Post by Uttamasloka on Aug 10, 2014 17:09:16 GMT -5
This is another excerpt from my book in Chapter 5, page 130.
How is your rasa determined?
Before we delve into a detailed analysis of the siddha-deha and its ekadāśa-bhāvas, we must first have a clear understanding of how our eternal rasa is determined. As with most of the topics in this chapter, there are serious misconceptions about this subject that need to be addressed. Fortunately, the ācāryas have given more than ample guidance on this subject to provide the necessary clarity for our benefit and progress.
The determination of your eternal rasa is based primarily on your own desires and natural inclinations, which are deeply personal. Other contributing factors are impressions (saṁskāras) experienced over the course of many lives, including repeated exposure to various rasas. Bhakti is a process that generally takes many lifetimes to perfect. You must be thoroughly honest and open about your innermost feelings and aspirations, and pray to your guru and Kṛṣṇa for guidance every step along the way.
You can’t artificially impose your rasa. Nor is it an arbitrary selection based on your whims. The more you read about Kṛṣṇa’s līlās the more you will become captivated and immersed in them, and eventually a natural spontaneous gravitation toward a particular rasa will manifest in your heart. If you have no taste for hearing about Kṛṣṇa’s līlās then it’s not likely that a strong enough attraction will manifest. Your heart goes where you focus your mind.
Discovering your rasa is in actuality the awakening of your eternal inherent nature (svabhāva), which has been dormant since time immemorial, having had no viable opportunity to manifest itself. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura discusses this in Jaiva-dharma:
Vrajanatha: Which type of rāgānugā-bhakti do we have the adhikāra (qualification) to adopt?
Bābājī: My son, you should scrutinize your own svabhāva (the true nature of a thing which forms an essential part of its composition), and then you will see the corresponding type of devotion for which you are qualified. A particular ruci (taste) will awaken according to your inherent svabhāva, and you should pursue the rasa that is indicated by that ruci. In order to cultivate that rasa, you should follow one of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates who is perfect in it.
To determine rasa, it is only necessary to examine your own ruci. If your ruci is towards the path of rāga, then you should act according to that ruci; and as long as an inclination has not awakened for the path of rāga, you should simply execute the principles of vaidhī-bhakti with firm faith.
Vijaya: Prabhu, I have been studying Śrīmad-bhāgavatam for a long time, and I listen to kṛṣṇa-līlā whenever and wherever I find the opportunity. Whenever I deliberate on kṛṣṇa-līlā, a strong bhāva arises within my heart to serve the Divine Couple as Lalitā-devī does.
Bābājī: You need not say any more. You are a mañjarī (young maidservant) of Lalitā-devī.
…When Vrajanatha saw Vijaya Kumara’s spiritual wealth, he folded his hands and humbly said, “My master, whenever I meditate on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, a desire arises in my heart to serve Him by following in the footsteps of Subala.”
Bābājī: Which service do you like?
Vrajanatha: When the calves wander far off to graze, I would very much like to bring them back in the company of Subala. When Kṛṣṇa sits in a place to play upon His flute, I will take the permission of Subala to let the cows drink water, and then I will bring them to Bhai (Brother) Kṛṣṇa. This is my heart’s desire.
Bābājī: I give you the benediction that you will attain Kṛṣṇa’s service as a follower of Subala. You are eligible to cultivate the sentiment of friendship (sakhya-rasa). JD, Chapter 21, Pages 514-515
It is easily concluded from the above passage that each devotee should follow their natural inclination based on the spontaneous attraction that arises from hearing Kṛṣṇa’s līlā over an extended period of time. This attraction to participate in the līlā includes a specific associate whose mood and activities represent the ideal example of your desires for participation in the līlā. It may be for sakhya-bhāva, mādhurya-bhāva, dāsya-bhāva or vātsalya-bhāva. Whichever rasa you are inspired to follow is the best rasa for you. It’s as simple as that.
It should also be noted that there were no prerequisites mentioned such as, “you have to be completely free from all material desires and anarthas before you can know your rasa,” or, “you have to be very advanced before you can know these things.” None of the ācāryas ever mention any such criteria when discussing this subject. It is based solely on your sincere and natural attraction for a relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
And this passage from Jaiva-dharma also shows that the guru does not impose his personal rasa on his disciples, because there is no mandate to follow the same rasa as your guru. None whatsoever. That is definitely not the process recommended by any of our ācāryas. The guru assists and guides the disciple according to the disciple’s inclinations. Rāgānugā-bhakti is very personal and there is no rubber stamping involved in these esoteric matters.
On the other hand, it is not surprising if a guru’s disciples are inclined to the same rasa and bhāvas as their guru, because it is only natural that devotees should seek compatible gurus and association in general. But that does not imply in any way that the guru is imposing his rasa on his disciples, or that they are obligated to follow his rasa.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains in Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta:
Which rasa the soul has is determined by the soul’s innermost tendency of taste. When faith in the chanting process arises, according to his taste he will gravitate to his own rasa. Determining that rasa, the guru will give him suitable initiation for carrying out his worship. CS, Chapter 6, Part 5
Another very important point to understand is that determining your rasa is not a matter of evaluating which rasa is higher or lower. That is a completely mundane consideration and is not supported by any of the ācāryas. In the transcendental realm there is no overt perception or consideration of higher and lower rasas. Everyone feels that their rasa is perfect for them and it completely fulfills their heart’s desires. The concept of higher and lower is only provided to give us a clearer perspective of the variegated nature of the relationships in the spiritual realm.
Many Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas believe that mañjarī-bhāva is the highest rasa, and the highest service that anyone can attain. Therefore, these devotees conclude that they should aspire to be mañjarīs simply because it is the “highest” or “best” rasa. This is flawed logic and is also not supported by any of the ācāryas. If a natural attraction to be a mañjarī isn’t there, then it isn’t the right choice and should not be superficially imposed.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, the pre-eminent books on bhakti-rasa and mādhurya-rasa, Rüpa Gosvāmī does not give any indication whatsoever that being a mañjarī is the only rasa to be aspired for by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. There is not one direct or implied statement in either book that all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas must be mañjarīs and no other rasa.
In fact, Śrī Rüpa doesn’t even focus on mañjarīs as a specific preference, rather, he leaves the door open for each devotee’s own unique personal desires and preferences for a relationship in loving service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The issue of mañjarī-bhāva will be explored in greater detail in the following section. Now let’s hear more from our ācāryas:
From Caitanya-caritāmṛta:
“Kṛṣṇa has many types of devotees – some are servants, some are friends, some are parents, and some are conjugal lovers. Those who are situated in one of these attitudes of spontaneous love according to their choice, are considered to be on the path of spontaneous loving service (rāga-mārga). CC, 2.22.161
Jīva Gosvāmī also confirms the qualifications for the awakening of one’s rasa in his Bhaktisandarbha:
For this reason we will now discuss rāgānugā-bhakti, the practice of devotion following in the wake of the moods of natural affection. When a person develops a taste for the aforesaid specific rāga [i.e., any of the four major rasas], even though that rāga itself has not arisen in her or him, the heart becomes like a crystal, shining as it reflects the rays of the moon of that rāga.
By hearing about this rāga from scripture or from one’s teacher, one develops a taste for the actions of the rāgatmika associates also, that are expressions of this rāgatmika-bhakti. Then by adhering to the rāga of a particular associate of the Lord, according to one’s taste, one executes devotion, which is called rāgānugā. BS, Anuccheda 310
Because the process of bhakti takes many lifetimes to perfect, we can thus understand that a strong natural attraction towards a specific rasa in one’s current life indicates many saṁskāras associated with that rasa over the course of many previous lives. This is explained in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu:
These five types of rati [i.e., the rati or bhāva associated with each of the five rasas] progressively become more blissful by increasing tastes. The particular taste arises in a devotee according to his previous experiences. BRS, 2.5.38
Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary:
But what determines who takes up which type of rati? Is it decided by having no impressions of a particular rati from previous lives, by having an impression of one type of rati from previous lives, or by having impressions of many types of rati?
In the first option – absence of impressions – rati cannot occur at all, because no taste could arise. In the case of persons having impressions of many types of rati, a particular rati could not manifest prominently because conflicting tastes would result in the improper manifestation of rasa (rasābhāsa). Therefore, impressions of only one type carried from previous lives produce the specific taste.
Though not being in a position to perceive the depth of that rasa, one can confirm its identity by comparing scriptural descriptions of rasas with one’s own inclinations, and by inference through seeing how rasas, different from one’s own rasa, either nourish or fail to nourish the total ingredients.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s commentary:
Among the various tastes such as sweet, sour and bitter, a particular person has a particular liking because of previous impressions. Because of impressions from a past life of a particular rasa, such as dāsya, in this life also, the person has that taste alone and not others, by the mercy of a great devotee with a similar taste. This is the case for the two types of dāsya and the other three higher rasas.
In Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, Rüpa Gosvāmī and Jīva Gosvāmī explain this as well:
Being fixed as a gopī:
Recognition of oneself as a gopī spontaneously produces rati. It quickly produces strong rati for Kṛṣṇa alone, although He has not been heard of or seen. UN, 14.38
Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary:
Like sugarcane and its sweetness, this qualification for madhura-rasa is present from birth. This is produced by concentration of previous impressions of the particular devotees.
In Harināma-cintāmaṇi, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in his commentary in Chapter 15:
When the spiritual master is ascertaining the aspirant’s pure personal inclinations, the aspirant should also help the spiritual master by speaking his mind about his own preferences. As long as he has not clearly established the disciple’s inclinations, the guru’s directions are not flawless.
The inclinations that have been shaped by one’s meritorious deeds, through both this and previous lives, are called ruci or taste. This particular inclination, however, is integral to the soul. Should a person not have a natural inclination for śṛṅgāra-rasa, (mādhurya-rasa) but for servitude or friendship, then he should be instructed accordingly; if not, there will be undesirable consequences.
It is widely known in Gauḍīya tradition that the great devotee Śyāmānanda was at first unaware of his personal siddha ruci or permanent devotional propensity. His guru thus advised him to take up sakhya-rasa, the mood of friendship.
Later, however, by the grace of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Śyāmānanda recognized which kind of worship truly attracted him (mādhurya-rasa). Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching is that every practitioner should be assessed according to both aptitude and qualifications. HNC, 15.73-74
After studying the above statements of the ācāryas, it should be abundantly clear beyond any doubt that everyone should follow their own spontaneous inclinations towards the rasa that manifests naturally in their hearts. That natural inclination is nourished over many lifetimes. There is no mandate or obligation to follow one particular rasa over another, due to inferior or superior considerations.
How is your rasa determined?
Before we delve into a detailed analysis of the siddha-deha and its ekadāśa-bhāvas, we must first have a clear understanding of how our eternal rasa is determined. As with most of the topics in this chapter, there are serious misconceptions about this subject that need to be addressed. Fortunately, the ācāryas have given more than ample guidance on this subject to provide the necessary clarity for our benefit and progress.
The determination of your eternal rasa is based primarily on your own desires and natural inclinations, which are deeply personal. Other contributing factors are impressions (saṁskāras) experienced over the course of many lives, including repeated exposure to various rasas. Bhakti is a process that generally takes many lifetimes to perfect. You must be thoroughly honest and open about your innermost feelings and aspirations, and pray to your guru and Kṛṣṇa for guidance every step along the way.
You can’t artificially impose your rasa. Nor is it an arbitrary selection based on your whims. The more you read about Kṛṣṇa’s līlās the more you will become captivated and immersed in them, and eventually a natural spontaneous gravitation toward a particular rasa will manifest in your heart. If you have no taste for hearing about Kṛṣṇa’s līlās then it’s not likely that a strong enough attraction will manifest. Your heart goes where you focus your mind.
Discovering your rasa is in actuality the awakening of your eternal inherent nature (svabhāva), which has been dormant since time immemorial, having had no viable opportunity to manifest itself. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura discusses this in Jaiva-dharma:
Vrajanatha: Which type of rāgānugā-bhakti do we have the adhikāra (qualification) to adopt?
Bābājī: My son, you should scrutinize your own svabhāva (the true nature of a thing which forms an essential part of its composition), and then you will see the corresponding type of devotion for which you are qualified. A particular ruci (taste) will awaken according to your inherent svabhāva, and you should pursue the rasa that is indicated by that ruci. In order to cultivate that rasa, you should follow one of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates who is perfect in it.
To determine rasa, it is only necessary to examine your own ruci. If your ruci is towards the path of rāga, then you should act according to that ruci; and as long as an inclination has not awakened for the path of rāga, you should simply execute the principles of vaidhī-bhakti with firm faith.
Vijaya: Prabhu, I have been studying Śrīmad-bhāgavatam for a long time, and I listen to kṛṣṇa-līlā whenever and wherever I find the opportunity. Whenever I deliberate on kṛṣṇa-līlā, a strong bhāva arises within my heart to serve the Divine Couple as Lalitā-devī does.
Bābājī: You need not say any more. You are a mañjarī (young maidservant) of Lalitā-devī.
…When Vrajanatha saw Vijaya Kumara’s spiritual wealth, he folded his hands and humbly said, “My master, whenever I meditate on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, a desire arises in my heart to serve Him by following in the footsteps of Subala.”
Bābājī: Which service do you like?
Vrajanatha: When the calves wander far off to graze, I would very much like to bring them back in the company of Subala. When Kṛṣṇa sits in a place to play upon His flute, I will take the permission of Subala to let the cows drink water, and then I will bring them to Bhai (Brother) Kṛṣṇa. This is my heart’s desire.
Bābājī: I give you the benediction that you will attain Kṛṣṇa’s service as a follower of Subala. You are eligible to cultivate the sentiment of friendship (sakhya-rasa). JD, Chapter 21, Pages 514-515
It is easily concluded from the above passage that each devotee should follow their natural inclination based on the spontaneous attraction that arises from hearing Kṛṣṇa’s līlā over an extended period of time. This attraction to participate in the līlā includes a specific associate whose mood and activities represent the ideal example of your desires for participation in the līlā. It may be for sakhya-bhāva, mādhurya-bhāva, dāsya-bhāva or vātsalya-bhāva. Whichever rasa you are inspired to follow is the best rasa for you. It’s as simple as that.
It should also be noted that there were no prerequisites mentioned such as, “you have to be completely free from all material desires and anarthas before you can know your rasa,” or, “you have to be very advanced before you can know these things.” None of the ācāryas ever mention any such criteria when discussing this subject. It is based solely on your sincere and natural attraction for a relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
And this passage from Jaiva-dharma also shows that the guru does not impose his personal rasa on his disciples, because there is no mandate to follow the same rasa as your guru. None whatsoever. That is definitely not the process recommended by any of our ācāryas. The guru assists and guides the disciple according to the disciple’s inclinations. Rāgānugā-bhakti is very personal and there is no rubber stamping involved in these esoteric matters.
On the other hand, it is not surprising if a guru’s disciples are inclined to the same rasa and bhāvas as their guru, because it is only natural that devotees should seek compatible gurus and association in general. But that does not imply in any way that the guru is imposing his rasa on his disciples, or that they are obligated to follow his rasa.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains in Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta:
Which rasa the soul has is determined by the soul’s innermost tendency of taste. When faith in the chanting process arises, according to his taste he will gravitate to his own rasa. Determining that rasa, the guru will give him suitable initiation for carrying out his worship. CS, Chapter 6, Part 5
Another very important point to understand is that determining your rasa is not a matter of evaluating which rasa is higher or lower. That is a completely mundane consideration and is not supported by any of the ācāryas. In the transcendental realm there is no overt perception or consideration of higher and lower rasas. Everyone feels that their rasa is perfect for them and it completely fulfills their heart’s desires. The concept of higher and lower is only provided to give us a clearer perspective of the variegated nature of the relationships in the spiritual realm.
Many Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas believe that mañjarī-bhāva is the highest rasa, and the highest service that anyone can attain. Therefore, these devotees conclude that they should aspire to be mañjarīs simply because it is the “highest” or “best” rasa. This is flawed logic and is also not supported by any of the ācāryas. If a natural attraction to be a mañjarī isn’t there, then it isn’t the right choice and should not be superficially imposed.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, the pre-eminent books on bhakti-rasa and mādhurya-rasa, Rüpa Gosvāmī does not give any indication whatsoever that being a mañjarī is the only rasa to be aspired for by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. There is not one direct or implied statement in either book that all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas must be mañjarīs and no other rasa.
In fact, Śrī Rüpa doesn’t even focus on mañjarīs as a specific preference, rather, he leaves the door open for each devotee’s own unique personal desires and preferences for a relationship in loving service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The issue of mañjarī-bhāva will be explored in greater detail in the following section. Now let’s hear more from our ācāryas:
From Caitanya-caritāmṛta:
“Kṛṣṇa has many types of devotees – some are servants, some are friends, some are parents, and some are conjugal lovers. Those who are situated in one of these attitudes of spontaneous love according to their choice, are considered to be on the path of spontaneous loving service (rāga-mārga). CC, 2.22.161
Jīva Gosvāmī also confirms the qualifications for the awakening of one’s rasa in his Bhaktisandarbha:
For this reason we will now discuss rāgānugā-bhakti, the practice of devotion following in the wake of the moods of natural affection. When a person develops a taste for the aforesaid specific rāga [i.e., any of the four major rasas], even though that rāga itself has not arisen in her or him, the heart becomes like a crystal, shining as it reflects the rays of the moon of that rāga.
By hearing about this rāga from scripture or from one’s teacher, one develops a taste for the actions of the rāgatmika associates also, that are expressions of this rāgatmika-bhakti. Then by adhering to the rāga of a particular associate of the Lord, according to one’s taste, one executes devotion, which is called rāgānugā. BS, Anuccheda 310
Because the process of bhakti takes many lifetimes to perfect, we can thus understand that a strong natural attraction towards a specific rasa in one’s current life indicates many saṁskāras associated with that rasa over the course of many previous lives. This is explained in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu:
These five types of rati [i.e., the rati or bhāva associated with each of the five rasas] progressively become more blissful by increasing tastes. The particular taste arises in a devotee according to his previous experiences. BRS, 2.5.38
Jīva Gosvāmī’s Commentary:
But what determines who takes up which type of rati? Is it decided by having no impressions of a particular rati from previous lives, by having an impression of one type of rati from previous lives, or by having impressions of many types of rati?
In the first option – absence of impressions – rati cannot occur at all, because no taste could arise. In the case of persons having impressions of many types of rati, a particular rati could not manifest prominently because conflicting tastes would result in the improper manifestation of rasa (rasābhāsa). Therefore, impressions of only one type carried from previous lives produce the specific taste.
Though not being in a position to perceive the depth of that rasa, one can confirm its identity by comparing scriptural descriptions of rasas with one’s own inclinations, and by inference through seeing how rasas, different from one’s own rasa, either nourish or fail to nourish the total ingredients.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s commentary:
Among the various tastes such as sweet, sour and bitter, a particular person has a particular liking because of previous impressions. Because of impressions from a past life of a particular rasa, such as dāsya, in this life also, the person has that taste alone and not others, by the mercy of a great devotee with a similar taste. This is the case for the two types of dāsya and the other three higher rasas.
In Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, Rüpa Gosvāmī and Jīva Gosvāmī explain this as well:
Being fixed as a gopī:
Recognition of oneself as a gopī spontaneously produces rati. It quickly produces strong rati for Kṛṣṇa alone, although He has not been heard of or seen. UN, 14.38
Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary:
Like sugarcane and its sweetness, this qualification for madhura-rasa is present from birth. This is produced by concentration of previous impressions of the particular devotees.
In Harināma-cintāmaṇi, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in his commentary in Chapter 15:
When the spiritual master is ascertaining the aspirant’s pure personal inclinations, the aspirant should also help the spiritual master by speaking his mind about his own preferences. As long as he has not clearly established the disciple’s inclinations, the guru’s directions are not flawless.
The inclinations that have been shaped by one’s meritorious deeds, through both this and previous lives, are called ruci or taste. This particular inclination, however, is integral to the soul. Should a person not have a natural inclination for śṛṅgāra-rasa, (mādhurya-rasa) but for servitude or friendship, then he should be instructed accordingly; if not, there will be undesirable consequences.
It is widely known in Gauḍīya tradition that the great devotee Śyāmānanda was at first unaware of his personal siddha ruci or permanent devotional propensity. His guru thus advised him to take up sakhya-rasa, the mood of friendship.
Later, however, by the grace of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Śyāmānanda recognized which kind of worship truly attracted him (mādhurya-rasa). Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching is that every practitioner should be assessed according to both aptitude and qualifications. HNC, 15.73-74
After studying the above statements of the ācāryas, it should be abundantly clear beyond any doubt that everyone should follow their own spontaneous inclinations towards the rasa that manifests naturally in their hearts. That natural inclination is nourished over many lifetimes. There is no mandate or obligation to follow one particular rasa over another, due to inferior or superior considerations.
