Rasābhāsa Caused by an Incompatible Anubhāva
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A folio from the Bhagavata Purana: Krishna leaving Dwarka Nepal, circa 1775 Depicting blue-skinned Krishna three times, once at middle left taking the blessing of a sage, once at center inside the palace walls in a procession with his brother, the white-skinned Balarama, as they head towards the city gates, and again on the shores as the procession leaves the city; within red borders with an inscription below and page number at upper left. (Christie's) |
Rasābhāsa refers to the eclipsing of a pure sentiment by some incompatible elements -- actions or feelings that are not in harmony with the dominant mood. In sections 174-202 of the Prīti Sandarbha, Jiva Goswami raises possibilities of such rasābhāsa from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. The subject of the Prīti Sandarbha is to analyze the poetic and devotional sentiments (rasas) expressed in the Bhāgavata. The Bhāgavata is the first text to recognize the relation of rasa theory with religious experience.
This was probably first subjected to some analysis in the Muktā-phala and its commentary is something that was more extensively explored in both the Bhakti-rasāmr̥ta-sindhu and Prīti-sandarbha. The difference between these two Gaudiya works is that the former adheres more closely to the traditions of Indian or Sanskrit theatre and poetics; Rupa most frequently uses his own writings to exemplify the different categories while Jiva Goswami tries to stay closer to the Bhāgavata and lets the pramāṇa-śiromaṇi to guide him. Nevertheless, Śrī Jiva's presentation is somewhat constrained whereas Rupa has the liberty to create his own narratives and situations that can be traced to other, non-Purāṇic sources. (See Dāna-līlā and the Apotheosis of Love)
In either case, the Bhāgavata is our starting point. Once we have a strong grasp of the Bhāgavatam we can understand properly what are the directions we can take subsequently. Jiva Goswami certainly takes us to the limits of the Bhāgavata but he does not take us to the limits of the Gaudiya bhakti movement.
The following description is taken from the 11th chapter of the First Canto. The account of the First Canto is closely aligned with the Mahābhārata story, as if to let us know that the Bhāgavata takes up where the Mahābhārata leaves off.
After Kṛṣṇa went to Kurukṣetra to help the Pāṇḍavas in their war with the Kauravas, He stayed on afterwards for some time until Bhiṣma had left the world. Though the Śānti-parva is far and away the longest portion of the Bhārata, where Bhīṣma gives extensive instructions on polity and good governance, the Bhāgavata in one chapter concentrates on the devotional elements of Bhīṣma's relation with Kr̥ṣṇa. Similarly Kuntī Devī's prayers and the protection of Parīkṣit in Uttarā's womb at the end of the war and then the return of Krishna to Dvārakā. The 11th chapter describes his arrival in Dvārakā and the verse in question his meeting with his wives. There are ten verses there, of which this is the third.
We have already seen several of the other verses in this section (1.11.36-40) in Prīti Sandarbha 135-140 where they were raised in the context of the characteristics of the vibhāvas, namely the qualities of Krishna that serves as the inspirators of rasa (uddīpana). order to counter objections that Krishna's and his wives' desires contradicted other qualities During all this yime His queens felt intense separation from Him. When He finally returned to Dvārakā, He was first received by the Yādavas, His family members and citizens. Then He went to His palaces to be with His queens.
निरुद्धमप्यास्रवदम्बु नेत्रयोर्विलज्जतीनां भृगुवर्य वैक्लवात् ॥
tam ātmajair dṛṣṭibhir antarātmanā
duranta-bhāvāḥ parirebhire patim |
niruddham apy āsravad ambu netrayor
vilajjatīnāṁ bhṛgu-varya vaiklavāt ||
Having unlimited love for Him [Kṛṣṇa, as they saw Him arriving] first, embraced Him mentally, then with their eyes and finally by embracing their sons. Though they restrained their tears out of bashfuless, now trickled helplessly from their eyes, O Śaunaka. (SB 1.11.33).
दुरन्तभावा उद्भटभावा, अत एव निरुद्धमप्यास्रवत्।
"Unlimited feeling" (duranta-bhāva) means they had exalted love, therefore although they restrained them (niruddham api), their tears tickled down slightly (āsravat).
अत्रात्मजद्वारालिङ्गनेन कान्तभाव आभास्यते, तद्द्वारा तत्सम्भोगायोग्यत्वात्। समाधानं च प्रीतिसामान्यपरिपोषायैव तथाचरितं न तु कान्तभावपोषाय। तत्पोषस्तु दृष्ट्यादिद्वारैव। तस्मान् न दोष इति।
In this description, the queens' conjugal mood (kānta-bhāva) is obscured (ābhāsa) by their embracing Him through their sons, since it is not possible for a woman to experience union with her husband in that way. The problem is resolved [by explaining] that they behaved like that only for nourishing their love in a general way and not in the erotic mood. That was accomplished through the eyes and mind. Thus there is no flaw of rasābhāsa.
॥ १.११ ॥ श्रीसूतः ॥ १८७ ॥
Commentary by Babaji
The queens did not embrace Kr̥ṣṇa personally in the presence of others since that is not compatible with Vedic culture. They did, however, embrace Him mentally, then with their eyes and finally they embraced Him through their sons. If misunderstood, this description creates an apparent instance of rasābhāsa. The queens did not embrace their sons while thinking of Kṛṣṇa in an erotic way. If they had done so then that would have been an egregious instance of śṛṅgāra-rasa being compromised by an inappropriate expression of that love (anubhāva). Rather, it should be understood that they sent their sons to be embraced by Kṛṣṇa and they felt happy to see Him do so. After seeing their children's happiness in being embraced by their father, they also embraced the children. This nourished their love for Kṛṣṇa in the spirit of common parenthood for their offspring. This is possible because that kind of friendship or comradeship is also a subsidiary part of conjugal love, but not the erotic aspect. That aspect was nourished by embracing Him through the eyes and then holding that sight in the mind.
[This translation is based on Sridhara's commentary, which Jīva Gosvāmī follows. Viśvanātha and Baladeva, however, disagree with Sridhara's analysis. The problem lies in the ordering of the three words ātmajair dṛṣṭibhir antarātmanā, "with the sons, eyes and the inner self." SS reverses the order: "before seeing Krishna they embraced him mentally, then on seeing him they embraced him with their eyes, and then they sent their children to embrace him (since publicly a woman would not be able to embrace even her own husband). VCT takes ātmajaiḥ to mean eros (like manoja, "mind-born" = Cupid). This then permits the desire to come first, then the eyes and then meditation on his form. He cites the following verse from the Rāsa-līlā to support this view:
taṁ
kācin netra-randhreṇa hṛdi kṛtvā nimīlya ca |
pulakāṅgy upaguhyāste yogīvānanda-samplutā ||
One of the gopīs took Krishna in through the window of her eyes and then closed them; her body covered in horripilation she there embraced Him, like a yogi merged in ecstasy. (10.32.8)
This quote is to show that the queens were acting similarly.
The only trouble with this interpretation is that ātmajaiḥ is that it looks like an adjective but the other words are either the wrong gender or number to be in apposition. But VCT gets around that by saying that ātmajaiḥ is a noun meaning desires (kāmaiḥ) which are the causes of their embracing him with the eyes and mind.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, this verse is given as an example of avahitthā or concealment out of bashfulness (hriyā) 2.4.123). That is one of the sañcāri-bhāvas. A few verses later it is said that concealment has three aspects: its cause (hetu), the thing being concealed (gopya) and what is used to conceal it (gopana). In this verse (according to Jiva in Locana-rocanī.
tam
ātmajair [bha.ra.si. 2.4.123] ity-ādau vilajjā hetuḥ | duranta-bhāvo’tra
sambhogākhyo raso gopyaḥ | gopanas tv aśru-nirodhena pratyāyito dhṛty-ābhāsaḥ |
tathāpy aśru-sravo gopana ātmaja-dvārā parirambhaṇena sambhoga-rasāvarakaḥ
paty-ucita-maitrī-mātrātmakaḥ | tatra pāṭha-vyutkrameṇārtha-kramaś
cāyaṁ—prathamaṁ dṛṣṭibhiḥ, tato’ntar-ātmanā, tata ātmajaiḥ parirebhire iti |
The reason for their bashfulness was the presence of the children. The words "unlimited feeling" (duranta-bhāva) are an indication of the erotic mood that must be concealed. The act of concealment is in their show of composure demonstrated through their attempt to restrain their tears. Even so, their inability to do also needs to be concealed so that is done by having their children embrace Krishna, which also covers their desire for erotic union by showing the appropriate kind of friendship to a husband and nothing more. In this verse the meaning is in reverse order from the sequence of the reading: first embracing Him by sight, then mentally, and finally by means of the sons.
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