Jagat

  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...

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 .

आख्याहि विश्वेश्वर विश्वमूर्ते त्वद्भक्तियोगं च महद्विमृग्यम् ।  "Tell me, O Lord of the Universe, O Form of the Universe, all about your bhakti-yoga , which is sought after by all the great souls." (11.19.8) I was just going through my Sanskrit manual over a lesson we completed not too long ago. I am trying as far as possible to find examples from our primary texts like Gītā and Bhāgavatam, but also from other sources as well if I find the grammatical lesson it teaches is particularly useful. This was given as an example of a second person imperative in athematic parasmaipada conjugations, ending in - hi . For some reason, I decided to track down all the -hi ending imperatives in the Bhāgavata and Gītā, and I can up with eight or ten that were frequent and also had easy examples to use, like this one. Now it is almost impossible to give good examples without going beyond what the students have already learned. Like here vim ṛ gyam , which is only going to come up i...

Picture source . rati-ratipati-koṭi-sundaraṁ tat pramuṣita-koṭi-ramā-ramāpati-śri | kanaka-marakatābha-mūrti vṛndā- vipina-vihāri maho-dvayaṁ bhajāmi || I worship the two splendors that cavort in the Vrindavan forest, one with the effulgence of gold, the other that of sapphire.   They have more beauty than millions of Ratis and Kamadevas, and it seems they have stolen the glory of millions of Lakshmis and Narayans. I missed a few days of posting VMA. Actually, verse 1.83 had no commentary and I wanted to write one, but it took a little time. I am still in Birnagar but will be traveling back to Vrindavan on the coming Wednesday. I am busy typing out a commentary to the 17th Century ( śataka ) and hoping I can finish it before leaving so I can return the book to the author. Before proceeding with the rest of VMA, I thought it was important to do the 17th, since I am quite certain that this was written before the other 16. In actual fact, I...

These are some notes on the word bhāva as it appears in the BRS and UN, compiled while I was working on Mādhurya-kādambinī . They were originally posted a few years ago on Gaudiya Discussions and the now defunct Wise Wisdoms site. Somewhat modified and updated here. prāyo dvividha evāyaṁ bhāvo dvividhānāṁ bhaktānāṁ dvividha-cid-vāsanā-sanātheṣu hṛdayeṣu sphuran dvividhāsvādyatvaṁ bhajate, ghana-rasa iva rasāla-panasekṣu-drākṣādiṣu praviṣṭaḥ pṛthak-pṛthaṅ-mādhuryavattvaṁ bhajate . When this bhāva , which is usually of these two types, enters into the hearts of the two kinds of devotees ( vaidha and rāgānugā ), which are ruled by two different kinds of transcendental desire, it is relished in two different ways. It can be compared to the water ( ghana-rasa ) that enters various kinds of fruit—mangoes, jackfruit, sugarcane or grapes—but takes on a different flavor in each of them. ( Mādhurya-kādambinī 7.4) The point being: Vishwanath seems to be saying, nay emphasizing...