Madhya 6.13

Adhirūḍha-bhava, or adhirūḍha-mahabhava, is explained in the Ujjvala-nilamani by Srila Rūpa Gosvami. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura quotes Rūpa Gosvami as follows: "The loving propensity of the asraya (devotee) toward the visaya (Lord) becomes so ecstatic that even after enjoying the company of the beloved, the devotee feels that his enjoyment is insufficient. At such a time, the lover sees the beloved in different ways. Such a development of ecstasy is called anuraga. When anuraga reaches its highest limit and becomes perceivable in the body, it is called bhava. When the bodily symptoms are not very distinct, however, the emotional state is still called anuraga, not bhava. When bhava ecstasy is intensified, it is called mahabhava. The symptoms of mahabhava are visible only in the bodies of eternal associates like the gopis."