shares in the sacrificial performancesare due to You only, because You are the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices.You are the su persoul of every living entity, and thereforeYou are the actual owner of everything. Long were our hearts alwaysfilled with fear of this demon, Hira!lyakasipu. But You are so kindtowards us that, by killing him, You have removed that fear fromwithin our hearts and have given us the chance to place Your Lordshipwithin our hearts again. For persons who are engaged in thetranscendental loving service of Your Lordship, all the opulenceswhich were taken away from us by the demons are counted as nothing.Devotees do not care even for liberation, not to speak of thesematerial opulences. Actually, we are not enjoyers of the fruits of sacrifices.Our only duty is to always be engaged in Your service, forYou are the enjoyer of everything."The purport of this statement by lndra is that, beginning from

38 The Nectar of DevQtionBrahma down to the insignificant ant, no living entities are meant forenjoying the material opulences. They are simply meant for offeringeverything to the supreme proprietor, the Personality of Godhead.By doing so, they automatically enjoy the benefit. The example canbe cited again of the different parts of the body collecting foodstuffsand cooking them so that ultimately a meal may be offered to thestomach. After it has gone to the stomach, all the parts of the bodyequally enjoy the benefit of the meal. So, similarly, everyone's dutyis to satisfy the Supreme Lord, and then automatically everyone willbecome satisfied.A similar verse is found in the Eighth Canto, 3rd Chapter, ofSrimad-Bhiigavatam, verse 20. Gajendra says there, "My dear Lord, Ihave no experience in the transcendental bliss derived from Your devotionalservice, so therefore I have asked from You some favor. ButI know that persons who are pure devotees and have, by serving thelotus feet of great souls, become freed from all material desires, arealways merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss and, as such, arealways satisfied simply by glorifying Your auspicious characteristics.For them there is nothing else to aspire to or pray for."In the Ninth Canto of the Bhiigavatam, 4th Chapter, 49th verse,the lord of Vaikutha replies to Durvasa Muni thusly: "My pure devoteesare always satisfied being engaged in devotional service, andtherefore they do not aspire even after the five liberated stages,which are l) to be one with Me, 2)to achieve residence on My planet,3) to have My opulences, 4) to possess bodily features similar toMine and 5) to gain personal association with Me. So, when they arenot interested even in these liberated positions, you can know howlittle they care for material opulences or material liberation."There is a similar prayer b y the niigapatni (wives of the Kaliya serpent),in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 16th Chapter, verse33. The niigapatni say there, "My dear Lord, the dust of Your lotusfeet is very wonderful. Any person who is fortunate enough to achievethis dust does not care for heavenly planets, lordship over all the planetarysystems, the mystic perfections of yoga or even liberation frommaterial existence. In other words, anyone who adores the dust ofYour lotus feet does not care a fig for all other perfectional stages."

1Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 39There is a similar statement in the Tenth Canto, 87th Chapter,17th verse, when the Srutis, the Vedas personified, prayed to theLord as follows: "My dear Lord, it is very difficult to understandspiritual knowledge. Your appearance here just as You are, is toexplain to us this most difficult subject of knowledge of the spirit.As such, Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts toassociate with the liberated iiciiryas [teachers] are now fully mergedin the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do notcare for any so-called liberation.,-In explaining this verse it should be noted that spiritual knowledgemeans understanding the self and the supersoul, or superself. Theindividual soul and the supersoul are qualitatively one, and thereforeboth of them are known as Brahman, or spirit- But knowledge ofBrahman is very difficult to understand. There are so many philosophersengaged in the matter of understanding the soul, but they areunable to make any tangible advancement. It is confirmed in theBhagavad-gitii that out of many millions of persons, only one maytry to understand what is spiritual knowledge, and out of manysuch persons who are trying to understand, only one or a few mayknow what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this versesays that spiritual knowledge is very difficult to achieve, and soin order to make it more easily attainable, the Supreme Lord Himselfcomes in His original form as Sri Kra and gives His instructiondirectly to an associate like Arjuna, just so that the people in generalmay take advantage of this spiritual knowledge. This verse alsoexplains that liberation means having completely given up allthe material comforts of life. Those who are impersonalists aresatisfied by simply being liberated from the material circumstances,but those who are devotees can automatically give up material lifeand also enjoy the transcendental bliss of hearing and chanting thewonderful activities of Lord Krsna.In the Eleventh Canto of Srfq,d-Bhiigavatam; 20t Chapter, 34thverse, Lord Kra says to Uddhava as follows: '\My dear Uddhava,the devotees who have completely taken shelter of My service are sosteadfast in devotional service that they have no other desire. Even

40 The Nectar of Devotionif they are offered the four kinds of spiritual opulences,* they willrefuse to accept them. So what to. speak of their desiring anythingwithin the material world!" Similarly, Lord Krgta says in anotherpassage of the Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 14th Chapter, 13thverse, "My dear Uddhava, a person whose consciousness is completelyabsorbed in My thought and activities does not aspire even to occupythe post of Brahma, or the post of Indra, or the post of lordship overthe planets, or the eight kinds of mystic perfections, or even liberationitself." In the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, lOthChapter, verse 6, Lord Siva says to Devi: "My dear Devi, this greatbriihmar-a sage Markaeya has attained unflinching faith anddevotion unto the Spreme Personality of Godhead, and as suchhe does not aspire after any benedictions, inctuding liberation fromthe material world."Similarly, there is a statement in Padma Purar-a describing theritualistic function during the month of Kiirttika (October-November).During this month, in Vrndavana it is the regulative principleto pray daily to Lord Kra in His Damodara form. The Damodaraform refers to Kra in His childhood when He was tied up with ropeby His mother, Y asoda. Diima means ropes, and udara means theabdomen. So Mother Y asoda, being very disturbed by naughtyKra, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Krwais named Diimodara. During the month of Kiirttika, Damodara isprayed to as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all,the giver of all benedictions." There are many demigods like LordBrahma and Lord Siva who sometimes offer benedictions to theirrespective devotees. For example, Ravana was blest with manybenedictions by Lord Siva, and Hirayakasipu was blest by LordBrahma. But even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma depend upon thebenedictions of Lord Kra, and therefore Krwa is addressed as theLord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Kra can offer His devoteesanything they want, but still, the devotee's prayer continues, "I donot ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the pointof liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of*The fifth kind of liberation, merging with the Supreme, is not considered anopulence in spiritual variegated existence.

Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 41Your form as I see You now as Damodara. You are so beautiful andattractive that my mind does not want anything else besides thiswonderful form." In this same prayer, there is another passage inwhich it is said, "My dear Lord Damodara, once when You wereplaying as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Maharaj, You brokethe box containing yogurt, and because of that Mother Y asodaconsidered You an offender and tied You with rope to the householdgrinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kuvera,Nalakiivara and Manigriva, who were staying there as two arjunatrees in the yard of Nanda Maharaj. My only request is that byYour merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me."The story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kuvera (thetreasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulenceof their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they wereenjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven.At that time the great saint Narada Muni was passing on the road andwas sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Naradapassing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth,but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Naradabecame angry with their behavior and cursed them thusly: "You haveno sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons ofKuvera." Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and beggedNarada to be pardoned for their offenses. Narada then said, "Yes,you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand at thecourtyard of Nanda Maharaj. But Krt-a Himself will appear in timeas the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you." In other words,the curse of Narada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera becauseindirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive thefavor of Lord KrtJ.a. After that, Kuvera's two sons stood as twobig arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaj until LordDamodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Narada, dragged the·milling pestle to which He was tied and struck the two trees,violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen treescame Nalakiivara and Mat-igriva, who had by then become greatdevotees of the Lord.There is a passage in the llayasir§a Puriir-a which states, "My

42 The Nectar of Devotiondear Lord, 0 Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want anyresultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want anyeconomic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification,nor liberation. I simply pray to he an eternal servant at Your lotus..feet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction."In the same Hayasir§a Purii:l)a, after Nrsimhadeva wanted to givebenediction to PrahHida Mahiiraj, Prahlada did not accept anymaterial benediction and simply asked the favor of the Lord toremain His eternal devotee. In this connection, Prahlada Maharajcited the example of Hanuman, the eternal servitor of LordRamacandra, who also set an example by neve asking any materialfavor from the Lord. He always remained engaged in His service.That is the ideal character of Hanuman, for which he is still worshipedby all devotees. Prahlada Maharaj also offered his respectfulobeisances unto Hanuman. There is a well-known verse spoken byHanuman in which he says, "My dear Lord, if You like You can giveme salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merginginto Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I donot want anything which diminishes my relationship with You asmaster and servant, even after liberation."In a similar passage in Niirada-paficariitra it is stated, "My dearLord, I do not wish any perfectional stage by performing the ritualisticreligious ceremonies or by economic development or by sensegratification or liberation. I simply pray that You grant me the favorof keeping me under Your lotus feet. I do not wish any kind ofliberation such as siilohya, to reside on Your planet, or siiriipya, tohave the same bodily features as You. I simply pray for Your favorthat I may be always engaged in Your loving service."Similarly, in the Sixth Canto, 14th Chapter, 4th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, l\'laharaj Parilqit inquires from Sukadeva Gosvami:, "Mydear briihmara, I understand that the demon Vrtrasura was a greatsinful person and that his mentality was completely absorbed in themodes of passion and ignorance. How did he develop to such aperfectional stage of devotional service to Narayaa? I have heardthat even great persons who have undergone severe austerities andwho are _liberated with full knowledge must strive to become

Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 43devotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are veryrare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that V rtrasurahas become such a devotee!"In the above verse, the most important thing to be noted is thatthere may be many liberated persons who might have merged intothe existence of the impersonal Brahman, but a devotee of theSupreme Personality of Godhead, Narayat:la, is very, very rare.Even out of millions of liberated persons, only one is fortunateenough to become a devotee.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto, 7th Chapter, QueenKunti is praying to Lord Krt:la at the time of His departure: "Mydear Krt:la, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to greatstalwart scholars and paramaharhsas [fully liberated souls]. So ifsuch great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions ofmaterial existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we areconcerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is itpossible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?"In this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personalityof Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but onlyby devotees such as Queen Kunti in her humbleness. Althoughshe was a woman and considered less intelligent than a man, stillshe realized the glories of Krt:la. That is the purport of this verse.Another passage which is very important is in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, First ·canto, 6th Chapter, lOth verse, and is called the"iitmiiriima verse." In this iitmiiriima verse it is stated that even thosewho are completely liberated from material contamination are attractedby the transcendental qualities of Lord KrI;la. * The purportof this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all formaterial enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of materialdesires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear andunderstand the pastimes of the " Lord. We can therefore conclude thatthe glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how*This atmiiriima verse was once nicely explained by Lord Caitanya to SanatanaGosvami. There is a detailed explanation of this verse in the author's Teachingsof Lord Caitanya.

44 The Nectar of Devotion"Icould the liberated persons known as iitmiiriimas be attracted bysuch pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.From the above statement it is found that a devotee is not afterany of the stages of liberation. There are five stages of liberation,already explained as being l) to b.,ecome one with the Lord, 2) tolive on the same planet as the Lord, 3) to obtain the same bodilyfeatures as the Lord, 4) to have the same opulences as the Lord and5) to have constant association with the Lord. Out of these fiveliberated stages the one which is known as siiyujya, or to mergeinto the existence of the Lord, is the last to be accepted by adevotee. The other four liberations, although not desired by devotees,still are not against the devotional ideals. So.me of the liberatedpersons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may alsodevelop affection for Kr9!la and be promoted to the Goloka Vrndavanaplanet in the spiritual sky. In other words, those who arealready promoted to the V aiku!ltha planets and possess the four kindsof liberation may also sometimes develop affection for Kr9!la andbecome promoted to Kr9!la-loka.So those who are in the four liberated states may still be goingthrough different stages of existence. In the beginning they maywant the opulences of Kr9!la, but at the mature stage the dormantlove for Kr9!la exhibited in Vrndavana becomes prominent in theirhearts. As such, the pure devotees never accept the liberation ofsiiyujya, to become one with the supreme, though sometimes theymay accept as favorable the other four liberated states.Out of many kinds of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,the one who is attracted to the original form of the Lord, Krwain Vrndavana, is considered to be the foremost, first-class devotee.Such a devotee is never attracted by the opulences of Vaiku!ltha, noreven of Dvaraka, the royal city where KH!la ruled. The conclusion ofSri Riipa Gosvami is that the devotees who are attracted by the pastimesof the Lord in Gokula, or Vrndavana,* are the topmost devotees.*Vrndavana is the transcendental place where Krwa enjoys His eternal pastimesas a boy, and it is considered the topmost sphere in all existence. When this is exhibitedin the material world the place is called Gokula, and in the spiritual worldit is called Goloka or Goloka V rndavana.

Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation 45A devotee who is attached fo a particular form of the Lord doesnot wish to change his devotion to other forms. For example,Hanuman, the devotee of Lord Ramacandra, knew that there is nodifference between Lord Ramacandra and Lord Narayaa, and yethe still wanted to render service only unto Lord Ramacandra. That isdue to the specific attraction of a particular devotee. There aremany, many forms of the Lord, but Kra is still the original form.Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are inthe same category, still it is said that those who are devotees of LordKra are the topmost in the list of all devotees.

:5 I Purity of Devotional ServiceAll of the previous instructions imparted by Srila Riipa Gosvami inhis broad statements can be summarized thusly: as long as one is materiallyinclined or desirous to merge into the. spiritual effulgence,one cannot enter into the realm of pure devotional service. Next,Riipa Gosvami states that devotional service is transcendental to allmaterial considerations and that it is not limited to any particularcountry, class, society or circumstance. As is stated in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, devotional service is transcendental and has no cause.Devotional service is executed without any hope for gain, and it cannotbe checked by any material circumstances. It is open for all,without any distinction, and it is the constitutional occupation of theliving entities.In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya'sgreat associate Lord Nityananda, a class of priestly persons claimedto be the descendents of Nityananda, calling themselves the gosviimicaste. They further claimed that the practice and spreading of devotionalservice belonged only to their particular class, which wasknown as Nityiinanda-vamsa. In this way, they exercised their artificialpower for some time, until Srila Bhaktisiddhanta SarasvatiThakur, the powerful iiciirya of the Gaufliya Vai§rtava sampradiiya,completely smashed their idea. There was a great hard struggle forsome time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctlyand practically established that devotional service is not restricted toa particular class of men. Besides that, anyone who is engaged indevotional service is already on the status of being a high-class briihmar-a.So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur's struggle for thismovement has come out successful.·46

Purity of Devotional Service 47It is on the basis of his position that anyone can now become aGaw}iya Vai§r-ava, from any part of the world or any part of the universe.Anyone who is a pure Vai§r-ava is situated transcendentally,and therefore the highest qualification in the material world, namely,to be in the modes of goodness, is already achieved by such a person.Our Krsna consciousness movement in the Western world is based onthe ab·e-mentioned proposition of Snla Bhaktisiddhanta SarasvatiGosvami Prabhupada, our spiritual master. On his authority, we areclaiming members from all sections of the Western countries. The socalledbriihmar-as claim that one who is not born into a briihmar-afamily cannot receive the sacred thread and cannot become a highgradeVai§r-ava. But we do not accept such a theory because it is notsupported by Rupa Gosvami nor by the strength of the various scriptures.Snla Ri1pa Gosvami specifically mentions herein that every manhas the birthright to accept devotional service and to become Kraconscious. He has given many evidences from many scriptures, andhe has especially quoted one passage from Padma Puriirw, whereinsage Vasitha tells King Dilipa: "My dear King, everyone has the rightto execute devotional service, just as he has the right to take earlybath in the month of Miigh [December-} anuary]." There is moreevidence in Padma Puriir-a, in the Kiisikhar-a portion, where it issaid: "In the country known as Mayuradhvaja, the lower caste peoplewho are considered less than sudras are also initiated in the Vai§r-avacult of devotional service. And when. they are properly dressed, withtilaka on their bodies and beads in their hands and on their necks,they appear to be coming from V aikutha. In fact, they look so verybeautiful that immediately they surpass the ordinary briihmar-as."Thus a Vai§r-ava automatically becomes a briihmar-a. This idea is alsosupported by Sanatana Gosvami iu his book Hari-bhakti-viliisa, whichis the Vai§r-ava guide. Therein he has clearly stated that any person whois properly initiated into the Vai§r-ava cult certainly becomes abriihmar-a, as much as the metal known as kamsa (bell metal) is turnedinto gold by the mixture of mercury. A bona fide spiritual master, underthe guidance of authorities, can turn anyone to the Vai§r-ava cult sothat naturally he may come to the topmost position of a briihmar-a.

48 The Nectar of DevotionSrila Riipa Gosvami warns, however, that if a person is properlyinitiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that simplyby the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished.One still has to follow the rules and regulations very carefully. Ifafter accepting the spiritual master.,and being initiated one does notfollow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then he is againfallen. One must be very vigilant to remember that he is the part andparcel of the transcendental body of Krwa, and it is his duty as partand parcel to give service to the whole, or Kra. If we do not renderservice to Kn;a then again we fall down. In other words, simply becominginitiated does not elevate one to the position of a high-classbriihmar-a. One also has to discharge the duties and follow the regulativeprinciples very rigidly.Sri Riipa Gosvami also says that if anyone is regularly dischargingdevotional service there will be no question of a falldown. But evenif circumstantially there is some falldown, the Vai§r-ava need havenothing to do with the priiyascitta, the ritualistic ceremony for purification.If someone falls down from the principles of devotionalservice, he need not take to the priiyascitta performances for reformation.He has simply to execute the rules and regulations for dischargingdevotional service, and that is sufficient for his reinstatement.This is the mystery of the Vai§rwva (devotional) cult.Practically there are three processes for elevating one to the platformof spiritual consciousness. These processes are called karma,jniina and bhakti. Ritualistic performances are in the field of karma.Speculative processes are in the field of jniina. One who has taken tobhakti, the devotional service of the Lord, need have nothing to dowith karma or jniina. It has been already explained that pure devotionalservice is without any tinge of karma or jniina. Bhak ti shouldhave no tinge of philosophical speculation or ritualistic performances.In this connectionSrila Riipa Gosvami gives evidence fromSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, in which it is said by LordKra to Uddhava, "The distinction between qualification and disqualificationmay be made in this way: persons who are already elevatedin discharging devotional service will never again take shelter ofthe processes of fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. If one

Purity of Devotional Service 49sticks to devotional service and is conducted by regulative principlesgiven by the authorities and iiciiryas, that is the best qualification."This statement is supported in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto,5th Chapter, 17th verse, wherein Sri Narada Muni advises Vyasadevathusly: "Even if one does not execute his specific occupationalduty, but immediately takes direct shelter of the lotus feet of Hari[ Krrta] , there will be no fault on his part, and in all circumstanceshis position is secure. Even if, by some bad association, he falls downwhile executing devotional service, or if he doesn't finish the completecourse of devotional service and dies untimely, still he is not ata loss. A person who is simply discharging his occupational duty invarrw and iisrama, however, with no Krrta consciousness, practicallydoes not gain the true benefit of human life." The purport is that allconditioned souls who are engaged very frantically in activities forsense gratification, without knowing that this process will never helpthem to get out of material contamination, are awarded only withrepeated births and deaths.In the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated byJ;tabhadeva to his sons: "Persons engaged in fruitive activities are repeatedlyaccepting birth and death, and until they develop a lovingfeeling for Vasudeva, there will be no question of getting out fromthese stringent laws of material nature." As such, any person whois very seriously engaged in his occupational duties in the vaqws andiisramas, and who does not develop love for the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, Vasudeva, is to be understood as simply spoiling hishuman form of life.This is confirmed also in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad­Bhagavatam, ll th Chapter, 32nd verse, in which the Lord says toUddhava, "My dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me incomplete surrender and followg; My instructions, giving up all occupationalduties, is to be considered the first-class man." In this statementof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood thatpeople who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral,altruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considerednice men only in the calculation of the material world. From Srimad­Bhiigavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further

50 The Nectar of Devotionthat if a person simply acts in Kra consciousness and dischargesdevotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated thanall of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruisticand social welfare activities.The same thing is still more emphatically confirmed in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Eleventh Canto, 5th Chapter, 37th verse, in whichKarabhajana Muni addresses Maharaj Nimi as follows: "My dearKing, if somebody gives up his occupational duties as they are prescribedfor the different varr-as and iisramas, but takes complete shelter,surrendering himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, such a personis no more a debtor, nor has he any obligation to perform thedifferent kinds of activities we render to the great sages, ancestors,living entities and family and society members. Neither has he anyneed to bother executing the five kinds of yajiias [sacrifices] for becomingfree from sinful contamination. Simply by discharging devotionalservice he is freed from all kinds of obligations." The purportis that as soon as a man takes his birth, he is immediately indebtedto so many sources. He is indebted to the great sages because heprofits by reading their authoritative scriptures and books. For example,we take advantage of the books written by Vyasadeva. Vyasadevahas left for us all the Vedas. Before Vyasadeva's writing, theVedic literature was simply heard, and the disciples would learn themantras quickly by hearing and not by reading. Later on, Vyasadevathought it wise to write down the Vedas because in this age peopleare short-memoried and unable to remember all the instructionsgiven by the spiritual master. Therefore, he left all the Vedic knowledgein book form, such as the Puriirws, Vedanta, Mahiibhiirata andSrimad-Bhiigavatam.There are many other sages, like Sankaracarya, Gautama Muni,Narada Muni, etc., to whom we are indebted because we takeadvantage of their knowledge. Similarly, we are obliged to our.forefathers because we take our birth in a particular family,where we take all advantages and inherit property. Therefore,we are indebted to the forefathers and have to offer them piflfla(prasiidam) after they are dead. Similarly, to the people in generalwe are also indebted, as well as to our relatives, friends and

Purity of Devotional Service 51even animals such as cows and dogs who render us so muchservice.In this way, we are indebted to the demigods, to the forefathers,to the sages, to the animals and to society in general. It is our dutyto repay them all by proper discharge of service. But by the onestroke of devotional service, if someone gives up all obligations andsimply surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is nolonger a debtor, nor obliged to any other source of benefit.In the Bhagavad-gitii also the Lord says: "Give up all your occupationsand just become surrendered unto Me. I give you assurancethat I shall give you protection from all sinful reactions." One maythink that because he is surrendering unto the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, he will not be able to perform all of his other obligations.But the Lord says repeatedly, "Don't hesitate. Don't considerthat because you are giving up all other engagements there will besome flaw in your life. Don't think like that. I will give you all protection."That is the assurance of Lord Kra in the Bhagavad-gitii.There is additional evidence in the Agastya-samhitii: "As the regulativeprinciples of scripture are not required by a liberated person,similarly a person who is engaged duly in the service of Lord Ramacandrais also not required to discharge the ritualistic principleswhich are indicated in the Vedic supplimentaries." In other words,the devotees of L.ord Ramacandra, or Krwa, are already liberatedpersons and are not required to follow all the regulative principlesmentioned in the ritualistic portions of the Vedic literature.Similarly, in the Eleventh Canto of Snmad-Bhiigavatam, 5th Chapter,Karabhajana Muni addresses King Nimi and says, "My dear King,a person who has given up the worship of the demigods and has completelyconcentrated his energy in the devotional service of the SupremePersonality of Godhelld has become very, very dear to theLord. As such, if by chance or mistake he does something which isforbidden, there is no need for him to perform any purificatoryceremonies. Because the Lord is situated within his heart, He takescompassion for the devotee's accidental mistake and corrects himfrom within." It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii in manyplaces that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kra, takes a

..._..__._.._._._._.__..____L52 The Nectar of Devotionspecial interest in His devotees and declares emphatically that nothingcan cause His devotees to fall dowri. He is always protectingthem.

6 I How to DischargeDevotional ServiceSrila Rfi.pa Gosvami states that his elder brother (Sanatana Gosvami)has compiled Hari-bhakti-viliisa for the guidance of the Vai§­r-avas, and therein has mentioned many rules and regulations to hefollowed by the Vai§r-avas_ Some of them are very important andprominent, and he will now mention these very important items forour benefit. The purport of this statement is that Srila Rupa Gosvamiproposes to mention only basic principles, not details. For example,a basic principle is that one has to accept a spiritual master. Exactlyhow one follows the instructions of his spiritual master is considereda detail. For example, if one is following the instruction of his spiritualmaster and that instruction is different from the instructions ofanother spiritual master, this is called detailed information. But thebasic principle of acceptance of a spiritual master is good everywhere,although the details ' may be different. Srila Rupa Gosvami does notwish to enter into details here, but he wants to place before us onlythe principles.He mentions the basic principles as follows: l) accepting the shelterof the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, 2) becoming initiatedby the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotionalservice from him, 3) obeying the orders of the spiritual masterwith faith and devotion, 4) following in the footsteps of greatiiciiryas (teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master,5) inquiring from the spiritual master how to advance in Kr!laconsciousness, 6) being prepared to give up anything material forthe satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Kr!la(This means that when we are engaged in the devotional service of53

54The Nectar of DevotionKrwa, we must be prepared to give up something which we may notlike to give up, and also we have to accept something which we maynot like to accept.), 7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage likeDvaraka or Vrndavana, 8) dealing with the material world only asfar as necessary, 9) observing the fasting day on Ekiidasi, and 10)worshiping sacred trees like the banyan tree and others.These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning thedischarge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the beginning,if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned tenprinciples, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Kr!laconsciOusness.The next set of instructions is listed as follows: 1) One shouldrigidly give up the company of nondevotees. 2) One should not instructa person who is not desirous of accepting devotional service.3) One should not be very enthusiastic about constructing costlytemples or monasteries. 4) One should not try to read too manybooks, nor should one develop the idea of earning his livelihood bylecturing on or by professionally reciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam or theBhagavad-gitii. 5) One should not be neglectful in ordinary dealings.6) One should not be under the spell of lamentation in loss or tribulationin gain. 7) One should not disrespect the demigods. 8) One shouldnot give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. 9) One shouldcarefully avoid the various offenses in chanting the holy name of theLord, or in worshiping the Deity in the temple. 10) One should bevery intolerant towards the blasphemy of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, Krtta, or His devotees.Without following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannotproperly elevate himself to the platform of siidhana-bhakti, or devotionalservice in practice. Altogether, Srila Riipa Gosvami mentionstwenty items, and all of them are very important. Out of the twenty,the first three-namely, accepting the shelter of a bona fide spiritualmaster, taking initiation from him and serving him with respect andreverence-are the most important.The next important items are as follows: 1) One should decoratethe body with tilaka, which is the sign of the Vai§[lavas. (The idea isthat as soon as a person sees these marks on the body of the Vai§[lava,•'

How to Discharge Devotional Service 55he will immediately remember Kra. Lord Caitanya said that aVai§r-ava is he whom, when seen, reminds one of Kra. Therefore,it is essential that a Vai§r-ava mark his body with tilaka to remindothers of Kra.) 2) In marking such tilaka, sometimes one maywrite Hare Kr§r-a on the body. 3) One should accept flowers andgarlands that have been offered to the Deity and the spiritual masterand put them on his body. 4) One should learn to dance before theDeity. 5) One should learn to bow down immediately upon seeingthe Deity or the spiritual master. 6) As soon as one visits a temple ofLord Kra, one must stand up. 7) When the Deity is being borne fora stroll in the street, a devotee should immediately follow theprocession. (In this connection it may be noted that in India, especiallyin Viu, temples, the system is that apart from the big Deitywho is permanently situated in the main area of the temple, thereis another set of smaller Deities which are taken in procession in theevening. In some temples it is the custom to hold a big processionin the evening with a band playing and a nice big. umbrella over theDeities, who sit on decorated thrones on the cart or palanquin whichis carried by devotees. The Deities come out onto the street andtravel in the neighborhood while the people of the neighborhoodcome out to offer prasiidam. The residents of the neighborhood allfollow the procession so that it is a very nice scene. When theDeity is coming Ol!t, the servitors in the temple put forward thedaily accounts before Them: so much was the collection, so muchwas the expenditure. The whole idea is that the Deity is consideredto be the proprietor of the whole establishment, and all the priestsand other people taking care of the temple are considered to be theservants of the Deity. This system is very, very old and is stillfollowed. So, therefore, it is mentioned here that when the Deityis on stroll the people should follow behind.) 8) A devotee mustvisit a Viu temple at least once or twice every day, morning andevening. (In Vrndavana this system is followed very strictly. All thedevotees in town go every morning and evening to visit differenttemples. Therefore during these times there are considerable crowdsall over the city. There.are about 5,000 temples in Vrndavana City.Of course it is not possible to visit all the temples, but there are at

56 The Nectar of Devotionleast one dozen very big and important temples which were startedby the Gosvamis and which should be visited.) 9) One must circumambulatethe temple building at least three times. (In everytemple there is an arrangement to go around the temple at leastthree times. Some devotees go around more than three times:ten times, fifteen times-according to their vows. The Gosvamisused to circumambulate Govardhan Hill.) 10) One should circumambulatethe whole Vrndavana area. ll) One must worship the Deityin the temple according to the regulative principles. (Offeringiiriitrika, prasiidam, decorating the Deity, etc.-these things must beobserved regularly.) 12) Rendering personal service to the Deities.13) Singing. 14) Sankirtana. 15) Chanting. 16) Offering prayers.17) Reciting notable prayers. 18) Tasting mahii-prasiidam (food fromthe very plate offered before the Deities). 19) Drinking carar-amrtam(water from the bathing of the Deities which is offered to guests).20) One must smell the incense and flowers offered to the Deity.21) One must touch the lotus feet of the Deity. 22) One must see theDeity with great devotion. 23) One must offer iiriitrika at differenttimes. 24) One must hear about the Lord and His pastimes fromSrimad-Bhiigavatam, the Bhagavad-gitii, and similar books. 25) Onemust pray to the Deity for His mercy. 26) One should remember theDeity. 27) One should meditate upon the Deity. 28) One shouldrender some voluntary service. 29) One should thipk of the Lord ashis friend. 30) One should offer everything to the Lord. 31) Oneshould offer a favorite article (as food or a garment). 32) One shouldtake all kinds of risks for Kr!ia's benefit. 33) In every condition, bea surrendered soul. 34) Pour water on the tulasi tree. 35) Regularlyhear Srimad-Bhiigavatam and similar literature. 36) Live in a sacredplace like Mathura, Vrndavana or Dvaraka. 37) Offer service toVai§r-avas (devotees). 38) Arrange your devotional service accordingto your means. 39) In the month of Kiirttika (October and November),make arrangements for special services. 40) During ]anmii§tami (thetime of Kr!ia's appearance in this world) observe a special service.41) Do whatever is done with great care and devotion for the Deity.42) Relish the pleasure of Bhiigavatam reading amongst devotees andnot amongst outsiders. 43) Associate with devotees who are consideredmore advanced. 44) Live in the jurisdiction of Mathura.

How to Discharge Devotional Service 57Now, the total regulative principles come to an aggregate of sixtyfouritems. As we have mentioned, the first are the primary tenregulative principles. Then come the secondary ten regulative principles,and added to these are forty-four other activities. So altogetherthere are sixty-four items for discharging the regulative practice ofdevotional service. Out of these sixty-four items, five items-namely,offering water to the tulasi tree, hearing Srimad-Bhiigavatam, associatingamongst the devotees, smikirtana and living in Mathura-arevery important.The sixty-four items of devotional service should include all of ouractivities of body, mind and speech. As it was stated in the beginning,the regulative principle of devotional service enjoins .that all of oursenses must be employed in the service of the Lord. Exactly how theycan be thus employed is described in the above sixty-four items. Now,Snla Rilpa Gosvami will give evidences from different scripturessupporting the authenticity of many of these points.

7 I EvidenceRegarding Devotional PrinciplesIn the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Prabuddha tellsMaharaj Nimi: "My dear King, please know for certain that in thematerial world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to thinkthat there is happiness here, because this plac is full of nothing butmiserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achievingreal happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and takeshelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master isthat he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberationand arguments and thus be able to convince others of theseconclusions. Such great personalities who have taken shelter of theSupreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to beunderstood as bona fide spiritual masters. Everyone should try tofind such a bona fide spiritual master in order to fulfill his missionof life, which is to transfer himself to the plane of spiritual bliss."The purport is that one should not accept as a spiritual mastersomeone who is Fool Number One, who has no direction accordingto the scriptural injunctions, whose character is doubtful, who doesnot follow the principles of devotional service, or who has not conqueredthe influence of the six sense gratifying agents. The six agentsof sense gratification are the tongue, the genitals, the belly, anger,the mind and words. Anyone who has practiced controlling these sixis permitted to make disciples all over the world. To accept such aspiritual master is the crucial point for advancement in spiritual life.One who is fortunate enough to come under the shelter of a bonafide spiritual master is sure to traverse the path of spiritual salvationwithout any doubt.58

Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles59To Accept Initiation from the Spiritual Masterand Receive Instructions from HimSage Prabuddha continued to speak to the King as follows: "Mydear King, a disciple has to accept the spiritual master not only asspiritual master, but also as the representative of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead and the supersoul. In other words, the discipleshould accept the spiritual master as God because he is the externalmanifestation of KrtJ.a." This is confirmed in every scripture, and adisciple should accept the spiritual master as such. One should learnSrimad-Bhiigavatam seriously and with all respect and veneration forthe spiritual master. Hearing and speaking Srimad-Bhiigavatam is thereligious process which elevates one to the platform of serving andloving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.The attitude of the disciple should always be to satisfy the bonafide spiritual master. Then it will be very easy for him to understandspiritual knowledge. This is confirmed in the Vedas, and it will befurther explained by Riipa Gosvami that, for a person who has unflinchingfaith in God and the spiritual master, everything becomesrevealed very easily.To Serve the Spiritual Master with Faith and ConfidenceRegarding accepting initiation from the spiritual master, in theEleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 17th Chapter, 22nd verse, itis stated by Lord Krtta: "My dear Uddhava, the spiritual master mustbe accepted not only as My representative but as My very self. Hemust never be considered on the same level with an ordinary humanbeing. One should never be envious of the spiritual master, as onemay be envious of an ordinary man. The spiritual master should alwaysbe seen as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,and by serving the spiritual master, one is able to serve all thedemigods."

60 The Nectar of DevotionTo Follow in the Footsteps of Saintly PersonsIn the Skanda Puriirw it is advised that a devotee follow the pastiiciiryas and saintly persons because by such following one can achievethe desired results, with no chance of lamenting or being baffled inhis progress.In the scripture known as Brahma-yiimala it is stated as follows:"If someone wants to pose himself as a great devotee without followingthe authorities of the revealed scriptures, then his activities willnever help him to make progress in devotional service. Instead, hewill simply create disturbances for the sincere students of devotionalservice." Those who do not strictly follow the principles of revealedscriptures are generally called sahajiyii, those who have imaginedeverything to be cheap, and who have their own concocted ideas, andwho do not follow the scriptural injunctions. Such persons are simplycreating disturbances in the discharge of devotional service.In this connection, an objection may be raised by those who arenot in devotional service and who do not care for the revealed scriptures.An example of this is seen in Buddhist philosophy. LordBuddha appeared in the family of a high-grade katriya king, but hisphilosophy was not in accord with the Vedic conclusions and thereforewas rejected. Under the patronage of a Hindu king, MaharajAsoka, the Buddhist religion was spread all over India and the adjoiningcountries. However, after the appearance of the great stalwartteacher, Sa:rikaracarya, this Buddhism was driven out beyond theborder of India.The Buddhists or other religionists who do not care for revealedscriptures sometimes say that there are many devotees of LordBuddha who show devotional service to Lord Buddha and who thereforeshould be considered devotees. In answer to this argument, RiipaGosvami says that the followers of Buddha cannot be accepted asdevotees. Although Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation ofK r!! a, the followers of such incarnations are not very advanced intheir knowledge of the Vedas. To study the Vedas means to come tothe conclusion of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead.Therefore any religious principle which denies the supremacy of the

Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles 61Personality of Godhead is not accepted and is called atheism. Atheismmeans defying the authority of the Vedas and decrying the greatiiciiryas who teach Vedic scriptures for the benefit of the people ingeneral.Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of Kra in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, but in the same Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated thatLord Buddha appeared in order to bewilder the atheist class of men.Therefore his philosophy is meant for bewildering the atheists andshould not be accepted. If someone asks, "Why should Kra propagateatheistic principles'(" the answer is that it was the desire of theSupreme Personality of Godhead to end the violence which was thenbeing committed in the name of the Vedas. The so-called religionistswere falsely using the Vedas to justify such violent acts as meateating,and Lord Buddha came to lead the fallen people away fromsuch a false interpretation of the Vedas. Also, for the atheist class,Lord Buddha preached atheism so that they would follow him andthus be tricked into devotional service to Lord Buddha, or Kra.Inquiring about External Religious PrinciplesIn the Niiradiya Puriirw it is said: "If one is actually very seriousabout devotional service, then all of his purposes will be served withoutany delay."Residing in a Sacred PlaceIn the Padma Puriirw it is stated: "For one who has given up hismaterial sense enjoyment and has accepted the principles of devotionalservice, the opulence of Viu-loka [the kingdom of God] isawaiting." In the same Padma Puriir-a it is also said that for a personwho has lived in Dvaraka for six months, for one month, or even forone fortnight, there is awaiting elevation to the V aikutha-lokas andall the profits of siiriipya-mukti (the privilege of having the samefour-handed bodily features as Narayaa ).

62 The Nectar of DevotionIn the Brahma Purii[La it is said: "The transcendental significanceof Puru§ottama-k§etra, which is the 80-square-mile field of LordJagannatha, cannot be properly described. Even the demigods fromhigher planetary systems see the inhabitants of this Jagannatha Piirias having exactly the same features of body as are possessed by onein V aikutha. That is, the demigods see the inhabitants of J agannathaPiiri as being four-handed."When there was a meeting of great sages at N aimiaraya, SiitaGosvami was reciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam, and the importance of theGanges was stated as follows: "The waters of the Gan g es are alwayscarrying the flavor of tulasi offered at the lotus feet of Sri Krwa, andas such the waters of the Ganges are ever flo..wing, spreading theglories of Lord Kra. Wherever the waters of the Ganges are flowing,all will be sanctified, both externally and internally."To Accept Only What is NecessaryIn the Niiradiya Purii[La it is directed: "One should not acceptmore than necessary if he is serious about discharging devotional service."The purport is that one should not neglect following the principlesof devotional service, nor should one accept the rulings ofdevotional service which are more than what he can easily perform.For example, it may be said that one should chant the Hare K[§[Lamantra at least 100,000 times daily on his beads. But if this is notpossible, then one must minimize his chanting according to his owncapacity. Generally, we recommend our disciples to chant at least 16rounds on their japa beads daily, and this should be completed. Butif one is not even able to chant 16 rounds, then he must make it upthe next day. He must be sure to keep his vow. If he does not strictlyfollow this out, then he is sure to be negligent. That is offensive inthe service of the Lord. If we encourage offenses, we shall not beable to make progress in devotional service. It is better if one fixes upa regulative principle according to his own ability and then followsthat vow without fail. That will make him advanced in spiritual life.

Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles 63Observing Fasting on EkiidasiIn the Brahma-vaivarta Puriir;w it is said that one who observesfasting on Ekiidasi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinfulactivities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is not just tofast, but to increase one's faith and love for Govinda, or Kr!la. Thereal reason for observing fasting on Ekiidasi is to minimize the demandsof the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lordby chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do onfasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear Hisholy name constantly.To Offer Respect to the Banyan TreesIn the Skanda Puriir;ta it is directed that a devotee should offerwater to the tulasi plant and iimalaka trees. He should offer respectto the cows and to the briihmar;tas and should serve the Vai§r;tavas byoffering them respectful obeisances and meditating upon them. Allof these processes will help the devotee to diminish the reactions tohis past sinful activities.To Give Up the Company of Nondevotees'Lord Caitanya was once asked by one of His householder devoteeswhat the general behavior of a Vai§r-ava should be. In this connection,Lord Caitanya replied that a Vai§r;tava should always give up the companyof nondevotees. Then He explained that there are two kinds ofnondevotees: one class is against the supremacy of Kr!\a, and anotherclass is too materialistic. In other words, those who are aftermaterial enjoyment and those who are against the supremacy of theLord are called avai§r-ava, and their company should be strictlyavoided.In the Kiityiiyana-samhitii it is stated that even if one is forced tolive within a cage of iron or in the midst of a blazing fire, he should

64 The Nectar of Devotionaccept this position rather than live with nondevotees who. arethrough and through against the supremacy of the Lord. Similarly,in Vi[lu-rahasya, there is a statement to the effect that one shouldprefer to embrace a snake, a tiger or an alligator rather than associatewith persons who are worshipers of various demigods and who are .impelled by material desire.\In the scriptures it is instructed that one may worship a certaindemigod if he is desirous of achieving some material gain. For example,one is advised to worship the sun god if he is desirous of getting ,_,.,;':rid of a diseased condition. For a beautiful wife, one can worshipUma, the wife of Lord Siva, and for advanced education ont< mayworship Sarasvati. Similarly, there is a list in tqe Srimad-Bhiigavatamfor worshipers of all demigods, according to different material desires.But all of these worshipers, although they appear to be verygood devotees of the demigods, are still considered to be nondevotees.They cannot be accepted as devotees.The miiyiiviidis (impersonalists) say that one can worship anyform of the Lord and that it doesn't matter because one reaches thesame destination anyway. But it is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gitiithat those who are worshipers of the demigods will ultimately reachonly the planets of those demigods, while those who are devotees ofthe Lord Himself will be promoted to the Lord's abode, the kingdomof God. So actually these persons who are worshipers of demigodshave been condemned in the Gitii. It is described that due to theirlusty desires they have lost their intelligence, and therefore theyhave taken to worshiping the different demigods. So in the Vi[lUrahasyathese demigod worshipers are forcefully condemned by thestatement that it is better to live with the most dangerous animalsthan to associate with these persons.Another stricture is that a person may have many disciples, but heshould not act in such a way that he will be obliged to any of themfor some particular action or some favor. And one should also not bevery enthusiastic about constructing new temples, nor should one beenthusiastic about reading various types of books, save and exceptthe ones which lead to the advancement of devotional service. Prac-

_;/•/Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles 65tilly, if one very carefully reads the Bhagavad-gitii , Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya and' this Nectar of Devotzon,that will give him sufficirit knowledge tb understand the scienceof Kn;a consciousness. One need not take the trouble of readingother books.In th Seventhj· anto_of rima-Bhii avatam ? 3th Chapt r, 7th-verse, N arada Mum, while discilsSI!Ig With Mahar a] Yudh1thua thevarious functions of the different orders in society, especially mentionsrules for the sannyiisis-those persons who have renounced thismaterial world. One who has accepted the sannyiisa order of life isforbidden to accept as a disciple anyone who is not fit. A sannyiisishould first of all examine whether a prospective student is sincerelyseeking Kra consciousness. If he is not, he should not be accepted.However, Lord Caitanya 's causeless mercy is such that He advisedall bona fide spiritual masters to speak about Kra consciousnesseverywhere. Therefore, in the line of Lord Caitanya, even the sannyiisiscan speak about Kra consciousness everywhere, and if someoneis seriously inclined to become a disciple, the sannyiisi alwaysaccepts him.The one point is that without increasing the number of disciples,there is no propagation of the cult of Kra consciousness. Therefore,sometimes even at a risk, a sannyiisi in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhumay accept· even a person who is not thoroughly fit to becomea disciple. Later on, by the mercy of such a bona fide spiritualmaster, the disciple is gradually elevated. However, if one increasesthe number of disciples simply for some prestige or false honor, hewill surely fall down in the matter of executing Krwa consciousness.Similarly, a bona fide spiritual master has no business to readmany books simply to show his proficiency or to get popularity bylecturing in different places. One should avoid all these things. It isalso stated that a sannyiisi should not be enthusiastic about constructingtern ples. We can see in the life of various iiciiryas in the lineof Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they are not very enthusiastic aboutconstructing temples. However, if somebody comes forward to offersome service, the same reluctant iiciiryas will encourage the buildingof costly temples by such servitors. For example, Riipa Gosvami was

66 The Nectar of Devotionoffered a favor by Mahadij Mansingh , the commander-in-chief ofEmperor Akbar, and Rupa Gosvami instructed him to construct alarge temple for Govindaji, which cost vast amounts of money.So a bona fide spiritual master should not personally take any responsibilityfor constructing temples, but if someone has moneyand wants to spend it in the service of Kra, an iiciirya like RupaGosvami may utilize the devotee's money to construct a nice costlytemple for the service of the Lord. Unfortunately, it happens thatsomeone who is not fit to become a spiritual master may approachwealthy persons to contribute for temple constructions. If suchmoney is utilized by unqualified spiritual masters to live comfortablyin costly temples without actually doing any preaching work, this isnot acceptable. In other words, a spiritual master needn't be veryenthusiastic for constructing temple buildings simply in the name ofso-called spiritual advancement. Rather, his first and foremost activityshould be to preach. In this connection, Snla BhaktisiddhantaSarasvati Gosvami Maharaj recommended that a spiritual master printbooks. If one has money, instead of constructing costly temples,one should spend his money for the publication of authorized booksin different languages for propagating the Kra consciousness movement.Straightforwardness in Ordinary DealingsThere is a statement in the Padma Puriir-a: "Persons who areengaged in Kr1a consciousness should never be disturbed by somematerial gain or loss. Even if there is some material loss, one shouldnot be perturbed, but should always think of Kra within Himself."The purport is that every conditioned soul is always absorbed inthinking of materialistic activities; he has to make himself freed fromsuch thoughts and transfer himself completely to Kr1a consciousness.As we have already explained, the basic principle of Kra consciousnessis to always think of Kra. One should not be disturbedin material loss, but, rather, should concentrate his mind upon thelotus feet of the Lord.

Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles 67A devotee should not be subjected to lamentation or illusion.There is the following statement in the Padma Purar-a: "Within theheart of a person who is overpowered by lamentation or anger, thereis no possibility of Krwa being manifested."The DemigodsOne should not become neglectful to offer due respect to thedemigods. One may not be a devotee of demigods, but that does notmean that he should be disrespectful to them. For example, a Vai§­r-ava is not a devotee of Lord Siva or Lord Brahma, but he is dutyboundto offer all respects to such highly-positioned demigods. Accordingto Vai§r-ava philosophy, one should offer respect even to anant, so then what need is there to speak of such exalted persons likeLord Siva and Lord Brahma?In the Padma Purar-a it is said, "Krwa, or Hari, is the master of alldemigods, and therefore He is always worshipable. But this does notmean that one should not offer respect to the demigods."Not Giving Pain to Any Living EntityThis is the statement of Mahiibhiirata: "A person who does notdisturb or cause painful action in the mind of any living entity, whotreats everyone just like a loving father does his children, whose heartis so pure, certainly very soon becomes favored by the Supreme Personalityof Godhead."In so-called civilized society there is sometimes agitation againstcruelty to animals, but at the same time regular slaughterhouses arealways maintained. A Vai§r-ava is not like that. A Vai§r-ava can neversupport animal slaughter nor even give pain to any living entity.

8 I Offenses to be A voidedIn the supplementary Vedic literature, there is the following list of32 offenses in the matter of serving the Lord: 1) One should notenter the temple of the Deity in a car or palanq'uin or with shoes onthe feet. 2) One should not fail to observe the various festivals forthe pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such as ./anmii§tami,Ratha-yiitrii, etc. 3) One should not avoid bowing down beforethe Deity. 4) One should not enter the temple to worship theLord without having washed his hands and feet after eating. 5) Oneshould not enter the temple in a contaminated state. (According toVedic scripture, if someone dies in the family the whole family becomescontaminated for some time, according to its status. For example,if the family is briihma[La their contamination period is 12days, for the k§atriyas and vaisyas it is 15 days, and fo siidras 30days.) 6) One should not bow down on one hand. 7) One should notcircumambulate in front of Sri Kra. (The process of circumambulatingthe temple is that one should begin circumambulating fromthe Deity's right-hand side of the temple and come round. Such circumambulationshould be performed outside the temple structure atleast three times daily.) 8) One should not spread his legs before theDeity. 9) One should not· sit before the Deity holding the ankles,elbows or knees with his hands. 10) One should not lie down beforethe Deity of Kra. 11) One should not accept prasiidam before theDeity. 12) One should never speak a lie before the Deity. 13) Oneshould not talk very loudly before the Deity. 14) One should nottalk with others before the Deity. 15) One should not cry or howlbefore the Deity. 16) One should not quarrel or fight before the68

Offenses to be A voided 69Deity. 17) One should not chastise anyone before the Deity. 18)One should not be charitable to beggars before the Deity. 19) Oneshould not speak very harshly to others before the Deity. 20) Oneshould not wear a fur blanket before the Deity. 21) One should noteulogize or praise anyone else before the Deity. 22) One should notspeak any ill names before the Deity. 23) One should not pass air beforethe Deity. 24) One should not fail to worship the Deity accordingto his means. (In the Bhagavad-gitii it is stated that the Lord issatisfied even if some devotee offers him a leaf or a little water. Thisformula prescribed by the Lord is universally applicable, even for thepoorest man. But that does not mean that one who has sufficientmeans to worship the Lord very nicely should also adopt this methodand try to satisfy the Lord simply by offering water and a leaf. If hehas sufficient means, he should offer nice decorations, nice flowers,nice foodstuffs and observe all ceremonies. It is not that one shouldtry to satisfy the Supreme Lord with a little water and a leaf, and forhimself spend all his money in sense gratification.) 25) One shouldnot eat anything which is not offered first to Krwa. 26) One shouldnot fail to offer fresh fruit and grains to Krgta, according to the season.27) After cooking, no one should be offered any foodstuff unlessit is first offered to the Deity. 28) One should not sit with hisback towards the Deity. 29) One should not offer obeisances silentlyto the spiritual master; or in other words, one should recite aloud theprayers to the spiritual master while offering obeisances. 30) Oneshould not fail to offer some praise in the presence of the spiritualmaster. 31) One should not praise himself before the spiritual master.32) One should not deride the demigods before the Deity.This is a list of 32 offenses. Besides these, there are a number ofoffenses which are mentioned in the Variiha Puriir-a. They are as follows:1) One should not touch the Deity in a dark room. 2) Oneshould not fail to strictly follow the rules and regulations in worshipingthe Deity. 3) One should not enter the temple of the Deitywithout first making some sound. 4) One should not offer any foodstuffto the Deity which has been seen by dogs or other lower animals.5) One should not break the silence while worshiping. 6) Oneshould not pass urine or evacuate while engaged in worshiping. 7) One

70 The Nectar of Devotionshould not offer incense without offering some flower. 8) Uselessflowers without any fragrance should not be offered. 9) One shouldnot fail to wash his teeth very carefully every day. 10) One shouldnot enter the temple directly after sexual intercourse. 11) One shouldnot touch a woman during her menstrual period. 12) One should notenter the temple after touching a dead body. 13) One should not enterthe temple wearing garments of red or blue color, or which areunwashed. 14) One should not enter the temple after seeing a deadbody. 15) One should not pass air within the temple. 16) One shouldnot be angry within the temple. 17) One should not enter the templeafter visiting a crematorium. 18) One should not belch before theDeity. So, until one has fully digested his food, he should not enterthe temple. 19) One should not smoke marijuana or gafija. 20) Oneshould not take opium or similar intoxicants. 21) 0 ne should notenter the Deity room or touch the body of the Deity after havingsmeared oil over his body. 22) One should not show disrespect to ascripture teaching about the supremacy of the Lord. 23) One shouldnot introduce any opposing scripture. 24) One should not chew betelbefore the Deity. 25) One should not offer a flower which was kept inan unclean pot. 26) One should not worship the Lord while sitting onthe bare floor: one must have a sitting place or carpet. 27) Oneshould not touch the Deity before he has completed taking bath.28) One should not decorate his forehead with the three-lined tilaka.29) One should not enter the temple without washing his hands andfeet.Other rules are that one should not offer foodstuff which iscooked by a non- Vair!wva. One should not worship the Deity beforea nondevotee. One should not engage himself in the worship of theLord while seeing a nondevotee. One should begin the worship of thedemigod Gaapati, who drives away all impediments in the executionof devotional service. In the Brahma-sarhhitii it is stated that Gaapatiworships the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and in that way he hasbecome auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments.Therefore, all devotees should worship Gaapati. The Deities shouldnot be bathed in water which has been touched by the nails or fingers.When a devotee is perspiring, he should not engage himself in

..Offenses to be A voided 71worshiping the Deity. Similarly, there are many other prohibitions,such as one should not cross or step over the flowers offered to theDeities, nor should one take a vow in the name of God. These are alldifferent kinds of offenses in the matter of executing devotional service,and one should be careful to avoid them.In the Padma Purii[la it is stated that even a person whose life iscompletely sinful will be completely protected by the Lord if he simplysurrenders unto Him. So it is accepted that one who surrendersunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes freed from allsinful reactions. And even when a person becomes an offender untothe Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he can still be deliveredsimply by taking shelter of the holy names of the Lord: Hare K[§l)a,Hare K[§l)a, Kr§fla K[§l)a, Hare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, RiimaRiima, Hare Hare. In other words, the chanting of Hare Kr§fla isbeneficial for eradicating all sins; but if one becomes an offender tothe holy names of the Lord, then he has no chance of being delivered.The offenses against the chanting of the holy name are as follows:l) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives forpropagating the holy name of the Lord. 2) To consider the names ofdemigods like Lord Siva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or independentof, the name of Lord Vi!lu. (Sometimes the atheistic class ofmen take it that any demigod is as good as the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, Vi!lu. But one who is a devotee knows that no demigod,however great ·he may be, is independently as good as the SupremePersonality of Godhead. Therefore if someone thinks that hecan chant Kiili, Kiili! or Durgii, Durgii! and it is the same as HareK[§l)a, that is the greatest offense.) 3) To disobey the orders of thespiritual master. 4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literaturein pursuance of the Vedic version. 5) To consider the glories ofchanting Hare K[§[la as imagination. 6) To give some interpretationon the holy name of the Lord. 7) To commit sinful activities on thestrength of the holy name of the Lord. (Because by chanting theholy name of the Lord one can be freed from all kinds of sinful reactions,it should not be taken that one may continue to act sinfullyand after that chant Hare Kr§fla to neutralize his sins. Such a dangerousmentality is very offensive and should be avoided. 8) To consider

l -72The Nectar of Devotionthe chanting of Hare Kr§"!W as one of the auspicious ritualistic activitieswhich are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karmakiir-a).9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holyname. (Anyone can take part in chanting the holy name of the Lord,but in the beginning one should not be instructed about the transcendentalpotency of the Lord. Those who are too sinful cannot appreciatethe transcendental glories of the Lord, and therefore it isbetter not to instruct them in this matter.) 10) To not have completefaith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments,even after understanding so many instructions on thismatter.Every devotee who claims to be a Vai§r-ava must guard againstthese offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success.

9 I Further Considerationof Devotional PrinciplesBlasphemyOne should not tolerate blaspheming of the Lord or His devotees.In this connection, in the Tenth Canto, 70th Chapter, 25th verse, ofSrimad-Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami tells Parikit Maharaj: "Mydear King, if a person, after hearing blasphemous propaganda againstthe Lord and His devotees, does not go away from that place, hebecomes bereft of the effect of all pious activities."In one of Lord Caitanya's Sik§ii§!aka verses it is stated: "Thedevotee should be more tolerant than the tree and more submissivethan the grass. He should offer all honor to others, but may notaccept any honor for himself." In spite of Lord Caitanya's being sohumble and meek a.s a devotee, when He was informed about injuriesinflicted on the body of Sri Nityananda, He immediately ran to thespot and wanted to kill the offenders, J agai and Madhai. This behaviorof Lord Caitanya is very significant. It shows that a Vai§[WVa maybe very tolerant and meek, foregoing everything for his personalhonor, but when it is a question of the honor of Krtta or His devotee,he will not tolerate any insult.There are three ways of dealing with such insults. If someone isheard blaspheming by words, one should be so expert that he candefeat the opposing party by argument. If he is unable to defeat theopposing party, then the next step is that he should not just standthere meekly, but should give up his life. The third process is followedif he is unable to execute the above-mentioned two processes, andthis is that one must leave the place and go away. If a devotee does73

74 The Nectar of Devotionnot do any of the above-mentioned three processes, he falls downfrom his position of devotion.Tilaka, Tulasi Beads and Flower GarlandsIn the Padma Puriirw there is a statement describing how aVai§"[WVa should decorate his body with tilaka and beads: "Personswho put tulasi beads on the neck, who mark twelve places oftheir body as Viu temples with Viu's symbolic representationsA similar statement is in the Skanda Purii[La, which says: "Personswho are decorated with tilaka or gopi-candana [a kind of clayresembling fuller's earth which is produced in certain quarters ofV rndavana ], and who mark their bodies all over with the holy namesof the Lord, and on whose neck and breast there are tulasi beads, arenever approached by the Y ama-diitas." The Y ama-diitas are the constablesof King Yama (the Lord of death), who punishes all sinfulmen. Vai§[Lavas are never called for by such constables of Yamaraj.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, in the narration of Ajamila's deliverance,it is said that Yamaraj gave clear instructions to his assistants not toapproach the Vai§[Lavas. Vai§[Lavas are beyond the jurisdiction ofY amaraj's activities.IIn the Padma Puriira it is also mentioned: "A person whose bodyIis decorated with the pulp of sandalwood, with paintings of theholy name of the Lord, is delivered from all sinful reactions, and after·I his death he goes directly to Kra-loka to live in association with theISupreme Personality of Godhead."[the four items held in the four hands of Lord Viu-conch, mace,disk and lotus] , and who have Viu tilaka on their forehead, are tobe understood as the devotees of Lord Viu in this world. Theirpresence makes the world purified, and anywhere they remain theymake that place as good as V aikutha."The next instruction is that one should put on flower garlandswhich are offered to the Deity. In this connection, in the EleventhCanto, 6th Chapter, 31st verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Uddhava saysto Kra, "My dear Kra, I have taken things which You have used

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 75and enjoyed, such as garlands of flowers, saintly articles, garmentsand ornaments, and I eat only the remnants of Your foodstuff becauseI am Your menial servant. So, therefore, I am sure that I shallnot be attacked by the spell of material energy." The purport of thisverse is that for any person who simply follows these rules and regulationsof decorating the body with the marks of tilaka of gopicandanaor sandalwood pulp, and who puts on the garlands whichwere offered to Kra, there is no question of being conquered bythe spell of material energy. At the time of death, there is no questionof such a person being called by the constables of Yamaraj. Even ifone does not accept all the Vai§r.ava principles, but still takes theremnants of foodstuff offered to Krwa, or Kr§r-a-prasiidam, he willgradually become qualified to rise to the platform of a Vai§r.ava.Similarly, in the Skanda Puriir-a Lord Brahma tells Narada: "Mydear Narada, anyone who puts on his neck the flower garland whichwas formerly used by Kra becomes relieved from all disease andreactions to sinful activities, and gradually he gets liberated from thecontamination of matter."Dancing before the DeityIn the Dviirahii-miihiitmya the importance of dancing before theDeity is stated by Lord Kra as follows: "A person who is in a jubilantspirit, who feels profound devotional ecstasy while dancing beforeMe, and who manifests different features of bodily expression,can burn away all the accumulated sinful reactions he has stocked upfor many, many thousands of years." In the same book there is astatement by Narada wherein he asserts: "From the body of anyperson who claps and dances before the Deity, showing manifestationsof ecstasy, all the birds of sinful activities fly away upwards."Just as by clapping the hands one can cause many birds to fly away,similarly the birds of all sinful activities which are sitting on the bodycan be made to fly away simply by dancing and clapping before theDeity of Kra.

76 The Nectar of DevotionBowing Down and Standing Up in Honor of the DeityIn the Niiradiya Puriirw there is a statement about bowing downand offering respect to the Deity. It is said there: "A person who hasperformed a great ritualistic sacrifice and a person who has simplyoffered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lordcannot be held as equals." The person who has executed many greatsacrifices will attain the result of his pious activities, but when suchresults are finished, he has to take birth again on the earthly planet;whereas the person who has once offered respect, bowing down beforethe Deity, will not again come back to this world, because hewill go directly to the abode of Kra.In the Brahmii1y}a Puriirw it is said: "A person who sees the Lord'sRatha-yiitrii car festival and then stands up to receive the Lord canpurge all kinds of sinful results from his body." A similar statementis there in the Bhavi§ya Puriirw, in which it is said: "A person whofollows the Ratha-yiitrii car when the Rat has [Deities] pass in frontor from behind, even if born of a lowly family, will surely be elevatedto the position of achieving equal opulence with Viwu."Going to the Temple of Vi§rtU or to Places of PilgrimageIt is stated in the Puriirtas: "Persons who attempt to visit theholy places of pilgrimage, like Vrndavana, Mathura or Dvaraka, areactually glorified. By such traveling activities, they can pass over thedesert of material existence."In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, there is a statement about the benefitof visiting the temples of Lord Krwa. As we have explained previously,in V rndavana, Mathura and Dvaraka the system is that all thedevotees take advantage of visiting various temples situated in thoseholy places. It is stated in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: "Persons whoare impelled by pure devotional service in Kra consciousness andwho therefore go to see the Deities of Viu in the temple will surelyget relief from entering again into the prison house of a mother'swomb." The conditioned soul forgets the trouble of living within the:I

.':Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 77mother's womb during birth, but it is a very painful and terrible experience.In order to make an escape from this material condition,one is advised to visit a temple of Vi!J.U with devotional consciousness.Then one can very easily get out of the miserable condition ofmaterial birth.Circumambulating the Temple of Vi§[lUIt is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya: "A person who is circumambulatingthe Deity of Viwu can counteract the circumambulationof repeated birth and death in this material world." The conditionedsoul is circumambulating through repeated births and deaths on accountof his material existence, and this can be counteracted simplyby circumambulating the Deity in the temple.The Caturmasya ceremony is observed during the four months ofthe rainy season in India, beginning from Sravar-a (approximatelyJuly, August, September and October). During these four months,saintly persons who are accustomed to travel from one place to anotherto propagate Kr!la consciousness remain at one place, usuallya holy place of pilgrimage. During these times, there are certain specialrules and regulations which are strictly followed. It is stated inthe Skanda Purar-a that during this period, if someone circumambulatesthe temple of Vi!J.U at least four times, it is understood that hehas traveled all over the universe. By such circumambulation, one isunderstood to have seen all the holy places where the Ganges water isflowing, and by following the regulative principles of Caturmasya onecan very quickly be raised to the platform of devotional service.ArcanaArcana means to worship the Deity in the temple. By executingthis process one confirms himself as not body but spirit soul. In theTenth Canto, 8lst Chapter, 16th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, itis told how Sudama, an intimate friend of Kr!J.a, while going to the

78 The Nectar of Devotionhouse of a briihma[la murmured to himself, "Simply by worshipingKr9pa one can easily achieve all the results of heavenly opulence, liberation,supremacy over the planetary systems of the universe, all theopulences of this material world, and the mystic power of performingthe yoga system."The events leading to Sudama's murmuring this statement are asfollows: Sri Krpa had ordered His friend Sudama to go to a briihma[la'shouse and ask for some food. The briihma[laS were performinga great sacrifice, and Sri Krwa told Sudama to plead with themthat He and Balarama were feeling hungry and needed some food.When Sudama went there, the briihma[las refused to offer anything,but the wives of the briihma[laS, upon hearing that Sri Kr9pa wantedsome foodstuff, immediately took many palatable dishes and went tooffer them to Sri Krpa. In the Vi§[lU-rahasya also, it is stated: "Anyperson within this world who is engaged in the worship of Vipu canvery easily achieve the ever-blissful kingdom of God, known asV aikuptha."Rendering Service to the LordIt is stated in the Vi§"[lU-rahasya: "Any person who can arrange forservice to the Lord in the same way that a king is given service by hisattendants is surely elevated to the abode of Kr9pa after death."Actually, in India, the temples are just like royal palaces. They arenot ordinary buildings because the worship of Kr9pa should be performedin just the way that a king is worshiped in his palace. So inVrndavana there are many hundreds of temples wherein the Deity isworshiped exactly like a king. In the Niiradiya Purii[la it is stated:"If a person stays in the Lord's temple even for a few moments, hecan surely achieve the transcendental kingdom of God."The conclusion is that those who are rich men in society shouldconstruct beautiful temples and arrange for the worship of Vi9pu, sothat people may be attracted to visit such temples and thereby beoffered the opportunity of dancing before the Lord, or chanting the

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 79holy name of the Lord, or else of hearing the holy name of the Lord.In this way, everyone will be given the chance to elevate himself tothe kingdom of God. In other words, even a common man, simply byvisiting such a temple, will be able to attain the highest benedictions,not to mention the devotees who are constantly engaged in the serviceof the Lord in full Krrta consciousness.In this connection, there is a statement in the Fourth Canto of theSrimad-Bhiigavatam, wherein King J>rthu says to his subjects: "Mydear citizens, please note that the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Hari, is actually the deliverer of all fallen conditioned souls. No demigodcan perform this act of delivering the conditioned souls, becausethe demigods themselves are conditioned. A conditioned soul cannotdeliver another conditioned soul. Only Krwa or His bona fide representativecan deliver him. The Ganges water which is flowing downfrom the toe of Lord Virtu falls upon the earthly planet and otherplanets and thereby delivers all the conditioned sinful living entities.So what need is there to speak of the deliverance of persons who arealways engaged in the service of the Lord? There is no doubt abouttheir liberation, even if they have stocks of sinful activities frommany, many births." In other words, a person who is engaged in theworship of the Deities can minimize his stock of sinful reactions comingfrom many, many previous births. This process of worshiping theDeity has already been described, and one should try to follow theserules and regulations seriously.In the Linga Puriira there is a statement about glorifying and singingabout the Lord. It is said there: "A briihmara who is constantlyengaged in singing the glories of the Lord is surely elevated to thesame planet as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Krrta appreciatesthis singing even more than the prayers offered by Lordc;. ";,Iva.When a person loudly chants the glories of the Lord's activities,qualities, form, etc., it is called sankirtana. Sankirtana also refers tothe congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.In the Vi§ru-dharma there is a statement glorifying this process ofcongregational chanting: "My dear King, this word 'Krrta' is so auspiciousthat anyone who chants this holy name immediately gets rid

80 The Nectar of Devotionof the resultant actions of sinful activities from many, many births."That is a fact. There is the following statement in Caitanya­Caritamrta: "A person who chants the holy name of Kra once cancounteract the resultant actions of more sinful activities than he isable to perform." A sinful man can perform many, many sinful activities,but he is unable to perform so many that they cannot bewiped out by one single uttering of "Kra."In the Seventh Canto, 9th Chapter, 17th verse, of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Maharaj Prahlada offers the following prayers to theLord: "My dear Lord Nrsimha, if I can be elevated to the position ofYour servant, then it will be possible for me to hear about Your activities.You are the supreme friend, the suprerpe worshipable Deity.Your pastimes are transcendental, and simply by hearing of them onecan counteract all his sinful activities. Therefore, I shall not care forall those sinful activities because simply by hearing about Your pastimesI shall get out of all the contamination of material attachment."There are many songs about the Lord's activities. For example,there is the Brahma-samhitii, sung by Lord Brahma, Niiradapaficariitra,sung by Narada Muni, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam, sung bySukadeva Gosvami. If these songs are heard by any person, he caneasily get out of the clutches of material contamination. There shouldbe no difficulty in hearing these songs of God. They are comingdown from many, many millions of years ago, and people are stilltaking advantage of them. So why, at this time, should one not takefull advantage and thus become liberated?Glorifying the Lord's Transcendental ActivitiesIn the First Canto, 5th Chapter, 22nd verse, of the Srimad-. Bhiigavatam, Narada Muni tells his disciple, Vyasadeva, "My dearVyasa, you should know that persons who are engaged in executingausterities and penances, studying the Vedas, performing big sacrifices,chanting the hymns of the Vedas, speculating on transcendentalknowledge and performing charitable functions have for all their

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 81auspicious activities simply to gain a place in the association of devoteesand to chant the glories of the Lord." It is indicated here thatchanting and glorifying the Lord is the ultimate activity of the livingentity.]apaWhen a mantra or hymn is chanted softly and slowly, that is calledjapa. The same mantra, when chanted loudly, is called kirtana. Forexample, the mahii-mantra (Hare K[§[W, Hare K[§[la, K[§[la K[§[la,Hare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare) whenuttered very softly only for one's own hearing is called japa. Thesame mantra, when chanted loudly for being heard by all others, iscalled kirtana. The mahii-mantra can be used for japa and kirtana also.When japa is practiced it is for the personal benefit of the chanter,but when kirtana is performed it is for the benefit of all others whomay hear.In the Padma Purii[la there is a statement: "For any person who ischanting the holy name either softly or loudly, the paths to liberationand even heavenly happiness are at once open."SubmissionIn the Skanda Purii[la there is a statement about submission untothe lotus feet of the Lord. It is said there that those who are soberdevotees can offer their submission to Kra in the following threeways: l) sampriithaniitmikii, very feelingly offering prayers; 2)dainyavodhikii, humbly submitting oneself; 3) liilasiimayi, desiringsome perfectional stage. This desiring some perfectional stage inspiritual life is not sense gratification. When one realizes somethingof his constitutional relationship with the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, he understands his original position and wants to be reinstatedin this position, either as friend, servant, parent or conjugallover of Kra. That is called liilasiimayi, or very eagerly desiring to

82 The Nectar of Devotiongo to one's natural position. This liilasamayi stage of submissioncomes in the stage of perfect liberation, which is technically calledsvariipa-siddhi, when the living entity understands, by perfect spiritualadvancement and revelation, his original relationship with theLord.Submission in FeelingIn the Skanda Purar-a there is a statement by devotees praying tothe Lord: "My Lord, I know that young girls have natural affectionfor young boys, and that young boys have .natural affection foryoung girls. I am praying at Your lotus feet that my mind may becomeattracted unto You in the same spontaneous way." The exampleis very appropriate. When a young boy or girl sees a member ofthe opposite sex there is a natural attraction, without the need forany introduction. Without any training there is a natural attractiondue to the sex impulse. This is a material example, but the devotee ispraying that he may develop a similar spontaneous attachment forthe Supreme Lord, free from any desire for profit and without anyother cause. This natural attraction for the Lord is the perfectionalstage of self realization.In the same Skanda Purar-a there is a statement about submissionand humbleness. It is stated there: "My dear Lord, there is no sinfulliving entity who is more of a sinner than myself. Nor is there agreater offender than myself. I am so greatly sinful and offensive thatwhen I come to confess my sinful activities before You, I amashamed." This is a natural position for a devotee. As far as the conditionedsoul is concerned, there is no wonder that he has some sinfulactivities in his past life, and this should be admitted and confessedbefore the Lord. As soon as this is done the Lord excuses thesincere devotee. But that does not mean that one should take advantageof the Lord's causeless mercy and expect to be excused over andover again, while he commits the same sinful activities. Such a mentalityis only for shameless persons. Here it is clearly said, "When Icome to confess my sinful activities I become ashamed." So if a per-

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 83son is not ashamed of his sinful activities and continues to committhe same sinful activities with the knowledge that the Lord will excusehim, that is a most nonsensical proposition. Such an idea is notaccepted in any part of the Vedic literature. It is a fact that bychanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes washed clean ofall sinful activities from his past life. But that does not mean thatafter being washed off, one should again begin sinful activities andexpect to be washed again. These are nonsensical propositions andare not admitted in the devotional service. Someone may think: "Fora whole week I may commit sinful activities, and for one day I will goto the temple or church and admit my sinful activities so that I canbecome washed off and again begin my sinning." This is most nonsensicaland offensive and is not acceptable to the author of Bhaktirasiimrta-sindhu.In the Niirada-paiicariitra there is a statement of submission accompaniedby the desire for perfection. The devotee says, "My dearLord, when shall that day come when You will ask me to fan Yourbody, and according to Your pleasure, You will say, 'You just fan Mein this way'?" The idea in this verse is that the devotee is desiring topersonally fan the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.That means that he is desiring to become the personal associate ofthe Supreme Lord. Of course, any devotee in any capacity, either asservant, friend or cnjugal lover, always has direct association withthe Lord. But according to his different individual taste, a person desiresfor just one of these relationships. Here the devotee is desiringto become a servant of the Lord and desires to fan the Lord, as doesHis internal energy, Lakmi, the goddess of fortune. He also wishesthat the Personality of Godhead will be pleased to give him directionsas to how to fan. This submission with transcendental desire, orliilasiimayi vijiiapti, is the highest perfectional stage of spiritual realization.In the same Niirada-paiicariitra, there is another expression of submission,wherein the devotee says, "My dear Lord, 0 lotus-eyed one,when will that day come when on the bank of the Yam una, I shallbecome just like a madman and continue to chant Your holy namewhile incessant tears flow from my eyes?" This is another perfec-

lL84 The Nectar of Devotiontional stage. Lord Caitanya also desired that "a moment will appearunto Me as twelve years of time, and the whole world will appear toMe as vacant on account of not seeing You, My dear Lord." Oneshould feelingly pray artd bel;:ome eager to render his particular typeof service to the Lord· THis Is the teaching of all great devotees, especiallyLord Caitanya. ,.In other words, one should learn how to cry for the Lord. Oneshould learn this smafl technique, and he should be very eager andactually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service.This is called laulyam, and such tears are the price for the highestperfection. If one develops this laulyam, or excessive eagerness formeeting and serving the Lord in a particular way, that is the price toenter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, there is no material calculationfor the value of the ticket by which one can enter the kingdomof God. The only price for such entrance is this laulyam liilasiimayor desire and great eagerness.PrayersAccording to great learned scholars, the whole Bhagavad-gitii containsmany authorized prayers, especially in the Eleventh Chapter,where Arjuna prays to the universal form of the Lord. Similarly, inthe Gautamiya Tantra all the verses are called prayers. Again in theSrimad-Bhiigavatam, there are hundreds of prayers to the Lord. So adevotee should select some of these prayers for his recitation. In theSkanda Purii[la the glories of these prayers are stated as follows:"Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to LordKr!la are always given respect even by the great saintly persons andsages, and such devotees are actually worshipable by the demigods."Those who are less intelligent want to worship different demigodsfor some material gain rather than worship Kr!la. But here it is statedthat a devotee who is always engaged in offering prayers to the Lordis worshipable even by the demigods themselves. The pure devoteeshave nothing to ask from any demigod, but rather the demigods areanxious to offer prayers to the pure devotees.

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 85In the Nrsirhha Puriirw it is stated: "Any person who comes beforethe Deity of Lord Krwa and begins to chant different prayers isimmediately relieved from all the reactions of sinful activities and becomeseligible, without any doubt, to enter into the Vaikutha-loka."Partaking of PrasiidamThere is this specific statement in the Padma Puriirw: "A personwho honors the prasiidam and regularly eats it, not exactly in frontof the Deity, along with carartiimrtam [the water offered to the lotusfeet of the Lord, which is mixed with seeds of the tulasi tree], immediatelycan achieve the results of pious activities which are obtainedthrough ten thousand performances of sacrificial rites."Carartiimrtam is obtained in the morning while the Lord is beingwashed before dressing. Scented with perfumes and flowers, thewater comes gliding down through His lotus feet and is collected andmixed with yogurt. In this way this carartiimrtam not only becomesvery tastefully flavored, but it also has tremendous spiritual value. Itis described in the Padma Puriirta that even a person who has neverbeen able to give in charity, who has never been able to perform agreat sacrifice, who has never been able to study the Vedas, who hasnever been able to orship the Lord-or, in other words, even onewho has never done any pious activities-if he simply drinks thecarartiimrtam which is kept in the temple, he will become eligible toenter into the kingdom of God. In the temple it is the custom thatthe carartiimrtam be kept in a big pot. The devotees who come to visitand offer respects to the Deity very submissively take three drops ofcarartiimrtam and feel themselves happy in transcendental bliss.Smelling the Incense, In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is a statement about the incensewhich is offered in the temple: "When the devotees smell thegood flavor of the incense which is offered to the Deity, they thus

86 The Nectar of Devotionbecome cured of the poisonous effects of material contamination, asmuch as one becomes cured of a snake bite by smelling the prescribedmedicinal herbs." The explanation of this verse is that there is anherb which is found in the jungles which expert persons know howto use to revive the consciousness of one who is bitten by a snake.Simply by smelling that herb one becomes immediately relieved ofthe poisonous effects of the snake bite. The same example is applicable:when a person comes to visit the temple and smells the incenseoffered to the Deity, he is cured at that time from all his materialcontamination.Any devotee coming into the temple should always offer somethingto the Deity-fruit, flowers, incense, etc. If one cannot offeranything in cash, something else must be offered. In India the systemis that all the ladies and gentlemen who come in the morning tovisit the temple bring so many things. Even one morsel of rice or onemorsel of flour can be offered. It is a regulative principle that oneshould not go to see a saintly person or the Deity in the templewithout any offering. The offering may be very hu'mble, or it may bepriceless. Even a flower, a little fruit, a little water-whatever is possible-mustbe offered. So when a devotee comes to offer somethingto the Deity in the morning, he is sure to smell the good flavor of theincense, and then at once he will become cleansed of the poisonouseffect of material existence.It is stated in the Tantra-siistra: "If the smell of the garland whichwas offered to the Deity in the temple enters into the nostril of aperson, immediately his bondage to sinful activities becomes cleared.And even if one has no sinful activities, still, by smelling such remnantsof flowers, one can advance from miiyiiviidi (impersonalist) todevotee." There are several instances of this, a prime one being theadvancement of the four Kumaras. They were impersonalist miiyiiviidis,but after smelling the remnants of flowers and incense in the temple,they turned to become devotees. From the above verse it appearsthat the miiyiiviidis or impersonalists are more or less contaminated.They are not pure.It is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: "One who has notwashed off all reactions of sinful activities cannot be a pure devotee.

Further Consideration of Devotional Principles 87A pure devotee has no more doubts about the supremacy of the Personalityof Godhead, and thus he engages himself in Kra consciousnessand evotional service." A similar statement is in the Agastyasarhhitii:Just to purify the impurities of our nostrils, we should tryto smell the remnants of flowers offered to Kra in the temple.Touching the DeityIn the Vi§[tu-dharmottara there is a statement about touching thelotus feet of the Lord. It is said: "Only a person who is initiated as aVai§r-ava and is executing devotional service in Kra consciousnesshas the right to touch the body of the Deity." In India there wasagitation during Gandhi's political movement because the lowbornclasses of men like street-sweepers and car-fliilas are prohibited, accordingto the Vedic system, from entering the temple. Due to theirunclean habits they are prohibited, but at the same time they aregiven other facilities so they may be elevated to the highest grade ofdevotional service by association with pure devotees. A man born inany family is not barred, but he must be cleansed. That cleansing processmust be adopted. Gandhi wanted to make them clean simply bystamping them with a fictitious name, Hari-jana (children of God),and so there was a great tug of war between the temple owners andGandhi's followers.But anyway, the present law is the law of all scripture-that ifanyone is purified he can enter into the temple. Actually, that is theposition. Only one who is properly initiated, who is properly followingthe rules and regulations, can enter and touch the Deity-not all.And one who touches the body of the Deity, following such regulativeprinciples, is immediately delivered from the contamination ofmaterial sins, and all of his desires become fulfilled without delay.In the Variiha Puriir-a, also, there is a statement praising the touchingof the Dity of Sri Kra in the temple. A devotee says there: "My dearVasundharii, any person who goes to Vrndavana and sees the Deity ofGovindadeva is free from the courthouse of Y amaraj and is allowedto enter into the highest planetary system, in which reside the demi-

88 The Nectar of Devotiongods." This means that even an ordinary person who goes toVrndavana out of inquisitiveness and by chance sees the temple,especially that of Govindadeva, even if he is not elevated to thespiritual kingdom, is still assured promotion to the higher planetarysystems. This means that simply by visiting the Deity of Govindain Vrndavana one becomes highly elevated in pious life.Observing Ariitrika and Celebrations of the LordIn the Skanda Puriir;w there is the following description of the resultof seeing iiriitrika (worship) of the Deity: "If someone sees theface of the Lord while iiriitrika is going on, he can be relieved of allsinful reactions coming from many, many thousands and millions ofyears past. He is even excused from the killing of a briihmar;w or similarprohibited activities."As we have already explained, there are different ceremonies to beobserved, such as the birthday of Kra, the birthday of Lord Ramacandra,the birthday of some prominent Vai§r:tavas, the ceremony of]hulan-yiitrii with the Lord sitting on a swing, Dola-yiitrii (the Lord'sactivities in the month of March), and so on. In all festivals the Lordis seated on the car, and the car moves through different streets ofthe city so that people may take advantage of visiting the Lord. In theBhaviya Puriir;w it is said: "In such a ceremony, if even a car;tf/iila[dog-eater], simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, hebecomes counted as one of the associates of Viwu."In the Garufla furiir;w it is stated: "Any person who in gladnesssees the worship of the Deity in the temple will obtain the results ofkriyii-yoga which are described in the Paiicariitra scripture." Kriyiiyogais a system of practice much like practical devotional service,but it is especially mant for the mystic yogis. In other words, bythis gradual process, the mystic yogis are eventually elevated to thedevotional service of the Lord.

10 I Techniques of Hearingand MemorizingThe beginning of Kr9a consciousness and devotional service ishearing, in Sanskrit called .ravar-am. All people should be given thechance to come and join devotional parties so that they may hear.This hearing is very important for progressing in Kr9va consciousness.When one links his ears to give aural reception to the transcendentalvibrations he can quickly become purified and cleansed in the heart.Lord Caitanya has affirmed that this hearing is very important. Itcleanses the heart of the contaminated soul so that he becomes quicklyqualified to enter into devotional service and to understand Kr9aconsciOusness.In the Garufla Puriil)a the stress on hearing is expressed very nicely.It is said there: "The state of conditioned life in the material worldis just like a man lying unconscious, having been bitten by a snake.This is because boh such unconscious states can be ended by thesound of a mantra." When a man is snake-bitten he does not dieimmediately, but first becomes unconscious and remains in a comatosecondition. Anyone who is in the material world is also sleeping,as he is ignorant of his actual self or his actual duty and his relationshipwith God. So materialistic life means that one is bittenby the snake of miiyii, illusion, and thus, without any Kr9!la consciousness,he is almost dead. Now the so-called dead man bitten bya snake can be brought back again to life by the chanting of somemantra. There are expert chanters of these mantras who can performthis feat. Similarly, one can be brought back into Kr9!la consciousnessfrom the deadly unconscious state of material life by hearing ofthe mahii-mantra: Hare K[§fla, Hare K[§fla, K[§fla K[§fla, Hare Hare/Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare.89

90 The Nectar of DevotionIIIn the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhii.gavatam, 29th Chapter, 37thverse, the importance of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is statedby Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaj Parikit: "My dear King, oneshould stay at a place where the great acaryas [holy teachers] speakabout the transcendental activities of the Lord, and one should giveaural reception to the nectarean river flowing from the moonlikefaces of such great personalities. If someone eagerly continues to hearsuch transcendental sounds, then certainly he will become freed fromall material hunger, thirst, fear and lamentation, as well as all illusionsof material existence."Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended this process of hearingas a means of self realization in the present.age ofKali. In this ageit is very difficult to follow thoroughly the regulative principles andstudies of the Vedas which were formerly recommended. However, ifone gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees andacaryas, that alone will give him relief from all material contamination.Therefore it is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahaprabhuthat one should simply hear from authorities who are actually devoteesof the Lord. Hearing from professional men will not help. If wehear from those who are actually self realized, then the nectareanrivers, like those which are flowing on the moon planet, will flow intoour ears. This is the metaphor used in the above verse.As is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, "A materialistic person can giveup his material hankerings only by becoming situated in Kr!la consciousness."Unless one finds a superior engagement he will not beable to give up his inferior engagement. In the material world everyoneis engaged in the illusory activities of inferior energy, but whenone is given the opportunity rt'\!lish the activities of the superiorenergy performed by Kr!la, then he forgets all his lesser pleasures.When Kr!la speaks on the battlefield of Kuruketra, to the materialisticperson it appears that this is simply talk between two friends,but actually it is a river of nectar flowing down from the mouth ofSri Kr!la. Arjuna gave aural reception to such vibrations, and thushe became freed from all the illusions of material problems.

Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing 91In the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 3rd Chapter, 12thverse, it is stated: "A person who desires unalloyed devotional serviceto Lord Kfl).a, who is praised by transcendental sound vibrations,should always hear about His glorification and transcendentalqualities. This will surely kill all kinds of inauspiciousness in theheart."Also, in the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 8th verse, it is said: "Mydear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causelessmercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the re·sultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisancesfrom the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated,for it has become his rightful claim."This statement of Srimad-Bhiigavatam should be the guide of alldevotees. A devotee should not expect immediate relief from the re·actions of his past misdeeds. No conditioned soul is free from suchreactionary experiences because material existence means continuedsuffering or enjoying of past activities. If one has finished his rna·terial activities then there is no more birth. This is only possiblewhen one begins Krl).a conscious activities, because such activitiesdo not produce reaction. Therefore, as soon as one becomes perfectin l

92 The Nectar of DevotionRemembranceII'Some way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his continuousrelationship with Kr9-a, this relationship is called remembrance.About this remembrance there is a nice statement in theVi§"[lU Purii[la, where it is said: "Simply by remembering the SupremePersonality of Godhead all living entities become eligible for all kindsof auspiciousness. Therefore let me always remember the Lord, whois unborn and eternal." In the Padma Purii!la the same remembranceis explained as follows: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances untothe Supreme Lord Kr9-a, because if someone remembers Him, eitherat the time of death or during his span of life, he becomes freed fromall sinful reactions."MeditationMeditation means to engage the mind in thinking of the form ofthe Lord, of the qualities of the Lord, of the activities of the Lordand of the service of the Lord. Meditation does not mean anythingimpersonal or void. According to Vedic literature, meditation isalways on the form of Vi9-u.In the Nrsimha Purii[la there is a statement about meditation onthe form of the Lord. It is said there: "Meditation focusing on thelotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been acceptedas transcendental and beyond the experience of material pain andpleasure. By such meditation even one who is grossly miscreant canbe delivered from the sinful reactions of his life."In the Vi§"[lu-dharma there is a statement about meditation on thetranscendental quality of the Lord. It is said, "Persons who are constantlyengaged in Kr9-a consciousness, and who remember thetranscendental qualities of the Lord, become free from all reactionsto sinful activities, and after being so cleansed they becomefit to enter into the kingdom of God." In other words, no onecan enter into the kingdom of God without being freed fromall sinful reactions. Sinful reactions can be avoided simply by

Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing 93remembering the form, qualities, pastimes, etc., of the Lord.In the Padma Puriirw there is a statement about remembering theactivities of the Lord: "A person who is always engaged in meditationon the sweet pastimes and wonderful activities of the Lordsurely becomes freed from all material contamination."Meditation on Executing Devotional ServiceIn some of the Puriirws the evidence is given that if someone issimply meditating on devotional activities, he has achieved the desiredresult and has seen face to face the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. In this connection, there is a story in the Brahma-vaivartaPuriirw that in the city of Pratithanapura in South India there wasonce a briihmar-a who was not very well-to-do, but who was neverthelesssatisfied in himself, thinking that because of his past misdeeds,and by the desire of Kra, he did not get sufficient money and opulence.So he was not at all sorry for his poor material position, andhe used to live very peacefully. He was very openhearted, and sometimeshe went to hear some lectures delivered by great realized souls.At one such meeting, while he was very faithfully hearing aboutVai§r-ava activities, he was informed that these activities can be performedeven by meditation. In other words, if a person is unable toactually performVai§r-ava activities physically, he can meditateupon the Vai§r-ava activities and thereby acquire all of the same results.Because the briihmar-a was not very well-to-do financially, hedecided that he would simply meditate on grand, royal devotionalactivities, and he began this business thusly:Sometimes he would take his bath in the river Godavari. Aftertaking his bath he would sit in a secluded place on the bank of theriver, and, by practicing the yoga exercises of prii[liiyiima, the usualbreathing exercise, he would concentrate his mind. This breathingexercise is meant to mechanically make the mind fixed upon a particularsubject. That is the result of the breathing exercise and also ofthe different sitting postures of yoga. Formerly, even quite ordinarypersons used to know how to fix the mind upon the remembrance of

94 The Nectar of Devotionthe Lord, and so the briihmar-a was doing this. When he had fixed theform of the Lord in his mind, he began to imagine in his meditationsthat he was dressing the Lord very nicely in costly clothing, withornaments, helmets and other paraphernalia. Then he offered his respectfulobeisances by bowing down before the Lord. After finishingthe dressing he began to imagine that he was cleaning the temple verynicely. After cleansing the temple, he imagined that he had manywater jugs made of gold and silver, and he took all those jugs to theriver and filled them with the holy water. Not only did he collectwater from Godavari, but he collected from the Ganges, Yamuna,Narmada and Kaveri. Generally a Vai§r-ava, while worshiping theLord, collects water from all these rivers by "!-antra chanting. Thisbriihmar-a, instead of chanting some mantra, imagined that he wasphysically securing water from all these rivers in golden and silverwater pots. Then he collected all kinds of worshipful paraphernaliaflowers,fruits, incense and sandalwood pulp. He collected everythingto place before the Deity. All these waters, flowers and scented articleswere then very nicely offered to the Deities to Their satisfaction.Then he offered iiriitrika, and with the regulative principles hefinished all these activities in the correct worshiping method.He would daily execute similar performances as his routine work,and he continued to do so for many, many years. Then one day thebriihmar-a imagined in his meditations that he had prepared somesweet rice with milk and sugar and offered the preparation to theDeity. However, he was not very satisfied with the offering becausethe sweet rice had been prepared recently and it was still very hot.(This preparation, sweet rice, should not be taken hot. The coolerthe sweet rice, the better its taste.) So because the sweet rice was preparedby the briihmar-a very recently, he wanted to touch it so thathe could know whether it was fit for eating by the Lord. As soon ashe touched the sweet rice pot with his finger, he immediately wasburnt by the heat of the pot. In this way, his meditation broke. Now,when he looked at his finger, he saw that it was burnt, and he waswondering in astonishment how this could have happened. Becausehe was simply meditating on touching the hot sweet rice, he neverthought that his finger would actually become burnt.

Techniques of Hearing and Memorizing 95While he was thinking like this, in V aikutltha Lord Narayatla,seated with the goddess of fortune, Lakmi, began to smile humorously.On seeing this smiling of the Lord, all the goddesses of fortunewho were attending the Lord became very curious and asked LordNarayatla why He was smiling. The Lord, however, did not reply totheir inquisitiveness, but instead immediately sent for the briihma[La.An airplane sent from Vaikutltha immediately brought the briihma[Lainto Lord Narayatla 's presence. When the briihma[La was thus presentbefore the Lord and the goddesses of fortune, the Lord explained thewhole story. The briihma[La was then fortunate enough to get aneternal place in V aikutltha in the association of the Lord and HisLakmis. This shows how the Lord is all-pervading, in spite of Hisbeing locally situated in His abode. Although the Lord was presentin Vaikutltha, He was present also in the heart of the briihma[La whenhe was meditating on the worshiping process. Thus, we can understandthat things offered by the devotees even in meditation are acceptedby the Lord, and they help one achieve the desired result.

ll I Aspects of Transcendental ServiceServitorshipIn the opinion of the harmis (fruitive workers), offering the resultsof karma is called servitorship. But according to Vai§rwva iiciiryas likeRupa Gosvami, servitorship means to be constantly engaged in somekind of service to the Lord.In the Shanda Puriirw it is said that those who are attached toritualistic activities, the four orders of social life and the four ordersof spiritual life, are considered devotees. But when devotees are actuallyengaged in offering service to the Lord directly, these must bebhiigavatas, or pure devotees. Those who are engaged in fruitive activities,or prescribed duties according to the four orders of social andspiritual life, are not actually pure devotees. But still, because theyare offering the result to the Lord, they are accepted as devotees.When one has no such desire, but acts spontaneously out of love ofGod, such a person must be accepted as a pure devotee. The conditionedsouls who have come into contact with the material world areall more or less desirous of lording it over material nature. The systemof va'!liisrama and the prescribed duties under this system are sodesigned that the conditioned soul may enjoy in the material worldaccording to his desire for sense gratification and at the same timegradually become elevated to spiritual understanding. Under theseprescribed duties of varr-a and iisrama there are many activities whichbelong to devotional service in Kra consciousness. Those devoteeswho are householders accept Vedic ritualistic performances as well asthe prescribed duties of devotional service, because both are meant96

Aspects of Transcendental Service 97for satisfying .Kr9a. When householder devotees perform some Vedicritualistic duties, they do so to satisfy Kr9a. As we have previouslydiscussed, any activity aiming at satisfying the Supreme Personalityof Godhead is considered devotional service.Srila Riipa Gosvami describes one who is fit for becoming engagedin devotional service. He says that persons who are neophytes andwho have developed a little love of Godhead are not interested in theactivities of sense gratification, in proportion to their devotion. Butif there is still some attraction for sense gratifying activities, then theresult of such activities should be offered to Kr9a. This is also calledengagement in the service of the Lord, with the Lord as the masterand the worker as the servant.In the Niiradiya Puriir-a there is a statement of how this servitorshipis transcendental. It is said there that a person who is constantlyengaged in devotional service by his body, mind and words, or even aperson who is not practically engaged but is simply desiring to be so,is considered to be liberated.Devotional Service in FriendshipDevotional service in friendship can be divided into two categories:one is to act as the confidential servant of the Lord, and the other isto act as the well-wisher of the Lord. The devotee who has confidencein devotional service to the Lord systematically follows therules and regulations, with the faith that he will achieve the platformof transcendental life. The second type of devotional friendship is tobecome a well-wisher of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In theBhagavad-gita it is said that the Lord accepts a preacher as the mostdear servant. Anyone who is preaching the confidential message ofthe Gitii to the people in general is so dear to Kr9a that no one canbe equal with him in human society.In the Mahiibhiirata, Draupadi says, "My dear Govinda, Your promiseis that Your devotee can never be vanquished. I believe in thatstatement, and therefore in all kinds of tribulations I simply rememberYour promise, and thus I live." The purport is that Draupadi and

98 The Nectar of Devotionher five husbands, the Pa9avas, were put into severe tribulations bytheir cousin-brother, Duryodhana, as well as by others. The tribulationswere so severe that even Bhimadeva, who was both a lifelongbrahmaciiri and a great warrior, would sometimes shed tears thinkingof them. He was always surprised that, although the Pa9avas wereso righteous and Draupadi practically the goddess of fortune, andalthough Kra was their friend, still they had to undergo such severetribulations. Though their tribulations were not ordinary, stillDraupadi was not discouraged. She knew that because Kra wastheir friend, ultimately they would be saved.A· similar statement is there in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, 2nd Chapter, 5th verse, where Havi, the son of KingJ;labha, addresses Maharaj Nimi: "My dear King, a person who neverdeviates even for a moment from engagement in service at the lotusfeet of the Supreme Person (engagement which is sought after evenby great demigods like Indra) with firm conviction that there is nothingmore worshipable or desirable than this, is called the first-classdevotee."Sri Riipa Gosvami says that a neophyte devotee who has simplydeveloped a slight love of Godhead is certainly a prospective candidatefor devotional service. When he becomes firmly fixed in suchdevotional service, that assured status becomes a confidential part ofhis devotional service.Sometimes it is found that a pure devotee lies down in the templeof the Lord in order to serve Him as a confidential friend. Suchfriendly behavior of a devotee may be accepted as riigiinugii, or spontaneous.Although, according to regulative principles, no one can liedown in the temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thisspontaneous love of Godhead can be grouped under devotional servicein friendship.Regarding complete self-surrender, there is a nice description inthe Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 29th Chapter, 32nd verse,where the Lord says: "A person who has completely surrenderedunto Me and has completely given up all other activities is protectedby Me personally, both in this life and in the next. In other words, Iwish to help him become more and more advanced in spiritual life.

Aspects of Transcendental Service 99Such a person is to be understood as having already achieved siirti[having equal opulences with the supreme] ." It is also confirmed inthe Bhagavad-gitii that as soon as a person surrenders unto the lotusfeet of Krr;ta, Krwa takes charge of him and gives him a guaranteeof protection from all sinful reactions. He also instructs from within,so that the devotee may very quickly make advancement towardsspiritual perfection.This self-surrender is called iitma-nivedana. According to differentauthorities, "self" is differently defined. "Self" is sometimes consideredto refer to the spirit self, or soul, and "self" is sometimesconsidered to refer to the mind or to the body. Full self-surrender,therefore, means not only surrendering one's self as spirit soul, butalso surrendering one's mind and body to the service of the Lord.Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has sung a nice song in this connection.While offering himself as a fully surrendered soul, he said, "My mind,my household affairs, my body, whatever is in my possession, mydear Lord, I offer to You for Your service. Now You can do withthem as You like. You are the supreme possessor of everything, so ifYou like You can kill me, or if You like You can give me protection.All authority belongs to You. I have nothing to claim as my own."Sri Yamunacarya, in his prayers to the Lord, has expressed a similaridea in the following words: "My dear Lord, I may be living withinsome body as a human being or as a demigod, but whatever modeof life, I do not mind, because these bodies are simply by-products ofthe three modes of material nature, and I, who am in possession ofthese bodies, am surrendering myself unto You."In the Hari-bhakti-viveka, there is a statement regarding how onecan offer his body in self-surrender. There the devotee says, "Mydear Lord, as a sold-out animal has no need to think about his maintenanceand sustenance, so, because I have given U(>' my body andsoul unto You, I am no longer concerned with my maintenance andsustenance." In other words, one should not bother about his personalor family maintenance or sustenance. If one is actually surrenderedin body and soul, he should always remember that his onlyconcern is to be engaged in the service of the Lord.Srila Rupa Gosvami says that devotional service in friendship and

100 The Nectar of Devotiondevotional service in self-surrender are two difficult processes. Thereforesuch relationships with the Lord can very rarely be seen. Onlyfor the advanced devotees are these two processes easily executed.The purport is that it is very rare to see surrender which is mixedwith sincere ecstatic devotion. One must give himself completely tothe will of the Lord.In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 40th verse, llthChapter, Lord Kra tells Uddhava: "My dear friend, if someoneoffers Me the best thing in his possession, or anything which is verypleasing to him, he will be eternally benefitted."In the Niirada-paiicariitra there is a statement of how one can actin all spheres of life for the satisfaction of the Lord. It is stated therethat a person who is actually in devotional service must be engagedin all kinds of activities, those prescribed in the revealed scripturesand also those which are accepted for livelihood. In other words, adevotee should engage himself not only in the prescribed duties ofdevotional service which are mentioned in the revealed scriptures, buthe should also perform the duties of his practical life in Kra consciousness.For example, a devotee who has a great establishment, orfactory, may offer the fruits of such a material possession for the serviceof the Lord.In the Hari-bhakti-viliisa there is the following statement aboutself-surrender: "My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himselfunto You, and who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and actuallyacts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actuallyrelish transcendental bliss."In the Nrsirhha Puriir.a, Lord Nrsimhadeva says: "Anyone whoprays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and Iprotect him always from all sorts of calamities."Serving Trees such as the TulasiIn the Skanda Puriir.a there is a statement eulogizing the tulasi treeas follows: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the tulasitree, which can immediately vanquish volumes of sinful activities.

Aspects of Transcendental Service 101Simply by seeing or touching this tree one can become relieved fromall distresses and diseases. Simply by offering obeisances to and pouringwater on the tulasi tree, one can become freed from the fear ofbeing sent to the court of Y amaraj [the King of death, who punishesthe sinful] ." If someone sows a tulasi tree somewhere, certainly hebecomes devoted to Lord K{a. And when the tulasi leaves are offeredin devotion at the lotus feet of Kra, there is the full developmentof love of Godhead.In India every Hindu, even those not belonging to the Vai§!lavagroup, take special care of the tulasi tree. Even in great cities whereit is very difficult to keep a tulasi tree, people are to be found verycarefully keeping this plant. They water it and offer obeisances to it,because worship of the tulasi tree is very important in devotionalserVIce.In the Skanda Purii!la there is another statement about tulasi, asfollows: "Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simplyby touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simplyby bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing thistree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touchwith the tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally inthe V aikutha world."

12 I Revealed ScripturesAccording to Srila Riipa Gosvami, any book which gives enlightenmentin the matter of advancing devotional service is considered tobe revealed scripture. Srila Madhvacarya has also defined revealedscriptures as referring to books such as the Riimiiyar-a, Mahiibhiirata,Puriir-as, Upani§ads, Vediinta -and any other literature which is writtenin pursuance of such revealed scriptures.In the Skanda Puriir-a there is the statement, "A person who isconstantly engaged in reading literature enunciating the cultivationof V aipava devotional service is always glorious in human society,and certainly Lord Krwa becomes pleased with him. A person whovery carefully keeps such literature at home and offers respectfulobeisances to it becomes freed from all sinful reactions and ultimatelybecomes worshipable by the demigods."It is also said to Narada Muni: "My dear Narada, a person whowrites V aiwava literature and keeps such literature at home has LordNarayapa always residing in his house."In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Twelfth Canto, 12th Chapter, 12thverse, it is stated: "Srimad-Bhiigavatam is the essence of all Vedantaphilosophy. Any person who has become attached in some way orother to the reading of Srimqd-Bhiigavatam cannot have any taste forreading any other literature. In other words, a person who hasrelished the transcendental bliss of Srimad-Bhiigavatam cannot besatisfied with mundane writings."In the Variiha Puriir-a there is a statement praising the residentialquarters of Mathura. Lord V araha tells the men of earth: "Any102

Revealed Scriptures 103person who becomes attracted to places other than Mathura willcertainly be captivated by the illusory energy." In the BrahmiirtflaPuriirw it is said that all the results of traveling on all the pilgrimageswithin the three worlds can be achieved simply by touching the holyland of Mathura. In many siistras (scriptures) it is said that simply byhearing, remembering, glorifying, desiring, seeing, or touching theland of Mathura, one can achieve all desires.In the Padma Purii[ta, there is a nice statement praising the serviceof the Vai§rtavas or devotees. In that scripture Lord Siva tellsParvati, "My dear Parvati, there are different methods of worship,and out of all such methods the worship of the Supreme Person isconsidered to be the highest. But even higher than the worship of theLord is the worship of the Lord's devotees."A similar statement is in the Third Canto, 7th Chapter, 19th verse,of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: "Let me become a sincere servant of thedevoteesbecause by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devotionalservice unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The service of devoteesdiminishes all miserable material conditions and develops within onea deep devotional love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead."In the Skanda Puriirta there is a similar statement: "Persons whosebodies are marked with tilaka, symbolizing the conchshell, wheel,club and lotus-and who keep the leaves of tulasi on their heads, andwhose bodies are always decorated with gopi-candana -even seenonce, can help the seer be relieved from all sinful activities."A similar statement is found in the First Canto, 19th Chapter, 30thverse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: "There is no doubt about one's becomingfreed from all reactions to sinful activities after visiting. adevotee or touching his lotus feet or giving him a sitting place. Evenby remembering the activities of such Vai§rtavas, one becomes purified,along with his whole family. And what, then, can be said of renderingdirect service to him?"In the Adi Puriirta there is the following statement by Lord Krl).aHimself, addressed to Arjuna: "My dear Partha, one who claims tobe My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devoteeof My devotee is actually My devotee." No one can approach theSupreme Personality of Godhead directly. One must approach Him

104 The Nectar of Devotionthrough His pure devotees. Therefore, in the system of Vai§rz,avaactivities, the first duty is to accept a devotee as spiritual master andthen to render service unto him.Sri Riipa Gosvami affirms that all the quotations given in theBhakti-rasamrta-sindhu from different scriptures are accepted by thegreat acaryas and devotees of the Lord.In the Padma Purarz,a there is a statement that one should performthe ceremonies for the Lord according to one's financial position.Everyone should observe the different ceremonies and celebrationsof the Lord by all means. One of the most important of these ceremonialfunctions is called Vrja-vrata. Urja-vrata is observed in themonth of Karttika (October-November); especially in V rndavana,there is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in HisDamodara form. Damodara refers to Kra's being bound with ropeby His mother, Y asoda. It is said that just as Lord Damodara is verydear to His devotees so the month known as Damodara or Karttikais also very dear to them.The execution of devotional service during Orja-vrata in the monthof Karttilw is especially recommended to be p.erformed at Mathura.This system is still followed by many devotees. They go to Mathuraor Vrndavana and stay there during the month of Karttika specificallyto perform devotional services during this period.In the Padma Purarz,a it is said: "The Lord may offer liberation ormaterial happiness to a devotee, but after some devotional service hasbeen executed, particularly in Mathura during the month of Karttika,the devotees want only to attain pure devotional service unto theLord." The purport is that the Lord does not award devotional serviceto ordinary persons who are not serious about it. But even suchunserious persons who execute devotional service according to theregulative principles during the month of Karttika, and within the .jurisdiction of Mathura in India, are very easily awarded the Lord'spersonal service.In the Bhavi§ya Purarz,a there is a statement about observing differentceremonies celebrating the Lord's appearance (birthday) andother transcendental activities. It is said, "My Lord Janardana

Revealed Scriptures 105(Kr!la], please let us know the date when Your mother Devakidevi gave birth to You. If You kindly inform us about this, thenwe shall observe a great celebration on this date. 0 killer ofKesi, we are souls one hundred percent surrendered unto Yourlotus feet, and we wish only to please You with our ceremonies."This statement of the Bhavi§ya Purii[la gives evidence that by observingdifferent functions in relationship with the Lord one is sureto become pleasing to the Lord. It is said in the Adi Purii[ta: "A personwho is constantly engaged in chanting the holy name and whofeels transcendental pleasure, being engaged in devotional service, iscertainly awarded the facilities of devotional service, and is nevergiven just mukti [liberation]. "Mukti means liberation from material contamination; when liberated,one does not have to take birth again in the material world. Theimpersonalists desire to merge into the spiritual existence, to endtheir individual existence, but according to Srimad-Bhiigavatam,mukti is only the beginning of one's becoming situated in his normalcondition. The normal condition of every living entity is to be engagedin the devotional service of the Lord. From the statement ofthe .ifdi Purii[la it appears that a devotee is satisfied simply with beingengaged in devotional service. He does not aspire for any liberationfrom material conditional life. In other words, anyone who is engagedin devotional service is not in the material condition of life,although he may appear so.R ecitatio nof Srimad-BhiigavatamSrimad-Bhiigavatam is the desire-tree of Vedic wisdom. Veda itselfmeans the aggregate of knowledge. And whatever knowledge is requiredfor human society is perfectly presented in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam. There are different branches of knowledge in the Vedicwritings, including sociology, politics, medicine and military art. Allthese and other branches of knowledge are perfectly described in theVedas. So, as far as spiritual knowledge is concerned, that is also perfectlydescribed there, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam is considered to be

106 The Nectar of Devotionthe ripened fruit of this desire-fulfilling tree of the Vedas. A tree ishonored by the production of its fruit. For example, a mango tree isconsidered very valuable because it produces the king of all fruits, themango. When the mango fruit becomes ripened it is the greatest giftof that tree, and Srimad-Bhiigavatam is similarly held to be the ripenedfruit of the Vedic tree. And, as ripened fruit becomes more relishablewhen first touched by the beak of a parrot, or suka, so Srimad­Bhagavatam has become more relishable by being delivered throughthe transcendental mouth of Sukadeva Gosvami.Srimad-Bhagavatam should be received in disciplic succession withoutany breakage. When a ripened fruit comes from the upper part ofthe tree onto the ground by the process of being handed down froma higher branch to a lower branch by persons in the tree, the fruitdoes not break. Srimad-Bhiigavatam, when received in the parampariisystem, or disciplic succession, will likewise remain unbroken. It isstated in the Bhagavad-gitii that the disciplic succession, or paramparii,is the way of receiving transcendental knowledge. Such knowledgemust come down through the disciplic succession, through authorizedpersons who know the real purpose of the siistra.Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that one learn Srimad­Bhagavatam from the mouth of the self realized person called bhiigavatam.Bhiigavata means "in relationship with the Personality of Godhead(Bhagaviin ). " So the devotee is sometimes called bhiigavatam,and the book which is in relationship with devotional service to theSupreme Personality of Godhead is also called Bhiigavatam. SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that in order to relish the realtaste of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one should take instruction from theperson bhiigavatam. Srimad-Bhiigavatam is relishable even by a liberatedperson. It was admitted by Sukadeva Gosvami that althoughhe was liberated fro_m within the very womb of his mother, it wasonly after relishing Srzmad-Bhiigavatam that he became a great devotee.Thus, one who is desirous of advancing in Krl).a consciousnessshould relish the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam through the discussionsof authorized devotees.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Second Canto, lst Chapter, 9th verse,Sukadeva Gosvami admits that although he was very much attracted

Revealed Scriptures 107by the impersonal Brahman, when he heard the transcendental pastimesof the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the mouth of hisfather, Vyasadeva, he became more attracted to Srimad-Bhagavatam.The idea is that Vyasadeva was also a self realized soul, and his maturecontribution of transcendental knowledge was delivered directly toSukadeva Gosvam'i in the manner indicated.The importance of discussing Srimad-Bhagavatam in the society ofpure devotees is explained by Saunaka Muni during the meeting atNaimi9araya, in the presence of Silta Gosvam'i. Silta Gosvami confirmedthat if someone is fortunate enough to associate with a puredevotee of the Lord even for a moment, that particular moment is sovaluable that even those pious activities which can promote one tothe heavenly planets or give liberation from material miseries cannotcompare with it. In other words, those who are attached to Srimad­Bhiigavatam do not care for any kind of benefit derived from elevationto the higher planetary kingdoms, or for the liberation which isconceived of by the impersonalists. As such, the association of puredevotees is so transcendentaliy valuable that no kind of materialhappiness can compare with it. .In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is a conversation betweenPrahlada Maharaj and his father, Hirayakasipu, in which HiraQ.yakasipuaddresses Prahlada in this way: "My dear son, association isvery important. It acts just like a crystal-stone which will reflect anythingwhich is put before it." Similarly, if we associate with theflowerlike devotees of the Lord, and if our hearts are crystal clear,then certainly the same action will be there. Another example givenin this connection is that if a man is potent and if a woman is notdiseased, then by their conjugation there will be conception. In thesame way, if the recipient of spiritual knowledge and the deliverer ofspiritual knowledge are sincere and bona fide, there will be goodresults.

13 I The Maha-mantraThe importance of chanting Hare K[§!W, Hare K[§!W, K[§fla K[§!W,Hare Hare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare is verystrongly stressed in the Second Canto, lst Chapter, 11th verse, of theSrimad-Bhiigavatam in the following way: Sukadeva Gosvami tellsMaharaj Parikit: "My dear King, if one is spontaneously attached tothe chanting of the Hare K[§[W mahii-mantra, it is to be understoodthat he has attained the highest perfectional stage." It is specificallymentioned that the karmis who are aspiring after the fruitive resultsof their activities, the salvationists who are aspiring to become onewith the Supreme Person, and the yogis who are aspiring after mysticperfections can achieve the results of all perfectional stages simplyby chanting the mahii-mantra.Sukadeva uses the word ni'[litam,which means "it is already decided." He was a liberated soul andtherefore could not accept anything which was not conclusive. SoSukadeva Gosvami especially stresses that it is already concluded thatone who has come to the stage of chanting the Hare K[§!W mantrawith determination and steadiness must be considered as having alreadypassed the trials of fruitive activities, mental speculation andmystic yoga.The same thing is confirmed in the .ifdi Puriirta by Kg;!la. Whileaddressing Arjuna He says, "Anyone who is engaged in chanting Mytranscendental name must be considered to be always associatingwith Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I becomeeasily purchased."In the Padma Puriirta also it is stated: "The chanting of the HareKr§rta mantra is present only on the lips of a person who has for108

The Mahii-mantra 109many births worshiped Vasudeva." It is further said in the PadmaPuriir-a: "There is no difference between the holy name of the Lordand the Lord Himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as theLord Himself in fullness, purity and eternity. The holy name isno material sound vibration, nor has it any material contamination."The holy name cannot, therefore, be chanted offenselessly by onewho has failed to purify his senses. In other words, materialisticsenses cannot properly chant the holy names of the Hare Krr-amahii-mantra. But, by adopting this chanting process, one is given achance to actually purify himself so that he may very soon chantoffenselessly.Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that everyone chant theHare Krr-a mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dustof the heart is cleansed away, then one can actually understand theimportance of the holy name. For persons who are not inclined toclean the dust from their heart and want to keep things as they are,it is not possible to derive the transcendental result of chanting theHare Krr-a mantra. One should, therefore, be encouraged to develophis service attitude toward the Lord, because this will help him tochant without any offense. And so, under the guidance of a spiritualmaster, the disciple is trained simultaneously to render service andat the same time to chant the Hare Krr-a mantra. As soon as onedevelops his spontaneous service attitude, he can immediately understandthe transcendental nature of the holy names of the mahiimantra.In the Padma Puriir-a there is a statement about the importance ofliving at holy places like Mathura or Dvaraka. It is stated there: "Totravel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipationfrom material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the high·est perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has tobecome engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainmentof the brahma-bhiita (liberation] stage one can further advance toengagement in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendentalloving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it canbe achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura-maala evenfor a few seconds."

llOThe Nectar of DevotionIt is further said: "Who is that person who will not agree to worshipthe land of Mathura? Mathura can deliver all the desires andambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desireto become one with the supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathura willdeliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engagedin the devotional service of the Lord." In the Vedic literature it isalso stated: "How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathuraeven for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitudetoward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathuramust be more glorious than Vaikutha-dhama, the kingdom of God!"Riipa Gosvami has stated that the five kinds of devotional activities-namely, residing in Mathura, worshiping the Deity of the Lord,reciting Srimad-Bhiigavatam, serving a devotee, and chanting theHare K[§!W mantra-are so potent that a small attachment for anyone of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neophyte.Regarding worship of the form of the Lord, or Deity, Riipa Gosvamihas written the following verse: "My dear friends, if you stillhave any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within thismaterial world, then don't look upon the form of Kra, who isstanding on the bank of Kesi -ghat [a bathing place in V rndavana] .He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He isplaying upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather.And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky."The purport of this verse is that if someone becomes attached tothe Sri Miirti, or Deity of Kra, by worshiping at home, then he willforget his relationship of so-called friendship, love and society. Thusit is the duty of every householder to install Deities of the Lord athome and to begin the process of worshiping along with all of hisfamily members. This will save everyone from such unwanted activitiesas going to clubs, cinemas, dancing parties, smoking; drinking,etc. All such nonsense will be forgotten if one stresses the worship ofthe Deities at home.Riipa Gosvami further writes, "My dear foolish friend, I think thatyou have already heard some of the auspicious Srimad-Bhiigavatam,·

The Mahii-mantra 111which decries seeking the results of fruitive activities, economic developmentand liberation_ I think now it is certain that gradually theverses of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, describing thepastimes of the Lord, will enter your ears and go into your heart."In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that unlessone has the capacity to throw out, just like garbage, the fruitiveresults of ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and becomingone with the supreme (or salvation), one cannot understand Srimad­Bhiigavatam. The Bhiigavatam deals exclusively with devotional service.Only one who studies Srimad-Bhiigavatam in the spirit ofrenunciation can understand the pastimes of the Lord which are describedin the Tenth Canto. In other words, one should not try tounderstand the topics of the Tenth Canto, such as the riisa-lilii (lovedance), unless he has spontaneous attraction for Srimad-Bhiigavatam.One must be situated in pure devotional service before he can relish·Srimad-Bhiigavatam as it is.In the above two verses of Rupa Gosvami there ar:e some metaphoricalanalogies, which indirectly condemn the association of materialisticsociety, friendship and love. People are generally attractedto society, friendship and love, and make elaborate arrangements andstrong endeavors to develop these material contaminations; but tosee the Sri Miirtis of Radha and Kr!la is to forget such endeavors formaterial association. Rupa Gosvami composed his verse in such a waythat he was seemingly praising the material association of friendship,love, etc., and was condemning the audience of Sri Miirti orGovinda. This metaphorical analogy is constructed in such a way thatthings which seem to be eulogized are condemned, and things whichare to be condemned are eulogized. The actual import of the verse isthat one must see the form of Govinda if one at all wants to forgetthe nonsense of material friendship, love and society.Srila Rupa Gosvami has similarly described the transcendental na··ture of relishing topics which. concern Kr!J.a. A devotee once said,"It is very astonishing that since I have seen this Personality of Godheadwho is washed by the tears of my eyes, there is shivering of mybody, and He has made me a failure in executing my material duties.Since seeing Him I cannot remain silently at home. I wish to go out

112 The Nectar of Devotionto Him always." The purport of this statement is that as soon as oneis fortunate enough to contact a pure devotee, he must be anxiousimmediately to hear about Kr!J.a, to learn about Kr!J.a, or, in otherwords, to become fully Kr!la conscious.Similarly, there· is a statement about hearing and chanting themahii-mantra: "It is said that saints have been able to hear the vibratingstrings of the virtii in the hands of Narada, who is alwayssinging the glories of Lord Kr!J.a. Now this same sound vibration hasentered my ears, and I am always feeling the presence of the SupremePersonality. Gradually I am becoming bereft of all attachment formaterial enjoyment."Again, he has described Mathura"ma!J.I).ala: "I remember the Lordstanding by the banks of the Yam una River, so beautiful amidst thekadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in the gardens. Andthese impressions are always giving me transcendental realization ofbeauty and bliss." This feeling about Mathura-ma!J.I).ala and V rndavanaby Riipa Gosvami can actually be felt even by nondevotees. Theplaces in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathura are so beautifullysituated on the banks of the river Yamuna that anyone whogoes there will never want to return to this material world. Thesestatements by Riipa Gosvami are factually realized descriptions ofMathura and Vrndavana. All these qualities prove that Mathura andVrndavana are situated transcendentally. Otherwise, there is no possibilityof invoking our transcendental sentiments in these places.Such transcendental feelings are aroused immediately and withoutfail after one arrives in Mathura or V rndavana.In these statements about devotional service, sometimes it mayappear that the results have been overestimated; but actually there isno overestimation. Some devotees, as is evidenced from revealedscriptures, have had immediate results by such association, althoughthis is not possible for all. For example, the Kumaras immediatelybecame devotees simply by smelling the incense in the temple.Bilvamailgala Thakur simply heard about Kr!la and then immediatelygave up his beautiful girl friend and started out for Mathura andVrndavana, where he became a perfect Vai§rtava. So these statements

The Mahii-mantra 113are not overestimations, nor are they stories. They are actual facts,but are true for certain devotees and do not necessarily apply to all.These descriptions, even if considered overestimations, must be takenas they are in order to divert our attention from the fleeting materialbeauty to the eternal beauty of Kr!la consciousness. And for a personwho is already in contact with Kr!!a consciousness, the describedresults are not unusual.Some scholars argue that simply by following the principles ofva'?la and iisrama one can gradually rise up to the perfections reachedby practicing devotional service, but this argument is not accepted bythe great authorities. Lord Caitanya also condemned this idea whileHe was talking with Ramananda Rai about the gradual developmentof devotional service. He rejected the idea of the importance ofvar[tiisrama-dharma when it was put forward by Ramananda Rai. Hesaid that this advancement of va'?la and iisrama is merely external.There is a higher principle. In the Bhagavad-gitii also the Lord saysthat one has to give up all other principles of elevation and takesimply to the method of Kr!!a consciousness. That will help him inachieving the highest perfection of life.In _the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 8th verse, of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam the Lord Himself says: "One should execute the prescribedduties of vaqw and iisrama as long as he has not developedspontaneous attachment for hearing about My pastimes and activities."In other words, the prescribed forms of vaqw and iisrama areritualistic ceremonies of religion intended for economic development,sense gratification or for salvation. All of these things are recommendedfor persons who have not developed Krwa consciousness; infact, all such activities are recommended in the revealed scripturesonly to bring one to the point of Kr!la consciousness. But one whohas already developed spontaneous attachment for Krwa does notrequire to execute the duties prescribed in the scriptures.

14 I Devotional QualificationsSome scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation areimportant factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. Butactually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge orrenunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Kr!laconsciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately theymay also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent onnothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service. It requiresnothing more than sincerity.It is the opinion of expert devotees that mental speculation andthe artificial austerities of yoga practice may be favorable for becomingliberated from material contamination, but they will alsomake one's heart harder and harder. They will not help at all in theprogress of devotional service. These processes are, therefore, notfavorable for entering into. the transcendental loving service of theLord. Actually Krwa consciousness-devotional service itself-is theonly way of advancing in devotional life. Devotional service is absolute;it is both the cause and the effect. The Supreme Personalityof Godhead is the cause and effect of all that be, and to approachHim, the absolute, the process of devotional service-which is alsoabsolute-has to be adopted.This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitii by the Lord Himself: "Onecan understand Me only through devotional service." In beginningHis teaching of the Gitii, the Lord said to Arjuna, "Because you areMy devotee I shall teach these secrets to you." Vedic knowledgemeans ultimately to understand the Supreme Lord, and the processof entering into His kingdom is devotional service. That is accepted114

Devotional Qualifications 115by all authentic scriptures. Mental speculators neglect the' process ofdevotional service, and by simply trying to defeat others in philosophicalresearch they fail to develop the ecstasy of devotion.In the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 31st verse, of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, KrJ).a says, "My dear Uddhava, for persons who areseriously engaged in My service, the cultivation of philosophical speculationand artificial renunciation are not very favorable. When a personbecomes My devotee he automatically attains the fruits of therenunciation of material enjoyment, and he gets sufficient knowledgeto understand the absolute truth." That is the test of advancementin devotional service. A devotee cannot be in darkness becausethe Lord shows him special favor and enlightens him from within.In the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 32nd and 33rd verses, of theSrimad-Bhiigavatam the Lord further instructs Uddhava: "My dearfriend, the profits derived from fruitive activities, austerities, the cultureof philosophical knowledge, renouncement, the practice ofmystic yoga, charity and all similar auspicious activities are automaticallychieved by My devotees-those who are simply attachedto Me by loving service. These devotees have everything at their disposal,but they desire nothing outside of My devotional service. Ifever a devotee should desire some material profit-to be promotedto the heavenly planets-or some spiritual profit-to go to the Vaikul).thas-byMy causeless mercy their desires are very easily fulfilled."Actually a person who is developing l(rJ).a consciousness and stillhas some attachment to material enjoyment will soon be freed fromsuch a tendency by regularly discharging devotional service under theinstruction of a bona fide spiritual master.Srila Rilpa Gosvam1, then, recommends that one should not be attachedto material sense enjoyment, but accept everything enjoyablewhich is in relationship to KrJ).a. For example, eating is necessary,and one wants some palatable dishes to satisfy his sense of taste.So in that case, for the satisfaction of Krsna rather than for the...satisfaction of the tongue, some palatable dishes may be preparedand offered to KrJ).a. Then it is renunciation. Let the palatabledishes be prepared, but unless they are offered to KrJ).a one shouldnot accept them for eating. This vow of rejecting anything which is

116 The Nectar of Devotionnot offered to Kr!la is actually renunciation. And by such reimnciationone is able to satisfy the demands of the senses.The impersonalists who try to avoid everything material may undergosevere austerities, but they miss the opportunity of being engagedin the service of the Lord. Thus their renunciation is not sufficientfor perfection. There are many instances where, following suchartificial renunciation without any contact with devotional service,the impersonalist again fell down and became attracted to the materialcontamination. There are many supposed renouncers even atthe present moment who officially become sannyiisis or renouncersand outwardly claim that spiritual existence is truth and materialexistence untruth. In this way, artificially they make a show of renunciationof the material world. However, because they cannotreach the point of devotional service, they fail to achieve the goal andagain come back to material activities, such as philanthropic work,political agitation, etc. There are many instances of so-called sannyiisiswho gave up the world as untruth, but again came to the materialworld because they were not seeking their real repose at thelotus feet of the Lord.One should not give up anything which can be utilized in the serviceof the Lord. That is a secret of devotional service. Anything thatcan be utilized in advancing Kr!la consciousness and devotional serviceshould be accepted. For instance, we are using many machines forthe advancement of our present Kr!la consciousness movement, machineslike typewriters, dictaphones, tape recorders, microphones andairplanes. Sometimes people ask us, "Why are you utilizing materialproducts if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?"But actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whateverthey are doing in Krgta consciousness. This is the same principleon which, in the Bhagavad-gitii, Kr!la advised Arjuna to utilize hisfighting abilities in devotional service. Similarly, we are utilizing thesemachines for Krsna's service. With such sentiment for Krsna, or Krsna. . . . . . . . .consciousness, we can accept everything. If the typewriter can beutilized for advancing our Kr!la consciousness movement, we mustaccept it. Similarly, the dicta phone or any other machine must beused. Our vision is that Kr!la is everything. Kr!la is the cause and

Devotional Qualifications 117effect, and nothing belongs to us. Krwa's things must be used in theservice of Kr!la. That is our vision.This does not mean, however, that we should give up the principlesof discharging devotional service or neglect abiding by the rules andregulations prescribed therein. In the neophyte stage of devotion onemust follow all the principles, regulated by the authority of the spiritualmaster. The acceptance and rejection of things should always bein pursuance of the devotional principles; not that one can independentlymanufacture some idea of what should be accepted or rejcted.The spiritual master as the visible manifestation of Kr!la is necessary,therefore, to direct the devotee on behalf of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead.The spiritual master must never be carried away by an accumulationof wealth or a large number of followers. A bona fide spiritualmaster will never become like that. But sometimes, if a spiritual masteris not properly authorized, and only on his own initiative becomesa spiritual master, he may be carried away by an accumulation ofwealth and large numbers of disciples. His is not a very high grade ofdevotional service. If a person is carried away by such achievements,then his devotional service becomes slackened. One should, therefore,strictly adhere to the principles of disciplic succession.A Krwa conscious person, being naturally purified, has no needof developing any other purificatory process of thought or action.On account of his being highly elevated in Kr!la consciousness, hehas already acquired all the good qualities and is following the rulesand regulations prescribed for the mystic yogic process. Such rulesare automatically practiced by the devotees. A concrete example isthe quality of nonviolence, which is considered a good qualification.A devotee is naturally nonviolent and therefore doesn't have to practicenonviolence separately. Some people seek purification by joininga vegetarian movement, but a devotee is automatically a vegetarian.He doesn't need to .practice separately in this matter or to join anysociety for vegetarians. He is automatically a vegetarian.There are many other instances showing that a devotee needn'tpractice anything but Kr!la consciousness; all the good qualities ofthe demigods automatically develop within him. Those who are in-

118 The Nectar of Devotiontentionally practicing to be vegetarians or to become nonviolent mayhave good qualifications by a material estimation, but these qualificationsare not sufficient to make them devotees. A vegetarian is notnecessarily a devotee, nor is a nonviolent person. But a devotee isautomatically both vegetarian and nonviolent. We must conclude,therefore, that vegetarianism or nonviolence is not the cause of devotion.In this connection, there is a story in the Shanda Purar-a about ahunter who was converted into a great devotee under the instructionof Narada Muni. When the hunter became a perfect devotee, he wasnot prepared even to kill an ant. Parvata Muni, a friend of Narada's,saw the wonderful transformation of the hunter by devotional service,and remarked: "My dear hunter, your unwillingness to kill evenan ant is not very astonishing. Any person who develops the devotionalattitude has all the good qualities automatically manifested inhis person. A devotee is never a cause of distress to anyone."Sri Rupa Gosvami affirms herein that purification of consciousness,purification of bodily activities, austerities, peace of mind, etc., allbecome automatically manifest in the person who is engaged in devotionalservice.Sri Rupa Gosvami affirms herein that there are nine different kindsof devotional service, which are listed as hearing, chanting, remembering,serving, worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carryingout orders, serving Him as a friend and sacrificing everything for Him.Each and every one of these processes is so powerful that if anyonefollows even one single one of them, he can achieve the desired perfectionwithout fail. For example, if one is attached simply to hearingabout the Lord, and another is attached to chanting the glories of thename, both will achieve their desired goal in devotional service. In theCaitanyacaritamrta this has been explained. One may execute one,two, three or all the different processes of devotional service, and atthe ultimate end he will achieve the desired goal of being establishedin devotional service.There are concrete examples of how a devotee discharged one ofthese services and achieved perfection. King Parikit achieved thedesired goal of life simply by hearing Srimad-Bhiigavatam. Sukadeval - -

Devotional Qualifi

;120 The Nectar of DevotionThe idea is that we should follow in the footsteps of great devotees.If we are unable to execute all the different items of devotionalservice we must try to execute at least one of them, as exemplifiedby previous iiciiryas. If we are engaged in the execution of all theitems of devotional service, as was Maharaj Ambaria, then the perfectionof devotional service is guaranteed from each one of theseitems. With the first complete engagement, one becomes automaticallydetached from material contamination, and liberation becomes themaidservant of the devotee. This idea is confirmed by BilvamangalaThakur: If one develops unalloyed devotion to the Lord, liberationwill follow the devotee as his maidservant.Srila Rupa Gosvami says that the regulative principles of devotionalservice are sometimes described by authorities as the path ofserving tht Lord in opulence.:

15 I Spontaneous Devotional ServiceThe examples of spontaneous devotional service can be easily seenin KrJ)a 's direct associates in V rndavana. The spontaneous dealingsof the residents of V rndavana in relationship with KrJ)a are calledriigiinugii. These beings don't have to learn anything about devotionalservice; they are already perfect in all regulative principles and haveachieved the spontaneous loving service of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. For example, the cowherd boys who are playing withKrJ)a do not have to learn by austerities or penances or yogic practicehow to play with Him. They have passed all tests of regulativeprinciples in their previous lives, and as a result they are now elevatedto the position of direct association with KrJ)a as His dear friends.Their spontaneous attitude is called riigiinugii-bhakti.Sri Riipa Gosvami has defined riigiiilUgii-bhakti as spontaneous attractionfor something while completely absorbed in thoughts of it,with an intense desire of love. Devotional service executed with suchfeelings of spontaneous love is called riigiinugii-bhakti. Devotionalservice under the heading of riigiinugii can be further divided into twocategories: one category is called sensuous attraction, and the other iscalled relationship.In this connection, there is a statement by Narada Muni to Yudhithirain the Seventh Canto, lst Chapter, 29th verse, of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam. There Narada says, "My dear King, there are many devoteeswho first become attracted to the Personality of Godhead forpurposes of sense gratification, from being envious of Him, out offear of Him, or from desiring to associate affectionately with Him.Ultimately these attractions become freed from all material contami-121

122 The Nectar of Devotionnation, and gradually the wo'rshipcr develops spiritual love andachieves that ultimate goal of life which is desired by the pure devotee."The gopis may be considered to be examples of spontaneous lovein sensual attraction. The gopis are young girls, and Krgta is a youngboy. Superficially it seems that the gopis are attracted to Kra ongrounds of sex. Similarly, King Kamsa was attracted to Kra becauseof fearfulness. Kamsa was always fearful of Kra because it had beenforetold that his sister's son, Krgta, would kill him. Sisupala was alsoalways envious of Kra. And the descendants of King Y adu, due totheir family relationship with Kra, are always thinking of Him asone of their members. All of these different kinds of devotees have aspontaneous attraction for Kra, in different categories, and theyachieve the same desired goal of life.The attraction of the gopis for Kra and the affection of themembers of the Y adu dynasty are both accepted as spontaneous, orriigiinugii. The attraction of Kamsa to Kra in fearfulness and theattraction of Sisupala in enviousness are not accepted as devotionalservice, however, because their attitudes are not favorable. Devotionalservice should be executed only in a favorable frame of mind. Therefore,according to Sn,a Rupa Gosvami, such attractions are not consideredto be in devotional service. Again, he analyzes the affectionof the Yadus: If it is on the platform of friendship, then it is spontaneouslove, but if it is on the platform of regulative principles, thenit is not. And only when affection comes to the platform of spontaneouslove is it counted in the category of pure devotional service.There may be some difficulty in understanding that both the gopisand Kamsa achieved the same goal, so this point should be clearlyunderstood, because the attitudes of Kamsa and Sisupala were differentfrom that of the gopis. Although in all these cases the focusis on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all of the devoteesare elevated to the spiritual world, there is still a distinction betweenthese two classes of souls. In the First Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatamit is said that the absolute truth is one, and He is manifested as impersonalBrahman, Paramiitmii (supcrsoul), and Bhagaviin (the SupremePersonality of Godhead). Here is a spiritual distinction. AI-

Spontaneous Devotional Service 123though Brahman, Paramiitmii and Bhagaviin arc the same and oneabsolute truth, still devotees like Karilsa or Sisupala could attain onlyto the Brahman effulgence. They could not have realization ofParamiitmii or Bhagaviin. That is the distinction.An analogy can be given with the sun globe and the sunshine: toremain in the sunshine does not mean one has gone to the sun globe.The temperature of the sun globe is different from the temperatureof the sunshine. One who has gone through the sunshine in jet planesor in space ships has not necessarily gone to the sun globe. Althoughthe sunshine and the sun globe are actually one and the same, stillthere is a distinction, for one is the energy and one is the energeticsource. The absolute truth and His bodily effulgence are in the sameway simultaneously one and different. Karilsa and Sisupala attainedto the absolute truth, but they were not allowed to enter into theGoloka Vrndavana abode. lmpersonalists and the enemies of theLord are, because of attraction to God, allowed to enter into Hiskingdom, but they are not allowed to enter into the V aiku':Jtha planetsor the Goloka V rndavana planet of the Supreme Lord. To enterthe kingdom and to enter the king's palace are not the same thing.Srila Riipa Gosvami" is trying here to describe the different achievementsof the impersonalists and the personalists. Generally, thosewho are impersonalists and inimical to the Supreme Personality ofGodhead get entrance only into the impersonal Brahman, when andif they reach spiritual perfection. The impersonalist philosophers arein one sense like the enemies of the Lord because the out-and-outenemies of the Lord and the impersonalists are both allowed to enteronly into the impersonal effulgence of the brahma-jyoti. So it is tobe understood that they are of similar classification. And actually theimpersonalists are enemies of God because they cannot tolerate theunparallelled opulence of the Lord. They try always to place themselveson the same level with the Lord. That is due to their enviousattitude. Sri" Caitanya Mahaprabhu has proclaimed the impersonaliststo be offenders of the Lord. The Lord is so kind, however, that eventhough they are His enemies, they are still allowed to enter into thespiritual kingdom and remain in the impersonal brahma-jyoti, the undifferentiatedlight of the absolute_

124 The Nectar of DevotionSometimes an impersonalist may gradually elevate himself to thepersonal conception of the Lord. The Bhagavad-gitii confirms this:"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledgesurrenders unto Me." By such surrender, an impersonalist can be elevatedto the V aikutha -loka (spiritual planet) where, as a surrenderedsoul, he attains bodily features like the Lord.In the Brahmiirt!fa Purii[La it is stated: "Those who have achievedliberation from material contamination, and those who are demonsand are killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, become absorbedin the Brahman concept of life and reside in the spiritual skyof the brahma-jyoti." That spiritual sky is far beyond the materialsky, and it is confirmed also in the Bhagavad-gitii that beyond thismaterial sky there is another, eternal sky. The enemies and the impersonalistsmay be allowed to enter into this Brahman effulgence,but the devotees of Kr9a are promoted all the way to the spiritualplanets. Because the pure devotees have developed their spontaneouslove for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are allowed toenter into the spiritual planets to enjoy spiritual bliss in associationwith the Supreme Personality of Godhead.In the Tenth Canto, 87th Chapter, 19th verse, of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, the Vedas personified address the Lord in this way:"My dear Lord, yogis meditate upon Your localized features, andthus they achieve the spiritual perfection of being merged in the impersonalbrahma-jyoti. Persons who treat You as an enemy achievethe same perfection without meditating. The gopis, who are embracedby Your serpentine hands and who have such lusty attitudes,also achieve the same perfection. And, as far as we ar concerned,being different demigods in charge of the different parts of Vedicknowledge, we are always following in the footsteps of the gopis.Thus we hope to attain the same perfection." By "the same perfection"we must always remember the example of the sun and thesunshine. Those who are impersonalists can merge into the sunshinelikebrahma-jyoti, whereas those who are in love with the SupremePerson enter into the supreme abode of the Lord, Goloka V rndavana.The "lusty attitude" of the gopis does not refer to any sort of sexindulgence. Srila Riipa Gosvami explains that this "lusty desire" re-

Spontaneous Devotional Service 125fers to the devotee's particular attitude of association with Kr!la.Every devotee in his perfectional stage has a spontaneous attractionto the Lord. This attraction is sometimes called the "lusty desire" ofthe devotee. The lust is the devotee's excessive desire to serve theLord in a particular capacity. Such desire may seem to be a desire forenjoying the Lord, but actually the endeavor is to serve the Lord inthat capacity. For example, a devotee may be desiring to associatewith the Personality of Godhead as His cowherd friend. He will wantto serve the Lord by assisting Him in controlling the cows in the pasturingground. This may appear to be a desire to enjoy the companyof the Lord, but actually it is spontaneous love, serving Him byassisting in managing the transcendental cows.This extreme desire to serve the Lord is manifest in the transcendentalland of Braja. And it is specifically manifested amongst thegopis. The gopis' love for Kr!la is so elevated that for our understandingit is sometimes explained as being "lusty desire."The author of Sri Caitanya-caritiimrta, Kaviraja Kr!ladas, has explainedthe distinction between lusty desire and the service attitudein this statement: "Lusty desire refers to the desire to gratify one'spersonal senses, and transcendental desire refers to the desire forserving the senses of the Lord." In the material world there is nosuch thing as a lover wanting to please the senses of his beloved.Actually, in the material world, everyone wants mainly to gratify hisown personal senses. The gopis, however, wanted nothing at all butto gratify the senses of the Lord, and there is no instance of this inthe material world. Therefore the go pis' ecstatic love for Kr!la issometimes described by scholars as being like the "lusty desire" ofthe material world, but actually this should not be taken as a literalfact. It is simply a way of trying to understand the transcendentalsituation.Great devotees up to the standard of Uddhava are very dearfriends of the Lord, and they desire to follow in the footsteps of thegopis. So the gopis' love for Kr!la is certainly not material lusty desire.Otherwise, how could Uddhava aspire to follow in their footsteps?Another instance is Lord Caitanya Himself. After acceptingthe sann yiisa order of life, He was very, very strict about avoiding

126 The Nectar of Devotionassociation with women, but still He taught that there is no bettermethod of worshiping Kra than that conceived by the gopis. Thusthe gopis' method of worshiping the Lord, as if impelled by lustydesire, was praised very highly even by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.This very fact means that although the attraction of the gopis forKra appears to be lusty, it is not in the least bit material. Unlessone is fully situated in the transcendental position, it is very difficultto understand the relationship of the gopis with Kra. But becauseit appears to be just like ordinary dealings of young boys and girls, itis sometimes misinterpreted to be like the ordinary sex of this materialworld. Unfortunately, persons who cannot understand the transcendentalnature of the love affairs of the gopis and Kra take itfor granted that Kra 's love affairs with the gop is are mundanetransactions, and therefore they sometimes indulge in painting licentiouspictures in some modernistic style.On the other hand, the lusty desire of Kubja is described bylearned scholars as being "almost lusty desire." Kubja was a hunchbackwoman who also wanted Kra with a great ecstatic love. Buther desire for Kra was almost mundane, and so her love cannot becompared with the love of the gopis. Her loving affection for Krais called kiima-priiyii, or almost like the gopis' love for Krwa.

16 I Varieties of Love for Krsna• • •Parental RelationshipIn the attitude of the denizens of Vrndavana, such as Nanda Maharajand Mother Y asoda, is to be found the ideal transcendental conceptof becoming the father and mother of Kr!la, the original Personalityof Godhead. Factually, no one can become the father ormother of Krwa; but a devotee's possession of such transcendentalfeelings is called love of Kr!la in parental relationship. The Vr¢s(Kr!la's relatives at Dvaraka) also felt like that. So spontaneous loveof Kr9!1a in the parental relationship is found both amongst thosedenizens of Dvaraka who belonged to the dynasty of V r!li, as wellas amongst the inhabitants of Vrndavana.Spontaneous love of Kr!la as exhibited by the Vr!lis and thedenizens of V rndavana is eternally existing in them. In the stage ofdevotional service where regulative principles are followed, there isno necessity of discussing this love, for it must develop of itself at amore advanced stage.Persons desiring to follow in the footsteps of such eternal devoteesof the Lord as the V r!lis and V rndavana denizens are called riigiinugiidevotees, which means that they are trying to attain to the perfectionof those devotees. These riigiinugii devotees do not follow the regulativeprinciples of devotional service very strictly, but by spontaneousnature they become attracted to some of the eternal devotees such asNanda or Y asoda, and they try to follow in their footsteps spontaneously.There is a gradual development of the ambition to becomelike a particular devotee, and this activity is called riigiinugii.127

128 The Nectar of DevotionWe must always remember, however, that such eagerness to followin the footsteps of the denizens of Braja (Vrndavana) is not possibleunless one is freed from material contamination. In following theregulative principles of devotional service, there is a stage which iscalled anartha-nivrtti, which means the disappearance of all materialcontamination.Sometimes it is found that someone is imitatingsuch devotional love, but factually he is not freed from anarthas, orunwanted habits. It has been seen that a so-called devotee proclaimshimself a follower of Nanda, Yasoda or the gopis, while at the sametime his abominable attraction for mundane sex life is visible. Such amanifestation of divine love is mere imitation and has no value. Whenone is actually spontaneously attracted to the loving principles of thegopis, there will be found no trace of any mundane contaminationin his character.Therefore, in the beginning, everyone should strictly follow theregulative principles of devotional service, according to the injunctionsof the scriptures and the spiritual master. Only after the stage ofliberation from material contamination can one actually aspire to followin the footsteps of the devotees in Vrndavana. .It is said by Sri Riipa Gosvami: "When one is actually liberatedfrom material contamination, he can always remember an eternaldevotee in Vrndavana in order to love Kra in the same capacity.And developin g such an aptitude, one will always live in V rndavana,even within his mind." The purport is that, if it is possible, one shouldgo and physically be present at Brajabhiimi, Vrndavana, and be engagedalways in the service of the Lord, following the devotees inBraj adhama, the spiritual realm of Braja. If it is not possible, however,to be physically present at Vrndavana, one can meditate anywhereupon living in that situation. Wherever he may be, one mustalways think about life in Braj adhamaand about following in thefootsteps of a particular devotee in the service of the Lord.A devotee who is actually advanced in Kra consciousness, who isconstantly engaged in devotional service, should not manifest himselfeven though he has attained perfection. The idea is that he shouldalways continue to act as a neophyte devotee as long as his materialbody is there. Activities in devotional service under regulative princi-

Varieties of Love for Knr:a 129ples must be followed even by the pure devotee. But when he realizeshis actual position in relationship with the Lord, he can, along withthe discharging of regulative service, think within himself of the Lord,under the guidance of a particular associate of the Lord, and develophis transcendental sentiments in following that associate.In this connection, we should be careful about the so-calledsiddha-prarwi. The siddha-prarwi process is followed by a class ofmen who are not very authorized and who have manufactured theirown way of devotional service. They imagine that they have becomeassociates of the Lord simply by thinking of themselves like that.This external behavior is not at all according to the regulative principles.The so-called siddha-prarai process is followed by the pralqtasahajiyii, a pseudo-sect of so-called Vai§ravas. In the opinion of RilpaGosvami, such activities are simply disturbances to the standard wayof devotional service.Sri Rilpa Gosvami says that learned iiciiryas recommended that wefollow the regulative principles even after the development of spontaneouslove for Kr-!la. According to the regulative principles, thereare nine departmental activities, as described above, and one shouldspecifically engage himself in the type of devotional service for whichhe has a natural aptitude. For example, one person may have a particularinterest in hearing, another may have a particular interest inchanting, and another may have a particular interest in serving in thetemple. So these, or any of the other six different types of devotionalservice (remembering, serving, praying, engaging in some particularservice, being in a friendly relationship or offering everythingin one's possession) should pe executed in full earnestness. In thisway everyone should act according to his particular taste .Conjugal LoveDevotional service following in the footsteps of the gopis ofV rndavana or the queerts at Dvaraka is called devotional service inconjugal love. This devotional service in conjugal love can be dividedinto two categories. One is indirect conjugal love, the other direct. In

130 The Nectar of Devotionboth of these categories one has to follow the particular go pi who isengaged in such service in Goloka Vrndavana. To be directly attachedto the Supreme Personality of Godhead in conjugal love is technicallycalled keli. This keli performance means to directly join with the Su·preme Personality of Godhead. There are other devotees who do notwish direct contact with the Supreme Person, but who relish the conjugallove affairs of the Lord with the gopis. Such devotees enjoysimply by hearing of the activities of the Lord with the go pis.This development of conjugal love can only be possible only withthose who are already engaged in following the regulative principlesof devotional service, specifically in the worship of Radha and Krwain the temple. Such devotees gradually develop a spontaneous lovefor the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord's exchange of loving affairswith the gopis, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes.After this spontaneous attraction becomes highly developed,the devotee is placed in either of the above-mentioned categories.This development of conjugal love for Krl).a is not manifested inwomen only. The material body has nothing to do with spiritualloving affairs. A woman may develop an attitude for becoming afriend of Krl).a, and, similarly, a man may develop the feature ofbecoming a gopi in Vrndavana. How a devotee in the form of a mancan desire to become a go pi is stated in the Padma Puriir-a as follows:"In days gone by there were many sages in Dal).9akaral).ya. Dal).9akaral).yais the name of the forest where Lord Ramacandra lived afterbeing banished by his father for fourteen years. At that time therewere many advanced sages who were captivated by the beauty ofLord Ramacandra and who desired to become women in order toembrace the Lord. Later on these sages appeared in Goloka Vrndavanawhen Krl).a advented Himself there, and they were born asgopis or girl friends of Krwa. In this way they attained the perfectionof spiritual life."The story of the sages of Dal).9akaral).ya can be explained as follows:When Lord Ramacandra was residing in Dal).9akaral).ya, thesages who were engaged in devotional service there became attractedby His beauty and immediately thought of the gopis at Vrndavanawho enjoyed conjugal loving affection with KrJ).a. In this instance it

Varieties of Love for Krr:a 131is clear that the sages of Da9akaraya desired conjugal love in themanner of the gopis, although they were well aware of the SupremeLord as both Kra and Lord Ramacandra. They knew that Ramacandrawas an ideal king and could not accept more than one wife;but Lord Krwa, being the full-fledged Personality of Godhead, couldfulfill the desires of all of them in Vrndavana. These sages also concludedthat the form of Lord Kra is more attractive than that ofLord Ramacandra, and so they prayed to become gopis in their futurelives to be associated with Kra. Lord Ramacandra remainedsilent, and His silence shows that He accepted the prayers of thesages. Thus they were blest by Lord Ramacandra to have associationwith Lord Kra in their future lives. As a result of this benediction,they all took birth as women in the wombs of gopis at Gokula, and,as they had desired in their previous lives, they enjoyed the companyof Lord Kra, who was present at that time in Go kula V rndavana.The perfection of their human form of life was thus achieved bytheir generating a transcendental sentiment to share conjugal lovewith Lord Krsna... . .Conjugal love is divided into two classifications-namely, conjugallove as husband and wife and conjugal love as lover and beloved. Onewho develops conjugal love for Kra as a wife is promoted toDvaraka, where the devotee becomes the queen of the Lord. Thosewho develop conjugal love for Kra as a lover are promoted to GolokaVrndavana, to associate with the gopis and enjoy loving affairswith Kra there. We should note carefully, however, that this conjugallove for Kra, either as gopi or queen, is not limited only towomen. Even men can develop such sentiments, ilS was evidenced bythe sages of Da9akaraya. If someone simply desires conjugal lovebut does not follow in the footsteps of the gopis, he is promoted toassociation with the Lord at Dvaraka.In the Mahii-kurma Purii[La it is stated: "Great sages who were thesons of fire gods rigidly followed the regulative principles in their desireto have conjugal love for Kr!la. As such, in their next lives theywere able to associate with the Lord, the origin of all creation, whois known as Vasudeva, or Kr!la. Every one of them got Him as theirhusband."

132 The Nectar of DevotionParenthood or FriendshipDevotees who are attracted to Kra as parents or as friendsshould follow in the footsteps of N anda Maharaj or Subala, respectively.Nanda Maharaj is the foster father of Kra, and out of all ofthe friends of Kra, Subala is the most intimate in Brajabhiimi.In the development of becoming either the father or friend of theLord, there are two varieties. One method is that one may try tobecome the father of the Lord directly, and the other is that onemay follow Nanda Maharaj and cherish the ideal of being Kra'sfather. Out of these two, the attempt to directly become the fatherof Kr!la is not recommended. Such a development can becomepolluted with miiyiiviida (impersonal) philosophy. The miiyiiviidis ormonists think that they themselves are Kr!la, and if one thinks thathe himself has become Nanda Maharaj, then his parental love will becomecontaminated with the miiyiiviida philosophy. The miiyiiviidaphilosophical way of thinking is offensive, and no offender can enterinto the kingdom of God to associate with Kra.In the Skanda Puriir.a there is a story of an old man residing inHastinapur, capital of the kingdom of the Paus, who desired Kraas his beloved son. This old man was instructed by Narada to followin the footsteps of Nanda Maharaj, and thus success was achieved byhim.There is a statement in the Niiriiyar.a-vyilha-stava prayers that personswho are always engaged in thinking of the Lord as their husband,friend, father or well-wisher are always worshipable by everyone.This spontaneous love for Kra can only be developed by thespecial mercy of Kra or His pure devotee. This process of devotionalservice is sometimes called pu§ti-miirga. Pu§ti means nourishingand miirga means path. Such development of sentiment nourishes devotionalservice to the highest standard. Thus it is called the path ofnourishment, or pu§ti-miirga. The V allabha-sampradiiya, which belongsto the Vi!lu-svami sect of Vai§r.ava religion, worships Kra inthis pu§ti-miirga. Generally devotees in Gujerat worship Bala-Kra,under this heading of pu§ti-miirga.·

17 I Ecstatic LoveBy the process of executing regulated devotional service, one is actuallyelevated onto the transcendental stage, beyond the materialmodes of nature. At that time one's heart becomes illuminated likethe sun. The sun is far above the planetary systems, and there is nopossibility of its being covered by any kind of cloud; similarly, whena devotee is purified like the sun, from his pure heart there is a diffusionof ecstatic love which is more glorious than the sunshine. Onlyat that time is the attachment to Kr!la perfect. Spontaneously, thedevotee becomes eager to serve the Lord in his ecstatic love. At thisstage the devotee is on the platform of uttama adhikiiri, perfect devotion.Such a devotee has no agitation from material affections and isonly interested in the service of Radha and Kr!J.a.To clarify, in the previous chapters, the symptoms of devotionalservice were explained along with instructions as to how they can beexecuted with our present senses, gradually rising to the platform ofecstasy of spontaneous love. And the two kinds of devotional service-namely devotional service through regulative principles and throughspontaneous love-were discussed. Within the stage of the regulativeprinciples of devotional service there are two divisions-namely executiveand effective. This effective portion of devotional service iscalled bhiiva, or ecstasy. In this connection, there is a statement inthe Tantras that ecstasy is the first symptom of pure love for thePersonality of Godhead, and in that stage one is sometimes foundshedding tears or shivering. Not always are these symptoms manifest,but occasionally. When King Ambar'ia was put into difficulty byDurvasa, he began to think of the lotus feet of the Lord, and thus133

134 The Nectar of Devotionthere were some changes in his body, and tears were falling from hiseyes. These symptoms are activities of ecstasy. They are visible in theshivering of the body and the shedding of tears. After the outwardappearance of these ecstatic symptoms, they stay within the mind,and continuation of the ecstasy is called samiidhi. This stage of appreciationbecomes the cause of future exchanges of loving affairswith Krtta.Elevation to this stage of ecstasy can be possible in two ways. Oneway is constant association with pure devotees. The other way is bythe special mercy of Krtta, or by the mercy of a pure devotee ofKrtta. Elevation to the ecstatic stage of life is generally attainedthrough association with pure devotees, while elevation to that stageby the special mercy of Krtta or His devotee is very rare. The purportis that one should execute devotional service rigidly in the associationof devotees so that there will be certainty in raising oneselfto that ecstatic position. In special cases, of course, there is specialfavor from Krtta, and although we should always expect that, weshould not sit idly and simply wait for Krtta's special mercy; theregular duties must be performed. It is just as when, sometimes, itis found that a person who never attended school or college may berecognized as a great scholar, or an honorary degree from great universitiesmay be offered to him. But this does not mean that oneshould avoid school and expect to automatically receive an honorarydegree from some university. Similarly, one should devoutly executethe regulative principles of devotional service and at the same timehope for Krtta's favor or for His devotee's favor.An example of rising to the stage of ecstatic love by executing theregulative principles of devotional service is given in the life story ofNarada, which is described to Vyasadeva in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam.Narada tells there of his previous life and how he developed to thestage of ecstatic love. He was engaged in the service of great devoteesand used to hear their talks and songs. Because he had the opportunityto hear these pastimes and songs of Krtta from the mouths ofpure devotees, he became very attracted within his heart. Because hehad become so eager to hear these topics, he gradually developedwithin himself an ecstatic love for Krtta. This ecstatic love is prior

Ecstatic Love 135to the pure love of Kr!!a, because in the next verse Narada confirmsthat by, the gradual process of hearing from the great sages he developedlove of Godhead_ In that connection, Narada continues to sayin the First Canto, 5th Chapter, 28th verse, of the Bhiigavatam: "Fir::;t Jpassed my days in the association of the great sages during the rainyautumn season. Every morning and evening I heard them while theywere singing and chanting the Hare K[§!W mantra, and thus graduallymy heart became purified. As soon as I heard them with great attention,the influence of the modes of material ignorance and passiondisappeared, and I became firmly fixed in devotional service to theLord."These are practical examples of how one can develop to the stageof ecstatic love simply by the association of pure devotees. It is essential,therefore, that one constantly associate with pure devotees whoare engaged morning and evening in chanting the Hare K[§[W mantra.In this way one will get the chance to purify his heart and developthis ecstatic pure love for Kr!la.This statement is also confirmed in the Third Canto, 25th Chapter,22nd verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, where Lord Kapila says, "Mydear Mother, when a person is actually in association with pure devotees,the sublime potency of My devotional service can be experienced."In other words, when a pure devotee speaks, his words actupon the hearts of the audience. What is the secret of hearing andchanting? A professional speaker cannot impress transcendental ecstasywithin the hearts of the listeners. However, when a realizedsoul who is engaged in the service of the Lord is speaking, he has thepotency to inject spiritual life within the audience. One should, therefore,seek the association of such pure unalloyed devotees, and bysuch association and service a neophyte devotee will certainly developattachment, love and devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.In the Padma Purii[ta there is the story of a neophyte devotee who,in order to raise himself to the ecstatic platform, danced all night toinvoke the Lord's grace upon him.Sometimes, however, it is found that without undergoing any devotionalprocess, one all of a sudden develops devotion for Lord

136 The Nectar of DevotionKr!J.a. This sudden development of the devotional attitude in a per·son must be understood as a special mercy of Kr!la or of His devotee.This apparently accidental development of ecstatic feelingsthrough the causeless mercy of Kr!la can be divided into threegroups: simply by speaking, simply by glancing and simply by goodwishes.In the Niiradiya Puriirw there is a statement about development ofecstatic love simply by speaking. Lord Kr!la said to Narada, "0 bestof the briihma[laS, I wish that you may develop unalloyed devotionalservice to Me, which is full of transcendental bliss and all auspiciousness."In the Skanda Purii[la there is a statement about developing ecstaticlove towards Krwa simply by glancing. It is stated there:"When the inhabitants of J angala Province saw the Personality ofGodhead, Kr!J.a, they were so stricken with feeling that they couldnot withdraw their glance from Him."As far as heartfelt wishes are concerned, there is a statement in theSuka-samhitii where Narada tells Srila Vyasadeva, "You have a sonwho is the greatest devotee of the Personality of Godhead, and I canobserve that without any following of the regulative principles of devotionalservice, he is already enriched with many of the symptomsachieved by the execution of devotional service after many, manybirths."As for ecstatic love of Kr!J.a, there is a statement in the SeventhCanto, 4th Chapter, 26th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam in whichNarada addresses King Yudhithira: "My dear King, it is very difficultto describe the character of PrahHida. He developed a natural attractionfor Kr!J.a, and whatever I can explain about his character willsimply be an arrangement of words; his actual character is impossibleto describe." This means Narada himself admitted that the naturaldevelopment of Prahlada 's ecstatic love was by the grace of LordKr!J.a.This natural attraction for Kr!la on the part of Prahlada was developedsimply by the mercy of Narada. When Prahlada Maharaj waswithin the womb of his mother, she was being sympathetically instructedby Narada about the science of devotional service, and at the

Ecstatic Love137same time Narada was wishing that the child within the womb couldalso take advantage of the instructions. Because Narada, an authorizeddevotee and great associate of the Personality of Godhead, was desiringauspiciousness for Prahlada Maharaj, he developed all the characteristicsof a high-grade devotee. This is called natural attraction. Itis caused by the special grace of the Personality of Godhead or by thespecial grace of a great devotee like Narada.There is a statement in the Skanda Puriirta wherein Patvata Munitells Narada: "My dear Narada, of all saintly persons you are so greatand glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter alsohas become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Kra."This ecstatic love for Kra can be divided into five divisions,which will be described by Sri Riipa Gosvami later on.

18 I Characterof One in Ecstatic LoveRiipa Gosvami next describes the characteristics of a person whohas actually developed his ecstatic love for KrtJ.a. The characteristicsare as follows:l) He is always anxious to utilize his time in the devotional serviceof the Lord. He does not like to be idle. He wants service always,twenty-four hours a day without deviation.2) He is always reserved and perseverant.3) He is always detached from all material attraction.4) He does not long for any material respect in return for his·activities.5) He is always certain that KrtJ.a will bestow His mercy uponHim.6) He is always very eager to serve the Lord faithfully.7) He is very much attached to the chanting of the holy names ofthe Lord.8) He is always eager to describe the transcendental qualities ofthe Lord.9) He is very pleased to live in a place where the Lord's pastimesare performed, e.g., Mathura, Vrndavana, or Dvaraka.Utilization of TimeAn unalloyed devotee who has developed ecstatic love for KrtJ.a isalways engaging his words in reciting prayers to the Lord. Within themind he is always thinking of Kra, and with his body he is either138

Character of One in Ecstatic Love139offering obeisances by bowing down before the Deity or is engagingin some other service. During these ecstatic activities he sometimessheds tears. In this way his whole life is engaged in the service of theLord, with not a moment wasted on any other engagement.PerseveranceWhen a person is undisturbed even in the presence of variouscauses of disturbance, he is called reserved and perseverant. An exampleof this perseverance and reservation is found in the behavior ofKing Parikit, as described in the First Canto, 19th Chapter, 13thverse,of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The King says there to all the sagespresent before him at the time of his death, "My dear brahmar;ws, youshould always accept me as your surrendered servant. I have come tothe bank of the Ganges just to devote my heart and soul unto thelotus feet of Lord Kr!J.a. So please bless me, that Mother Ganges mayalso be pleased with me. Let the curse of the brahmar;w 's son fallupon me-l do not mind. I only request that at the last moment ofmy life all of you will kindly chant the holy name of Vi!J.U, so that Imay realize His transcendental qualities."This example of Maharaj Parikit's behavior, his remaining patienteven at the last point of his life, his undisturbed condition of mind, isan example of reservation. This is one of the characteristics of a devoteewho has developed ecstatic love for Kr!J.a.DetachmentThe senses are always desiring sense enjoyment, but when a devoteedevelops transcendental love for Kn;!la his senses are _no longerattracted by material desires. This state of mind is called detachment.There is a nice example of this detachment in connection withthe character of King Bharata. In the Fifth Canto, 14th Chapter, 43rdverse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated: "Emperor Bharata was soattracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of Kr!la that even in his

140 The Nectar of Devotionyouthful life he gave up all kinds of attachments to family, children,friends, kingdom, etc., as though they were untouchable stools."Emperor Bharata is a typical example of detachment. He had everythingenjoyable in the material world, but he left it. This meansthat detachment does not mean artificially keeping oneself aloof andapart from the allurements of attachment. Even in the presence ofsuch allurements, if one can remain unattracted by material attachments,that is called detachment. In the beginning, of course, a neophytedevotee must try to keep himself apart from all kinds of alluringattachments, but the real position of a mature devotee is thateven in the presence of all allurements, he is not at all attracted. Thisis the actual criterion of detachment.PridelPss nPssWhen a devotee, in spite of possessing all the qualities of purerealization, is not proud of his position, that is called pridelessness.In the Padma PuriiT;w it is stated that King Bhagiratha was the emperorabove all other kings, yet he developed such ecstatic love for Krwathat he became a mendicant and went out begging even to the homesof his political enemies and untouchables. He was so humble that herespectfully bowed down before them.There are many similar instances in the history of India. Even veryrecently, about 200 years ago or less, one big landlord known asLalababu, a Calcutta landholder, became a Vaisnava and lived in. .Vrndavana. He was also begging from door to door, even at the homesof his political enemies. Begging involves being ready to be insultedby persons at whose home one has come. That is natural. But one hasto tolerate such insults for the sake of Krsna. The devotee of Krsnacan accept any position in the service of Kr!la.. ... . .Great HopPThe strong conviction that one will certainly receive the favor of

Character of One in Ecstatic Love 141the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called in Sanskrit iisii-bandha.Asii-bandha means to continue to think, "Because I'm trying my bestto follow the routine principles of devotional service, I am sure that Iwill go back to Godhead, back to home."In this connection, one prayer by Riipa Gosvami is sufficient toexemplify this hopefulness. He says, "I have no love for Kra nor forthe causes of developing love of Kra-namely, hearing and chanting.And the process of bhakti-yoga, by which one is always thinking ofKra and fixing His lotus feet in the heart, is also lacking in me. Asfar as philosophical knowledge or pious words are concerned, I don'tsee any opportunity for me to execute such activities. But above all, Iam not even born of a nice family. Therefore I must simply prayto You, Gopi-jana-vallabha [Kra, maintainer and beloved of thegopis]. I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may be ableto approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, becauseI think myself quite incompetant to approach that transcendentalgoal of life." The purport is that under this heading,of iisii-bandha,one should continue to hope against hope that some way or other hewill be able to approach the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.Eagerness for Achieving the Desired SuccessWhen one is sufficiently eager to achieve success in devotional service,that is called samutkarthii. This means complete eagerness. Actuallythis eagerness is the price for achieving success in Kra consciousness.Everything has some value, and one has to pay the valuebefore obtaining or possessing it. It is stated in the Vedic literaturethat to purchase the most valuable thing, Kra consciousness, onehas to develop intense eagerness for achieving success. This intenseeagerness is very nicely expressed by Bilvamangala Thakur in hisbook K[§T}a-harT}iimrta. He says, "I am eagerly waiting to see that boyof Vrndavana whose bodily beauty is captivating the whole universe,whose eyes are always bounded by black eyebrows and expanded likelotus petals, who is always eagerly glancing over His devotees andtherefore moving slightly here and there. His eyes are always moist,

142 The Nectar of Devotionand His lips are colored like copper, and through those lips therecomes a sound vibration which drives one madder. than a mad elephant.I want so much to see Him at Vrndavana!"In the same Karr-iimrta there is another statement about the chantingof Radhara!li It is said by one of the associates of Radhara!li: "0Lord Govinda, the girl who is daughter of King V rabhanu is nowshedding tears, and She is anxiously chanting Your holy name­K r !la! K r !la!"This attachment for chanting the glories of the Lord is also statedin the Karr-amrta as follows: "What shall I do for Kr!la, who is pleasingbeyond all pleasurable conceptions, and who is naughtier than allrestless boys? The idea of Kr!la's beautiful activities is attracting myheart, and I do not know what I can do!"Attraction for Living in a Place Where K[§[la Has His PastimesIn the book Padyiivali by Riipa Gosvami there is the followingstatement about Vrndavana: "In this place the son of Maharaj Nandaused to live with His father, who was king of all cowherd men. Inthis place Lord Kr!la broke the cart in which the Sakatasura demonwas concealed. At this place Damodara, who can cut the knot of ourmaterial existence, was tied up by His mother Y asoda."A pure devotee of Lord Kr!la resides in the district of Mathura orVrndavana and visits all the places where Kr!la's pastimes were performed.At these sacred places Kr!la displayed His childhood activitieswith the cowherd boys and Mother Y asoda. The system of circumambulatingall these places is still current among devotees ofLord Kr!la, and those coming to Mathura and Vrndavana always feeltranscendental pleasure. Actually, if someone goes to Vrndavana, hewill immediately feel separation from Kr!la, who performed suchnice activities when He was present there.Such attraction for remembering Kr!la's activities is known as attachmentfor Kr!la. There are impersonalist philosophers and mystics,however, who by a show of devotional service want ultimately

Character of One in Ecstatic Love 143to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord. They sometimestry to imitate a pure devotee's sentiment for visiting the holy placeswhere Kra had His pastimes, but they simply have a view for salvation,and so their activities cannot be considered attachment.It is said by Rupa Gosvami that the attachment exhibited by puredevotees for Kra cannot possibly be perfected in the heart offruitive workers (karmis) or mental speculators because such attachmentin pure Kr!la consciousness is very rare and not possible toachieve even for many liberated persons. As is stated in the Bhagavadgitii,liberation from material contamination is the stage at which devotionalservice can be achieved. For a person who simply wants tohave liberation and to merge into the impersonal brahma-jyoti, it isnot possible to acquire attachment to Kr!la. This attachment is veryconfidentially kept by Kra and is only bestowed upon pure devotees.Even ordinary devotees cannot have such pure attachment forKrwa. Therefore, how is it possible for success t-o be achieved by personswhose hearts are contaminated by the actions and reactions offruitive activities and who are entangled by various types of mentalspeculation?There are many so-called devotees who artificially think of Kra'spastimes, which are known as a§ta-kiilika-lilii. Sometimes one may artificiallyimitate these, pretending that Kra is talking with him in theform of a boy, or else one may pretend that Radhara!J.i and Kr!laboth have come to him and are talking with him. Such characteristicsare sometimes exhibited by the impersonalist class of men, and theymay captivate some innocent persons who have no knowledge in thescience of devotional service. However, as soon as an experienced devoteesees all of these caricatures, he can immediately evaluate suchrascaldom. If such a pretender is sometimes seen possessing imitativeattachment to Kra, that will not be accepted as real attachment.It may be said, however, that such attachment is like giving a futurehope to the pretender, so that he may eventually rise onto the actualplatform of pure devotional service.This imitative attachment can be divided into two headings-namely,shadow attachment and para (transcendental) attachment. Ifsomeone, without undergoing the regulative principles of devotional

144 The Nectar of Devotionservice or without being guided by a bona fide spiritual master, showssuch imitative attachment, it is called shadow attachment. Sometimesit is found that a person actually attached to material enjoymentor salvation has the good fortune to associate with pure devoteeswhile they are engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord.By the good grace of the Lord one may also cooperate and j oin in thechanting. At that time, simply by the association of such pure devotees,the moonlike rays from their hearts reflect on him, and by theinfluence of the pure devotees he may show some likeness of attachmentcaused by inquisitiveness, but this is very flickering. And, if bythe manifestation of such shadow attachment one feels the disappearanceof all material pangs, then it is called para attachment;Such shadow attachment or para attachment can develop byassociating with a pure devotee or by visiting holy places like V rndavanaor Mathura; or if an ordinary man develops such attachmentfor Kra and fortunately performs devotional activities in the associationof pure devotees, he can also rise up to the platform of puredevotional service. The conclusion is that transcendental attachmentis so powerful that even if such attachment is seen manifested insome common man, by the association of a pure devotee it can bringone to the perfectional stage. But such attachment for Kra cannotbe invoked in a person without his being sufficiently blessed by theassociation of pure devotees.As attachment can be invoked by the association of pure devotees,so attachment can also be extinguished by committing offenses atthe lotus feet of pure devotees. To be more clear, by the associationof pure devotees attachment for Kra can be aroused, but if onecommits offenses at the lotus feet of a devotee, his shadow attachmentor para attachment can be extinguished. This extinguishing islike the waning moon, which gradually decreases and at last becomesdarkness. One should therefore be very careful while associating withpure devotees to guard against committing an offense at their lotusfeet.Transcendental attachment, either shadow or para, can be nullifiedby different degrees of offenses at the lotus feet of pure devotees. If

Character of One in Ecstatic Love 145the offense is very serious, then one's attachment becomes almostnil, and if the offense is not very serious, one's attachment can becomesecond-class or third-class.If someone becomes attached to the principles of salvation or tomerging into the existence of the brahma-jyoti, his ecstasies graduallydiminish into shadow and para attachment or else transform intothe principles of ahangrahopiisanii. This ahangrahopiisanii describesa living entity when he begins· spiritual realization by identifying himselfwith the Supreme Lord. This state of self realization is technicallyknown as monism. The monist thinks himself one with the SupremeLord. Thus, without differentiating between himself and the SupremeLord, it is his view that by worshiping himself he is worshiping thesupreme whole.Sometimes it is found that a neophyte is taking part in chantingand dancing very enthusiastically, but within himself he is under theimpression that he has become one with the supreme whole. Thisconception of monism is completely different from pure transcendentaldevotional service. If, however, it is seen that a person hasdeveloped a high standard of devotion without having undergoneeven the regulative principles, it is to be understood that his status ofdevotional service was achieved in a former life. For some.reason oranother it had been temporarily stopped, most probably by committingan offense at the lotus feet of a devotee. Now, with a good secondchance, it has again begun to develop. The conclusion is thatsteady progress in devotional service can be attained only in the associationof pure devotees.If one can gradually advance his status in devotional service, it isto be understood that it is due to the causeless mercy of Krwa Himself.If a person is completely detached from material enjoyment andhas developed pure ecstatic devotion, even if he is sometimes accidentallyfound not to be living up to the standard of devotional service,one should not be envious of him. It is confirmed also in theBhagavad-gitii that a devotee who has unflinching faith in and devotionto the Lord, even if he is sometimes found to be accidentallydeviated from pure devotional characteristics, should still be countedamongst the pure. Unflinching faith in devotional service, in Lord

146 The Nectar of DevotionKr!la and in the spiritual master makes one highly elevated in theactivities of devotional service.In the Nrsimha Puriir-a it is stated: "If a person has completely engagedhis mind, body and activities in the service of the SupremeGodhead, and externally he is found to be engaged in some abominableactivities, these abominable activities will surely be very quicklyvanquished by the influence of his staunch devotional force." Theexample is given that on the full moon there are some spots whichmay appear to be pockmarks. Still, the illumination spread by thefull moon cannot be checked. Similarly, a little fault in the midst ofvolumes of devotional service is not at all to be counted as fault. Attachmentfor Krwa is transcendental bliss. Amidst unlimited volumesof transcendental bliss, a spot of some material defect cannotact in any way.

\:19 I Devotional Servicein Love of GodWhen one's desire to love Krwa in his particular relationship becomesintensified, this is known as pure love of Godhead. In the beginninga devotee is engaged in the regulative principles of devotionalservice by the order of his spiritual master. When one thereby becomescompletely purified of all material contamination, there developsan attachment and taste for devotional service. This taste andattachment, when gradually intensified in the course of time, becomeslove. The word "love" can only be actually applied in relationshipwith the Personality of Godhead. In the material world, love isnot applicable at all. What goes on under the name of love in thematerial world is nothing but lust. There is a gulf of difference betweenlove and lust, like the difference between gold and iron. In theNiirada-paiicariitra it is clearly stated that when lust is completelytransferred to the Supreme Godhead and the concept of kinship iscompletely reposed in Him, such is accepted as pure love of God bygreat authorities like Bhima, PrahHida, Uddhava and Narada.A great authority like Bluma has explained that love of Godheadmeans completely giving up all so-called love for any other person.According to Bhima, love means to repose one's affection completelyupon one person, withdrawing all affinities for any other person.This pure love can be transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godheadunder two conditions-out of ecstasy and out of the causelessmercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.Ecstatic love of Godhead can be potently invoked simply by followingthe rules and regulations of devotional service as they are prescribedin scriptures, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual mas-147

148 The Nectar of Devotionter. In the Eleventh Canto, 2nd Chapter, 38th verse, of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam this ecstatic love, born of the execution of regulative devotionalservice, is explained: "A devotee, in the course of executingthe regulative principles of devotional service, develops his naturalKr!la consciousness, and being thus softened at heart he chants anddances like a madman. While performing chanting of the holy nameof the Lord, he sometimes cries, sometimes talks wildly, sometimessings, and sometimes-without caring for any outsider-dances like amadman."In the Padma Puriir-a there is a statement about ecstatic love bornof spontaneous affection. Candrakanti, a celebrated fair-faced girl,rigidly observed celibacy in order to obtain Kr!J.a as her husband.She always engaged herself in meditating on the transcendental formof the Lord and always chanted the glories of the Lord. She did notdesire to accept anyone else as her husband. She had firmly decidedthat only Lord Kr!la would be her husband.The Lord's Extraordinary MercyWhen a devotee is found to be always associated with the Lord inecstatic love, it is to be understood that such a position is awarded bythe Lord Himself out of His causeless extraordinary mercy. An exampleof such extraordinary mercy is given in the Eleventh Canto, 12thChapter, 6th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, wherein Lord Kr!latells Uddhava: "The gopis in Vrndavana did not study-the Vedas toachieve Me. Nor had they ever been in holy places of pilgrimage. Nordid they devoutly execute any regulative principle. Nor did they undergoany kind of austerity. It is simply by My association that theyhave attained the highest perfection of devotional service."From the example of Candrakanti as found in the Padma Puriir-aand from the example of the gopis as found in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, it appears that a devotee who always thinks of Kr!laand who always chants His glories in ecstatic love, regardless of hiscondition, will attain the highest perfection of unalloyed devotionallove due to Lord Kr!J.a's extraordinary mercy. This is confirmed in

Devotional Service in Love of God 149the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: "If Hari, the Supreme Lord, is worshiped,adored and loved by a person, it should be understood that the personhas finished all kinds of austerities, penances and similar processesfor self realization. On the other hand, if after undergoing alltypes of austerities, penances and mystic yoga practices, one does notdevelop such love for Hari, then all his performances are to be considereda useless waste of time. If someone always sees Krrta insideand out, then it is to be understood that he has surpassed all austeritiesand penances for self realization. And if, after executing all kindsof penances and austerities, one cannot always see Krrta inside andout, then he has executed his performances uselessly."Spontaneous attraction to Krfla, which is said to be due to theextraordinary mercy of the Lord, can be placed under two headings:one is profound veneration for the greatness of the Lord, and theother may be one's automatically being attracted to Krrta withoutany extraneous consideration. In the Niirada-paficariitra it is said thatif on account of profound veneration for the greatness of the SupremeLord, one attains a great affection and steady love for Him,one is certainly assured of attaining the four kinds of Var-ava liberation-namely,achieving the same bodily features as tpe Lord, achievingthe same opulence as the Lord, dwelling on the planet where theLord is residing, and attaining eternal association with the Lord. TheVair-ava liberation is completely different from the miiyiiviida liberation,which is simply a matter of being merged into the effulgence ofthe Lord.In the Niirada-paficariitra pure unalloyed devotional service is explainedas being without any motive for personal benefit. If a devoteeis continuously in love with Lord Krrta and his mind is always fixedupon Him, that devotional attitude will prove to be the only meansof attracting the attention of the Lm:d. In other words, a Vair-avawho is incessantly thinking of the form of Lord Krwa is to be knownas a pure Var-ava.Generally, a devotee who has achieved the causeless mercy of theLord on account of following the strict rules and regulations of devotionalservice becomes attracted by the supreme greatness of theLord, by the transcendental beauty of the Lord and by the spon-

150 The Nectar of Devotiontaneous execution of devotional service. To be more clear, by executingthe regulative principles of devotional service, one can fullyappreciate the transcendental beauty of the Lord. In any case, suchexalted positions are only possible by the extraordinary mercy of theLord upon the devotee.Association with Pure DevoteesAlthough many different processes for developing love of Godheadhave been explained so far, Srila Riipa Gosvami now gives us a generaldescription of how one can best achieve such a high position. Thebeginning of ecstatic love of Godhead is basically faith. There aremany societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someonewith just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancementto pure devotional service is rapid.The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes toassociate with him with a little faith, he gets the chance of hearingabout the Lord from authoritative scriptures like the Bhagavad-gitiiand Srimad-Bhiigavatam. Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who issituated in everyone's heart, one gradually develops his faith in thedescriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage ofassociation with pure devotees. In the second stage, after one becomesa little advanced and mature, he automatically offers to followthe principles of devotional service under the guidance of the puredevotee and accepts him as the spiritual master. In the next stage,under the guidance of the spiritual master, the devotee executes regulativedevotional service, and, as a result of such activities, he becomesfreed from all unwanted occupations. When he is freed from unwantedoccupations, his faith becomes steadily fixed, and he develops atranscendental taste for devotional service, then attachment, then ecstasies,and in the last stage there is pure love of Godhead. These arethe different stages of the development of pure love.Only the most fortunate persons can achieve such success in life.Those who are simply academic students of the Vedic scriptures cannotappreciate how such a development takes place. In the Niiriiya[ta

Devotional Service in Love of God 151•Paficariitra Lord Siva therefore tells Parvati: "My dear supreme goddess,you can know from me that any person who has developed theecstasy of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who isalways merged in transcendental bliss on account of this love, cannoteven perceive the material distress or happiness coming from the bodyor mind."Affection and the dealings of love are different branches of theoriginal tree of love preceding the many varieties of affectionatemanifestations, which will not be discussed here. These differentmanifestations have been described by Sanatana Gosvami in hisBhiigavatiimrta. Although the subject of such affections and dealingsof love are very confidential, Sanatana Gosvami has described themvery explicitly.Sri Riipa Gosvami thus concludes the first division of the Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu,offering up his treatise for the transcendental pleasureof Sanatana Gosvami, who has established the transcendentalbeauty, and of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghuniitha Bhatta Gosvam'iand Raghuniithadas Gosvami It appears from this statementthat the great Srila .J'iva Gosviimi was not yet active when Bhaktirasamrta-sindhuwas written.Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the first divisionof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, up to the descriptions of ecstatic love ofGodhead, which are to follow next.

PART TWO20 I Transcendental MellowIn this second division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu the author offershis respectful obeisances unto "Saniitana." This Saniitana can be interpretedas either Sri Kr!la Himself or as Sanatana Gosvami, theelder brother and spiritual master of Riipa Gosvami. In the case whereSaniitana is accepted to mean Sri Kr!la, the obeisances are offered toKr!la because He is naturally so beautiful and because He is the killerof the demon Agha. If it is interpreted to mean Sanatana Gosvami,then it is because he is so greatly favored by Riipa Gosvami, beingalways served by him, and because he is the annihilator of all kindsof sinful activities. In this division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu the authorwants to describe the general symptoms of the transcendentalmellow (loving mood) of discharging devotional service.In this division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu there are five generaltopics: 1) vibhiiva-special symptoms of ecstasy, 2) anubhiiva-subsequentecstasy, 3) siittvika-bhiiva-constitutional ecstasy, 4) vyabhiciiri-bhiiva-aggressive ecstasy and 5) sthiiyi-bhiiva -fervent ecstasy.The word rasa, used in the Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, is understoodby different persons differently because the exact English equivalentis very difficult to find. But as we have seen our spiritual mastertranslate this word rasa into "mellow," we shall follow in his footstepsand also translate the word in that way.The particular loving mood or attitude relished in the exchange oflove with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow.The different types of rasa, when combined together, help oneto taste the mellow of devotional service in the highest degree oftranscendental ecstasy. Such a position, although entirely transcen-152

153 The Nectar of Devotiondental to our experience, will be explained in this section as far aspossible, following in the footsteps of Srila Riipa Gosvami.Without relishing some sort of mellow or loving mood in one'sactivities, no one can continue to perform such activities. Similarly,in the transcendental life of Kra consciousness and devotional servicethere must be some mellow or specific taste from the service.Generally this mellow is experienced by chanting, hearing, worshipingin the temple and being engaged in the service of the Lord. Sowhen a person feels transcendental bliss, that is called "relishing themellow." To be more clear, we may understand that the various feelingsof happiness derived from discharging devotional service may betermed the "mellows" of devotional service.This relishing of transcendental mellow in discharging devotionalservice cannot be experienced by all classes of men because thissweet loving mood is developed only from one's previous life's activities,or by the association of unalloyed devotees. As explained above,association with pure devotees is the beginning of faith in devotionalservice. Only by developing such faith in the association of a puredevotee, or by having in one's previous life executed devotional activities,can one actually relish the mellow of devotional service. In otherwords, this transcendental bliss is not to be enjoyed by any commonman unless he is so extraordinarily fortunate as to be in associationwith devotees or to be continuing his previous birth's devotional activities.The gradual process of development to the stage of devotionalservice is explained in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto: "The beginningis to hear about Lord Kra in the association of devoteeswho have themselves cleansed their hearts by association. Hearingabout the transcendental activities of the Lord will result in one'sfeeling transcendental bliss always." It is also explained in theBhagavad-gitii that for one who has actually come to the spiritualplatform, the first symptom visible will be that he is always joyful.This joyous life is attained by one's reaction to reading the Bhagavadgitiior Srimad-Bhiigavatam, or else from associating with personswho are very interested in the spiritual life of Kra consciousnessspecificallythose who have made the determination to achieve the

Transcendental Mellow 154favor of Govinda by being engaged in transcendental loving service atHis lotus feet. Being encouraged by such a feeling, one who is constantlyengaged in discharging the regulative principles of devotionalservice in such a way as to please the Supreme Personality of Godheaddevelops two principles of compelling force, which come underthe heading of vibhiiva. Thus one enjoys transcendental bliss.There are several origins or causes for this compulsive love ofKra, such as Kra Himself, the devotees of Krwa, Kra's playingon the flute, etc. The effect is sometimes loving and sometimesstunted.There are eight transcendental symptoms found in the body duringecstasy, and all of them are possible only by a mixture of the abovementionedfive ecstatic divisions. Without some mixture of these fiveecstatic principles, one cannot relish transcendental bliss. The causeor basis for relishing transcendental mellow is exactly what we meanby vibhiiva. This vibhiiva is divided into two-namely, basic and impetuous.In the Agni Puriirw the description of vibhiiva is given as follows:"The basis from which ecstatic love is born is called vibhiiva,which is divided into two-basic and impetuous." In other words,there are two kinds of ecstatic love. The object of basic ecstatic loveis Kra and His devotee. Lord Kra is the object of basic ecstaticlove, and His pure devotee, a reservoir of such love, is the object ofimpetuous ecstatic love. Impetuous ecstatic love, then, is that lovewhich develops when one sees an object which reminds him of Krpa.Lord Krpa, who is the possessor of inconceivable potencies andqualities of transcendental knowledge and bliss, is the basic cause ofecstatic love. Lord Kra also becomes the reservoir (impetus) ofecstatic love by His different incarnations and expansions. In theSrimad-Bhiigavatam there is a statement in connection with thebrahma-vimohana-lilii, which demonstrates something of this impetuousfeature of ecstatic love. When Brahma was deluded by Krpa, whoexpanded Himself into so many cowherd boys, calves and cows,Kra's elder brother, Sri Baladeva (a direct expansion of Kra Himself),felt astonishment and said, "How wonderful it is that my ecstaticlove for Kra is again being attracted to so many cowherdboys, calves and cows!" He was struck with wonder by thinking in

155 The Nectar of Devotionthis way. This is one of the examples in which Kra Himself becomesthe object and:reservoir of ecstatic love in the impetuous aspect.

21 I Qualities of Sri KraPersonal features can be divided into two: one feature is covered,and the other feature is manifested. When Krwa is covered by differentkinds of dress, His personal feature is covered. There is anexample of His covered personal feature in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam inconnection with His Dvaraka filii (His residence in Dvaraka as itsking). Sometimes Lord Kra began to play by dressing Himself likea woman. Seeing this form, Uddhava said, "How wonderful it is thatthis woman is attracting my ecstatic love exactly as Lord Kra does.I think she must be Kra covered by the dress of a woman!"One devotee praised the bodily features of Kra when he sawthe Lord in His manifested personal feature. He exclaimed, "Howwonderful is the personal feature of Lord Kra! How His neck is justlike a conchshell! His eyes are so beautiful, as though they themselvesare encountering the beauty of a lotus flower. His body is just likethe tiimala tree, very blat:kish. His head is protected with a canopy ofhair. There are the marks of srivatsa on His chest, and He is holdingHis conchshell. By such beautiful bodily features, the enemy of thedemon Madhu has appeared so pleasing that He can bestow upon metranscendental bliss simply by my seeing His transcendental qualities."Srila Rupa Gosvami, after consulting various scriptures, has enumeratedthe transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows: 1)beautiful features of the entire body; 2) marked with all auspiciouscharacteristics; 3) extremely pleasing; 4) effulgent; 5) strong; 6) everyouthful;7) a wonderful linguist; 8) truthful; 9) talks pleasingly; 10)can speak fluently in all languages; ll) highly learned; 12) highly intelligent;13) a genius; 14) artistic; 15) extremely clever; 16) expert;156

157 The Nectar of Devotion17) grateful; 18) firmly determined; 19) an expert judge of time andcircumstances ; 20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, orscriptures; 21) pure; 22) self-controlled; 23) steadfast; 24) forebearing;25) forgiving; 26) grave; 27) self-satisfied; 28) possesses equilibrium;29) magnanimous; 30) religious; 31) heroic; 32) compassionate;33) respectful; 34) gentle; 35) liberal; 36) shy; 37) the protector ofsurrendered souls; 38) happy; 39) the well-wisher of devotees; 40)controlled by love; 41) all-auspicious; 42) most powerful; 43) allfamous;44) popular; 45) partial to devotees; 46) very attractive toall women; 47) all-worshipable; 48) all-opulent; 49) all-honorable;50) the supreme controller. The Supreme Personality of Godhead hasall these fifty transcendental qualities in fullness as deep as the ocean.In other words, the extent of His qualities is inconceivable.As parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the individual living entitiescan also possess all of these qualities in minute quantities, providedthey become pure devotees of the Lord. In other words, all ofthe above transcendental qualities can be present in the devotees inminute quantity, whereas the qualities in fullness are always presentin the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Besides these, there are other transcendental qualities which aredescribed by Lord Siva to Parvati in the Padma Puriirw and in theFirst Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, in connection with a conversationbetween the demigod of the earth and the King of religion, Yamaraj.It is said therein: "Persons who are desirous of becoming great personalitiesmust be decorated with the following qualities: truthfulness,cleanliness, mercy, perseverence, renunciation, peacefulness,simplicity, control of the senses, equilibrium of the mind, austerity,equality, forbearance, placidity, learning, knowledge, opulence, chivalry,influence, strength, memory, independence, tactfulness, luster,patience, ability to talk, gravity, steadiness, faithfulness, fame, respectfulnessand lack of false egotism." Persons who are desiring tobecome great souls cannot be without any of the above qualities, sowe can know for certain that these qualities are found in Lord Kr!la,the supreme soul.Besides all of the above-mentioned fifty qualities, Lord Kr!la possessesfive more, which are sometimes partially manifested in the per-

Qualities of Sri K[§[W 158sons of Lord Brahma or Lord Siva. These transcendental qualities areas follows: 51) changeless; 52) all-cognizant; 53) ever-fresh; 54) saccid-iinanda(possessing an eternal blissful body); 55) possessing allmystic perfection.Kr.pa also possesses five other qualities, which are manifest in thebody of Naraya.pa, and they are listed as follows: 56) He has inconceivablepotency. 57) Uncountable universes generate from His body.58) He is the original source of all incarnations. 59) He is the giver ofsalvation to the enemies whom He kills. 60) He is the attractor of liberatedsouls. All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfullyin the personal feature of Lord Kr.pa.Besides these sixty transcendental qualities, Kr.pa has four more,which are not manifest even in the Naraya.pa form of Godhead, notto speak of the demigods or living entities. They are as follows: 61)He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially Hischildhood pastimes). 62) He can attract all living entities all over theuniverses by playing on His flute. 63) He is surrounded by devoteesendowed with wonderful love of Godhead. 64) He has a wonderfulexcellence of beauty which cannot be rivalled anywhere in thecreation.Adding to the list these four exceptional qualities of Kr.pa, it is tobe understood that the aggregate number of qualities of Krl!a is sixtyfour.Snla Rupa Gosvami has attempted to give evidences from variousscriptures about all sixty-four qualities present in the person of theSupreme Lord.1. Beautiful Bodily FeaturesAny comparison of the different parts of the Lord's body todifferent material objects cannot factually be a complete comparison.Ordinary persons, who cannot understand how exaltedare the bodily features of the Lord, are simply given a chanceto understand by a material comparison. It is said that Kna'sface is as beautiful as the moon, His thighs are powerful, justlike the trunks of elephants , His arms are just like two pillars,His palms are expanded like lotus flowers, His chest is just like

159The Nectar of Devotiona doorway, His hips are dens, and the middle of His body ISterrace.a2. Auspicious CharacteristicsThere are certain characteristics of different limbs which are consideredto be very auspicious and are fully present in the body of theLord. In this connection, one friend of Nanda Maharaj, speakingabout Lord KrtJ.a's auspicious bodily symptoms, said, "My dear Kingof the cowherds, I can find 32 auspicious symptoms on the body ofyour son! I am wondering how this boy could have taken his birth inthe family of cowherd men." Generally, when Lord Krtla appearsHe does so in a family of k§atriyas (kings), as did Lord Ramacandra,and sometimes in a family of briihmar;ws. But Kr9a accepted therole of son to Maharaj Nanda, despite the fact that Nanda belongedto the vaisya community. The business of the vaisya community istrade, commerce and the protection of cows. Therefore his friend,who may have been born into a briihmar-a family, expressed his wonderat how such an exalted child could take birth in a family ofvaisyas. Anyway, he pointed out the auspicious signs on the body ofKr9a to the boy's foster father.He continued: "This boy has a reddish luster in seven places-Hiseyes, the ends of His hands, the ends of His legs, His palate, His lips,His tongue and His nails. A reddish luster in these seven places is consideredto be auspicious. Three parts of His body are very broad: Hiswaist, forehead and chest. Three parts of His body are short: His neck,thighs and genitals. Three parts of His body are very deep: His voice,intelligence and navel. There is highness in five parts of His body: Hisnose, arms, ears, forehead and thighs. In five parts of His body thereis fineness-His skin, the hairs on His head and on the other parts ofHis body, His teeth and finger tips. The aggregate of all these bodilyfeatures are manifest only in the bodies of great personalities."The fate lines on the palm are also considered to be auspiciousbodily symptoms. In this connection, one old gopi informed KingNanda:"Your son possesses various wonderful fate lines on Hispalms. There are the signs of lotus flowers and wheels on His palms,

Qualities of Sri K[§!la 160and on His soles there are the signs of a flag, thunderbolt, fish, rodfor controlling elephants and a lotus flower. Please observe how auspiciousthese signs are!"3. PleasingBeautiful bodily features which automatically attract the eyes arecalled rncira (pleasing). Kr!!a possesses this attractive feature ofrncira in His personal features. In the Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 13thverse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam there is a statement about this. "TheSupreme Personality of Godhead, in His pleasing dress, appeared atthe scene of the sacrificial arena when King Yudhithira was performingthe riija-siiya sacrifice. All important personalities from differentparts of the universe had been invited to the sacrificial arena, and allof them, upon beholding Kr!la there, considered that the Creatorhad ended all of His craftsmanship in the creation of this particularbody of Kr!!a."It is said that the transcendental body of Kr!la resembles the lotusflower in eight parts-namely, His face, His two eyes, His two hands,His navel, and His two feet. The gop is and inhabitants of V rndavanaused to see the luster of lotus flowers everywhere, and they couldhardly withdraw their eyes from such a vision.4. EffulgentThe effulgence pervading the universe is considered to be the raysof the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The supreme abode of Krwais always throwing off the effulgence known as brahma-jyoti, andthat effulgence is emanating from His body.The luster of the hosts of jewels fixed on the chest of the Lord candefeat even the luster of the sun, and still, when compared with thebodily luster of the Lord, that crest of jewels appears to be only asbright as one of the stars in the sky. Therefore the transcendentalinfluence of Kr!la is so great that it can defeat anyone. When Kr!lawas present in the sacrificial arena of His enemy, King Kamsa, thewrestlers present, although appreciating the softness of the body of

161 The Nectar of DevotionSri Kr!la, were nevertheless afraid and perturbed when they thoughtof engaging with Him in battle.5. StrongA person who has extraordinary bodily strength is called baliyiin.When Kr!la killed Aritasura, some of the gopis said, "My dearfriends, just see how Kr!la has killed Aritasura! Although he wasstronger than a mountain, Kr!!a plucked him up just like a piece ofcotton and threw him away without any difficulty!" There is anotherpassage wherein it is said: "0 my dear devotees of Lord Krwa, maythe left hand of Lord Kr!!a, which has lifted Govardhana Hill like aball, save you from all dangers."6. Ever-youthfulKra is beautiful at His different ages-namely, His childhood, Hisboyhood and His youth. Out of these three, His youth is the reservoirof all pleasures and is the time when the highest varieties of devotionalservice are acceptable. At that age, Kra is full with all transcendentalqualities and is engaged in His transcendental pastimes.Therefore, devotees have accepted the beginning of His youth as themost attractive feature in ecstatic love.At this age Kra is described as follows: "The force of Kra'syouth was combined with His beautiful smile, which defeated eventhe beauty of the full moon. He was always nicely dressed, in beautysurpassing even Cupid, and He was always attracting the minds of thego pis, who were thereby always feeling pleasure."7. Wonderful LinguistRiipa Gosvami says that a person who knows the languages of differentcountries, especially the Sanskrit language, which is spoken inthe cities of the demigods-as well as other worldly languages, includingthose of the animals-is called a wonderful linguist. It appearsfrom this statement that Kr!la can also speak and understand the

Qualities of Sri Kr§!W 162languages of the animals. An old woman in Vrndavana, present at thetime of Kg;J)a's pastimes, once stated in surprise: "How wonderful itis that Kr§if)a, who owns the hearts of all the young girls of Braja·bhiimi, can nicely speak the language of Brajabhiimi with the go pis,while in Sanskrit He speaks with the demigods, and in the languageof the animals He can even speak with the cows and buffalo! Similar·ly, in the language of the Kashmere Province, and with the parrotsand other birds, as well as in most common languages, KrJ)a is so ex·pressive!" She inquired from the gopis as to how KrJ)a had becomeso expert in speaking so many different types of languages.8. TruthfulA person whose word of honor is never broken is called truthful.K.rJ)a once promised Kunti, the mother of the PaJ)«).avas, that Hewould bring her five sons back from the battlefield of Kuruketra.After the battle was finished, when all the Pandavas had come home,Kunti praised KrJ)a because His promise was so nicely fulfilled.She said, "Even the sunshine may one day become cool and themoonshine may one day become hot, but still Your promise will notfail. Similarly, when K.rJ)a, along with Bhima and Arjuna, went tochallenge Jarasandha, He plainly told Jarasandha that He was theeternal. l

163 The Nectar of Devotionfy him is called a pleasing talker. Kra was such a pleasing talkerthat after defeating His enemy, Kaliya, in the water of Yam una,He said: "My dear King of the snakes, although I have given you somuch pain, please do not be dissatisfied with Me. It is My duty toprotect these cows, which are worshiped even by the demigods. Onlyin order to save them from the danger of your presence have I beenobliged to banish you from this place."Kaliya was residing within the water of the Yam una, and as a resultthe back portion of that river had become poisoned. Thus somany cows who had drunk the water had died. Therefore Krpa, eventhough He was only four or five years old, dipped Himself into thewater, punished Kaliya very severely and then asked him to leave theplace and go elsewhere.Krwa said at that time that the cows are worshiped even bythe demigods, and He practically demonstrated how to protect thecows. At least people who are in Krwa consciousness should followin His footsteps and give all protection to the cows. Cows are worshipednot only by the demigods. Kra Himself worshiped the cowson several occasions, especially on the days of Gopii§tami and GovardhanaFUjii.10. Fluent in All LanguagesA person who can speak meaningful words and with all politenessand good qualities is called viivaduka, or fluent. There is a nice statementin the Snmad-Bhiigavatam regarding Kra 's speaking politely.When Kra politely bade His father, N anda Maharaj, to stop theritualistic offering of sacrifice to the raingod, lndra, a wife of one villagecowherd man became captivated. She later thus described thespeaking of Kra to her friends: "Krpa was speaking to His fatherso politely and gently that it was as if He were pouring nectar intothe ears of all present there. After hearing such sweet words fromKrsna, who will not be attracted to Him?". ..Krpa's speech, which contains all good qualities in the universe, isdescribed in the following statement by Uddhava: "The words ofKra are so attractive that they can immediately change the heart of

Qualities of Sri K[§!W 164even His opponent. His words can immediately solve all of the questionsand problems of the world. Although He does not speak verylong, each and every word from His mouth contains volumes ofmeaning. These speeches of Krwa are very pleasing to my heart."11. Highly LearnedWhen a person is highly educated and acts strictly on moral principles,he is called highly learned. A person conversant in differentdepartments of knowledge is called educated, and because he acts onmoral principles, he is called morally stout. Together, these two factorsconstitute learning.Kr.p.a 's receiving education from Sandipani Muni is described bySri Narada Muni as follows: "In the beginning, Lord Brahma andothers are as clouds of evaporated water from the great ocean ofKr.p.a. In other words, Brahma first received the Vedic educationfrom Kr.p.a, as the clouds receive water from the ocean. That Vediceducation or instruction which was spoken by Brahma to the worldwas then reposed upon the mountain of Sandlpani Muni. SandipaniMuni's instructions to Kr.p.a are like a reservoir of water on themountain, which flows as a river and goes again to mix with thesource, the ocean of Kr.p.a." To be more clear, the idea is that Kr.p.aactually cannot be instructed by anyone, just as the ocean does notreceive water from any source but itself. It only appears that therivers are pouring water into the ocean. So it is clear that Brahmareceived his education from Kr.p.a, and from Brahma, via the disciplicsuccession, this Vedic instruction was distributed. SandlpaniMuni is likened to the river which is flowing down again to that sameoriginal ocean of Kr.p.a.The Siddhas, the inhabitants of Siddha-loka (where all are bornwith fully developed mystic powers), and the Ciirar-as, the inhabitantsof a similar planet, pray to Kr.p.a as follows: "My Lord Govinda,the goddess of learning, who is decorated with fourteen kinds ofeducational ornaments, whose intelligence is all-pervading within thefour departments of the Vedas, whose attention is always on thelawbooks given by great sages like Manu, and who is appareled in six

165 The Nectar of Devotionkinds of expert knowledge-namely Vedic evidence, grammar, astrology,rhetoric, vocabulary, and logic, and whose constant friends arethe supplements of the Vedas and Purii[laS, decorated with thefinal conclusion of all education-has now acquired an opportunityto sit with You as a class friend in school, and she is now engaged inYour service."Krr;ta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, does not require anyeducation, but He gives a chance to the goddess of learning to serveHim. Being self-sufficient, Krr;ta does not require the service of anyliving entity, although He has many devotees. It is because Krpais so kind and merciful that He gives the opportunity to everyone toserve Him, as though He requires the service of His devotees.Regarding His moral principles, it is stated in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam that Krr;ta is ruling over V rndavana as death personifiedto the thieves, as pleasing bliss to the pious, as the most beautifulCupid to the young girls and as the most munificent personality tothe poor men. He is as refreshing as the full moon to His friends, andto His opponents He is the annihilating fire generated from LordSiva. Krr;ta is therefore the most perfect moralist in His reciprocaldealings with different kinds of persons. When He is death personifiedto the thieves, it is not that He is without moral principles or that Heis cruel; He is still kind, because to punish thieves with death is toexhibit the highest quality of moral principles. In the Bhagavad-gitii,also, Krr;ta says that He deals with different kinds of persons accordingto their dealings with Him. Krr;ta's dealings with devotees andwith nondevotees, although different, are both equally good. BecauseKrr;ta is all good, His dealings with everyone are always good.12. Highly IntelligentA man is called intelligent if he has a sharp memory and finediscretion. As far as Krwa 's memory is concerned, it is said thatwhen He was studying in the school of Sandipani Muni in Avantipur,He showed such a sharp memory that by once taking instructionsfrom the teacher He immediately became perfect in any subject. Actually,His going to the school of Sandipani Muni was to show the

Qualities of Sri K[§[W 166people of the world that however great or ingenious one may be, hemust go to higher authorities for general education. However greatone may be, he must accept a teacher or spiritual master.Krwa 's fine discretion was exhibited when He was fighting withthe untouchable king who attacked the city of Mathura. Accordingto Vedic rites, those who are untouchable are not to be touched bythe k§atriya kings, not even for killing. Therefore, when the untouchableking seized the city of Mathura, Krtta did not think it wise tokill him directly with His own hand. Still the king had to be killed,and therefore Krra decided with fine discretion that He should fleefrom the battlefield so that the untouchable king would chase Him.He could then lead the king to the mountain where Mucukunda waslying asleep. Mucukunda had received a benediction from Lord Sivato the effect that when he awoke from his sleep, whomever he mightsee would at once be burnt to ashes. Therefore Krtta thought it wiseto lead the untouchable king to that cave so that the king's presencewould awaken Mucukunda, and he would at once be burnt to ashes.13. GeniusA person is called a genius when he can refute any kind of opposingelement with newer and newer arguments. In this connectionthere is a statement in Padyavali which contains the following conversationbetween Krtta and Radha: One morning, when Krtta cameto Radha, Radha asked Him, "My dear Kesava, where is Your vasa atpresent?" The Sanskrit word vasa has three meanings: one meaningis residence, one meaning is fragrance, and another meaning is dress.Actually Radharatti inquired from KrtJ.a, "Where is Your dress?"But Krwa took the meaning as residence, and He replied to RadharatJ.i,"My dear captivated one, at the present moment my residenceis in Your beautiful eyes."To this Radharatti replied, "My dear cunning boy, I did not askYou about Your residence. I inquired about Your dress."Krtta then took the meaning of vasa as fragrance and said, "Mydear fortunate one, I have just assumed this fragrance in order to beassociated with Your body."

167 The Nectar of DevotionSrimati Radharai again enquired from Kra, "Where did Youpass Your night?" The exact Sanskrit word used in this connectionwas yiiminyiimu§ita"{!,. Yiiminyiim means at night, and U§ita"{!, meanspass. Kra, however, divided the word yiiminyiimu§ita"{!, into twoseparate words, namely yiiminyii and mu§ita"{!,. By dividing this wordinto two, it came out to mean that He was kidnapped by Yamini, ornight. Kra therefore replied to Radharai, "My dear Radharapi, isit possible that night can kidnap Me?" In this way He was answeringall of the questions of Radharai so cunningly that He gladdened thisdearest of the go pis.14. ArtisticOne who can talk and dress himself very artistically is calledvidagdha. This exemplary characteristic was visible in the personalityof Sri Kra. It is spoken of by Radharai as follows: "Mydear friend, just see how Kra has nicely composed songs and howHe dances and speaks funny words and plays on His flute, wearingsuch nice garlands. He has dressed Himself in such an enchanting way,as though He has defeated all kinds of players at the chessboard. Helives wonderfully at the topmost height of artistic craftsmanship."15. CleverA person who can perform various types of work at once is calledclever. In this connection one of the gopis said: "My dear friends,just see the clever activities of Sri Kra! He has composed nice songsabout the cowherd boys and is pleasing the cows. By the movementof His eyes He is pleasing the go pis, and at the same time, He is fightingwith demons like Aritasura and others. In this way, He is sittingwith different living entities in different ways, and He is thoroughlyenjoying the situation."16. ExpertAny person who can quickly execute a very difficult task is called

Qualities of Sri Knrw 168expert. About the expertise of Kr!ia there is a statement in the TenthCanto, 59th Chapter, 13th verse, of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, whereinSukadeva Gosvami tells Maharaj Parikit: "0 best of the Kurus, SriKrwa cut into pieces all the different weapons used by differentfighters." Formerly, fighting was done by releasing different kinds ofarrows. One party would release a certain arrow, and the other partyhad to defeat it by counteracting it with another arrow. For example,one party might release an arrow which would cause water topour from the sky, and to counteract this, the opposing party wouldhave to release an arrow which could immediately turn the water intoclouds. So from this statement it appears that Kr!la was veryexpert in counteracting the enemy's arrows. Similarly, at the riisadance, each and every go pi requested that Kr!la individually becomeher partner, and Kr!la immediately expanded Himself into so manyKr!ias in order to be coupled with each and every gopi. The resultwas that each go pi found Kr!la by her side.1 7. GratefulAny person who is conscious of his friend's beneficent activitiesand never forgets his service is called grateful. In the Mahiibhiirata,Kr!ia says, "When I was away from Draupadi, she cried with thewords, 'Hey, Govinda!' This call for Me has put Me in her debt, andthat indebtedness is gradually increasing in My heart." This statementby Kr!ia gives evidence of how one can please the Supreme Lordsimply by addressing Him: "Hey, Krwa! Hey, Govinda!"The mahii-mantra (Hare Kn!w, Hare Kr§fla, K[§[la Kr§fla, HareHare/ Hare Riima, Hare Riima, Riima Riima, Hare Hare) is also simplyan address to the Lord and His energy. So to anyone who is constantlyengaged in addressing the Lord and His energy, we can imagine howmuch the Supreme Lord is obliged. It is impossible for the Lord toever forget such a devotee. It is clearly stated in this verse that anyonewho addresses the Lord immediately attracts the attention of theLord, who always remains obliged to him.Another instance of Kr!la 's feeling of obligation is stated in connectionwith His dealings with Jambavan. When the Lord was present

169 The Nectar of Devotionas Lord Ramacandra, Jambavan, the great king of the monkeys, renderedvery faithful service to Him. When the Lord again appeared asLord Kra, He married Jambavan 's daughter and paid him all therespect that is usually given to superiors. Any honest person isobliged to his friend if some service has been rendered unto Him.Since Kra is the supreme honest personality, how can He forget anobligation to His servitor?18. DeterminedAny person who observes regulative principles and fulfills his promisesby practical activity is called determined. As far as the Lord'sdetermination is concerned, there is an example in His dealings in theHarivamsa. This is in conue..cJion with Lord Kra's fighting the Kingof heaven, lndra, who was forcibly bereft of the piirijiita flower.Piirijiita is a kind of lotus flower grown on the heavenly planets. Once,Satyabhama, one of Krwa's queens, wanted that lotus flower, andKra promised to deliver it; but Indra refused to part with hispiirijiita flower. Therefore there was a great fight, with Kra and thePa9avas on one side and all of the demigods on the other. Ultimately,Kra defeated all of them and took the piirijiita flower, which Hepresented to His queen. So, in regard to that occurrence, Kra toldNarada Muni, "My dear great sage of the demigods, now you candeclare to the devotees in general, and to the nondevotees in particular,that in this matter of taking the piirijiita flower, all the demigods-the Gandharvas, the Nagas, the demon Rakasas, the Yakas, thePannagas-tried to defeat Me, but none could make Me break Mypromise to My queen."There is another promise by Kra in the Bhagavad-gitii to the effectthat His devotee will never be vanquished. So a sincere devoteewho is always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lordshould know for certain that Kra will never break His promise. Hewill always protect His devotees in every circumstance.Kra showed how He fulfills His promise by delivering the piirijiitaflower to Satyabhama, by saving Draupadi from being insulted andby freeing Arjuna from the attacks of all enemies.til!11

Qualities of Sri Kmw 170The promise of l

171 The Nectar of DevotionKra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and can see all that ispast, present and future, to teach the people in general He used toalways refer to the scriptures. For example, in the Bhagavad-gitii, althoughKra was speaking as the supreme authority, He still mentionedand quoted Vediinta-siitra as authority. There is a statementin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam wherein a person j okingly says that Krwa,the enemy of Kamsa, is known as the seer through the siistras. Inorder to establish His authority, however, He is now engaged in seeingthe go pis, whereby the go pis are becoming maddened.21. PureThere are two kinds of supreme purity. When one type is possessed,one is able to deliver a sinful person. When the other type ispossessed, one does not do anything which is impure. A person whopossesses either of these qualities is called supremely pure. Kra isboth; He can deliver all sinful conditioned souls, and at the sametime, He never does anything by which He can be contaminated.In this connection, Vidura, while trying to detach his elder brother,Dhrtaratra, from his familial attachments, said, "My dear brother,you just fix your mind on the lotus feet of Kra, who is worshipedwith beautiful erudite verses by great sages and saintly persons. Krais the supreme deliverer amongst all other deliverers. Undoubtedlythere are great demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, but theirpositions as deliverers depend always upon the mercy of Kra."Therefore Vidura advised his elder brother Dhrtaratra to concentratehis mind and worship only Kra. If one simply chants the holy nameof Kra, this holy name will rise within one's heart like the powerfulsun and will immediately dissipate all the darkness of ignorance.Vidura advised Dhrtaratra to therefore think always of Kra so thatthe volumes of contaminations due to sinful activities would bewashed off immediately. In the Bhagavad-gitii also Kra is addressedby Arjuna as param brahma param dhiimapavitram-the supreme pure.There are many other instances exhibiting Kr!!a's supreme purity.

Qualities of Sri Knr;w 17222. Self-controlledA person who can control his senses fully is called vasi, or selfcontrolled.In this connection it is stated in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam:"All the 16,000 wives of Krtta were so exquisitely beautiful thattheir smiling and shyness were able to captivate the minds of greatdemigods like Lord Siva. But still they could not even agitate themind of Krtta, in spite of their attractive feminine behavior." Everyone of the thousands of wives of Krtta was thinking that Krtta wascaptivated by her feminine beauty, but this was not the case. Krtta istherefore the supreme controller of senses, and this is admitted in theBhagavad-gitii, where He is addressed as Hr§ikesa-the master of thesenses. .23. SteadfastA person who continues to work until his desired goal is achievedis 'called steadfast.There was a fight between Krtta and King Syamantaka, and Krwawas to take a valuable jewel from the King. The King tried to hidehimself in the forest, but Krtta would not become discouraged.Krtta finally got the jewel by seeking out the King with great steadfastness.24. ForbearingA person who tolerates all kinds of troubles, even though suchtroubles appear to be unbearable, is called forbearing.When Krtta was residing at the place of His spiritual master, Hedid not mind taking all troubles in rendering service to His guru, althoughHis body was very soft and delicate. It is the duty of thedisciple to execute all services unto the spiritual master, despite allkinds of difficulties. The disciple living at the residence of the spiritualmaster has to go begging from door to door and bring everythingback to the spiritual master. When prasiidam is being served, the spiritualmaster is supposed to call each and every disciple to come eat.

173 The Nectar of DevotionIf by chance the spiritual master forgets to call a disciple to partakeof the prasiidam, it is enjoined in the scriptures that the studentshould fast on that day rather than accept food on his own initiative.There are many such strictures. Sometimes, also, Kra went to theforest to collect dry wood for fuel.25. ForgivingA person who can tolerate all kinds of offenses from the oppositeparty is known to be forgiving.Lord Kra's forgiving quality is described in the Mahiibhiirata inconnection with His forbidding the killing of Sisupala. King Sisupalawas the monarch of the Cedi Kingdom, and although he happened tobe a cousin of Kra 's, he was always envious of Him. Whenever theywould meet, Sisupala would try to insult Kra and call Him ill namesas much as possible. In the arena of the riija-suya sacrifice of MaharajYushiJhira, when Sisupala began to call Lord Kra ill names, Kradid not care and remained silent. Some of the people at the arenawere prepared to kill Sisupala, but Kra restricted them. He was soforgiving. It is said that when there is a thundering sound in theclouds, the mighty lion immediately replies with his thundering roar.But the lion doesn't care when all the foolish jackals begin to maketheir less important sounds.Sri Yamunacarya praises Kra's power of forgiveness with thefollowing statement: "My dear Lord Ramacandra, You are so mercifulto have excused the crow's clawing on the nipples of Hmaki simplybecause of his bowing down before You." Once Indra, the Kingof heaven, assumed the form of a crow and attacked Sita (Janaki),Lord Ramacandra's wife, by striking her on the breast. This wascertainly an insult to the universal mother, Sita, and Lord Ramacandrawas immediately prepared to kill the crow. But because lateron the crow bowed down before the Lord, He excused his offense.Sri Yamunacarya further says in his prayer that the forgiving powerof Lord Kra is even greater than that of Lord Ramacandra, becauseSisupala was always in the habit of insulting Kra-not only in onelifetime, but continually throughout three lives. Still, Kra was so

Qualities of Sri Knrw 174kind that He gave Sisupala the salvation of merging into His existence.From this we can understand that the goal of the monist to mergeinto the effulgence of the supreme is not a very difficult problem.Persons like Sisupala who are consistently inimical to Kra can alsoget this liberation.26. GraveA person who does not express his mind to everyone, or whosemental activity and plan of action are very difficult to understand, iscalled grave. After Lord Sri Kra had been offended by Brahma,Brahma prayed to Him to be excused. But in spite of his offering niceprayers to Kra, Brahma could not understand whether Kra wassatisfied or still dissatisfied. In other words, Kra was so grave thatHe did not take the prayers of Brahma very seriously. Another instanceof Kra 's gravjty is found in connection with His love affairswith Radharai. Kra was always very silent about His love affairswith Radharai, so much so that Baladeva, Kra 's elder brother andconstant companion, could not understand the transformations ofKra on account of His gravity.27. Self-satisfiedA person who is fully satisfied in himself, without any hankering,and who is not agitated even in the presence of serious cause fordistress, is called self-satisfied..An example of Kr9a's self-satisfaction was exhibited when He,Arjuna and Bhima went to challenge Jarasandha, the formidable kingof Magadha, and Kra gave all credit to Bhima for the killing ofJarasandha. From this we can understand that Krsna never cares atall for fame, although no one can be more famous.An example of His not being disturbed was shown when Sisupalabegan to call Him ill names. All the kings and briihmar-as assembledat the sacrificial arena of Maharaj Yudhithira became perturbed andimmediately wanted to satisfy Kra by offering nice prayers. Butall these kings and briihmm;zas could not discover any disturbance inKra 's person.. ..

175 The Nectar of Devotion28. Possessing EquilibriumA person who is unaffected by attachment and envy is said topossess equilibrium.An example of Kra's equilibrium is given in the Tenth Canto,16th Chapter, 29th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam in connection withHis chastising Kaliya, the hundred-headed serpent. While Kaliya wasbeing severely punished, all of his wives appeared before the Lordand prayed as follows: "My dear Lord, You have descended to punishall kinds of demoniac living creatures. Our husband, this Kaliya, is agreatly sinful creature, and so Your punishment for him is quiteappropriate. We know that Your punishment for Your enemies andYour dealings with Your sons are both the same. We know that it isin thinking of the future welfare of this condemned creature thatYou have chastised him."In another prayer it is said, "My dear Lord Kra, best of all theKuru dynasty, You are so impartial that even if Your enemy is qualified,You will reward him; and if one of Your sons is a culprit, Youwill chastise him. This is Your business, because You are the supremeauthor of universes. You have no partiality. If anyone finds any partialityin Your characteristics, he is surely mistaken."29. MagnanimousAny person who is very charitably disposed is called magnanimous.When Kra was reigning over Dvaraka, He was so magnanimousand charitably disposed that there was no limit to His charity. Infact, so great was His charity in Dvaraka that even the spiritual kingdom,with all of its opulence of cintiimarti (touchstone), desire treesand surabhi cows, was surpassed. In the spiritual kingdom of LordKra, named Goloka Vrndavana, there are surabhi cows which giveunlimited quantities of milk. There are desire trees from which anyonecan take all kinds of fruits, as much as he may desire. The landis made of touchstone, which when touched to iron will transform itinto gold. In other words, although in the spiritual kingdom, theabode of Kra, everything is wonderfully opulent, still when Kra

Qualities of Sri K!§[La 176was in Dvaraka His charity exceeded the opulence of Goloka V rndavana.Wherever Krl).a is present, the limitless opulence of GolokaVrndavana is automatically present.It is also stated that while Lord Krwa was living in Dvaraka, Heexpanded Himself into 16,108 forms, and each and every expansionresided in a palace with a queen. Not only was Krwa happily livingwith His queens in those palaces, but He was giving in charity fromeach palace an aggregate number of 13,054 cows completely decoratedwith nice clothing and ornaments. From each of Krl).a's 16,108palaces, these cows were given daily. This means that 13,054 multipliedby 16,108 cows were being given in charity by Krl).a every day.No one can estimate the value of such a large number of cows givenin charity, but that was the system of Krl).a 's daily affairs while Hewas reigning inDvaraka.30. ReligiousA person who personally practices the tenets of religion as theyare enjoined in the siistras and who also teaches others the same principlesis called religious. Simply professing a kind of faith is not a signof religiousness. One must act according to religious principles, andby his personal example he should teach others. Such a person is tobe understood as religious.When Krl).a was present on this planet there was no irreligion. Inthis connection, Narada Muni once addressed Krl).a jokingly: "Mydear Lord of the cowherd boys, Your bulls [bulls are the representationof religion] , while eating grass from the pasturing ground andmoving on their four legs, have certainly eaten up all the grass of irreligion!"In other words, by the grace of Krl).a, religious principleswere so well cared for that hardly any irreligious activities could befound.It is said that because Krl).a was constantly performing varioustypes of sacrifices and was inviting the demigods from the higherplanetary systems, the demigods were almost always absent fromtheir consorts. Therefore the wives of the demigods, regretting theabsence of their husbands, began to pray for the appearance of Lord

177 The Nectar of DevotionBuddha, the ninth incarnation of Krgta in the age of Kali. In otherwords, instead of being pleased that Lord Kr':la had come, they beganto pray for Lord Buddha, who is the ninth incarnation, becauseLord Buddha stopped the ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices recommendedin the Vedas in order to discourage animal killing. The demigods'wives thought that if Lord Buddha appeared, all kinds of sacrificeswould be stopped, and thus their husbands would not be invitedto such ceremonies and thus would not be separated from them.Sometimes it is enquired, "Why don't the demigods from higherplanetary systems come to this earth planet nowadays?" The plainanswer is that since Lord Buddha appeared and began to deprecatethe performance of sacrifice in order to stop animal killing on thisplanet, the process of offering sacrifices has been stopped, and thedemigods do not care to come here anymore.

22 I Qualities of KraFurther Explained31. HeroicA person who is very enthusiastic in military activities and expertin releasing different kinds of weapons is called heroic.Regarding Kr!ia's heroism in fighting, there is the following statement:"My dear killer of the enemy, just as the elephant while takingbath in the lake destroys all the lotus stems within the water byswinging its trunk, so· simply by moving Your arms, which are comparedto the trunks of elephants, You have killed so many lotus-like."enemies.Regarding Kr!ia's expertise in releasing weapons, when J arasandha,along with thirteen divisions of soldiers, attacked Kr!la's army, theywere unable to hurt even one soldier on the side of Kr!la. This wasdue to Kr!la 's expert military training. This is unique in the historyof military art.32. CompassionateA person who is unable to bear another's distress is called compassionate.Kr!la's compassion for distressed persons was exhibited when Hereleased all of the kings imprisoned by Magadhendra. While dying,Grandfather Bhima prayed to Kr!la and described Him as the sunwhich eradicated darkness. The kings who were imprisoned byMagadhendra were put into dark cells, and when Kr!la appearedthere, the darkness immediately disappeared, just as if the sun had178

179The Nectar of Devotionrisen. In other words, although Magadhendra was able to imprisonso many kings, upon the appearance of Kra they were all released.Kra did this out of His sincere compassion for the kings.Kra's compassion was also exhibited when Grandfather Bhimawas lying on the bed of arrows which had been shot through his body.While lying in this position, Bhima was very anxious to see Kra,and thus Krwa appeared there. Upon seeing the pitiable condition ofBhima, Kra began speaking with tears in His eyes. Not only wasHe shedding tears, but He also forgot Himself in His compassion.Therefore, instead of offering obeisances to Krwa directly, devoteesoffer obeisances to His compassionate nature. Actually, becauseKra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is very difficult toapproach Him. But the devotees, taking advantage of His compassionatenature, which is represented by Radharai, always pray toRadharai for Kra's compassion.33. RespectfulA person who shows adequate respect to a spiritual master, abriihmar;w and an old person is to be understood as being respectful.When superior persons assembled before Krwa, Kra first of alloffered respect to His spiritual master, then to His father and then toHis elder brother, Balarama. In this way Lord Kra, the lotus-eyed,was completely happy and pure at heart in all of His dealings.34. GentleAny person who neither becomes impudent nor exhibits a puffedupnature is called gentle.The example of Kra's gentle behavior was manifested when Hewas coming to the arena of the riija-siiya sacrifice arranged byMaharaj Yudhithira, Kra's older cousin. Maharaj Yudhithira knewthat Kra was the. Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he wasattempting to get down from his chariot to receive Kra. But beforeYudhithira could get down, Lord Kra got down from His ownchariot and immediately fell at the feet of the King. Even though

Qualities of K[§!la Further Explained 180Kr!la is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never forgets toshow social etiquette in His dealings.35. LiberalAny person who is by his natural behavior very mild is called liberal.A statement by Uddhava after the Syamantaka jewel plunderingconfirms that Kr!la is so kind and favorable that if a servitor is accusedeven of great offenses, Kr!la does not take this into consideration.He simply considers the service that is rendered by His devotee.36.ShyA person who sometimes exhibits humility and bashfulness is calledshy.As described in the Lalita-miidhava, Kr!!a's shyness was manifestedwhen He lifted Govardhan Hill by the little finger of His left hand.All of the gopis were observing Kr!!a's wonderful achievement, andKrwa was also smiling at seeing the gopis. When Kr!!a's glance wentover the breasts of the gopis, His hand began to shake, and uponseeing His hand shake, all of the cowherd men underneath the hillbecame a little disturbed. Then there was a tumultuous roaring sound,and they all began to pray to Kr!la for safety. At this time LordBalarama was smiling, thinking that these cowherd men had beenfrightened by the shaking of Govardhan Hill. But, seeing Balaramasmile, Krwa thought that Balarama had understood His mind in observingthe breasts of the gopis, and He immediately became bashful.37. Protector of Surrendered SoulsKr!la is the protector of all surrendered souls.Some enemy of Kr!la 's was enlivened with the thought that heneedn't fear Kr!ia because if he simply surrendered unto Him, Kr!lawould give him all protection. Kr!la is sometimes compared with themoon, which does not hesitate to distribute its soothing rays, even onthe houses of the caflt)iilas and untouchables.

181 The Nectar of Devotion38. HappyAny person who is always joyful and untouched by any distress iscalled happy.As far as Krrta 's enjoyment is concerned, it is stated that the ornamentswhich decorated the bodies of Krrta and His queens were beyondthe dreams of Kubera, the treasurer of the heavenly kingdom.The constant dancing before the doors of Krrta's palaces was not tobe imagined even by the demigods in the heavenly kingdom. In theheavenly kingdom, lndra always sees the dancing of the society girls.But even Indra could not imagine how beautiful were the dancesbeing performed at the gates of Krrta's palaces. Gauri means whitewoman, and Lord Siva's wife is called Gauri. The beautiful womenresiding within the palaces of Krrta were so much whiter than Gaurithat they were compared to the moonshine, and they were constantlyvisible to Krwa. Therefore, no one can be enjoying more than Krrta.The conception of enjoyment is beautiful women, ornaments andriches. And all of these things were fabulously present in the palacesof Kr!J.a, defeating even the imagination of Kubera, Lord Indra orLord Siva.Not even a slight distress can touch Krrta. Once some of the go piswent to the place where the briihmarws were performing sacrifices andsaid, "My dear wives of the briihmar-as, you must know that not evena slight smell of distress can touch Kr!J.a. He knows no loss, He knowsno defamation, He has no fear, He has no anxiety, and He does notknow calamity. He is simply encircled by the dancers of Braja and isenjoying their company in the rasa dance."39. Well-wisher of His DevoteesIt is said of Krrta's devotees that if they offer even a little water ora tulasi leaf in devotion to Lord Vi!J.U, Lord Virtu is so kind that Hewill sell Himself to them.Krrta's favoritism towards His devotees was exhibited in His fightwith Bhima. When Grandfather Bhima was lying at the point ofdeath on the bed of arrows, Krrta was present before him, and

Qualities of K[§[ta Further Explained 182Bhima was remembering how Krpa had been kind to him on thebattlefield. Kr?pa had promised that in the Battle of Kuruk?etra Hewould not even touch a weapon to help either side; He would remainneutral. Although Krpa was Arjuna's charioteer, He had promisedthat He would not help Arjuna by using any weapons. But one dayBhi?ma, in order to nullify Kr?pa's promise, exhibited his fightingspirit so magnificently against Arjuna that Kr?pa was obliged to getdown from His chariot. Taking up a broken chariot wheel, He rantoward Grandfather Bhi?ma as a lion runs toward an elephant to killit. Grandfather Bhima remembered this scene, and He later praisedKrwa for His glorious favoritism towards His devotee, Arjtma, even atthe risk of breaking His own promise.40. Controlled by LoveKrpa becomes obliged to the loving spirit of the devotee and notexactly to the service rendered. No one can serve Krpa completely.He is so complete and self-sufficient that He has no need of any servicefrom the devotee. It is the devotee's attitude of love and affectionfor Krwa that makes Him obliged. A very nice example of this obligatorybehavior was manifested when Sudama Vipra went to Kr?pa'spalace. Sudama Vipra had been a class friend of Krpa's, and due tohis poverty he was induced by his wife to see Krpa to request someaid. When Sudama Vipra reached Krpa's palace, Krwa received himvery well, and both He and His wife washed the feet of SudamaVipra, showing respect to the briihmar-a. Remembering His lovingaffairs with Sudama in their childhood, Krpa began to shed tearswhile receiving him.Another instance of Krpa's obligation to His devotee is describedin the Tenth Canto, 9th Chapter, 14th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatamwhere Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parikit: "My dear King, whenMother Y asoda was perspiring, tired of trying to bind Kr?pa up withrope, Krpa agreed to allow her to bind Him." Krpa, as a child, wasdisturbing His mother by His naughty activities, and she wanted tobind Him up. Mother Y asoda brought some rope from the house andtried to tie up the child, but she could not tie a knot due to the short-

183 The Nectar of Devotionness of the rope. She tied together many ropes, but when she finishedstill the rope was too short. After a while she felt very tired and beganto perspire. At that time Kr!la agreed to be bound up by Hismother. In other words, no one can bind Kr!la by any means otherthan love. He is bound only by obligation to His devotees, because oftheir ecstatic love for Him.41. All-auspiciousA person who is always engaged in auspicious welfare activities foreveryone is known as all-auspicious.After the disappearance of Lord Krwa from this planet, Uddhavabegan to remember the activities of the Lord and said, "Kr!la satisfiedall great sages by His wonderful pastimes. He demolished all ofthe demoniac activities of the cruel royal order, protected all piousmen, and killed all cruel fighters on the battlefield. Therefore He isall-auspicious for all men."42. Most PowerfulA person who can always put his enemy into calamities is calledpowerful.When Kr!la was present on this planet, just as the powerful sundrives all darkness to take shelter in caves, He drove away all of Hisenemies, who fled like owls to take shelter beyond His sight.43. All-famousA person who becomes well-known due to his spotless character iscalled famous.It is stated that the diffusion of Kr!!a's fame is like the moonshinewhich turns darkness into light. In other words, if Kr!la consciousness is preached all QVer the world, the darkness of ignorance and theanxiety of material existence will turn into the whiteness of purity,peacefulness and prosperity.When the great sage Narada was chanting the glories of the Lord,

Qualities of K[§fW Further Explained 184the bluish line on the neck of Lord Siva disappeared. Upon seeingthis, Gaur!, the wife of Lord Siva, suspected Lord Siva of being someoneelse disguised as her husband, and out of fear she immediatelyleft his company. Upon hearing the chanting of Krwa's name, LordBalarama saw that his dress had become white, although He was generallyaccustomed to a bluish dress. And the cowherd girls saw all ofthe water of the Yamuna River turn into milk, so they began tochurn it into butter. In other words, by the spreading of Krttaconsciousness, or the glories of Krtta, everything became white andpure.44. Popularman.Any person who is very dear to people in general is called a popularAs for Krtta's popularity, there is a statement in the First Canto,11th Chapter, 8th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam that deals with Hisreturning home from the capital of Hastinapur. While He had beenabsent from Dvarakli at the Battle of Kuruketra, all the citizens ofDvaraka had become morose. Then, when He returned, the citizensjoyfully received Him and said, "My dear Lord, while You were absentfrom the city, we passed our days in the darkness of night. As inthe darkness of night every moment appears to be a long duration oftime, so while You were gone every moment appeared to us likemillions of years. Your separation is completely unbearable to us."This statement shows how popular Krtta was all over the country.A similar incident occurred when Krsna entered the arena of sacri-- . . . .fice, arranged by King Kamsa for His death. As soon as He entered ..the place, all the sages began to cry, "Jai! Jai! Jai!" (which means"Victory!") Krtta was a boy at that time, and all the sages offered. their respectful blessings to Him. The demigods who were present alsobegan to offer beautiful prayers to Krtta. And the ladies and girlspresent expressed their joy from all corners of the arena. In otherwords, there was no one in that particular place with whom Krttawas not very popular.

185 The Nectar of Devotion45. Partiality to DevoteesAlthough Kr!la is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and istherefore not partial to anyone, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii thatHe has special attraction for a devotee who worships His name in loveand affection. When Kr!la was on this planet, one devotee expressedhis feeling in this way: "My dear Lord, if You had not appeared onthis planet, then the asuras [demons] and atheists would have surelycreated havoc against the activities of the devotees. I cannot imaginethe magnitude of such devastation prevented by Your presence."From the very beginning of His appearance, Krwa was the greatestenemy of all demoniac persons, although Kr!!a's enmity toward thedemons is actually comparable to His friendship with the devotees.This is because any demon who is killed by Kr!la receives immediatesalvation.46. Very Attractive to All WomenAny person who has special qualifications becomes immediatelyvery attractive to women.A devotee made the following statement about the queens ofDvaraka: "How shall I describe the glories of the queens at Dvarakawho were personally engaged in the sen1.ce of the Lord? The Lord isso great that simply by chanting His name all the great sages likeNarada can enjoy transcendental bliss. So what can be said aboutthose queens who were at every moment seeing the Lord and servingHim personally?" Kr!la had 16,108 wives in Dvaraka, and each andevery one of them was attracted to Kr!J.a just as iron is attracted bya magnet. There is a statement by a devotee: "My dear Lord, You arejust like a magnet, and all the damsels of Braja are just like iron: inwhichever direction You are moving they are following You as iron isattracted by magnetic force."47. All-worshipableA person who is respected and worshiped by all kinds of human

Qualities of Kr§!W further Explained 186beings and demigods is called sarviiriidhya or all-worshipable.Krwa is worshiped not only by all living entities, including thegreat demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, but also by Vi$tJ.Uexpansions (forms of Godhead) such as Baladeva and Se9a. Baladevais a direct expansion of Kr$tJ.a, but He still accepts Kr9rta asworshipable. When Krwa appeared in the arena of the riija-siiya sacrificeorganized by Maharaj Yudhi$thira, to all present, including greatsages and demigods, Kr$rta became the cynosure, the center of attraction,and everyone offered Him their respects.48. All-opulentKr9rta is full in all opulences-namely, strength, wealth, fame,beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. When Kr9rta was present inDvaraka, His family, which is known as the Y adu dynasty, consistedof 560 million members. And all of these family members were veryobedient and faithful to Krsna. There were more than 900,000big palatial buildings there to house all the people, and everyone inthem respected Kr9tta as the most worshipable. Devotees were astonishedto see the opulence of Krwa.This was verified by Bilvamangala Thakur when in Kr§ra-harr-iimrtahe addressed Kr9rta thus: "My dear Lord, what can I say about theopulence of Your Vrndavana? Simply the ornaments on the legs ofthe damsels of Vrndavana are more than cintiimar-i, and their dressesare as good as the heavenly piirijiita flowers. And the cows exactly resemblethe surabhi cows in the transcendental abode. Therefore Youropulence is just like an ocean that no one can measure."49. All-honorableA person who is chief among all important persons is called allhonorable.When Kr9rta was living at Dvaraka, demigods like Lord Siva, LordBrahma, Indra the King of heaven and many others used to come tovisit Him. The doorkeeper, who had to manage the entrance of allthese demigods, one very busy day said, "My dear Lord Brahma and

187 The Nectar of DevotionLord Siva, please sit down on this bench and wait. My dear lndra,please desist from reading your prayers. This is creating a disturbance.Please wait silently. My dear Varua, please go away. And my deardemigods, do not waste your time uselessly. Kra is very busy; Hecannot see You!"50. Supreme ControllerThere arc two kinds of controllers, or lords: one who is independentis called controller, and one whose orders cannot be neglectedby anyone is called controller.Regarding Kra's complete independence and lordship, Srimad­Bhiigavatam says that although Kaliya was a great offender, Krastill favored him by marking his head with His lotus feet, whereasLord Brahma, although having prayed to Krwa with so many wonderfulverses, still could not attract Him.This contradictory treatment by Krwa is just befitting His position,because in all the Vedic literature He is described as the completeindependent. In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam theLord is described as svariit, which means completely independent.That is the position of the supreme absolute truth. The absolutetruth is not only sentient, but He is also completely independent.As for Krwa's orders not being neglected by anyone, in Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 21st verse, Uddhava tellsVidura: "Lord Kra is the master of the three modes of materialnature. He is the enjoyer of all opulences, and therefore there is noone equal to or greater than Him." All the great kings and emperorsused to come before Him, offer their gifts and pay obeisances withtheir helmets at the feet of the Lord. One devotee said, "My dearKra, when You order Brahma-'Now you may create the universe,'-and when You order Lord Siva-'Now you dissolve this materialmanifestation,'-You are in this way creating and dissolving the materialcreation Yourself. Simply by Your orders and by Your partialrepresentation as Viu, You are maintaining the universes. In thisway, 0 Kra, 0 enemy of Kamsa, there are so many Brahmas andSivas who are simply carrying out Your orders."

Qualities of K[§!W Further Explained 18851. ChangelessKrwa does not change His constitutional position, not even whenHe appears in this material world. Ordinary living entities have theirconstitutional spiritual positions covered. They appear in differentbodies, and under the different bodily concepts of life they act. ButKra does not change His body. He appears in His own body and istherefore not affected by the modes of material nature. In the FirstCanto, ll th Chapter, 24th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is statedthat the special prerogative of the supreme controller is that He isnot at all affected by the modes of nature. The practical example ofthis is that devotees who are under the protection of the Lord arealso not affected by material nature. To overcome the influence ofmaterial nature is very difficult, but the devotees or the saintly personswho are under the protection of the Lord are not affected. Sowhat need is there to speak of the Lord Himself? To be more clear,although the Lord sometimes appears in this material world, He hasnothing to do with the modes of material nature, and He acts withfull independence in His transcendental position. This is the specialquality of the Lord.52. All-cognizantAny person who can understand the feelings of all persons and incidentsin all places at all times is called all-cognizant.A nice example of the all-cognizant quality of the_ Lord is describedin Sninad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto, 15th Chapter, llth verse,in connection with Durvasa Muni's visit to the house of the Paavasin the forest. Following a calculated plan, Duryodhana sent DurvasaMuni and his ten thousand disciples to be guests of the Paavas inthe forest. Duryodhana arranged for Durvasa and his men to reachthe place of the Paavas just when the Paavas' lunchtime wasnded, so that the Paavas would be caught without sufficientmeans to feed such a large number of guests. Knowing Duryodhana'splan, Kra came to the Paavas and asked their wife Draupadi ifthere were any remnants of food which she could offer to Him.

189 The Nectar of DevotionDraupadi offered Him a container in which there was only a littlefragment of some vegetable preparation, and Kra at once ate it. Atthat moment all of the sages accompanying Durvasa were taking bathin the river, and when Kra felt satisfaction from eating Draupadi'soffering, they also felt satisfaction, and their hunger was gone. BecauseDurvasa and his men were unable to eat anything more, theywent away without coming into the house of the Paavas. In thisway the Paavas were saved from the wrath of Durvasa. Duryodhanahad sent them because he knew that the Paavas would not be ableto receive such a large number, and thus Durvasa would becomeangry, and the Paavas would be cursed. But Kra saved themfrom this calamity by His trick and by His all-cognizant quality.53. Ever-fr eshKra is always remembered, and His name is always chanted bymillions of devotees, but the devotees never become saturated. Insteadof becoming disinterested in thinking of Kra and in chantingHis holy name, the devotees get newer and newer impetus to continuethe process. Therefore Kra is ever-fresh. Not only Kra Himself,but also Kra's knowledge is ever-fresh. The Bhagavad-gitii,which was imparted 5,000 years ago, is still being read repeatedly bymany, many men, and still new light is always being found in it.Therefore, Kra and His name, fame, qualities-and everything inrelationship with Him-is ever-fresh.All the queens at Dvaraka were goddesses of fortune. It is said inthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam, First Canto, 11th Chapter, 29th verse, thatthe goddesses of fortune are very fickle and restless, so no one canconsistently captivate them. Thus one's luck will always changesometime. Yet the goddesses of fortune could not leave Kra foreven a moment when they were residing with Him at Dvaraka. Thismeans that Kra's attraction is ever-fresh. Even the goddesses of fortunecannot leave His company.Regarding Kra's attractive features being ever-fresh, there is astatement by Radharai in the Lalita-miidhava, in which Kra iscompared with the greatest sculptor because He is expert in chisling

Qualities of K[§rla Further Explained 190at the chastity of women. In other words, although chaste womenmay follow the_ rules and regulations of Vedic principles to becomeever-faithful to their husbands, Krsna is able to break their stone-like. . .chastity with the chisel of His beauty. Most of the girl friends ofKrsna were married, but because Krsna was their friend before their. . . . . .marriages, they could not forget His attractive features, which werealways fascinating to them, even after their marriages.54. Sac-cid-iinanda-vigrahaThis means that Kra 's transcendental body is eternal, full ofknowledge and bliss. Sat means ever-existing for all time and in allplaces; in other words, all-pervading in time and space. Cit means fullof knowledge. Kra has nothing to learn from anyone. He is independentlyfull of all knowledge. Ananda means the reservoir of allpleasure. The impersonalists are seeking to merge into the Brahmaneffulgence of eternity and knowledge, but the major portion of theabsolute pleasure which is in Kra is avoided by them. One can enjoythe transcendental blissfulness of merging into the Brahman effulgenceafter being freed from the contamination of material illusion,false identification, attachment, detachment and material absorption.These are the preliminary qualifications of a person who can realizeBrahman. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii that one has to becomefull of joyfulness; this is not exactly joyfulness, but a sense of freedomfrom all anxieties. Freedom from all anxieties may be the firstprinciple of joyfulness, but it is not actual joyfulness. Those whorealize the self, or become brahma-bhiita, are only preparing themselvesfor the platform of joyfulness. That joyfulness can be actuallyachieved only when one comes into contact with Krwa. Kra consciousnessis so complete that it includes the transcendental pleasurederived from impersonal or Brahman realization. Even the impersonalistwill become attracted to the personal form of Kra, knownas S yiimasundara.It is confirmed by the statement of Brahma-samhitii that the Brahmaneffulgence is the bodily ray of Kra; the Brahman effulgence issimply an exhibition of the energy of Krwa. Kra is the source of

191 The Nectar of Devotionthe Brahman effulgence, as He Himself confirms in the Bhagavad-gitii.From this we can conclude that the impersonal feature of the absolutetruth is not the ultimate end; Kra is the ultimate end of theabsolute truth.The Vairwva schools therefore riever try to merge into the Brahmaneffulgence in their pursuit of spiritual perfection. They acceptKra as the ultimate goal of self realization. Therefore Kra iscalled parambrahman (the supreme Brahman) or paramesvara (the supremecontroller). Sri Yamunacarya has prayed as follows: "My dearLord, I know that the gigantic universe and gigantic space and timewithin the universe are covered by the ten layers of the material elements,each layer ten times larger than the previous one. The threematerial modes of nature, the Garbhodakasayi Viu, the KsirodakasayiViu and the Maha-Viwu, and beyond them the spiritual skyand its spiritual planets, known as V aikuthas, and the Brahman effulgencein that spiritual sky -all of these taken together are nothingbut a small exhibition of Your potency."55. Possessing All Mystic PerfectionsThere are many standards of perfection. The highest material perfections,obtained by perfect yogis, are listed as eight:· to become thesmallest of the small, to become the greatest of the great, etc. All ofthese material perfections, as well as all spiritual perfections, can befound fully in Kra's personality.56. Kr§p,a's Inconceivable PotenciesKra is present everywhere, not only within the universe, notonly within the heart of all living entities, but also within every atom.In the prayers/of Queen Kunti we find mention of this inconceivablepotency of Kra. While Krwa was talking with Kunti, He simultaneouslyentered the womb of Uttara, who was in danger due to theatomic weapon of Asvatthama. Kra can illusion even Lord Brahmaand Lord Siva, and He can protect all surrendered evotees from the

Qualities of K[§[La Further Explained· 192reaction of sinful activities. These are some of the examples of Hisinconceivable potencies.Srila Riipa Gosvami therefore offers his obeisances unto Kr9p.a bysaying, "Kr9p..a, who is present as a human being, has as His mereshadow the whole material nature. He has expanded Himself into somany cows, calves and cowherd boys, and He has again manifestedHimself in all of them as the four-handed Narayap.a. He has taughtmillions of Brahmas self realization, and thus He is worshipahle notonly by the heads of all universes, but by everyone else also. Thereforelet me always accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead."When Indra was defeated by Krwa in the matter of taking thepiirijiita plant from heaven, Narada met Indra and criticized him: "0Indra, great King of heaven, Kr9p..a has already defeated Lord Brahmaand Lord Siva. So what can be said of an insignificant demigod likeyou?" Narada Muni, of course, was criticizing Indra jokingly, andIndra enjoyed it. In Narada's statement it is confirmed that Krwawas able to illusion even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva as well as Indra.So there is no question of Kr9p.a ' s power to do the same to lesserliving entities.A description of Kr9p.a's power in minimizing the sufferings of sinfulreactions is given in Brahma-sarhhitii as follows: "Beginning fromthe great King of heaven down to the ant, everyone is undergoing thereactions of past deeds. But a devotee of Krp..a is relieved from suchreactions by the grace of Krwa." This was clearly proved when Krwawent to the place of Y amaraja, the Lord of death, to reclaim thedead sons of His teacher. Krwa's teacher had requested Him to bringback his dead sons, and to do so Kr9p.a went to the place of Yamarajato claim all of those souls who had been brought there by Yamarajaand were being kept under his control. Krwa immediately orderedY amaraja, "Be benefitted by My order and return those souls untoMe!" The purport of this incident is that even a person who is underthe regulative principles of the laws of nature, and is therefore punishableby Y amaraja under these laws, can be granted complete immunityby the grace of Kr9p..a.

193 The Nectar of DevotionKra 's inconceivable potencies have been described by SukadevaGosvami as follows: "Kra is bewildering my intelligence because,although He is unborn, He has appeared as the son of Nanda Maharaj.He is all-pervading, but still He is held on the lap of Y asoda. In spiteof His being all-pervasive, He has become limited by the love ofY asoda. Although He has innumerable forms, still He is moving asone Kra before His father and mother, N anda and Y asoda. In theBrahma-sarhhitii also it is said that although Kra is eternally livingin Goloka V rndavana, His transcendental abode, He is still presenteverywhere, even within the atoms.57. Kr§!w's Body Generates Innumerable UniversesIn the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, llth verse, of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says, "My dear Lord, false ego, intelligence,mind, sky, air, fire, water and earth are the material ingredientsof this universe, which can be compared to a gigantic pot. Inthat gigantic pot my body is of insignificant measurement, and eventhough one of the many universes is created by me, innumerable universesare coming and going from the pores of Your body, just asatomic particles are seen flickering in the sunlight. I think I am very,very insignificant before You, and I am therefore begging Your pardon.Please be merciful toward me."If one takes account of only one universe, he will find so manycombinations of wonderful things within, because there are innumerableplanets, innumerable residences and places of demigods. Thelength and breadth of the universe is 400 million miles by 400 millionmiles, and it is infested with many unfathomable regions known aspiitiilas, or downward planetary systems. Although Kra is the originof all this, He can always be seen in Vrndavana, exhibiting His inconceivablepotencies. So who can adequately worship such an allpowerfulLord, possessed of such inconceivable energy?·58. The Original Source of All IncarnationsJayadeva Gosvami, in his Gita-govinda, has sung as follows: "The

Qualities of Kr§rta Further Explained 194Lord has saved the Vedas in His form as a fish, and He has borne thewhole universe on His back in the form of a tortoise. He has pickedup this earthly planet from the water in the form of a boar. He haskilled Hirapyakasipu in the form of Nrsimha. He has cheated MaharajBali in the form of Vamana. He has annihilated all the dynasties ofthe k§atriyas in the form of Parasurama. He has killed all the demonsin the form of Lord Rama. He has accepted the great plow in theform of Balarama. He has annihilated all the atheistic persons in theform of Kalki. And He has saved all the poor animals in the form ofLord Buddha."* These are some of the descriptions of the incarnationsemanating from Krpa, and from the Srimad-Bhagiivatam it isunderstood that innumerable incarnations are always coming outfrom the body of K rJ pa, just like waves in the ocean. No one caneven count how many waves there are, and similarly no one cancount how many incarnations are coming from the Lord's body.59. Kr§rta Gives Salva.tion to the Enemies that He KillsAnother name for salvation is apavarga. Apavarga is the oppositeof pavarga, or the various miserable conditions of material existence.Pavarga consists of the combinations of five letters: pa, pha, ba, bha,and ma. These letters are the first letters of the words for five differentconditions as described below. The first letter, pa, comes fromthe word pariibhava, which means "defeat." In this material strugglefor existence, we are simply meeting defeat. Actually, we have toconquer birth, death, disease and old age, and because there isno possibility of overcoming all these miserable conditions, due tothe illusion of miiyii, we are simply meeting with pariibhava, or defeat.The next letter, ph a, is taken from the word phenila. Phenila isthe foam which is found on the mouth when one is very tired (as iscommonly observed with horses). The letter ba comes from the wordbandha, or bondage. Bha is taken from the word bhiti, or fearfulness.Ma is taken trom the word mrti, or death. So the word pavarga* All of these incarnations of Godhead are described in the author's Sri'mad­Bhiigavatam, Volume I, Chapter 3.

195 The Nectar of Devotionsignifies our struggle for existence and our meeting with defeat, exhaustion,bondage, fearfulness and, at last, death. Apavarga meansthat which can nullify all of these material conditions. Kr9pa is saidto be the giver of apavarga, the path of liberation.For the impersonalist and the enemies of Krwa, liberation meansto merge into the supreme. The demons and the impersonalists donot care for Krwa, but Kr9pa is so kind that He gives this liberationeven to His enemies and to the impersonalists. There is the followingstatement in this connection: "0 Murari [Kr9pa]! How wonderfulit is that although the demons, who were always envious of the demigods,have failed to penetrate Your military phalanx, they havepenetrated the region of mitra, the sun globe." The word mitra isused metaphorically. Mitra means the sun globe, and mitra alsomeans friend. The demons who opposed Kr9pa as enemies wanted topenetrate His military phalanx; but instead of doing this, they died inbattle, and the result was that they penetrated the planet of Mitra, or.the sun planet. In other words, they entered into the Brahman effulgence.The example of the sun planet is given here beca.use the sun isever-illuminating, like the spiritual sky, where there are innumerableilluminating V aikuptha planets. The enemies of Kr9pa were killed,and instead of penetrating Krpa 's phalanx, they entered into thefriendly atmosphere of the spiritual effulgence. That is the mercy ofKrpa, and therefore He is known as the deliverer of His enemies also.60. The Attractor of Liberated SoulsThere are man y examples of how Krpa attracted even great liberatedsouls like Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras. In this connectionthe following statement was given by the Kumaras: "How wonderfulit is that although we are completely liberated, free from desireand situated at the stage of paramaharhsa, we are still aspiring totaste the pastimes of Radha and Krpa.61. Performer of Wonderful ActivitiesIn the Brhad- Viimana Puriir-a, the Lord says, "Although I have

Qualities of K[§[W Further Explained 196many fascinating pastimes, whenever I think of the riisa-lilii, whichI perform with the go pis, I become eager to have it again."One devotee has said, "I know about Narayaa, the husband of thegoddess of fortune, and I also know about many other incarnationsof the Lord. Certainly all the pastimes of such incarnations are excitingto my mind, but still, the pastimes of the riisa-lilii performedby Lord Kra Himself are wonderfully increasing my transcendentalpleasure."In the Tenth Canto, 31st Chapter, 15th verse, of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, the gopis lament: "My dear Kra, during the daytimewhen You go out into the forest of V rndavana with Your cows, weconsider one moment to be twelve years, and it is very difficult for usto pass the time. And again when You come back at the end of theday, by seeing Your beautiful face we are so much attracted that weare unable to stop looking upon You constantly. At these times, whenthere is occasional blinking of our eyelids, we condemn the creator,Lord Brahma, as a dunce, because he does not know how to makeperfect eyes!" In other words, the gopis were disturbed by the blinkingof their eyes because for the moment that their eyes were closedthey could not see Kra. This means that the gopis' love for Krawas so great and ecstatic that they were disturbed by even His momentaryabsence. And when they saw Kra, they.were also disturbed.This is a paradox.One go pi, expressing herself to Krwa, says: "When we meet Youat night, we consider the duration of night to be very small. And whyspeak of only this night? Even if we had a night of Brahma * wewould consider it a very short time!" We get an idea of Brahma'sday from the following statement of the Bhagavad-gitii: "By humancalculation, a thousand yuga cycles taken together is Brahma's oneday. And such also is the duration of his night." (Bg. 8.17) The gopissaid that even if they could have that duration of night, it would stillnot be sufficient for their meeting with Kra.* 64,300,000,000 solar years equals twelve hours or one night of Brahma.

197 The Nectar of Devotion62. Kr§r-a's Attractive FluteIn the Tenth Canto, 35th Chapter, 8th verse of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, the gopis tell Mother Yasoda, "When your son plays onHis flute, Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and lndra-although they are supposedto be the greatest learned scholars and personalities-all becomebewildered. Although they are all very great personalities, byhearing the sound of Kr!la 's flute they humbly bow down and becomegrave from studying the sound vibrated."In his book Vidagdha-miidhava, Sri Rilpa Gosvami thus describesthe vibration of Kr!ta's flute: "The sound yibration created by theflute of Kr!la wonderfully stopped Lord Siva from playing his lJir-l}imadrum, and the same flute has caused great sages like the fourKumaras to become disturbed in their meditation. It has caused LordBrahma, who was sitting on the lotus flower for the creative function,to become astonished. And Anantadeva, who was calmly holding allthe planets on his hood, was moving in this way and that due to thetranscendental vibration from Kr!la's flute, which penetratedthrough the covering of this universe and reached to the spiritualsky."63. Kr§r-a is Surrounded by Loving DevoteesWhen we speak of Kr!la, Kr!la is not alone. Kr!la means Hisname, His qualities, His fame, His friends, His paraphernalia, Hisentourage-all of these are included. When we speak of a king, it is tobe understood that he is surrounded by ministers, secretaries, militarycommanders and many other people. Similarly, Kr!la is notimpersonal. In His Vrndavana lilii especially, He is surrounded by thego pis, the cowherd boys, His father, His mother and all the inhabitantsof v rndavana.64. Kr§r-a's Exquisite BeautyIn the Third Canto, 2nd Chapter, 12th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,Uddhava tells Vidura, "My dear sir, Krwa's form was most wonder-

Qualities of Kr§rw Further Explained 198ful when He appeared on this planet and exhibited the potency ofHis internal energy. His wonderfully attractive form was present duringHis pastimes on this planet, and by His internal potency He exhibitedHis opulences, which are striking to everyone. His personalbeauty was so great that there was no necessity for His wearing ornamentson His body. In fact, instead of the ornaments beautifyingKr9-a, Kr9-a 's beauty enhanced the ornaments."Regarding the attractiveness of Kr9-a's bodily beauty and thesound vibration of His flute, in the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 37thverse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, the gopis address Kr9-a as follows:"Although our attitude towards You resembles loving affairs with aparamour, we cannot but wonder at how no woman can maintain herchastity upon hearing the vibration from Your flute. And not onlywomen, but even stronghearted men are subject to falling down fromtheir position at the sound of Your flute. In fact, we have seen thatin Vrndavana even the cows, the deer, the birds, the trees-everyonehasbeen enchanted by the sweet vibration of Your flute and thefascinating beauty of Your person."In Riipa Gosvami's Lalita-miidhava, it is said: "One day Kr9-ahappened to see the shadow of His beautiful form reflected on thejeweled foreground. Upon seeing this bodily reflection, He expressedHis feelings: 'How wonderful it is that I have never seen such a beautifulform! Although it is My own form, still, like Radharapi, I amtrying to embrace this form and enjoy celestial bliss."' This statementshows how Krsna and His shadow reflection . are one and the. . .same. There is no difference between Kra and His shadow reflection,nor between Krwa and His picture. That is the transcendentalposition of Kra.The above statements describe some of the wonderful reservoirsof pleasure within Kr9-a, as well as the transcendental qualities ofHis personality. The transcendental qualities of Kra are comparedto the ocean: no one can estimate the length and breadth of theocean. But, as one can understand the ocean's contents simply bytesting one drop of it, so these statements will give us some understandingof Kra 's transcendental position and qualities.In the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 7th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam,

199 The Nectar of DevotionLord Brahmii says, "My dear Lord, the inconceivable qualities, beautiesand activities which You have revealed by Your presence on thisplanet cannot be calculated by any material measurement. If oneeven tries to imagine that 'Krpa may be like this,' that is also impossible.The day may come when the material scientist, after many,many births or after many, many years, will be able to estimate theatomic constitution of the whole world, or he may be able to countthe atomic fragments that permeate the sky, or he may even give anestimate of all the atoms within the universe, but still he will neverbe able to count the transcendental qualities in Your reservoir oftranscendental bliss."

23 I Kra's PersonalitySrila Riipa Gosvami states that although Lord K{l).a is the reservoirof unlimited pleasure and the greatest leader of all, He is stilldependent upon His devotees in three ways. According to the emotionalstatus of the devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead isappreciated in three ways: as the most perfect, as very perfect and asperfect. When He exhibits Himself in fullness, He is appreciated bygreat learned scholars as most perfect. When He exhibits Himself inlesser degrees, He. is called very perfect. And when He exhibits stillless, He is called perfect. This means that Krwa is appreciated forthree degrees cif perfection. These three degrees of perfection areespecially exhibited as follows: when He is in Goloka Vrndavana Histranscendental qualities are exhibited as most perfect, when He is inDvaraka He exhibits His qualities as very perfect, and when He is inMathura He exhibits His qualities as perfect.Krl).a's personality is analyzed as dhirodiitta, dhira-lalita, dhiraprasiintaand dhiroddhata. If one asks how a personality can be beheldin four quite opposing ways, the answer is that the Lord is thereservoir of all transcendental qualities and activities. Therefore, Hisdifferent aspects can be analyzed according to the exhibition of Hislimitless variety of pastimes, and as such there is no contradiction.DhirodiittaA dhirodiitta is a person who is naturally very grave, gentle, forgiving,merciful, determined, humble, highly qualified, chivalrous andbodily attractive.200

201 The Nectar of DevotionIn this connection, the following statement given by lndra, the Kingof heaven, is very significant: "My dear Lord, I admit that I havecommitted great offenses unto You, but I cannot express my feelingsof regret, being bewildered at seemg Your extraordinary chivalrousspirit, Your endeavor to protect Your devotees, Your determination,Your steadiness in lifting the great Hill of Govardhana, Your beautifulbodily features and Your astonishing characteristic of being pleasedsimply by accepting the prayers of Your devotees and offenders."The above statement by the King of heaven is an exact crroborationof Kr!!a's being dhirodiitta. Many learned scholars have agreedto also accept Lord Ramacandra as dhirodiitta, but all of Lord Ramacandra'squalities are also included in the character of Lord Kr!la.Dhira-lalitaA person is called dhira-lalita if he is naturally very funny, alwaysin full youthfulness, expert in joking, and free from all anxieties. Sucha dhira-lalita personality is generally found to be domesticated andvery submissive to his lover. This dhira-lalita trait in the personalityof Krwa is described in Srimad-Bhiigavatam where Yajfiapatni, thewife of one of the briihmar-as who were performing sacrifices inVrndavana, tells her friends: "One day Srimati Radharii!li, accompaniedby Her associates, was taking rest in Her garden, and at that timeLord Sri Kr!la arrived in that assembly. After sitting down, He beganto narrate very impudently about His previous night's pastimes withRadhara!li. While He was speaking in that way, Radharii!li becamevery embarrassed. She was feeling ashamed and was absorbed inthought, and Kr!la took the opportunity to mark Her breasts withdifferent kinds of tilaka. Kr!la proved Himself to be very expert inthat art." In this way Kr!la, as dhira-lalita, was enjoying His youthfulproclivities in the company of the go pis.Generally, those who are expert in writing drama choose to callCupid the ideal dhira-lalita, but we can more perfectly find in thepersonality of Kr!!a all the characteristics of dhira-lalita.

K[§[La's Personality 202Dhira-prasiintaA person who is very peaceful, forebearing, considerate and obligingis called dhira-prasiinta. This dhira-prasiinta trait of Krpa wasexhibited in His dealings with the PapQ.avas. On account of thePapQ.avas' faithful devotion to the Lord, He agreed to become theircharioteer, their advisor, their friend, their messenger and sometimestheir bodyguard. Such is an example of the result of devotional servicetowards Vipu. When Krpa was speaking to Maharaj Yudhithiraabout religious principles, He demonstrated Himself to be a greatlearned. scholar, but because He accepted the position of youngercousin to Yudhithira, He was speaking in a very gentle tone whichenhanced His beautiful bodily features. The movements of His eyesand the mode of His speech proved that He was very, very expert ingiving moral instruction. Sometimes, Maharaj Yudhithira is also acceptedby learned scholars as dhira-prasiinta.Dhiroddhata-A person who is very envious, proud, easily angered, restless andcomplacent is called dhiroddhata by learned scholars. Such qualitieswere visible in the character of Lord Krpa because, when He waswriting a letter to Kalayavana, Krpa addressed him as a sinful frog. InHis letter Krpa advised Kalayavana that he should immediately goand find some dark well for his residence, because there was a blacksnake named Krpa who was very eager to devour all such sinful frogs.Krwa reminded Kalayavana that He could turn all the universes toashes simply by looking at them.'The above statement by Krpa seems apparently to be of an enviousnature, but according to different pastimes, places and timesthis quality is accepted as a great characteristic. Krpa's dhiroddhataqualities have been accepted as great because Krpa uses them onlyto protect His devotees. In other words, even undesirable traits mayalso be used in the exchange of devotional service.

203 The Nectar of DevotionSometimes Bhima, the second brother of the Paavas, is also describedas dhiroddhata.Once, while fighting with a demon who was appearing as a deer,Kra challenged him in this way: "I have come before you as agreat elephant named Kra. You must leave the battlefield, acceptingdefeat, or else there is death awaiting you." This challenging spirit ofKra 's is not contradictory to His sublime character because, as theSupreme Being, everything is possible in His character.There is a nice statement in the Kiirma Puriirw about these contradictorytraits of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is statedthere that the Supreme Person is neither very fat nor very thin; He isalways transcendental to material qualities, and yet His bodily lusteris blackish. His eyes are reddish, He is all-powerful, and He is equippedwith all different kinds of opulences. Contradictory traits in Kra'sperson are not at all surprising: one should not consider the characteristicsof Krwa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to be actuallycontradictory. One should try to understand the traits of Krwa fromauthorities and try to understand how these characteristics are employedby the supreme will of the Lord.In the Mahii-variiha Puriirw it is confirmed that the transcendentalbodies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His expansionsare all existing eternally. Such bodies are never material and are completelyspiritual and full of knowledge. They are reservoirs of alltranscendental qualities. In the Vai§rz,ava Tantra there is a statementthat the Personality of Godhead and His expanded bodies are alwaysfree from the eighteen kinds of material contaminations,* becausesuch bodies are always full of knowledge, bliss and eternity.Regarding all of the above-mentioned statements, it is understoodthat the Maha-Viu is the source of all incarnations in the materialworld. But because of His greater extraordinary opulence, we can* The eighteen kinds of material contaminations mentioned above are describedin the Vi§rJu-yiimala Tantra as follows: illusion, fatigue, committing errors, roughness,material lust, restlessness, pride, envy, violence, disgrace, exhaustion, untruth,anger, hankering, dependence, desire to lord over the universe, seeing duality, andcheating.

Krra's Personality 204understand that the son of Nanda Maharaj is the source of the Maha­Visnu also. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhitii, wherein it is. .stated: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Govinda, whosepartial representation is the Maha-Viu." The gigantic form of theMaha-Viu is the source of generation for innumerable universes.Innumerable universes are coming out of His exhaling breath, and thesame universes are going back in with His inhaling breath. This Maha­Viu is also a plenary portion of a portion of Kra.

24 I Further Traits of Sri Krsna• • •After describing the different opulences of Kr!J.a, Srila Riipa Gosvamltries to further describe the transcendental beauties and qualitiesof the Lord as: decorated, enjoying, pleasing, dependable, steadyand predominating. He is also described as a meticulous dresser and amagnanimous personality: These are generally considered to be thequalities of great personalities.DecoratedIt is said that a person is great if he is decorated with the qualitiesof being very merciful toward the unfortunate, very powerful, superior,chivalrous, enthusiastic, expert and truthful. These decorationswere manifested in the character of Kr!la during His Govardhanafilii.At that time the whole tract of land in Vrndavana was beingdisturbed by the rains sent by Indra, as described elsewhere above.At first Kr!la thought, "Let me retaliate against this vengeance ofIndra by destroying his heavenly kingdom," but later on, when Hethought of the insignificance of the King of heaven, Kr!la changedHis mind and felt merciful toward Indra. No one is able to toleratethe wrath of Kr!J.a, so instead of retaliating against Indra, He simplyshowed His compassion for His friends in Vrndavana by lifting thewhole of Govardhan Hill to protect them.EnjoyingiIWhen a person is seen to be always happy and is accustomed to205

Further Traits of Sri Kf§!W 206speak smilingly, he is considered to be in the mode of enjoyment.This trait was found in Krwa when He appeared at the sacrificialarena of King Kamsa. It is described that the lotus-eyed Krpa enteredamongst the wrestlers without being impolite to them, glancedover them with determination, and seemed to them just like ·an elephantattacking some plants. Even while speaking to them, Krpa wasstill smiling, and in this way He stood valiantly upon the wrestlingdais.PleasingWhen one's characteristics are very sweet and desirable, his personalityis called pleasing. An example of Krpa's pleasing nature is thusdescribed in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam: "One day while Krpa wasawaiting the arrival of Srimati Radharapi by the bank of the Yam una,He began to make a garland of kadamba flowers. In the meantime,Srimati Radhara!li appeared there, and at that time Murari [ Kr!la],the enemy of Mura, glanced over Radhara!li very sweetly."DependableAny person who is reliable in all circumstances is called dependable.In this connection Riipa Gosvami says that even the demonswere relying upon the dependability of Kr!la because they were confidentthat Kr!la would never attack them without due cause. Therefore,with faith and confidence, they used to live with their doorswide open. And the demigods, although afraid of the demons, wereconfident of the protection of Krwa. Therefore, even in the midst ofdanger they were engaged in sportive activities. Persons who hadnever undergone the reformatory ritualistic ceremonies of the Vedaswere confident that Kr!la would accept only faith and devotion, andso they were engaged in Kr!la consciousness and were freed from allanxieties. In other words, all kinds of men, from the demigods downto the uncultured, can rely on the causeless mercy of the SupremeLord.

207 The Nectar of DevotionSteadyA person who is not disturbed even in a situation of reverses iscalled steady. This steadiness was observed in Kra in connectionwith His killing the demon known as Baa. The Baa demon hadmany hands, and Kra was cutting off these hands one after another.This Baa was a great devotee of Lord Siva and the goddess Durga.Thus, when Baa was being killed, Lord Siva and Durga became veryfurious at Krsna. But Krsna did not care for them.. . .. . .PredominatingA person who can affect the mind of everyone is called predominating.As far as Kra's predomination is concerned, in the TenthCanto, 43rd Cha p ter, 14th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Kra is describedthus by Sukadeva Gosvami to King Pan1qit: "My dear King,Kra is a thunderbolt to the wrestlers; to the common man He is themost beautiful human being; to the young girls He is just like Cupid;to the cowherd men and women He is the most intimate relative; tothe impious kings He is the supreme ruler; to His parents, Nanda andY asoda, He is just a baby; to Kamsa, the King of Bhoja, He is deathpersonified; to the dull and stupid He is just like a stone; to the yogisHe is the supreme absolute truth; and to the Vris He is the SupremePersonality of Godhead. In such a predominating positionKra appeared in that arena aldng with His older brother Balarama."When Kra, the reservoir of all mellows, was present in the arena ofKamsa, He appeared differently to the different persons who wererelated to Him in different mellows. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gitiithat He appears to every person according to one's relationship withHim.Sometimes learned scholars describe' "predominating" to meana person intolerant of being neglected. This peculiarity in Kra wasvisible when Kamsa was insulting Maharaj Nanda, and Vasudeva askingKra's assistance in killing Kamsa. Kra was glancing over Kamsawith longing eyes, just like a prostitute, and He was just preparing tojump at the King.

..Further Traits of Sri K[§rla 208Meticulous DresserA person who is very fond of dressing Himself is called lalita, or ameticulous dresser. This characteristic was found in Krsna in twoways: sometimes He used to decorate Srimati Radharii!J.i -th variousmarks, and sometimes, when He was preparing to kill demons likeAritasura, He would take care to arrange His belt very nicely.MagnanimousPersons who can give themselves to anyone are called magnanimous.No one could be ore magnanimous than Kr!la because He isalways prepared to give Himself completely to His devotee. Even toone who is not a devotee, Kr!la in His form of Lord Caitanya is preparedto give Himself and to grant deliverance.Although Kr!la is independent of everyone, out of His causelessmercy He is dependent upon Garga i for religious instruction; forlearning the military art He is dependent upon Satyaki; and for goodcounsel He is dependent upon His friend, Uddhava.

25 I Devotees of Krsna• • •IIIA person who is always absorbed in Kr9a consciousness is called adevotee of Kr9a. Srila Riipa Gosvami says that all the transcendentalqualities discussed above are also found in the devotees of Kr9pa. Thedevotees of Kr9a can be classified into two groups: those who arecultivating devotional service in order to enter into the transcendentalkingdom, and those who are already in the perfectional stage of devotionalservice.A person who has attained the stage of attraction for Kr9pa andwho is not freed from the material impasse, but who has qualifiedhimself to enter into the kingdom of God, is called siidhaka. Siidhakameans one who is cultivating devotion in Krwa consciousness. Thedescription of such a devotee is found in the Eleventh Canto, 2ndChapter, 45th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. It is said there that a personwho has unflinching faith in and love for the Personality of Godhead,who is in friendship with devotees of Krwa, and who is verymerciful to the ignorant, raising them to the standard of devotionalservice, and who is uninterested in nondevotees, is considered to besituated in the position of cultivating devotional service.When one is found shedding tears by hearing of the pastimes of theLord, it is to be understood that the blazing fire of material existencewill be extinguished by such watering. When there is shivering of thebody and the hairs of the body stand up, it is to be understood thatthe devotee is nearing perfection. An example of a siidhaka cultivatingdevotional service is Bilvamangala Thakur.When a person is never tired of executing devotional service and isalways engaged in Kr9a conscious activities, constantly relishing the209

Devotees of K[§[W 210transcendental mellows in relationship with .i(rl).a, the devotee iscalled perfect. This perfectional stage can be achieved in two ways:one may achieve this stage of perfection by gradual progress in devotionalservice, or one may become perfect by the causeless mercyof Krl).a, even though he has not executed all the details of devotionalservice. There is the following nice statement in the Third Canto,15th Chapter, 25th verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam describing a devoteewho achieves perfection by regularly executing devotional service: Aperson who is freed from the false egotism of material existence, oran advanced mystic, is eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godknown as V aikul).tha. Such a mystic becomes so joyful by constantexecution of the regulative principles of devotional service that hethereby achieves the special favor of the Supreme Lord. Y amaraja,the mighty superintendent of death, is afraid to go near such a devotee;so we can imagine the potency of advanced devotional service,especially when devotees sit together and engage in talking of thepastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those devotees expresstheir feelings in such a way that they automatically melt withecstasy, and many transcendental symptoms become manifested intheir bodies. Anyone desiring advancement in devotional service mustfollow in the footsteps of such devotees._)Prahlad Maharaj said that no one can attain the perfectional stageof devotional service without bowing down before exalted devotees.Learned sages like Markal).eya ij,i attained perfection in devotionalservice simply by executing such regulative principles of service.A person's achieving perfection in devotional service simply by thecauseless mercy of the Lord is explained in the Srimad-Bhiigavatamin connection with the briihmar-as and their wives who were engagedin performing yajna, or sacrifice. When the wives of the briihmar-aswere favored by Lord Kr!la and immediately attained the ecstasy oflove of Godhead, their husbands began to say, "How wonderful it isthat although these women have undertaken no reformatory performancessuch as accepting the sacred thread, have not resided inthe monastaries of the spiritual master, have not observed the strictprinciples of celibacy, have not undergone any austerities, nor philosophizedupon the observance of all ritualistic ceremonies-they still

211 The Nectar of Devotionhave attained the favor of Krwa, which is aspired after even by greatmystics! How wonderful it is that these women have attained suchperfection, while we, although briihmar-as who have performed allthe reformatory activities, cannot attain to this advanced stage!"There is a similar statement by Narada, addressed to Sukadeva Gosvami:"My dear Sukadeva Gosvami, you never took the trouble toreside under the care of a spiritual master, and yet you have attainedsuch a great status of transcendental knowledge. You never took thetrouble to undergo severe austerities, and still, how wonderful it isthat you have been situated in the most perfect stage of love of Godhead."Sukadeva Gosvami and the wives of the briihmar-as who wereperforming yajiia are vivid examples of devotees who achieved theperfectional stage of devotional service by the grace of the SupremePersonality of Godhead.Eternal PerfectionPersons who have achieved eternal, blissful life exactly on the levelof Sri Kra, and who are able to attract Lord Kra by their transcendentalloving service, are called eternally perfect. The technicalname is nitya-siddha. There are two classes of living entities-namely,nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The distinction is that the nityasiddhasare eternally Kra conscious without any forgetfulness,whereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forgetfulof their relationship with Kra.The position of the nitya-siddhas is explained in the Padma Puriir-ain connection with the narration of the Supreme Personality of Godheadand Satyabhamadevi. The Lord tells Satyabhama: "My dearSatyabhamadevi, I have descended to this earthly planet by the requestof Lord Brahma and other demigods. Those who are born intothis family of Y adu are all My eternal associat.es. My dear wife, youshould not consider that My associates are ever separated from Me;they are My personal expansions, and as such, you must know thatthey are almost as powerful as I am. Because of their transcendentalqualities, they are very, very dear to Me, as I am very, very dear 'to

Devotees of K[§!W 212them." Anyone who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimesof Lord Kr!la when He was present on this earth with His associatesis to be understood as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect.In the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 30th verse, of Srimad­Bhiigavatam there is the statement: "How wonderful are the fortunateresidents of Vrndavana, such as Nanda and the other cowherd men.The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme Brahman, has actuallybecome their intimate friend!"A similar statement is there in the Tenth Canto, 26th Chapter,lOth verse, of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When Lord Kr!la lifted GovardhanHill, the cowherd men, under the protection of Lord Kr!la, becamestruck with wonder and went to Nanda Maharaj and inquired fromhim, "My dear Nanda Maharaj, how is it that we are so intenselyattached to Kr!la, and Kr!la is also so affectionately attached to us?Does it mean that He is the supersoul of everyone?"All of the residents of Vrndavana and Dvaraka-namely the cowherdmen and the members of the Yadu family-are eternally perfectdevotees of the Lord. As the Lord descends by His causeless mercyupon this planet, so, in order to help in the pastimes of the Lord,these devotees also come here. They are not ordinary living entitiesor conditioned souls; they are ever-liberated persons, associates of thePersonality of Godhead. And, just as Lord Kr!la behaves like an ordinaryman when He descends to this planet, so the members of theYadu dynasty and the residents of Vrndavana execute activities justlike ordinary men. But they are not ordinary men; they are as liberatedas Lord Kr!la Himself.In the Padma Puriirw, Uttara-khar-{ia section, it is stated: "Just asLord Ramacandra descends along with Lakma!la and Bharata, an expansionof Sankara!la, *so the members of the Y adu dynasty and thecowherd men of Vrndavana also descend with Lord Kr!la in order tojoin in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. When the SupremeLord returns to His eternal abode, His associates return with Him to* A detailed description of the ways in which the various expansions and incarnationsof Godhead are developed is to be fouml in the author's Teachings of LordChaitanya (New York: 1968) in Chapters VI, VII and XIII.

213 The Nectar of Devotiontheir respective places. As such, these ever liberated Vai§rzavas are notbound by the material laws of birth and death."As is stated in the Bhagavad-gitii by the Lord Himself, His birth,deeds and activities are all transcendental. Similarly, the birth, deedsand activities of the associates of the Lord are also transcendental.And, as it is an offense to consider oneself to be Kra, so it is offensiveto consider oneself to be Y asoda, Nanda, or any other associateof the Lord. We should always remember that they are transcendental;they are never conditioned souls.It is described that Kra, the enemy of Kamsa, has sixty-four transcendentalqualities, and all of the ever-liberated souls who accompanythe Lord have the first fifty-five of the qualities, without anydoubt. Such devotees are related to the Supreme Personality of Godheadin any of five transcendental mellows-namely, neutrality, servitorship,friendship, parenthood and conjugal love. These relationshipswith the Lord are eternal, and therefore nitya-siddha devoteesdo not have to strive to attain the perfectional stage by executingregulative devotional principles. They are eternally qualified to serveKra.

26 I Stimulation for Ecstatic LoveSome things which give stimulation to ecstatic love of Knn;a areHis transcendental qualities, His uncommon activities, His smiling features,His apparel, His garlands, His flute, His buffalo horn, His legbells, His conchshell, His footprints, His place of pastimes (such asVrndavana), His favorite plant (tulasi), His devotee and the periodicaloccasions for remembering Him. One such occasion for remembranceis Ekiidasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of themoon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remainfasting throughout the night and continually chant the glories of theLord.K[§[ta's Transcendental Qualities, His Uncommon Activitiesand His SmileAs far as Kr!la's transcendental qualities are concerned, they canbe divided into three groups: qualities pertaining to His transcendentalbody, qualities pertaining to His transcendental speech, andqualities pertaining to His transcendental mind.Kr!la's age, His transcendental bodily features, His beauty, andHis mildness are qualities pertaining to His body. There is no differencebetween Kr!la and His body, and therefore the transcendentalfeatures pertaining to His body are the same as Kr!la Himself. Butbecause these qualities stimulate the devotee's ecstatic love, they havebeen analyzed as separate causes of that love. To be attracted by thequalities of Kr!la means to be attracted by Kr!la Himself, becausethere is no real distinction between Krwa and His qualities. Kr!la's214

215 The Nectar of Devotionname is also Kra. Kra's fame is also Kra. Kra's entourage isalso Kra. Kra and everything related with Krwa which givesstimulation to love of Kra are all Krwa, but for our understandingthese items can be considered separately.Kra is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure. Therefore, theimpetuses to love of Kra, although seemingly different, are not actuallydistinct from Kra Himself. In the technical Sanskrit terms,such qualities as Kra's name, fame, etc., are accepted both as reservoirsof and stimulation for love of Krwa.Kra's age is considered in three periods: from His appearance dayto the end of His sixth year is called kaumiira; from the beginning ofthe sixth year up to the tenth year is called paugarza; and from thetenth to the sixteenth year is called kaisora; after the beginning of thesixteenth year, Kra is called a yauvana or a youth, and this continueswith no change.As far as Kra 's transcendental pastimes are concerned, they aremostly executed during the kaumiira, paugarz4a and kaisora periods.His affectionate pastimes with His parents are executed during Hiskaumiira age. His friendship with the cowherd boys _is exhibited duringthe paugarza period. And His friendship with the go pis is exhibitedduring the age of kaisora. Kra's pastimes at Vrndavana arefinished by the end of His fifteenth year, and then He is transferredto Mathura and Dvaraka, where all other pastimes are performed.Snia Rupa Gosvami gives us a vivid description of Kra as thereservoir of all pleasures in his Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu. Here are someparts of that description.Kra's kaisora age can be divided into three parts. In the beginningof His kaisora age-that is, at the beginning of His eleventh year, theluster of His body becomes so bright that it becomes an impetus forecstatic love. Similarly, there are reddish borders around His eyes,and a growth of soft hairs on His body. In describing this early stageof His kaisora age, Kundalata, one of the residents of V rndavana, saidto her friend, "My dear friend, I have just seen an extraordinarybeauty appearing in the person of Kra. His blackish bodily hueappears just like the indranua jewel. There are reddish signs on Hiseyes, and small soft hairs are coming out on His body. The appear-

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 216ance of these symptoms has made Him extraordinarily beautiful."In this connection, in the Tenth Canto, 21st Chapter, 5th verse, ofSrimad-Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Gosvam1 tells King Parlkit: "My dearKing, I shall try to describe how the minds of the gopis became absorbedin the thought of Krt;ta. The gopis would meditate on Krt;ta'sdressing Himself just like a dancing actor and entering the forest ofVrndavana, marking the ground with His footprints. They meditatedon Krt;ta 's having a helmet with a peacock feather and wearing earringson His ears and yellow-gold colored garments covered withjewels and pearls. They also meditated on Krt;ta's blowing His fluteand on all the cowherd boys' singing of the glories of the Lord."That is the description of the meditati'on which the gopis used toperform.Sometimes the go pis would think about His soft nails, moving eyebrowsand His teeth, which were catechu colored from chewing pan.One description was given by a gopi to her friend: "My dear friend,just see how the enemy of Agha has assumed such wonderful features!His brows are just like the brows of Cupid, and they aremoving just as· though they were dancing. The tips of His nails are sosoft-it is as if they were dried bamboo leaves. His teeth are reddish,and so it appears that He has assumed a feature of anger. Under thecircumstances, where is the chance for a young girl not to be attractedby such beautiful features and not to be afraid of becoming avictim to such beauty?"Krt;ta's attractive features are also described by Vrndii, the gopi afterwhom Vrndavana was named. She told Krt;ta: "My dear Madhava,Your newly-invented smile has so captivated the hearts of the gopisthat they are simply unable to express themselves! As such, they havebecome bewildered and will not talk with others. All of these gopishave become so affected that it is as if they had offered three sprinklesof water upon their lives. In other words, they have given up allhope for their living condition." According to the Indian system,when a person is dead there is a sprinkling of water on the body.Thus, the statement of Vrnda shows that the gopis were so enchantedby the beauty of Krwa that because they could not express theirminds, they decided to commit suicide.

217 The Nectar of DevotionWhen Kn;a arrived at the age of thirteen to fourteen years, Histwo arms and chest assumed an unspeakable beauty, and His wholeform became simply enchanting. When Kra attained thirteen yearsof age, His two arms were challenging the trunks of elephants, Hisrising chest was trying to come to peace talks with doors of jewels,and His two arms were minimizing the value of the bolts found ondoors. Who can describe the wonderful beauty of these features ofKra? The special beauty of Kra's body was His mild smiling, Hisrestless eyes and His world-enchanting songs. These are the specialfeatures of this age.There is a statement in this connection that Kra, on arriving atthis age, manifested such beautiful bodily features that His restlesseyes became the playthings of Cupid, and His mild smile resembledthe newly-grown lotus flower. The enchanting vibration of His songsbecame a great impediment to the young girls, who were supposed toremain chaste and faithful to their husbands.At this age Kra enjoyed the riisa-lilii, exhibiting His power ofjoking with the cowherd girls and enjoying their company in thebushes of the gardens by the bank of the Yamuna.In this connection there is the following statement: "Throughoutthe whole tract of land known as Vrndavana there were the footprintsof Kra and the gop is, and in some places peacock featherswere strewn about. In some places there were nice beddings in thebushes of the V rndavana gardens, and in some places there were pilesof dust due to the group-dancing of Govinda and the go pis." Theseare some of the features which are due to the different pastimes inventedby Sri Kra in the place known as Vrndavana.There is the following statement by one gopi, describing Kra'sattractive feature during this age: "My dear friend, just see how all ofa sudden in the sky of Kra there is a powerful rising sun and howthis rising sun is minimizing the rays of our chastity moon. Our attractionfor Kra is so intense that it is drying up the lotus flower ofour discrimination, and we are losing our senses in deciding whetherwe shall continue as chaste women or be victimized by the beauty ofKra. My dear friend, I think that we have lost all hope of life!"In the kaisora age, beginning from the eleventh year and con-

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 218tinuing up to the end of the fifteenth year, Krl)a's arms, legs andthighs became marked with three divisional lines. At that timeKrl)a's chest challenged the hill of the marakata jewel. His arms challengedthe pillars of the indranila jewel, the three lines of His waistchallenged the waves of the River Yam una, and His thighs challengedbeautiful bananas. One go pi said, "With all these exquisite features ofHis body, Krl)a is too extraordinarily beautiful, and therefore I amalways thinking of Him to protect me because He is the killer of alldemons."The idea expressed in this statement is that the gopis were comparingtheir attraction for Krt;la to an attack by demons; and tocounteract their attraction for the beauty of Krl)a, they were alsoturning to Krt;la hopefully, because He is the killer of all kinds ofdemons. In other words they were perplexed because on one handthey were attracted by the beauty of Krl)a, and on the other theyneeded Krt;la to drive away the demon of such attraction.This kaisora age can be translated as adolescence. At the end ofthis period all the gopis said, "Krl)a is the killer of the attraction ofCupid, and as such He disturbs the patience of all newly-marriedgirls. Krwa 's bodily features have become so exquisite-it is as if theyare all manifesting an artistic sense of the highest sort. His dancingeyes have dimmed the brilliance of the most expert dancer, and sothere is no longer any comparison to the beauty of Krl)a." Learnedscholars therefore describe the features of His body at this time asnava-yauvana, newly-invented youthfulness. At this stage of Krt;la'sbodily features, the conjugal love affairs with the gopis and similarpastimes become very prominent.There are six features of conjugal love affairs, called peacemaking,picking a quarrel, going to meet one's lover, sitting together, separationand support. Lord Krl)a expanded an empire of these six features,of which He was the ruling prince. Somewhere He was pickingquarrels with the young girls, somewhere He was scratching themwith the nails of parrots, somewhere He was busy going to visit thegopis, and somewhere He was negotiating through cowherd friends totake shelter of the go pis.Some of the go pis addressed Him thusly: "My dear Krl)a, because

219 The Nectar of DevotionIIIIII1:of Your adolescent age, You have just become the spiritual master ofthese young girls, and You are teaching them to whisper among themselves.You are teaching them to offer solemn prayers, as well astraining them to cheat their husbands and to join You in the gardensat night, without caring for the instructions of their superiors. Youare enthusing them by the vibration of Your enchanting flute; and,as their teacher, You are teaching them all the intricacies of lovingaffairs."It is said that even when Krl!a was a boy of five He manifestedsuch youthful energies, but learned scholars do not explain them becauseof the absence of suitable age. Krl!a was beautiful becauseevery part of His body was perfectly arranged without any defect.Such perfect bodily features of Krl!a are described as follows: "Mydear enemy of Kamsa, Your broad eyes, Your rising chest, Your twopillar-like arms and the thin middle portion of Your body are alwaysenchanting to every lotus-eyed beautiful girl." The ornaments on thebody of Krl!a were not actually enhancing His beauty, but just thereverse-the ornaments were beautified by Kr!la.A person is called mild when he cannot even bear the touch of themost soft thing. It is described that every part of Krwa's body was sosoft that even at the touch of newly-grown leaves, the color of thetouched part of His skin would change. At this kaisora age, Kr!!a'sendeavors were always bent toward arranging the rasa dance, as wellas toward killing the demons in the forest of V rndavana. While Kr!lawas engaged in enjoyment with the boys and girls within the forestof V rndavana, Kamsa used to send his associates to kill Him, andKr!la would show His prowess by killing them.Kr§rta's Apparel and GarlandsGenerally, there are four kinds of garments on the body of Kr!la:His shirt, turban, belt and wearing garments. In Vrndavana, He usedto put on reddish garments, with a golden shirt on His body and anorange colored turban on His head. The different kinds of belts, combinedwith His enchanting smile, used to always increase the transcendentalbliss of His associates. This dress of Krwa is described

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 220as gorgeous. As a baby elephant is sometimes dressed in colorfulclothing, so Krwa's gorgeousness was manifested by decoration withsuch colorful clothing on the different parts of His body.A kalpa refers to the texture of Kr:p.a 's hair, His nicely dressedbody annointed with sandalwood pulp and decorated with flowergarlands, His tilaka, and His chewing pan. Kr:p.a was decorated constantlyin this iikalpa process. Kr:p.a's hair was sometimes decoratedwith flowers placed on the middle of His head, or else reaching downto His back. In this way Kr:p.a dressed His hair differently at differenttimes. As for the ointment on His body, the pulp of sandalwood generallyappeared to be white, and when it was mixed with saffron dyeit appeared to be yellow.Kr:p.a used to put a vaijayanti garland around His neck. This vaijayantigarland is made of at least five differently colored flowers.The length of such a garland was always touching Kr:p.a's knees orfeet. Besides this garland of flowers, there were other kinds of flowergarlands too-sometimes decorating His head, sometimes hangingaround His neck and chest. Artistic painting with sandalwood pulpand colored sandalwood were also to be found on the body of Kr:p.a.One gopi addressed her friend and began to praise the bodilyfeat'.lres of Kr:p.a. She praised His blackish complexion, the reddishcolor of chewing pan enhancing His beauty hundreds of times, thecurling hair on His head, the kunkum * red spots on His body and thetilaka on His forehead.His helmet, His earrings, His necklace, His four garments, the bangleson His head, the rings on His fingers, His ankle bells and Hisflute-these are the different features of Krsna's ornaments. Krsna,. . . . . .the enemy of Agha, always looked beautiful with His incomparablehelmet, His earrings made of diamonds, His necklace of pearls, Hisbangles, embroidered garments and the beautiful rings on His fingers.Kr:p.a is sometimes called vanamiili. Vana means forest and malimeans gardener, so vanamiili refers to one who extensively uses flow-* KU1ikum is a sweetly-flavored reddish powder which is thrown on the bodies ofworshipahle persons_

221 The Nectar of Devotioners and garlands on different parts of His body. Krr;Ia was dressedlike this not only in Vrndavana but also on the battlefield of Kuruk·etra. Seeing such colorful dress and the garlands of different flowers,some great sages prayed, "Lord Kr9:a was going to the battlefield ofKuruketra not to fight, but to grace all of the devotees with Hispresence."K[§!"a's FluteAs far as His flute is concerned, it is said that the vibration of thiswonderful instrument was able to break the meditation of the great·est sages, and Krr;Ia was thus challenging Cupid by advertising Histranscendental glories all over the world.There are three kinds of flutes used by Krr;J.a. One is called verzu ,one is called murali, and the third is called varhsi. Ve!"u is very small,not more than six inches long, with six holes for whistling. Murali isabout eighteen inches long with a hole at the end and four holes onthe body of the flute. This kind of flute produces a very enchantingsound. The varhsi flute is about fifteen inches long, with nine holeson its body. Krr;Ia used to play on these three flutes occasionallywhen they were needed. Krr;J.a has a longer varhsi, which is calledmahiinanda, or sanmohini. When it is still longer it is called iikar§ini.When it is even longer it is called iinandini. The iinandini flute is verypleasing to the cowherd boys and is technically named varhsuli. Theseflutes were sometimes bedecked with jewels. Sometimes they weremade of marble and sometimes of hollow bamboo. When the flute ismade of jewels it is called sanmohini. When made of gold, it is callediikar§ini.K[§!!a's Buffalo HornKrr;Ia used a buffalo horn as a bugling instrument. This instrumentwas always highly polished and circled with gold bands, and on themiddle there was a hole. Regarding these instruments, there is ametaphorical statement about a gopi named Taravali. It is said thatTaravali became bitten by the most venomous snake of Krwa's flute.

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 222Then, in order to neutralize the poisonous effect, she drank the milkproduced by the buffalo horn in the hand of Kn;a. But instead ofdecreasing the poisonous effect, it increased it a thousand times. Thegopi was thus put into the most miserable poisoned condition.The Attraction of Kr§r-a's Leg BellsA certain gopi once stated to her friend, "My dear friend, when Iheard the sound of the leg bell of Sri Kra, I immediately started togo out of the house to see Him. But most regrettably, my superiorswere present just before me at that time, and I could not go out."Kr§r-a's ConchshellKra's conchshell is known as Paiicajanya. This Paiicajanya conchis also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gitii. Kra sounded it before theBattle of Kuruksetra. It is said that when Lord Krsna blows on His. . . .transcendental conchshell, the wives of the demons become subjectto abortions, and the wives of the demigods become blest with allauspiciousness. In this way, the sound of Kra's conchshell used tovibrate and circulate all over the world.Kr§r-a's FootprintsIt is stated in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam that when Akriira, whodrove Kra from Vrndavana to Mathura, saw the footprints of Kraon the land of V rndavana, his ecstatic love for Kra increased somuch that the hairs on his body stood up. His eyes became overfloodedwith tears, and in such ecstasy he jumped out of the chariotand fell down on the ground and began to chant, "How wonderfulthis is! How wonderful this is!"Similar feelings were expressed by the go pis when they were goingto the bank of the Yamuna and saw Kra's footprints in the dust.When Krwa walked on the ground of Vrndavana, the marks of Hissole (flag, thunderbolt, fish, a rod for controlling elephants and lotusflower) would be imprinted upon the dust of the land. The gopis be-

223 The Nectar of Devotioncame overwhelmed simply at seeing those marks on the ground.Knrw 's Places of PastimesOne devotee has exclaimed, "Oh, I have not as yet visited the wonderfulplaces where the pastimes of the Lord were performed. Butsimply by hearing the name of Mathura I have become overwhelmedwith joy!"K[§rta's Favorite Plant: TulasiLord Krl)a is very fond of tulasi leaves and buds. Because tulasibuds are usually offered up to the lotus feet of Krl)a, a devotee onceprayed to the tulasi buds to give him some information about thelotus feet of the Lord. The devotee expected that the tulasi budswould know something about the glories of Lord Sri Krl)a's lotusfeet.K[§[W 's DevoteesOne may sometimes become overwhelmed with joy by seeing adevotee of the Lord. When Dhruva Maharaj saw two associates ofNarayal)a approaching him, he immediately stood up out of sincererespect and devotion and remained before them with folded hands;but because of his ecstatic love he could hardly offer them a properreception.There is a statement by a gopi who addressed Subala, a friend ofKrl)a: "My dear Subala, I know that Krwa is your friend and youalways enjoy smiling and joking with Him. The other day I saw youboth standing together, and you were keeping your hand uponKrl)a's shoulder, and both of you were joyfully smiling. When I sawthe two of you standing like that in the distance, my eyes at oncebecame overflooded with tears."Special Days for Remembering K[§[WThere are many statements about the festive days in connection

Stimulation for Ecstatic Love 224with Krgta 's different activities. One of these festive days is .Janmii§­tami, the day of Kra's birth. This ]anmii§tami Day is the mostopulent festival day for the devotees, and it is still observed withgreat pomp in every Hindu house in India. Sometimes even the devoteesof other religious groups take advantage of this auspicious dayand enj oy the performance of the ceremony of ]anmii§tami. Ecstaticlove for Kra is also aroused on the days of Ekiidasi, which are otherfestive days in connection with Kra.

27 I Symptoms of Ecstatic LoveThe bodily symptoms which are manifested by a devotee in expressingecstatic love for Krwa are called anubhiiva. Practical examplesof anubhiiva are as follows: dancing, rolling on the ground,singing very loudly, stretching the body, crying loudly, yawning,breathing very heavily, neglecting the presence of others, drooling,laughing like a madman, wheeling the head and belching. When thereis an extraordinary excess of ecstatic love, with all of these bodilysymptoms manifested, one feels relieved transcendentally.These symptoms are divided into two parts: one is called sita, andthe other is called k§epar;w. When there is yawning, it is called sita,and when there is dancing it is called k§epar-a.DancingWhile watching the riisa dance performed by Lord Knn;ta and thegopis, Lord Siva beheld the beautiful face of Krwa and immediatelybegan to dance and beat upon his small irtima drum. While LordSiva wa!'l dancing in ecstasy, his eldest son, Gane8a, joined him.Rolling on the GroundIn the Third Canto, lst Chapter, 31st verse, of Snmad-Bhiigavatam,Vidura inquires from Uddhava, "My dear friend, is Akriira in an auspiciouscondition? He is not only a learned scholar and sinless, but heis also a devotee of Lord Krsna. He has such ecstatic love for Krsna. . .. . .that I have seen him rolling upon Kr!la 's footprints in the dust as if225

Symptoms of Ecstatic Love 226bereft of all senses." Similarly, one go pi gave a message to Kra thatRadharai, because of Her separation from Him and because of Herenchantment with the flavor of His flower garlands, was rolling onthe ground, thereby bruising Her soft body.Singing LoudlyOne gopiinformed Kra that when Srimati Radharai was singingabout His glories, She enchanted all of Her friends in such a way thatthey became stonelike and dull. At the same time, the nearby stonesbegan to melt away in ecstatic love.Stretching the BodyWhen there was stretching of the body of Narada Muni fromchanting the Hare Kra mantra, he chanted so loudly that it wasapprehended that Lord Nrsimha had appeared. Thus all the demonsbegan to flee in different directions. It is also said that sometimeswhen Narada, the carrier of the vir-a, remembers his Lord Kra ingreat ecstasy, he begins to stretch his body so vigorously that his,sacred thread gives way.Crying LoudlyA gopi once said to Kra: "My dear son of Nanda Maharaj, by thesound of Your flute Srimati Radharai has become full of lamentationand fear, and thus, with faltering voice, She is crying like akurobi bird.It is described that by hearing the vibration of Krwa 's flute LordSiva becomes very puzzled and begins to cry so loudly into spacethat the demons become vanquished and the devotees become overwhelmedwith joy.YawningIt is said that when the full moon rises, the lotus petals become

227 The Nectar of Devotionexpanded. Similarly, when Kr!la used to appear before Radhara!li,Her face, which is compared with the lotus flower, would expand byHer yawning.Breathing HeavilyAs far as breathing heavily is concerned, it is stated: "Lalita [oneof the go pis] is just like a cutakibird, which only takes water fallingdirectly from the rain cloud and not from any other source." In thisstatement Kr!la is compared to the dark cloud, and Lalita is comparedto the cutaki bird seeking only Kr!la's company. The metaphorcontinues to say, "As a heavy wind sometimes disperses amighty cloud, so the heavy breath from Lalita's nostrils caused herto miss Krwa, who had disappeared by the time she recovered herself."Neglecting the Presence of OthersAs far as neglecting the presence of others is concerned, the wivesof the bruhmar-as who were performing sacrifices at V rndavana lefthome as soon as they heard that Kr!la was nearby. They left theirhomes without caring for their learned husbands. The husbands beganto discuss this amongst themselves: "How wonderful is the attractionfor Kr!la, that it has made these women leave us withoutany care!" This is the influence of Krwa. Anyone who becomes attractedto Kr§'!la can be relieved from the bondage of birth and death,which can be compared to the locked-up homes that were neglectedby the wives of the bruhmar-as.In the Padyuvali there is a statement by some devotees: "We shallnot care for any outsiders. If they should deride us, we shall still notcare for them. We shall simply enjoy the transcendental mellow ofchanting Hare Kr§'!la, and thus we shall roll on the ground and danceecstatically. In this way we shall eternally enjoy transcendental bliss."DroolingAs an example of the running down of saliva from the mouth, it

Symptoms of Ecstatic Love 228is stated that sometimes when Narada Muni was chanting the HareKra mantra, he remained stunned for awhile, and saliva oozed fromhis mouth.Laughing like a MadmanWhen a devotee laughs very loudly like a madman, it is done outof an extraordinary agitation of ecstatic love within the heart. Suchmad laughing is an expression of the condition of the heart, which istechnically called afta-hiisa. When a devotee becomes affected withthis mental condition, his love is expressed through the lips. Thelaughing sounds, coming one after another, are compared to flowersfalling from the creeper of devotion which grows within the heart ofthe devotee. In the Caitanya-caritiimrta devotional service to theLord is also compared to a creeper which rises up to the lotus feet ofKra in Goloka Vrndavana.Wheeling of the HeadOne gopi told her friend: "It appears that Lord Kra, the enemyof the demon Agha, has released from His mouth a whirlwind whichis acting on your head and is gradually proceeding to do the same tothe other lotus-eyed go pis."BelchingSometimes belching also becomes a symptom of ecstatic love forKra. There is evidence of this in Pauramas'i's address to one cryingassociate of Radhara'i: "My dear daughter, don't be worried becauseSr'imat'i Radhara'i is belching. I am about to offer a remedial measurefor this symptom. Do not cry so loudly. This belching is not due toindigestion; it is a sign of ecstatic love for Kra. I shall arrange tocure this belching symptom immediately. Don't be worried." Thisstatement of Pauramas'i is evidence that ecstatic love for Krwa issometimes manifested through belching.Sometimes trembling of the whole body and hemorrhaging from

229 The Nectar of Devotionsome p art of the body are also manifested in res p onse to ecstaticlove for KrI;ta, but such sym p toms are very rare, and therefore SrilaRii p a Gosvami does not discuss any further on this p oint.

28 I Other Ecstatic SymptomsExistential Ecstatic Love for Krf!WWhen a devotee is always intensely affected by love for Kra in adirect relationship with Him-or even a little apart from Him-hisstatus is called existential ecstatic love. The symptoms originatingfrom such existential ecstatic love are divided into three headingsnamely,moist, burnt and dried-up.Moist existential ecstatic love aroused in connection with Kra isdivided into two: direct and indirect. Radhara'i was weaving a garlandof kunda flowers, and, upon hearing the vibration of Kra'sflute, She immediately stopped Her work. This is an example ofdirect moistened existential ecstatic love. Indirect moistened existentialecstatic love is described in the following statement: Krwa, whois also called Puru§lottama, is to the eyes of Mother Y asoda just likethe cloud is to the eyes of the ciitaki bird. When Kr9a had beenbrought to Mathur a, Mother Y asoda, being very anxious and angry,began to rebuke the King of Mathura.Burnt existential ecstatic love is divided into three, and one exampleis as follows: One day, Mother Y asoda was dreaming that the giganticdemon, Putana, was lying on the courtyard of her house, andshe immediately became anxious to seek out Kra.When there are manifestations of ecstatic symptoms in the bodyof a nondevotee, these are called dried-up symptoms of ecstatic love.The nondevotees are actually materialistic, but in contact with somepure devotee, they sometimes may manifest some symptoms of ecstasy.Devotional scholars call these dried-up symptoms.230

231 The Nectar of DevotionThere are eight symptoms of existential ecstatic love: becomingstunned, perspiring, standing of the hairs on the body, faltering ofthe voice, trembling of the body, changing bodily colors, sheddingtears, and devastation.The scientific explanation of these eight symptoms is given byRupa Gosvami as follows: When the vital force of life is in contactwith the earth, it is called stunning. When the same force comes intocontact with water, there is the shedding of tears. When the sameforce comes into contact with fire, there is perspiration. When thesame force comes into contact with the sky, there is complete devastation.And when that force comes into contact with the air, there istrembling, failing of the voice and standing of the hairs on the body.These symptoms are sometimes manifested internally and sometimesexternally. The pure devotee always feels such symptomaticexpressions within himself, but being afraid. of outsiders he does notgenerally manifest them externally.Becoming StunnedThe symptom of becoming stunned is caused by ecstatic tribulation,fearfulness, astonishment, lamentation and anger. This symptomis exhibited by a stoppage of talking, a stoppage of movement, afeeling of voidness and an extreme feeling of separation.When Uddhava was describing Kr!la's pastimes to Vidura, he said,"One day the gopis became stunned when Kr!la, in the dress of agardening maid, entered the greenhouse and enlivened them withjoking and laughter. Then when Kr!la left the greenhouse, the go piswere seeing Kr!la so ecstatically that it was as though both theirminds and eyes were following Him." These symptoms signify thatalthough the gopis' business was not finished, they had becomestunned with ecstatic love.Another example of being stunned took place when Krwa wassurrounded by various wrestlers in the sacrificial arena of Kamsa. Hismother, Devaki, *then became stunned, and her eyes dried up whenshe saw Kr!la amongst the wrestlers./* Devaki was the "natural" mother of Krl)a, His father being Vasudeva. In orderto protect the divine baby from Devaki's brother Kamsa, Vasudeva deliveredKrl)a to Nanda and Mother Y asoda in Vrndavana, and it was there that He

Other Ecstatic Sym p toms 232There is also an example of the astonishment of Lord Brahma. It isexplained in the Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, 51st verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam that when Brahma understood that this cowherd boywas the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he became stunned.All of his sensual activities became stopped upon seeing all thecowherd boys again, along with Kra. Lord Brahma was so stunnedthat he appeared to be a golden statue with four heads. Also, whenthe residents of Braja found that Kra had lifted Govardhan Hillwith His left hand, they became stunned.Astonishment caused by lamentation is exemplified when Krawas entering into the belly of the Bakasura demon and all the demigodsfrom higher planets became stunned with lamentation. A similarexample of becoming stunned was visible in Arjuna when he saw thatAsvatthama was attempting to release his brahmiistrat at Kra.Pers p irationAn example of perspiring because of jubilation is described inSrimad-Bhiigavatam. One go p i addressed Radharal thusly: "My dearRadharal, You are rebuking the sunshine unnecessarily, but I canunderstand that You are perspiring only because of Your becomingtoo lusty at seeing Kra."Perspiration caused by fearfulness was exhibited by Raktak, oneof the servants of Krwa. One day Kra dressed Himself just likeAbhimanyu, the husband of Radharai Abhimanyu did not likeRadharanl's association with Krsna, and therefore when Raktak saw. . . .Kra in the dress of Abhimanyu and thus mistook His identity, hebegan to strongly rebuke Him. As soon as Raktak finally understoodthat it was Kra in the dress of Abhimanyu, he began perspiring.This perspiration was caused by fearfulness.Perspiration due to anger was exhibited by Garua, the eagle whois the carrier of Viu. Once the heavenly king, Indra, was sendingexhibited His childhood pastimes. At sixteen years of age He returned to Mathurii.(where Devaki had given birth to Him) and vanquished Kamsa in the arena mentionedhere. See the author's K[§FJ-a, as well as his Sr!mad-Bhagavatam, for fullerdetails of these events.t The brahmastra was a nuclear weapon controlled by mantra, or sound vibration.

233 The Nectar of Devotiontorrents of rain over Vrndiivana. Garua was observing the incidentfrom above the clouds, and because of his anger, he began perspiring.Standing of Hairs on the BodyThe standing up of hair on the body was manifested when MotherY asoda found within Kra 's mouth all of the universal planetarysystems. She had asked Kra to open His mouth wide just to seewhether He had eaten dirt. But when Krr;ta opened His mouth, shesaw not only the entire earth, but also many other planets withinHis mouth. This caused a standing up of the hair on her body.The standing up of hair on the body resulting from jubilation isdescribed in the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 9th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam in connection with the gopis engaged in the riisa dance.During this riisa dance Kra disappeared all of a sudden withRadhariir;t'i, and the gopis began to search Him out. At that time theyaddressed the earth and began to say, "My dear earthly planet; howmany austerities and penances you must have undergone to have thelotus feet of Krwa always touching your surface. I think that youmust be very jubilant because the trees and ·plants; which are justlike hairs on your body, are standing up so gloriously. May we askwhen did you first get these symptoms? Are you enjoying this jubilationsince you were touched by the incarnation of Vamana or sinceyou were delivered by the incarnation of Varaha?"Kra would sometimes perform mock fighting along with thecowherd boys. When Kra blew His horn in this mock fighting,Sr'idamii, who was on the opposing side, felt his bodily·hairs standup. Similarly, when Arjuna saw Kra in His gigantic universal form,there was a standing of the hairs on his body.Faltering of the VoiceWhen Krwa was going to Mathura on the chariot driven by Akriira,Yasoda and all the gopis came to try to forbid Him to pass and toblock His way. At that time Radhara'i was so perturbed that in afaltering voice, She requested Mother Y asoda to please stop Akriira.Faltering of the voice resulting from wonder was exhibited by

Other Ecstatic Symptoms 234Brahma. It is said in Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter,59th verse that, after bowing down before Lord Kn;!la, when Brahmabegan to rise he prayed to the Lord in a faltering voice.In the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 27th verse, another example offaltering of the voice was exhibited by the gopis when they came toKr9a, desiring to dance with Him. Kr9!1a asked them to go back totheir husbands and homes. The gopis apparently became very angryand began to talk to Kr9a with faltering voices.In the Tenth Canto, 39th Chapter, 48th verse, of Srimad­Bhiigavatam a faltering voice due to jubilation was exhibited byAkrura when he was shown all of the V aikutha planets resting withinthe River Yamuna. When Akrura understood that Krwa was theSupreme Personality of Godhead, he bowed his head to Kr9!1a'slotus feet and with folded hands began to pray in a faltering voice.There are also examples of faltering of the voice caused by fearfulness.One of Kr9a's friends praised Him thusly: "My dear friend, Yourflute was given to Your servant, Patr'i, and when I asked him to returnit he began speaking in a faltering voice, and his complexion becameyellow."TremblingWhen Kr9a was trying to capture the demon Sankha, Radharii!l'ibegan trembling out of fearfulness. Similar trembling of the body wasexhibited in Sahadeva, the younger brother of Nakula. When Sisupalawas vehemently blaspheming the Lord, Sahadeva began to trembleout of anger.Trembling of the body was also exhibited by Radharii!l'i out oftribulation. Radharii!l'i trembled as She told one of the gopis: "Don'tjoke with this disappointing boy! Please ask Him not to approachMe, because He is always the cause of all grief for us."Changing of Bodily ColorSometimes, due to great aggrievement caused by the dealings of

235 The Nectar of DevotionKrwa, the body changes color. The gopis therefore addressed theLord thusly: "My dear Krpa, due to separation from You, all of thedenizens of V rndavana have changed their color. And because of thischange of color even the great sage Narada was thinking of Vrndavanaas a white island in the ocean of milk."When Krpa and Balarama were present in the arena of Kamsa,Kamsa's body changed color. Similarly, Indra's face changed colorwhen he saw that Krpa was protecting all the denizens of Braja bylifting Govardhan Hill. If the color change takes place due to excessivejubilation, the hue turns red. Because such change of color isso rare, Srila Riipa Gosvami does not further discuss this point.TearsOut of jubilation, anger, or separation there may be the pouringdown of tears from the eyes. When such tears are very cold they aredue to jubilation, and when they are due to anger the tears becomehot. In all cases there is a severe movement of the eyes, an

Other Ecstatic Symptoms 236earth with her red, lotus-like nails. Because she was shedding tears,the black ointment from her eyes was dripping, along with the tears,onto her breasts, which were covered with kunkum powder. Rukmiiiwas so aggrieved that her voice was choked up.DevastationWhen a person is confused by simultaneous happiness and tribulationand does not know what to do, this state of confusion is calledpralaya, or devastation. In this condition of pralaya one sometimesfalls down on the ground, and all the symptoms of ecstatic love becomemanifest. When the go pis were searching after Krl!a and all of asudden He came out from the bushes and creepers, all of them becamestunned and almost senseless. In this state the gopis appearedvery beautiful. This is an example of pralaya, or devastation in happiness.There are also instances of pralaya in distress. One such example isdescribed in the Tenth Canto, 39th Chapter, 14th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, where Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parikit: "My dearKing, when the gopis were missing Krl)a, they were so much absorbedin meditation upon Him that all of their senses stopped functioning,and they lost all bodily sense. It was as though they had becomeliberated from all material conditions."Out of the many ecstatic symptoms of the body, the symptom ofbeing stunned is especially significant. According to the degree ofbei-ng stunned, the vital force within the body becomes agitated, anddue to such a state, the other ecstatic loving symptoms sometimesbecome altered. These transcendental ecstatic symptoms graduallydevelop, and in the course of such development, they are sometimescalled smoky, sometimes called blazing, and sometimes called shining.These three degrees are experienced for many, many years andextend to different parts of the body. Unlike the shedding of tearsand faltering of the voice, the condition of being stunned is spreadall over the body. The shedding of tears and faltering of the voice aresimply localized symptoms.The shedding of tears, however, sometimes makes the eyes become

237 The Nectar of Devotionswollen and whitish, and sometimes the lenses of the eyes becomedifferently focused. Faltering of the voice may sometimes causechoking in the throat and extreme anxiety. As the different symptomsof these ecstatic manifestations are localized, they are accompaniedby different local reactions; e.g., when the throat is choked upbecause of a faltering voice, there may be a sound like "ghra." Suchsounds choke up the voice, and with extreme mental anxiety theymay manifest in different ways. All these symptoms are listed underthe dried-up existential condition known as smoky, and they areexhibited in different ways.Sometimes, while participating in ceremonies celebrating Krwa'spastimes, or in the society of devotees, there is dancing ecstasy. Suchsentiments are called blazing.None of the above symptoms can be manifested without the basicprinciple of strong attachment for Kra. In the smoky condition ofsuch ecstatic expressions, the symptoms could otherwise be hidden.This type of symptom was experienced by Priest Gargamuni, whowas performing some ritualistic ceremony in the house of NandaMaharaj. When he heard about Kra 's killing of the Aghasura demon,there were some tears visible in his eyes, his throat was trembling, andperspiration covered his whole body. In this way Priest Gargamuni'sbeautiful face assumed a nice condition.When several such ecstatic symptoms are visible, the condition iscalled blazing. For example, some of Kra's friends told Him, "Mydear friend, as soon as I heard the sound of Your flute from withinthe forest, my hands became almost motionless and my eyes becamefull of tears. So much so, in fact, that I could not recognize Yourpeacock feather. My thighs became almost completely stunned sothat I could not move even an inch. Therefore, my dear friend, Imust acknowledge the wonderful vibration of Your transcendentalflute."Similarly, one gopi said to another, "My dear friend, when I heardthe sound of Kr9a 's flute, I tried to hide myself from the reaction ofthe vibrations. But still I could not check the trembling of my body,and therefore all of my friends in the house could detect my attachmentfor Kra without any doubt."

Other Ecstatic Symptoms 238When the ecstatic symptoms cannot be checked, and they simultaneouslyappear in four or five different categories, this stage ofecstatic love is called shining. The example is cited, in this connection,that when the sage Narada saw Lord Krg1a standing before him,his body became so stunned that he stopped playing on his vir-a.Because of his faltering voice he could not offer any prayers to Kr9pa,and his eyes became filled with tears. Thus, Narada's ability to seeKrsna was also obstructed .. When similar symptoms were manifest in the body of Sr'imat'iRadharap'i, some of Her friends criticized Her: "My dear friend, Youare blaming the flavor of the flowers for the tears in Your eyes. Youare rebuking the air for the standing of the hairs on Your body. AndYou are cursing Your walking in the forest for Your thighs beingstunned. But Your faltering voice reveals the cause to be different: itis just Your attachment for Kr9pa!"Sn,a Riipa Gosvam'i remarks that when various symptoms becomemanifest very prominently, the devotee's condition can be called thebrightest. For example, a friend of Kr9pa addressed Him as follows:"My dear Pitambara, because of separation from You all the residentsof Goloka Vrndavana are perspiring. They are lamenting with differentwords, and their eyes have become moistened with tears. Actually,all of them are in great confusion."There is a supreme symptom of ecstatic love which is called mahiibhiiva.This mahiibhiiva expression was possible only in Radharap'i,but later on when Sri Kr9pa Caitanya appeared to feel the mode oflove of Radharap'i, He also expressed all of the symptoms of mahiibhiiva.Sri Riipa Gosvam'i says in this connection that when the symptomsof ecstatic love become the most bright, that stage is acceptedas mahiibhiiva.Srila Riipa Gosvam'i further analyzes the ecstatic loving expressioninto four divisions which are called sattviibhiisa.Sometimes impersonalists who are not actually in devotional servicemay also exhibit such symptoms of ecstatic love, but this is notaccepted as actual ecstasy. It is a reflection only. For example, sometimesin Varapas'i, a holy city for impersonalist scholars, there maybe seen a sann yiisi crying from hearing the glories of the Lord. Im-

239The Nectar of Devotionpersonalists also sometimes chant the Hare Kra mantra and dance,but their aim is not to serve the Lord. It is to become one with theLord and merge into His existence. Riipa Gosvami therefore says thateven if the reactions to chanting are manifested in the impersonalist'sbody, they should not be considered to be symptoms of actual attachment,but reflections only, just like the sun reflected in a darkroom through some polished glass. The chanting of Hare Kra, however,is so nice and transcendental that it will eventually melt eventhe hearts of persons who are impersonalists. Riipa Gosvami saysthat the impersonalists' symptoms are simply reflections of ecstaticlove, not the real thing.Sometimes it is found that when staunch logicians, without anytrace of devotional service and without actually understanding thetranscendental glories of the Lord, sit down to hear the glories of theLord, they appear to be melting and shedding tears. In this connectionthere is a statement by a devotee who is addressing the Lordthusly: "My dear Mukunda, I cannot properly express the glories ofYour pastimes. Even when the nondevotees hear of Your gloriouspastimes they become affected and shed tears and start to tremble."Such nondevotees are not actually melted; they are hard-hearted. Butthe influence of the glories of the Lord is so great that even the nondevoteessometimes shed tears.Sometimes it is found that a nondevotee 'who has practically notaste for Krwa and who follows no rules or regulations can, by practice,make a show of devotional symptoms, even crying in an assemblyof devotees. This shedding of tears is not actually an ecstaticloving expression, however. It is done simply by practice. Althoughthere is no need to describe these reflections of ecstatic love, RiipaGosvami gives some instances where there is no actual devotionalservice and such expressions are manifested.

29 I Expressions of Love for KraThere are some bodily symptoms which express overwhelming ecstaticlove. They are counted at thirty-one as follows: disappointment,lamentation, humility, guilt, fatigue, intoxication, pride, doubt,apprehension, intense emotion, madness, forgetfulness, disease, confusion,death, laziness, inertness, bashfulness, concealment, remembering,argumentativeness, anxiety, thoughtfulness, endurance, happiness,eagerness, haughtiness, envy, impudence, dizziness and alertness.DisappointmentWhen one is forced to act in a way which is forbidden, or to refrainfrom acting in a way which is proper, he becomes regretful and thinkshimself dishonored. At that time there is a sense of disappointment.In this kind of disappointment one becomes full of anxiety, shedstears, changes bodily color, feels humility and breathes heavily.When Krgta, in punishing the Kaliya serpent, appeared to havedrowned Himself in the poisonous water of the Yam una, N andaMaharaj addressed Yasoda Devi thusly: "My dear wife, Kn>pa hasgone deep into the water, and so there is no longer any need to maintainour bodies, which are so full of sinful activities! Let us also enterinto the poisonous water of the Yam una and compensate for thesinful activities of our lives!" This is an instance of severe shock,where the devotee becomes greatly disappointed.When Krsna left Vrndavana, Subala, His intimate friend, decided to. . . .'leave also. While leaving, Subala was contemplating that withoutKrpa there was no longer any pleasure to be found in V rndavana.240

241 The Nectar of DevotionThe analogy is given that, as the bees go away from a flower that hasno honey, so Sub ala left V rndavana when he found there was nolonger any relishable transcendental pleasure there.In Diina-keli-kaumudi Srimati Radhara!li addresses one of Herfriends in this manner: "My dear friend, if I cannot hear of the glori- .ous activities of Kr!ia, it is better for Me to become deaf. And becauseI am now unable to see Him, it would be good for Me to be ablind woman." This is another instance of disappointment due toseparation from Kr!ia.There is a statement in the Hari-varhsa wherein Satyabhama, oneof the queens of Kr!la in Dvaraka, tells her husband: "My dearKr!la, since I heard Narada glorifying Rukmi!li before You, I canunderstand that there is no need of any talking about myself." Thisis an instance of disappointment caused by envy. Rukmi!li and Satyabhamawere co-wives, and because Kr!la was husband of both, therenaturally was some feminine envy between them. So when Satyabhamaheard the glories of Rukmi!li, she was envious of her and thusbecame disappointed.In the Tenth Canto, 51st Chapter, 29th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamthere is this statement: "My dear Kr!ia, I cannot say that it is onlyother people who are implicated in material existence, because I tooam much entangled with the bodily concept of life. I am alwaystoo anxious about my family, home, wife, wealth, land and kingdom.And because I have been so maddened by this material atmosphere, Iam thinking now that my life has been simply spoiled." This statementis an instance of disappointment caused by lamentation.According to Bharata Muni, this disappointment is inauspicious.But there are other learned scholars who have accepted such disappointmentas being in the mood of neutrality and as being a preservativefor ecstatic love.LamentationWhen one is unsuccessful in achieving his desired goal of life, whenone finds no fulfillment in his present occupation, when one findshimself in reversed conditions and when one feels guilt-at such timeone is said to be in a state of lamentation.

Expressions of Love for K[§[ta 242In this condition of lamentation one becomes questioning, thoughtful,tearful, regretful and heavy-breathed. His bodily color changes,and his mouth becomes dry.One aged devotee of Krwa addressed Him in this way: "My ,dearKr!ia, 0 killer of the demon Agha, my body is now invalid due toold age. I cannot speak very fluently, my voice is faltering, my mindis not strong, and I am often attacked with forgetfulness. But, mydear Lord, You are just like the moonlight, and my only real regretis that for want of any taste for Your pleasant shining I did not advancemyself in Kr!la consciousness." This statement is an instanceof lamentation due to one's being unable to achieve his desired goal.One devotee said, "This night I was dreaming of collecting variousflowers from the garden, and I was thinking of making a garland tooffer to Kr!ia. But I am so unfortunate that all of a sudden mydream was o'ver, and I could not achieve my desired goal!" Thisstatement is an instance of lamentation resulting from nonfulfillmentof one's duties.When N anda Maharaj saw his foster son, Kr!ia, embarrassed in thesacrificial arena of Kamsa, he said, "How unfortunate I am that I didnot keep my son bolted within a room. Unfortunately, I havebrought Him to Mathura, and now I see that He's embarrassed bythis giant elephant named Kuvalaya. It is as though the moon ofKrwa is eclipsed by the shadow of the eartq." This is an instance oflamentation caused by reversed conditions.In the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, 9th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamthere is a statement by Brahma: "My dear Lord, just see my impudence!You are unlimited, the original Personality of Godhead, thesupersoul-and You rule over the most perfect illusory energies! Andjust see my impudence! I wanted to supersede You by my own personalpower, and I was very puffed up with this tiny power of mine.Just as a simple spark from a fire cannot do any harm to the fire, somy bewildering potency was completely unsuccessful in thwartingYour superior illusory power. Therefore I find myself to be mostinsignificant and think of myself as a most useless person." Thisstatement by Brahma is an instance of lamentation caused by committingan offense.

243 The Nectar of DevotionHumilityA sense of weakness caused by distress, fearfulness or offensivenessis called humility. ln this condition one becomes talkative, small inheart, dirty in mind, full of anxiety and inactive.In the Tenth Canto, 51st Chapter, 39th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam there is the following statement by King Mucukunda:"My dear Lord, because of my bad deeds in the past I am everlastinglyaggrieved. I am always suffering from my -desires, but still mysenses are never satisfied with material enjoyments. Somehow orother I am, by Your grace, now in a peaceful condition because Ihave taken shelter of Your lotus feet, which are always free from alllamentation, fear- and death. 0 supreme protector, 0 supreme soul!0 supreme controller! Kindly give me Your protection. I am so muchembarrassed." This statement by Mucukunda is an instance of humilityresulting from a severely miserable condition of material existence.When Uttara was attacked by the brahmiistra of Asvatthama, shebecame afraid of losing her child, Maharaj Parikit, who was still withinthe womb. She immediately surrendered to Krwa and said, "Mydear Lord, kindly save my child! I do not mind if I myself must bekilled by the brahmiistra of Asvatthama." This is an instance ofhumility caused by fear.In the Tenth Canto, 14th Chapter, lOth verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says, "0 infallible one! I am born in themodes of passion, and therefore I have been falsely proud of beingthe creator of this material world. My false pride was just like densedarkness, and in this darkness I had become blind. In my blindness Iwas considering myself a competitor to You, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. But, my dear Lord, even though I am accepted as thecreator of this universe, I am eternally Your servant. Therefore, kindlyalways be compassionate toward me and excuse me in tnat way."This statement by Brahma is another instance of humility resultingfrom committing an offense.Sometimes there is humility due to shyness. For example, whenKra stole all of the garments from the go pis while they were bathingin the river, all of them begged Kra not to commit this in-

Expressions of Love for Krr!w 244justice upon them. The gopis addressed Him thus: "My dear Kr9!J.a,we know that You are the son of Nanda Maharaj and that You arethe most beloved of all V rndavana. And You are very much loved byus also! But why are You giving us this trouble? Kindly return ourgarments. Just see how we are trembling from the severe cold!" Thishumility was due to their shyness from being naked before Kr9!J.a.GuiltWhen a person blames himself for committing an inappropriateaction, his feeling is called guilt.One day Sr'imat'i Radharii!J.'i was churning curd for Kr9!J.a. At thattime the jeweled bangles on Her hands were circling around, and Shewas also chanting the holy name of Kr9!J.a. All of a sudden Shethought, "I am chanting the holy name of Kr!J.a, and My superiors­My mother-in-law and My sister-in-law-may hear Me!" By thisthought Radharii!J.'i became overanxious. This is an instance of feelingguilty because of devotion to Kr9!J.a.One day the beautiful-eyed Sr'imat'i Radharii!J.'i entered into theforest to collect some flowers to prepare a garland for Kr9!J.a. Whilecollecting the flowers, She became afraid that someone might seeHer, and She felt some fatigue and weakness. This is an instance ofguilty feelings caused by labor for Kr!J.a.There is a statement in Rasa-sudhiikara that after passing the nightwith Kr!J.a, Radharii!J.'i became so weak that She was unable to get upfrom bed. When Kr9pa took Her hand to help Her, Radharii!J.'i feltguilty about having passed the night with Him.FatigueFatigue is felt after walking a long distance, after dancing andafter sex activity. In this kind of fatigue there is dizziness, perspiration,inactivity of the limbs, yawning and very heavy breathing.One day Y asoda was chasing Krwa in the yard after He had offendedHer. After a while Yasoda became very fatigued, and therefore shewas perspiring, and her bunched hair became loosened. This is an

245 The Nectar of Devotioninstance of becoming fatigued because of working too much.Sometimes all of the cowherd friends of Krtla, along withBalarama, danced together in some ceremony. At these times thegarlands on Their necks would move, and They would begin to per·spire. Their whole bodies became wet from Their ecstatic dancing.This is an instance of fatigue caused by dancing. .In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 33rd Chapter, 20th verseit is said that after enjoying love affairs with Krtla by dancing, em·bracing and kissing, the gopis would sometimes become very tired,and Krtla, out of His causeless mercy and compassion, would smeartheir faces with His lotus hands. This is an example of fatigue causedby laboring in the rasa dance.IntoxicationWhen one becomes arrogant with false prestige due to drinkingintoxicants or being too lustful, the voice becomes faulty, the eyesbecome swollen, and there are symptoms of redness on the body.There is a statement in the Lalita-madhava that Lord Baladeva, intoxicatedfrom drinking excessive quantities of honey, once began toaddress the ants: "0 you kings of the ants! Why are you hiding yourselvesin these holes?" At the same time He also addressed the Kingof heaven: "0 King Indra! You plaything of Saci! Why are youlaughing? I am now prepared to smash the whole universe, and Iknow that Krtla will not be angry with Me."* Then He addressedKrtla: "My dear Krtla, tell Me immediately why the whole world istrembling, and why the moon has become elongated! And 0 youmembers of the Yadu dynasty, why are you laughing at Me? Pleasegive me back My liquors made of honey from the kadamba flower!"Srila Rupa Gosvami prays that Lord Balarama will be pleased with allof us while He is thus talking just like an intoxicated person.In this state of intoxication, Balarama felt tired and lay down for* Baladeva, or Balarama, is the older brother of KrJ)a, an expansion of theGodhead Himself, and therefore to be considered an incarnation of God, as isexplained in the Sr"imad-Bhiigavatam.

Expressions of Love for Knrw 246rest. Generally, those who are exalted personalities lie down whenthey feel intoxicated, whereas those who are mediocre laugh and singduring intoxication, and those who are lowly use vulgar language andsometimes cry. Such intoxication is manifested according to differentages and mentalities. Srila Riipa Gosvam'i does not describe further inthis direction because there is no necessity for such a discussion.There is another description of the symptoms of intoxication inthe person of Sr'i Radhara'i after She saw Kra: sometimes She waswalking hither and thither, sometimes She was laughing, sometimesShe was covering Her face, sometimes She was talking without anymeaning, and sometimes She was praying to Her associate go pis. Seeingthese symptoms in Radhara'i, the gopis began to talk amongthemselves: "Just see how Radhara'i has become intoxicated simplyby seeing Kra before Her!" This is an instance of ecstatic love inintoxication.PrideExpressions of ecstatic love in pride may be the result of excessivewealth, exquisite beauty, first-class residence, or the attainment ofone's ideal goal. One is also considered to be proud when he does notcare about the neglect of others.Bilvamangala Thakur said, "My dear Krwa, You are leaving me,forcibly getting out of my clutches. But I shall be impressed by Yourstrength only when You can go forcibly from the core of my heart."This is an instance of feeling pride in ecstatic love for Kra.Once during the riisa dance, when Radhara'i left the arena, andKrsna went to seek Her out, one of the dear friends of Radharan'i. . . .began to address Kra thusly: "My dear Kra, You have been verymuch obliging in serving the form of our Sr'i Radhara'i, and now Youhave left all the other gopis to search for Her. Please allow me toinquire how You want Her to treat You." This is an instance offeeling pride on account of exquisite beauty.Sometimes Radhara'i felt pride within Herself and said, "Althoughthe cowherd boys prepare nice flower garlands for Kra,when I present My garland to Him, He becomes struck with

247 The Nectar of Devotionwonder and immediately accepts it and puts it on His heart."Similarly, in the Tenth Canto, 2nd Chapter, 27th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Lord Brahma says: "My dear Madhusiidana, personswho are pure devotees of Your Lordship actually feel Your ecstaticfriendship, and as such they are never vanquished by enemies. Theyknow they are always protected by You, and so they can matter-offactlypass over the heads of their enemies without any care." Inother words, one who has taken complete shelter under the lotus feetof the Lord is always proud of being able to conquer all enemies.One weaver at Mathura addressed Krg•a in this way: "My dearKing of Vrndavana, I have become so proud of Your causeless mercyupon me that I do not even count upon the mercy of the lord ofVaiku!J.tha, which is sought after by many great sages in deep meditation."In other words, although the yogis and great sages sit in meditationupon Lord Vi!J.U, who is residing in Vaiku!J.tha, a devotee ofKr!la is so proud that he does not consider such meditation to bevery valuable. This feeling of pride is due to one's having achieve.d thehighest goal of life-Kr!J.a.DoubtAfter Lord Brahma had stolen all of the calves, cows and cowherdboys from Kr!J.a, he was trying to go away. But all of a sudden hebecame doubtful about his stealing affairs and began to watch on allsides with his eight eyes. Lord Brahma has four heads, and thereforehe has eight eyes. This is an instance of ecstatic love in doubtfulness,caused by stealing.Similarly, just to please Kr!la, Akriira stole the Syamantaka-mar-i,a stone which can produce unlimited quantities of gold, but later onhe repented his stealing. This is another instance of ecstatic love forKr!la in doubt caused by stealing.The King of heaven, Indra, was advised to surrender himself at thelotus feet of Kr!la when he was causing torrents of rain to fall on theland of Braja. At that time lndra's face became very darkened out ofdoubtfulness.

Expressions of Love for K[§[W 248ApprehensionWhen a person becomes disturbed in his heart by seeing lightningin the sky, by seeing a ferocious animal, or by hearing a tumultuoussound, his state of mind is called apprehensive. In such a state ofapprehension, one tries to take shelter of something which providessafety. There may be standing of the hairs on the body, trembling ofthe body and sometimes the committing of mistakes. And sometimesthe body may become stunned.In the Padyavali there is the following statement: "My dear friend,Kr9a 's residence in the demonic circle at Mathura, under the supremacyof the King of demons, Kamsa, is causing me much worry." Thisis one instance of apprehending some danger to Kr9a in ecstatic lovefor Him.When Vr9asura appeared in Vrndavana as a bull, all of the gopisbecame greatly affected with fear. Being perturbed in that way, they.began to embrace the tamala trees. This is an instance of fearfulnesscaused. by a ferocious animal and of the search for shelter whileremembering Krwa in ecstatic love. Upon hearing the jackals cryingin the forest of Vrndiivana, Mother Yasoda sometimes became verycareful about keeping Kr9a under her vigilance, fearing that Kr9amight be attacked by them. This is an instance of ecstatic love forKr9a in fearfulness caused by a tumultuous sound. This kind of fearfulnessis a little different from being actually afraid. When one isafraid of something, he can still think of past and future. But whenthere is this kind of ecstatic apprehension, there is no scope for suchthinking.Intense EmotionEmotion is caused by something very dear, by something verydetestable, by fire, strong wind, strong rainfall, by some natwal disturbance,the sight of a big elephant, or the sight of an enemy. Whenthere is emotion caused by seeing something very dear, one can speakvery swiftly and use kind words. When there is emotion caused by

249 The Nectar of Devotionseeing something detestable, one cries very loudly. When there isemotion caused by seeing fire, one tries to fly away. There may alsobe trembling of the body, closing of the eyes and tears in the eyes.When one becomes emotional on account of a strong wind, one triesto run very swiftly and rubs his eyes. When one is emotional becauseof rainfall, one takes an umbrella, and there is tension in his body.When there is emotion due to a sudden disturbance, one's facebecomes discolored, one becomes struck with wonder, and there istrembling of the body. If there is emotion from seeing an elephant,one may jump, show various signs of fearfulness, and sometimes onemay keep looking behind him. When there is emotion due to thepresence of an enemy, one looks for a fatal weapon and· tries toescape.When Kn;a returned from the forest of V rndavana, Mother Y asodawas so emotional from seeing her son that milk began to flow fromher breasts. This is an instance of emotion caused by seeing a dear object.In the Tenth Canto, 23rd Chapter, 13th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami informs King Parikit: "My dearKing, the wives of the briihmar;ws were usually very much attached tothe glorification of Kn;a, and they were always anxious to get anopportunity to see Him. Because of this, when they heard that Kn;awas nearby, they became very anxious to see Him and immediatelyleft their homes." This is an instance of emotional activity caused bythe presence of someone who is very dear.When Putana, the demoniac witch, was struck down and killed byKra, Mother Y asoda was struck with wonder and began to cry emotionally,"Oh, what is this? What is this?" When she saw that her dearbaby Kra was playing on the chest of the dead demonic woman,Mother Y asoda, at a loss what to do, began to walk this way and that.This is an instance of being emotional on account of seeing somethingghastly.When Krwa uprooted the two arjuna trees and Yasoda heard thesound of the trees crashing down, she became overcome with emotionand simply stared upwards, being too bewildered to know whatelse to do. This is an instance of being emotional from hearing atumultuous sound.

Expressions of Love for Kr§fW 250When there was a forest fire in V rndavana, all the cowherd men assembledtogether and desperately appealed to Kra for protection.This is an instance of emotion caused by fire.The whirlwind demon known as Travarta once carried Krwa offfrom the ground and blew Him around, along with some very bigtrees. At that time, Mother Y asoda could not see her son, and shewas so disturbed that she began to walk this way and that. This is aninstance of emotion caused by severe wind.In the Tenth Canto, 25th Chapter, llth verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, there is a description of Indra 's causing severe torrentsof rain· at Vrndavana. All the cows and cowherd boys became so afflictedby the wind and cold that they all gathered together to takeshelter under the lotus feet of Kra. This is an instance of emotioncaused by severe rainfall.There were severe torrents of hail when Kra was staying in theforest of Vrndavana, and the elderly persons bade Him: "Kra,don't You move now! Even persons who are stronger and older thanYou cannot move, and You are just a little boy. So please stay still!"This is an instance of emotion caused by heavy hailing.When Kra .was chastising Kaliya in the poisonous water of theYamuna, Mother Y asoda began to speak emotionally: "Oh, see howthe earth appears to be trembling! There appears to be an earth tremor,and in the sky tears are flying here and there! My dear son hasentered into the poisonous water of the Yamuna. What shall I donow?" This is an instance of emotion resulting from a natural disturbance.In the arena of Kamsa, when Krwa was attacked by big elephants,all of the ladies present began to address Him in this way: "My dearboy-please leave this place immediately! Please leave this place immediately!Don't You see the big elephants coming to attack You?Your innocent gazing upon them is causing us too much perturbation!"Kra then told Mother Yasoda, "My dear Mother, don't beperturbed by the appearance of the elephants and the horses that areso forcibly coming and raising dust, causing blindness to these lotuseyedwomen. Let even the Kesl demon come before Me; My armswill still be adequate for victory. So please don't be perturbed."In the Lalita-miidhava, a friend tells Mother Y asoda: "How won-

251 The Nectar of Devotionderful it is that when the Sankhacu9a demon-vast and strong as agreat hill-attacked your Cupid-like beautiful son, there was no onepresent in Vrndavana to help. And yet the demon was killed by yourlittle son. It appears to be due to the result of severe penances andausterities in your past lives that your son was saved in this way."In the same Lalita-miidhava there is an account of Kr!la 's kidnappingRukmi!li at her royal marriage ceremony. At that time all of theprinces present began to converse amongst themselves, saying, "Wehave our elephants, horses, chariots, bows, arrows and swords, sowhy should we be afraid of Kr!la? Let us attack Him! He is nothingbut a lusty cowherd boy! He cannot take away the Princess in thisway! Let us all attack Him!" This is an instance of emotion causedby the presence of enemies.Srila Rupa Gosvami is trying to prove by the above examples thatin relationship with Kr!la there is no question of impersonalism. Allpersonal activities are there in relationship with Kr!la.MadnessSrila Bilvamangala Thakur prays in his book as follows: "Let Srimat!Radhara!li purify the whole world, because She has surrenderedHerself completely unto Kr!la. Out of Her ecstatic love for Him,She sometimes acted just like an addled person and attempted tochurn curd, although there was no curd in the pot. And seeing this,Kr!la became so enchaned by Radhara!li that He began to milk abull instead of a cow." These are some of the instances of insanity ormadness in connection with the love affairs of Radha and Krsna. Inthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that when Kr!la entered the isonouswaters of the Yamuna, Srimati Y asoda Devi went insane. Insteadof searching for curative herbs, she began to speak to the trees as ifthey were snake chanters. With folded hands she began to bow downto the trees, asking them, "What is the medicinal herb which cancheck Krwa's dying from this poisonous water?" This is an instanceof insanity caused by some great danger.How a devotee can be in a state of insanity because of ecstaticlove is described in the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 4th verse ofSrimad-Bhiigavatam, where the gopis were searching for Kr!la in the

Expressions of Love for K[§[W 252forests of Vrndavana. The gop'is were loudly singing the glories ofKr!la and wandering from one forest to another in search of Him.They knew that Kr!ia is not localized, but all-pervading. He is in thesky, He is in the water, He is in the air, He is the supersoul in everyone'sheart. Thus the go pis began to inquire from all kinds of treesand plants about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is aninstance of ecstatic madness on the part of devotees.Similarly, there are symptoms of diseases caused by ecstatic love.This condition is credited by learned scholars as mahiibhiiva. Thishighly elevated condition is also called divyonmiida, or transcendentalmadness.ForgetfulnessWhen Kr!la was absent from V rndavana and was staying in Mathura,Sr'imati Radharii!J.'i sent news to Him that His mother, theQueen of Braja, was feeling such separation from Him that there wasfoam coming from her mouth, like the foam on the shore of theocean. And sometimes she was raising her arms like the waves of theocean, and because of her intense feelings of separation, she was rollingon the ground and creating a tumultuous roaring sound. Andsometimes she was remaining completely silent, like a calm sea. Thesesymptoms of separation from Kr!J.a are called apasmiira, or forgetfulness.One completely forgets his position when he manifests thesesymptoms in ecstatic love.Another message was once sent to Kr!ia informing Him that afterHe had killed Kamsa, one of Kamsa 's demon friends had gone insane.This demon was foaming at the mouth, waving his arms and rollingon the ground. This demonic demonstration is in relationship withKr!la in ghastly humor. This mellow or flavor is one of the indirectrelationships with Kr!J.a. The first five kinds of relationships arecalled direct, and the other seven are called indirect. Some way orother, the demon must have had some relationship with Kr!J.a, becausethese symptoms developed when he heard that Kr!la had alreadykilled Kamsa. Srila Rupa Gosvam'i remarks that there is alsotranscendental excellence in this kind of symptom.

253 The Nectar of DevotionDiseaseWhen Krtta was absent from Vrndavana and was staying at Mathura,some of His friends informed Him, "My dear Krtta, because oftheir separation from You, the inhabitants of Braja are so afflictedthat they appear to be diseased. Their bodies are feverish, and theycannot move properly. They are simply lying down on the groundand breathing heavily."In the Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, 41st verse of Sriinad-Bhiigavatam,Maharaj Parikit asked about Lord Ananta, and upon hearing thisquestion, Sukadeva Gosvami began to show symptoms of collapsing.Yet he checked himself and answered King Parikit 's question in amild voice. This collapsing condition is described as a feverish stateresulting from ecstatic pleasure.There is another statement in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam telling ofthe damsels of Braja meeting Krtta at the sacred place of Kuruketra,many years after their childhood pastimes. When they met in thatsacred place, all the gopis became stunned by the occurrence of asolar eclipse. Their breathing, blinking of the eyes and all similar activitiesstopped, and they stood before Krtta just like statues. This isanother instance of a diseased condition resulting ftom exhuberanttranscendental pleasure.

30 I Further Featuresof Ecstatic Love for Krsna• • •ConfusionThere is the following statement in the Harhsadiita: "One daywhen Srimati Radharai was feeling much affliction because of Herseparation from Kr!la, She went to the bank of the Yam una withsome of Her friends. There Radhara!li saw a cottage wherein She andKrwa had experienced many loving pleasures, and by rememberingthose incidents She immediately became overcome with dizziness.This dizziness was very prominently visible." This is an instance ofconfusion caused by separation.Similarly, there is a statement describing confusion caused by fearfulness.These symptoms were exhibited by Arjuna when he sawKr!la 's universal form on the battlefield of Kuruketra. His confusionwas so strong that his bow and arrows fell from his hand, and hecould not perceive anything clearly.DeathOnce the Bakasura demon assumed the shape of a very big duckand opened his mouth in order to swallow Kr!la and all the cowherdboys. When Kr!la was entering into the demon's mouth, Balaramaand the other cowherd boys almost fainted and appeared as thoughthey had no life. Even if they are illusioned by some ghastly sceneor by any accidental occurrence, devotees never forget Krwa. Evenin the greatest danger they can remember Kra. This is the benefit254

255 The Nectar of Devotionof Kra consciousness: even at the time of death, when all thefunctions of the body become dislocated, the devotee can rememberKra in his innermost consciousness, and this saves him from fallingdown into material existence. In this way Kra consciousness im·mediately takes one from the material platform to the spiritual world.In this connection there is a statement about persons who died atMathura: "These persons had a slight breathing exhiliration, theireyes were wide open, the colors of their bodies were changed, andthey began to utter the holy name of Kra. In this condition theygave up their material bodies." These symptoms are prior manifestationsof death.LazinessWhen, because of self-satisfaction or dislike of excessive labor, aperson does not perform his duty in spite of having the energy, he iscalled lazy. This laziness also is manifest in ecstatic love of Kn;a. Forexample, when some briihmartas were requested by Nanda Maharajto circumambulate Govardhan Hill, they told him that they weremore interested in offering benedictions than in circumambulatingGovardhan Hill. This is an instance of laziness caused by selfsatisfaction.Once when Kra, along with His cowherd boy friends, was havinga mock battle, Subala showed the symptoms of fatigue. Kra immediatelytold His other friends: "Subala is feeling too fatigued frommock-fighting with Me. So please do not disturb him anymore by invitinghim to fight." This is an instance of laziness caused by dislikeof excessive labor.InertnessIn the Tenth Canto, 21st Chapter, 13th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamthere is an appreciation by the gopis of the inertia of the cows inVrndavana. The gopis saw that the cows were hearing the sweetsongs vibrated by Krwa's flute and were appearing to be drinking thenectar of these transcendental sounds. The calves were stunned, andthey forgot to drink the milk from the milk bags. Their eyes seemed

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W 256to be embracing Krpa, and there were tears in their eyes. This is aninstance of inertia resulting from hearing the transcendental vibrationsof Krpa's flute.When Lakmapa became disturbed upon hearing words againstKrpa, she remained inert and did not move her eyelids. This is anotherexample of inertia caused by hearing.In the Tenth Canto, 7lst Chapter, 35th verse of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, there is an account of King Yudhithira's bewildermentafter his bringing Krpa into his home with the greatest respect. KingYudhithira was very much bewildered because of his transcendentalpleasure at having Krpa present in his house. In fact, while receivingKrpa, King Yudhithira forgot himself. This is an instance of inertiaresulting from the ecstasy of seeing Krwa.There is another instance in the Tenth Canto, 39th Chapter, 34thverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When Krpa was going to Mathura, allof the go pis were standing behind Krpa, and upon seeing the chariotleaving, they stood there stunned and did not move. They remainedlike that until the flag of the chariot and the dust thrown up by itswheels became invisible.Krpa was once addressed by His friend thus: "My dear Mukunda[Krpa], due to their being separated from You, the cowherd boysare standing just like neglected Deities in the house of a professionalbriihmal)a." There is a class of professional brahmal)as who take toDeity worship as a means of earning their livelihood. Brahmal)as inthis class are not very interested in the Deity; they are interestedmainly in the money they can earn as holy men. So the Deities worshipedby such professional brahmal)aS are not properly decorated,Their dress is not changed, and Their bodies are not cleaned. Theylook dirty and are not very attractive. Actually, Deity worshipshould be done very carefully: the dress should be changed daily,and as far as possible there should be ornaments. Everything shouldbe so clean that the Diety is attractive to all visitors. Here theexample is given of the Deities in the house of a professional brahmal)abecause such Deities are not at all attractive. The friends ofKrpa, in the absence of Krpa, were appearing like such neglectedDeities.

257 The Nectar of DevotionBashfulnessWhen Radhara:p.i was first introduced to Kra, She felt very bashful.One of Her friends addressed Her in this way: "My dear friend,You have already sold Yourself and all Your beauty to Govinda. NowYou should not be bashful. Please look upon Him cheerfully. Onewho has sold an elephant to another person should not make a miserlyquarrel about selling the trident which controls the elephant."This kind of 'bashfulness is due to a new introduction-in ecstatic lovewith Kra.The heavenly King, Indra, upon being defeated in his fight withKrp.a for possession of the purijuta flower, became very bashful becauseof his defeat. He was standing before Kra, bowing down hishead, when Kra said, "All right, Indra, you can take this piirijiitaflower. Otherwise, you will not be able to show your face beforeyour wife, Sacidevi." lndra's bashfulness was due to defeat. In anotherinstance, Krp.a began to praise U ddhava for his various highqualifications. Upon being praised by Kra, Uddhava also boweddown his head bashfully.In Hari-varhsa, Satyabhama, feeling slighted by Rukmii's highposition, said, "My dear Krwa, the Raivataka Mountain 'is always fullof spring flowers, but when I have become persona non grata to You,what is the use of my observing them?" This is an instance of bashfulnessresulting from being defeated.ConcealmentThere is a symptom of ecstatic love known as concealment, or tryingto hide one's real mental condition by externally showing anotherattitude. In this state of mind one tries to hide his mind by lookingaway in different directions, by unnecessarily trying for somethingwhich is impossible, or by using words which cover one's realthoughts. According to ucuryas expert in the study of psychologicalactivities, these attempts at hiding one's real affections are anotherpart of ecstatic feeling for Kra.In the Tenth Canto, 32nd Chapter, 14th verse of Srimad-

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for Kr§rza 258Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvaml states, "My dear King, the gopiswere always beautiful and decorated with confidential smiles andalluring garments. In their movements, intended to give impetus tolusty feelings, they would sometimes press Krwa's hand on their laps,and sometimes they would keep His lotus feet on their breasts. Afterdoing this, they would talk with Kn;a as if they were very angrywith Him."There is another instance of this concealment in ecstatic love.When Kr9a, the supreme joker, planted the piirijiita tree in thecourtyard of Satyabhama, Rukmil, the daughter of King Vi'rabhadra,became very angry, but due to her natural gentle behavior, she didnot express anything. No one could understand Rukmil's real mentalcondition. This is an instance of competitive concealment.There is another instance in the First Canto, llth Chapter, 28thverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. After entering Dvaraka, Kr9a was receivedin different ways by different members of His family. Uponseeing their husband from a distance, the queens of Dvaraka immediatelyembraced Him within their minds and slowly glanced overHim. As Kr9a came nearer, they pushed their sons forward to embraceHim. Others were trying, out of shyness, not to shed tears,but they still could not keep the tears from gliding down. This is aninstance of concealment caused by shyness.On another occasion, when Srlmatl Radharal thought that Kr9awas involved with another woman, She addressed Her friend in thismanner: "My dear friend, as soon as I think of Kr9a the cowherdboy attached to some other woman, I become stricken with fearfulnessand the hairs on My body stand up. I must be very careful thatKra will not see Me at such times." This is an instance of concealmentcaused by shyness and diplomatic behavior.It has been stated: "Although Srlmatl Radharal developed a deeploving affection for Krwa, She hid Her attitude in the core of Herheart so that others could not detect Her actual condition." This isan instance of concealment caused by gentleness.Once when Kr9a and His cowherd friends were enjoying friendlyconversation, Kr9a began to address His associates in casual language.At that time Kr9a's servant, Patrl, was also enjoying the con-

259The Nectar of Devotionversation. But then, remmbering his position of servitude, Patribowed down before his master, and with great respect and control,he stifled his smiling. This subdued smiling is an instance of concealmentcaused by a respectful attitude.RememberingThere are many symptoms of ecstatic love caused by rememberingKr!la. For example, one friend of Kr!la informed Him, "My dearMukunda, just after observing a bluish cloud in the sky, the lotuseyedRadhara!li immediately began to remember You. And simplyby observing this cloud She became lusty for Your association." Thisis an instance of remembering Kr!la in ecstatic love because of seeingsomething resembling Him. Kr!la's bodily complexion is very similarto the bluish hue of a cloud, so simply by observing a bluish cloud,Srimati Radhara!li remembered Him.One devotee said that even when he was not very attentive hewould sometimes, seemingly out of madness, remember the lotusfeet of Krsna within his heart. This is an instance of remembrance re-. . .suiting from constant practice. In other words, devotees who are constantlythinking of the lotus feet of Kr!la, even if they are momentarilyinattentive, will see the figure of Lord Kr!la appearing withintheir hearts.ArgumentativenessMadhumangala was an intimate friend of Kr!la coming from thebriihma!'-a community. Kr!ia's friends were mostly cowherd boys belongingto the vaisya community, but there were others who belongedto the briihmarw community. Actually, in Vrndavana the vaisyacommunity and the briihmar-a community are considered prominent.This Madhumangala one day addressed Kr!la in this fashion: "Mydear friend, I can see that You are not aware of the peacock feathersthat are falling on the ground, and at the same time You are unmindfulof the flower garlands which are offered to You. I think I canguess the reason for Your absent-mindedness when I see Your two

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§rl.U 260eyes flying over to the eyes of Srimati Radhara!!-1, just like blackdrones flying to lotus flowers." This is an instance of an argumentativesuggestion in ecstatic love.Once while Kr!la was out walking, one of the associates of Radhara!l-1told Her: "My dear friend, do You think that this walking personalityis a tiimala tree?* If He is a tiimala tree, then how is it possiblefor Him to walk and be so beautiful? Then, this personality might bea cloud. But if He's a cloud, then where is the beautiful moonwithin? Under the circumstances, I think it may be granted that thisperson is the same enchanting Personality of Godhead by whose flutevibration the three worlds are captivated. He must be the sameMukunda who is standing before Govardhan Hill." This is anotherinstance of an argumentative presentation of ecstatic love.AnxietyIn the Tenth Canto, 29th Chapter, 26th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, when Kr!ia asked all the gopis to go back to theirhomes, they did not like it. Because of their grief at this, they weresighing heavily, and their beautiful faces appeared to be drying up.In this condition they remained, without making a sound. They beganto draw lines on the ground with their toes, and with their tearsthey washed the black ointment from their eyes onto their breasts,which were covered with red kurikuma powder. This is an instance ofanxiety in ecstatic love.One of the friends of Kr!la once informed Him, "My dear killer ofthe demon Mura, Your kind and gentle mother is very anxious becauseYou have not returned home, and with great difficulty she haspassed the evening constantly sitting on the corridor platform ofYour home. It is certainly astonishing how You could forget Yourmother while You are off somewhere engaged in Your playful activities!"This is another instance of deep anxiety in ecstatic love.When Mother Y asoda was very anxiously waiting for Krwa to returnfrom Mathura, Maharaj Nanda gave her this solace: "My dear* The tiimala tree is always described as being the same color as Krwa.

261 The Nectar of DevotionYasoda, please don't be worried. Please dry your beautiful lotus-likeface. There is no need for you to breathe so hotly. I will go immediatelywith Akrura to the palace of Kamsa and get your son backfor you." Here is an instance of anxiety in ecstatic love caused byKra 's awkward position.ThoughtfulnessIn the Vaisiikha-miihiitmya section of the Padma Puriirw a devoteestates that though in some of the eighteen Puriirws the process ofglorifying Lord Viu is not mentioned, and the glorifying of somedemigod is offered, such glorification must be continued for millionsof years. For when one studies the Puriirws very scrutinizingly, he cansee that, ultimately, Lord Viu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.This is an instance of ecstatic love developed out of thoughtfulness.In the Tenth Canto, 68th Chapter, 30th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, there is an account of Rukmi'idevi's writing a letter toKra requesting Him to kidnap her before her marriage to anotherperson. At that time the specific attachment of Rukmi'i for Krwawas expressed by Rukmi'i as follows: "My dear Lord Kra, Yourtranscendental glories are chanted by great sages who are free frommaterial contamination, and in exchange for such. glorification Youare so kind that You freely distribute Yourself to such devotees. Asone can elevate oneself simply by Your grace, so also by Your directionalone one may be lost to all benedictions under the influence ofeternal time. Therefore I have selected Your lordship as my husband,brushing aside personalities like Brahma and lndra-not tomention others." Rukmi'i enhanced her love for Krwa simply bythinking of Him. This is an instance of thoughtfulness in ecstaticlove.EnduranceWhen a person is fully satisfied due to attaining knowledge, transcendingall distress, or achieving his desired goal of life in transcen-

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for Krrra 262dental devotional service to God-at that time his state of enduranceor steady mind is called dhrti. At this stage one is not perturbed byany amount of loss, nor does anything appear to be unachieved byhim.According to the opinion of Bhartrhari, the learned scholar, whena person is elevated to this state of endurance, he thinks as follows:"I do not wish to be a highly posted government servant. I shall besatisfied even if I have to eat food collected by begging. I shall preferto remain naked, without proper dress of garments. I shall prefer tolie down on the ground without any matress. And despite all thesedisadvantages, I shall refuse to serve anyone, not even the govern·ment." In other words, when one is in ecstatic love with the Personalityof Godhead, he can endure any kind of disadvantages calculatedunder the material concept of life.Nanda Maharaj, the father of Kn;a, used to think: "In my pasturingground the goddess of fortune is personally present, and Ipossess. more than ten hundred_ thousand cows which loiter here andthere. And above all, I have a· son like Kra, who is such a powerful,wonderful worker. Therefore, even though I am a householder, I amfeeling so satisfied!" This is an instance of mental endurance resultingfrom the absence of all distress.In another instance a devotee says, "I am always swimming in thenectarean ocean of the pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, andas such I have no more attraction for religious rituals, economic development,sense gratification, or even the ultimate salvation ofmerging into the existence of Brahman." This is an instance of themind's endurance due to achieving the best thing in the world. Thebest thing in the world is absorption in Kra consciousness.Happmess-It is described in the Vi§[!-U Puriir-a that when Akrura came to takeKrwa and Balarama to Mathur a, just by seeing Their faces he becameso cheerful that all over his body there were symptoms of ecstaticlove. This state is called happiness.It is stated in the Tenth Canto, 33rd Chapter, 12th verse of Srimad-

263 The Nectar of Devotionc,Bhiigavatam: "Upon seeing that Kra's arm was placed on her shoulder,one of the gopis engaged in the rasa dance became so ecstaticallyhappy that she kissed Krwa on His cheek." This is an instance offeeling happiness because of achieving a desired goal.EagernessIn the Tenth Canto, 7lst Chapter, 29th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, it is said: "When Kr9a first came from His Kingdom,Dvaraka, to lndraprastha;* the young females of the city became soeager to see Him that even at night, when they were lying down withtheir husbands, they could not restrain their eagerness. Even thoughthey were not properly dressed and although their hair was loose andthere were many household duties to perform, they still gave upeverything and immediately went into the street to see Krwa." Thisis an instance of eagerness of ecstatic love.In his book Staviivali, Sri Rupa Gosvami has prayed for the mercyof Radharapi, who was so captivated by-the flute vibrations of Kr9athat She immediately asked information of His whereabouts fromresidents in the V rndavana forest. Upon first seeing Krwa, She wasfilled with such ecstatic love and pleasure that She began to scratchher ears. The damsels of Braja and Radharai were very expert intalking cunningly, so as soon as they saw Kr9a they began theirtalkings; and Kr9a, pretending to go for some flowers for them,immediately left that place and entered into a mountain cave. Thisis another instance of eager loving exchanges on the parts of both thegopis and Kr9a.When Kr9a was fighting with the Kaliya snake by dancing on hisheads, Kaliya bit Krwa on the leg. At that time Garu9a became infuriatedand began to murmur: "Krwa is so powerful that simply byHis thundering voice the wives of Kaliya have had miscarriages. Becausemy Lord has been insulted by this snake, I wish to immediatelydevour him, but I cannot do so in the presence of my Lord, becauseHe may become angry with me." This is an instance of eagerness toact in ecstatic love as a result of dishonor to Kr9a.* lndraprastha is the present-day Delhi.

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W 264When Sisupala objected to the worship of Kr9t;ta in the riija-siiyaarena at a sacrifice organized by Maharaj Yudhi9thira, N akula, theyounger brother of Arjuna, said, "A person who cannot tolerate theworship of Kr9t;ta is my enemy and is possessed of a demonic nature.Therefore I wish to -strike my ieft foot upon his broad head, juBt topunish him more strongly than the wand of Yamaraja!" Then Nakulabegan to lament like this: "0, all auspiciousness to Lord Krt;ta! I amso surprised to see that the condemned descendants of the Kurudynasty, who so unlawfully occupied the throne of the Kuru kingdom,are at the same time criticizing Krt;ta with diplomatic devices.0, this is intolerable!" This is another instance of eagerness causedby dishonor to Kr9t;ta.Haughtiness, Resulting in Dishonorable WordsIn the Vidagdha-miidhava, Kutila, a sister-in-law of Radharat;ti,began to criticize Kr9t;ta in this way: "Kr9t;ta, You are standing here,and Radharat;ti, who has just been married to my brother, is alsostanding here. Now I know both of You very well, so why should I notbe very anxious to protect my sister-in-law from Your dancing eyes?"This is an instance of dishonorable words used to indirectly criticizeKr9t;ta.Similarly, some of the gopis once began to address Kr9t;ta withthese dishonorable words: "My dear Krwa, You are a first-class thief.So please leave this place immediately. We know You love Candravalimore than us, but there is no use in praising her in our presence!Kindly do not contaminate the name of Radharat;ti in this place!"This is another instance of dishonorable words cast upon Kr9t;ta inecstatic love.There is another statement in the Tenth Canto, 31st Chapter, 16thverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. When all the gopis came out of theirhomes to meet Krt;ta in the Vrndavana forest, Krwa refused toaccept them and asked them to go home, giving them some moralinstruction. At that time the gopis began to speak as follows: "Mydear Krt;ta, there is extreme distress in being out of Your presence,and there is extreme happiness simply in seeing You. Therefore wehave all left our husbands, relatives, brothers and friends and have

-265 The Nectar of Devotionsimply come to You, being captivated by the sound of Your transcendentalflute. 0 infallible one, You had better know what is thereason for our coming here. In plain words, we are here simply becausewe have been captivated by the sweet sound of Your flute. Weare all beautiful girls, and You are so foolish that You are rejectingour association. We do not know anyone, other than Yourself, whowould miss this opportunity to associate with young girls in the deadof night!" This is another instance of indirect insults used againstKra in ecstatic love.In the Padyiivali, one of the friends of Radharai once addressedHer thusly: "My dear friend, please do not be too puffed up becauseKra has decorated Your forehead with His own hand. It may bethat Kra is yet attracted by some other beautiful girl. I see that thedecoration on Your forehead is very nicely made, and so it appearsthat Kra was not too disturbed in painting it. Otherwise, he couldnot have painted such exact lines!" This is an instance of indirectdishonor caused by Radha's good fortune.In the Tenth Canto, 30th Chapter, 26th verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam there is the following statement: "When the gopis weresearching after Kra and Radha after the riisa dance, they thus beganto speak amongst themselves: 'We have seen the footprints of Kraand Radha on the ground of Vrndavana, and they are giving us greatpain, because Kra is everything to us. But that girl is so cunningthat She has taken Him away alone and is enjoying His kissing withoutsharing Him with us!"' This is another instance of casting dishonorablewords against Kra and Radha, pouting over the goodfortune of Srimati Radharai.EnvySometimes when the cowherd boys used to play in the forests ofVrndavana, Kra would play on one side, and Balarama would playon another. There would be competition and mock fighting betweenthe two parties, and when Krwa 's party was defeated by Balarama,the boys would say, "If Balarama's party remains victorious, thenwho in the world can be weaker than ourselves?" This is an instanceof envy in ecstatic love.

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§!W 266ImpudenceIn the Tenth Canto, 52nd Chapter, 33rd verse of the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Rukmii addresses a letter to Krwa as follows: "Mydear unconquerable Kra, my marriage day is fixed for tomorrow. Irequest that You come to the city of Vidarbha without advertisingYourself. Then have Your soldiers and commanders suddenly surroundand defeat all the strength of the King of Magadha and by thusadopting the methods of the demons, please kidnap and marry me."According to the Vedic system there are eight kinds of marriages,out of which one is called riik§aSa-viviiha. Riik§asa-viviiha refers to kidnappinga girl and marrying her by force and is considered to be ademonic method. When Rukmii was going to be married to Sisupalaby the choice of her elder brother, she wrote the above letter toKra requesting Him to kidnap her. This is an instance of impudencein ecstatic love for Krsna .. . .One of the go pis said, "May Kra's sweet flute be washed away bythe waves of the Yamuna, and let it fall into the ocean! The sweetsound of that flute is so impudent that it makes us lose all composurebefore our superiors."DizzinessEvery evening at sunset Kra used to return from the pasturingground where He herded cows. Sometimes when Mother Y asodacould not hear the sweet vibration of His flute she would become veryanxious, and because of this she would feel dizzy. Thus, dizzinesscaused by anxiety in ecstatic love for Kra is also possible.When Y asoda had tied Kra up one time, she began to think,"Kra's body is so soft and delicate, how co!lld I have tied Him withrope?" Thinking this, her brain became puzzled, and she felt dizziness.The gopis were advised by their superiors to bolt the doors atnight, but they were so carefree that they did not carry out this ordervery rigidly. Sometimes, by thinking of Krwa, they became so confidentof being out of all danger that they would lie down at night inthe courtyards of their houses. This is an instance of dizziness in

267 The Nectar of Devotionecstatic love due to natural affection for Krl).a.It may be questioned why devotees of Krl).a should be attacked bydizziness, which is usually considered a sign of the modes of ignorance.To answer this question, Sri Jiva Gosvami has said that thedevotees of Lord Krwa are always transcendental to all the modes ofmaterial nature; when they feel dizziness or go to sleep, they are notconsidered to be sleeping under the modes of nature, but are acceptedas being in a trance of devotional service. There is an authoritativestatement in the GarU

Further Features of Ecstatic Love for K[§[W 268He immediately disappeared, and because of this Radharapi becameso afflicted that the hue of Her body changed, and She immediatelyfell down upon the ground of Vrndavana. She had practically stoppedbreathing, but when She smelled the flavor of the flowers on theground, She awoke in ecstasy and got up. This is an instance of transcendentalalertness caused by smelling.When Krpa was touching the body of one go pi, the go pi began toaddress her companion thus: "My dear friend, whose hand is thistouching my body? I had become very afraid after seeing the darkenedforest on the bank of the Yamuna, but suddenly the touch ofthis hand has saved me from hysterical fits." This is an instance ofalertness caused by touching.One of the gopis informed Krpa, "My dear Krwa, when You disappearedfrom the arena of the riisa dance, our most dear friend,Radharapi, immediately fell on the ground and lost consciousness.But after this, when I offered Her some of Your chewed betel nutremnants, She immediately returned to consciousness with jubilantsymptoms in Her body." This is an instance of alertness caused bytasting.One night .Srimati Radharapi was talking in a dream. "My dearKrwa," She said. "Please do not play any more jokes on Me! Pleasestop! And please don't touch My garments either. Otherwise I shallinform the elderly persons, and I shall disclose all of Your naughtybehavior." While She was talking like this in a dream, She suddenlyawoke and saw some of Her superiors standing before Her. ThusRadharapi became ashamed and bowed Her head. This is an instanceof alertness after awakening from sleep.There is another instance of this. A messenger from Krpa came toSrimati Radharapi while She was sleeping, and Radharapi immediatelyawakened. Similarly, when Krpa began to blow on His flute in thenight, all of the gopis, the beautiful daughters of the cowherd men,immediately got up from their sleep. There is a very beautiful comparisonmade in this connection: "The lotus flower is sometimes surroundedby white swans, and sometimes it is surrounded by blackwasps who are collecting its honey. When there is a thundering in thesky, the swans go away, but the black wasps stay to enjoy the lotus

269 The Nectar of Devotionflowers." The go pis' sleeping condition is compared to the whiteswans, and the sound of Kra's flute is compared to a black wasp.When Kra 's flute sounded, the white swans, which represent thesleeping condition of the gopis, were immediately vanquished, andthe black wasp sound of the flute began to enjoy the lotus flower ofthe gopis' beauty.

31 I Additional SymptomsAll the above-mentioned thirty-one symptoms of ecstatic love arecalled vyabhiciiri, or disturbing. All these symptoms refer to apparentlydisturbed conditions, but even in such disturbed conditionsthere is acute ecstatic love for Kn;pa. These symptoms, however, canbe divided into three groups: first class, second class and third. Thereare many other disturbing symptoms in ecstatic love, such as envy,anxiety, pride, jealousy, conclusion, cowardliness, forgiveness, impatience,hankering, regret, doubtfulness and impudence. These are includedin all the thirty-one conditions of ecstatic love. Srila RiipaGosvami has very nicely analyzed the different kinds of disturbingsymptoms, and although it is very difficult to find the exact Englishequivalents for many Sanskrit words used here, his analysis will nowbe presented.When one becomes malicious upon seeing another's advancementof life, his state of mind is generally called envy. When one becomesfrightened at seeing a lightning bolt in the sky, that fearfulness bringson anxiety. Therefore, fearfulness and anxiety can be taken as one.When someone wants to hide his real mentality, it is called avahittha,or concealment. When a person wants to exhibit superiority, it iscalled pride. Both of these can be classified under pretension. In apretentious attitude both avahittha and pride are to be found. Whenone cannot tolerate an offense committed by another, it is calledamar§a, and when one cannot tolerate the opulence of another it iscalled jealousy. Jealousy and amar§a are both caused by intolerance.When one is able to establish the correct import of a word, it can becalled conclusiveness. And before such a conclusive determination of270

271 The Nectar of Devotionimport, there must be thoughtful consideration. Therefore, the act ofconsideration is present during the establishment of a conclusion.When one presents himself as ignorant, it is called humility, and whenthere is absence of enthusiasm it is called cowardice. Therefore, inhumility, there is cowardice also. When the mind is steadfast it iscalled enduring, and when one can tolerate others' offenses, that iscalled endurance. Therefore, forgiveness and endurance can be synonymous.When one becomes anxious for time to pass, that is calledimpatience, and when one sees something wonderful one is said to bestruck with wonder. Impatience may be caused by being struck withwonder, and so impatience and being struck with wonder can besynonymous. When anxiety is in its dormant stage it is called hankering.Therefore, anxiety and hankering can also be synonymous. Whenone becomes regretful for some offense, his feeling is called bashfulness.In this way, bashfulness and regret can be synonymous. Doubtfulnessis one of the aspects of argument. After exhibiting impudenceone becomes restless. Therefore restlessness and impudence can besynonymous.When all such symptoms are included in ecstatic love, they arecalled aficiiri, or continuously existing ecstatic symptoms. All ofthese symptoms are transcendental, and they are exhibited in differentways, acting and interacting under different conditions. They arelike the reciprocation of love between the lover and beloved.When a person is envious or defamed, there may be a change in thecolor of the body. This can be classified as vibhiiva, or sub-ecstasy.Sometimes illusion, collapse and strong anxiety are also consideredto be vibhiiva. When there are many such symptoms, they can simplybe gr ouped together under ecstatic love.Srila Rupa Gosvami says that fright, sleep, fatigue, laziness and themadness of intoxication are sometimes grouped under continuoussymptoms of ecstatic love, and they are due to a strong attraction.False argument, determination, steadiness, remembrance, joyfulness,ignorance, humility and unconsciousness are also different syl11P­toms of ecstatic love. Dependence is also grouped under ecstatic love,and this can be divided into superior dependence and inferior dependence.The direct differentiations between superior and inferior

Additional Symptoms 272dependence are ascertained by Riipa Gosvami and will be presentedin due course.One devotee exclaimed, "Oh, I cannot see the district of Mathura!Even though by simply hearing the name of Mathura the hairs of mybody are standing up, I cannot see the place. So of what use are myeyes?" This statement reveals a strong anxiety to see the district ofMathur a resulting from a strong attachment to Krpa. There is anotherinstance of this strong attachment for Krpa expressed by Bhimawhen he began to murmur, "My arms are just like thunderbolts, butdespite these arms I could not smash Sisupala while he was blasphemingKrpa. Therefore, of what use are these strong arms?" In thisinstance Bhima became angry, and, being influenced by such anger,his hopelessness became a cause for strong attachment to Krpa. Thisinstance can be described as strong attachment for Krpa in anger.When Arjuna witnessed the universal form of Krpa, whose dazzlingteeth were practically devouring the very existence of theuniverse, Arjuna's mouth became dried up. At that time Arjuna forgothimself and could not understand that he was Arjuna, Krpa'sfriend, although he was always dependent upon Krpa's mercy. Thisincident is an example of inferior dependence.Sometimes ghastly activities also support strong ecstatic love forKrsna. This state of mind is called ecstatic fearfulness under illu.sion.I ·the Tenth Canto, 23rd Chapter, 32nd verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamthere is the following statement by the briihmar-as who were performingsacrifices: "We have all been born into three advantageous conditions:we are in high briihmar-a families, we have ceremoniously receivedthe sacred thre;td, and we are also properly initiated by aspiritual master. But, alas, in spite of all these advantages, we arecondemned. Even our observance of brahmacarya [celibacy] is condemned.'·The briihmar-as thus began to condemn their own activities.They realized that in spite of being so elevated by birth, educationand culture, they still were under the spell of the illusory energy.They also admitted that even great yogis who are not devotees of theLord are covered by the influence of material energy. This kind ofhopelessness felt by the briihmar-as who were performing ritualistic

273 The Nectar of Devotionceremonies shows practically no attachment for Krwa. There is anotherhopelessness, however, which shows attachment for Kr!la.When the bull demon attacked the damsels of Braja, they began tocry out, "My dear Kr!la-please save us! We are now gone!" This ishopelessness with attachment for Kr!la.When the Kes'i demon was assassinated by Kr!la, Kamsa beamehopeless. He began to say, "Kes'idaitya was as dear to me as my ownlife, but he has been killed by some cowherd boy who is crude, uneducatedand ignorant of fighting. Even though I have defeated theKing of heaven without difficulty, still I do not know the value oflife." Because this hopelessness has a slight touch of attraction forKr!la, it is considered to be a reflection of ecstatic love in hopelessness.Kamsa once rebuked Akrura by saying, "You are such a fool thatyou are accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be a cowherdboy, simply because He has defeated some harmless water snake!The boy may have lifted one pebble called Govardhan Hill, but whatis more surprising than that is your statement that this boy is thePersonality of Godhead!" This is an instance of a maliciously opposingelement, caused by hopelessness in ecstatic love for Kr9!1a.One devotee tried to console a kadamba tree when the tree waslamenting because Kr!la had not touched even its shadow. The devoteesaid, "My dear kadamba tree, do not be worried. Just after defeatingthe Kaliya snake in the Yamuna River, Kr!la will come andsatisfy your desire." This is an instance of inappropriate hopelessnessin ecstatic love for Kr!la.Garua, the eagle, the carrier of Vi9!lu, once said, "Who can bemore pure than I? Where is there a second bird like me, so able andcompetent? Kr9!1a may not like me; He may not wish to join myparty, but still He has to take advantage of my wings!" This is aninstance of hopelessness in the neutral mood of ecstatic love.The symptoms of ecstatic love are sometimes grouped under fourheadings-namely, generation, conjunction, aggregation and satisfaction.Kr9!1a once told Radhara!l-1, "My dear friend, when You tried tomeet Me alone in the morning, Your friend Mekhala remained hungrywith envy. Just look at her!" When Kr9!1a was joking with Radhara!l-1

Additional Symptoms 274in this way, Radhara!li moved her beautiful eyebrows crossly. RiipaGosvami prays that everyone may become blessed by this movementof Srimati Radharii!J.i's eyebrows. This is an instance of the generationof malice in ecstatic love of Krwa.One night, after the Piitana demon had been killed, baby Kr!lacould be seen playing upon her breast. Upon seeing this, Yasoda becamestunned for some time. This is an example of a conjunction ofvarious symptoms of ecstatic love. The conjunction can be auspiciousor inauspicious. That the Piitana demon had been killed was auspicious,but that Krwa was playing on her breast in the dead of night,with no one to help Him in case of trouble, was inauspicious. Y asodawas caught between auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.After Krwa had just learned to walk, He was going in and out ofthe house very frequently. Yasoda became surprised and said, "Thischild is too restless and cannot be controlled! He is incessantly goingabout the neighborhood of Gokula [Vrndavana], and then He iscoming back inside the house. I see that the child is very fearless, butin spite of His fearlessness, I am becoming more and more afraid ofHis falling into some danger." This again is an instance of the conjunctionof two opposing elements: the child was very fearless, but atthe same time Yasoda was becoming fearful of some danger. Heredanger is the cause, and Yasoda's feelings are in conjunction of twoopposing symptoms. In other words, Y asoda was feeling both happinessand doubt, or growing fear.When Devaki, the mother of Kr!J.a, saw her son very jubilant in thepresence of the wrestlers in Kamsa 's arena, two kinds of tears weresimultaneously gliding down her cheeks: sometimes her tears werewarm, and sometimes they were cold. This is an instance of a conjunctionof jubilation and lamentation due to different causes of ecstaticlove.Once when Srimati Radharii!J.i was standing on the bank of theYam una River in the forest of Vrndavana, She was attacked by Kr!J.a,who was stronger than She. Although She externally expressed a disturbedmood from this incident, within Herself She was smiling andfeeling great satisfaction. Externally She moved Her eyebrows andmade a show of rejecting Krwa. In this mood Radhara!li looked verybeautiful, and Srila Riipa Gosvami glorified Her beauty. This is an

275 The Nectar of Devotioninstance of exhibiting varying feelings in ecstatic love, although thecause is one only-Kr!la.Sometimes there were great festivals in the house of NandaMaharaj, and all of the inhabitants of Vrndavana would assemble forthese festivals. During one such festival, Srimati Radhara!li was seenwearing a golden necklace given Her by Kr!la. This was immediatelydetected by Mother Yasoda as well as by Radhara!!i's mother, becausethe necklace was too long for Radhara!!i's neck. At the same timeRadhara!li could see Kr!!a nearby, as well as Her own husband,Abhimanyu. So all of these things combined to make Radhara!li feelvery much ashamed, and with Her face shrivelled She began to lookvery beautiful. In this case there was a combination of bashfulness,anger, jubilation and lamentation. This is an instance of an aggregateof symptoms of ecstatic love.Kamsa once said, "What harm can this boy do to me? He has nopower." The next moment Kamsa was informed that all of his friendshad been killed by the boy. Then Kamsa began to think in perplexity,"Shall I go immediately and surrender unto Him? But how can agreat warrior do this?" The next moment he thought, "Why should Ibe afraid of Him? There are still so many wrestlers standing to supportme." But the next moment he began to consider: "The boy iscertainly not common, because He has lifted Govardhan Hill with Hisleft hand. So what can I do in this connection? Let me go to V rndavanaand inflict pains on all the residents there. But still I cannot evengo out, because my heart is trembling from fear of this boy!" Thiscondition of Kamsa's mind reveals an instance of pride, lamentation,humility, determination, remembrance, doubtfulness, anger and fear.Actually eight different symptoms comprised the mental condition ofKamsa. This is another instance of an aggregate of symptoms in hopelessecstatic love.One householder devotee once said, "My Lord, I am so wretchedthat these two eyes are never desiring to see the glorious city ofMathura. Therefore, my eyes are actually condemned. I am nicelyeducated, but my education has simply been used in governmentservice. I have not considered formidable time, stronger than anythingelse, which creates and annihilates everything. To whom shall I

Additional Symptoms 276leave all of my wealth and fortune? I am becoming older and older.What shall I do? Shall I execute devotional service from here at home?This I cannot do, because my mind is being attracted by the transcendentalland of v rndavana."This is an instance of hopelessness, pride, doubtfulness, patience,lamentation, determination and eagerness-an aggregation of sevendifferent symptoms in ecstatic love for Krwa.There is a proverb in Sanskrit which says, "Disappointment givesrise to the greatest satisfaction." In other words, when one's sentimentor ambition becomes too great and is not fulfilled until afterseemingly hopeless tribulation, that is taken as the greatest satisfaction.Once the cowherd boys in V rndavana were vainly searchingafter Krtta for a long time, and for that reason their faces becameblackened, and their complexions appeared faded. Just then theycould hear on the hill a faint vibration from Krwa's flute. Immediatelyall of them became very much engladdened. This is an instanceof satisfaction in the midst of disappointment.Srila Rilpa Gosvami says that although he has no expert knowledgeabout the sounds and meanings and mellows of the symptoms ofecstatic love, he has tried to give some examples of different varietiesof love of KrtJ.a. He further states that the thirty-one disturbingsymptoms of ecstatic love, plus nine other symptoms, all taken togetherequal forty primary symptoms of ecstatic love. These symptomscreate transformations of bodily activities as well as movementsof the senses. All of them can be accepted as different feelings of theheart. Sometimes some of the feelings are quite natural. Sometimessome of the feelings are just temporary appearances. Those symptomswhich are very natural always remain, both within and without-the devotee.As one can detect the color of dye a cloth was soaked in by lookingat the cloth, so, simply by understanding the different signs ofthese symptomatic features, one can understand the actual position.In other words, although attachment for Krtta is one, nevertheless,because there exist different kinds of devotees, such attachment ismanifested in many varieties. As clothing tinged red appears red, sothe temporary appearance of a certain type of feeling can be detected()

277 The Nectar of Devotionor observed by the specific ecstatic symptom. In fact, all the differenthumors and mellows of the devotees possess various specific feelingswithin the mind. And, according to these differences, the symptomsof ecstatic love appear in different forms and degrees. If one's heartis highly elevated, grave and magnanimous, or if one's heart is roughand crude, different symptoms of ecstatic love will appear, influencedby the condition of the heart. Actually, people cannot generallyunderstand such different qualities of mentality, but when one's heartis very soft or gentle, these symptoms become very easily visible, andone can understand very clearly. The heart of o:1.e who is highly elevatedand grave is compared with gold. If one's heart is very soft andgentle, his heart is compared with a cotton swab. When there is anecstatic sensation within the mind, the golden heart or grave heart isnot agitated, but the soft heart immediately becomes agitated.To offer another example, a grave, magnanimous heart is comparedto a great city, and a soft heart to an insignificant cottage. There maybe many lights, or even great elephants in the big city, but no one willtake particular notice of them. But when such lights or elephants areseen near a small cottage, everyone can distinctly point them out.Hardness of the heart is compared to a lightning bolt, with goldand with shellac. The lightning bolt is very strong and never becomessoft. Similarly, the hearts of those who are engaged in severe austeritiesand penances do not become very easily softened. The goldeneart becomes melted at high temperature, as in ecstatic love. Andfhe shellac heart is very easily melted in slight temperature.Softness of the heart is compared with honey, with butter and withnectar. And the condition of the mind is compared with sunshine. Ashoney and butter become melted even in slight sunshine, so softheartedpersons become easily melted. Nectar, however, is by its naturealways liquid. And the hearts of those who are in pure ecstaticlove with Krwa are by nature always liquified, just like nectar.A pure devotee of Kr9!ia is always specifically qualified with nectareanqualifications and sometimes with the qualifications of butterand honey. On the whole, all the different conditions of the heartmentioned above can be melted under certain circumstances, just asa hard diamond sometimes is melted by a combination of certain

Additional Symptoms 278chemicals. In the Diina-keli-kaumudi it is stated, "When love developsin the heart of a devotee, he cannot check the transformation of hissentiments. It is just like at the rising of the moon, when the ebb tideof the ocean cannot be checked: immediately there must be movementof high waves." Although in its natural state, the ocean is alwaysvery grave and unfathomable, when the moon rises, nothing cancheck the ocean's agitation. Similarly, those who are pure devoteescannot on any account check the movements of their feelings within.

32 I Symptoms of Continuous EcstasyThe continuous ecstasy of love can remain like a powerful king,subduing all temporary manifestations of love as well as any opposingelements of anger. It can be exhibited directly or indirectly, and thusecstatic love can be described as direct or indirect. These symptomsof ecstatic love are possible only when one is fully situated in a transcendentalposition. Direct ecstatic love can be divided into twogroups-namely, selfish and selfless.When noncontradictory symptoms· of ecstatic love are distinctlymanifest, any contradictory symptoms create a sense of abomination.Contradictory ecstatic love is called selfish. That ecstatic love whichcan adjust all contradictory or noncontradictory symptoms is calleddirect selfless love. These selfless symptoms can again be divided intofive groups: neutrality, servitude, fraternity, parenthood and conjugallove. Such ecstatic love assumes a particular mode in contact withdifferent objects of love.Neutrality can be further subdivided into general, transparent andpeaceful. An attraction for Kra by the people in general or by childrencannot take any specific or satisfactory position. It can be manifestsometimes in trembling of the body and changing of the color ofthe eyes (to red, white, etc.), although there is no symptom of anyparticular affection.One old man was told by a young man: "Just see how this childonlythree years old-is so jubilant! Simply by seeing Kra he is runningso swiftly, making a tumultuous sound. Just see!" This is aninstance of neutral ecstatic love in the heart of a child, without anyspecific subdivision. Due to the different types of attraction for279

Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy 280Krwa, there are different varieties of devotees. Their symptoms aremanifested transparently, just like jewels.It is said that a great devotee briihmar-a would sometimes addressthe Supreme Personality of Godhead as master, and sometimes hewould joke with the Lord, using different kinds of familiar words;sometimes he would protect the Lord with a filial affection, andsometimes he would cry out to the Lord, addressing Him as his beloved;and sometimes he would meditate on the Lord as the supersoul.This means that the briihmar-a expressed his ecstatic lovingsymptoms in different ways at different times. But in each instance,because of ecstatic love, the briihmar-a merged himself in the ocean ofhappiness and became situated in pure love. Thus he was a transparentmedium, like a jewel that shows reality in varying colors according toits own nature.When the great sage Narada was glorifying the pastimes of the Lordwith his vir-a, the four Kumaras, headed by Sanaka, although mergedin the impersonal conception of Brahman, were trembling all over.Another devotee once exclaimed, "Although I can achieve liberationsimply by serving the devotees, my mind is still very much anxious tosee the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodily complexionis just like a dark cloud." When a devotee is so anxious to contact theSupreme Personality of Godhead, that can also be accepted as asymptom of neutral love.Generally, a devotee of Lord Krpa can be placed into one of threegroups. One group consists of those who are completely dependenton the merciful affection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;another group consists of devotees who are dealing with Krpa onfriendly terms; and the third group consists of those who are dealingwith Krpa as His superior, with parental affection. These three classesof devotees gradually develop different relationships of transcendentalmellow with the Personality of Godhead. When the attraction forKrwa is based only on one particular humor, that is called kevala, orpure state. One in this pure state of devotional service gradually developsthe desire to follow in the footsteps of an eternal associate ofKrpa, e.g., to follow in the footsteps of Rasala, the personal attendantof Krwa in Goloka Vrndavana, or to follow Krpa's friends, like

281 The Nectar of DevotionSridama and Sudama, or to follow Nanda and Yasoda, devotees inparenthood. Ecstatic love for Kra is never manifested directly withKra Himself. The devotee has to follow in the footsteps of theeternal associates of Kra in Goloka Vrndavana.When transcendental humors in relationship with Kra becomemixed (e.g., when the relationships with Kra in friendship, servitorshipand parental love become mixed together), the result is calledmixed humor or flavor. Such mixed transcendental flavors are manifestedby such devotees as Uddhava, Bhima and Mukhara, the personalattendant of Mother Y asoda. Although devotional humors aresometimes found in mixtures, a particular humor is always fQl,!nd tobe a prominent and constant factor. That prominent humor is to beaccepted as the devotee's main relationship with Kra. For example,Uddhava is in relationship with Krwa as a friend, but in Uddhava'scharacter a trace of servitude to Kra is also visible. Such friendshipis called friendship in reverence. The friendship typified by Sridamaand Sudama, however, is the standard of friendship without any tingeof reverence.Subordinate Ecstatic LoveThe devotees who always think of Kra as a superior are in subordinateecstatic love. To such a devotee the concept of inferiority tothe Lord is very prominent, and he rarely takes interest in any otherkind of transcendental loving humor with the Lord.In the Mukunda-miilii-stotra compiled by King Kulasekhara, oneof the prayers says, "My dear Lord, You are the deliverer of livingentities from the hellish condition of materialistic life, but that doesnot matter to me. Whether I am elevated to the heavenly platform orremain on this earthly planet or am dispatched to some hellishplanet, that does not matter at all to me. My only prayer is that atthe time of my death I may simply remember Your two beautifulfeet, which are just like lotus flowers fructifying during the autumnseason."FriendshipAs far as friendship is concerned, those high-grade devotees who

Symptoms of Continuous Ecstasy 282are almost like K:rpa are considered to be great authorities in themodes of friendly relations with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.On that friendly platform there are different kinds of laughingand joking conversations. An example of such a friendly relationshipwith K:rpa is described in the Srimad-Bhiigavatam when K:ra wasonce thinking, "Today, while I was engaged in tending the cows inthe pasturing ground of V:rndavana, I went to collect some flowers ina beautiful garden. At that time My friends, the cowherd boys, wereunhappy even to tolerate a two-minute separation from Me. And,when they found Me, there was competition between us as to whowould touch the other first with the flowers we had in hand."One friend criticized K:rpa thus: "My dear Damodara, althoughYou have been defeated by Sridama and have become sufficientlyminimized in strength, by a false expression of strength You havesomehow covered Your shameful condition of defeat."Parenthood, or SuperiorityWhen Mother Yasoda heard that K:rpa's cows were being forciblymoved by the strong servants of Kamsa and that the tender cowherdboys were trying to protect their cows, she began to think, "Howcan I protect these poor boys from the invasion of Kamsa's servants?"This is an instance of a superior attitude in a devotee.As soon as Mother Y asoda found her son K:ra returning from thepasturing ground, she immediately began to pat Him, touching herfingers to the cheeks of the Lord.

"-,33 I Conjugal AffectionAbove even the humor of love between Kra and His parents isthe relationship of conjugal love. This is exhibited between the Lordand the young gopis in different ways-glancing, moving the eyebrows,speaking very sweet words, and exchanging smiles.There is a statement in Govinda-viliisa to this effect: "SrimatiRadharai was looking for Kra very anxiously and almost disappointedly."When there is such indirect expression of conjugallove, there is smiling, astonishment, enthusiasm, lamentation, anger,dread and sometimes ghastliness. These seven exchanges of conjugallove form another state of ecstatic love.In a direct relationship of conjugal love, there is laughter, astonishment,chivalry, lamentation, anger and dread, but there is no ghastliness.These expressions are considered to be the great reservoirs ofpleasure. When these seven kinds of ecstatic loving exchanges aremanifested, they attain the status of steadiness by which the tasteof conjugal love expands.LaughterI'IAfter He had stolen some curd from the pots of two go pis, Kratold one of His gopi friends: "My dear beautiful friend, I can takeoath that I have not stolen even a drop of curd from your pot! Butstill, your friend, Radharai, is very shamelessly smelling the flavorof My mouth. Kindly forbid Her from this devious policy of puttingHer face near Mine." When Kra was speaking like this, the friendsof Radharai could not check their laughter. This is an instance ofecstasy in conjugal love.283

Conjugal Affection 284AstonishmentOnce Brahma was watching all the cows and the cowherd boysdressed in yellow garments and decorated with valuable jewels. Theboys were expanding their four arms and were being worshiped bymany hundreds of other Brahmas. All the cowherd boys began to expresstheir j oyfulness for being with Krl).a, the supreme Brahman. Atthat time, Brahma showed his astonishment by exclaiming, "What amI seeing here?" This is an instance of astonishment in ecstatic love.ChivalryOn the bank of the Yam una once there was the crackling sound ofdry leaves, giggling from the cowherd boys, and thundering from thesky. Sridama was tightening his belt to fight with Krwa, the conquerorof the demon Agha. This is an instance of chivalry in ecstaticlove.LamentationIn the Tenth Canto, 7th Chapter, 22nd verse of Srimad­Bhiigavatam there is a description of Krl).a's being taken away by thewhirlwind demon Trl).avarta. As Krl).a was being thus carried up intothe sky, all the go pis began to cry aloud. They approached MotherYasoda, stating that they could not find the son of Nanda. He hadbeen taken away by a whirlwind. This is an instance of lamentation inecstatic love.When Krwa was fighting with Kaliya, Mother Y asoda exclaimed,"Krl).a is now entrapped within the hoods of the Kaliya snake, andyet I am not tattered to pieces! So I must admit how wonderful isthe preserving power of this material body!" This is another instanceof lamentation in ecstatic love.AngerWhen Kutila, the sister of Abhimanyu, saw Krl).a wearing a necklace,she could understand that the jeweled ornament had been given

285 The Nectar of Devotionto Him by Radharapi. She therefore became absorbed in anger andbegan to move her eyebrows, expressing her anger in ecstatic love.GhastlinessThere is a statement by Yamunacarya to this effect: "Since I havebegun to enj oy these transcendental exchanges of love, which arealways newer and newer, whenever I remember the pleasure of pastsex life, my lips curl and I wish to spit on the idea." This is an instanceof ecstatic love in ghastliness.DreadOne old devotee said, "My dear Lord, when we are away fromYou we become so anxious to see You again, and there is greatmisery in our lives. But then, when we do see You, there immediatelycomes the fear of separation. Under the circumstances, both whenwe see You and when we do not see You, we are subjected to differentkinds of tribulation." This is an instance of a contradictory mixtureof ecstatic love for Krpa. Such ecstatic love is palatable, andexpert critics have compared such ecstatic love with a mixture ofcurd, sugar candy and a little black pepper. The combined taste isvery palatable.

34 I The Nectar of DevotionThe particular type of ecstatic loving sentiment that develops withinthe heart of a particular devotee is considered to be vibhiiva. Andthe resultant manifestations such as moving the eyebrows, fear, astonishmentand smiling, which have been explained hereinbefore,are called anubhiiva. The different causes for developing anubhiivaand vibhiiva are called steady ecstasy, or sanciiri-bhiiva.Whenever there is a recitation of poetry or a dramatic play on thedifferent pastimes of Kra, the audience develops different kinds oftranscendental loving service for the Lord. They enjoy differenttypes of vibhiiva, anubhiiva and sanciiri-bhiiva.No one, while remaining on the material platform, should discussthese different descriptions of bhiiva and anubhiiva by quoting differentstatements of transcendental literatures. Such manifestationsare displays of the transcendental pleasure potency of the Lord. Oneshould simply try to understand that on the spiritual platform, thereare many varieties of reciprocal love. Such loving exchanges shouldnever be considered to be material. In the Mahiibhiirata Udyama-parvait is warned that things which are inconceivable should not be subjectedto arguments. Actually, the transactions of the spiritual worldare inconceivable to us in our present state of life. Great liberatedsouls like Riipa Gosvami and others have tried to give us some hintsof transcendental activities in the spiritual world, but on the wholethese transactions will remain inconceivable to us at the present moment.Understanding the exchanges of transcendental loving servicewith Kra is possible only when one is actually in touch with thepleasure potency of the Supreme Lord.286

287 The Nectar of DevotionIn this connection Sri Riipa Gosvami gives an example of theclouds in the sky: the clouds in the sky arise from the ocean, andwhen the clouds become water again and fall to the ground, theyglide back to the ocean. Similarly, the pleasure potency of Kr!la iscompared with the ocean. The pure devotee is the pleasure-possessingcloud, and when he is filled with transcendental loving service, thenhe can bestow his mercy as a downpour of rain-and the pleasurepotency returns to the ocean of Kr!J.a.Direct and Indirect Attraction for KruwTranscendental pleasure derived from devotional service can bedivided into two groups: direct devotional service and indirect devotionalservice. Direct devotional service is divided into five transcendentalhumors or flavors, and indirect devotional service is dividedinto seven transcendental humors. Direct devotional services are asfollows: neutrality, servitude, fraternity, paternity and conjugal love.Indirect devotional service is divided into laughter, compassion, anger,chivalry, dread, astonishment and ghastliness. Devotional service cantherefore be divided into twelve types, each of which has a differentcolor. The colors are white, multicolored, orange, red, light green,grey, yellow, off-whitish, smoky, pink, black and cloudy. The twelvedifferent kinds of transcendental humors are controlled by differentincarnations of God, such as Kapila, Madhava, Upendra, Nrsimha,Nandanandana, Balarama, Kiirma, Kalki, Raghava, Bhargava, Varahaand Matsya.Sustenance, manifestation, expansion, reflection and lamentationare the five visible symptoms in exchanges of ecstatic love. The testof devotional service can therefore be made in terms of these fivesymptoms. In the devotional service of neutrality there is sustenance;there is expansion in chivalrous devotional service; there is reflectionin compassionate devotional service; in angry devotional service thereis lamentation, and so on.An apparently pitiable condition in devotional service may appearto be distressing to the inexperienced student, but the feelings of thedevotee in this pitiable condition are considered to be ecstatic byexpert devotees. For example, the subject matter of the Riimiiyarta

The Nectar of Devotion 288is sometimes considered to be pitiable and distressing to the heart,but actually that is not the fact. The Riimiiyarta narrates how LordRama was sent to the forest by His father just when He was going tobe enthroned. After Lord Rama's departure, Maharaj Dasaratha, Hisfather, died. In the forest His wife, Sitadevi, was kidnapped byRavaa, and there was a great war. When Sitadevi was finally deliveredfrom the clutches of Ravaa, Ravaa's whole family and kingdom,and Ravaa himself, were vanquished. When Sitadevi camehome she was tried by fire, and after some days she was again banishedto the forest. All of these subjects in the Riimiiyar-a seem verypitiable, and they may appear to be very distressing to the reciter,but actually this is not so. Otherwise, why would Hanuman, the greatdevotee of Lord Ramacandra, read daily about the activities of LordRamacandra, as described in the Riimiiyar-a itself? The fact is that inany of the above-mentioned twelve transcendental humors of devotionalservice, everything is transcendentally pleasing.Snla Rupa Gosvami mourns in this connection for persons who arein the fire of false renunciation, the dry speculative habit, and whoneglect devotional service. Persons who are attached to the ritualisticceremonies recommended in the Vedas and to the impersonalBrahman cannot relish the transcendental pleasure of devotional service.Sri Rupa Gosvami advises, therefore, that devotees who havealready tasted the nectar of devotion should be very careful to protectdevotional service from such dry speculators, formal ritualistic elevationistsand impersonal salvationists. Devotees should protect theirvaluable j ewel of spiritual love from the clutches of thieves and burglars.In other words, a pure devotee should not describe devotionalservice and its different analytical aspects to dry speculators and falserenouncers.Those who are not devotees can never achieve the benefits of devotionalservice. For them the subject of devotional service is alwaysvery difficult to understand. Only persons who have dedicated theirlives unto thP- lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead canrelish the real nectar of devotion.When one transcends the status of ecstatic love and thus becomessituated on the highest platform of pure goodness, one is understoodto have cleansed the heart of all material contamination. In that pure

289 The Nectar of Devotionstage of life, one can taste this nectar, and this tasting capacity istechnically called rasa, or transcendental mood.Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the second divisionof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, in the matter of general devotional service.

33'HH 'HVd

35 I Neutral Love of GodSri Rupa Gosvami offers his respectful prayers to the eternal SupremePersonality of Godhead who is always so beautiful and forwhom the pure devotees are always engaged in loving transcendentalservice. This third division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu describes thefive primary kinds of devotional service-namely, neutrality, servitude,fraternity, parenthood and conjugal love. These five items willbe very elaborately explained here, and thus they have been figurativelydescribed as the five waves on the western side of this ocean ofnectar of devotion.When one is actually able to maintain the transcendental position,his stage is called neutrality in devotional service. Some great sageshave attained this neutral position by practicing austerity, penanceand meditation to control the senses. Such sages are generally calledmystic yogis, and in most cases they are inclined to appreciate thespiritual pleasure of the impersonal feature of the absolute truth.They are practically unaware of the transcendental pleasure derivedfrom personal contact with the Supreme Godhead.Actually the transcendental pleasure derived in association withthe Supreme Person is far greater than the pleasure derived from impersonalBrahman realization, because of the direct meeting with theeternal form of the Lord. lmpersonalists do not directly derive thetranscendental pleasure of association with the Lord by hearing ofHis pastimes. As such, the impersonalists cannot derive any relishabletranscendental pleasure from the topics of the Bhagavad-gitii, in whichthe Lord is personally talking with Arjuna. The basic principle oftheir impersonal attitude does not allow them the transcendentalpleasure which is relished by a devotee whose basic principle of290

Neutral Love of God 291understanding is the Supreme Person. The impersonalistic commentaryon the Bhagavad-gitii is therefore disastrous because, withoutunderstanding the transcendental pleasure of the Gita, the impersonalistwants to interpret it in his own way. If an impersonalist can,however, come in contact with a pure devotee, his transcendentalposition can be changed for greater elevation. Great sages are thereforerecommended to worship the form of the Lord in order toachieve that highest transcendental pleasure.Without worshiping the arca-vigraha, the form or Deity of theLord, one cannot understand such literature as the Bhagavad-gita andSrimad-Bhagavatam. For those great sages situated in the position oftranscendental neutrality, the beginning should be to take shelter ofLord Vi$pu, the four-handed eternal form of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. The mystic yogis are therefore advised to meditate onthe form of Lord Vi$pu as recommended by Kapila Muni in thesankhya-yoga system. Unfortunately, many mystic yogis try to meditateon something void, and as is stated in the Gita, the result is thatthey simply undergo trouble and do not achieve any tangible result.When some great saintly persons who had undergone penances andausterities saw the four-handed transcendental form of Vi$!J.U, theybegan to remark as follows: "This four-handed form of the Lord,manifested in a bluish color, is the reservoir of all pleasure and thecenter of our living force. Actually, when we see this eternal form ofVi$pu, we, along with many other paramaharhsas, become immediatelycaptivated by the beauty of the Lord." This appreciation ofLord Vi$pU by saintly persons is an instance of situation in santarasa,or the neutral stage of devotional service. In the beginning, thosewho are aspiring for salvation try to get out of the material entanglementby performing painful austerities and penances, and ultimatelythey come to the impersonal status of spiritual realization. At thisbrahma-bhiita stage of liberation from the material entanglement, thesymptoms, as explained 1n "!:he Bhagavad-gitii, are that one becomesjoyous beyond any hankering or lamentation and gains a universalvision. When the devotee is situated in the santa-rasa, or neutral stageof devotional service, he appreciates the Vi$I;IU form of the Lord.Actually, all Vedic culture is aiming at understanding Lord Vi9pu.In the !Jg Veda one mantra says that any advanced saintly person is

292 The Nectar of Devotionalways aspmng to be fixed in meditation upon the lotus feet ofVisnu.i the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is said that the foolish do not knowthat Vittu is the ultimate goal of life. According to the conclusion ofall authoritative Vedic scriptures, when a person comes to the stageof appreciating Viwu, he is at the beginning of devotional service.If one cultivates devotional service further and further, under properguidance, other features of devotional service will gradually becomemanifest. At this stage of siinta-rasa, one can see Lord VitJ.U, the SupremePersonality of Godhead, the deliverer of even the demons. TheLord is appreciated by such would-be devotees as the eternal transcendentalform, chief of all self-realized souls, the supersoul, thesupreme Brahman, completely pacified, completely controlled andpure, merciful to the devotees and untouched by any material condition.This appreciation of Lord Viwu in awe and veneration by thesaintly is to be understood as the sign that they are situated in thesiinta-rasa, or neutral stage of devotional service.This stage of siinta-rasa can be attained by the impersonalists onlywhen they are in association with pure devotees. Otherwise it is notpossible. After Brahman realization, when a liberated soul comes incontact with a pure devotee of Lord Krtta and submissively acceptsthe teachings of Lord Krtta without misinterpretation, he becomessituated in this neutral stage of devotional service. The best exampleof saintly persons situated in the siinta-rasa are Sanaka, Sanatana,Sananda, and Sanat-kumara, the Kumara brothers. These four saintlypersons (known as Catusana) were sons of Lord Brahma. After theirbirth, when they were ordered by their father to become householdersand increase human society, they refused the order. They saidthat they had already decided not to become entangled with familylife; they would rather live as saintly brahmaciiris for their own perfection.So these great saints have been living for millions of years now,but still they appear to be just like boys of four or five years. Theircomplexions are very fair, there is an effulgence in their bodies, andthey always travel naked. These four saintly persons almost alwaysremain together.In one of the prayers of the Kumara brothers, the declaration ismade: "My Lord Mukunda [KrtJ.a, the giver of liberation], only so

Neutral Love of God 293long as one does not happen to see Your eternal form of bliss andknowledge, appearing just like a newly-grown tiimala tree, with abluish hue-only for so long can the impersonal feature of the absolutetruth, known as Brahman, be very pleasing to a saintly person."The qualifications of a saintly person are described in the Bhaktirasamrta-sindhuas follows: A saintly person is one who understandsfully that simply by discharging devotional service he can becomeconfident of liberation. He is always situated in the regulative principlesof devotional life and at the same time aspires to be liberatedfrom the material entanglement.A saintly person thinks like this: "When shall I be able to live alonein the caves of the mountains? When shall I be dressed simply withundergarments? When shall I be satisfied by eating simply a littlefruit and vegetables? When will it be possible for me to always thinkof the lotus feet of Mukunda, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence?When, in such a spiritual condition of life, shall I fullyunderstand my days and nights to be insignificant moments in eternaltime?"The devotees and self-realized persons who are engaged in preachingthe glories of the Lord always maintain an ecstatic love for theLord within their hearts. Thus they are benefitted by the rays of theecstatic moon, and they are called saintly persons.The impulse of a saintly person is to be engaged in the study of theVedas, especially the Upaniadic portions, to always live in a placewhere there is no disturbance from the common people, to alwaysthink of the eternal form of Kra, to be ready to consider andunderstand the absolute truth, to always be prominent in exhibitingknowledge, to see the Supreme Lord in His universal form(viSva-riipa), to associate always with learned devotees and to discussthe conclusion of the Vedas with similarly elevated persons. Allof these qualifications of a saintly person serve to raise him to thestatus of santa-rasa.In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is stated that all those who attendedthe pious meeting held by Lord Brahma for the study ofVedic literature like the Upani§ads became overwhelmed with ecstaticlove for Kra, the chief of the Yadu dynasty. Actually, the resultof studying the Upani§ads is to understand the Supreme Per-

294 The Nectar of Devotionthe ultimate goal in studying the Upani§ads.Those who are situated on the platform of siinta-rasa get their impetusfor advancement in devotional service by smelling the tulasi offeredat the lotus feet of the Lord, by hearing the sound of Hisconchshell, by seeing a sanctified place in some mountain or hill, byobserving a forest like the ones in V rndavana, by going to a place ofpilgrimage, by visiting the course of the Ganges River, by being victoriousover the dictations of bodily demands (i.e., eating, sleeping,mating and defending), by understanding the devastation of eternaltime, and by constantly associating with devotees engaged in Kr!laconsciousness. All these different items are favorable in elevatingsaintly persons situated in siinta-rasa to the advanced stage of devotionalservice.In the Third Canto, 15th Chapter, 43rd verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamthere is a statement by the four saintly persons known as Catusana,headed by Sanaka-kumara. They went to visit the Lord of V aikupthalokain the spiritual sky, and when they bowed down before theLord, the aroma of the tulasi, mixed with saffron, entered their nostrilsand immediately attracted their minds. Although these foursaintly persons were always absorbed in the thought of impersonalBrahman, from association with the Lord and from smelling thetulasi leaves, the hairs on their bodies immediately stood up. Thisshows that even a person who is situated in Brahman realization, ifhe is put into association with devotees in pure devotional service,will immediately become attracted to the personal feature of theLord.There are certain symptoms of great sages who are situated insiinta-rasa devotional service, and these symptoms are exhibited asfollows: they concentrate their eyesight on the tip of the nose, andlj they behave just like an avadhiita. Avadhiita means a highly elevatedIIsonality of Godhead. Negation of material existence is only one ofthe subjects of the Upani§ads. The next subject concerns becomingsituated in the impersonal realization. And then, after penetratingthrough the impersonal Brahman, when one comes to the platformof associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one reachesmystic who does not c.re for any social, religious or Vedic conven-

Neutral Love of God 295tions. Another symptom is that such persons are very careful to stepforward when giving speeches. When they speak, they join togetherthe forefinger and thumb. (This is called the jiiana-mudra position.)They are not against the atheists, nor are they particularly inclinedto the devotees. Such persons give stress to liberation and detachmentfrom the materialistic way of life. They are always neutral and haveno affection for nor misidentification with anything material. They arealways grave, but fully absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. These uncommon features develop in devotees whoare situated in santa-rasa.Regarding concentration of the eyesight on the tip of the nose,there is a statement in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu by a devotee whoobserved this being performed by a yogi. He remarked, "This greatsage is concentrating his eyesight on the tip of his nose, and from thisit appears that he has already realized the eternal form of the Lordwithin himself."Sometimes a devotee in santa-rasa yawns, stretches his limbs, instructson devotional service, offers respectful obeisances unto theform of the Lord, offers nice prayers to the Lord and has a desire togive direct service with his body. These are some of the commonsymptoms of the devotee who is situated in neutrality. One devotee,after observing the yawning of another devotee, addressed him thus:"My dear mystic, I think that within your heart there is some ecstaticdevotional love which is causing you to yawn." It is sometimesfound that a devotee in the santa-rasa falls down on the ground, hishairs stand up on his body, and he trembles all over. In this way, differentsymptoms of ecstatic trance are exhibited automatically bysuch devotees.In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu it is said that when Lord Krsna was. . . .blowing His conchshell known as Paficajanya many great sages whowere living in the caves of the mountains immediately reacted, beingawakened from their trance of meditation. They immediately sawthat the hairs of their bodies were standing. Sometimes devotees insanta-rasa become stunned, peaceful, jubilant, deliberate, reflective,anxious, dexterous and argumentative. These symptoms indicate continuousecstasy, or established emotion.

296 The Nectar of DevotionOnce a great realized sage was lamenting that the Supreme LordKr!la was living in Dvaraka but that he was unable to take advantageof seeing Him. After thinking thi, the sage immediate! y becamestunned. He was thinking that he was simply wasting his time. Inother words, the sage lamented because the Supreme Personality ofGodhead was personally present, and he still could not take advantageof this because of his meditation.When a mystic is transcendental to all kinds of mental concoctionsand is situated in Brahman, his state is called trance beyond the influenceof the material conception of life. In that stage, when onehears about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, there may beshivering in the body.When a Brahman-realized devotee who has come to the stage ofsteady trance comes into contact with the eternal form of Kr!J.a, histranscendental pleasure increases millions of times. One great sageonce inquired from another, "My dear friend, do you think that afterI perfect the eightfold yoga performance I shall be able to see theeternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?" This enquiryfrom the sage is an instance of inquisitiveness in a devotee situated inthe neutral stage of devotional service.When Lord Kr!J.a, along with His elder brother Balarama and sisterSubhadra, came to Kuruketra in a chariot on the occasion of a solareclipse, many mystic yogis also came. When these mystic yogis sawLord Kr!la and Balarama, they exclaimed that now that they hadseen the excellent bodily effulgence of the Lord, they had almostforgotten the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization.In this connection one of the mystics approached Krwa and said,"My dear Lord, You are always full with transcendental bliss, excellingall other spiritual positions. And so, simply by seeing Youfrom a distant place, I have come to the conclusion that there is noneed of my being situated in the transcendental bliss of impersonalBrahman."When a great mystic was once awakend from his meditativetrance by hearing the vibration of Kn;!la 's Paiicajanya conchshell, themystic became overpowered. So much so, in fact, that he began tobash his head on the ground, and with eyes full of tears of ecstatic

Neutral Love of God 297love, he violated all the rules and regulations of his yoga performances.Thus he at once neglected the process of Brahman realization.Bilvamaitgala Thakur, in his book Kr§!w-karrul.mrta, says, "Let theimpersonalists be engaged in the process of transcendental realizationby worshiping the impersonal Brahman. Although I was also initiatedinto that path of Brahman realization, I have now become misled bya naughty boy-one who is very cunning, who is very much attachedto the gopis and who has made me His maidservant. So I have nowforgotten the process of Brahman realization."Bilvamaitgala Thakur was first spiritually initiated for impersonalrealization of the absolute truth, but later on, by his associationwith Kra in Vrndavana, he became an experienced devotee. Thesame thing happened to Sukadeva Gosvam'i, who also reformed himselfby the grace of the Lord and took to the path of devotional service,giving up the way of impersonal realization.Sukadeva Gosvam'i and Bilvamaitgala Thakur's giving up of the impersonalconception of the absolute truth and taking to devotionalservice are the best examples of devotees being situated in the neutralstate. According to some authorities, this condition cannot be acceptedas one of the transcendental humors, or rasas, but Srila RiipaGosvam'i says that even if one does not accept it as a transcendentalhumor, one must still accept it as the beginning position of devotionalservice. However, if one is not further raised to the platform ofactual service to the Lord, he is not considered to be on the platformof transcendental mellow. In this connection, in the Eleventh Cantoof Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Lord Kra personally instructs Uddhava likethis: "The state of being established in My personal form is calledsiinta-rasa, and without being situated in this position, no one can advanceto actual pure devotional service." In other words, no one canbe situated in the personal feature of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead without being situated at least in santa-rasa.

36 I Transcendental Affection(Servitude):I1 I .I ·i!The transcendental mellow of affection has been accepted by authoritieslike Sridhara Svami as a perfectional stage of devotion. It isjust above the humor of neutrality and is a requisite for the developmentof the serving humor. In literature such as Niima-kaumudi thisstate of existence is accepted as continual affection for or attractionto Krwa. Authorities like Sukadeva consider this stage of affectionto be in the neutral stage, but in any case this affection is relished bythe devotees in different transcendental tastes, and therefore thegeneral name for this state is affection, or pure affection for KrtJ.a.Devotees engaged in servitude are attached to K.rwa in the affectionof reverence. Some of the inhabitants of Gokula (V rndavanaas exhibited on earth) are attached to Krtta on this platform of affectionin reverence. The inhabitants of Vrndavana used to say,"Krtta is always manifest before us with a complexion like a blackishcloud. He holds His wonderful flute in His lotus hands. He is dressedin yellow silks and bedecked with a peacock feather on His head.When Krtta walks near Govardhan Hill with these personal features,all the inhabitants of the heavenly planets, as well as the inhabitantsof this earth, feel transcendental bliss and consider themselves theeternal servants of the Lord." Sometimes the devotee becomes filledwith the same awe and reverence by seeing a picture of VitJ.U, who isdressed like Krtta and who has a similar complexion. The only differenceis that Vittu has four hands, in which He holds the conchshell,the disc, the club and the lotus flower. Lord Vittu is alwaysdecorated with many valuable jewels, such as the candrakiinta stoneand the suryakiinta stone.298

Transcendental Affection (Servitude) 299In the Lalita-miidhava by Rupa Gosvam'i there is the followingstatement by Daruka, one of the servants of Krtta: "Certainly LordVittu is very beautiful with His necklace of kaustubha jewels, Hisfour hands holding conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower and Hisdazzlingly beautiful jewelry. He is also very beautiful in His eternalposition, riding upon the shoulder of Garu9a. But now the same LordVittu is present as the enemy of Kamsa, and by His personal featureI am completely forgetting the opulence of Vaikutttha."Another devotee once said, "This Supreme Personality of Godheadfrom whose bodily pores come millions of universes, permanentlyrising, who is the ocean of mercy, who is the owner of inconceivableenergies, who is always equipped with all perfections, who is theorigin of all incarnations, who is the attraction for all liberated persons-thisvery Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme controller,the supremely worshipable, all-cognizant, fully determined,fully opulent, the emblem of forgiveness, the protector of surrenderedsouls, munificent, true to His promise, expert, all-auspicious,powerful, religious, a strict follower of the scripture, the friend ofthe devotees, magnanimous, influential, grateful, reputable, respectable,full of all strength and submissive to pure love. Surely He is theonly shelter of devoteec who are attracted to Him by the affection ofservitorship."The devotees of the Lord in servitude are divided into four classes:appointed servants (such as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who are appointedto control over the material modes of passion and ignorance),devotees in servitude who are protected by the Lord, devotees whoare always associates, and devotees who are simply following in thefootsteps of the Lord.In a conversation between ]ambavat'i, one of Krwa 's wives, andKalind'i, her friend, Jambavat'i enquired, "Who is this personalitycircumambulating our Kr9tta ?"Kalind'i replied, "He is Ambikeya, the superintendent of all universalaffairs."Then Jambavat'i enquired, "Who is this personality who is tremblingat the sight of Krtta?"

300 The Nectar of DevotionKalind'i replied, "He is Lord Siva."Then Jambavafi enquired, "Who is the person offering prayers?"Kalind'i replied, "He is Lord Brahma."Jambavat'i then asked, "Who is that person who has fallen on theground and is offering respect to Krl).a?"Kalindl replied, "He is Indra, the King of heaven."Jambavat'i next inquired, "Who is this person who has come withthe demigods and is laughing with them?"Kalind'i replied, "He is my elder brother, Y amaraja, the superintendentof death."This conversation offers a description of all the demigods, includingY amaraja, who are engaged in services appointed by theLord. They are called adhikrta-devatii, or demigods appointed to particulartypes of departmental service.One resident of Vrndavana once told Lord Krl).a, "My dear Krl).a,0 pleasure of Vrndavana! Being afraid of this material existence, wehave taken shelter of You, for You can completely protect us! Weare well aware of Your greatness. As such, we have given up our desirefor liberation and have taken complete shelter under Your lotusfeet. Since we have heard about Your ever-increasing transcendentallove, we have voluntarily engaged ourselves in Your transcendentalservice." This statement is by a devotee who is under the protectionand shelter of Lord Krl).a.Upon being chastised by Krl).a's constant kicking on his head,Kaliya, the black snake of the Yam una, came to his senses- and admitted,"My dear Lord, I have been so offensive unto You, but stillYou are so kind that You have marked my head with the impressionof Your lotus feet." This also is an instance of one's taking shelterunder the lotus feet of Krwa.In the Apariidha-bhaiijana a pure devotee expresses his feelings:"My dear Lord, I am ashamed to admit before You that I have carriedout the orders of my masters named lust, anger, avarice, illusionand envy. Sometimes I have carried out their orders in a way mostabominable. Yet in spite of my serving them so faithfully, they areneither satisfied nor are they kind enough to give me relief from theirservice. They are not even ashamed of taking service from me in that

Transcendental Affection (Servitude) 301way. My dear Lord, 0 head of the Yadu dynasty, now I have cometo my senses, and I am taking shelter of Your lotus feet. Please engageme in Your service." This is another instance of surrenderingand taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kr9ra.There are many instances in the various Vedic writings of personswho were aspiring after liberation by speculative knowledge but gaveup this process in order to take complete shelter under the lotus feetof Krwa. Examples of such persons are the briihmar-as headed bySaunaka in the forest of N aimi9ararya. *Learned scholars acceptthem as devotees having complete wisdom. There is a statement inthe Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya in which these great briihmar-as and sages,headed by Saunaka 9i, told Suta Gosvami: "1\)y dear great soul, justsee how wonderful it is! Although as human beings we are contaminatedwith so many taints of material existence, simply by our conversingwith you about the Supreme Personality of Godhead we arenow gradually decrying our desire for liberation."In Padyiivali a devotee says, "Persons who are attached to speculativeknowledge for self realization, who have decided that the supremetruth is beyond meditation and who have thus become situatedin the modes of goodness-let them peacefully execute their engagement.As for us, we are simply attached to the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, who is by nature so pleasing, who possesses a complexionlike a blackish cloud, who is dressed in yellow garments andwho has beautiful lotus-like eyes. We wish only to meditate uponH. Im. "Those who are from the very beginning of their self realization attachedto devotional service are called seviini§tha. Seviini§tha meanssimply attached to devotional service. The best examples of such devoteesare Lord Siva, King Indra, King Bahulasva, King Ikvaku,Srutadeva and Pur9.arika. One devotee says: "My dear Lord, Yourtranscendental qualities attract even the liberated souls and carrythem to the assembly of devotees where Your glories are constantlychanted. Even great sages who are accustomed to live in solitary* These a.re the briihmar:as to whom Srimad-Bhiigavatam was spoken by SutaGosvami, as described in the author's Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Volume I, Chapter l.

302 The Nectar of Devotionplaces are also attracted by the songs of Your glory. And, observingall Your transcendental qualities, I have also become attracted andhave decided to dedicate my life to Your loving service."In the city of Dvaraka the following devotees are known as Kn;a'sclose associates: Uddhava, Daruka, Satyaki, Srutadeva, Satrajit,Nanda, Upananda and Bhadra. All of these personalities remain withthe Lord as His secretaries, but still they are sometimes engaged inHis personal service. Among the Kuru dynasty, Bhima, MaharajParikit and Vidura are also known as close associates of Lord Krwa.It is said, "All the associates of Lord Krwa have lustrous bodily features,and their eyes are just like lotus flowers. They have sufficientpower to defeat the strength of the demigods, and the specific featureof their persons is that they are always decorated with valuableornaments."When Kra was in the capital of Indraprastha, someone addressedHim thus: "My dear Lord, Your personal associates, headed byUddhava, are always awaiting Your order by standing at the entrancegate of Dvaraka. They are mostly looking on with tears in their eyes,and in the enthusiasm of their service they are not afraid even of thedevastating fire generated by Lord Siva. They are souls simply surrenderedunto Your lotus feet."Out of the many close associates of Lord Krwa, Uddhava is consideredthe best. The following is a description of him: "His body isblackish like the color of the Yam una River, and it is similarly ascool. He is always decorated with flower garlands first used by LordKra, and he is dressed with yellow silk clothing. His two arms arejust like the bolts of a door, His eyes are just like lotus flowers, andhe is the most important devotee amongst all the associates. Let ustherefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Uddhava's lotus feet."Uddhava has described the transcendental qualities of Sri Krlla asfollows: "Lord Sri Kra, who is our master and worshipable Deity,who is the controller of Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, the controllerof the whole universe as well, accepts the controlling orders ofUgrasena, His grandfather. He is the proprietor of millions of universes,but still He begged a little land from the ocean. And althoughHe is just like an ocean of wisdom, still He sometimes consults me.

Transcendental Affection (Servitude) 303He is so great and magnanimous, yet He is engaged in His differentactivities just like an ordinary person."Those who are constantly engaged in the personal service of theLord are called anugas, or followers. Examples of such followers areSucandra, Maana, Stamba and Sutamba. They are all inhabitantsof the city of Dvaraka, and they are dressed and ornamented like theother associates. The specific services entrusted to the anugas arevaried. Maana always bears the umbrella over the head of LordKrwa. Sucandra is engaged in fanning the white ciimara bunch ofhair, and Sutamba is engaged in supplying betel nuts. All of themare great devotees, and they are always busy in the transcendentalloving service of the Lord.As there are anugas in Dvaraka, so there are many anugas in Vrndavanaalso. The names of the anugas in Vrndavana are as follows:Raktaka, Patraka, Patr'i, Madhukatha, Madhuvrata, Rasala, Suvilasa,Premakanda, Marandaka, Ananda, Candrahasa, Payoda, Bakula,Rasada, and Sarada.Descriptions of the bodily features of the anugas in Vrndavanaare given in the following statement: "Let us offer our respectfulobeisances unto the constant associates of the son of Maharaj Nanda.They always stay in Vrndavana, and their bodies are decorated withgarlands of pearls and with bangles and bracelets of gold. Their colorsare like black bees and the golden moon, and they are dressed just tosuit their particular special bodily features. Their specific duties can beunderstood from a statement by Mother Y a8oda, who said, 'Bakula,please cleanse the yellowish dress of Kr9a. Varida, you just flavorthe bathing water with aguru scent. And Rasala, you just prepare thebetel nuts. You can all see that Krwa is approaching. There is dustoverhead, and the cows can be seen very distinctly."'Amongst all the anugas, Raktaka is considered to be the chief. Thedescription of his bodily features is as follows: "He wears yellowclothing, and his bodily color is just like newly-grown grass. He isvery expert in singing and is always engaged in the service of the sonof Maharaj Nanda. Let us all become the followers of Raktaka inoffering transcendental loving service to Kra!" An example of theattachment felt by Raktaka toward Lord Kra can be understood

304 The Nectar of Devotionfrom his statement to Rasada: "Just hear me! Please place me so thatI may always be engaged in the service of Lord Krpa, who has nowbecome famous as the lifter of the Govardhan Hill."The devotees of Krpa engaged in His personal service are alwaysvery cautious because they know that becoming personal servitors ofLord Krpa is not an ordinary thing. A person who offers respecteven to the ants engaged in the service of the Lord becomes eternallyhappy, so what is there to say of one who offers Krpa direct service?Raktaka once said within himself, "Not only is Krpa my worshipableand servable Lord, but also the girl friends of Krpa, the gopis, areequally worshipable and servable by me. And not only the go pis, butanyone who is engaged in the service for the Lord is also worshipableand servable by me. I know that I must be very careful not to becomeoverly proud that I am one of the servitors and devotees of theLord." From this statement one can understand that the pure devotees,those who are actually engaged in the service of the Lord, arealways very cautious and are never overly proud of their service.This mentality of the direct servitor of Krpa is called dhurya.According to expert analytical studies of the direct associates of theLord, Srila Riipa Gosvami has divided these into three classes-namely,dhurya, dhira and vira. Raktaka is classified among the dhurya, orthose who are always attached to serve the most beloved go pis.One dhira associate of Krwa is the son of Satyabhama's nurse.Satyabhama is one of the queens of Lord Krpa in Dvaraka, andwhen she was married to Krpa, the son of her nurse was allowed togo with her because they had lived together from childhood as brotherand sister. So this gentleman, the son of Satyabhama's nurse, usedto live with Krpa as His brother-in-law, and sometimes as brother-inlawhe used to play jokes with Krpa. He once addressed Krpa in thisway: "My dear Krpa, I never tried to gain the favor of the goddessof fortune, who is married to You, but still I am so fortunate that Iam considered one of the members of Your house, the brother ofSatyabhama."This same person once expressed his pride, declaring, "Lord Baladevamay be a great enemy of Pralambasura, but I have nothing toworry about from Him. And as far as Pradyumna is concerned, I have

Transcendental Affection (Servitude) 305nothing to take from him, because he is simply a boy. Therefore I donot expect anything from anyone else. I simply expect the favorableglance of Kra upon me, and so I am not even afraid of Satyabhama,who is so dear to Krsna."In the Fourth c"to of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 20th Chapter, 25thverse, King Prthu addresses the Lord, saying, "My dear Lord, it mayha ppen that the goddess of fortune becomes dissatisfied with mywork, or I may even have some misunderstanding with her, but I willnot mind this because I have full confidence in You. You are alwayscauselessly merciful to Your servants, and You consider even theirmenial service to be very much advanced. So I have confidence thatYou will accept my humble service, although it is not worthy ofbeing recognized. My dear Lord, You are self-sufficient. You can doanything You like without the hel pof anyone else. So even if thegoddess of fortune is not satisfied with me, I know You will alwaysaccept my service anyway."Devotees attached to the trar.tscendental loving service of the Lordmay be described either as surrendered souls, as souls advanced indevotional knowledge, or as souls com pletely engaged in the transcendentalloving service. Such devotees are called, respectively,neo phyte, perfect and eternally perfect.

',,III37 I Impetuses for Kra's ServiceThe causeless mercy of Krwa, the dust of His lotus feet, Hisprasadam and association with His devotees are some impetuses towarda devotee's engagement in transcendental loving service to the,Lord.Kn;a exhibited His causeless mercy when He was present at thedeparture of Grandfather Bhima. During the Battle of Kuruketra,Bhimadeva, the grandfather of Arjuna, was lying on a bed of arrowsbefore departing from this mortal world. When Lord Kr!la, MaharajYudhithira and the other Pa!l-9-avas approached Bhimadeva, he wasvery grateful to Lord Kr!la, and he addressed the briihmar-a militarycommander, Krpacarya, thus: "My dear Krpacarya, just see the wonderfulcauseless mercy of Lord Kr!la! I am most unfortunate. I haveno qualifications. I was opposing Kr!la 's most intimate friend,Arjuna-I even tried to kill him! I have so many disqualifications, andyet the Lord is still so kind that He has come to see me at the lastpoint of my life. He is worshipable by all great sages, but still He isso merciful that He has come to see an abominable person like me."II I"' ISometimes the vibration of Lord Krwa's flute, His bugling, Hissmiling, His footmarks on the ground, the transcendental fragranceof His body and the appearance of a new cloud in the sky also becomeimpetuses for ecstatic love of Him.In the Vidagdha-miidhava there is the following statement: "WhenKr!la was playing on His flute, Baladeva very anxiously declared,'Just see how, after hearing the transcendental sound of Kr!la'sflute, Indra the King of heaven is crying in his heavenly kingdom!306

Impetuses for Kr§rza 's Seroice 307And from his teardrops falling on the ground, Vrndavana appears tohave become a celestial residence for the demigods."'Ecstatic love for Kr?a, which is known as anubhava, is symptomizedby the following signs: one becomes engaged exclusively inthe service of the Lord, being attentive to carry out the orders of theLord faithfully; one becomes undisturbed and non-envious in fulltranscendental loving service to the Lord; and one makes friendshipwith the devotees of the Lord who are situated in faithful service toHim. All of these symptoms are called anubhava, ecstatic love.The first symptom of anubhava, or engagement in a particular typeof service, is exemplified by Daruka, a servant of Kr?a who used tofan Kr?a with a camara, a bunch of hair. When he was engaged insuch service, he was filled with ecstatic love, and the symptoms ofecstatic love became manifest in his body. But Daruka was so seriousabout his service that he checked all of these manifestations of ecstaticlove and considered them hindrances to his engagement. He didnot care very much for these manifestations, although they automaticallydeveloped.In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 86th Chapter, 27th verse,there is a statement of how Srutadeva, a brahmarza from the countrycalled Mithila in northern India, would become so overpowered withjoy as soon as he saw Kra that immediately after bowing to theLord's lotus feet, he would stand up and begin to dance, raising histwo arms above his head.One of the devotees of Lord Kr?a once addressed Him in thismanner: "My dear Lord, although You are not a professional dancer,by Your dancing You have so astonished us that we can understandthat You are personally the master of all dancing. Certainly You musthave learned this dancing art directly from the goddess of love."When a devotee dances in ecstatic love, there are manifestations ofsymptoms which are called sattvika. Sattvika means that they arefrom the transcendental platform. They are not symptoms of materialemotions; they come from the soul proper.In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 85th Chapter, 30th verse,Sukadeva Gosvaml tells Maharaj Parlkit that after surrendering everythingunto the lotus feet of Vamanadeva, Bali Maharaj immediately

308 The Nectar of Devotioncaught hold of the lotus feet of the Lord and pressed them to hisheart. Being overwhelmed with j oy, he manifested all the symptomsof ecstatic love, with tears in his eyes and a faltering voice.In such expressions of ecstatic love there are many other subsidiarysymptoms, such as j ubilation, withering, silence, disappointment,moroseness, reverence, thoughtfulness, remembrance, doubtfulness,confidence, eagerness, indifference, restlessness, impudence, shyness,inertness, illusion, madness, ghastliness, contemplation, dreaming,disease and signs of death. When a devotee meets Kn;!la, there aresymptoms of jubilation, pride and perseverence, and when he is feelinggreat separation from Kr9!la, the symptoms of ghastliness, diseaseand the signs of death become prominent.It is stated in the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 11thChapter, 4th verse, that when Lord Krwa returned from the battlefieldof Kuruk9etra to His home at Dvaraka, all the residents ofDvaraka began to talk with Him, as a child talks lovingly to his fatherafter the father's return from foreign countries. This is an example ofj ubilation.When Bahulasva, the King of Mithila, saw Kr9!la at his palace, hedecided to offer his respects by bowing down before Him at least ahundred times, but he was so overcome by feelings of love that, afterbowing down only once, he forgot his position and could not rise upagam.In the Skanda Puriir:w a devotee tells Lord Kr9!la: "My dear Lord,as the sun evaporates all the water on the ground by its scorchingheat, so my mental state has dried away the luster of my face andbody, due to separation from You." This is an example of witheringin ecstatic love.An expression of disappointment was made by Indra, the King ofheaven. When he saw the sungod, he told him, "My dear sungod, yoursunshine is very glorious because it reaches unto the lotus feet ofLord Krwa, the master of the Yadu dynasty. I have thousands ofeyes, but they have proved to be useless because not even for amoment are they able to see the lotus feet of the Lord."Reverential devotion for the Lord gradually increases and transformsitself into ecstatic love, then affection and then attachment.

Impetuses for K[§[W 's Seroice 309IIn the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 38th Chapter, 5th verse,Akrura says: "Because I am going to see Lord Kn;a today, all symptomsof inauspiciousness have already been killed. My life is now successfulbecause I shall be able to offer my respects unto the lotus feetof the Supreme Personality of Godhead!"Another devotee in ecstatic reverential affection once said, "Whenwill that glorious day in my life come when it will be possible for meto go to the bank of the Yam una and see Lord Sri Krwa playingthere as cowherd boy?"When there is no diminishing of this ecstatic love and when it isfreed from all kinds of doubt, that stage is called steady love forKrwa. In this stage all expressions of unhappiness by the devotee arecalled anubhiiva, or ecstatic loving symptoms.The symptom of ecstatic affection with reverence felt by BaliMaharaj is expressed as follows: "My dear Lord, You have simultane·ously punished me and showed me Your causeless mercy. My conclusionis that when I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet I shall neverbe disturbed in any condition of life. Whether You give me the opportunityto enjoy all the yogic perfections, or You put me into themost abominable condition of hellish life, I shall never be disturbed."Kra, Himself, after seeing Bali Maharaj, told Uddhava, "My dearfriend, how can I express the glorious characteristics of Bali Maharaj,the son of Virocana? Although the king of the suras [demigods] wascursed by this son of Virocana, and although I cheated him in myincarnation as Vamana, taking away his dominions throughout theuniverse, and although I still criticized him for not fulfilling his prom·ise, I have just now seen him in his kingdom, and he feelingly expressedhis love for me."*When such a feeling of love becomes intensified, it is called affec-* Bali was a king of the demons who waged war against the demigods and nearlyconquered the universe. When the demigods prayed for help, the Lord appearedas Vamanadeva, a dwarf briihmar;w, and asked Bali for three paces of land. Baliagreed, and · Vamana covered all the worlds with His first two steps. Then Hedemanded to know where His third pace was to be. Bali offered his own headbeneath the Lord's foot and thus became a mahiijana, or great devotee.

310 The Nectar of Devotion'"i.tion. In that affectional stage no one can bear separation from Krwaeven for a moment.One devotee told Daruka, the servant of Kr!J.a: "My dear Daruka,when you become like wood because of your separation from Kr!J.a,it is not so wonderful. Whenever any devotee sees Kr!J.a, his eyes becomefilled with water, and in separation any devotee like you wouldbecome stunned, standing just like a wooden doll. That is not a verywonderful thing."There is a statement about Uddhava's symptoms of love. When hesaw Lord Kr!la his eyes filled with tears and created a river whichflowed down toward the sea of Kr!la to offer tribute, as a wife offerstribute to her husband. When his body erupted with goose-pimples,he appeared like the kadamba flower, and when he began to offerprayers, he appeared completely distinct from all other devotees.When affection is symptomized by direct happiness and distress,that is called attraction. In such an attracted state of ecstatic love,one can face all kinds of disadvantages calmly. Even at the risk ofdeath such a devotee is never bereft of the transcendental loving serviceof the Lord. A glorious example of this ecstatic love was exhibitedby King Parikit when he was at the point of death. Although he wasbereft of his entire kingdom, which spread over all the world, andalthough he was accepting not even a drop of water in the sevendays remaining to him, because he was engaged in hearing the transcendentalpastimes of the Lord from Sukadeva Gosvami, he was notin the least distressed. On the contrary, he was feeling direct transcendentalecstatic j oy in association with Sukadeva GosvamiOne devotee has confidently expressed this opinion: "If a drop ofLord Kr!la's mercy can be bestowed upon me, then I shall feel completelycarefree, even in the midst of a fire or an ocean. But if I becomebereft of His causeless mercy, then even if I became the Kingof Dvaraka, I would be simply an object for pinpricks."Devotees such as Maharaj Parikit and Uddhava are all situated inecstatic attraction on the basis of affection, and in that state of affectiona feeling of friendship becomes manifest. When Uddhava wasfreed from all material contamination, he saw the Lord, and histhroat became choked up, and he could not speak. By the movements

Impetuses for KrHw's Service 311of his eyebrows alone he was embracing the Lord. Such ecstatic lovehas been divided by great scholars into two groups-addition and subtraction.If a devotee is not directly associated with the Lord, it iscalled subtraction. In this state of love, one is constantly fixed withhis mind at the lotus feet of the Lord. A devotee in this state becomesvery eager to learn of the transcendental qualities of the Lord.The most important business of such a devotee is attaining the associationof the Lord.In the N rsimha Puriirta there is a statement about King Ikvakuwhich illustrates this state of ecstatic love. Because of his great affectionfor Krpa, King Ikvaku became greatly attached to the blackcloud, the black deer, the deer's black eyes and to the lotus flower,which is always compared to the eyes of the Lord. In the TenthCanto, 38th Chapter, 9th verse of the Bhiigavatam, Akrura thinks:"Since the Lord has now appeared to diminish the great burden ofthe world and is now visible to everyone's eyes in His personal transcendentalbody, when we see Him before us, is that not the ultimateperfection of our eyes?" In other words, Akrura realized that theperfection of the eyes is fulfilled when one is able to see Lord Krpa.Therefore, when Lord Krpa was visible on the earth by direct appearance,everyone who saw Him surely attained perfection of sight.In the K[§rta-karrtiimrta written by Bilvamangala Thakur there isthis expression of eagerness in ecstatic love: "How miserable it is, mydear Krpa, 0 friend of the hopeless! 0 merciful Lord, how can Ipass these thankless days without seeing You?" A similar sentimentwas expressed by U ddhava when he wrote a letter to Krpa and said,"My dear Supreme King of Braja, You are the vision of nectar forthe eyes, and without seeing Your lotus feet and the effulgence ofYour body, my mind is always morose. I cannot perceive any peaceunder any circumstance. Besides that, I am feeling every moment'sseparation to be like the duration of many, many long years."In the K[§rta-karrtiimrta it is also said, "My dear Lord, You are theocean of mercy. With my arms placed upon my head, I am bowingdown befor. You with all humility and sincerity. I am praying untoYou, my Lord. Would You be pleased just to sprinkle a little of thewater of Your glance upon me? That will be a great satisfaction."

312 The Nectar of DevotionA devotee of Lord Krtta said, "When even Sasisekhara [Lord Siva]is unable to see You, what chance is there for me, who am lower thanan ordinary worm? I have only committed misdeeds. I know that Iam not at all fit to offer my prayers to You, but because You areknown as Dinabandhu, the friend of the fallen, I humbly pray thatYou will kindly purify me by the beams of Your transcendentalglance. If I become thoroughly bathed by Your merciful glance, thenI may be saved. Therefore, my Lord, I am requesting You to pleasebestow upon me Your merciful glance."

38 I Indifference and SeparationThe great devotee Uddhava once wrote a letter to Kr!J.a: "Mydear Krwa, I have just finished the study of all kinds of philosophicalbooks and Vedic verses about the goal of life, and so now I have alittle reputation for my studies. But still, in spite of my reputation,my knowledge is condemned, because although enj oying the effulgenceof Vedic knowledge, I could not appreciate the effulgence emanatingfrom the nails of Your toes. Therefore, the sooner my prideand Vedic knowledge are finished, the better it will be!" This is anexample of indifference.Another devotee very anxiously expressed himself thusly: "Mymind is very flickering, so I cannot concentrate it upon Your lotusfeet. And seeing this inefficiency in myself I become ashamed, andthe whole night I am unable to sleep because I am exasperated by mygreat inability."In the K[§"[ta-karr;tiimrta Bilvamarigala Thakur has explained hisrestlessness as follows: "My dear Lord, Your naughtiness in boyhoodis the most wonderful thing in the three worlds. And You Yourselfknow what this naughtiness is. As such, You can very easily understandmy flickering mind. This is known to You and myself. Therefore,I am simply yearning to know how I can fix my mind on Yourlotus feet."Another devotee expressed his impudency by saying: "My dearLord, without considering my lowly position, I must confess to Youthat my eyes are just like black wasps, desiring to hover at Your lotusfeet."In the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 4th Chapter, 27th313

314 The Nectar of Devotion! iI IIIiIverse, the great sage Narada informs Maharaj Yudhi9thira aboutPrahlada Maharaj, who was a devotee from the very beginning of hislife. The proof ofPrahlada's natural devotion is that even when he wasa small child he did not play with his playmates, but was always eagerto preach the glories of the Lord. Instead of joining in their sportiveacrobatic feats, he remained as an inactive child because he wasalways in trance, meditating on Kr9a. As such, there was no possibilityof his being touched by the external world.The following statement is about a briihmar;w devotee: "This briihmarrais very expert in all kinds of activities, but I do not know whyhe is looking up without moving his eyes. It appears that his body isfixed motionless just like a doll's. In this condition, I can guess thathe has been captivated by the transcendental beauty of that expertflute-player, Sri Kr9a, and, being attached to Him, he is simplystaring at the black cloud, remembering the bodily hue of Sri Kr9a."This is an example of how a devotee can become inert due to ecstaticlove.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Seventh Canto, 4th Chapter, 30thverse, Prahlada Maharaj says that even in his childhood, when he wasloudly speaking the glories of the Lord, he used to dance just like ashameless madman. And sometimes, being fully absorbed in thoughton the pastimes of the Lord, he used to imitate such pastimes. This isan instance of a devotee's being almost like a madman. Similarly, it issaid that the great sage Narada was so ecstatically in love with Kr9athat he would sometimes dance naked, and sometimes his wholebody would become stunned. Sometimes he would laugh very loudly,sometimes he would cry very loudly, sometimes he would remainsilent, and sometimes he would appear to be suffering from somedisease, although he had no disease. This is another instance of becominglike a madman in the ecstasy of devotion.In the Hari-bhak ti-sudhodaya it is stated that when Prahlada Maharajwas thinking himself unfit to approach the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, he immersed himself in great distress, in an ocean of unhappiness.As such, he used to shed tears and lie down on the floor asthough unconscious.The students of a great devotee once talked amongst themselves inthis way: "My dear Godbrothers, our spiritual master, after seeing the

Indifference and Separation 315lotus feet of the Lord, has thrown himself into the fire of lamentation,and because of this fire the water of his life has almost driedaway. Let us now pour the nectar of the holy name through his ears,and by doing so the swan of his life may again show signs of life."When Lord Krpa went to the city of Sol).itapura to fight withBali's son Bapa and to cut off all his hands, U ddhava, being separatedfrom Krpa and thinking of His fight, was almost completely stunnedinto unconsciousness.When a devotee is fully in love with the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, there may be the following symptoms due to his feelingsof separation from the Lord: feverish condition of the body, witheringof the body, lack of sleep, nonattachment, inertness, appearingdiseased, madness, unconsciousness and sometimes death.As far as the feverish condition of the body is concerned, Uddhavaonce told Narada, "My dear great sage, the lotus flower that is afriend of the sun may be a cause of distress for us; and the fire in theocean may cause us some burning sensation; and Indivara, the friendof a demon, may distress us in various ways-we do not mind. Butthe most regrettable factor is that all of them remind us of Krwa,and this is giving us too much distress!" This is an instance of thefeverish condition which is due to being separated from Krpa.Some of the devotees who went to see Krwa at Dvaraka and weredetained at the door said: "My dear Krwa, 0 friend of the PapQ.us, asthe swan loves to dive into the water amongst the lily flowers andwould die if he were taken from the water, so we only wish to bewith You. Our limbs are being shrunken and faded because You havebeen taken away from us."The King of Bahula, although very comfortably situated in hispalace, began to think the nights very long and distressing because ofhis separation from Krpa.King Yudhithira once said, "Krpa, the chariot driver of Arjuna,is the only relative of mine within the three worlds. Therefore, mymind is becoming maddened day and night with separation from Hislotus feet, and I do not know how to situate myself or where I shallgo to attain any steadiness of mind." This is another example of lackof sleep.Some of the cowherd friends of Krl).a said, "My dear Kn>pa, 0

316 The Nectar of Devotionenemy of the Mura demon, just think of Your personal servantRaktaka. Simply because he saw a peacock feather he is now closinghis eyes and is no longer attentive to pasturing the cows. Rather, hehas left them in a faraway pasture and has not even bothered to usehis stick to control them." This is an instance of mental imbalancedue to separation from Kn;a.When Lord Kra went to the capital of King Yudhithira, Uddhavawas so afflicted by the fire of separation from Sr1 Kra that theperspiring water from his enflamed body and the tears from his eyespoured from him, and in this way he became completely stunned.When Sr1 Kra left the city of Dvaraka to seek out the Syamantakajewel, He was late returning home. Uddhava became so afflicted thatthe symptoms of disease became manifest on his body. Actually, dueto his excessive ecstatic love for Kra, Uddhava became known inDvaraka as crazy. To his great fortune, on that day Uddhava's reputationas a crazy fellow was firmly established. U ddhava 's crazinesswas practically proved when he went to Raivataka Hill to minutelyobserve the congested black clouds. In his disturbed condition, hebegan to pray to these clouds, and he expressed his jubilation bybowing down before them.Uddhava informed Kra, "My dear leader of the Yadu dynasty,Your servants in V rndavana cannot sleep at night thinking of You, sonow they are all lying down on the bank of the Yamuna almost paralyzed.And it appears that they are almost dead because their breathingis very slow." This is an instance of becoming unconscious due toseparation from Kra.Kra was once informed, "You are the life and soul of all theinhabitants of Vrndavana. So because You have left Vrndavana, all ofthe servitors of Your lotus feet there are suffering. It is as if the lakesfilled with lotus flowers have dried up from the scorching heat ofseparation from You." In the example given here, the inhabitants ofV rndavana are compared to lakes filled with lotus flowers, and bec use of the scorching heat of separation from Kra, the lakes-alongWith the lotus flowers of their lives-are being burned up. And theswans in the lakes, who are compared to the vitality of the inhabitantsof V rndavana, are no longer desiring to live in that lake. In other

Indifference and Separation 317words, because of the scorching heat, the swans are leaving the lakes.This metaphor is used to describe the condition of the devoteesseparated from Krwa.

39 I Ways of Meeting KraWhen Kr9a and His devotees meet, it is technically called yo g a, orlinking up with the Lord. Such meetings between Ka and His devoteescan be divided into three classes-namely, perfection, satisfaction,and steadiness. When the devotee meets with Kr9a in greateagerness, that state of meeting is called perfection.In the Krrw-karru"imrta, Bilvamari.gala Thakur describes how Krwameets His devotee-with peacock feather on His head, with marakatajewels on His chest, with His ever-enchanting smile, His restless eyesand His very delicate body.In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bha g avatam, 38th Chapter, 31stverse, Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: "My dear King, as soonas Akrura the chariot driver saw Lord Kr9a and His elder brotherBalarama in Vrndavana, he immediately got down from the chariotand, being greatly afflicted by affection for the transcendental Lord,fell down upon His lotus feet to offer respectful obeisances." Theseare some of the instances of perfectional meetings with Kr9a.When a devotee meets Kr9a after long separation, it is called satisfaction.In the First Canto of Srimad-Bha g avatam, ll th Chapter, 9thverse, it is stated that when Lord Kr9a returned to His capital,Dvaraka, the inhabitants began to say, "My dear Lord, if You remainin foreign countries for so long, we shall certainly be bereft of seeingYour smiling face! And observing Your face, we, Your eternal servitors,become greatly satisfied. All the anxieties of our existence areimmediately mitigated. If we cannot see You because You are longabsent from Dvaraka, then it will be impossible for us to live anymore."This is an instance of satisfaction in meeting Kr9a after longseparation.318

Ways of Meeting Kr§T.w319Krrta's personal servant, Daruka, seeing Krrta at the door ofDvaraka, forgot to offer Him respects with folded hands.When a devotee is ultimately situated in association with Krrta,his position is called steadiness in devotional service. This steady positionin devotional service is explained in the book known as Harhsadiita.It is described there how Akn1ra, who was considered by thegopis to be terror personified, would talk with Krrta about the activitiesof the Kuru dynasty. A similar steady position was held byUddhava, the disciple of Brhaspati. He would always massage thelotus feet of Krrta while kneeling down on the ground before Him.When a devotee is engaged in the service of the Lord, it is calledthe attainment of yoga. The English equivalent to the word "yoga"is "linking up." So actual linking up with Krrta, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, begins when the devotee renders service unto Him.Devotees situated in the transcendental rasa of servitorship rendertheir particular service whenever there is an opportunity. Sometimesthey sit down in front of Krrta to receive orders. Some persons arereluctant to accept this level of devotional service as actual bhaktiyoga,and in some of the Purii:!ws also this servitorship in devotionalservice to Krwa is not accepted as the actual bhakti-yoga system. Butin the Srimad-Bhiigavatam it has been clearly indicated that the servitorrelationship with Krwa is the actual beginning of yoga realization.In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 3rd Chapter, 33rdverse, it is stated that when devotees are engaged in the discharge ofbhakti-yoga, sometimes they cry from thinking of Krrta, sometimesthey laugh, sometimes they become jubilant, and sometimes theytalk in very uncommon ways. Sometimes they dance, sometimes theysing, sometimes they are actually engaged in the service of the Lord,and sometimes they sit down silently as if absorbed in trance.Similarly, in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Chapter 28,Prahlada Maharaj says to his friends: "My dear friends, as soon as puredevotees of Lord Krrta hear of the transcendental pastimes of theLord, who is the eternal reservoir of pastimes, or hear about His transcendentalqualities they become overpowered with jubilation. Ecstaticsymptoms are manifested in their bodies. They shed tears, talkfalteringly, glorify the Lord in a loud voice and chant and dance inecstasy. These ecstasies are always there, but sometimes they over-

320 The Nectar of Devotioncome all limits, and the symptoms become manifest to all."In the process of surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godheadthere are six items: to accept everything which is favorable fordevotional service, to reject everything which is unfavorable fordevotional service, to believe that Kra will always give protection,to identify oneself with Kra's devotees, to always feel inabilitywithout the help of Kra, and to always think oneself inferior toKra, even though one may have full capacity to perform somethingon his own. When one is substantially convinced that he is alwaysprotected by Kra in all circumstances,that feeling is called reverentialdevotion. Reverential devotion is executed in relation with theSupreme Personality of Godhead and with His other protected devotees.When Kra was residing in Dvaraka, some of the elderly membersof the Y adu family would occasionally put some important matterbefore Him. At such a time, Krwa would carefully give attention tothose matters. And if there were some humorous topics mentioned,Kra would immediately respond with a smiling face. Sometimeswhen Krwa was executing His duties in the assembly known as Sudharma,He would ask the elderly members for good advice. By suchactivities He is manifest as the supreme spiritual master, the supremeexecutive head, the superior intelligence, the supreme power, protectorand maintainer.

40 I Reverential Devotionof Sons and Other SubordinatesTrue reverential devotion is exhibited by persons who think themselvessubordinate to Kra and by persons who think themselvessons of Kra. The best examples of this subordination are Saraa,Gada and Subhadra. They were all members of the Yadu dynasty,and they used to always think themselves protected by Kra. Similarly,Kra's sons, such as Pradyumna, Carudea, and Samba, feltthe same way. Kra had many sons in Dvaraka. He begot ten sonsby each of His 16,108 queens, and all of these sons, headed byPradyumna, Carudea and Samba, used to think themselves alwaysprotected by Kra. When Kra's sons dined with Him, they wouldsometimes open their mouths for Kra to feed them. Sometimeswhen Kra would pat one of His sons, the son would sit on Krwa'slap, and while Kra was blessing the son's head by smelling it, theothers would shed tears, thinking how many pious activities he musthave performed in his previous life. Out of Kra's many sons,Pradyumna, a son of Kra's chief queen, Rukmii, is considered theleader. Pradyumna's bodily features resembled Kra's exactly. Puredevotees of Kra glorify Pradyumna because he is so fortunate: likefather like son.There is a description in the Hari-vamsa of Pradyumna's activitieswhen he kidnapped Prabhavati. Pradyumna addressed Prabhavati atthat time and said: "My dear Prabhavati, just look at the head of ourfamily, Sri Kra: He is Viu Himself, the supreme driver of Garua,and He is our supreme master. Because we have become so proud andconfident of His protecting us, we sometimes do not even care aboutfighting with Tripurari [Lord Siva]."321

322 The Nectar of DevotionThere are two kinds of devotees engaged in devotional service withawe and veneration, and the servitors in the abode of Dvaraka alwaysworship Kra as the most respectable and revered Personality ofGodhead. They are captivated by Kra because of His super-excellentopulences. The members who always thought themselves protectedby Kra could readily convert their conviction into practical demonstration,because it was sometimes found that the sons of Kn;!la actedvery unlawfully in various places. Nonetheless they were given fullprotection by Kr!la and Balarama.Even Balarama, the elder brother of Kra, sometimes unknowinglyoffered respect to Him. Once when Kn;a came before Lord Balarama,He was anxious to offer His respects to His elder brother, but at thattime Balarama's club was lowered down upon Kra's lotus feet. Inother words, the club in Balarama's hand offered its own respects toKr!J.a. These feelings of subordination, as explained above, are sometimesmanifested as anubhiiva.When demigods from the heavenly planets came to Sri Kr!J.a, allof Kra 's sons followed them, and Lord Brahma sprinkled waterfrom his kamar4alu upon them. When the demigods came beforeKrwa, instead of sitting on golden chairs, the sons sat down on thefloor, which was covered with deerskin.Sometimes the behavior of Kr!la 's sons appears similar to the behaviorof His personal servants. For example, the sons used to offertheir obeisances, they were silent, submissive and gentle, and theywere always ready to carry out Kra's orders, even at the risk of life.When present before Kra, they bowed down on the ground. Theywere very silent and steady, and they used to restrain coughing andlaughing before the Lord. Also, they never discussed Krwa's pastimesin conjugal love. In other words, devotees who are engaged in reverentialdevotional service should not discuss the conjugal love affairsof Kra. No one should claim his eternal relationship with Kra unlesshe is liberated. In the conditioned state of life, the devotees haveto execute the prescribed duties as recommended in the codes of devotionalservice. When one is mature in devotional service and is arealized soul, he can know his own eternal relationship with Krwa.One should not artificially try to establish some relationship. In the

Reverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates 323premature stage it is sometimes found that a lusty, conditioned personwill artificially try to establish some relationship with Kr!la inconjugal love. The result of this is that one becomes prakrta-sahajiyii,or one who takes everything very cheaply. Although such personsmay be very anxious to establish a relationship with Kr!la in conjugallove, their conditioned life in the material world is still mostabominable. A person who has actually established his relationshipwith Kr9!1a can no longer act on the material plane, and his personalcharacter cannot be criticized.When Cupid came on one occasion to visit Lord Kr9!1a, some devoteeaddressed him thus: "My dear Cupid, because you have been sofortunate as to have placed your eyesight on the lotus feet of Kr!la,the drops of perspiration on your body have become frozen, andthey resemble kar-taki fruits [a kind of a small fruit found in thornybushes] . " These are signs of ecstasy and veneration unto the SupremePersonality of Godhead. When the princes of the Y adu dynasty heardthe vibration of Kr!!a's Paficajanya conchshell, the hairs on theirbodies immediately stood up in ecstatic jubilation. It seemed at thattime that all the hairs on the bodies of the princes were dancing inecstasy.In addition to jubilation, there are sometimes symptoms of disappointment.Pradyumna once addressed Samba with these words: "Mydear Samba, you are such a glorified personality! I have seen thatonce when you were playing on the ground, your body becamecovered with dust; yet, our father, Lord Kr9!1a, still took you up onHis lap. But I am so unfortunate that I could never get such lovefrom our father!" This statement is an example of disappointment inlove.To regard Kr!la as one's superior is called reverential feeling, andwhen, in addition to this, a devotee feels that Kr!la is his protecJor,his transcendental love for Krsna is increased, and his combined feel-. . .ings are called reverential devotion. When this steady reverential devotionincreases further, it is called love of Godhead in reverential devotion.Attraction and affection are two prominent symptoms of thisstage. In tliis reverential devotional attitude, Pradyumna never talkedto his father in a loud voice. In fact, he never so much as unlocked

324 The Nectar of Devotionthe lips of his mouth, nor did he ever show his face filled with tears.He would always glance only at the lotus feet of his father.There is another example of steady and fixed love for Krwa in theinstance of Arjuna's informing Him of the death of Arjuna's son,Abhimanyu, who was also the nephew of Kra. Abhimanyu was theson of Subhadra, Kra's younger sister. He was killed at the Battleof Kuruketra by the combined efforts of all the commanders inKing Duryodhana's army-namely, Kara, Asvatthama, Jayadratha,Bluma, Krpacarya and Droacarya. In order to assure Kn>a thatthere was no change of love on Subhadra's part, Arjuna informedHim: "Although Abhimanyu was killed almost in Your presence,Subhadra's love for You is not agitated at all, nor has it even slightlychanged its original color."The affection that Krwa has for His devotees was expressed byHimself when He asked Pradyumna not to feel so bashful beforeHim. He addressed Pradyumna thus: "My dear boy, just give up yourinferiority complex, and do not hang your neck. Just talk with Me ina clear voice, and do not shed tears. You can look straight at Me, andyou can place your hands on My body without any hesitation. Thereis no need of exhibiting so much reverence before your father."Pradyumna 's attachment for Kra was always exhibited by hisaction. Whenever he was ordered by his. father to execute something,he would immediately execute the order, taking the task as nectareaneven though it may have been poison. Similarly, whenever he wouldfind something to be disapproved of by his father, he would immediatelyreject it as poison, even though it may have been nectarean.Pradyumna's attachment in anxiety for Kra was expressed whenhe said to his wife Rati: "The enemy, Sambara, is already killed. NowI am very anxious to see my father, who is my spiritual master andwho always carries the conchshell known as Paiicajanya." Pradyumnafelt great separation from Kra when He was absent from Dvarakaat the battlefield of Kuruketra. He said, "Since my father has leftDvaraka, I do not take much pleasure in practicing fighting, nor am Iinterested in any kind of sporting pastimes. And what need is thereto speak of these things? I do not even wish to stay at Dvaraka in theabsence of my father."I.

Reverential Devotion of Sons and Other Subordinates 325When Pradyumna came back home after killing the Sambarasura,and as soon as he saw his father, Kra, before him, he became sooverjoyed that he himself could not understand his jo_y on thatoccasion. This is an instance of success in separation. A similar satisfactionwas observed when Kra returned from the battlefield ofKuruketra to His home at Dvaraka. All of His sons were so overjoyedthat, out of ecstasy, they repeatedly made many mistakes.These mistakes were a sign of complete satisfaction.Every day Pradyumna looked over Kra 's lotus feet with tears inhis eyes. These signs of reverential devotion on the part of Pradyumnacan be described in the same way they have been described in thecase of other devotees.

41 I Fraternal DevotionWhen a devotee is permanently situated in devotional service, andby different symptoms of ecstasy he has developed and matured afraternal mellow or flavor in relationship with the Personality ofGodhead, at that time his feeling is called fraternal love of Godhead.The impetus for such fraternal love of God is God Himself. Whenone is liberated and discovers his eternal relationship with the Su·preme Lord, the Lord Himself becomes the impetus for increasingfraternal love. The eternal associates of the Lord in Vrndavana havedescribed this as follows: "The Lord, Hari, whose bodily hue is likethe indranila jewel, whose smiling is as beautiful as the kunda flower,whose silk dress is as yellow as golden autumn foliage, whose chestis beautified with garlands of flowers and who is always playing uponHis flute-this enemy of the Agha demon is always attracting ourhearts by wandering about Vrndavana."There are similar statements of fraternal love expressed outside thejurisdiction of V rndavana. When the sons of Papu, headed byMaharaj Yudhithira, saw Krpa in His fourhanded form on thebattlefield of Kuruketra, holding His conchshell, disk, club and lotusflower, they completely forgot themselves and became merged in theocean of nectarean happiness. This shows how the sons of Papu­King Yudhithira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva-were allcaught up in fraternal love for Krpa.Sometimes the different names, forms, paraphernalia and transcendentalqualities provoke fraternal love: For instance, Krpa's nicedress, the all-auspicious symptoms on His body, His strongly-builtbody, His knowledge of different languages, His learned teachings326

Fraternal Devotion 327in the Bhagavad-gitii, His uncommon genius in all fields of endeavor,His exhibition of expert knowledge, His mercy, His chivalry, His behavioras a conjugal lover, His intelligence, His forgiveness, His attractionfor all kinds of men, His opulence and His happiness-allprovoke fraternal love.The impetus to fraternal love upon seeing the associates of Kr!lain Vrndavana is also very natural, for their personal bodily features,their qualities and dress are all equal to Kr!la 's. These associates arealways happy in their service to Kr!la, and they are generally knownas vayasyas, or friends of the same age. These vayasyas are fully confidentof protection by Kr9!la. Devotees sometimes pray: "Let us offerour respectful obeisances unto the vayasyas of Kr9!1a, who arefirmly convinced of Kr9!!a's friendship and protection and whose devotionto Krwa is ever-fixed. They are fearless, and on a level equalwith Kr!la they discharge their transcendental loving devotional service."Such eternal vayasyas are also found beyond the jurisdiction ofVrndavana, in places such as Dvaraka and Hastinapura. Except forVrndavana, all the places of Kr!!a's pastimes are called puras (towns).Mathura and Hastinapura, the capital of the Kurus, are both puras.Personalities like Arjuna, Bhima, Draupadl and Srldama Brahma!laare counted amongst Kr9!la 's fraternal devotees in the puras.How the sons of Pa!!u, the Pa!lavas, enjoy Kr9!1a's association isdescribed as follows: "When Sri Kr9!1a arrived in Indraprastha, thecapital of the Kurus, Maharaj Yudhithira immediately came out tosmell the flavor of Kr!la 's head." It is the Vedic custom that superiorssmell the heads of their subordinates when the subordinatesoffer respect to the superior by touching his feet. Similarly, Arjunaand Bhlma embraced Kr!!a with great jubilation, and the two youngerbrothers, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, touched the lotus feet ofKr9!1a with tears in their eyes and offered their respects. In this wayall the five Pa!!ava brothers enjoyed the fraternal friendship ofKrwa in transcendental mellow. Of the five Pa!lavas, Arjuna is themost intimately connected with Kr!la. He has a nice bow in his handwhich is called Ga!llva. His thighs are compared with the trunks ofelephants, and his eyes are always reddish. When Kr!la and Arjunaare together on a chariot, they become celestial beauties, pleasing to

328 The Nectar of Devotionthe eyes of everyone. It is said that once Arjuna was lying in his bedwith his head upon Krt;ta's lap and was talking and joking with Krt;tain great relaxation and was enjoying Krt;ta's company with smilingand great satisfaction.As far as the vayasyas (friends) in Vrndavana are concerned, theybecome greatly distressed when they cannot see Krt;ta even for amoment.There is the following prayer by a devotee for the vayasyas inVrndavana: "All glories to Krt;ta's vayasyas, who are just like Krt;tain their age, qualities, pastimes, dress and beauty. They are accustomedto playing on their flutes made of palm leaves, and they allhave buffalo-horn bugles ornamented like Krt;ta's with jewels such asindranila and with gold and coral. They are always jubilant like Krt;ta.May these glorious companions of Krwa always protect us!"The vayasyas in Vrndavana are in such intimate friendship withKrt;ta that sometimes they think themselves as good as Krt;ta. Here isan instance of such friendly feeling: When Krt;ta was holding up GovardhanHill with His left hand, the vayasyas said, "My dear friend,You have been standing for the last seven days and nights withoutany rest. This is very troublesome for us because we see that youhave undertaken a severely laborious task. We think, therefore, thatyou need not continue to stand in that way holding the hill. You canjust transfer it onto Sudama's hand. We are very much aggrieved tosee You in this position. If You think that Sudama is not able tosupport Govardhan Hill, then at least You should change hands. Insteadof supporting it with Your left hand, please transfer it to Yourright hand, so that we can give Your left hand a massage." This is aninstance of intimacy, showing how much the vayasyas consideredthemselves to be equal to Krt;ta.In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, lOth verse,Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parikit: "My dear King, Krt;ta is theSupreme Personality of Godhead to the learned transcendentalist, Heis the supreme happiness for the impersonalist, He is the supremeworshipable Deity for the devotee, and He is just like an ordinaryboy to one who is under the spell of maya. And just imagine-thesecowherd boys are now playing with the Supreme Person as though

Fraternal Devotion 329they are on an equal level! By this anyone can understand that theseboys must have accumulated heaps of the results of pious activities toenable them to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godheadin such intimate friendship."There is a description of Kr!la's feeling for his vayasyas in Vrndavana.He once said to Balarama, "My dear brother, when My companionswere being devoured by the Aghasura, hot tears poured downfrom My eyes. And as they were washing My cheeks, My dear elderbrother, for at least one moment I completely lost Myself."Within Gokula, Kr!la 's vayasyas are generally divided into fourgroups: l) well-wishers, 2) friends, 3) confidential friends and 4) intimatefriends. Kr!la's well-wisher friends are a little bit older thanKr!la, and they have some parental affection for Him. Because oftheir being older than Kr!la they always try to protect Him from anyharm. As such, they sometimes bear weapons so that they can chastiseany mischievous persons who want to do harm to Krwa. Countedamongst the well-wisher friends are Subhadra,* Ma!l9-alibhadra,Bhadravardhana, Gobhata, Y aka, lndrabhata, Bhadrihi.ga, Virabhadra,Mahagu!la, Vijaya, and Balabhadra. They are older than Kr!la andare always thinking of His welfare.One of the elderly friends said, "My dear Ma!l9-alibhadra, whyare you wielding a shining sword as though you were runningtowards Aritasura to kill him? My dear Baladeva, why are you unnecessarilybearing that heavy plow? My dear Vijaya, don't be unnecessarilyagitated. My dear Bhadravardhana, there is no need tomake these threatening motions. If you will all look more closelyyou will see that it is only a thunder cloud upon Govardhana Hill; itis not the Aritasura in the shape of a bull, as you have imagined."These older, well-wishing friends of Kr!la imagined a large cloud tobe the Aritasura, appearing in the shape of a huge bull. In the midstof their excitement one of them ascertained that it was actually onlya cloud on Govardhan Hill. He therefore informed the others not totake the trouble of worrying about Kr!la, because there was no presentdanger from Aritasura.* Not to be confused with Kra's sister of the same name.

330 The Nectar of DevotionAmongst the well-wisher friends, Mal).alibhadra and Balabhadraare the chiefs. Mal).alibhadra is described as follows: his complexionis yellowish, and his dress is very attractive. He always carries a stickof various colors. He wears a peacock feather on his head and alwayslooks very beautiful. Mal).alibhadra's attitude is revealed in his statement:"My dear friends, our beloved Krl).a is now very tired fromworking with the cows in the pasturing grounds and from travelingall over the forests. I can see that He is very fatigued. Let me massageHis head silently while He is taking rest in His house. And you,Subala-you just massage His thighs."One devotee described the personal beauty of Baladeva as follows:"Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Balarama, whose beauty isenhanced by the earrings touching his cheeks. His face is decoratedwith tilaka made from kasturi (musk), and His broad chest is decoratedwith a garland of gunja (small conchshells). His complexion isas white as an autumn cloud, He wears garments of blue color, andHis voice is very grave. His arms are very long, touching His thighs,and He has shown His great strength by killing the Pralamba demon.\I !,II'IILet me take shelter of this chivalrous Balarama. "*Baladeva's affection for Kn>l).a is illustrated in this statement toSubala: "My dear friend, please inform Krwa not to go to Kaliya'slake today. Today is His birthday, and so I wish to go along withMother Y asoda to bathe Him. Tell Him He should not leave the housetoday." This shows how Balarama, Kg;!). a's elder brother, took careof Kn>pa with parental love, within the scope of fraternal affection.Friends who were younger than Krwa, who were always attachedto Him and who gave Him all kinds of service, are called ordinaryfriends, or, simply, friends. Such ordinary friends are called sakhiis,and the names of some sakhiis are Visala, Vrabha, Ojasvi, Devaprastha,Varuthapa, Maranda, Kusumap'ia, Mapibandha, and Karandhama.All of these sakhii friends of Krpa sought only to serve Him.Sometimes some of them would rise early in the morning and immediatelygo to Kn>l).a's place and wait at the door to see Krwa and.,. Balarama and Baladeva are different names for the same expansion of Kn1a. Heis Kn;a's elder brother.

Fraternal Devotion 331to accompany Him to the pasturing grounds. In the meantime, Kr!lawould be dressed by Mother Y asoda, and when she would see a boystanding at the door, she would call him: "Well, Visala, why are youstanding there? Come here!" So with the permission of MotherYasoda, he would immediately enter the house. And while MotherY asoda was dressing Kr!ia, he would try to help put on Kn;!la 'sankle bells, and Kr!la would jokingly strike him with His flute. ThenMother Y asoda would call, "Krl).a, what is this? Why are You teasingYour friend?" And Kr!la would laugh, and the friend would alsolaugh. These are some of the activities of Kr!!a's sakhiis. Sometimesthe sakhiis would take care of the cows who were going hither andthither. They would tell Krwa, "Your cows were going off here andthere," and Kr!ia would thank them.Sometimes when Krwa and His sakhiis went to the pasturingground, Kamsa would send a demon to kill Krwa. Therefore, almostevery day there was a fight with some different kind of demon. Afterfighting with a demon, Kr!ia would feel fatigued, the hairs on Hishead would be scattered, and the sakhiis would immediately comeand try to relieve Him in different. ways. Some friends would say,"My dear Visala, please take this fan of lotus leaves and fan Kr!la sothat He may feel some comfort. Varuthapa, you just brush the scatteredhairs on Kr!!a's head which have fallen upon His face_ Vrabha,don't talk unnecessarily! Immediately massage Kr!!a's body. Hisarms have become tired from fighting and wrestling with that demon.Oh, just see how our friend Kr?!la has become tired!" These are someexamples of the treatment given to Kr!la by the sakhiis.One of the sakhiis, known as Devaprastha, is described as follows:he is very strong, a ready scholar, and is very expert in playing ball.He wears a white dress, and he ties his hair into a bunch with a rope.Whenever there is a fight between Krwa and the demons, Devaprasthais the first to help, and he fights just like an elephant.One of the gopis once said to her friend, "My dear beautifulfriend, when Kr!ia, the son of Maharaj N anda, was taking rest withinthe cave of a hill, He was keeping His head on the arms of Sri'dama,and He was putting His left hand on Dama's chest. Taking this opportunity,Devaprastha, out of his strong affection for Kr!la, im-

332 The Nectar of Devotionmediately began to massage His legs." Such are the activities ofKrl).a's friends out on the pasturing grounds.The more confidential friends are called priya-sakhiis and are almostKrl).a 's age. Because of their very confidential friendship, theirbehavior is only on the basis of pure friendship. Other friends' behavioris on the ground of paternal love or servitude, but the basicprinciple of the confidential friends is simply friendship on an equallevel. Some confidential friends are as follows: Sridama, Sudama,Dama, Vasudama, Kinkil).i, Stokakrl).a, Arhsu, Bhadrasena, Vilasina,Pul)-9-arika, Vitanka and Kalavinka. By their various activities in differentpastimes, all of these friends used to give transcendental pleasureto Krl).a.The behavior of these confidential friends is described by a friendof Radharal).i, who told Radharal).i: "My dear graceful Radharal).i,Your intimate friend, Krl).a, is also served by His intimate boyfriends. Some of them cut jokes with Him in mild voices and pleaseHim very much by this." For example, Krl).a had one briihmar-afriend whose name was Madhumangala. This boy would joke byplaying the part of a greedy briihmar-a. Whenever the friends ate, hewould eat more than all others, especially liius, of which he wasvery fond. Then after eating more liius than anyone else, Madhumangalawould still not be satisfied, and he would say to Krl).a, "IfYou give me one more liiu, then I shall be pleased to give You myblessings so that Your friend Radharal).i will be very much pleasedwith You." The briihmar-as are supposed to give blessings to thevaisyas (farming and merchant caste), and Krl).a presented Himselfas the son of Maharaj Nanda, a vaisya; so the briihmar-a boy wasright in giving blessings to Krl).a. Thus Krl).a was very pleased byHis friend's blessings, and He would supply him with more and moreliius.Sometimes a confidential friend would come before Krl).a andembrace Him with great affection and love. Another friend wouldthen come up from the rear and cover Krl).a's eyes with his hands.Krwa would always feel very happy by such dealings with His confidentialfriends.Out of all these confidential friends, Sridama is considered to be

Fraternal Devotion 333the chief. Sridama used to put on a yellow-colored dress. He wouldcarry a buffalo horn, and his turban was of reddish, copper color. Hisbodily complexion was blackish, and around his neck there was anice garland. He would always challenge Krl).a in joking friendship.Let us pray to Sridama to bestow his mercy upon us!Sometimes Sridama used to address Krwa: "Oh, You are so cruelthat You left us alone on the bank of Yamuna, and we were all madfrom not seeing You there! Now it is our great fortune that we areable to see You here. If You want to pacify us, You must embraceeach one of us with Your arms. But believe me, my dear friend, amoment's absence from You creates great havoc, not only for us butfor the cows also. Everything becomes disarranged, and we becomemad after You."There are other friends who are still more confidential. They arecalled pri_ya-narma, or intimate friends. Counted among the pri_yanarmafriends are Subala, Arjuna, Gandharva, Vasanta and Ujjvala.There was talk among the friends of Radharal).'i, the gopis, aboutthese most intimate friends. One gopi addressed Radharal).i thusly:"My dear Krsangi [delicate one], just see how Subala is whisperingYour message into Kn;l).a 's ear, how he is delivering the confidentialletter of Syamadasi silently into Krl).a 's hand, how he is deliveringthe betel nuts prepared by Palika into Krl).a 's mouth, and how he isdecorating Krwa with the garland prepared by Taraka. Did youknow, my dear friend, that all these most intimate friends of Krl).aare always engaged in His service in this way?" Out of the many intimatepri_ya-narmas, Subala and Ujjvala are considered to be the mostprominent.Subala's body is described as follows. His complexion is just likemolten gold. He is very, very dear to Krl).a. He always has a garlandaround his neck, and he wears yellow clothing. His eyes are just likelotus flower petals, and he is so intelligent that by his talking and hismoral instructions, all the other friends take the highest pleasure. Letus all offer our respectful obeisances unto Kn>l).a's friend Subala!The degree of intimacy shared by Krpa and Subala can be understoodby the fact that the talks between them were so confidentialthat no one else could understand what they were saying.

334 The Nectar of DevotionThe description of Ujjvala, another intimate friend, is given as follows.Ujjvala always wears some garment of orange color, and themovements of his eyes are always very restless. He likes to decoratehimself with all kinds of flowers, his bodily hue is almost like Krwa 's,and on his neck there is always a necklace of pearls. He is always verydear to Kra. Let us all worship Ujjvala, the most intimate friend ofKra!About the confidential service of Ujjvala, this statement is to befound, addressed by Radharai to one of Her friends: "My dearfriend, it is impossible for Me to keep My prestige! I wanted to avoidtalking to Kra anymore-but just see! There again is His friend,Ujjvala, coming to Me with his canvassing work. His entreaties are sopowerful that it is very difficult for a gopi to resist her love forKrpa, even though she may be very bashful, devoted to her familyduties and most faithful to her husband."The following is a statement by Ujjvala, showing his jubilant nature:"My dear Krpa, 0 killer of Aghasura, You have extended Yourloving affairs so much that You can be compared to the great ocean,which is without limitations. At the same time, the young girls of theworld who are all searching after the perfect lover have become justlike rivers running into this ocean. Under the circumstances, all theserivers of young girls may try to divert their courses to some otherplace, but at the end they must come unto You."I,,Amongst the groups of different friends of Kra, some are wellknownfrom various scriptures, and some are well-known by populartradition. There are three divisions amongst Krwa's friends: some areeternally in friendship with Krpa, some are elevated demigods, andsome are perfected devotees. In all of these groups there are somewho by nature are fixed in Krpa 's service and are always engaged ingiving counsel; some of them are very fond of joking and naturallycause Kra to smile by their words; some of them are by nature verysimple, and by their simplicity they please Lord Krpa; some of themcreate wonderful situations by their activities, apparently againstKrwa; some of them are very talkative, always arguing with Kra

'Fraternal Devotion 335and creating a debating atmosphere; and some of them are very gentleand give pleasure to Krpa by their sweet words. All of thesefriends are very intimate with Krpa, and they show expertise in theirdifferent activities, their aim always being to please Krpa.

42 I Fraternal Loving ·AffairsKr!!a's age, His beauty, His bugle, His flute, His conchshell andHis pleasing attitude all provoke love in friendship for Him. Hisexceptional joking abilities, exhibited sometimes by His pretendingto be a royal prince, or even the Supreme Personality of Godhead,also give impetus to devotees developing love for Kr!la in friendship.Learned scholars have divided Kr!la 's age into three periods: theage up to five years is called kaumiira, the age from the sixth to thetenth year is called paugar4a, and the age from the eleventh to fifteenthyear is called kaisora. While Kr!la is spending His days as acowherd boy, He is in the kaumiira and paugar4a ages. In the kaisoraage, when Kr!la appeared at Gokula, He acted as a cowherd boy, andthen, when He was sixteen, He went to Mathura to kill Kamsa.The kaumiira age is just suitable for reciprocating the love of achild with Mother Y asoda. In the Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, 9thverse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parikit:"My dear King, although Lord Kr!la is the supreme enjoyer and thebeneficiary of all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies, He still used to eatwith His cowherd boy friends. This is because at that time He acceptedthe pastimes of an ordinary boy, keeping His flute under Hisarm and His bugle on the right side in His belt, along with His cane.In His left hand He would hold a lump of rice paste with yogurt, andin His fingers would be pilu, the king of fruits. When He would thussit amongst His friends, it would appear that He was the whorl of alotus flower and that the friends surrounding Him were petals. Asthey thus enjoyed joking amongst themselves, the denizens of heavenwould become struck with wonder and would only stare at thescene."336

Fraternal Loving Affairs 337Krpa 's paugaryJa age can be further divided into three periodsnamely,the beginning, middle and end. In the beginning of thepaugar;u;la age there is a very nice reddish luster on His lips, His ab·domen is very thin, and on His neck are circles like those on a conchshell.Sometimes, some outside visitors would return to V rndavana tosee Krpa and, upon seeing Him again, would exclaim, "My dearMukunda, Your beauty is gradually increasing, just like the leaf on abanyan tree! My dear lotus-eyed one, Your neck is gradually manifestingcircles like the conchshell. And in the shining moonlight Yourteeth and cheeks are competing with the padmariiga jewels in theirbeautiful arrangement. I am sure that Your beautiful bodily developmentis now giving much pleasure to Your friends."At this age Krpa was garlanded with various kinds of flowers. Heused to put on a silk dress, colored with various kinds of dye. Suchbeautiful decorations are considered cosmetics for Krpa. Krpawould wear this dress when He used to go into the forest to tend thecows. Sometimes He would wrestle there with His different friends,and sometimes they would dance all together in the forest. These aresome of the specific activities of the paugaryJa age.The cowherd friends of Krpa were so happy in His company thatthey expressed their transcendental feelings within themselves thus:"My dear Krpa, You are always busy tending the cows which arescattered all over beautiful Vrndavana. You have a beautiful garland,a small conchshell, a peacock feather on Your turban, yellow-coloredsilk cloth, decorations of kan;tikiira flowers on Your ears and a mallikiiflower garland on Your chest. Appearing so beautiful, when Youpretend, just like an actor, to be fighting with us, You give us unlimitedtranscendental bliss."When Krwa is more grown-up, in the middle age of paugar4a, Hisnails become finely sharp, and His chubby cheeks become lustrousand round. On the two sides of His waist above His belt there arethree distinct lines of folded skin, called tribali.The cowherd boy friends of Krpa felt very proud of their associationwith Him. At that time the tip of His nose defeated the beautyof the sesame flowers, the luster of His cheeks defeated the glow ofpearls,· and the two sides of His body were exquisitely beautiful. Inthis age Krwa wore a silk dress that glittered like lightning, His head

338 The Nectar of Devotionwas decorated with a silk turban covered with gold lace, and in Hishand He carried a stick about fifty-six inches long.* Seeing this exquisitelybeautiful dress of Kr!la, one devotee addressed his friendin this manner: "My dear friend, just look at Krwa! See how He iscarrying in His hand a stick which is bound up and down with goldenrings, how His turban with golden lace is showing such a beautifulluster, and how His dress is giving his friends the highest transcendentalpleasure!"At the end of Kr!!a's paugartfla age, Kr!!a's hair sometimes hangsdown to His hips, and sometimes it becomes scattered. In this ageHis two shoulders become higher and broader, and His face is alwaysdecorated with marks of tilaka. When His beautiful hair scatters overHis shoulders, it appears to be a goddess of fortune embracing Him,and this embracing is highly relished by His friends. Subala once addressedHim in this way: "My dear Kesava, Your round turban, thelotus flower in Your hand, the vertical marks of tilaka on Your forehead,Your kwikum-flavored musk and all of Your beautiful bodilyfeatures are defeating me today, although I am usually stronger thanYou or any of our friends. Since this is so, I do not know how thesefeatures of Your body can fail to defeat the pride of all the younggirls of Vrndavana. When I am so defeated by this beauty, whatchance is there for those who are naturally very simple and flexible?"At this age Kr!la took pleasure in whispering into the ears of Hisfriends, and the subject of His talks was the beauty of the gopis,who were just tarrying before them. Subala once addressed Krwathus: "My dear Kr!!a, You are very cunning. You can understandthe thoughts of others; therefore I am whispering within Your earthat all these five gopis, who are most beautiful, have been attractedby Your dress. And I believe that Cupid has entrusted them with theresponsibility of conquering You." In other words, the beauty of thegopis was capable of conquering Kr!la, although Kr!!a is the conquerorof all universes.* The specific p(lstimes in this period took place in the forest known as Bhatt·iravana. This Bhattiravana, along with eleven other vanas,or forests, is stillexisting in the V rndavana area, and devotees who circumambulate the whole areaof Vrndavana can know the beauty of these forests even today.

Fraternal Loving Affairs 339The symptoms of the kaisora age are already described, and it is atthis age that devotees generally most appreciate Kr?9a. Kr?9a withRadhara9'i is worshiped as Kisora-kisori. Kr?9a does not increase Hisage beyond this form of kaisora, and it is confirmed in the Brahmasarhhitiithat although He is the oldest personality and has innumerabledifferent forms, His original form is always youthful. In the picturesof Kr?9a on the battlefield of Kuruk?etra we can see that He isyouthful, although at that time He was old enough to have sons,grandsons, and great grandsons. The cowherd boy friends of Kr?9aonce said, "My dear Kr?9a, You need not decorate Your body withso many ornaments. Your transcendental features are themselves sobeautiful that You do not require any ornamentation." At this age,whenever Kr?9a begins to vibrate His flute early in the morning, all ofHis friends immediately get up from bed just to join Him in going tothe pasturing grounds. One of the friends once said, "My dear cowherdfriends, the sound of Krsna 's flute from above Govardhan Hill. . .is telling us that we need not go to search Him out on the bank of theYamuna."Parvat'i, the wife of Lord Siva, told her husband:"My dearPaficamukha [five-faced], just look at the Pa9avas! After hearingthe sound of Kr?9a 's conchshell known as Paficajanya, they haveregained their strength and are just like lions."At this age, Kr?9a once dressed Himself up exactly like Radharii!l'i,just to create fun among His friends. He put on golden earrings; andbecause He was blackish, He smeared the pulp of kunkum all overHis body in order to become as fair as She. By seeing this dress,Kr?9a's friend Subala became very astonished.Kr?9a sometimes played with His intimate friends by engaging infighting or wrestling with their arms, sometimes by playing ball,sometimes by playing chess, sometimes by carrying one another ontheshoulders, and sometimes by exhibiting their expertness atwhirling logs. And the cowherd friends used to please Kr?!la bysitting together with Him on coaches or on swings, by lying togetheron their beds, by joking together and by swimming in the pool. Allthese activities are called anubhiiva. Whenever all the friends wouldassemble in the company of Kr?9a, they would immediately engage in

340 The Nectar of Devotionall these functions, especially in dancing together. Regarding theirwrestling, one friend once asked KrtJ.a, "My dear friend, 0 killer ofthe Agha demon, You are very proudly wandering among Yourfriends trying to exhibit Your arms as very strong. Is it that You areenvious of me? I know that You cannot defeat me in wrestling, andI also know that You were sitting idly for a long time because Youwere hopeless of defeating me."All the friends were very daring and would risk any difficulty, he·cause they were confident that KrtJ.a would help them to be victoriousin all adventures. They used to sit together and advise oneanother what to do, sometimes inducing one another to be engagedin welfare work. Sometimes they would offer betel nuts to oneanother, decorate one another's faces with tilaka or smear pulp ofcandana on one another's bodies. Sometimes, for the sake of amusement,they used to decorate their faces in strange ways. Anotherbusiness of the friends was that each of them wanted to defeat KrtJ.a.Sometimes they used to snatch His clothing or snatch away theflowers from His hands. Sometimes one would try to induce anotherto decorate his body for him, and failing this, they were always readyto fight, challenging one another to combat in wrestling. These weresome of the general activities of Krwa and His friends.Another important pastime of the friends of KrtJ.a was that theyserved as messengers to and from the gopis; they introduced thegopis to Krwa and canvassed for KrtJ.a. When the gopis were in disagreementwith KrtJ.a, these friends would support KrtJ.a's side inHis presence-but when KrtJ.a was not present, they would supportthe side of the gopis. In this way, sometimes supporting one side,someties the other, they would talk very privately, with muchwhispering in the ears, although none of the business was verysenous.The servants of KrtJ.a were sometimes engaged in collecting flowers,decorating His body with valuable ornaments and trinkets,dancing before Him, singing, helping Him herd the cows, massagingHis body, preparing flower garlands and sometimes fanning His body.These were some of the primary duties of the servants of Kr!la. Thefriends and servants of KrtJ.a were combined together in servingHim, and all of their activities are known as anubhiiva.

Fraternal Loving Affairs 341When Kn;a came out from the Yamuna after chastising theKaliyanaga, Sridama wanted to embrace Him first, but he could notraise his arms because of his great feeling of respect.When Kra used to play on His flute, it appeared just like theroaring of clouds in the sky during the constellation of Svati. Accordingto Vedic astronomical calculation, if there is rain during theconstellation of the Svati star, any rain falling on the sea will producepearls, and rain falling on a serpent will produce jewels. Similarly,when Kn;a's flute roared like a thundercloud under the Svaticonstellation, the resulting perspiration on Sridama's body appearedto be just like pearls.When Kra and Subala were embracing one another, Sr1mat1Radharai became a little envious, and hiding Her hot temperamentShe said, "My dear Subala, you are very fortunate, because even inthe presence of superiors you and Kra have no hesitation in puttingyour arms on each other's shoulders. I think it must be admitted thatin your previous lives you have succeeded in many kinds of austerities."The idea is that although Radharapi was accustomed to putHer arms on Krwa 's shoulders, it was not possible for Her to do sucha thing in the presence of Her superiors, whereas Subala could do sofreely. Radharai therefore praised his good fortune.When Kra entered the lake of Kaliya, His intimate friends becameso perturbed that their bodily colors faded, and they all producedhorrible gurgling sounds. At that time all of them fell down onthe ground as if they were unconscious. Similarly, when there was aforest fire all of Kra 's friends neglected their own protection andsurrounded Kra on all sides to protect Him from the flames. Thisbehavior of the friends toward Kra is described by thoughtful poetsas v y abhiciiri. In vyabhiciiri ecstatic love for Kra there is sometimesmadness, dexterity, fear, laziness, jubilation, pride, dizziness, meditation,disease, forgetfulness and humbleness. These are some of thecommon symptoms in the stage of v y abhiciiri ecstatic love for Kra.When there are dealings between Kra and His friends which arecompletely devoid of any feelings of respect, and they all treat oneanother on an equal level, such ecstatic love in friendship is calledsthiiyi. When one is situated in this confidential friendly relationshipwith Kra, one shows symptoms of love such as attraction, affection,

342 The Nectar of Devotionaffinity and attachment. An example of sthiiyi was exhibited whenArjuna* told Akn1ra: "My dear son of Gandini, please ask Kr!lawhen I shall be able to embrace Him in my arms."When there is full knowledge of Krwa's superiority and yet indealings with Him on friendly terms respectfulness is completely absent,that stage is called affection. There is one brilliant example ofthis affection. When the demigods, headed by Lord Siva, were offeringrespectful prayers to Kr!la, describing the glorious opulences ofthe Lord, Arjuna* stood before Him with his hand on His shouldersand brushed the dust from His peacock feather.When the Pa!l9avas were banished by Duryodhana and forced tolive incognito in the forest, no one could trace out where they werestaying. At that time, the great sage Narada met Lord Kr!la and said,"My dear Mukunda, although You are the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, the all-powerful person, by making friendship with You thePa!l9avas have become bereft of their legitimate right to the kingdomof the world-and, moreover, they are now living in the forest incognito.Sometimes they must work as ordinary laborers in someoneelse's house. These symptoms appear to be very inauspicious materially,but the beauty is that the Pa!l9avas have not lost their faith andlove for You, in spite of all these tribulations. In fact, they are alwaysthinking of You and chanting Your name in ecstatic friendship."Another example of acute affection for Kr!la is given in the lOthCanto, 15th Chapter, 15th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatam. In the pasturingground Kr!la felt a little tired and wanted to take rest, so Helaid down on the ground. At that time, many cowherd boys assembledthere and with great affection began to sing suitable songs so.that Kr!la would rest very nicely.There is a nice example of the friendship between Krwa andArjuna on the battlefield of Kuruketra. When the fighting was goingon, Asvatthama, the son of Dro!lacarya, unceremoniously attackedKr!la, although according to the prevailing rules of chivalry one'schariot driver should never be attacked by the enemy. But Asvatthama* This Arjuna, living in V rndavana, is different from tht friend of the same nameto whom Bhagavad-gitii was spoken.

Fraternal Loving Affairs 343behaved heinously in so many ways that he did not hesitate to attackKn;a's body, although Kr$a was acting only as charioteer forArjuna. When Arjuna saw that Asvatthama was releasing various kindsof arrows to hurt Krwa, he immediately stood in front of Kra tointercept all of them. At that time, although Arjuna was beingharmed by those arrows, he felt an ecstatic love for Kr$a, and thearrows appeared to him like showers of flowers.There is another instance of ecstatic love for Kra in friendship:Once when a cowherd boy named Vrabha was collecting flowersfrom the forest to prepare a garland to be offered to Kra, the sunreached its zenith, and although the sunshine was scorching hot,Vr$abha felt it as the moonshine. That is the way of rendering transcendentalloving service to the Lord: When devotees are put intogreat difficulties-even like the Pagavas, as described above-theyfeel all their miserable conditions as great facilities for serving the Lord.Another instance of Arjuna's friendship with Kn;a is describedby Narada, who reminded Kra, "When Arjuna was learning the artof shooting arrows, he could not see You for so many days. But whenYou arrived there, he stopped all His activities and immediately embracedYou." This means that even though Arjuna was engaged inlearning about the military art, he had not forgotten Kr$a for amoment, and as soon as there was an opportunity to see Kr$a, heimmediately embraced Him.One servant of Kr$a named Patr'i once addressed Him like this:"My dear Lord, You protected the cowherd boys from the hunger ofthe Aghasura demon, and You protected them from the poisonousaffects of the Kaliya snake. And You also saved them from the fierceforest fire. But I am suffering from Your separation, which is moresevere than the hunger of Aghasura, the poison of Lake Kaliya, andthe burning of the forest fire. So why should You not protect mefrom the pangs of separation?" Another friend once told Kr$a: "Mydear enemy of Kamsa, since You have left us, the heat of separationhas become extraordinary. And this heat is felt more severely whenwe understand that in Bhag'iravana You are being refreshed by thewaves of the cooling river known as Bhaniitanaya [Radharai] ."Thepurport is that when Krwa was engaged with Radharai, the cowherd

344 The Nectar of DevotionI Iboys headed by Subala were feeling great separation, and that wasunbearable for them.Another friend addressed Kr9rta thus: "My dear Kr9rta, 0 killer ofAghasura, when You left Vrndavana to kill King Kamsa in Mathura,all the cowherd boys became bereft of their four bhiitas [the elementsof earth, water, fire and space] . And the fifth bhiita, the air,was flowing very rapidly within their nostrils." When Kr9rta went toMathura to kill King Kamsa, all the cowherd boys became so afflictedby the separation that they almost died. When a person is deadit is said that he has given up the five elements, known as bhiitas, asthe body again mixes with the five elements from which it was prepared.In this case, although the four elements of earth, water, fireand ether were already gone, the remaining element, air, was still veryprominent and was blowing through their nostrils furiously. In otherwords, after Kr9rta left V rndavana, they were always anxious aboutwhat would happen in His fight with King Kamsa.Another friend once informed Kr9rta, "When one of Your friendswas feeling. much separation from You, there were tears covering hislotus eyes, so the black drones of sleep became discouraged fromentering his eyes and left that place." When there is a lotus flower,the black drones fly into it to collect honey. The eyes of Kr9rta'sfriend are compared to the lotus flower, and because they werefull of tears the black drones of sleep could not collect honey fromhis lotus eyes and therefore left the place. In other words, because hewas too much afflicted, his eyes were full of tears, and he could notsleep. This is an example of staying up at night because of separationfrom Krwa.An example of helplessness is described in the following statement:"Due to Krwa's departure from Vrndavana to Mathura, Kr9rta's dearestcowherd boys felt as mentally light as possible. They were likefragments of cotton, lighter than the air, and were all floating in theair without any shelter." In other words, the minds of the cowherdboys became almost vacant on account of Kr9rta's separation, andthey are compared with fragments of cotton floating in the air withoutany shelter. An example of impatience was also shown by thecowherd boys when Kr9rta went to Mathura. Out of the sorrow of

Fraternal Loving Affairs 345separation, all these boys forgot to take care of their cowherding andtried to forget all the melodious songs they used to sing in the pasturingground. At last they had no desire to live anymore, being separatedfrom Kn;a.An example of stillness was described by a friend of Kra, whoinformed Him in Mathura that all the cowherd boys had become justlike leafless trees on the tops of hills. They appeared almost naked,skinny and frail, and did not carry any fruits or flowers. He informedKra that all the cowherd boys residing in V rndavana were as still asthe trees at the tops of hills. Sometimes they felt diseased from theirseparation from Kra, and being so greatly disappointed, they wereaimlessly wandering on the banks of the Yamuna.There is also an example of madness caused by separation fromKra. When Kra was absent from Vrndavana, all the cowherd boysbecame bewildered, and having given up all kinds of activities, theyappeared to be mad and forgot all their regular business. They weresometimes lying down on the ground, sometimes rolling in the dust,sometimes laughing and sometimes running very swiftly. All of thesesymptoms gave them the appearance of madmen. One friend ofKrwa's criticized Him by saying, "My dear Lord, You have becomethe King of Mathura after killing Kamsa, and that is very good newsfor us. But at Vrndavana all the residents have become blind fromtheir continuous crying over Your absence. They are full only ofanxieties and are not cheered at all by Your becoming the King ofMathura."Sometimes there were also signs of death caused by separationfrom Kra. Once Kra was told: "My dear enemy of Kamsa, becauseof their separation from You, the cowherd boys are sufferingtoo much, and they are now lying down in the valleys, breathing onlyslightly. In order to sympathize with the boys' regrettable condition,even the forest friends, the deer, are shedding tears."In the Mathurii-khar-fla chapter of the Skanda Puriirw, there is adescription of Kra and Balarama, surrounded by all the cowherdboys, always engaged in taking care of the cows and calves. WhenKra was met by Arjuna at a potter's shop in the city of Drupadanagara,because of the similarity of their bodily features they made

346 The Nectar of DevotionlIIil III\Iintimate friendship. This is an instance of friendship caused by theattraction of similar bodies.In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 7lst Chapter, 25thverse, it is stated that when Kr!la arrived in the city of lndraprastha,Bhima was so overwhelmed with joy that, with tears in his eyes and asmiling face, he immediately embraced his maternal cousin. Followinghim were his young brothers Nakula and Sahadeva, along withArjuna, and they all became so overwhelmed at seeing Kr!la thatwith full satisfaction they embraced the Lord, who is known asAcyuta (the infallible). There is a similar statement about the cowherdboys of V rndiivana. When Kr!la was on the battlefield ofKuruketra, all the cowherd boys came to see Him, wearing jeweledearrings in their ears. Becoming so greatly overjoyed, they extendedtheir arms and embraced Kr!la as their old friend. These are instancesof full satisfaction in friendship with Krwa.In the Tenth Canto, 12th Chapter, ll th verse of Srimad-Bhiigavatamit is stated that even after undergoing severe penances and austeritiesand performing the yogic principles, the great mystic yogis can hardlybecome eligible to achieve the dust of the lotus feet of Kr!J.a, but thesame Personality of Godhead, Krwa, is easily available to the visionof the residents of Vrndavana. This means there is no comparison tothese devotees' great fortune. The friendly relationship of the cowherdboys with Kr!la is a particular type of spiritual ecstasy almostsimilar to the ecstasy of conjugal love. It is very difficult to explainthis ecstasy of loving affairs between the cowherd boys and Kr!J.a.Great expert devotees like Riipa Gosvami and others express theirastonishment at the inconceivable feelings which are in Kr!J.a andHis cowherd boy friends.This particular type of ecstatic love shared between Krwa and Hisconfidential friends further develops into parental love, and on fromthere it may develop into conjugal love, the most exalted humor ormellow of ecstatic love between Lord Kr!la and His devotees.

43 I ParenthoodWhen ecstatic love develops into the relationship of parenthoodand becomes steadily established, the relationship is called viitsalyarasa.The exhibition of this viitsalya-rasa standard of devotional servicecan be found in the dealings of Krwa with His devotees who representthemselves as superior personalities like father, mother, teacher,etc.Learned scholars have described the impetus of parental love forKr9a, existing in the elderly personalities who are in relation withHim, as follows: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodilycomplexion is just like a bluish, new-grown lotus flower, whosebody is very delicate and whose lotus eyes are surrounded by scatteredhair as black as bees, was walking on the streets of V rndavanawhen Mother Yasoda, the beloved wife of Nanda Maharaj, saw Him.Immediately the milk began to flow from her breasts, soaking herbody." Some specific provocations for parental love of Krwa arelisted as His blackish bodily hue, which is very attractive and pleasingto see, His all-auspicious bodily features, His mildness, His sweetwords, His simplicity, His shyness, His humility, His constant readinessto offer respect to the elderly, and His charity. All of thesequalities are considered ecstatic provocations for parental love.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 8th Chapter, 35th verse,it is stated by Sukadeva Gosvami that Mother Y asoda accepted LordKr9a as her son, although He is accepted in the Vedas as the King ofheaven, in the Upani§ads as the impersonal Brahman and in philosophyas the supreme male. By the yogis He is accepted as the supersouland by the devotees as the Supreme Personality of Gochead.347

348 The Nectar of DevotionOnce Mother Y asoda addressed one of her friends in this way:"Nanda Maharaj, the leader of the cowherdsmen, worshiped LordViwu along with me, and as a result of this worshiping Kr!la hasbeen saved from the clutches of Putana and other demons. The twinarjuna trees were, of course, broken due to a strong wind, and althoughKr!la appeared to have lifted Govardhan Hill along withBalarama, I think that Nanda Maharaj actually held the mountain.Otherwise how could it have been possible for a little boy to lift sucha great hill?" This is another example of ecstasy in parental love. Thiskind of parental love is generated in a devotee out of his conviction,in love, that he himself is superior to Kr!la and that without beingtaken care of by such devotee Kr!la could not possibly live. One devoteetherefore prayed to the parents of Lord Kr!la as follows: "Letme take shelter of the elderly parental devotees of Lord Krpa. Theyare always anxious to serve Krpa and to maintain Him, and they arealways so kind to Him. Let us offer our respectful obeisances untothem for being so kind to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whois the parent of the whole universe!"There is a similar prayer by a briihmarta who says, "Let others worshipthe Vedas and the Upani§ads, and let others worship the Mahiibhiirataif they are afraid of material existence and want to becomeliberated from that condition. But as far as I am concerned, I wishonly to worship Maharaj Nanda because the supreme absolute Personalityof Godhead, Kr!la, is crawling in his courtyard as his ownchild."Following is a list of respectful personalities who enjoy parentalaffection toward Krpa: l) Mother Yasoda, the Queen of Braja, 2)Maharaj Nanda, the King of Braja, 3) Mother Rohi!li, the mother ofBalarama, 4) all the elderly gopis whose sons were taken away byLord Brahma, 5) Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva, 6) the other fifteenwives of Vasudeva, 7) Kunti, the mother of Arjuna, 8) Vasudeva, thereal father of Krpa, and 9) Sandipani Muni, Kr!la's teacher. Allthese are considered respectable elderly personalities with parentallove for Krwa. This list is in order of superior importance, and thuswe can see that Mother Yasoda and Maharaj Nanda are considered tobe the supermost of all elderly personalities.

Parenthood 349In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, 9th Chapter, 2nd verse,Sukadeva Gosvami gives Maharaj Parlkit a description of the formand beauty of Mother Y asoda. He says, "My dear King, the wide hipsof Mother Y asoda were surrounded by silk and linen clothes, and herbreasts were flowing with milk because of her affection. When shewas churning butter and tightly holding the rope, the bangles on herhands and the earrings on her ears were moving, and from the nicedecoration in her hair the flowers were slackening and falling down.Due to her excessive labor, there were drops of perspiration on herface."There is another description of Mother Y asoda in a devotee'sprayer: "Let me be given protection by Mother Y asoda, whose curlyhairs are bound with thread, whose hair is very brightly beautified bythe vermilion placed in the part, and whose bodily frame derides allher ornaments. Her eyes are always engaged in seeing the face ofKra, and thus they are always filled with tears. She has a complexionlike the bluish lotus flower, which is enhanced in beauty byher dressing herself with many colorful garments. Let her mercifulglance fall on all of us so that we may be protected from the clutchesof maya and smoothly progress in our devotional service!"There is the following description of Mother Yasoda's affection forKra: After rising early in the morning, Mother Yasoda first of alloffered her breast milk to Kra, and then she began to chant variousmantras for His protection. Then she would decorate His foreheadvery nicely and bind His arms with protective talismans. By all ofthese activities, it is definitely understood that she is the emblem ofall maternal affection for Kra.The description of Nanda Maharaj's bodily features is as follows.The hairs on his head are generally black, but some of them are grey.His garments are of greenish color, like the new -grown leaves of abanyan tree. His belly is fatty, his complexion is exactly like the fullmoon, and he has a beautiful moustache. When Krwa was a baby,one day He was walking in the courtyard, capturing the finger of Hisfather, and because He could not walk steadily He appeared to be almostfalling down. While Nanda Maharaj was giving protection to Histranscendental son in this way, all of a sudden there were drops of

350 The Nectar of Devotiontears in his eyes, and he became overwhelmed with joy. Let us alloffer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of King Nanda!Childhood age, childish dress, movements by the child, sweet wordsspoken by the child, nice smiling and various forms of childish playare considered provocations for increasing the parental love for Kn;!la·The childhood ages of Kr!la are divided into three periods: the beginningof kaumiira age, the middle of kaumiira age, and the end ofkaumiira age. During the beginning and middle of the kaumiira age,Krwa's thighs are fatty, and the inner part of His eyes are whitish.There are signs of teeth coming out, and He is very mild and gentle.He is described as follows: "When Kr!la had only three or four teethcoming out of His gums, His thighs were fatty, His body was very,very short, and He began to enhance the parental love of NandaMaharaj and Mother Yasoda with the activities of His childish body.He was sometimes stepping with His legs again and again, sometimescrying, sometimes smiling, sometimes sucking His thumb and sometimeslying down flat. These are some of the different activities of thechild Kr!la. When Kr!la was lying down flat, sometimes sucking thetoes of His feet, sometimes throwing His legs upwards, sometimescrying and sometimes smiling, Mother Yasoda, seeing her son in suchpastimes, did not show any sign of restricting Him, but rather beganto watch her child with eagerness, enjoying these childhood pastimes."In the beginning of Kr!la 's kaumiira age, there were the nailsof tigers set in a golden necklace about His neck. There was protectivetilaka on His forehead, black mascara around His eyes and silk threadaround His waist. These are the descriptions of Kr!la 's dress at thebeginning of the kaumiira age.When Nanda Maharaj saw the beauty of child Kr!la with tigernails on His chest, a complexion like the new-grown tiimala tree, beautifullydecorated tilaka made with cow's urine, arm decorations ofnice silk thread and silk clothes tied around His waist-when NandaMaharaj saw his child like this, he never became satiated by the child'sbeauty.In the middle kaumiira age, the upper portion of Krwa's hair fallsaround His eyes. Sometimes He is covered with cloth around thelower part of His body, and sometimes He is completely naked.

Parenthood 351Sometimes He tries to walk, taking step by step, and sometimes Hetalks very sweetly, in broken language. These were some of the symptomsof His middle kaumiira age. He is thus described when MotherY asoda once saw Him in His middle kaumiira age: His scattered hairswere touching His eyebrows, and His eyes were restless, but He couldnot express His feelings with proper words; still, when He was talking,it was so nice and sweet to hear. When Mother Y asoda looked at Hislittle ears and saw Him naked, trying to run very quickly with Hislittle legs, she was merged into the ocean of nectar. Kr!la 's ornamentsat this age are a pearl hanging from the septum of His nose, butter onHis lotus-like palms and some small bells hanging from His waist. It isstated that when Mother Y asoda saw that the child was moving, ringingthe bells on His waist, smiling at her with a pearl between Hisnostrils and with butter on His hands, she became wonderfullypleased to see her little child in that fashion.While Kr!la was in the middle of His kaumiira age, His waist becamethinner, His chest became broader, and His head was decoratedwith His curly hairs, resembling the falling of the wings of a crow.These wonderful features of Kr!la's body never failed to astonishMother Y asoda. At the end of His kaumiira age, Kr!la carried a smallstick in His hand, His clothing was a little longer, and He had a knotaround His waist, resembling the hood of a snake. In that dress Heused to take care of the calve near the house, and sometimes Heplayed with cowherd boys of about the same age. He had a slenderflute and a buffalo horn bugle, and sometimes He played on a flutemade from the leaves of trees. These are some of the symptoms of theend of Kr!la 's kaumiira age.When Kr!la was a little grown up and was taking care of the smallcalves, He would often go near the forest. And when He was a littlebit late returning home, Nanda Maharaj would immediately get up onthe candrasiilikii(a small shed built on the roof for getting a bird'seye view all around), and he would watch for Him. Worrying aboutthe late arrival of his little son, Nanda Maharaj would remain on thecandrasiilikiiuntil he could indicate to his wife that Krsna, sur-. . .rounded by His little cowherd friends, was coming back with thecalves. Nanda Maharaj would point out the peacock feather on his

352 The Nectar of Devotionchild's head and would inform his beloved wife how the child waspleasing his eyes.Mother Yasoda then addressed Nanda Maharaj, "See my dear son,whose eyes are white, who has a turban on His head, a wrapper onHis body and leg bells which tinkle very sweetly on His feet. He iscoming near, along with His surabhi calves, and just see how He iswandering upon the sacred land of Vrndavana!"Similarly, Maharaj Nanda addressed his wife, "My dear Yasoda,just look at your offspring, Kra! See His blackish bodily luster, Hiseyes tinged with red color, His broad chest and His nice golden necklace!How wonderful He looks, and how He is increasing my transcendentalbliss more and more!"When Kra, the beloved son of Nanda Maharaj, steps into Hiskaisora age, although He becomes more beautiful, His parents stillconsider Him as being in the paugaruJa age-even though He is betweenthe ages of ten and fifteen. When Kra is in His paugar-fla age,some of His servants also accept Him as being in the kaisora age.When Kra performs His childish pastimes, His general practice is tobreak the milk and yogurt pots, throw the yogurt in the courtyardand steal the cream from the milk. Sometimes He breaks the churningrod, and sometimes He throws butter on the fire. In this way, he increasesthe transcendental pleasure of His Mother Y asoda.In this connection Mother Y asoda once told Mukhara, her maidservant,"Just look at Kra looking stealthily toward all sides andslowly stepping forward from the bushes. It appears that He is comingjust to steal the butter. Don't expose yourself or He may understandthat we are looking towards Him. I want to enjoy the sight of Hiseyebrows moving in this cunning way, and I want to see His fearfuleyes and beautiful face."In enjoying Krwa 's attitude of stealing butter very stealthily,Mother Y asoda experienced the ecstasy of maternal love by smellingHis head, sometimes patting His body with her hand, sometimesoffering blessings, sometimes ordering Him, sometimes gazing at Him,sometimes maintaining and sometimes giving Him good instructionsnot to become a thief. Such activities are in maternal ecstatic love.An important point to be observed in this connection is that the

Parenthood 353childish propensity of stealing is there even in the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, and therefore this propensity is not artificial. However,in the spiritual relationship there is no inebriety to this stealingpropensity, as there is in the material world.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, verse 39,Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: "My dear King, as soon as theelderly gopis saw their sons coming, there was an inexpressible sign ofparental love, and all of them became absorbed in affection. At firstthey were planning to chastise their sons for stealing butter, but assoon as the sons came before their eyes, they lost all of their angryattitudes and became overwhelmed with affection. They began toembrace their sons and smell their heads. While doing this, they becamealmost mad after their children." In their childhood pastimes,all these cowherd boys joined with Kra in stealing butter. Butrather than become angry, Mother Y asoda became wet from the milkflowing out of her breasts. Out of her affection for Kra, she beganto smell His head repeatedly.The general activities of all the mothers of the cowherd boys wereto kiss them, to embrace them, to call them by their names and sometimesto mildly chastise them for their stealing habits. These manifestationsof parental love are called siittvika ecstasy, wherein manifestationsof eight kinds of ecstatic symptoms are visible in full. lnthe Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 13th Chapter, 19th verse,Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parik9it: "All the mothers of the cowherdboys were illusioned by the covering influence of the yoga-miiyiipotency of the Personality of Godhead, and as soon as they heard theflute-playing of their boys, they immediately stood up and mentallyembraced their sons, who had been created by the direct internalpotency of Kr9a. Accepting them as their born sons, they liftedthem into their arms and began to embrace them, resting the children'sbodies upon their own. The emotions created by this incidentwere sweeter than nectar turned into a palatable intoxicant, and themilk flowing out of their breasts was immediately drunk up by thechildren."In the Lalita-miidhava, compiled by Rii.pa Gosvami, Krwa is addressedas follows: "My dear Kr9a, when You are engaged in herding

354 The Nectar of Devotionthe animals, the dust caused by the hooves of the calves and cowscovers Your nice face and artistic tilaka, and You appear very dusty.But when You return home, the milk flowing out of the breasts ofYour mother washes Your face of its dust covering, and it appearsthat You are purified by this milk. It is just like when the Deity iswashed during the performance of the abhi§eka ceremony." It is thecustom in the temples of Deities that if there have been some impureactivities, the Deity has to be washed with milk. Kra is the SupremePersonality of Godhead, and He was washed by the milk from thebreast of Mother Y asoda, which purified Him from the dust covering.Sometimes there are examples of Mother Y asoda's becomingstunned in ecstasy. This was exhibited when she saw her son liftingGovardhan Hill. When Kra was standing, raising the hill, MotherY asoda hesitated to embrace Him and became stunned. The dangerousposition that Kra had accepted by lifting the hill brought tearsto her eyes. And with her eyes filled with tears she could not seeKra anymore, and because her throat was choked up by anxietyshe could not even instruct Kra as to what He should do in thatposition. This is a symptom of becoming stunned in ecstatic love.Mother Yasoda sometimes enjoyed transcendental ecstasy in happinesswhen her child was saved from a dangerous situation, suchas being attacked by Piitana or some other demon. In Srimad­Bhiigavatam, lOth Canto, 17th Chapter, 15th verse Sukadeva Gosvamisays that Mother Y asoda felt very, very fortunate when she gotback her lost child. She immediately placed Him on her lap and beganto embrace Him again and again. While she was thus embracingher son repeatedly, torrents of tears fell from her eyes, and she wasunable to express her transcendental joy. It is stated in the Vidagdhamiidhavaof Srila Riipa Gosvami: "My dear Kra, the touch of Yourmother is so pleasing and cooling that it surpasses the cooling capacityof the pulp of sandalwood and of bright moonshine mixed with thepulp of U§ira root." ( U§ira is a kind of root which when soaked withwater has a very, very cooling effect. It is especially used in thescorching heat of the sun.)The parental love of Mother Y asoda for Kra steadily increases,and her love and ecstasy are sometimes described as intense affection

Parenthood 355and sometimes as overwhelming attachment. An example of attachmentfor Krl)a with overwhelming affection is given in the Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 6th Chapter, 27th verse, where SukadevaGosvaml addresses Maharaj Parikit in this way: "My dear King,when magnanimous N anda Maharaj returned from a tour, hebegan to smell the head of his son, and he was merged in the ecstasyof parental love." A similar statement is there in connection withMother Y asoda when she was too anxious to hear the sound ofKrl)a's flute, expecting Him back from the pasturing ground. Becauseshe thought that it was getting very late, her anxiety to hearthe sound of Krl)a's flute became doubled, and milk began to flowout from her breast. In that condition she was sometimes going withinthe house, sometims coming out of the house. She was constantlylooking to see if Govinda was coming back along the road. Whenmany very great sages were offering prayers to Lord Krl)a, glorifyingHis activities, the Queen of Gokula, Mother Y asoda, entered thebattlefield of Kuruketra, wetting the lower part of her sari with themilk flowing from her breast. This entrance of Mother Y asoda atKuruketra was not during the Battle of Kuruketra. At other timesKrl)a went to Kuruketra from His paternal home (Dvaraka) duringthe solar eclipse, and at these times the residents of Vrndavana alsowent to see Him there.When Krl)a arrived at Kuruketra in pilgrimage, all the people assembledthere began to say that Krl)a the son of Devakl had arrived.At that time Devakl, just like an affectionate mother, began to patKrl)a 's face. And again when people cried that Krl)a, the son ofVasudeva, had come, both King Nanda and Mother Yasoda becameoverwhelmed with affection and expressed their great pleasure.When Mother Y asoda, the Queen of Gokula, was going to see herson Krwa at Kuruketra, one of her friends began to address herthus: "My dear Queen, the milk flowing out of your breast-mountainhas already whitened the River Ganges, and the tears from your eyes,mixed with black mascara, have already blackened the color of theYamuna. And as you are standing just between the two rivers, I thinkthere is no need for your anxiety to see your son's face. Your parentalaffection has already been exhibited to Him by these two rivers!"

356 The Nectar of DevotionThe same friend of Mother Y asoda addressed Kr!la as follows:"My dear Mukunda, if Mother Y asoda, the Queen of Gokula, is forcedto stand on fire, but is allowed to see Your lotus face, then this firewill appear to her as the Himalayan Mountains: full of ice. In thesame way, if she is allowed to stay in the ocean of nectar, but is notallowed to see the lotus face of Your Grace, then even this ocean ofnectar will appear to her as an ocean of arsenic poison." Let theanxiety of Mother Y asoda of Braja, always expecting to see the lotusface of Kr!la, be glorified all over the universe!A similar statement was given by Kuntidevi to Akriira: "My dearbrother Akriira, my nephew Mukunda is long absent from us. Willyou kindly tell Him that His Aunt Kunti is sitting amongst the enemyand would like to know when she will be able to see His lotus faceagain?"In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 46th Chapter, 2nd verse,there is this statement: "When Uddhava was present at Vrndavanaand was narrating the activities of Kr!la in Dvaraka, Mother Y asoda,while hearing this narration, began to pour milk from her breasts andshed tears from her eyes." Another incident demonstrating Y asoda'sextreme love for Kr!la occurred when Kr!la went to Mathura, thekingdom of Kamsa. In separation from Kr!la, Mother Y asoda waslooking at Kr!la's makeup utensils, and she fell down on the groundalmost unconscious, with a great sound. When she was rolling over onthe ground, there were many scratches on her body, and in thatpiteous condition she began to cry, "0 my dear son! My dear son!"And she slapped her breasts with her two hands. This activity ofMother Y asoda is explained by expert devotees as ecstatic love inseparation. Sometimes there are many other symptoms, such as greatanxiety, lamentation, frustration, being stunned, humility, restlessness,madness and illusion.As far as Mother Y asoda's anxieties are concerned, when Kr!lawas out of the house in the pasturing ground, a devotee once toldher, "Yasoda, I think your movements have been slackened, and I seethat you are full of anxieties. Your two eyes appear to be withoutany movement, and I feel in your breathing a kind of warmth whichis bringing your breast milk to the boiling point. All these conditionsprove that out of separation from your son you have a severe head-

_,Parenthood 357ache." These are some of the symptoms of Mother Y asoda's anxietyfor Kra.When Akrilra was present in V rndavana and was narrating the activitiesof Krsna in Dvaraka, Mother Yasoda was informed that Krsna. . . . . .had married so many queens and was very busy there in His householderaffairs. Hearing this, Mother Yasoda lamented how unfortunateshe was that she could not get her son married just after passingHis kaisora age, and thus she could not receive both her son anddaughter-in-law at her home. She exclaimed, "My dear Akrilra, youare simply throwing thunderbolts on my head!" These are the signsof lamentation on the part of Mother Y asoda in separation fromKra.Similarly, Mother Y asoda felt frustration when she thought, "AlthoughI have millions of cows, the milk of these cows could notsatisfy Kra. Therefore let a curse be on this milk! And I also amcondemned because although I am so opulent in material prosperity,I am now unable to smell the head of my child and feed Him withmy breast milk as I used to do when He was here in Vrndavana."This is a sign of frustration on the part of Mother Y asoda in separationfrom Krwa.One friend of Kra's addressed Him thus: "My dear lotus-eyedone, when You were living in Go kula You were always bearing a stickin Your hand. That stick is now lying idle in the house of MotherY asoda, and whenever she sees it she becomes motionless just likethe stick." This is the sign of becoming stunned in separation fromKra. In separation from Krwa Mother Y asoda became so humblethat she prayed to the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, withtears in her eyes: "My dear creator, won't you kindly bring my dearson Kra back to me so that I can see Him at least for a moment?"Sometimes in restlessness like a madwoman Mother Y asoda used toaccuse Nanda Maharaj, "What are you doing in the palace? You shamelessman! Why do people call you the King of Braja? It is very astonishingthat while being separated from your dear son Kra, you arestill living within Vrndavana as a hard-hearted father!"Someone informed Kra about the madness of Mother Y asodain the following words: "In madness Mother Y asoda has addressedthe kadamba trees and inquired from them, 'Where is my son?' Simi-

358 The Nectar of Devotionlarly, she has addressed the birds and the drones and inquired fromthem as to whether Kr!la has passed before them, and she has inquiredif they can say anything about You. In this way, MotherY asoda in illusion was asking everybody about You, and she has beenwandering all over Vrndavana." This is madness in separation fromKr!la.When Nanda Maharaj was accused by Mother Y asoda of being"hard-hearted," he replied, "My dear Yasoda, why are you becomingso agitated? Kindly look more carefully. Just see, your son Kr!la isstanding before you! Don't become a madwoman like this. Pleasekeep my home peaceful." And Kr!la was informed by some friendthat His father Nanda was also in illusion in this way, in separationfrom Him.When all the wives of Vasudeva were present in the arena ofKamsa, they saw the most pleasing bodily features of Kr!la, and immediately,out of parental affection, milk began to flow from theirbreasts, and the lower parts of their saris became wet. This symptomof ecstatic love is an example of the result of fulfillment of desire.In the First Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, llth Chapter, 25thverse, it is stated, "When Kr!la entered Dvaraka after finishing theBattle of Kuruketra, He first of all saw His mother and all His differentstepmothers and offered His respectful obeisances unto theirfeet. The mothers immediately took Kr!la upon their laps, and becauseof their parental affection, there was milk flowing out of theirbreasts. So their breast milk, mixed with the water of tears, becamethe first offering to Kr!la. This is one of the examples of being satisfiedafter a great separation.There is a similar statement in the Lalita-miidhava: "How wonderfulit is that Y asoda, the wife of King Nanda, out of her parental affectionfor Kr!la, mixed her tears and the milk from her breasts andthus bathed her dear son Krwa." In Vidagdha-miidhava, a devoteeaddresses Lord Kr!la as follows: "My dear Mukunda, just after seeingYour face full with the flavor of the lotus flower, and being attractedby the moonlight of Your face, Mother Y asoda became so overjoyedin her affection that immediately from the nipples of her waterpotlikebreasts, milk began to flow." She was thus constantly engaged insupplying milk to Kr!la after wetting the covering cloth over the jug.

Parenthood 359These are some of the signs of parental love for Kra by Hismother, father and elderly persons. Symptoms of ecstatic love inparental affection are expressed when Krwa is accepted as the son.These constant transcendental emotions for Kra are called steadyecstasy in parental love.Srila Rupa Gosvam'i states herein that according to some learnedscholars, the three kinds of transcendental mellow so far describednamely,servitude, fraternity and parental affection-are sometimesmixed up. For example, the fraternal feelings of Balarama are mixedwith servitude and parental affection. Similarly, King Yudhithira'sattraction for Kra is also mixed with parental affection and servitude.Similarly, the transcendental mellow of Ugrasena, Kra'sgrandfather, is mixed with servitude and parental affection. The affectionof all the elderly gopis in Vrndavana is a mixture of parentallove, servitude and fraternity. The affection of the sons of Madr'i,Nakula and Sahadeva, as well as the affection of sage Narada, is amixture of friendship and servitude. The affection of Lord Siva,Garu?a and Uddhava is a mixture of servitude and fraternity.

44 I Devotional Servicein Conjugal LoveA pure devotee's attraction to Krl!a in conjugal love is called devotionalservice in conjugal love. Although such conjugal feelings arenot at all material, there is some similarity between this spiritual loveand material activities. Therefore, persons who are interested only inmaterial activities are unable to understand this spiritual conjugallove, and these devotional reciprocations appear very mysterious tothem. Riipa Gosvami therefore describes conjugal love very briefly.The impetuses of conjugal love are Krl!a and His very dear consorts,such as Radhariit;1i and Her immediate associates. Lord Krl!ahas no rival: no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him.His beauty is also without any rival, and because He excels all othersin the pastimes of conjugal love, He is the original object of all conjugallove.In the Gita-govinda by J ayadeva Gosvami one go pi tells her friend:"Krl!a is the reservoir of all pleasure within this universe. His body isas soft as the lotus flower. And His free behavior with the gopis,which appears exactly like a young boy's attraction to a young girl,is a subject matter of transcendental eonjugal love." A pure devoteefollows in the footsteps of the gopis and worships the gopis as follows:"Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young cowherdgirls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by theirbeautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, Krwa." Out of all the young go pis, SrimatiRadhariiJ!i is the most prominent.The beauty of Srimati Radhariit;1i is described as follows: "Her eyesdefeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakori bird. When360

Devotional Service in Conjugal Love 361one sees the face of Radharai, he immediately hates the beauty ofthe moon. Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus,let us all look upon the transcendental beauty of Srimati Radharai"Kra's attraction for Radharai is described by Kra Himself thus:"When I create some joking phrases in order to enjoy the beauty ofRadharai, Radharai hears these joking words with great attention;but by Her bodily features and counter words She neglects Me. AndI even possess unlimited pleasure by Her neglect of Me, for She becomesso beautiful that She increases My pleasure one hundredtimes." A similar statement can be found in Gita-govinda, wherein itis said that when the enemy of Kamsa, Sri Krwa, embraces SrimatiRadharai, He immediately becomes entangled in a loving conditionand gives up the company of all other gopis.In the Padyiivali of Riipa Gosvami it is stated that when the go pishear the sound of Kra 's flute, they immediately forget all rebukesoffered by the elderly members of their families, their defamationand the harsh behavior of their husbands. Their only thought is to goout in search of Kra. When the gopis meet Kra, the display oftheir exchanging glances as well as their joking and laughing behavioris called anubhiiva, or sub-ecstasy in conjugal love.In the Lalita-miidhava, Riipa Gosvami explains that the movementsof Krwa 's eyebrows are just like the Yam una, and the smiling ofRadharai is just like the moonshine. When the Yam una and themoonshine come in contact on the bank of the river, the water tastesjust like nectar, and drinking it gives great satisfaction. It is as coolingas piles of snow. Similarly, in the Padyiivali, one constant companionof Radharai says, "My dear moon-faced Radharai, Your wholebody appears to be very content, yet there are signs of tears in Youreyes. Your speech is faltering, and Your chest is also heaving. By allthese signs I can understand that You must have heard the blowing ofKra's flute, and, as a result of this, Your heart is now melting."In the same Padyiivali there is the following description, which istaken as a sign of frustration in conjugal love. Srimati Radharai said,"Dear Mr. Cupid, please do not excite Me by throwing your arrowsat My body. Dear Mr. Air, please do not arouse Me with the fragranceof flowers. I am now bereft of Kra 's loving attitude, so under the

1'r[!' ,[[!: I,I362 The Nectar of Devotioncircumstances, what is the use of My sustaining this useless b0'1There is no need for such a body by any living entity." Thisof frustration in ecstatic love for Krsna.Similarly, in Diina-keli-kaumudi: · Srimatl Radharapl, I uinting toKrpa, says, "This clever boy of the forest has the be;" ty of a bluishlotus flower, and He can attract all the young girl < the universe.Now after giving Me a taste of His transcendental body, He has enthusedMe, and it is more than I can tolerate. I am now feeling like afemale elephant who has been enthused by a male elephant!" This isan instance of jubilation in ecstatic love with Krpa.Steady ecstasy of conjugal love is the original cause of bodily enjoyment.In the Padyiivalf this original cause of union is describedwhen Radharapl tells one of Her constant companions: "My dearfriend, who is this boy whose eyelids, dancing constantly, have increasedthe beauty of His face and attracted My desire for conjugallove? His ears are decorated with the buds of asoka flowers, and Hehas dressed Himself in yellow robes. By the sound of His flute, thisboy has already made Me impatient."The conjugal love of Radha-Krpa is never disturbed by any personalconsideration. The undisturbed nature o the conjugal love betweenRadha and Krpa is described thus: "Just a little distance awayfrom Krpa was Mother Y asoda, and Krpa 'Vas surrounded by all ofHis friends. In front of His eyes there w;,.,; Candravall, and, at thesame time, on a chunk of stone in front of the entrance to Braja,there was standing the demon known as V rasura. But even in suchcircumstances, when Krpa saw Radharap- standing just bel. 1d abush of many creepers, immediately His beautiful eyebrows movedjust like lightning towards Her."aus ofdy?is a signAnother instance is described as follows: "On one side of thecourtyard the dead body of Sankhasura was lying, surrounded bymany jackals. On another side were many learned briihmaras whowere all self-controlled. They were offering nice prayers, which wereas soothing as the cool breeze in summer. In front of Krpa, LordBaladeva was standing, causing a cooling effect. But even amidst allthese different circumstances of soothing and disturbing effects, thelotus flower of ecstatic conjugal love that Krpa felt for Radharapl

----Devoiional Service in Conjugal Love 363could not wither." This love of Krwa for Radharai is often comparedto a blooming lotus: the only difference is that Kra's love remainsever-increasingly beautiful.Conjugal love is divided into two portions: vipralambha, or conjugallove in separation, and sambhoga, or conjugal love in direct contact.Vipralambha, separation, has three sub-divisions known as l)piirva-raga, or preliminary attraction, 2) mana, or seeming anger, and3) pravasa, or separation by distance.When the lover and the beloved have a distinct feeling of notmeeting each other, that stage is called piirva-riiga, or preliminary attraction.In Padyavali Radharai told Her companion, "My dearfriend, I was just going to the bank of the Yamuna, and all of a suddena very nice boy whose complexion is like a dark blue cloud becamevisible in front of My eyes. He glanced over Me in a way that Icannot describe. But since this has occured, I am sorry that I canno longer engage My mind in the duties of My household affairs."This is an instance of preliminary attraction for Krwa. In Srimad­Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 53rd Chapter, verse 2, Krwa told the messengerbrahmal)a who came from Rukmii: "My dear brahmal)a, justlike Rukmii I cannot sleep at night, and My mind is always fixed onher. I know that her brother Rukmi is against Me, and due to hispersuasion, My marriage with her has been cancelled." This is anotherinstance of preliminary attraction.As far as mana, or anger, is concerned, there is the following incidentdescribed in Gita-govinda: "When Srimati Radharapi saw Kraenjoying Himself in the company of several other gopis, She becamea little jealous because Her special prestige was being dimmed. There-·fore, She immediately left the scene and took shelter in a nice flowerbush where the black drones were humming. Then, hiding Herself behindthe creepers, She began to express Her sorrow to one of Herconsorts." This is an instance of a seeming disagreement.An example of pravasa, or being out of contact because of living ina distant place, is given in the Padyavali as follows: "Since the auspiciousday when Kra left for Mathura, Srimati Radharai has beenpressing Her head on one of Her hands and constantly shedding tears.Her face is always wet now, and therefore there is no chance of Her

364 The Nectar of Devotionsleeping even for a moment." When the face becomes wet, the sleepingtendency is immediately removed. So when Radhara!li was alwaysweeping for Kr9!la because of His separation, there was no chance ofHer getting any sleep for Herself. In the Prahliida-sarhhitii Uddhavasays, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, painstrickendue to being pierced by the arrows of Cupid, is always thinking ofyou [the go pis] , and He is not even accepting His regular lunch. Noris He getting any proper rest."When the lover and beloved come together and enjoy one anotherby direct contact, this stage is called sambhoga. There is a statementin Padyiivali as follows: "Kr9!1a embraced Srimati Radhara!li in suchan expert manner that He appeared to be celebrating the dancingceremony of the peacocks."Sri Rupa Gosvami thus ends the fifth wave of his Ocean of theNectar of Devotion. He offers his respectful obeisances to the SupremePersonality of Godhead who appeared as Gopala, the eternalform of the Lord.Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta summary study of the third divisionof Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu in the matter of the five primary relationshipswith K[§"[la.

·li45 I Laughing EcstasyIn the fourth division of Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu, Srila Riipa Gosvamihas described seven kinds of indirect ecstasies of devotionalservice-known as laughing, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, anger,dread and ghastliness. In this portion, Srila Riipa Gosvami furtherdescribes these ecstasies of devotional feelings, some being compatibleand others incompatible with one another. When one kind ofecstatic devotional service overlaps with another in a conflicting way,this state of affairs is called rasiibhiisa, or perverted presentation ofmellows.Expert learned scholars say that laughing is generally foundamongst youngsters or in the combination of old persons and youngchildren. This ecstatic loving laughing is sometimes also found in personswho are very grave by nature. Once an old mendicant approachedthe door of Mother Yasoda's house, and Kr!la told Yasoda,"My dear Mother, I don't wish to go near this skinny villain. If I gothere, he might put Me within his begging bag and take Me awayfrom You!" In this way, the wonderful child, Kr!J-a, began to look atHis mother, while the mendicant, who was standing in the door, triedto hide his smiling face, although he could not do so. He immediatelyexpressed his smiling. In this instance, Kr!la Himself is the object oflaughing affairs.Once one of Krt!a's friends informed Him, "My dear :Kf§l!J-a, ifYou will open Your mouth, then I shall give You one nice sugar candymixed with yogurt." Kr9t!a immediately opened His mouth, butinstead of giving Him sugar candy with yogurt, the friend dropped aflower in His mouth. After tasting this flower, :Kf§'tla turned His365

Laughing Ecstasy 366mouth in a disfigured way, and upon seeing this all His friends standingthere began to laugh very loudly.Once a palmist came to the house of N anda Maharaj, and N andaMaharaj asked him, "My dear sage, will you kindly check the hand ofmy child, Krl)a? Tell me how many years He will live and whetherHe will become the master of thousands of cows." Upon hearing this,the palmist began to smile, and Nanda Maharaj asked him, "My dearsir, why are you laughing, and why are you covering your face?"In such a laughing ecstasy of love, Kr'!a or matters pertaining toKr'!a are the cause of the laughter. In such laughing devotional service,there are symptoms of jubilation, laziness, concealed feelings andsimilar other seemingly disturbing elements.According to Srila Riipa Gosvam'i's calculation, laughter in ecstaticlove can be broken down into six divisions. These divisions, accordingto different degrees of smiling, are call1 in the Sanskrit languagesmita, hasita, vihasita, avahasita, apaha:>ita, and atihasita. These sixclasses of smiling can be classified a major and minor. The majordivision includes smita, hasita and vilwsita smiling, and the minordivision includes avahasita, apahasita ;1nd atihasita smiling.When one is smiling but his teeth are not visible, one can distinctlymark a definite change in the eyes and in the cheeks. This is calledsmita smiling. Once when Krra was stealing yogurt, J arat'i, the headmistressof the house, could detect His activities, and she was thereforecoming very hurriedly to catch Him. At that time, Kr'!a becamevery much afraid of J arat'i and went to His elder brother Baladeva.He said, "My dear brother, I have stolen yogurt! Just see-J arat'i iscoming hurriedly to catch Me!" When Krl)a was thus seeking theshelter of Baladeva because He was being chased by J arat!, all thegreat sages in the heavenly planets began to smile. This smiling iscalled smita smiling.Smiling in which the teeth are slightly visible is called hasitasmiling. One day Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Radhariil)1,was returning home, and at that time he could not see that Krl)a wasthere in his house. Krl)a immediately changed His dress to look exactlylike Abhimanyu and approached Abhimanyu's mother, Jatila,addressing her thus: "My dear Mother, I am your real son Abhimanyu,but just see-Krl)a, dressed up like me, is coming before you!"

367 The Nectar of DevotionJatila, the mother of Abhimanyu, immediately believed that Krwawas her own son and thus became very angry at her real son whowas coming home. She began to drive away her real son, who wascrying, "Mother! Mother! What are you doing?" Seeing this incident,all the girl friends of Radhara1, who were present there, began tosmile, and a portion of their teeth was visible. This is an instance ofhasita smiling.When the teeth are distinctly visible in a smile, that is called vihasita.One day when Kra was engaged in stealing butter and yo·gurt in the house of Jatila, He assured His friends, "My dear friends,I know that this old lady is now sleeping very profoundly becauseshe is breathing very deeply. Let us silently steal butter and yogurtwithout making any disturbance." But the old lady, J atila, was notsleeping; so she could not contain her smiling, and her teeth immediatelybecame distinctly visible. This is an instance of vihasitasmiling.In a state of smiling, when the nose becomes puffed and the eyessquint, the smiling is called avahasita. Once, early in the morningwhen Krwa returned home after performing His riisa dance, MotherYasoda looked upon Kra's face and addressed Him thus: "My dearson, why do Your eyes look like they have been smeared with someoxides? Have You dressed Yourself with the blue garments of Baladeva?"When Mother Yasoda was addressing Krwa in that way, agirl friend who was nearby began to smile with a puffed nose andsquinting eyes. This is an instance of avahasita smiling. The gopiknew that Kra had been enjoying the riisa dance and that MotherYasoda could not detect her son's activities nor understand how Hehad become covered with the go pis' makeup. Her smiling was in theavahasita feature.When tears from the eyes are added to the smiling, and the shouldersare shaking, the smile is called apahasita. When child Kra wasdancing in response to the singing of the old maidservant J arat1,Narada was astonished. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, whocontrols all the movements of great demigods like Brahma andothers, was now dancing to the indications of an old maidservant.Seeing this fun, Narada also began to dance, and his shoulders'-

Laughing Ecstasy 368trembled, and his eyes moved. Due to his smiling, his teeth also becamevisible, and on account of the glaring effulgence from his teeth,the clouds in the skies turned silver.When a smiling person claps his hands and leaps in the air, thesmiling expression changes into atihasita, or overwhelming laughter.An example of atihasita was manifested in the following incident:Krwa once addressed Jarat1 thus: "My dear good woman, the skin (}fyour face is now slackened, and so your face exactly resembles amonkey's. As such, the King of the monkeys, Bal1mukha, has selectedyou as his worthy wife." While Kr!la was teasing J arat1 in this way,she replied that she was certainly aware of the fact that the King ofthe monkeys was trying to marry her, but she had already takenshelter of Krwa, the killer of many powerful demons, and thereforeshe had already decided to marry Krwa instead of the King of themonkeys. On hearing this sarcastic reply by the talkative J arat1, allthe cowherd girls present there began to laugh very loudly and claptheir hands. This laughter, accompanied by the clapping of hands, iscalled atihasita.Sometimes there are indirect sarcastic remarks which also createatihasita circumstances. An example of one such remark was madeby one of the cowherd girls to KutiHi, the daughter of JatiHi and sisterof Abhimanyu, the so-called husband of Radhara!\1. IndirectlyKutila was insulted by the following statement: "My dear Kutila,daughter of J atila, your breasts are as long as string beans-simply dryand long. Your nose is so gorgeous that it is defying the beauty of thenoses of frogs. And your eyes are more beautiful than the eyes ofdogs. Your lips are defying the flaming cinders of fire, and your abdomenis as beautiful as a big drum. Therefore, my dear beautifulKutila, you are the most beautiful of all the cowherd girls of Vrndavana,and because of your extraordinary beauty, I think you must bebeyond the attraction of the sweet blowing of Kr9!1a's flute!"

46 I Astonishment and ChivalryAstonishmentThe ecstasy of astonishment in devotional service is perceived intwo ways: directly, by the experience of one's own eyes, and indirectly,by hearing from others.When Narada came to see the activities of the Lord at Dvaraka,and he saw that :Kfgta was present within every palace in the samebody and was engaged in different activities, he was struck with wonder.This is one of the examples of astonishment in devotional serviceby direct perception. One of the friends of Mother Y asoda says,"Yasoda, just see the fun! On the one hand, there is your child whois always captivated by sucking the milk from your breast, and on theother hand there is the great Govardhan Hill which can ob::>t llCt thepassing of the clouds. But still, just see how wonderful it is that thisgreat Govardhan Hill is resting on the finger of your child's left hand,just as though it were a toy. Is this not very mysterious?" This statementis another example of astonishment in devotional service by directperception.An instance of astonishment in devotional service by indirect perceptionoccurred when Maharaj Parikit heard from Sukadeva Gosvamiabout Kr!la's killing Narakiisura, who had been fighting Kr!lawith eleven divisions of ak§auhiri soldiers. Each division of ak§auhiTy,isoldiers contained several thousand elephants, several thousand horsesand chariots, and several hundreds of thousands of infantry soldiers.Narakiisura possessed eleven such divisions, and all of them were369

Astonishment and Chivalry 370throwing arrows toward Krwa, but Kn;a killed them all, simply bythrowing three arrows from His side. When Maharaj Parikit heard ofthis wonderful victory, he immediately rubbed the tears from hiseyes and became overwhelmed with joy. This instance is an exampleof astonishment in devotional service by indirect perception throughaural reception.There is another example of indirect astonishment. Trying to testKra to see if He were truly the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Lord Brahma stole all the cowherd boys and cows from Him. Butafter a few seconds, he saw that Kra was still present with all thecows, calves and cowherd boys, exactly in the same way as before.When Lord Brahma described this incident to his associates on theSatya-loka planet, they all became astonished. Brahma told themthat after taking away all the boys, he saw Kra again playing withthe same boys in the same fashion. Their bodily complexion wasblackish, almost like Kra's, and they all had four arms. The samecalves and cows were still present there, in the same original fashion.Even while describing this incident, Brahma became almost overwhelmed."And the most astonishing thing," he added, "was thatmany other Brahmas from many different universes had also comethere to worship Kra and His associates."Similarly, when there was a forest fire in the Bhairavana, Krainstructed His friends to close their eyes tightly, and they all did this.Then when Kra had extinguished the fire, the cowherd boys openedtheir eyes and saw that they had been relieved from the danger andthat their cows and calves were all safe. They began to perceive thewonder of the situation simply by guessing how Kra had savedthem. This is another instance of indirect perception causing astonishmentin devotional service.The activities of a person, even if they are not very extraordinary,create an impression of wonder in the heart and mind of the person'sfriends. But even very wonderful activities performed by a personwho is not one's friend will not create any impression. It is becauseof love that one's wonderful activities create an impression in themind.

------ ----371 The Nectar of DevotionChivalryWhen on account of love and devotional service for the Lord thereis special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chivalrous.These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts ofmock-fighting, giving in charity, showing mercy and executing religiousprinciples. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one iscalled yuddha-vira. By charitable activities one is called diina-vira. Byshowing extraordinary mercy one is called dayii-vira. And when oneis munificent in executing religious rites, he is called dharma-vira. Inall such different chivalrous activities, Krwa is the object.When a friend wants to satisfy Krrta by performing some chivalrousactivities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Krrta Himselfbecomes the opponent; or else Krrta may give audience to the fighting,and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friendonce challenged Krrta thus: "My dear Madhava, You are very restlessbecause You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do notflee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And myfriends will be very satisfied to see this!."Krrta and Sridama were very intimate friends, yet Sridama, out ofanger with Krrta, challenged Him. When both of them began to fight,all the friends on the bank of the Yam una enjoyed the wonderfulfighting of the two friends. They prepared some arrows for mockfighting,and Krrta began to throw his arrows at Sridama. Sridamabegan to block these arrows by whirling his pole, and by Sridama'schivalrous activities, Krrta became very satisfied. Such mock-fightinggenerally takes place amongst chivalrous persons and creates wonderfulexcitement for all viewers.There is a statement in the Hari-varhsa that sometimes Arjuna andKrwa fought in the presence of Kunti, and Arjuna would be defeatedby Krrta.In such chivalrous fighting between friends, there is sometimesbragging, self-complacence, pride, power, taking to weapons, challengingand standing as opponent. All of these symptoms becomeimpetuses to chivalrous devotional service.One friend challenged Krrta thus: "My dear friend Damodara, You

Astonishment and Chivalry 372are an expert only in eating. You have defeated Subala only becausehe is weak and You adopted cheating means. Don't advertise Yourselfto be a great fighter by such action. You have advertised Yourself as aserpent, and I am the peacock who will now defeat You." The peacockis the ablest enemy of the serpent.In such fighting between friends, when the self-advertisement becomespersonal, learned scholars say it is sub-ecstasy. When there is aroaring challenge, certain kinds of movement for fighting, enthusiasm,no weapons and assurance given to frightened witnesses-all thesechivalrous activities are called sub-ecstasy.One friend addressed Kr!la in this 1manner: "My dear Madhusiidana,You know my strength, yet You are encouraging Bhadrasena,and not me, to challenge mighty Baladeva. By this action You aresimply insulting me because my arms are as strong as the bolts of thegate!"A devotee once said, "My dear Lord Kr$!!a, may Your challenger,Sr'idama, become glorious for his chivalrous activities, such as vibratinglike a thunder cloud and roaring like a lion. May all glories go toSridama's chivalrous activities!" Chivalrous activities in the matter offighting, charity, mercy and execution of religious rituals are calledconstitutional; whereas the expression of pride, emotions, endurance,kindness, determination, jubilation, enthusiasm, jealousy and remembranceare called unconstitutional. When Stokakf${la, one of the manyfriends of Kf{la, was fighting with Him, his father chastised him forfighting with Kr${la, who was the life and soul of all residents ofVrndavana. Upon hearing these chastisements, Stokakr$!1a stoppedhis fighting. But Krwa continued to challenge him, and thus, in orderto meet the challenge, Stokakr$!la took his pole and began to displayhis dexterity by whirling it.Once Sridama challenged Bhadrasena and said to him, "My dearfriend, you needn't be afraid of me yet. I shall first of all defeatour brother Balarama, then I shall beat Kr$!!a, and then I shall cometo you." Bhadrasena therefore left the party of Balarama and joinedKr $ !!a, and he agitated his friends as much as the Mandara Hill hadagitated the whole ocean. By his roaring sounds he deafened all hisfriends, and he enthused Kr$!la with his chivalrous activities.

373 The Nectar of DevotionOnce Kn;a challenged all His friends and said, "My dear friends,just see-I am jumping with great chivalrous prowess. Please donot flee away." Upon hearing these challenging words, anotherfriend named V ariithapa counter-challenged the Lord and struggledagainst Him.One of the friends once remarked, "Sudama is trying his best to seeDamodara defeated, and I think that if our powerful Subala joinshim, they will be a very beautiful combination, like a valuable jewelbedecked with gold."In these chivalrous activities, only Kra's friends can be the opponents.Kra's enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore,this challenging by Kra's friends is called devotional service inchivalrous activities.Diina-vira, or chivalry in the giving in charity, can be divided intotwo parts: munificence and renunciation. A person who can sacrificeeverything for the satisfaction of Kra is called munificent. When aperson desires to make a sacrifice because of his seeing Kra, Krrmis called the impetus of the munificent activity. When Kra appearedas the son of Nanda Maharaj, in clear consciousness Nanda Maharajdesired all auspiciousness for his son and thus began to give in charityvaluable cows to all the briihmarws. The briihmaflaS were so satisfiedby this charitable action that they were obliged to say that the charityof N anda Maharaj had excelled the charity of such past kings asMaharaj Prthu and N rga.When a person knows the glories of the Lord completely and isprepared to sacrifice everything for the Lord, he is called sampradiinaka,or one who gives everything in charity for the sake of Krwa.When Maharaj Yudhithira went with Kra in the arena of theriija-silya sacrifice, in his imagination he began to anoint the body ofKra with pulp of sandalwood, he decorated Him with a garlandhanging down to His knees, he began to give Him garments all embroideredwith gold, he gave Him ornaments all bedecked with valuablejewels, and he gave Him many fully decorated elephants, chariotsand horses. He further wished to give Krwa in charity his kingdom,his family and his personal self also. After so desiring, when there wasnothing to actually give in charity, Maharaj Yudhithira became veryperturbed and anxious.

Astonishment and Chivalry 374Similarly, Maharaj Bali once told his priest, Sukracarya: "My dearsage, you are fully expert in knowledge of the Vedas, and as such youworship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vil).U, by Vedic rituals.As far as this briihmar-a dwarf [the incarnation Vamanadeva]is concerned, if He is Lord Vil).U, a simple briihmar-a, or even myenemy, I have decided to give to Him in charity all the land He hasasked for." Maharaj Bali was so fortunate that the Lord extended beforeHim His hand, which was reddish from touching the breast ofthe goddess of fortune, who is always smeared with red kunkumpowder. In other words, although the Personality of Godhead is sogreat that the goddess of fortune is always under His command forenjoyment, He still extended His hands to take charity from MaharajBali.A person who wants to give everything in charity to Krwa but doesnot want anything in return is considered the real renouncer. Thus, adevotee will refuse to accept any kind of liberation, even if it is offeredby the Lord. Real love of Krl}a becomes manifested whenKrl}a becomes the recipient of charity and the devotee becomes thegver.In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya there is another example, forwardedby Maharaj Dhruva. He says there, "My dear Lord, I have practicedausterities and penances because I was desiring to receive somethingfrom You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who arenever visible even to the great sages and saintly persons. I had beensearching out some pieces of broken glass, but instead I have foundthe most valuable jewel. I am therefore fully satisfied, my Lord. I donot wish to ask anything more from Your Lordship."A similar statement is to be found in the Third Canto of Srimad­Bhiigavatam, 15th Chapter, 48th verse. The four sages headed bySanaka Muni addressed the Lord as follows: "My dear Supreme Personalityof Godhead, Your reputation is very attractive and free fromall material contamination. Therefore You are worthy of being glorifiedand are actually the reservoir of all pilgrimages. Auspicious persons,who are fortunate enough to be engaged in glorifying Yourattributes and who actually know what Your transcendental positionis, do not even care to accept liberation offered by You. Because theyare so transcendentally enriched, they do not care to accept even the

IL375 The Nectar ofDevotion\IIpost of Indra, the heavenly King. They know that the post of theKing of heaven is also fearful, whereas for those who are engaged inglorifying Your transcendental qualities there is only joyfulness andfreedom from all danger. As such, why should persons with thisknowledge be attracted by a post in the heavenly kingdom?"One devotee has described his feelings about the charity exhibitedby King Mayiiradhvaja: "I am faltering even to speak about theactivities of Maharaj Mayiiradhvaja, to whom I offer my respectfulobeisances." Mayiiradhvaja was very intelligent, and he could understandwhy Kr!la came to him once, in the garb of a briihmar-a. Kr!lademanded from him half of his body, to be sawed off by his wife andson, and King Mayiiradhvaja agreed to this proposal. On account ofhis intense feeling of devotional service, King Mayiiradhvaja wasalways thinking of Kr!J.a, and when he understood that Krwa hadcome in the garb of a briihmar-a, he did not hesitate to part with halfof his body. This sacrifice of Maharaj Mayiiradhvaja for Kr!!a's sakeis unique in the world, and we should offer our all-respectful obeisancesto him. He had full knowledge of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead in the garb of a briihmar-a, and he is known as the perfectdiina-vira, or renouncer.Any person who is always ready to satisfy Kr!la and who is alwaysdexterous in executing devotional service is called dharma-vira, orchivalrous in executing religious rituals. Only advanced devotees performingreligious ritualistic performances can come to this stage ofdharma-vira. Dharma-viras are produced after going through the authoritativescriptures, following moral principles, being faithful andtolerant and controlling the senses. Persons who execute religiousrituals for the satisfaction of Kr!ia are steady in devotional service,whereas persons who execute religious rituals without intending toplease Kr!ia are only called pious.The best example of a dharma-vira is Maharaj Yudhithira. A devoteeonce told Kr!J.a: "My dear Kr!J.a, 0 killer of all demons, MaharajYudhithira, the eldest son of Maharaj Pa!l-9-u, has performed all kindsof sacrifices just to please You. He has always invited the heavenlyKing, Indra, to take part in the yajnas [sacrifices] . Because KingIndra was thus absent so often from Sacidevi, she had to pass much

Astonishment and Chivalry 376of her time pining over Indra's absence, with her cheeks upon herhands."The performance of different yajiias for the demigods is consideredto be worship of the limbs of the Supreme Lord. The demigods areconsidered to be different parts of the universal body of the Lord,and therefore the ultimate purpose in worshiping them is to please theLord by partially worshiping His different limbs. Maharaj Yudhithirahad no such material desire; he executed all sacrifices under the directionof Krwa, and not to take any personal advantage from them.He only desired to please Kra and was therefore called the best ofthe devotees. He was always merged in the ocean of loving service.

4 7 I Compassion and AngerCompassionWhen the ecstasy of devotional service produces some kind oflamentation in connection with Kra, it is called devotional servicein compassion. The impetus of this devotional service is Krwa's transcendentalquality, form and activities. In this ecstasy of devotionalservice there are sometimes symptoms like regret, heavy breathing,crying, falling on the ground and beating upon one's chest. Sometimessymptoms like laziness, frustration, defamation, humility, anxiety,moroseness, eagerness, restlessness, madness, death, forgetfulness,disease and illusion are also visible. When in the heart of a devoteethere is expectation of some misha p to Krwa it is called devotionalservice in bereavement. Such bereavement is another symptom ofthis devotional service in com p assion.In the Srimad-Bhiigavatam, Tenth Canto, 16th Chapter, 13th verse,there is the following description. When Kra was chastising theKaliyanaga in the Yamuna, the big snake wrapped his coils all overKra's body, and upon seeing Kra in this situation, all His dearcowherd friends became greatly disturbed. Out of bereavement, distressand fearfulness, they became bewildered and began to fall onthe ground. Because the cowherd boys were under the illusion thatKra could be in some mishap, their symptoms are not at all astonishing;they had dedicated their friendship, their possessions, theirdesires and their very selves to Kra.When Kra entered the Yam una River, which had become veryp oisonous from the presence of Kaliya, Mother Y asoda feared allkinds of mishaps, and she was breathing hotly. Tears from her eyes377

Compassion and Anger 378were soaking her clothes, and she was almost collapsing.Similarly, when the Sankhasura demon was attacking Kr!la'squeens one after another, Lord Baladeva became more and morebluish.In the Harhsadiita, the following incident is described: The gopisrequested Hamsadiita to search after the marks of Kra's lotus feetand to accept them as Lord Brahma had accepted them on his helmetafter he had stolen all Kr!la 's cowherd boys. Regretting his challengeto Kra, Lord Brahma had bowed down before the Lord, and hishelmet became marked with the footprints of Kra. The gopis remindedHamsadiita that sometimes even the great sage Narada becomesvery ecstatic by seeing these footprints, and sometimes greatliberated sages also aspire to see them. "You should therefore seekvery enthusiastically to find the footprints of Krwa," they urged.This is another instance of devotional service in compassion.There is another instance when Sahadeva, the younger brother ofNakula, became greatly gladdened at seeing the effulgent glowing ofKr !l a's footprints. He began to cry and call out, "Mother Madri!Where are you now? Father Pa!lu! Where are you now? I am verysorry that you are not here to see these footprints of Kt$a!" This isanother instance of devotional service in compassion.In such devotional service in compassion there are sometimessmiling symptoms, but never is there any stress or lamentation. Thebasic principle is always ecstatic love. The apprehension of somemishap to Kr!la or to His beloved queens, as exhibited by Baladevaand Yudhithira, has been explained above. This apprehension is notexactly due to their ignorance of the inconceivable potencies ofKr!la but to their intense love for Him. This kind of apprehensionof some mishap to Kr!la first of all becomes manifested as an objectof lamentation, but gradually it develops into such compassionateloving ecstasy that it turns to another channel and gives transcendentalpleasure.AngerIn ecstatic loving service to Kr!la in anger, Kn;a is always the ob-

379 The Nectar of Devotionject. In Vidagdha-miidhava, Second Canto, 53rd verse, Lalitagopi expressedher anger, which was caused by Kra, when she addressedSrimati Radharai thus: "My dear friend, my inner desires have beenpolluted. Therefore I shall go to the place of Yamaraja. But I am sorryto see that Kra has still not given up His smiling over cheatingYou. I do not know how You could repose all Your loving propensitiesupon this lusty young boy from the neighborhood of the cowherds."After seeing Kra, Jarati sometimes said, "0 You thief of younggirls' properties! I can distinctly see the covering garment of mydaughter-in-law on Your person." Then she cried very loudly, addressingall the residents of V rndavana to inform them that this sonof King N anda was setting fire to the household life of her daughterin-law.Similar ecstatic love for Kra in anger was expressed by Rohi¢"deviwhen she heard the roaring sound of the two falling arjuna treesto which Krwa had been tied. The whole neighborhood proceededimmediately towards the place where the accident took place, andRohiidevi took the opportunity to rebuke Mother Y asoda as follows:"You may be very expert in giving lessons to your son bybinding Him with rope, but don't you look to see if your son is in adangerous spot? The trees are falling on the ground, and He is simplyloitering there!" This expression of Rohiidevi's anger toward Y asodais an example of ecstatic love in anger caused by Kra.Once, while Kra was in the pasturing ground with His cowherdboys, His friends requested Him to go to the Talavana Forest, whereGardabhasura, a disturbing demon in the shape of an ass, resided.The friends of Kra wanted to eat the fruit from the forest trees,but they could not go because of fear of the demon. Thus they requestedKrpa to go there and kill Gardabhasura. After Krpa didthis, they all returned home, and their report of the day's activityperturbed Mother Y asoda because Krpa had been sent alone intosuch danger in the Talavana Forest. Thus she looked upon the boyswith anger.There is another instance of anger on the part of a friend ofRadharai's. When Radharapi was dissatisfied with the behavior of

Compassion and Anger 380Krrta and had stopped talking with Him, Krwa was very sorry forRadhararti's great dissatisfaction, and in order to beg forgiveness, Hefell down at Her lotus feet. But even after this, Radhararti was notsatisfied, and She did not talk with Krrta. At that time, one of Herfriends chastised Her in the following words: "My dear friend, Youare allowing Yourself to be churned by the rod of dissatisfaction, sowhat can I say unto You? The only advice I can give You is that Youhad better leave this scene immediately, because Your misbehavioris giving me too much pain. I cannot bear to see Your behavior, becauseeven though Krrta's peacock feather has touched Your feet,You still appear to be red-faced."The above attitudes of dissatisfaction and anger in devotional serviceare called ir§yu.When Uddhava was leaving Vrndavana, some of the elderly gopisrebuked him as follows: "0 son of Gandini, your cruelty is defamingthe dynasty of King Y adu. You are taking Krrta away, keeping us insuch pitiable condition without Him. Now, even before you haveleft, the life air of all the go pis has practically disappeared."When Krrta was insulted by Sisupala in the assembly of riija-siiyayajfia convened by Maharaj Yudhithira, there was a great turmoilamongst the Part9avas and Kurus, involving grandfather Bhima. Atthat til_!le Nakula said with great anger, "Krwa is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, and the nails of His toes are beautified by thelight emanating from the jeweled helmets of the authorities of theVedas. If He is derided by anyone, I declare herewith as a Part9avathat I will kick his helmet with my left foot, and I will strike himwith my arrows, which are as good as Y amadarz4a, the sceptor ofYamaraja!" This is an instance of ecstatic love for Krp.a in anger.In such a transcendental angry mood sometimes sarcastic remarks,unfavorable glances and insulting words are exhibited. Sometimesthere are other symptoms, like rubbing the two hands, clacking theteeth, clamping the lips, moving the eyebrows, scratching the arms,lowering the head, breathing rapidly, uttering strong words, noddingthe head, exhibiting yellowishness at the corner of the eyes, and exhibitingtrembling lips. Sometimes the eyes turn red, and sometimesthey fade. And there is sometimes chastisement and silence. All these

381 The Nectar of Devotionsymptoms of anger can be divided into two parts: constitutional andunconstitutional, or permanent and temporary symptoms. Sometimesgreat emotion, bewilderment, pride, frustration, illusion, impotence,jealousy, dexterity, negligence and signs of hard labor arealso manifest as unconstitutional symptoms.In all these humors of ecstatic love, the feeling of anger is acceptedas the steady factor.When J arasandha angrily attacked the city of Mathur a, he lookedat Kr!la with sarcastic glances. At that time Baladeva took up Hisplow weapon and gazed upon J arasandha with colored eyes.There is a statement in the Vidagdha-miidhava wherein Sr1mat1Radhara!l-1, in an angry mood, addressed Her mother, Paur!lamas1,after she had accused Radhara!l-1 of going to Kr!la. "My dear mother,"Radha declared, "what can I say to you? Krwa is so cruel thatHe often attacks Me on the street, and if I want to cry out veryloudly, this boy with a peacock feather on His head immediately coversMy face so that I cannot cry. And if I want to go away from the scenebecause I am afraid of Him, He will immediately spread His arms toblock My path. If I piteously fall down at His feet, then this enemyof the Madhu demon, in an angry mood, bites My face! Mother, justtry to understand My situation, and don't be unnecessarily angry withMe. Instead, please tell Me how I can save Myself from these terribleattacks of Kr!la!"Sometimes amongst contemporary personalities there are signs ofecstasy in anger because of love for Kr!la. An example of such angerwas exhibited in the quarrel between Jatila and Mukhara. Jatila wasthe mother-in-law of Radhara!l-1, and Mukhara was Her great grandmother.Both of them were talking about Krwa's unnecessary harrassmentof Radhara!l-1 when She was walking on the street. J atilasaid, "You cruel-faced Mukhara! By hearing your words my heartfeels like it is burning in a fire!" And Mukhara replied, "You sinfulJatila, by hearing your words, there is aching in my head! You cannotgive any evidence that Kr!la has attacked Radhara!l-1, the daughter ofmy granddaughter Kirtida."Once, when Radhara!l-1 was taking off the necklace given to Her byKr ! la, Jatila, her mother-in-law, told a friend: "My dear friend, just

Compassion and Anger 382see the beautiful necklace that Kra has presented to Radharai.She is now holding it, but still she wants to tell us that She has noconnection with Kra. This girl's activities have disgraced our wholefamily!"Natural jealousy of Kra by persons like Sisupala cannot be acceptedas ecstatic love in anger with Kra.

48 I Dread and GhastlinessDreadIn ecstatic love for Knp.a in dread, there are two causes of fear:either Kr9p.a Himself or some dreadful situation for Kr9tta. When adevotee feels himself to be an offender at Kr9tta's lotus feet, at thattime Kr9tta Himself becomes the objective of dreadful ecstatic love.And when out of ecstatic love friends and well-wishers of Kr9p.aapprehend some danger for Him, that situation becomes the object oftheir dread.When ij,k9araj was in front of Krwa fighting and 'suddenly realizedthat Krwa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kr9tta addressedhim thus: "My dear ij,k9araj, why is your face so dry? Please do notfeel threatened by Me. There is no need for your heart to tremble likethis. Please calm yourself down. I have no anger toward you. Youcan, however, become as angry as you like with Me-to expand yourservice in fighting with Me and to increase My sporting attitude." Inthis dreadful situation in ecstatic love for Kr9p.a, Kr9pa Himself is theobject of dread.There is another instance of a dreadful situation with Krp.a as theobject as follows: After being sufficiently chastised by child Kr9p.a inthe Yamuna River, the Kaliya snake began to address the Lord, "0killer of the Mura demon, I have acquired many mystic powers by myausterity and penances, but before You I am nothing, I am most insignificant.Therefore, please be kind upon a poor soul like me, anddon't be angry with me. I did not know Your actual position, andout of ignorance I have committed such horrible offenses. Please383

Dread and Ghastliness 384save me. I am a most unfortunate, foolish creature. Please be mercifulto me." This is another instance of the ecstasy of dread in devotionalserVIce.When the KeSi demon was causing disturbance in V rndavana byassuming a large horse's body that was so big that he could jump overthe trees, Mother Y asoda told her husband, N anda Maharaj, "Ourchild is very restless, so we had better keep Him locked up within thehouse. I have been very worried about the recent disturbances of theKesi demon, who has been assuming the form of a giant horse." Whenit was learned that the demon was entering Go kula in an angry mood,Mother Y asoda became so anxious to protect her child that her facedried up and there were tears in her eyes. These are some of thesigns of the ecstasy of dread in devotional service, caused by seeingand hearing something that is dangerous to K.r9pa.After the Putana witch had been killed, some friends of MotherY asoda inquired from her about the incident. Mother Y asoda at oncerequested her friends, "Please stop! Please stop! Don't bring up theincident of PUtana. I become distressed just by remembering thisincident. The Putana witch came to devour my son, and she deceivedme into letting her take the child on her lap. After that, she died andmade a tumultuous sound with her gigantic body."In the ecstasy of devotional service in dread, the unconstitutionalsymptoms are drying up of the mouth, exuberance, glancing towardsthe back side, concealing oneself, bewilderment, searching after theendangered lovable object and crying very loudly. Some other unconstitutionalsymptoms are illusion, forgetfulness, and expectationof danger. In all such circumstances the ecstatic dread is the steady orconstant factor. Such dreadfulness is caused either by offenses committedor by dreadful circumstances. Offenses can be committed invarieties of ways, and the dread is felt by the person who has committedthe offense. When dread is caused by a fearful object, thisfearful object is generally a person who is fearsome in his features,nature and influence. An example of an object which caused ecstaticdread is the Putanii witch. Dread can be caused by mischievous demoniccharacters, such as King Kamsa, and it can be caused by greatpowerful demigods, such as lndra or Sankara.

385 The Nectar of DevotionDemons like Kamsa feared Kr!ia, but their feelings cannot bedescribed as ecstatic dread in devotional service.Ghastliness:IIt is understood from authoritative sources that an attachment forKrwa because of feelings of disgust sometimes presents a ghastlyecstasy in devotional service. The person experiencing such ecstaticlove for Kr!la is almost always in the neutral stage of devotional service;or siinta-rasa. A description of ecstatic love caused by ghastlinessis found in the following statement: "This person was formerly interestedsolely in the matter of lust and sense gratification, and hehad perfected the greatest skill in exploiting women to fulfill hislusty desires. But now how wonderful it is that this same man ischanting the names of Kr!la with tears in his eyes, and as soon as hesees the face of a woman, he immediately becomes disgusted. Fromthe indication of his face, I would think that now he hates sex life."In this mellow of devotional service in ghastliness, the sub-ecstaticsymptoms are spitting upon the consideration of one's past life, contortingthe face, covering the nose and washing the hands. There isalso trembling of the body, forcible twisting of the body and perspiration.Other symptoms which may be present are shame, exhaustion,madness, illusion, frustration, humility, self-pity, restlessness, eagernessand stunning of the body.When a devotee, lamenting for his past abominable activities, showsspecial symptoms on his body, his feeling is called ecstasy in devotionalservice in ghastliness. This is caused by the awakening of hisKr!ia consciousness.In this connection there is the following statement: "How can aperson take pleasure in the enjoyment of sex life in this body, whichis a bag of skin and bones, filled with blood, covered by skin andflesh and which produces mucus and evil smells?" This perception ispossible only for one who is awakened to Kr!la consciousness andwho has become fully cognizant of the abominable nature of thismaterial body.

Dread and Ghastliness 386A fortunate child in the womb of his mother prayed to Krtta asfollows: "0 enemy of Kamsa, I am suffering so much because of thismaterial body. Now I am trapped within a mess of blood, urine andliquid stool, within the womb of my mother. Because I am living insuch a condition, I am suffering great pangs. Therefore, 0 divine oceanof mercy, please be kind to me. I have no capacity to be engaged inYour loving devotional service, but please save me!" There is a similarstatement by a person fallen in the hellish condition of life. He addressedthe Supreme Lord thus: "My dear Lord, Yamaraja has placedme in a situation which is full of filthy and obnoxious smells. Thereare so many insects and worms, surrounded by the stools left by differentkinds of diseased persons. And after visualizing this horriblescene, my eyes have become sore, and I am becoming nearly blind. Itherefore pray, 0 my Lord, 0 deliverer from the hellish conditions oflife. I have fallen into this hell, but I shall try to remember Your holyname always, and in this way I shall try to keep my body and soultogether." This is another instance of ecstatic love for Krtta in anabominable situation.It is to be understood that any person who is constantly engagedin chanting the holy names of the Lord, Hare Kr9tJ.a, Hare KrtJ.a,Krtta Krwa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, HareHare, has attained a transcendental affection for Kr9tJ.a, and as such,in any condition of life, he remains satisfied simply by rememberingthe Lord's name in full affection and ecstatic love.In conclusion, it may be stated that the ecstatic love for Krttain ghastliness appears during the development of dormant neutralityinto developed affection.

49 I Mixing of RasasAs already described, there are twelve different kinds of rasas, or ecstaticrelationships which are shared with Kr!la. Five of these rasasare direct, and they are listed as neutrality, servitude, fraternal love,parental love, and conjugal love. Seven of the rasas are indirect, andthey are listed as humor, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, anger,dread and ghastliness. The five direct rasas are eternally manifestedin the Vaiku!ltha world, the spiritual kingdom, whereas the seven indirectrasas are eternally manifesting and unmanifesting in GokulaVrndavana, where Kr!ia displays His transcendental pastimes in thematerial world.Very often, in addition to one's regular rasa, there is found thepresence of some other rasa, and the mixture of these loving humorsis sometimes compatible, or palatable, and sometimes incompatible,or unpalatable. The following is a scientific analysis of the compatibilityand incompatibility of the mixtures of these various rasas, orloving moods.When in the rasa of neutral love (santa-rasa) there are foundtraces of dread or astonishment, the result is compatible. When withthis neutral love there are manifestations of conjugal love, chivalry,anger or dread, the result is incompatible.When in the ecstasy of a serving humor, there are manifestationsof dread, neutral love, or chivalry (such as dharma-vira and diina-vira)the result is compatible. The ecstasy of devotional service in chivalry(yuddha-vira) and anger are directly produced by Kr!ia Himself.With the ecstasy of fraternal love, a mixture of conjugal love,laughter or chivalry is highly compatible. With the same fraternal387

_jMixing of Rasas 388love, a mixture of dread or parental love is most incompatible.Although there are gulfs of differences between them, with theecstasy of parental affection, a mixture of laughter, compassion ordread is compatible.With the ecstasy of parental love, a mixture of conj ugal love,chivalry or anger is incompatible.With the ecstasy of devotion in conjugal love, a mixture of laughteror fraternity is compatible.According to certain expert opinions, in the ecstasy of conjugallove, the feelings of chivalry which are known as _yuddha-vira anddharma-vira are the only compatible additions. According to thisview, except for these two humors, all other manifestations are takenas incompatible with conj ugal love.With the ecstasy of devotional laughter, a mixture of dread, conjugallove or parental love is compatible, whereas a mixture of compassionor ghastliness is incompatible.With the ecstasy of devotion in astonishment, a mixture of chivalryor neutral love is compatible; whereas a mixture of anger or dread isalways incompatible.With the ecstasy of devotional chivalry, a mixture of astonishment,laughter or servitude is compatible, while a mixture of dread or conjugal love is incompatible. According to some expert opinions, theecstasy of neutral love is always compatible with devotional servicein chivalry.With the ecstasy of compassion in devotional service, a mixture ofanger or parental love is compatible; while a mixture of laughter, conjugallove or astonishment is always incompatible.With the ecstasy of anger in devotional service, a mixture of compassionor chivalry is compatible; while a mixture of laughter, conjugalunion or dread is completely incompatible.With the ecstasy of dread in devotional service, a mixture of ghastlinessor compassion is compatible.With the ecstasy of chivalry in devotional service, a mixture ofconj ugal union, laughter or anger is always incompatible.In the ecstasy of ghastliness in devotional service, feelings ofneutral love, laughter or servitude are compatible; whereas feelings

389 The Nectar of Devotionof conjugal union and fraternity are incompatible.The above analysis is a sample of the study of rasiibhiisa or incompatiblemixing of rasas. This transcendental science of rasiibhiisa canthoroughly explain the humors in ecstatic love which are compatibleand incompatible with one another. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhuwas residing in J agannatha Purl, many poets and devotees used tocome to Him and offer their different kinds of poetry, but the regulationwas that Lord Caitanya's secretary, Svariipa Damodara, firstexamined all of these writings scrutinizingly, and then if he wouldfind that there were no incompatibilities in the rasas, or transcendentalmellows, he would then allow the poet to approach Lord Caitanyaand recite his poetry.The topic of incompatibility is a very important one, and thosewho are pure devotees always expect to find perfect compatibility indescriptions of the different relationships with the Personality ofGodhead. The study of compatibility and incompatibility sometimesbecomes very involved, and a hint of why this is so is given as follows:When a friend meets another friend, the mellow produced outof that meeting is generally taken as very palatable. But actually withsuch meetings between two friends, there are so many feelings involvedthat it is difficult to ascertain when these feelings are actuallybecoming compatible and when they are becoming incompatible.Expert literary scholars have analyzed the rasas which are compatiblewith one another by contrasting the various rasas in a particularmixture under the names "whole" and "part." According to thismethod, the prominent feeling is called the "whole," and the subordinatefeeling is called the "part."The following statement elucidates the subject of part and whole:"All living entities are just like sparks from the supreme fire, and assuch, I do not know if I, a tiny spark, shall be able to engage myselfin the transcendental loving service of this supreme fire, Lord Krwa."In this statement, the feelings of neutral love are taken as the whole,whereas the desire to serve the Lord is taken as the part. Actually, inthe Brahman effulgence there is no chance for reciprocation of lovingecstasy between the Lord and the devotee.There is another quotation by a devotee who laments as follows:

Mixing of Rasas 390"Alas, I am still trying to relish different pleasurable states from thisbody, which is simply some skin covering mucus, semina and blood.In this state of consciousness I am so condemned that I cannot relishthe transcendental ecstasy of remembering the Supreme Personalityof Godhead." In this statement there are two ecstatic loving humors,namely neutrality and ghastliness. Neutrality is taken here as thewhole, whereas the ecstasy of ghastliness is the part.There is a similar statement by a devotee as follows: "I shall nowbegin my service of fanning the Supreme Personality of Godhead, SriKr!J.a, who is seated on a golden throne. He is the supreme Parambrahmain His eternal transcendental form of a cloudy blackish complexion.Now I shall give up my affection for my material body,which is nothing but a bunch of flesh and blood." Herein also thereis a combination of servitude and ghastliness, where the ecstasy ofservitude is taken as the whole, and the ecstasy of ghastliness is takenas the part.There is another statement as follows: "When shall I be freed fromthe mode of ignorance? And being thus purified, when shall I attainthe stage of serving Kr!la eternally? Only then shall I be able to worshipHim, always observing His lotus eyes and beautiful face." In thisstatement the whole is the ecstasy of neutrality, and the part is servitorship.There is another statement as follows: "Please look at this devoteeof the Lord who is dancing just from remembering the lotus feet ofKr!J.a. Simply by observing his dance you will lose all interest in eventhe most beautiful women!" In this statement the whole is in neutrality,and the part is in ghastliness.One devotee boldly said, "My dear Lord, now I am turning myface from any thought of association with young girls. As far asBrahman realization is concerned, I have lost all interest because I amcompletely absorbed in thinking about You. And being absorbed soblissfully, I have lost all other desires, even the desire for mysticpowers. Now my mind is only attracted to worshiping Your lotusfeet." In this statement, the whole is the ecstasy of neutrality, andthe part is chivalry.In another statement, Subala is addressed thus: "My dear Subala,

391The Nectar of Devotionthe damsels of V rndavana who had the opportunity of enjoyingKr!ia's kissing must be the foremost of all the fortunate women inthe world." In this example, the ecstasy of fraternal devotional ser·vice is the whole, and the ecstasy of conjugal love is the part.The following statement was made by Kr!ia to the gopis: "Mydear enchanted, don't gaze at Me with longing eyes like this. Be satisfiedarrd return to your homes in Vrndavana. There is no necessity ofyour presence here." While Kr!ia was joking in this way with thedamsels of Braja, who with great hope had come to enjoy the riisadance with Him, Subala was also on the scene, and he began to lookat Kr!ia with wide and laughing eyes. Subala's feeling contained amixture of fraternity and laughter in devotional service. Fraternityis considered here as the whole, and the laughter is considered as thepart.The following example contains a mixture of ecstatic fraternityand laughter, taken respectively as the whole and part. When Kr!J.asaw that Subala, in the dress of Radhara!J.'i, was silently hiding underthe shade of a beautiful asoka tree on the bank of the Yam una, Heimmediately arose from His seat in surprise. Upon seeing Kr!J.a,Subala tried to hide his laughter by covering his cheeks.There is also an example of a mixture of parental love and compassionin devotional service. When Mother Y asoda was thinking thather son was walking in the forest without any umbrella or shoes, shebecame greatly perturbed to think of how much difficulty Kr!lamust have been feeling. In this example the whole is the paternallove, and the part is compassion.There is the following example of a mixture of parental love andlaughter. A friend of Mother Y asoda told her, "My dear Y asoda, yourson has very cunningly stolen a lump of butter from my home. Andto make me blame my own son for His mischief, He has smearedsome of the butter on my son's face while he was sleeping!" Uponhearing this, Mother Y asoda shook her curved eyebrows. She couldonly look at her friend with a smiling face. May Mother Y asoda blesseveryone with this smiling attitude. In this example the whole is theparental love, and the part is the laughter.There is an example of a mixture of several humors with devo-

Mixing of Rasas 392tional service as follows. When Kr!la was holding up Govardhan Hillwith His left hand, His hairs became scattered all over His shoulders,and He appeared to be perspiring. When Mother Y asoda saw thisscene, she began to tremble. Then, as she stared at the scene withbroadened eyes, she saw Krwa begin to exhibit varieties of facialcaricatures. Mother Y asoda then became very happy and began tosmile. Then again, when she thought that Kr!la was holding up thehill for such an extremely long time, her clothes became soaked withperspiration. May Mother Y asoda Brajesvari protect the whole universeby her infinite mercy! In this example, the whole is parentallove, and the part is dread, wonder, laughter, compassion, etc.There is an example of a mixture of conjugal love and fraternal affectionwhen Srimati Radhara!li said, "My dear friends, just see howKr!la is resting His hand on the shoulder of Subala, who is dressedup just like a young girl! I think He must be sending some message toMe through Subala. The purport is that the superiors of Radhara!lido not like Kr!la or His cowherd friends to associate with Her; thereforethese friends sometimes clothe themselves in female dress sothey can give Radhara!li a message from Krwa. In this example thewhole is conjugal love and the part is fraternity.The following is an example of a mixture of conjugal love andlaughter in devotional service: Kr!la, in the dress of a young girl,told Radhara!li, "Oh, You hard-hearted girl! Don't You know that Iam Your sister? Why are You unable to recognize Me? Be mercifulupon Me and please capture My shoulders and embrace Me withlove!" While Kr!la was dressed up exactly like Radhara!li, He wasspeaking these nice words, and Srimati Radhara!li could understandHis purpose. But because She was in front of many of Her superiors,She simply smiled and did not say anything. In this instance, theecstasy of conjugal love is taken as the whole, and the ecstasy oflaughter is taken as the part.The following illustrates a mixture of several feelings. When one ofthe consort friends of Candravali saw that Krwa was preparing tofight with the Vrasura demon, she began to think: "How wonderfulKr!la is! His mind is captivated by the eyebrows of Candravali in asmiling spirit, His snake-like arms are on the shoulder of His friend,

393 The Nectar of Devotionand at the same time He is roaring like a lion to encourage V rasurato fight with Him!" This is an example of conjugal love, fraternity,and chivalry. The conjugal love is taken here as the whole, and thefraternity and chivalry are taken as the parts.When Kubja caught hold of Kra's yellow garment because shewas feeling almost lusty with sex urge, Kra simply bowed down Hishead with His cheeks glowing in front of the many people who werestanding there and laughing. This is an example of a mixture ofecstatic conjugal love and laughter. The laughter is taken as thewhole, and the conjugal love is taken as the part.Visala, a cowherd boy who was attempting to fight with Bhadrasena,was addressed by another cowherd boy as follows: "Why areyou attempting to show your chivalrous spirit before me? Beforethis, you even attempted to fight with Sridama, but you must knowthat Sridama does not even care to fight with hundreds of Balaramas.So why are you acting so enthusiastically when you actually have noimportance at all?" This is an example of a mixture of devotionalfraternity and chivalry. The chivalry is taken as the whole, and thefraternity is taken as the part.Sisupala was habituated to calling Kra ill names, and by his insultshe irritated the sons of Pandu more than he irritated Krsna. The. . . . .Paavas therefore equipped themselves with all kinds of weaponsto kill Sisupala. Their feelings were a mixture of ecstatic anger andfraternity, the anger being taken as the whole, and fraternity as thepart.Once Kra was watching Sridama very expertly using his stick tofight with Balarama, who was an expert club-fighter and who hadeven killed the Pralambasura demon with His club. When Krsna sawBalarama finally defeated by Sridama, who was using only · smallstick, Krwa became filled with pleasure and began to look uponSridama with great wonder. In this instance there is a mixture ofastonishment, fraternity and chivalry in devotional service. The fraternityand chivalry are considered as the parts, and the astonishmentis considered as the whole.Expert analyzers of these various kinds of mellows instruct us thatwhen different mellows overlap one another, the mellow which is the

Mixing of Rasas 394whole, or the prominent humor, is called the permanent ecstasy. It isconfirmed in the Vi§r-u-dharmottara that when there are many mellowsof devotional ecstasy mixed together, the prominent one, or thewhole, is called the steady ecstasy of devotional service. Althoughthe subordinate mellow may be manifested for a certain time, atlength it will become merged into the prominent whole. Thus it iscalled an unconstitutional ecstasy of devotional service.There is a good analogy in this connection, showing the relationshipbetween the part and the whole. Lord Vamanadeva is actuallythe Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He appeared to have been"born" as one of the brothers of lndra. Although Vamanadeva issometimes taken as a less-important demigod, He is actually themaintainer of lndra, the King of the demigods. Thus, although sometimesVamanadeva is considered to be a subordinate demigod, Hisactual position is that of the supreme whole, the source of the entiredemigod system. In the same way, a rasa which is actually prominentmay sometimes appear to be manifested in a subordinate way, althoughits actual position is as the main or prominent loving feelingof a devotee.When an unconstitutional ecstasy of devotional service is manifestedprominently at a certain time, it is still accepted as the part. Ifit is not very prominently manifested, it appears only slightly andquickly merges back into the whole. At such times of slight appearance,no consideration is given to it; as when one is eating somepalatable dishes, if one also eats a small blade of grass, he will nottaste it, nor will he care to distinguish what its taste is like.

50 I Further Analysis of Mixed RasasAs already described, if certain kinds of mellows become mixedand there is a joining of opposite mellows, then the situation is calledincompatible. When one is eating sweet rice and something salty orsour is mixed in, the mixture is not very tasteful, and it is called incompatible.An exemplary instance of incompatibility is the following statementby an impersonalist who was lamenting aloud, "I have been attachedsimply to the impersonal Brahman feature, and I have passedmy days uselessly in practicing trance. I have not given any proper attentionto Sri Kra, who is the source of the impersonal Brahmanand who is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasures." In thisstatement there are traces of neutrality and conjugal love, and theresulting humor is incompatible.Sometimes it is found in places like Vrndavana that a person witha slight devotional attitude of neutral love for Kra may immediatelyand artificially try to attain to the platform of conjugal love. Butbecause of the incompatibility of neutrality and conjugal love, theperson is found to fall from the standard of devotional service.Incompatibility was expressed by a great devotee on the platformof neutrality when he sarcastically prayed, "I am very anxious to seeKra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is many millions oftimes more affectionate than the pitrs (forefathers) in the Pitr-loka,and who is always worshiped by the great demigods and sages. I am alittle surprised, however, that although Krwa is the husband of thegoddess of fortune, His body is often marked with the nail pricks ofordinary society girls!" Here is an example of incompatibility due toa mixture of neutrality and high conjugal love.395

Analysis of Mixed Rasas 396There is the following statement by a gopi: "My dear Krpa, thefirst thing You should do is just embrace me with Your strong arms.Then, my dear friend, I shall first smell Your head, and then I shallenjoy with You." This is an example of incompatibility in whichconjugal love is the whole and servitorship is the part.One devotee said, "My dear Krpa, how can I address You as myson when You are addressed by the great V edantists as the absolutetruth and by the Vai§rz.avas who follow the principles of Niiradapancariitraas the Supreme Personality of Godhead? You are the sameSupreme Person, so how shall my tongue be so extraordinarily boldas to address You as an ordinary son?" In this statement there is amixture of neutrality and parental love, and the result is incompatible.Another devotee said, "My dear friend, my youthful beauty is astemporary as lightning in the sky, and therefore, my possessing attractivebodily features is unimportant. I have never met Krpa, so Irequest you to please arrange for my meeting Him immediately." Inthis statement there is the incompatibility of a neutral mellow mixedwith conjugal love.A lusty woman in Kailasa once told Krpa: "My dear Krpa, mayYou have a long life!" Then, after saying this, she embraced Krpa.This is an example of incompatibility resulting from a mixture ofparental love and conjugal love.The purpose of the above analysis is to show that in the mixtureof various mellows, or reciprocations of ecstatic love between Krpaand the devotees, if the result is not pure, there will he incompatibility.According to the opinion of stalwart devotees like Riipa Gosvami,as soon as there are contradictory feelings, the result is incompatible.Once an ordinary female devotee addressed Krpa, "My dear boy,I know that my body is just a composition of flesh and blood andcan never be enjoyable to You. But still, I have been so attracted byYour beauty that I wish that You accept me as Your conjugal lover."In this statement there is incompatibility caused by a mixture ofghastliness and conjugal love in devotional service.Srila Riipa Gosvami warns devotees to not commit such incompatibilitiesin their writings or in their dealings. The presence of such

'1 ,,I397 The Nectar of Devotioncontradictory feelings is called rasiibhiisa. When there is rasiibhiisa inany book of Kra consciousness, no learned scholar or devotee willaccept it.In the Vidagdha-miidhava, second act, verse 29, Pauramasi tellsNandimukhi: "Just see how wonderful it is! Great sages meditateupon Kra after being relieved from all material transactions, andwith great difficulty they try to situate Krwa in their hearts. Andopposed to this, this young girl is trying to withdraw her mind fromKra so she can apply it in the material activities of sense gratification.What a regrettable thing it is that this girl is trying to drive awayfrom her heart the same Kra who is sought after by great sagesthrough severe austerities and perseverance!" Although in this statementthere are contradictory mellows of ecstatic devotion, the resultis not incompatible because conjugal love is so elevated that it is defeatingall other varieties of mellows. Srila }iva Gosvami comments inthis connection that such a loving state of mind is not possible forall. It is only possible in the case of the go pis of V rndiivana. Thereare many other instances of contradictory mellows where there is noperverted experience of rasiibhiisa.Once some minor demigod of the heavenly planets remarked:"Kra, whose joking words were once the source of so much laughterfor the residents of Braja, has now been attacked by the serpentking, Kaliya, and He has become the object of everyone's overwhelminglamentation!" In this instance there is a mixture of laughterand compassion, but there is no incompatibility because by bothof these rasas the loving affection for Kra is increased.Srimati Radhiirai was once told that although She had stoppedall activities, She was still the supreme source of inspiration for allkinds of devotional service. The statement says, "My dear Radhiiriii,in separation from Krwa You are now as still as the most beautifultree, whose gracefulness is not blocked by any covering of leaves.Your tranquil mood makes You appear to be completely merged inBrahman realization!" In this example there is a mixture of conjugallove and neutral love, but the conjugal love has surpassed everything.Actually, Brahman realization is only a stunted existence. There isthe following statement by Kra Himself: "Srimati Radharai has

Analysis of Mixed Rasas 398become peace personified for Me. Because of Her I now go withoutsleep. I stare constantly without blinking my eyes, and I am alwaysin a meditative mood. Because of Her I have even made My home inthe cave of a mountain!" This is an example of conjugal love mixedwith neutral love, but there is no incompatibility.The following is a conversation consisting of questions put beforeRambha, a celebrated beautiful woman, and her corresponding answers.Rambha was asked, "My dear Rambha, who are you?" Sheanswered, "I am peace personified." Question: "Then why are you inthe sky?" Answer: "I am in the sky to experience the supreme absolutetruth." Question: "Then why are you staring?" Answer: "Justto look into the supreme beauty of the absolute truth." Question:"Then why do you appear to be disturbed in mind?" Answer: "BecauseCupid is acting." In the above example also there is no pervertedrepresentation of mellows because on the whole the ecstasy ofconjugal love has exceeded the neutral position of devotional service.In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhiigavatam, 60th Chapter, 44thverse, Rukmiidevi said, "My dear husband, a woman who has notaste for the transcendental pleasure available from Your personalcontact must be inclined to accept as her husband somebody who isexternally a combination of mustaches, beard, body hairs, fingernailsand some head hair. And within him there are muscles, bones, blood,intestinal worms, stools, mucus, bile, and similar things. Actually,such a husband is only a dead body, but due to not being attractedto Your transcendental form, a woman will have to accept this combinationof stools and urine for her husband." This statement, whichlists the ingredients of a material body, is not a perverted mellow intranscendental realization because it shows correct discrimination betweenmatter and spirit.In the Vidagdha-miidhava, second act, 42nd verse, Kra tells Hisfriend, "My dear friend, what a wonderful thing it is that since I haveseen the beautiful lotus eyes of Srimati Radharai, I have developeda tendency to spit on the moon and the lotus flower!" This is anexample of conjugal love mixed with ghastliness, but there is no incompatibility.The following is a statement which describes different mellows of

399 The Nectar of Devotiondevotional service: "Although Krpa was invincible to any enemy,the cowherd boys of Vrndavana became almost blackish with astonishmentupon seeing His wonderful royal garments and His fightingfeats on the battlefield of Kuruketra." In this statement, althoughthere is a mixture of chivalrous activities and astonishment in devotionalservice, there is no perverted reflection of mellows.One resident of Mathura requested her father to bolt the doorsand then go with her to the school of Sandipani Muni to find Krpa.She complained that Kr9pa had completely stolen her mind. In thisincident there is a mixture of conjugal love and parental love, butthere is no incompatibility.A brahmiinandi (impersonalist) expressed his desire as follows:"When shall I be able to see that supreme absolute Personality ofGodhead who is eternal bliss and knowledge, and whose chest has becomesmeared with red kunkum powder by touching the breast ofRukmipi?" Here there is a mixture of conjugal love and neutrality.Although this is a contradiction of mellows, there is no incompatibilitybecause even a brahmiinandi will become attracted to Krwa.Nanda Maharaj told his wife, "My dear Y asoda, although your son,Kr?pa, is as delicate and soft as the mallikii flower, He has gone tokill the Kesi demon, who is as strong as the mountain. Therefore Ihave become a little disturbed. But never mind, all auspiciousness tomy son! I shall raise this hand which is as strong as a pillar, and I shallkill the Kesi demon, just to give freedom from all anxieties to the inhabitantsof Brajamapala!" In this statement there are two kinds ofmellows: chivalry and dread. Both of them, however, improve theposition of parental love, and therefore there is no incompatibility.In the Lalita-miidhava of Srila Riipa Gosvami it is stated, "AfterKrwa's arrival in Kamsa's arena, Kamsa's priest looked at Krpa witha detestful expression. The entire arena was filled with dread on thepart of Kamsa and his priest and restless expressions of pleasure onthe cheeks of Krpa 's friends. Frustration was felt by His enviousrivals. The great sages meditated. Hot tears were in the eyes ofDevaki and other motherly ladies, and hairs stood on the bodies ofthe expert warriors. There was astonishment in the hearts of demigodssuch as Indra. The servants danced, and the restless eyes of all

Analysis of Mixed Rasas 400the young girls glanced about." In this statement there is a descriptionof a combination of different mellows, but there is no incompatibility.A similar statement, which is free from incompatibility, is in theLalita-madhava wherein the author blesses all the readers of the bookin the following manner: "Although the Supreme Personality ofGodhead is able to lift a mountain with a finger of His left hand, Heis always humble and meek. He is always very kind to His loving devotees.He has frustrated Indra's attempt at vengeance by refusing himthe sacrifice of Indra-yajiia. He is the cause of all pleasure to allyoung girls. May He be ever compassionate upon you all!"

51 I Perverted Expression of MellowsRasabhasa, or incompatible mixtures of mellows, can be classifiedas uparasa (false expression) anurasa (imitation) and aparasa (pervertedor misrepresented mellows).There is the following statement by an impersonalist who had justseen Kr!la: "When a person has passed completely from all contaminationof material existence, he relishes a transcendental bliss ofbeing established in trance. But as soon as I saw You, the originalPersonality of Godhead, I experienced the same bliss." This pervertedreflection of mellows is called santa-uparasa, or a perverted reflectionof mixed impersonalism and personalism.There is another statement as follows: "Wherever I am glancing Isimply see Your personality. Therefore I know You are the uncontaminatedBrahman effulgence, the supreme cause of all causes. Ithink there is nothing but You in this cosmic manifestation." This isanother example of uparasa, or a perverted reflection of impersonalismand personalism.When Madhumari.gala, an intimate friend of Kr!la, was dancing beforeKr!la in a joking manner, no one was paying attention to him,and he jokingly said, "My dear Lord, please be merciful upon me. Iam praying for Your mercy." This is an example of uparasa in fraternalaffection and neutrality.Kamsa once addressed his sister Devaki as follows: "My dear sister,having seen your dear son Kr!la, I think that He is so strong that Hecan kill even wrestlers strong as the mountains. So I will have nomore anxieties about Him, even if He is engaged in a terrible fight."This is an instance of uparasa in a perverted reflection of parentallove.401

Perverted Expression of Mellows 402In the Lalita-miidhava, Srila Rupa Gosvami says, "The wives of theyajfiic briihmav-as were all young girls, and they were attracted toKra in the same way as the gopis of Vrndavana. Out of their attractionthey distributed food to Kra." Here the two devotionalmellows are conjugal love and parental love, and the result is calledupa-rasa in conjugal love.One of the friends of Srimati Radharai told Her, "My dear friendGandharvika [Radharai], You were the most chaste girl in our village,but now You have divided Yourself and are partially chaste andpartially unchaste. It is all due to Cupid's influence upon You afterYou saw Krwa and heard the sound of His flute." This is another exampleof uparasa caused by divided interests in conjugal love.According to some expert learned scholars, the feelings betweenlover and beloved create perverted reflections of mellows in manyways."The go pis have become purified by Krwa 's glance, and as such,Cupid's influence is distinctly visible on their bodies." Although inthe material sense the glancing of a boy at a girl is a kind of pollution,when Kra threw His transcendental glance at the gopis, they becamepurified. In other words, because Kra is the absolute truth,any action by Him is transcendentally pure.After Krwa chastised the Kaliyanaga in the Yamuna River bydancing on his heads, the Kaliyanaga's wives addressed Kr!la, "Mydear cowherd boy, we are all only young wives of the Kiliyanaga, sowhy do you agitate our minds by sounding Your flute?" Kaliya'swives were flattering Krwa so that He would spare their husband.Therefore this is an example of uparasa, or imitation.One devotee said, "My dear Govinda, here is a nice flowery bushin Kailasa. I am a young girl, and You are a young poetic boy. Afterthis, what more can I say? You just consider." This is an example ofuparasa, caused by impudency in conjugal love.When Narada Muni was passing through V rndavana, he came tothe Bhairavana Frest and saw in one of the trees the famous parrotcouple that always accompanies Lord Kra. The couple was imitatingsome discussion they heard upon the Vedanta philosophy, and

403 The Nectar of Devotionthus were seemingly arguing upon various philosophical points. Uponseeing this, Narada Muni was struck with wonder, and he began tostare without moving his eyelids. This is an example of anurasa, orimitation.When Kr!ia was fleeing away from the battlefield, from a distantplace J arasandha was watching Him with restless eyes and was feelingvery proud. Being thus puffed up with his conquest, he was repeatedlylaughing. This is an example of aparasa.Everything in connection with Kr!ia is called ecstatic devotionallove, although it may be exhibited in different ways: sometimes inright order and sometimes as a perverted reflection. According to theopinion of all expert devotees, anything that will arouse ecstatic lovefor Kr!ia is to be taken as an impetus for transcendental mellow.Thus ends the Bhaktivedaata summary study of Sri Bhaktirasamrta-sindhuby Sn1a Riipa Gosviimi.

Concluding WordsSrila Rupa Gosvami concludes by saying that Bhakti-rasiimrtasindhuis very difficult for ordinary men to understand, yet he hopesthat Lord Kra, the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, willbe pleased with his presentation of this book.By rough calculation it is estimated that Srila Rupa Gosvamifinished Sri Bhakti-rasiimrta-sindhu in Gokula Vrndavana in the year1552. While physically present, Srila Rupa Gosvami was living in differentparts of V rndavana, and hs headquarters were in the templeof Radha-Damodara in the present city of Vrndavana. The place ofRupa Gosvami's bhajana, execution of devotional service, is commemoratedstill. There are two different tomb-like structures in theRadha-Damodara temple; one structure is called his place of bhajana,and in the other his body is entombed. Behind this very tomb I havemy place of bhajana, but since 1965 I have been away. The place,however, is being taken care of by my disciples. By Krwa 's will, I amnow residing at the Los Angeles Temple of the International Societyfor Krishna Consciousness. This purport is finished today, the 30thof June, 1969.404

GlossaryAciirya-spiritual master who teaches by exampleAnubhiiva-bodily manifestations of ecstatic love for Krl).a, such asdancing, crying, etc.Anugas-followers; devotees engaged as personal servitors of the LordArcana-Deity worship in the templeAriitrika-worship of the DeityBrahmiinanda-happiness of becoming one with the SupremeCarar-amrta-scented, flavored water used to bathe the DeitiesDiisya-eternal relation of servitorship with the Supreme LordDviirakii-fortified city built by Kfl).a within the seaEkiidasi-literally, the eleventh day; day of fasting from grains inorder to increase devotionKaisora-Krl).a's age beginning from His eleventh year and continuingup to His fifteenthKirtana-chanting the glories of KrwaKaumiira-Krl).a's age from babyhood up to five years oldMadana-mohana-a name of Kfl).a, who is more attractive than thousandsof cupidsMahiibhiiva-the supreme symptom of ecstatic love of God, as expressedby the go pisMukti-liberation from material bondagePiirijiita flower-a kind of flower grown on the heavenly planetsPrakrta-sahajiyii-pseudo-devotees with a mundane concept of thepastimes of Krl).aPrasiidam-mercy; divine remnants of foodstuffs offered to the DeityRasa-mellows of a particular relationship with Krl).a405IIIlili

Glossary 406Rasabhiisa-incompatible mixing of rasasRatha-yatra-car festival in which the J agannatha Deity is paraded,commemorating Kra 's meeting with Radharai at Kuruketraduring a solar eclipseSadhaka-one who is cultivating devotion in Kra consciousnessSamutkartha-eagerness to achieve success in devotional serviceSiddhis-materialistic perfections developed by the mystic yoga processSadhana-bhakti-following the rules imd regulations of devotionalservice for development of natural love for KrwaSanta-passive or neutral relationship with the LordTilaka-clay resembling fuller's earth which is used to mark Viutemples on twelve places on the body of a devoteeVatsalya-rasa of parental relationship with the Lord, such as that ofY asoda and N andaVayasyas-fraternal associates of Kra, friends of the same age asthe LordVibhava-the basis from which ecstatic love of God is bornVrndavana-the village where Kra lived as a child; the topmosttranscendental abode of the Supreme Lord

IndexAcaryafollowing in footsteps of, xviii, ixxx,53,60of holy name (Haridasa Thakur), ixduty of, 20(see also Spiritual Master)Ajamila, 5Akruraperfection by praying, 119ecstatic symptoms manifested by,221 , 22526, 234, 247, 262, 309taking Kra from V rndavana, 233Ambaria Maharajfixed mind on Kra, 20, 119-120ecstatic symptoms manifested by,233-234Anartha-nivrtti (freedom from materialcontamination), 128Angeras indirect ecstasy, 378-382mixed with other rasas, 387, 388,393Anubhava (bodily ecstatic symptoms)defined & described, 225-229, 286,307of Kra & friends, 339-340of Kra & gopis, 361Anugas (personal servitors, "followers"),303,304Anurasa (imitation), 401 -403Aparasa (perverted or misrepresentedmellow), 401 -403Aratrika, 20, 88Arjunaecstatic symptoms manifested by,254, 272, 342-343description, 327-328Asa-bandha (great hope)as symptom of ecstatic love, 140-141Astonishmentas indirect ecstasy, 369-370mixed with other rasas, 387, 388,393,399Attachment (for Kra), Imitative(shadow & para), 142-1 45Auspiciousnessinvocation of, xviiidefined, 7of Kra consciousness, 7-9Kra all-auspicious, 183Balarama (Baladeva)pastimes of, 245-246description of, 330affection for KHa of, 330, 359Bhagavad-gita, 3, 15, 16, 24, 29-31, 52,64, 97, 114, 190, 196, 290-291407

Index 408Bhakti (see Devotional Service)Bhakti-rasa (mellow of devotional service),xi-xiiiBhakti-rasiimrta-sindhucontents of, xixpreparation of by Riipa Gosvami,xi, 404prayer for protection of, xviiiquotations of, authorized, 103-104Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakurobeisances offered to, xviiauthority for Kra consciousnessin West, 46-47recommendations of for spiritualmasters, 66Bhaktivinode Thakuron advancement of material knowledge,ll-12self-surrender of, 99Bharata Maharaj, 35-36, 139-140Bhiiva (see Ecstasy)Bhimaas dhiroddhata, 203ecstatic symptoms manifested by,272Bhimalove of Godhead defined by, 147mercy of Kra to, 179, 181-182Bilvamangala Thakuron liberation, 32intense eagerness expressed by,141-142, 311on opulence of Vrndavana, 186as example of siidhaka, 209expression of pride by, 246abandonment of impersonal conceptionby, 297Bodyecstatic symptoms in, 154victory over demands of, 294(see also Kmw, bodily features of)Blasphemy, 73-74Brahmareceived Vedic knowledge, 164prayers of, 193, 199, 243condemned by gopis, 196ecstatic symptoms manifested by,232, 234, 242, 247, 370as devotee in servitude, 300Brahman, happiness of, 9, 14-15Buddha, Lordincarnation & followers of, 60-61appearance of, prayed for by demigods'wives, 176-177Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Sriacceptance of Haridasa Thakur by,IXmeeting with Riipa & SanatanaGosvami, ix-xsiidhana-bhakti program of, 20Sik§ii§takaof, 32, 73on general behavior of Vai§rwva, 63sannyiisis in line of, 65behavior toward Jagai & Madhai,73on importance of hearing, 90on Kra & gopis, 125-126magnanimity of, 208mahiibhiiva expression by, 238Gaitan ya-caritiimrtaon contact of spiritual master, xxion achievement of devotional service,13on potency of Kra's name, 80on lust & love, 125, 147Carartiimrtam, 56, 85Catu[tsana (four Kumaras), 195, 280,292, 294Ceremonies & Celebrations, 68, 76, 77,Chivalry88, 104, 223-224as indirel:t ecstasy, 371-3 76mixed with other rasas, 387, 388Compassionof Kra, 178-179

409 The Nectar of Devotionas indirect ecstasy, 377-378mixed with other rasas, 388, 397Conjugal LoveCowsCowherddivisions of, 129-131six features of, 217expressions of, 283-285description of, 360-364mixed with other rasas, 387-388,worshiped by Krl)a, 163given in charity by Krp.a, 176of v rndavana, ecstasy of, 255Boyssymptoms of ecstasy manifestedby, 256, 378(see also Friendship)DamodaraDancingpastimes of Krp.a as, 40-41worship of, 104importance of, 75 ·to invoke the Lord's grace, 135as anubhiiva, 225fatigue cause by, 244-245Deity (arcii-vigraha)Demigodsworship of, 55-56, llO, 1lloffenses in worship of, 68-71,touching body of, 87devotees of condemned, 64, 84respect for, 67absence of from earth, 177as devotees in servitude, 299-300Detachmentas symptom of ecstatic love, 139-140Devaki, 231-232, 274Devaprastha (Krp.a 's sakhii friend), 331Devoteesdevelop all good qualities , 7-9classes of, 28-31, 209-213neophyte, 29-31, 135-137topmost, 44-45of Lord Buddha, 60-61of demigods, 64, 84service of, 103Krwa partial to, 185Kr'!a surrounded by, 197following in footsteps of, 280-281Devotees, Puredefinition of, xxii, 149mercy of, 13, 134-137association with, ll9, 150-151must follow regulative principles,128-129unable to check inner feelings, 278Devotional Service ( bhak ti)defined, xix, xxii-xxivin practice (see Siidhana-Bhakti)spontaneous (see Riigiinugii-bhakti)pure, six characteristics of, 1-17nine items of, 3, ll8-120, 129three categories of, 18-19eligibility for execution of, 28-34surpasses all liberation, 35-45open for everyone, 46-4 7basic principles enumerated, 53-57direct & indirect, 287direct mellows of, 291-364reverential, 298, 321-325indirect mellows of, 365-384Dhruva, Maharajas neophyte devotee, 30on transcendental happiness, 34ecstatic symptoms manifested by,223chivalry of, 374Distress, Materialrelief from, 2-6Krp.a free from, 181Draupadi, 97-98, 168Dreadas indirect ecstasy, 383-385mixed with other rasas, 387, 388,399

Index 410Durvasa Muni, 188-189Duty, Occupational, 23-26, 51-52, 100Dvarakaliving in, 61associates of Kra in, 302-303Eagernessfor success in devotional service,83-84, 141-142as feature of ecstatic love, 263-264Ecstasyfive divisions of, 152continuous, symptoms of, 279-282unconstitutional (subordinate),394(see also Anubhiiva, Love of God,Saiiciiri-bhiiva, Vibhiiva)Ekiidasi (fast day), 54, 63, 214, 224False Ego, 6Friendship (relationship with Kra)in reverence, 281examples of, 281-282analysis & description of, 326-346mixed with other rasas, 359, 387-388,391,392,393,401Flute, Krwa'seffect of hearing, 197, 198, 226,237, 255-256, 266, 268-269, 306-307,341,361description of, 220Gajendra, 38Gaapati, worship of, 70Garlands (of Kra), 75, 219Garuaecstatic symptoms manifested by,232-233, 263, 273affection for Kra of, 359Ghastlinessas indirect ecstasy, 385-386mixed with other rasas, 388-389,390, 396, 398Gita-govindaon incarnations of Lord, 193-194on conjugal love, 360, 363Go pisspontaneous love of, 121-122"lusty desire" of, 124-126causeless mercy of Lord upon, 148Brahma condemned by, 196meditation of, 215pastimes of with Kra, 231, 258,340,360ecstatic symptoms manifested by,235, 236, 244, 248, 253, 260,264-265ability of to conquer Kra, 338elderly, parental love of, 348, 353,359Govardhana-lilii, 170, 180, 201, 205,354, 390Hanuman, 42Happinessmaterial, spiritual & devotional,9-13, 32-33of Kra, 181as feature of ecstatic love, 262, 263Hare Kra (see Mahii-mantra)Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, 12, 76, 77Hari-bhakti-viliisa, 47,53Hearing (srava!lam), importance of, 89-91Holy Name (see Mahii-mantra)Im personalismextension of material idea, 32absence of in relationship withKra, 251mixed with personalism, 399lm personalistsallowed to enter spiritual sky, 122-124compared to enemies of Lord,123-124love of God imitated by, 143-145,

411 The Nectar of Devotionunable to relish Bhagavad-gitii, 290-291Incarnations (of Godhead), Kr!la sourceof all, 193-194, 203-204Jagannatha Purl, 62]apa, 81Kapiladeva (incarnation of Godhead), 1,32Kaliia, 163,175,187,300,377Kirtana (see Sankirtana)Khola veca Srldhara (devotee of LordCaitanya), 12-13Kisora-Kisori (Radha-Kr!la), 339Kriyii-yoga, 88Kr!ladefined, xxipotency of name, 79-80elevation by special mercy of, 134,136-137, 148-150,211bodily features of, 156, 158-160,214-218, 219, 337-338, 350-352sixty-four qualities of, listed, 156-158sixty-four qualities of, described,158-208ages of, 161, 214-218, 336-340,350-352personality of, 200-204apparel of, 218-220footprints of, 221-222causeless mercy of (as impetus todevotional service), 306Kmw-karriimrta (see Bilvamangala Thiikur)Kubja, 126, 391Kumar as (see Catusana)Kuntl, Queenprayers of, 43relationship with Kr!la ot, 348,356Laughteras symptom of ecstatic love, 228in conjugal love, 283as indirect ecstasy, 365-368mixed with other rasas, 388, 391,397Laulyam liilasiimayi (desire & eagernessto serve), 83-84Liberation (mukti)five kinds of, 1, 38,44desire for an impediment to devotionalservice, 31-33surpassed by devotional service, 32,Vai§rava, surpasses miiyaviida, 149,190-191Kr!la the giver of, 194-195Lovebasic principle of life, xii, XIVdefined, 147Kr!la controlled by, 182-183(see also Ecstasy)Love of Godheadfirst symptom of, 133ecstatic, character of one in, 138146invocation of, 147-148pure, stages in development of, 150ecstatic, stimulations for, 214-224existential ecstatic, 230-239Madhumailgala (friend of Kfl).a's), 259,332Madnessof conditioned souls, 20as ecstatic symptom, 314-316, 357-358Mahiibhava, 238, 252Maha-mantra (Hare Kfl).a), 4, 5, 81, 89,108-109, 112, 135, 168Mahiitmii (great soul), 31association with, 28Ma!lallbhadra, 330Mayuradhvaja Maharaj, 375Meditation

Index 412bogus, 8on Lord, 92-93on executing devotional serVIce,93-95on Vi!lu, 291Mucukunda,166,243230, 239Offensesin chanting holy name, 56, 71-72in serving Krwa, listed, 68-71to pure devotee, 144-145Nagapatni (wives of Kaliya serpent), 38Nalakuvara & Maigriva, 41Nanda Maharaj (father of Kra)following in footsteps of, 132ecstatic symptoms manifested by,242, 262worshipability of, 348description of, 349-350activities of, 351-352chivalry of, 373Narada Munion siidhana-bhakti, 20sons of Kuvera benedicted by, 41instructions to Vyasa, 49, 80-81on effect of dancing before Deity,75conversion of hunter by, ll8, 137life story of, 134-135ecstatic symptoms manifested by,226, 227-228, 238, 314, 367-368affection for Kr!la of, 359Niirada-paiicariitradefines devotional service, xxiiidescribes regulative principles ofdevotional service, 26-27Neutrality (santa-rasa relationship withKra)description of, 290-297& ghastliness, 385-386, 390mixed with other rasas, 387, 388,389, 395-398Nitya-siddha (eternally perfected devotees),2ll-213N ondevotees ( avai§r-avas)avoidance of, 63-64ecstatic symptoms manifested by,Padma Puriirwanalyzes effects of sinful activities,4recommends meditation on Viu,23on eligibility for devotional service,47Pa9avasrelationship with Kra, 326, 327,339,342,346(see also Arjuna, Bhima)Parenthoodwith Kna)(viitsalya-rasa relationshipdefined & explained, 127, 132,282, 347, 359mixed with other rasas, 359, 388,391,396,401,402Parikit Maharajreserved character of, 139manifestations of ecstatic love by,310, 369-370Perserverance, aslove, 139symptom of ecstaticPradyumna (son of Kr!la), 321, 323-325Prasiidam, 75-85Prahlada Mahiiriijprayers of, 12, 14-15,42,80instructions to friends by, 36-37development of love by, 136-137manifestations of ecstatic love by,314Prayers, 84-85Pridelessness, as symptom of ecstaticlove, 140Priya-narmiis (Kfwa 's intimate friends),

413 The Nectar of Devotion333-334 mellows), 365, 385-403Priya-sakhas (Kp;;a's confidentialfriends), 332-333Riisa-lilii, 168, 170, 196, 216, 233, 245,246,367Ratha-yiitrii (Jagannatha Car Festival),76devotional serVIce controlled by, Renunciation15 complete & incomplete, 155-116compassionate nature of Krwa rep- false, 288resented by, 179Rukmii, ecstatic symptoms manifestedpastimes with Km1a, 166-167, 201 by, 235-236, 261, 266, 363ecstatic symptoms manifested by, Riipa Gosvami226-227, 228, 230, 234, 238, 241, life of & preparation of Bhakti-244, 245-247, 251,254,257, 267- rasiimrta-sindhu by, ix-xi, 404268, 273-275, 361-364, 381 obeisances offered to, xviiKrpa as kisora-kisori, 339offers obeisances to Sanatana Gobeautyof & attraction for Kra, svami, xVIn360-361Riigiinugii-bhak ti (spontaneous devo- Sacred Placetiona! service) residence in & travel to, 61-62, 76,in practice, 21 102-103, 109-110, 112, 138, 142-in friendship, 98 143, 223of eternal associates of Krwa, 121- Siidhana-bhakti (devotional serVIce m122 practice)of followers of eternal associates, defined, 20127 divisions of, 21-22Raktaka (chief of Krwa 's anuga friends) (see also Riigiinugii-bhak ti, Vaidhidescriptionof, 303-304bhakti)ecstatic symptoms manifested by, Sahajiyii (pseudo-devotees), 60, 129316 Saintly persons (see Neutrality)Ramacandra, Lord Sakhiis (Krwa's younger friends), 330-& sages at Da9akaraya, 130-131 332mercy of, 173 Samiidhi (trance), 23, 134as dhirodiitta, 201 Sanatana Gosvami, 47Riimiiyarw, 228life of, ix-xRasas (mellows or relationships with obeisances offered to, XVII, 151,God) 152Bhakti-rasa, xi-xiiilisted, xvii, 287, 387word defined, 152, 289mixtures of, 281, 359, 387-403direct, 291-364indirect, 365-384Saiiciiri-bhiiva, 286Sandipani Muni, 164, 165, 348Saitkirtana (kirtana), xx, 56, 79, 81Sannyiisis, rules for, 65Scripturesdefined, 102Rasiibhiisa (perverted presentation of Kra seer by authority of, 170-171

Index 414Self-surrender, 98-100Self-control (of Kra), 172Self-satisfaction (of Kra), 174Sense Gratificationlack of satisfaction from, xi-xiisix agents of, 58Separationdefined & described, 313-317, 343-345of y asoda, 355-358in conjugal love (vipralambha),363-364Servitude (relationship with Kra)awe & reverence in, 298devotees in, 299-305mixed with other rasas, 359, 388389,390,396Sik§ii§taka, 73Sin& reactions of, 2-6freedom from, 74-75, 79, 80, 103confession of, 82-83Sisupala, 173-174Siva, Lordestimation of devotees by, 36ecstatic symptoms manifested by,226,255affection for Kra of, 359Smiling (see Laughter)Sons (of Krwa), 321-325Sridhara Svami, 15Spiritual Master (guru)connection with Krwa through, xxacceptance of, xxi, 53, 59, 103mercy of, 13duty of, 20qualifications of, 58, 117service of, 59Kra's, 172-173 (see also SiindipaniMuni)Sridama (priya-sakhii friend of Kra)description of, 332, 333ecstatic symptoms manifested by,341chivalrous activities of, 371-372,393Snmad-Bhiigavatamrecommends hearing about Kra,21-22iitmiiriima verse of, 43-44hearing of, 56, 59essence of Vedanta, 102importance of & method of understanding,105-107, 111Sthiiyi-bhiiva, 152, 341-342Submission (to Kra), 81-84Subala (friend of Kra)following in footsteps of, 132relationship with Kra, 223, 333ecstatic symptoms manifested by,240-241description of, 333envied by Radhara!li, 341Sudama Vipra, 182Sukadeva Gosvamirecommends hearing about Kra,22attracted to devotional serVIce,106-107, 211, 297Surrenderunto Kra, six items of, 320(see also Self-surrender)Svariipa Damodara Gosvami (secretaryof Lord Caitanya), 387Teachings of Lord Caitanya, x, 65, 212Tearsprice for highest perfection, 84scientific explanation of, 231symptom of existential ecstatic devotion,235-236'in laughing ecstasy, 367Templesconstruction of, 66, 78-79visiting & circumambulation of, 76,77

415 The Nectar of DevotionTilakaof devotees, 4 7, 54-55, 7 4-75, 103three-lined, 70of Kra, 219, 338Time, utilization of, 138-139Tulasi, 100-101, 223Uddhavafriendship in reverence of, 281, 359description of, 302ecstatic symptoms manifested by,310,311,313,315,316Ujjvala (priya-narmii friend of Kna),334Uparasa (false expression), 401-402Vaidhi-bhakti (obligatory devotionalVai§[!avaservice in practice), 21-22automatically a briihma[ta, 4 7general behavior of, 63beyond jurisdiction of Y amaraja,74service to, 103Var[tiisrama-dharma, 23-26, 96-97, 113Va_yasyas (friends of Kra), 327Vedas, personified, prayers by, 39, 124Vibhiiva (cause or basis for relishingtranscendental mellow), 152, 154-155,271,286Vidura, 171Vikarma, 20Vipralambha (separation m conjugalViwulove), 363meditation on, 23Krwa source of, 203-204appreciation of by devotees in neutrality,291-292awe & reverence for, 298-299Vrtrasuraprayers by, 36transformation of, 42-43Vyabhiciiri-bhiivasymptoms enumerated &described, 240-269analysis of, 270-271manifested by friends of Krwa,341Yamarajadevotees beyond jurisdiction of,74, 192Yamunacaryaself-surrender of, 99praises Kra 's power of forgiveness,173ecstatic love in ghastliness of, 285Yasoda (mother of Kra)ecstatic symptoms manifested by,230, 233, 240, 244-245, 248-252,260-261, 266, 347-349, 350-358,377-378, 384activities & physical description of,349Yogaunfavorable for devotional service,114meeting of Kra & devotees, 318-320Yogismystic perfections of, 10-11, 191in neutral devotional service, 290,291, 295-297Yudhithira Maharajrespect for Kra displayed by, 179as dhira-prasiinta, 202ecstatic symptoms manifested by,256, 315chivalry of, 373, 375-376

-Note on Transliterated Sanskrit WordsThe vowels are pronounced almost as in Italian. The sound of thesho,rt a is like the u in but, the long ii is like the a in far and heldtwice as long as the short a, and e is like the a in evade. Long i is likethe i in pique. The vowel r is pronounced like the re in the Englishword fibre. The cis pronounced as in the English word chair, and theaspirated consonants (ch, jh, dh, etc.) are pronounced as in staunchheart,hedge -hog, red-hot, etc. The two spirants s and§ are pronouncedlike the English sh; s is pronounced as in sun .iII

"0 Supreme Lord, I know that young girls have natural affectionfor young boys and that young boys have natural affection for younggirls. I am praying rrt Y cur lotus fed that my mind may bec9meattracted unto You in the sam..: '>;wntc.ueous way."from The Nect: of!Jevotion··=· · "Chapter 9•.-, .. -rThis book is espec}ally intended t hdp establish eternal religiousprinciples for the benefit of 11 human hejngs. 'fhe text is flooded 'with nectarcan stories, philosophy-anJ poetic verses about KrIJ.a andHis pure devotees--all taken dtrectly from the Vedic literatures. It is asummary study of Bhakti-raamrta-sindhu,which was written inSanskrit hy Srila Rupn Gosvami, the chief of the six direct disciplesof Lord Caitanya Mahiiprabhu. Lord Caitany

Bhaktivedanta SwamiThe International Society for KrishnaConsciousness is pleased to announce thepublication by the Macmillan Company ofthe long-awaited Complete Edition ofBhagavad-gTta As It Is. This most basic andessential of all spiritual texts is now availablein one complete, authoritative, beautifullyillustrated I ,000-page volume. In Bhaga·adgltiiAs It Is, the message of this timelessclassic is now transmitted in its purity andfullness. By reading this book, one canattain the perfection of human life.I ,000 pages, 44 full-color reproductionshardcover-$) 0.95; paperback-$4.95The science of God is greater than allother sciences, and this spiritual technologyis rationally and authoritptively explained inthe18,000 verses of SrTmad-Bizagavatam,India's sublime contribution of culture, philosophy,politics, religion and love. HisDivine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupada has undertaken the mighty taskof rendering the entire work into the Englishlanguage, verse by verse. This is a book to betranscendentally relished even by liberatedsouls, for in each verse one will find newenlightenment regarding the Absolute Truth,the origin of all emanations.First CantoSecond CantoVol. I $6.50 Vol. I $6.50Vol. II $6.50 Vol. II $6.50Vol. III $6.50

The Nectar of Devotion is a summary study of SrilaROpa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, or "thenectar which is derived from the ocean of devotion(bhakti)." It fully .::ontains the complete science ofbhakti-yoga, or linking with the Supreme by transcendentalloving devotion. Bhakti-yoga is the highestpath of attaining God consciousness, but it issimultaneously simple and sublime. It is recommendedfor everyone in this age.