bhava / love of God / ecstatic love

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-manjari gopi. From his very childhood Jiva Gosvami was greatly fond of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama. After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusūdana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares, he went to Vrndavana and took shelter of his uncles, Sri Rūpa and Sanatana. This is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara. As far as our information goes, Srila Jiva Gosvami composed and edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very celebrated, and they are listed as follows: (1) Hari-namamrta-vyakarana, (2) Sūtra-malika, (3) Dhatu-sahgraha, (4) Krsnarca-dipika, (5) Gopala-virudavali, (6) Rasamrta-sesa, (7) Sri Madhava-mahotsava, (8) Sri Sahkalpa-kalpavrksa, (9) Bhavartha-sūcaka-campū, (10) Gopala-tapani-tika, (11) a commentary on Brahma-samhita, (12) a commentary on Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, (13) a commentary on Ujjvala-nilamani, (14) a commentary on Yogasara-stava, (15) a commentary on the Gayatri-mantra as described in the Agni Purana, (16) a description derived from the Padma Purana of the lotus feet of the Lord, (17) a description of the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, (18) Gopala-campū (in two parts) and (19-25) seven sandharbhas: the Krama, Tattva, Bhagavat, Paramatma, Krsna, Bhakti and Priti Sandharbhas. After the disappearance of Srila Rūpa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami in Vrndavana, Srila Jiva Gosvami became the acarya of all the Vaisnavas in Bengal, Orissa and the rest of the world, and it is he who used to guide them in their devotional service. In Vrndavana he established the Radha-Damodara temple, where we had the opportunity to live and retire until the age of 65, when we decided to come to the United States of America. When Jiva Gosvami was still present, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compiled his famous Caitanya-caritamrta. Later, Srila Jiva Gosvami inspired Srinivasa Acarya, Narottama dasa Thakura and Duḥkhi Krsnadasa to preach Krsna consciousness in Bengal. Jiva Gosvami was informed that all the manuscripts that were collected from Vrndavana and sent to Bengal for preaching purposes were plundered near Visnupura in Bengal, but later he received the information that the books had been recovered. Sri Jiva Gosvami awarded the designation Kaviraja to Ramacandra Sena, a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya, and his younger brother Govinda. While Jiva Gosvami was alive, Srimati Jahnavi-devi, the pleasure potency of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, went to Vrndavana with a few devotees. Jiva Gosvami was very kind to the Gauḍiya Vaisnavas, the Vaisnavas from Bengal. Whoever went to Vrndavana he provided with a residence and prasada. His disciple Krsnadasa Adhikari listed all the books of the Gosvamis in his diary.    (More...)

The spiritual master is eternally perfect, and his self is Lord Sri Krsna's very self in the sense that the self of the spiritual master is in perfect harmony with the Supreme Self. It may here be recalled that Krsna is the Self in the hearts of all: "I am the Self, O conqueror of sleep, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings." (Bg. 10.20) Although Sri Krsna is the Self seated in the hearts of all living entities throughout the entire creation, He exists independent of them. "In My transcendental form I pervade all this creation. All things are resting in Me, but I am not in them. Again, everything that is created does not rest on Me. Behold My mystic opulence: Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation." (Bg. 9.4-5) This is the sublime philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: the Lord is simultaneously, inconceivably one with all living entities and yet different from them. Srila Prabhupada, in a letter to a disciple, explained this philosophy very clearly: "Just as fire and heat cannot be separate and in one sense both can be called fire, still heat is not fire. Another example, electricity and the powerhouse; although practically one and the same, still the powerhouse is not electricity. On the whole, the power and the powerful, although sometimes indistinguishable, still are different. That is the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva propounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As such, the spiritual master is the Mercy Representative of Krsna. As Mercy Representative, he is worshiped by the disciples as Krsna, but at the same time he is not identical with Krsna. Sometimes it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is the Master Krsna, whereas the spiritual master is the Servant Krsna. As it is said by Svarūpa Damodara Gosvami, Radha and Krsna are one, still, in order to serve, Krsna's pleasure potency, Radharani, appears separately. Therefore the conclusion is that the spiritual master as Servant Krsna is always respected as good as Krsna, but he is never identified with Krsna, which is Mayavadi philosophy." (Srila Prabhupada, letter, 8/29/70) Although Lord Sri Krsna is the Self seated in the hearts of all, all creatures are not accepted as spiritual masters because they are not always in harmony with the Supreme Self. There are degrees of perfection involved. The bona fide spiritual master is known as nitya-siddha, and the conditioned living entities are known as nitya-baddha. "Persons who have achieved eternal, blissful life exactly on the level of Sri Krsna, and who are able to attract Lord Krsna by their transcendental loving service, are called eternally perfect. The technical name is nitya-siddha. There are two classes of living entities-namely, nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The distinction is that the nitya-siddhas are eternally Krsna conscious without any forgetfulness, whereas the nitya-baddhas, or eternally conditioned souls, are forgetful of their relationship with Krsna. The position of the nitya-siddhas is explained in the Padma Purana in connection with the narration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Satyabhama Devi. The Lord tells Satyabhama: 'My dear Satyabhama Devi, I have descended to this earthly planet by the request of Lord Brahma and other demigods. Those who are born into this family of Yadu are all My eternal associates. My dear wife, you should not consider that My associates are ever separated from Me; they are My personal expansions, and almost as powerful as I am. Because of their transcendental qualities, they are very, very dear to Me, as I am very, very dear to them.' " (NOD 211-212) The spiritual master is certainly a nitya-siddha, but one who claims the spiritual master to be Lord Krsna Himself is committing a great offense. "As is stated in the Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself, His birth, deeds and activities are all transcendental. Similarly, the birth, deeds and activities of the associates of the Lord are also transcendental. And, as it is an offense to consider oneself to be Krsna, so it is offensive to consider oneself to be Yasoda, Nanda, or any other associate of the Lord. We should always remember that they are transcendental; they are never conditioned souls. It is described that Krsna, the enemy of Kamsa, has sixty-four transcendental qualities, and all of the ever-liberated souls who accompany the Lord have the first fifty-five of the qualities, without any doubt. Such devotees are related to the Supreme Personality in any of five transcendental mellows-namely, neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parenthood and conjugal love. These relationships with the Lord are eternal, and therefore nitya-siddha devotees do not have to strive to attain the perfectional stage by executing regulative devotional principles. They are eternally qualified to serve Krsna." (NOD, 213)    (More...)

The transcendental ecstatic attachment for Krishna by perfectly understanding that Krishna the Person and Krishna the Name are identical is called Bhava. One who has achieved such Bhava is certainly not in the contamination of material Nature. He actually enjoys transcendental pleasure from such Bhava. And, when Bhava is more intensified, it is called love of Godhead. The Holy Name of Krishna is called the Maha Mantra (Great Chanting): therefore Lord Chaitanya explained to Prakasananda Saraswati that the Holy Name of Krishna has a specific influence on anyone who chants It and he can attain the stage of love of Godhead, or intensified Bhava. Such love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of human necessity. When one compares this love of Godhead with the other necessities of the human society, namely, religiousness, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation, they are seen as most insignificant. When one is absorbed in temporary designative existence, one hankers after sense gratification, or else after liberation. But love of Godhead is the eternal nature of the soul; it is unchangeable, without beginning, and it has no end; therefore, temporary sense gratification or a desire for liberation cannot compare with the transcendental nature of love of God. This love of God is called the fifth dimension in the human goals of life. Compared with the ocean of love of transcendental pleasure, the impersonal Brahman conception cannot measure as even one drop of water.    (More...)

Unless one is freed from the influence of material energy, one cannot understand the Supreme Lord and His different energies. One who is captivated by the spell of material energy cannot understand the Spiritual Form of the Supreme Lord. Unless there is realization of the transcendental Form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of love of Godhead. Without realization of the transcendental Form of the Supreme Lord, love of Godhead is fictitious, and without realization of love of Godhead there is no perfection of human life. Such realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is as follows: it is just like the five gross elements of Nature, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether: they are both within and without all living beings in this world. Similarly, those who are devotees of the Supreme Lord can realize the Personality of Godhead both inside and outside this existence.    (More...)

By the process of executing regulated devotional service, one is actually elevated onto the transcendental stage, beyond the material modes of nature. At that time one's heart becomes illuminated like the sun. The sun is far above the planetary systems, and there is no possibility of its being covered by any kind of cloud; similarly, when a devotee is purified like the sun, from his pure heart there is a diffusion of ecstatic love which is more glorious than the sunshine. Only at that time is the attachment to Krsna perfect. Spontaneously, the devotee becomes eager to serve the Lord in his ecstatic love. At this stage the devotee is on the platform of uttama adhikari, perfect devotion. Such a devotee has no agitation from material affections and is only interested in the service of Radha and Krsna.    (More...)

To clarify, in the previous chapters, the symptoms of devotional service were explained along with instructions as to how they can be executed with our present senses, gradually rising to the platform of ecstasy of spontaneous love. And the two kinds of devotional service-namely devotional service through regulative principles and through spontaneous love-were discussed. Within the stage of the regulative principles of devotional service there are two divisions-namely executive and effective. This effective portion of devotional service is called bhava, or ecstasy. In this connection, there is a statement in the Tantras that ecstasy is the first symptom of pure love for the Personality of Godhead, and in that stage one is sometimes found shedding tears or shivering. Not always are these symptoms manifest, but occasionally. When King Ambarisa was put into difficulty by Durvasa, he began to think of the lotus feet of the Lord, and thus there were some changes in his body, and tears were falling from his eyes. These symptoms are activities of ecstasy. They are visible in the shivering of the body and the shedding of tears. After the outward appearance of these ecstatic symptoms, they stay within the mind, and continuation of the ecstasy is called samadhi. This stage of appreciation becomes the cause of future exchanges of loving affairs with Krsna.    (More...)

Elevation to this stage of ecstasy can be possible in two ways. One way is constant association with pure devotees. The other way is by the special mercy of Krsna, or by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krsna. Elevation to the ecstatic stage of life is generally attained through association with pure devotees, while elevation to that stage by the special mercy of Krsna or His devotee is very rare. The purport is that one should execute devotional service rigidly in the association of devotees so that there will be certainty in raising oneself to that ecstatic position. In special cases, of course, there is special favor from Krsna, and although we should always expect that, we should not sit idly and simply wait for Krsna's special mercy; the regular duties must be performed. It is just as when, sometimes, it is found that a person who never attended school or college may be recognized as a great scholar, or an honorary degree from great universities may be offered to him. But this does not mean that one should avoid school and expect to automatically receive an honorary degree from some university. Similarly, one should devoutly execute the regulative principles of devotional service and at the same time hope for Krsna's favor or for His devotee's favor.    (More...)

An example of rising to the stage of ecstatic love by executing the regulative principles of devotional service is given in the life story of Narada, which is described to Vyasadeva in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Narada tells there of his previous life and how he developed to the stage of ecstatic love. He was engaged in the service of great devotees and used to hear their talks and songs. Because he had the opportunity to hear these pastimes and songs of Krsna from the mouths of pure devotees, he became very attracted within his heart. Because he had become so eager to hear these topics, he gradually developed within himself an ecstatic love for Krsna. This ecstatic love is prior to the pure love of Krsna, because in the next verse Narada confirms that by the gradual process of hearing from the great sages he developed love of Godhead. In that connection, Narada continues to say in the First Canto, 5th Chapter, 28th verse, of the Bhagavatam: "First I passed my days in the association of the great sages during the rainy autumn season. Every morning and evening I heard them while they were singing and chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, and thus gradually my heart became purified. As soon as I heard them with great attention, the influence of the modes of material ignorance and passion disappeared, and I became firmly fixed in devotional service to the Lord."    (More...)

These are practical examples of how one can develop to the stage of ecstatic love simply by the association of pure devotees. It is essential, therefore, that one constantly associate with pure devotees who are engaged morning and evening in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. In this way one will get the chance to purify his heart and develop this ecstatic pure love for Krsna.    (More...)

This statement is also confirmed in the Third Canto, 25th Chapter, 22nd verse, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, where Lord Kapila says, "My dear 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 act upon the hearts of the audience. What is the secret of hearing and chanting? A professional speaker cannot impress transcendental ecstasy within the hearts of the listeners. However, when a realized soul who is engaged in the service of the Lord is speaking, he has the potency to inject spiritual life within the audience. One should, therefore, seek the association of such pure unalloyed devotees, and by such association and service a neophyte devotee will certainly develop attachment, love and devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.    (More...)

In the Padma Purana there is the story of a neophyte devotee who, in order to raise himself to the ecstatic platform, danced all night to invoke the Lord's grace upon him.    (More...)

Sometimes, however, it is found that without undergoing any devotional process, one all of a sudden develops devotion for Lord Krsna. This sudden development of the devotional attitude in a person must be understood as a special mercy of Krsna or of His devotee. This apparently accidental development of ecstatic feelings through the causeless mercy of Krsna can be divided into three groups: simply by speaking, simply by glancing and simply by good wishes.    (More...)

In the Naradiya Purana there is a statement about development of ecstatic love simply by speaking. Lord Krsna said to Narada, "O best of the brahmanas, I wish that you may develop unalloyed devotional service to Me, which is full of transcendental bliss and all auspiciousness."    (More...)

In the Skanda Purana there is a statement about developing ecstatic love towards Krsna simply by glancing. It is stated there: "When the inhabitants of Jahgala Province saw the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, they were so stricken with feeling that they could not withdraw their glance from Him."    (More...)

As far as heartfelt wishes are concerned, there is a statement in the Suka-samhita where Narada tells Srila Vyasadeva, "You have a son who is the greatest devotee of the Personality of Godhead, and I can observe that without any following of the regulative principles of devotional service, he is already enriched with many of the symptoms achieved by the execution of devotional service after many, many births."    (More...)

As for ecstatic love of Krsna, there is a statement in the Seventh Canto, 4th Chapter, 26th verse, of Srimad-Bhagavatam in which Narada addresses King Yudhisthira: "My dear King, it is very difficult to describe the character of Prahlada. He developed a natural attraction for Krsna, and whatever I can explain about his character will simply be an arrangement of words; his actual character is impossible to describe." This means Narada himself admitted that the natural development of Prahlada's ecstatic love was by the grace of Lord Krsna.    (More...)

This natural attraction for Krsna on the part of Prahlada was developed simply by the mercy of Narada. When Prahlada Maharaj was within the womb of his mother, she was being sympathetically instructed by Narada about the science of devotional service, and at the same time Narada was wishing that the child within the womb could also take advantage of the instructions. Because Narada, an authorized devotee and great associate of the Personality of Godhead, was desiring auspiciousness for Prahlada Maharaj, he developed all the characteristics of a high-grade devotee. This is called natural attraction. It is caused by the special grace of the Personality of Godhead or by the special grace of a great devotee like Narada.    (More...)

There is a statement in the Skanda Purana wherein Parvata Muni tells Narada: "My dear Narada, of all saintly persons you are so great and glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter also has become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Krsna."    (More...)

This ecstatic love for Krsna can be divided into five divisions, which will be described by Sri Rūpa Gosvami later on.    (More...)