Posts

Showing posts with the label dasya-rasa

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part VI)

Image
  So we have been discussing dāsya-rasa . Dāsya is really the basis of all devotion, which was discussed in Part IV from Prīti Sandarbha 84, where its main characteristics are affectionate respect and the sense that one is in need of God's grace. Jīva Gosvāmī used two terms anugrāhya  and anukampya both of which have a very similar meaning, but Jīva applies the first of these more generally, including the śānta-bhaktas , whereas the latter carries over into dāsya .  The second discussion of rasa begins with Anuccheda 203 and goes on to the very end of the book. Jñāna-bhakti is covered in the first part of that anuccheda . Analysis of the three kinds of dāsya are  (1) āśraya-bhakti (203-207) (2) dāsya-rasa (208-217) (3) praśraya-bhakti-rasa (218-223) The way that these subjects are discussed is to describe the different aspects of the rasa--all the ingredients like vibhāvas , etc. and concludes with verses that describe the rasas in full, dividing the experiences of r...

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part V)

Image
This section is a bit shorter than the previous day's offering. Here we get the specifics of dāsya according to Prīti Sandarbha 84.  Although the other sthāyi-bhāvas are described in the remaining portion of that anuccheda , in particular a long section about kānta-bhāva . The next instalment will cover Anuccheda 203ff. And then we will try to summarize. The word rati  is here being used to mean sthāyi-bhāva .

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part IV)

Image
Prīti Sandarbha discusses the principal rasas in at least two places and we will look at the way dāsya is treated, primarily focusing on Anuccheda 84, which talks about sthāyi-bhāva , and then on Anucchedass 201 to 248 where Sri Jiva goes into more detail with a somewhat different classification. 

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part III)

Image
  After concluding the section on śānta-rasa , Śrī Rūpa observes that the “middle” three relations actually form a kind of trio, which he names hṛdyā (See " A tentative overview of rasa psychology .") It doesn’t seem to be being used terminologically, but it is worth grouping them, just like dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi are grouped in YS 3.6 as saṁyama , since they are in fact different aspects of a single procedure of mind-directdness. Rupa doesn’t go into too much detail here or elsewhere to specify the common characteristic of the three, except by the word  hṛdyā .

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part II)

Image
From my daily japa walk in Laval Quebec. Part I The third and last subcategory of the āśrita is the sevā-niṣṭha, or one dedicated fully to his service, taking shelter, I would assume, of his service. c) sevā-niṣṭhāḥ mūlato bhajanāsaktāḥ sevā-niṣṭhā itīritāḥ | candradhvajo harihayo bahulāśvas tathā nṛpāḥ | ikṣvākuḥ śrutadevāś ca puṇḍarīkādayaś ca te || Those who are attached to bhajana from the beginning are called "fixed in service" ( sevā-niṣṭha ) (3.2.29) The examples are of some lesser known figures kings like Candradhvaja, Harihaya, Bahulāśva, Ikṣvāku, Śrutadeva and Puṇḍarīka. The commentaries make no effort to explain these kings' particular character. Bahulāśva and Śrutadeva figure in 10.86 but I haven't analysed them in order to get an idea of this separate category. Here is the exemplary verse: ātmārāmān api gamayati tvad-guṇo gāna-goṣṭhīṁ śūnyodyāne nayati vihagān apy alaṁ bhikṣu-caryām | ity utkarṣaṁ kam api sa-camatkāram ākarṇya citraṁ sevāyāṁ t...

Divisions of Service to Krishna (Part I)

Image
From my daily japa walk in Laval QC It is my contention that we should understand the five relational rasas on the basis of human relationships. I was reminded today by a friend of the debate I had a few years ago with Babaji about "love in this world." My contention is that even though we may deny the perfection of the love in this world, if we say that Krishna needs to come into the world not only to teach but to experience love, then love or at least the conditions of love are only possible in the world of death and imperfection. This is indeed a philosophical position that is essential to understanding the avatar doctrine as found in Chaitanya Vaishnavism. It is my further contention that the different relations represent different sādhanas on the way to the completion of the sādhana of prema . Krishna appears to us in our different relationships. A madhyama devotee restricts his relationships to other devotees because the culture of loving relationships must begin with...

Six kinds of useless servants or disciples.

Image
There are six kinds of useless servants or disciples: alir bāṇo jyotiṣakaḥ stabdhībhūtaḥ kimekakaḥ preṣita-preṣakaś caiva ṣaḍ ete sevakādhamāḥ (1) One is like a bee ( ali ) that wanders from flower to flower, i.e., is not loyal. (2) Another is like an arrow ( bāṇa ), who wounds his master. (3) Another is the procrastinator ( jyotiṣaka ), always waiting for the right alignment of planets before he acts. (4) The fourth is stabdhībhūta , i.e., lazy, bewildered, dull and inactive. (5) The fifth ( kimekakaḥ ) is someone who lacks initiative or courage to act alone, saying, "I can't do this by myself." (6) The last is one who passes the buck ( preṣita-preṣaka ), shifting responsibility onto others rather than taking it himself. Fifteen years ago I posted this verse on the Indology list because I had some difficulty with a few of the words. Who knows where I found it, probably in a text related to Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj, as I was working for Mandala at the ...