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lNTERNllTIONllL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNll CONSCIOUSNESS

FOUNDERR llCHllRYll: HIS DIVINE GRllC ll .C. BHllKTIVEDllNTll SWAMI PRllBHUPllDll

ISKCON (U .K .) DEPARTMENT or HIGHER EDUCATION

Klrlan Houae, Grange Lane, Lelcbmore Healh, Herta. WD2 BEil U.K.

By Srll• Vla•analh Chakr•••ll Thakur

Tr•n•l•led by H.H. Banu Sw•ml

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

Chapter l
ow Bhakti is superior and completely independent of karma, jnana & yoga and how they are subordi-
H nate corollaries and d ependent upon Bhakti is elaborately & authoritatively described.

Chapter2
radtlha (faith), sadhu-sanga (associatio n) & bhajana-krjya (executio n of service) are described. The
S creeper of Bhakti unfurls into two leaves namely 'kl esa ghni' (disappearance of suffering & sin), & 'subha
da' (a tt ainme nt 0 f auspicious qualities). Rhajana kriva is 0f two types namely nistit ha (steady) and an isl it ha
(unsteady) and herein the six types of anistitha (unsteady) bhajana kriya or devotional service are d escribed.

Chapter 3
nartha-niyritli (the nullifical io n of bad qua lities). Anarthas are of four types, namely: anarthas from pre-
A vious pious activities, anarth as from previous sinful activities, anarthas from nama-aparadha & anarthas
from seva aparadha. The eradication of anarl has in different degrees is also explained.

Chapter 4
Nislha:- To be endowed with the quality o f steadiness.

Chapter S
.uclll:- Development o f a taste for th e activities of Bhakti such as hearing & chanting which is vastly greater
R than attraction fo r anything else.
Chapter 6
As.ak.ta:- Attachment: At this stage the creeper of Bhakti bears clusters of buds.
Chapter 7
h.aya:- In the state of bhava, seenled by those fragran ces, all the emotions of the heart, like a cluster of
B sesame seed s, liquefy into a perfumed oil, and become immediately fit to smear on all the limbs of the
Lord.
Chapter 8
r.e.m.a:-The juice which comes fro m th e fr uit of prema and is tasted has the essential quality of concen-
P trated bliss, and its outstanding nourishing property is it s power to attract Krsna.
 Chapter 1:.

The first shower of nectar

The mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, c xq.uisile sweetness p~rsonilied, is an uncontrolled b~nk of cl.o~ds,
which brings life to the grains o f devotio nal service newly p la.nt cd m the fie ld the. hea rt, ~nd , b~ 1!s
auspicious
approacn, extinguishes the inte nse summe r heat of lust, bestowing rapture to the universal nver of ltvmg bemgs.

from far off, may those clouds of the Lord's me rcy give satisfaction and pleasure to this worthless soul, a dried up
tree in the d esert.

T hough previously ot hers have taken up the path of bhakti ( devot~onal :c;ervice~. I par my continual ob~isan:es t? Sr~la
Ru p a (ioswami, the dearmost of the Lord, by whose mercy the mtell1gcnce 1s attamed to see bhaktt manifesting its
complcle rasas.

T he T aittiriya Upan isad (sruti) after discussing the diffe rent c?ve r!ngs (anna may~ etc), says "brahma puccham
pratistha" (brahman, acting as the shelte r or support for everything, 1s supre me). This sta tement esta~hshes that
brahman, acting as the shelte r of everyt hing is supe rior lo the ananclamaya purusa. But then the same s~npture says
"raso vai sah rasam hy evayam labdh vanandi bh avtl li" (The Lord is rasa itself. Attaining that rasa the 11va becomes
blissful.) This statem ent shows that th e Lord in his form as rasa is supreme.

In this vein, the Srim ad Bhagavalam, the cremn o f Ved a nta and emperor amongst all types of evidence, describes the
Lord as the embodiment of rasa o r pleasure:

malla11a111 asi11ir 11mm11 11aravaralr stri11a111 smaro 11111rtimm1

(For the wrestlers, Krs na appeared as a thunderbolt, for the ordinary men he appeared as the best of men,
and for the women as most attractive cupid.)

In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord himself asserts his ide ntity:

bral1ma110 Iii pratistl1altam

(I am the basis or brahman .)
The refore Absolute Truth, that b lissful, transcendent al Supre me Person, i:; none othe r tha n Sri Krsna, the son of
the King o f Vraja, with an \•nlimited body, equipped with transcende ntal, suddha sattva n ame, forms, qualities, and
pastimes. This blissful Lor J d escends to hum an pe rception o f the ear, e ye, mind and intellect, not by any material
cause, but s imply by his owr! inde pe nde nt will , just as, by his own will, he appeared in the material world as Krsna
in th e Yadu dynasty and R e.ma in the Raghu dynasty.

Simila rly, just as the Lord i; not de pende nt on any material cause for his appearance, so his non-different energy,
devotional service (bhakli) .n keeping with its self-manifesting nature, is not de pendent on any material cause.

Thus, in the First Canto of Sri mad Bhagavatam it is said:

sa t'ai p11111sc• paro dhamro yaro blwktir adlroksaje , ahait11ky apratilrata yayatma s11prasidati
(The supreme dharma for mankind is that which produces causeless and uninterrupted devotion to Visnu , and
which completely satisfies the soul.)

The word "ahaituki" (cause less) in this statement indicates that devotional se rvice appears without material cause
( hetu) .

Again, in such statements a~ "yadrcchaya m al kalhad au," "mad bhaklim yadrcchaya," and "yadrcchayaivopacita," the
word "yadrcchaya" must mean "by his own inde pe nde nt sweet will." The meaning of "yadrrcha" in th e dictionary is
"complete independence." Sometimes people lake th e word lo mea n "by luck or chance" but that meaning is not
suitable he re, for then one n ust inqu ire as to th e o rig in of th e good fortune: is the cause material pious activities
(sub ha karm a) or not? If Ont ("lssu mes th at good fortune is ge ne rated fro m pious activities, th e n bhakti is ultimately
generated from material ka1 ma. Bhakti beco mes d e pe ndent on material karma. This is a contradiction to its

llfa dhnrya K a dambini C h . l

z
independent, self manifesting nature. And again if one considc~s that this good fortune.is. n?t due to i:ious activities,
it becomes both Indescribable by words and unknowable by the intellect. Consequently 1t 1s msubstant1al, and cannot
be accepted as a cause.
If o ne proposes that the cause of bhakti is the Lo~d's !11~rc:y, o ne . m~st ~hen find a reason for the mercy. Thus this
statement, giving rise to further need for cxplanat1o n, 1s mco11clus1ve m itself.

If one therefore says that th e ca use is the Lord 's absolute, unqualilied or causelss mercy, then the Lord appears to
show favoritism in bestowing it, since the unqualilicd mercy should, but does not, fall upon everyone equally. The
Lord is partial--to his devo•ce, but th e part ial ity th at the Lord shows in protecting his devotees from the persecution
of evil elements do-::s not imply a fault in the Lord, but rath er an ornament which enhances his character. This
overruling.nature of the Lord's affectionate obligation to his devotees, which, like a powerful king, subjugates all
contradictory factors, will be discussed in the eig hth chapter.

In proposing the unqunlifiecl mercy of the devotee as the cause of devotion, one may object to the fact that the devotee's
mercy, like the Lord's can be partial. But if one conside rs the nature of the madhyama bhakta, one finds that he docs
exhibit partiality in his distribution of mercy: he exhibits prcma towards the Lord, friendship to the devotees, mercy
to the innocent and disregard for those hostile to bhakti. As well, since the Lord is subservient to his devotee, he
makes his mercy follow afte r the mercy of his devotee. Thus there is no irregularity in this proposal.

Now, the cause of th at mercy manifesting itself in the devotee is bhakti within his heart. Without having bhakti there
is no possibility of the devotee manifesting mercy Lo others. Thus, in this case, the self-manifesting, independent
nature of bhakti is again resolved.

Therefore, in th e statement "yah kcnapy al ibh aghena jata sraddho'sy scvane," (trans: the person who has attained
faith in the service of the Lord by extreme good fortune), the words "atibhagyena" (extreme good fortune) should
be understood to mean the attainment of the mercy of the devotee, which surpasses (atikrama) the results of material
pious activities (subha karma).

Here, one should not cor.sidc1 that, since the devotee is dependent on th e will of Lord, the devotee cannot initiate
the bestowal of mercy. For the Lord accepts subservience to his devotee, and gives preeminence to the devotee's
position by giving him the power to bestow the Lord's mercy. Though the Lord as paramatma oversees those matters
relati ng to the jiva's external senses, which are the reward from his past activities ( in this respect not giving complete
independence even to his devotees) the Lord shows special mercy to his devotees by giving them the independent
power to bestow me rcy to others. When. in the Bhagavl\d G ita, Krsna himself speaks of his prasada or mercy as
the only way to attain his eternal spiritual realm. This prasada takes the form of the Lord's bestowal of his own krpa
sakti to his devotee.

Though by many scriptural statements ( "svcccavatara caritaih .... " "sveccha mayasya .... ") one can understand that
!he Lord appears by his own will, by material vision one ma y say th at relieving th e burden o f evil on the earth planet
is.the cause of th e Lor~l 's adv.enl. In the same way, sometimes it is said that prescribed activities (karma) performed
w1tho~t. personal mo tives (111skama) act. as th e door to bhakti. There is no harm in such stat ements. But charity,
austent1cs and what not are clearly denied as causes of bhakti are in th e Eleventh Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam:

. _YOll 110 yogc11a sa11khy711a da11n ~mta tnpo' dhmrnih, 1yadhyns vadhyaya sa1111yasaih prap11uyad yat11m'a11 api
But 1t is also stated that charity, austerity etc are the cause of bhakti:

dona Prata top homo jnpa srndlryn sanynmnih, srcyoblrir vividlrais ca11yailr krs11e blraktir hi sadhyate
(Devotion to Krsna Is accomplished by such things as charity, austerities, homa, japa, study, sense control,
and other pious activities.)

However, this stateme nt refers to l>liakti in th e mode of material goodness, which belongs lo the system of jnana,
rather th an the transcend enta l, fully spiritual bhakti in the category of prcma.
Of course some ~cop le say th at charity refers .to .giving lo vis nu and the vaisnavas, that vrata or austerity refers to such
vra tas as cka?as1, that la pas rcfer5 t? re nune1allon of personal enjoyment for attainment of the Lord. Thus they are
all angas o r hmb~ .of sadh ana bhaktz.. To say that bhakti is attained by these angas, is not incorrect, fo r this simply
means that bhakt11s caused by bhakt1. Thus the causeless nature of bhakti is again resolved. In this way all points
are settled.

Modhu rya Kodombinl Ch. l

3
Moreover by such verses as "sreyah svtim bhaktim udasya te vibho" "ko'vartha apto'bhajatam. sva dharmatah,"
"purvaiva bhuman bahavo'pi yoginah," it is seen that the accomplish~ent of results o~ the paths ~f Jnana, kar!1'a a.nd
yoga etc. are completely dependent on b.hakti, whereas the acc~~pltshment of result m the _rract1ce of.b~aklt, which
is prema, is never dependent on karma, Jnana or yoga. Rat her 1t 1s understood that the punty of bhaktl is destroyed
by the touch of these elements:
11a j11a110111 110 ca vairagyam prayalr sreyo blraved ilra

(Joana and vairagyu are not beneficial for the practice of bhakti.)

dl1am1011 samtyajya yalr sarva11 1110111 bltajet so ca sattamalr

(He who gives up all paths and simply worships me Is the best amonst men.)

The dependency of karma, jnana and yoga on bhakti must be accepted as fact. Moreover, bhakti is instr~mental .in
giving the results to the practice of karma, jnana and yoga, and it is not at all dependent on these practices for its
results.

It is said:
yat marabllir yat tapasa ja11a vairagyatas ca yat.....
sarva11 mad b!iakti yogena mad bliakto /abhae'njasa

(what Is to be accomplished by karma lnpas,jnana und vairngya ls easily attained by my devotee through
devotional service.)

blraga11ad blrakti l1i11asay jatilr sastram japas tapalr

apranasyeva deltasysa mada11a11a111 loka ra11ja11am

(Without devotion to the Lord good birth, knowledge of scripture, japa , tapas are like delighting In a lifeless
corpse.)

Thus without bhakti all these endeavours are fruitless. Jnana, yoga etc are therefore dependent upon bhakti.

Moreover the dependence of karma, yoga on conditions of purity in place, time, candidate, materials and performance
is famous in the srnrti scriptures. This is not true of bhakti:

11a dcsa 11iyamas tatra na kala niyamas tatalt

11occltistada11 11isedlto'sti liarer 11ama11i lubdltaka

(In chanting the name of the Lord there Is no restrictions concerning place, time, purity etc.)

Nor is bhakti dependent even upon faith:

sakrda api parigitam sraddaya ltelaya va
brguvara 11ara matram tarayet la'S11a nama

(The name of Krsna chanted even once, either with faith or without faith, can deliver any man.)

Even, bhakti is not dependent on purity of practice, for whether the name is chanted purely or impurely it will deliver
the fallen soul. The same cannot be said of karma yoga, where impurity is a great obstacle to progress.

111a11tro lri11alr svarato 11amato va mithah prayukto 11a tam artham aha
yatlte11dra satntlt svarato'paradlrat sa \'Og vajro yajamanam ltinasti

(If a mantra is either intoned or pronounced Incorrectly, not only will the mantra have not effect, but it will be
harmful.)

The necessity of internal purity for practice of jnana yoga is well known. Also it may be seen that jnana yoga is
dependent on karma yoga, for one enters jnana yoga by accomplishing purity of heart, and purity of heart arises from
pe rformance of karma without personal desire. Because of this dependency, it is seen that, if one who practices

Madhurya Kadambln.I Cb. l

jnana yoga by accident commits even a small unworthy act, he is condemned as. a "vantasi," an eater of voi:nit. ~eeing
the activities of Kamsa, Hiranyakasipu and Ravana, there is no attempt to praise them though they were Jnams.

On the other hand, on the path of bhakti, th ough one may be afnicted by lust, one has the qualificati.on to ?~gin the
practice, and just by the practice ofbhakti, lust and other impurities are destroyed . And even though 1mpunttes such
as kama may sometimes appear in the devotee, the scriptures never condemn that devotee.

(api cet s11d11racaro bliajate 1110111 a11a11ya b11ak, vadl1yama11o'pi mad bltakti..... ).

Ajamila's positio n as a devotee was discerned by the servants of Visnu. Because people such as Ajamila utter the
name of the Lord inadvertently, (in the case of Ajamila, o ut of affection for his son), they are universally praised as
devotees, even though their chanting must be considered nama abhasa (not pure).

Though internal purity, and purity of place, materials etc are necessary for the accomplishment of the karmis, jnanis
and yogis, their deficiency obstructs progress on those paths. Bhakti however is the very giver of life to these paths.
Thus all these paths are dependent. But independent bhakti is never dependent for its success or failure on material
conditions or their lack.

Only an ignorant person will say that bhakti is but a means of attainingjnana, for it is seen factually that bhakti takes
a position higher than even the goal of jnana, which is moksa.

m11ktim dadati karhicit sma na bhaktiyognm

(The Lord easily gives liberation but not bhakti.)

m11kta11am api siddha11am 11araya11a paraya11all

s11d11rlabhah prasm1tatma kotisvapi mallam1111e

(Among even many thousands of liberated jnanis and perrected yogis, the devotee of Narayana is rare.)

If j_nana s?metimes appears to take a superior position to bhakti it is only because bhakti is mercifully playing the role
of 1~s. assistant. The ~ord, as Upendra, becoming subservient to Indra to give him support, revealed, not his inferior
pos1t1on, but rather ~1s grertt ~ ercy. In this.manner ~h~kti, being merciful, becomes a limb of jnana, through the
mode of sattva guna, JUst to give support to 1nana. This 1s the understanding of the intelligent person.

bltaktya sa11jataya bltaktya

The fruit of bhakti Is bhakti in the form of prema. This is the topmost attainment for mankind (surpassing
nrthn, dharma, kama and moksa by far).

The ~reeminent, all-pervadi ng, totally independent, self- ma n_ifesting and life-givi ng nature of the great energy
bhakt1-- the very nature of ~he Supreme Lord from who m bhak lt emanates-- has been described. If o ne still prefers
a process ot_her than bhakt1, that person shou ld be considered bereft of judgment. What else can be said? If one is
a human bemg, but does not take to the process of bhakti then he sho uld not be considered a human being at all:

ko l'Oi na seveta l'i11a11aretaram

(Who except a non -human, would not serve the Lord?)

ldadb01rya Kadambini Cb. 1

s
 Chnpter 2

The Second shower of nectar

Jn this work one will not find a full dissertation on dualism an~ monism (bhakti vs jnana), but for those who expect
it, they may' find it in another work called "Aisvarya Kadambint."

T he wish-yielding creeper of pure bhakt i, growing in the. fie ld of the. heart, is the refuge o f the devotees ~ho .r~m~y
vow (drdha vrata) never to seek any fruits except bhakt1, and wh~, like bees (~adhu vrata), are o.bsesse wit t e
desire to taste nectar. The very life of this creeper is a favorable att1tu?e to devotto.n and.t?e Lord. !--~ke a ~ouchston J
its very presence makes the hea rt lose its iron-like material qualities and acqmre spmtu?Ihqua •h~s o pu~e go f 1 1
(bhakti). Having sprouted, growing upwards, th at creeper then unfurls .two leaves , wh1c a~e t e sp,,en 1 our o"
sadhana bhakti. The first leaf is called "klcsa ghni" (dissolution o f suffering) and .the second. is called. ~ubta
(attainment of auspi cious qualities). The smoot h upper surface of the two leaves, m ~ preemm.ent pos1t1on Y t. e
d:
characteristic of spontaneous greed for everything pertaining to the Lord,, and by genmne a~fectto.n ror. th.e Lord Jn
a particular relationship (yesam aham priya alam sutas ca trans: I am their own dear son) IS the JUnsd1ct1on of the
king called raga.

The rough lower surface of th e leaves, being in a somewhat lower position because its activities are generat e~ o ut ?f
scriptural rules, and because spontaneous, deep affection for the Lord is lacking due to ~bsen ce o f.a pure r elattonshrp
with the Lord, is the domain of the king called vaidha. However, both raga and va1dha bha~~' equally. s.hare the
qualities of klesa ghni (disappearance of suffering and sin) and subha da (appearance of ausp1c1ous qualities).

Klesa: . .
(The literal meaning is suffering or afniction, but he re the meaning may be taken as the caus~s o f suffenng. These
kksn~ arr thr C?~15~ 0 f sir.rnt P.nc1 f'i0m ncti,iti~!' ... ·~ic~ re!'.'.•.\t i':' m?.'~ ri?) ':':'. ic,f,..,~•·_·".1~ f·.: -.'-.?.~ - 1;:c;~\ ,... .. ~""'~ ' "'"1 1.: - e
(rnalcria l happin c:1~)).

Klesa Is of five types.

(i) avidya: ignorance, to mistake that which is impe rm anent to be perm ane nt; lo mistake that wh ich is full of misery
to be blissful; and to mistake what is not the self lo be th e self.

(ii) asmita: false ego, bodily identification o f me and mine.raga: attachment, d esire for material happiness and those
means which will give it.

(iii) dvesa: hatred, repulsio n to unhnppincss o r the ca uses of unhappiness.

(iv) abhinivcsa: attachment or absorption accrued th rough past births, to certain objects, to the means to attain them
and to ones body, and fenr o f death.

(v) The stages in the development o f sin--prarabdha (fr uctified), aprarabdha (unfructified), rudha (pre-seed) and
bija (seed)-- are incl uded in these five klcsas. Sub ha or auspiciousness co nsists of such qua lities as disinter est in
material affairs, interest in the Supreme Lord, friendliness to the Lord, mercy, forgive ness, truth, sim plicity,
eq uanimity, fortitude, gravity, respect, humility, and being pleasing to all. This is proven by such verses as "sarvair
gunais tatra samasatc s urah ... ." (All the qualities of the d evatas arc present in the devotee.)

"blraktih paresa1111bhal'O viraktir a11yatm ca isa ttika eka kalalz"

(Devotion, taste for the Lord, and detachment from all else appear simultaneously.)

By this one o ne should understand th at the two qua lities (destru ction of suffering and appeara nce of all good
q ualities) appear simultaneously. H owever beca use of so me difference in t he two leaves unfurling, some difference
of rate in th e disappearance o f the undesirab le qualities (asub het) and the appearance o f th e auspicious quetlities
(subha) bhakti develops by gradual stages. Thoug h this is very subtle and difficult to pe rceive, th e inte lligent men
have ascertained this thro ugh scrutiny o f the various effects. First, th e prospecti ve devotee develops sra<ldha o r faith.
"Sraddha" mea ns to have firm trust in the import o f the scriptures d ea ling wil h bhakti. It also means to have a genuine
desire to undertake the activities d escribed in those scriptures (that desire which acts as the ca use for thei r executio n.)
Bot h of these types of faith may be nnturally o r by force. Then, Inking shelte r o f the lo tus feet o f guru he enquires
from him th e proper conduct, nnd by following his instructi o ns, th at person begins to live and carry out fri endly
relations with devotees of similar slntus and to take the etssociatio n o f rea lized devotees.
Next he begins to practice di fferent types of service. This is called bhajana kriya or execution of devotional
activities. This also is o f two varieties: unstcacl anisthitn and stead nisthita . U nsteacl erformance o f
• Madhorya Kada.mbinl Ch. 2
 devotion~l~ctivities is of six types (iii sequential. order): fa~se conliden~e. (~tsa~~ mayi), sporadic end~avour (ghana
tarala), indecision (vyudha vikalpa), combat with maya (v1saya sangara), mab1hty to uphold vows (myamaksama),
and enjoying the waves (taranga rangini.

utsahamayj: Ju's t as a child, having just beg un study ~f t~e scriptu~es, thin~s he Las immediately be co.me a gr~at
scholar worthy of everyone's praise, a perso n just begmnmg devotional service ~ay deve~op the audacity to thmk
that he has mastered everything. He is called usaha mayi, or filled (puffed-up) with enthusiasm.

a:hana tarala: A child sometimes is diligently engaged in his studies and yet a~ other times, because of inability to
understand the scriptures and because of lack of real taste, becomes totally n~gligent. In the same way, .a new dev?tee
sometimes practices the different activities of devotional service and sometimes neglects. them .. Bem~ sometimes
assiduous and at other times negligent, his endeavour is called ghana tarala (condensed-dilute, thick- thin).

vyudha vikalpa: "Shall I just spend my life happily in family life, making my wife and children Krsna conscio~s, and
worshipping the Lord; or should I give them all up and go to Vrndavana and become a real success by engagmg full
time in hearing and chanting with no distractions? Shall I wait until the last stage, after enjoying all sorts of pleasures,
when I have understood that the whole material world is simply a forest lire of affliction, or should l renounce right
now? Should I regard this family life as death, deep well concealed by grass, and give up unreliable family life while
young? Or shall I wait until the death of my old parents before renouncing? If I give up family life in an unsurfeited
state I will think of family life aft er ren ouncing. If I should die in that condition I will go to hell. From that type of
renunciation I won't get any strength. Therefore for th e time being, I will just work to keep my body alive, and later,
after satisfying all my desires, I will enter Vrndavana and engage in worship of the Lord 24 hours a day."

"As scriptures po int out, it is wrong to think that bhakti arises from renunciatio n, but one can say that bhakti gives
rise lo renunciation, for renunciation is dependent o n bhakti. But in the life of renunciation of course there is no
worry for maintenance since wherever one goes one is offered food. But on the other hand, household life is a prison
only for those who are attached. rf one is a devotee there is no harm in household life." In this way the mind spends
time vacillating between household life and renunciation. "Shall I engage in chanting or rather in hearing, or shall I
engage in service? Let me rather engage in many angas of bhakti like Arnarisa Maharaja."
When one imagines in this way all types of options it is called vyudha vikalpa, or extensive speculation.
'
yisaya sani:ara:
visayavisca ciccanam visnvavesalr suduratali
vm1111i dig gatam vastu vraj1111ai11dri111 kim ap1111yat
(One whose heart is lost in materialism is far from obtaining devotion to Visnu. Can a man going east Cl!tch
something which is going in the opposite direction?)

The devotee, with this understanding--that he cannot attain steadiness in serving Krsna without renunciation or
deta~hm~nt. from materi~l enJoyment--resolves to renounce his addictions. But his attempts at renunciation often
end m en1oymg what he 1s trymg to renounce. Such a person is exemplified in the Bhagavatam:

j11sama11as ca tan kama11 parityago'py anisvara

'y- (One who is not in control, though he tries to give up his material desires, ends by submitting to his lust.)

1 This on-going battle with his previo usly acquired desires for sense pleasure, in which he sometimes meets with victory
and sometimes with defeat is called "visa ya sa ngara" or war with sense pleasure.

_1_ niyam.a aksama: Then th~ devotee will re~olve: "From to.day I will chant such and such number of rounds of japa
j and will pay so m~ny ~be1sances. Am~ I ~111 pe.rform servtces for the devotees. I will not talk on any subject except
the Lo~d and I will give. up all assoc1at1on with people who talk on material matters." Though he makes such
re.solutions ever~ day, ~e 1s. ~lways ~nable to ex:cute .them. This is called niyama aksama or inability to follow rul es.
Visaya sangara is the mab1ltty to give up material en1oyment, whereas niyama aksama is the inability to improve his
devotional service.

tarani:a rani:ini: Finally, it is well-known that the very nature of bhakti is to be attractive, so all types of people
become attracted to the devotee, the abode of bhakti. And as the popular saying goes, "By the attraction of the
populace one becomes wealthy." Bhakti produces much opportun it y for material gain, worship and position. These
are we~ds ar?~1~d the .creeper of bhakti. Performing activities, or seeking ones pleasure (ranga) amidst these
~eed-ltk~ faci11.tt.e~, wluch are but small waves (taranga) in the ocean of bhakti, is called taranga rangini, delighting
m material fac1ht1es.

Ma\lhurya Kadambini Ch. 2

t/..L av7 o
 - ~ _, "~'(

(~ V' (i-('1
//..~
The Third Shower of Nectar

Canorthanlyrti; clearing the material impurities)

After bhajana kriya co mes anarth a nivrtti, or clearing of bad qual~t~es, which obs~ruct t~e progr.e~s ofbhakti .. ~narthas
may be classified into four types, according to origin: tho~c an smg f~om preVI~us smful acttVIty, ~~ose ansmg fro"!
previous pious activity, those arising from offenses agamst dcvot1o nal serVIce and those ansmg from bhaktt
(imperfectly performed) .
Anarthas arising from previous sinful activities fall in the category of the five types of klesa previously mentioned:
ignorance, false ego, attachme nt, hatred and addiction to evil. Anarthas arising from pio us activities are the ~~dictions
to the results of pious action (sattva guna sense enjoyment, mukti). Some people mclude the an.art has ans~ng fr~m
pio us activities under the categories of the klesas mentio ned above (since the presence of bhukh and mukh depnve
a person ofbhakti, and therefore prolong his existence in the material realm.)

Those anarthas which arise from offense refers to those arising from the nama aparad has. The seva aparadhas
(offensive act io ns towards the Lord, such as e ntering the temple with shoes on ?r in a ~chicle) in themselves ~re not
a direct cause of anarthas, for scva aparadhas do not usually have e ffect, bemg nullified by constant serVIce, by
chanting th e Name and by such activities. as reci tatio n of stotras which have the power to cancel the effect of any seva
aparadha. However if o ne becomes careless, and lakes advantage of the fact that he is protected f~om a~I effect of
seva aparadha by the above measures, his scva nparndha becomes nama aparadha, an anartha which will obstruct
bis progress. He is guilty of the nnma aparadh a of committing sin on the strength of the Holy Name. (The word
"nama" in the phrase "nama aparadhn" refers not only to the Holy Name but to all the angas of bhakti, of which the
Name is the primary representative.) -

Even, accord ing to dharma sastra (scriptures dealing with codes of karma) it is said that, if one willfully commits sin,
o n the strength of prnyascitla (remedial meas ures for commissio n of sin), then the effect of the sin will not be
destroyed but rather increased.

O n the other hand, takin g advantage of scriptural statements which guaran tee the permanent effect of even a little
devotio nal, servi(:e, or which guarantee perfect ion by simply chanting o ne Krsna mantra etc., a nd, as a result, neglect
some of the angas of bhakti, does not produce nama aparadha and a n:utha, fnr committing sin on th e strength of th e
H oly N:i mc refers to the willf11I commissio n of sin (actions condemned by the scriptures and wh ich require remedial
measures, including th e scva a pa rad has), th inking th at the power of devotio n activities will nullify the bad effects.
It does not refer to a willful omission of a second1,1{y anga of bhakti. Fo r, unlike the path of karma, where failure to
perform the rite perfectly is condemned, on the path ,ofbhakti , there is no fear that failure to perform all the angas
is an offense which will deprive o ne of,results. 1 , • • ,

• I
For the scriptures say that if, in th e performance of devotional service, a person inte ntio nally closes his eyes and
attempts to run, he still has no fear of stumbling o r falling or of not attai ning the goal. This means a person who takes
shelter of devotional service suffe rs no loss of results no r is he deprived of the goal, even if, knowing all the angas of
bhakti, he knowingly neglects to pe rform some of the secondary angas.

C losing the eyes and running docs not mean ignorance of scripture (sruti and smrti, considered as ones two eyes),
for th at contradicts the direct meaning, which states th at the person has eyes but docs not use them. Neither should
one c?nsider that closing the eyes and running (i ntentional neglecting some of the angas of bhakti, and eagerly
pursmng th e goal), and any actions resulting fro m th at mode of progress, will include intentional commission of the
thirt y two scva aparadhas, for th e verse describes a person who has sincerely taken she lter of the process of bhakti
as outlined hy the Lo rd himself. (In th at case the re is no question of intentional seva aparadha.) The thirty two seva
aparadhas beginning with "entcri ig the temple while wearing shoes" and o ther such seva aparad has sho uld be
understood to be offensive acts, and should never be intentionally committed. Thus in the scriptures a person who
in tent ionally commits a seva aparad ha is condemned as a two- legged animal.

~f the nama aparadhas, though th ey be lo ng-standing, have been committed unconsciously (but their presence is
mferred by the results, lack of advancement), th en one should chant the Name constantly . By that, steadiness bhakti
will be attai ned and gradually the offenses will be neutrali zed. If it is committed in full kn owledge however there
is some matters for consideration. ' '

·_;;...;-, ~~~.,.,._..,,
M a dh ~~adambini Ch. 3
' / ~ =.: {_,.,
t ~ f '"'C-- -•
 (Disrespect for Vaisnavas)

Sadhu ninda or criticism of vaisnavas is the firs~ offense. Tl-;e word "!'littd?" means animosity or malice. If by chance
this offense occurs, the person should be repentant, recog11;1ing his ow11 iuw 11ature in having committed the offense.
In the silme way that a person who has been burned by fire seeks reli~f in ~re, he sh~uld i;iullify. the offens~ by
lamenting, resolving to come before the vaisnava, fall at his feet, and ~attsfy him by offerin_g h1~ obe1sanc~s, praises
and respects. If the vaisnava is not satisfied, the person should remain ready to comply with hts every wish. If the
offense is so great that the vaisnava's anger docs not die, in great remorse, thinking himsel~ most unfortunat.e and
bound for hell because of his offense, he should give up everything else and take shelter of continuous nama sanktrtana.
By the great power of nama kirlana certainly, in time, that person will be delivered from his offense.

But if one, reluctant lo put oneself in a humble position by offering repealed respects and service lo the vaisnava that
one has offended, justifies himself by arguing that simply taking shelter of the Name is sufficient for the deliverance
from offense, then he is guilty of further o ffense.

Nor should one be of the mentality to think that the offense o f sad bu ninda operates on!y !n relation to a vaisnava
who is fully and perfeclly qualified with all the qualities mentio ned in s.:ripture, such z:; tolerance, mercy and kindness
to all living entities (krpalur akrta drohas titiksuh sarva dehinam), and therefore mi:timize ones own offense by
pointing out some d efect in the devotee. The scriptures say that, even a person who is of very bad character, a cheater,
devoid of proper behaviour, malicious, devoid o f samskaras, if he takes to surrender to the Lord, must be considered
a sadhu. All the more must a a devotee who may show some occasional fault be considered a sadhu.

Also, if a great offense has been committed against a vaisnava, but the vaisnava does not become angry because of
his exalted nature, the offender should still fall at that devol ee's feet and seek ways of pleasing him in order to purify
himself. Though the vaisnava may forgive offenses, the dust of his feet does not tolerate the offenses and delivers
the fruits of the offense on t~e gnilty person.

Sometimes, no suitable respect can ever match the causeless or fathomless mercy o f the powerful, spontaneous, most
elevated of mahabhagava tas in their distributi on of m~rcy. For instance, even though made to carry Rahugana's
palanquin and made the object of the King's harsh words, Jada Bharat bestowed his mercy. In a similar way Cediraja
showed mercy to the atheist daityas who had come lo do him violence. In the same way Sri Nityananda showed mercy
to Madhai, even th ough Madhai had injured his forehead.

The offense nf guror av:ijna, or disrespect lo gu ru, the third aparadha, may be considered in the same way as the first
aparadha. Misunderstancl ing the position of Visnu, Siva and demigod (second aparadha): Conscious beings are o f
two types; independent and dependent. The independent being is the (ill-pervading Lord (isvara) and the dependent
beings are the partidcs of consciousness (jivas), energies of th~ 1 1.-<Jtd, ·who pervade individual bodies. The
independ ent consciousness (isvara) is of two types: one is not toudfed 1~t all b~ maya, and the other, for the Lord's
pastimes, accepts the touch of maya. The th e first type of isvara iS>· called QY such names as narayana:
hmir hi 11irgwrah saksat pw11salt prd'fate para
(It Is Harl who Is directly the non material Lord transcendental to material nature.)
,,,,
The second type of isvara is called by such names as Siv·a
•j ,,.

'
sil'ah sakti yutah sasl'at trilingo gruza saml'rta
(Siva accepts the three gunas and is covered by them.)

Though Siva is covered by the gunas, one should not think th<lt he is in the category of jiva. As the Brahma Samhita
states, Siva is a trnnsform:ition o f !he Lord, just as yoghurt is·a •' t-ransformation of milk. In other scriptures also Siva
is glorified as isvara.

Brahma is also accepted as isvara in r.uch statements as:

sattm mjastama iti prakrter g1111a... hari viri11ci hara... /..;

But Brahma's posit ion as isvara or lord should be understood as power invested in a jiva by the Supreme Lord. The
Br~hma Samhita also says that it is by th e bestowal of power by the Supreme Lord that Brahma is able to create the
um verse.

The modes of ignor~ncc (siva), passion (hrahma) and goodness (visnu) may be compared to the wood, smoke and
fire, three progressive stages of fire. As smoke is superior to wood, so the mode of passion is superior to the mode

pf.I.: ff tt(( t <d .' (' r""r i c r ( 1

( ' {t ,. ~ •
~- (" ~If' 77
of ignorance, but as in the smoke one cannot perceive the fire, so in the mode o[ passion one cannot re?lize the
Supreme Lord. In the mode of goodness which is like the blazing lire, one can perceive the Lord. As the fire.m wo~d,
though present, cannot be perceived, so in mode of ignorance, though present, Lord cannot be perceived with
form. The happiness of realization of the Lord in his impersonal aspect may be compared to to the state of sleep
which is characteristic of lama guna.

The jivas are of two types: those who are covered by maya and those who are not covered by maya. The covered jivas
are the devatas, men and animals. The uncovered jivas are of two types: these under the influence of the Lord's
aisvarya sakti, and those uninfluenced by that sakti. Those not influenced by the Lord's aisvarya sakti are of two
types; those who, by practice of jnana merge in to the Lord (a lament able condition), and those who, by practice of
bhakti, remain differentiated from the Lord and taste nectarean bliss. Those who are influenced by the aisvarya
sakti are of two types: those influenced by jnana belonging to the spiritual sphere (cg.four kumaras), and those
influenced by the function of creation etc coming from the material sphere (cg.Brahma).

One may consider that Visnu and Siva arc non <lifferent, being the same isvara mode. Though this is true, one must
understand that there is a difference in worship of the Lord with a touch of material qualities and with no material
qualities. Brahma and Visnu, on the other hand, are completely different tattvas: Brahma is jiva and Visnu is isvara.
Sometimes Brahma and Visnu are described as identical in the puranas, but one should understand this statement
by the example of the sun (Visnu) and the jewel (brahma) which is invested with the light of the sun, and is therefore
considered non-different.

In some mahakalpas, even siva, like brahma, is a jiva invested with power by the Lord:

kvacij jiva l'isrsat1 nm lrarasyoktam vidhir iva

1

(Like brahma, slva Is sometimes a jlva.)

Thus Siva is sometimes classed with Brahma, as in such statements as:

yas t11 11araya11am devam bralrma mdradi daivatailt

samatve110i1•a ma11yeta so pasa11di blraved dlrntvam
(A person who considers Narayana as equivalent to brahma, slva and the other devatas Is a low rascal.)

Thus those who have not fully researched in the matter say that Visnu is the Lord, not Siva; or that Siva is the Lord,
~ot V~snu; or that since I am a devotee of Visnu, I will not give regard to Siva, or visa versa. Such people, deliberately
mvolvmg themselves in arguments, become offenders. If such offenders can become enlightened by a knowledgeable
devotee, then they can realize how Siva and Visnu arc non-different. With this realization and by performing
namakirtana, the person can nulliry his offense. '

(Sruti sastra ninda : disrespect for the sruti scriptures (vedas))

If one comm!ts this o.ffense one obtains relief when one has the fortune to understand from a knowledgeable p erson
that th~ s!utJs mercifully help the most blind, unqualified and independent people to come to the path of bhakti.
Comm1ss1?n of the fou~th offense can ~an be nullifi~d by using the ~ame mouth that criticized the scriptures (such
as ~he srulls, propoundmg karma and Jnana) to praise the same scri ptures, and to praise the practicioners of those
scriptures ( eg. performers of karma and jnana), and by performing loud chanting of the Holy Name. Jn the same way
one should understand the appearance and nullification of the other six offenses.

(The anarthas arising from bhakti)

Just as, along ~it.h the mai1.1 plant, many weeds grow, along with bhakti there appears acquisition of material wealth
and other fac1.littes, worship and respect by others, a c~m f?rlable position, fame et:. By their very nature, they have
the p~wer to mfluence the heart of the devotee, grow m size, and cover up the mam plant intended for cultivation
bhakti. '
(nullification orthe anarthas)

The four types of anarthas mentioned, ?a~ely, those ar!sing from previous sinful activity, from previous pious activity,
from nama apa~adha, and from cultivat1on of bhakt1, have five grades of eradication: limited (to one anartha),
pervasive (affectmg many anarthas), general, complete and absolute.

Madhurya Kadamblnl Ch. 3

10
Anarthas arising from nama aparadha are removed in th e following stages. One should understand t~at the word
"nullification" (nivrti) applies not only to the complete absence of anarthas, but to any of the progressive stages of
nullification as well. Thus wi th performance of devotional activities (bhajana kriya) there is nullification but the
eradication is limited. With the appearance of nistha, th e eradication is pervasive. With the appearance of rati or
bhava, the eradication is ge neral. With the appearance of prema the eradication is complete . With the altainmenl
of the Lord's lotus feet, the eradication is absolute.

Thus, in the case of Citraketu, who had attained the lotus feet of the Lord, his accidental maha aparadha to Siva was
apparent, not real, for there was no ill e ffect from his mistake. By the abundance of prema, his assuming the form
of an associate of the Lord and of a demon (Vrtrasura) were practically non-difference. The cause of the offense of
Jaya and Vijaya was a manifestation of perso nal desire derived from prema. The two desired in this way: "Oh Lord
of Lords, you desire to fight but we do not see a suitable opponent for you. All those available are too weak. Though
we are strong, we are not inimical to you. Somehow or other, make us inimical to you, and realize your desire to fight.
We, being your faithful serva nts, cannot tolerate to see any lack whatever in your perfection. Diminish yonr quality
of affection for your devotees, and fulfill o ur pray." Such occasional discrepancies in mentality can be overcome by
with ones intelligence (which can discern them, guided by scripture and sadhu and can then act accordingly).

The eradication of the anarth<1s <1risi ng from previous sin is as follows. With the performance of bhajana kriya, the
eradication is general, with the appearance of nistha eradicatio n is complete, and with the appearance of asakti it is
absolute.

T he eradication of anart has arising from bhakti is as follows. With th e performance of bhajana kriya, eradication is
limited. With the appearance of nistha it is complete, and with the appearance of ruci it is absolute.
The wise men have concluded this by considering all matters thoroughly.

O ne may raise the objection that these stages of extinguishi ng anarthas do not apply to devotees, quoting such verses
as:
anghah sa11ghamd akhilam sakrd 11dayad
(With one utterance or the Holy Name all sins are destroyed.)

ya1111a111a sakrc chra1•a11at pukaso'pi vi11111cyate samsarat

(If one hears the Holy Name even one time, a candala can obtain liberation from the material world.)

Also in the case of Aja mila, simply by his uttering the Lord's name o nce in namabhasa, all anarthas, even up lo avidya
(ignorance, the root cause of material b0nclagc), were rernoved and he attained the lotus feet of the Lord.
Th is is all true. One should have no doubt that the H oly Name has such inestimable power. But because the Holy
Na~~· _being unhappy with offenses commill ed against it , does not manifest its complete power in the offender.
This ts mdeed th e r eason why th e sinful tendencies continue their existence. Though these tendencies continue for
some time, the servants of death have no power to attack such a person.

110 te yama pasab/111 ca tad bhata11 svapne'pi pasyanti

(Such a person does not see Varna or his servants carry nooses even In dreams.)

110 vidyate tasya yam air Iii suddhih

(For them th ere is no need of other forms of purification.)

The case of the offender losing the mercy of the Name is similar to a subordinate who is offensive to his wealthy
master. He is denied proper car~, and is treated indifferently by the master. As a result of the withdrawal of mercy,
that person suffers poverty and distress of all so rts. At the same time however, people not under the jurisdiction of
a wealthy master do not suffer such hardships. But if the offending servant puts himself at the beck and call of his
master, th_e master gra~ually shows mercy, and that person's suffering is step by step eliminated . Jn th e same way
the offendrng devotee will al first suffer some miseries, but if he performs sincere service to the spiritual master and
to the scriptures etc, the Name will again gradually manifest mercy and gradually eliminate his evil tendencies.

Tims one cannot argue against the gradual elimination of anarthas.

I
"I have not committed any offenses." One should not make such statements. One can infer the existence of either
recent or long-standing offenses by their e ffect. The effect of offense is that a person will not manifest any symptoms
of prema by performance of n<1ma kirtana. ·J1•

Madhurya Kadamblni Ch. 3

11
 tad asma.rnram hrda)•am 1•ntcda111 tad grl1ya111a11alr lwri 11amadddlteyailt
. . 110 11ik1iyetatlia yada vikaro 11etre ja/am gatra nihesu harsa

(Ones heart Is as hard as stone if, when chanting the holy Name there is no change In the heart, tears In the eyes
or standing of hairs on the limbs.)

ke te jwradlra l'iprendra 11m11110 bhagavatah krta/1

1•i11igl111<111ti 111110111 k1tyam prak11a111 hya11aya11tilti

(Oh best 9 r brahmanas, what arc the offenses against the Name of the Lord which can.eel the results of all ones
performances, and turn everything material? In other words, what .arc these off~nses agamst the Name of the ~rd
1
which, being committed, prevent any results from repeatedly hearing and chanting the the Lords Name, qualtt1es,
which should give prema, from serving the i;acred ti rt has which bestow perfection, from tasting repeatedly the ghcc,
milk and betel prasadam which deslroy a!I desires for sense enjoyment, from which all those spiritually potent
activities become mere material?)

This is lhe serious e ffect of nama aparadha. If this is so, one may I hen argue that if these offenses are so serious, then
a person who comm its a narna aparaclha simply loses the grace of th e Lord and thus cannot even take shelter of guru
or perform devotional activities. This is lrue. Jusl as <luring a serious fever, losing all taste for food, it becomes
impossible to eat, a person who commits n serious offense loses scope for hearing, chanting and performing
devotional activities. There is no doubt about this. However, if th e fever lessens with time, some taste for food
develops. Even I hen, nourish ing foods like milk and rice cann ot give their full power of no urishment to the person
suffering from chronic fever. They bestow some be nefit, hut cannot relieve him of his wasted condition. An invalid's
diet and medicine can, however, with lime, restore him to his previous healthy conclitic11. At that time the full potency
of normal food ca n be ultized by the body.

In the same way, after a long period of suffering the effects of aparadha, the intensity reduces somewhat and the
devotee develops a little taste. Again the devot ee becomes qualified for bhakti. Repe:itcd doses of hearing and
chanting the Lord's name and performance of other devotional processes, grad ually, with time, reveal everything
up to prema.

Accordingly, the experi enced devot ees have d escribed devotion as progressing gradually by stages, starting with faith,
followed by associatio n, bhajana kriya, anartha nivrtti, nistha, ruci, asakti, bhava and prema.
H owever, the absence of symptoms of prema and traces of sinful activity in devotees who are practicing the devotional
processes such as kirtana, cannot always be attributed to nnrna aparndha. Nor ca n the presence of materi al distresses
always be attributed lo the reactions o f previo us kar111:1 (which should be d es! royed by correct executio n of bhakti).
For instance, though Ajamila was witho ut offenses, he did not manifest the symptoms of prema, even though he
named his son Narayana and ca lled that name many times every d ay. Moreover he was also inclined to sin (sexual
relation with a prostitute). And Yudhisthira, though free from past karmic reactions, had to suffer many material
miseri es.

Just as~ fruit-bearing tree bea rs fruit in due tim e, the H oly Name, being pleased with an offenceless person, will
reveal its mercy to him in due time. The effects of heaps of sin wh ich are due to previous bad practices are as
insignificant as the bite of a serpent without his poison fangs. And th e sickness, lamentation and other sufferings
undergone by devotees arr; not clue to sins in previous life. For th e Lord himself has said:

ya.w ham a1111grlr11rm1i lrmisye lad dha11u111 sanailr

Into 'dlrmrnm tyajmrty asya svajn11a d11hkhn d11lrklrita111
(Gradually I take away all the wealth of the person whom I favor. Being penniless and most miserable, he is
rejected by his family and relatives)

11irdlrm1at1•a malra rogo mad a1111graha laksa11a111

(The person without the malady of material possessions is the object or my mercy.)

Thus the Lord, thinking o f th e welfare of his devotee, in order Lo increase his hur,1i!ity towards, and long ing for the
Lord, bestows on him all sorts of suffering as his mercy. This suffering is not the effect of sinful actions in previous
lives.

llladhurya Kadambini Ch. 3

12
 Chapter 4

The Fourth Shower of :Mectar

Previously in the discussion of the two types ofhhajana kriya (anisthata and ni.sth?ta), s~ types of the.anisthata bhajana
kriya were described. Without describing nisthata bhajana kriya, anartha mvrlt was discussed. Snmad Bhagavatam
says: . . .
smvatani sva katlzalt krs11ah punya sravana kirta11ah, Ttrdy a11ah stlro hy abhadran~ vidl11111~t1 s1~T1rt.s~tam
nasta prayesv abl1adresu nityam bhagavata sevaya , bhagavaty 11ttama sloke bl1aktrr bhavat1 na1st111ki

(Lord Krsna, who Is affectionate to his devotees and situated In their hearts, destroys all Inauspicious elements of
those who hear topics about the Lord. When the Inauspicious elements have been generally destroyed by devotional
service, steady devotion to the Lord appears.)

The first verse refers to the stage of anisthata or unsteady bhakti, for in the next verse naistiki bhakti is menti~ne~.
In the first verse," abhadrani vidhunoli" (destruction of inauspicious clements) refers to the stage of anartha mvrtt1.
The words "nasta praya" (almost destroyed) means that to a small degree the anarthas are still present. The proper
order according to Srimd Bhagavatam is therefore bhajana kirya, anartha nivrti, nistha. T herefore nisthita bhakti
will be discussed now.

Nist ha means lo be endowed with the quality of steadiness. Though a person tries for steadiness every day while
anarlhas are still present, he will not attain steadiness. This is due to the persistent obstacles of laya (mental inactivity
or sleep), viksepa (restlessness), apratipatti (spiritual indifference), kasaya (sinful habits) and rasasvad (taste for
material enjo yment). However after the stage of anartha nivrti, when all of these obstacles are almost completely
destroyed, one achieves nisthita bhakti. The symptom of steadiness is the absence of the above mentioned bad habits.

Laya re fers lo the tendency to sleep during kirlana, sr avana and smarana (in o rder of increasing tendency). Viksepa
refers to affinity for material topics while performing kirtana etc. Aprapalti refers to the state of being unable lo
perform kirlana etc in spite of the absence of laya or viksepa. Kasaya means the tendency to indulge in anger, greed
, pride and other unworthy habits. Rasasvad refers lo inability lo absorb the mind in kirlana when one gels the
opportunity for material sense pleasure. Nislha appears in the absence of these fa ults.
tada rajas tamobhavah kama lobhadayas ca ye , ceta etair anaviddltam stlritam sattve prasidati

(At that time one Is completely free from the Influence or tama end raja guna, sltunted In sattva.) S ince P.!I or the
Impurities are completely removed, however, only at the stage ofbhava, this means that their slight presence does
not act as an obstacle at this stage.

Nisthita bhakti means steadiness of two types; concerning bhakti directly and concerning elements favorable to
bhakt i. Steadiness in bhakti itself has three basic divisions, bodily, vocal and mental. According to some authorities,
first one attains steadiness in bodily services, then in vocal activities (kirtana etc), and finally in mental activities
(remembering, meditation). O thers however disagree with this progression, saying that the steadiness in a particular
area will develop according to the individual abilities of the different devotees.

Steadiness in elements favorahle to bhakti refers to steadiness in such qualities as humility and giving respect to others,
friendliness, and mercy. However sometimes steadiness in such qualities may be seen in devotees (ability to cont rol
the senses) who have not developed steadiness in bhakti, and steadiness in humility etc is not seen in those who
have attained steadiness in bhakti. In spite of this, by the presence or absence of steadiness in bhakti itself, one should
understand the presence o r absence of the other qualities. Inexperienced perception cannot substantiate the truth.
This is confirmed by the verse quoted above, which states that with the appearance of naistiki bhakti the devotee
attains a position in which the qualities born of raja and lama guna are absent.

In summary, what has been shown is that the laxity or intensity of effort in the matters of devotional activities such as
hearing and chanting, when they become a ftxed practice, manifest, correspo ndingly, two types of bhakti, unsteady
and steady.

Madluarya J[adamblai Cll. 4

13
 Chapter S

The Fifth Shower of Nectar.

When the golden coin of bhaktl, shining elTulgently by the fire of steady practice and propelled by its own energy,
becomes fixed In the devotee's heart, ruci appears.
When a person develops a taste for the activities of bhakti such as hearing and chanting, which is vastly grea~er than
attraction to anything else, that is called ruci. Unlike the previous stages, constant performance _o_f .hearmg an~
chanting docs not result in even the least fatigue. Ruci quickly produ~es a great .attach~en! lo the ac~1vit1es ofbha.klt.
This is similar to a brahmana boy who, after diligently studying the scriptures daily, and in l~me grasping the meaning,
finds no difficulties al all in applying himself to study, and moreover, develops a pleasure m the task.

Because of a defect in the liver the ability to taste becomes affected, and sugar becomes distasteful. Sugar however
is also the medicine to cure the defect. Understanding this, an afnictcd person will take sugar daily, though it may
be distasteful, and eventually he will develop a real taste for it, as it cures his sickness. In this way, the jiva's heart
which is contaminated by ignorance and the other klesas, becomes cured by the medicine of hearing, chanting and
the other devotional processes, and eventually develops a taste for the activities.

Ruci is of two types: that which depends on excellence of clements, and that which does not. Excellence of elements
refers to an excellence relating lo such things as the Lord's name, qualities, form. For instance a person may only
experience pleasure from kirtana if it is pleasing to the ear and artistically sung, or may only relish topics of the Lord
if they are delivered skillfully with literary ornaments and qualities, or may only enjoy deity worship if all the
implements, place, and mat erials are of high standard. This is just like a person with a weak appetite who, when
notified of a meal, will ask what types of preparations there are and of what quality. The cause of this is a slight
impurity in the heart of the devotee. Therefore if a person depends on the excellency of the material elements of
kirtana to experience a spiritual taste, one should understand that there is a taint of impurity in his heart.

A person with the second type of ruci will experience great pleasure wherever and whenever there is a performance
of kirtana. He does not depend on excellence of the elements because he has actual depth in his taste. He has no
trace of impurity in his heart.

"Oh friend, instead of the nectar of your names, why have you engaged me in pursuits for security and enjoyment, so
hard to attain? What more can I say to you? I am unfortunate, for I am the lowest criminal. Though I have received
the mercy of the spiritual master, I have not understood its proper value. Instead I have been wandering everywhere,
and in that way 1 have wasted my life. Keeping a prect('t US jewel tied in the hem of my cloth, I have been searching
out a cracked cowrie, a spot of false happiness between the banks of the river of material engagements. Not
practicing any anga of bhakti, I have simply manifested lack of energy. So deceitful I am, such is my sense of taste
that I lick up acrid-tasting profane gossip like nectar and remain apathetic to hear the names, qualities and pastimes
of the ~rd. How unfo~tuna~e I am!. When I start to hear about the Lord, I comfortably fall asleep, and at the
opportunity for vulgar d1scuss1on, I prick up my ears and become wide awake. In this way I have contaminated the
assem~ly of .devotees ?nd ~vcrything else. Old and bent as I am, what sinful acts have I not performed, simply for
the satisfaction of my insat iable belly? I do not know what type of hell I will have to suffer for all my activities."

In this way the devotee will despair over his previous state of consciousness with a taste of disgust. Then in a remote
pla~e, like a swan, he will begin tasting and speaking reverently the nectarean topics about the Lord, th~ juice from
fruit from the desire tree, the mystic science of bhakti. He will converse constantly with devotees, lo the exclusion
of all other topics, first standing, then sitting, finall y entering. He will take refuge in the Lord's dhama and will fix
himself purely in the Lord's service. Ignorant peope will think he is going crazy. The dance instructrcss taking him
by the .hand, pers.onally ~cachin~ him, he will bei~in to learn the joyful process of meditating on and serving the Lord.
Lca rnmg all ofth1s, he will experience an extraordinary, unimaginable bliss. What unimaginable bliss will he experience
when, in time, he is made to dance by the head masters of dance, bhava and prema?.

Madluarya l:adambla.I Ch. S

 Chapter 6

The Sixth Shower of Nectar

After this, when the taste for bhajana (hearing chanting and other devotional activities) reaches extreme depth, an?
Krsna becomes the very object of ones devotional activities, that is called asakti or attachment. At the stage of asaktt,
the creeper of bhakti bears clusters of buds. These buds will in. no time bec?me nowers at the sta~e of bhav~ and
then fruits at the stage of prema. That ruci has bhajan as the subject and asakt1 has the Lord (t~e subject ?fbha1ana)
as the object should be understood from the amount of each component. Actually both ruc1 and asakh have both
components, but by the intensity of one or the <?t~er ruci and asakti become distingu!s~able from each other. Asakti
polishes the mirror of the heart to such a cond1t1on that the Lord may suddenly be v1S1ble there. Before the stage of
asakti the devotee, after realizing that his mind has been overpowered by material objects and desires, by his
deliberate effort withdraws his mind and fixes it on the Lord's form, qualities and activities. In the stage of asakti
however, absorption of the mind in the Lord is automatic, without effort. A devotee even at the stage of nistha
cannot prevent his mind from sometimes withdrawing from the Lord and fixing itself on material affairs.
A person at the stage of asakti, however, spontaneously withdraws his mind from material topics and absorbs it in
topics of the Lord. This latter quality is not seen in those who have not attained asakti (even those with ruci). Early
in the morning, seeing another devotee, he will begin talking. "Where are you coming from? You have a salagram
sila in the nice case hanging from your neck? Your tongue is quivering every moment from tasting the nectar of
krsna's name as you chant softly. Seeing you I feel overwhelming joy. Tell me what holy places you have visited, and
describe all the great saintly souls you have met. What realizations have you had, and what realization have you
bestowed to others?" In this way he will spend some time drinking nectar in intimate conversation.

Elsewhere, seeing a devotee with scripture under his arm, he will say, "By your extraordinary presence I can guess
that you are very learned. Please recite it for me. Bring to life just one verse, a cakataki bird waiting for raindrops,
by your shower of nectarean explanations." Hearing the explanation he will experience ecstasy.
Goi ng elsewhere he will say, "Oh just today my life will be successful, for the association of devotees will destroy all
my sins." Thinking in this way he will pay repeated obeisances on the earth. Being recognized by the most learned
devotee, the crown jewel of all devotees, he will sit before him in crouched posture, and beg from him with tears in
his eyes, while holding his pulse. "Oh master, you are the remedy for the material disease afnicting the three worlds.
I am the most fallen and depraved person . Please diagnose my malady and advise me what medicine and food to
take. By that miracle drug, restore me to proper health." Overjoyed with the devotee's glance of mercy, his trickling
nectar of sweet words, he will stay for some time to serve his lotus feet.
Sometimes wandering by a lake or in the forest, observing lhe mov~ments of the animals and birds, he will intuitively
interpret them as signs of mercy or punishment of Krsna upon himself. "If Krsna is showing his mercy to me, then
may the antelope in the distance come towards me three or four steps. If he is not shO\ving mercy, the antelope will
turn away." Seeing a small boy playing on the outskirts of a village, he will be reminded of the child saint Sanaka and
will enquire from the boy, "Will I see Vrajendra kumara?" "No." Hearing that simple syllable, he will deliberate on
whether to take the answer on face value or seek a deeper meaning.

Remaining .in his ho~se, like a ?1iserly m~r~ha~t greedy for tre~sure with a worn fa:e, he will be absorbed in _thought
all day, while dreammg, standmg, and s1ttmg. Where am I gomg? What am I domg? By what means will I get my
hands on my desired object?" When asked what is the matter he will sometimes act like a mute at other times he
1

feigns normality. His friends will apologize, "He was alright before, but now his intelligence has become covered."
His unacquainted neighbours will conclude that he is an idiot by birth. The followers of Vedic ritual will consider
hi~ ~t.upid .. The ad~erents of the impersona~ brahman will consider him disillusioned. The followers of pious
act~vit1es wit~ say he 1s fall en. The devotees will say he has acquired the great fortune. And the offenders will say
he is pretendmg . . But. the devotee, far from considerations of respect and disrespect, having fallen into the current
of the great celesttal nver of attachment (asakti) to the Lord, will simply continue in the same manner.

Madluuya Kada.ml>W Cll. I

15
 Chapter7

Th~ Seventh Shower of Nectar.

When asakti achieves full maturity it is called rati or bhava. Bhava is the immature stage of the three energies sac cid
and ananda. It is also the blossoming flower of the creeper of bhakti. Its outer luster is the quality of surd~rlabha
(rarity) and its inner luster is moksa laghu krli (laking mok.sa as insignificant). Just one aton:i ~f bhava drives out
ignorance completely. Moreover, by the profuse release of its fragrances, the flower of bhava .mVJtes Madhusud~na
and makes him appear there. Jn the state of bhava, scented by those fragrances, all the emotions of th~ heart, hke
a cluster of sesame seeds, lique fy into a perfumed oil, and become immediately fit to smear on all the limbs of the
Lord. At the appearance of bhava even the candala becomes worthy of the respect that is due to Lord Brahma. At
that time, his eyes, full of longing, turning towards Krsna to lick the blackness of his limbs, the rosy hue of .his lips
and eye-rims, the white brilliance of his moon-like teeth shining in his smiling face, the yellow hue of his clothing and
ornaments, begin to bathe his body in unlimited tears.

Like a hunted animal, here and there, from time to time, freezing his motion, he raises his cars to try to hear the
sound of Krsna's flute, the jingling of his anklets, the sweet intonation of his voice, the messages of his wandering
footsteps. And his body erupts in ecstasy on experiencing the longed for touch of the Lord's tender hands. His nostrils,
open wide again and again, and inhale, anxio us to examine the fragrance of his body. Hankering to taste the Lord's
sa liva, his tongue feels great joy on attaining that taste, and he licks his lips. Sometimes, gaining the association of
the Lord by the Lord's whim, his heart feels exhilarated, and becomes drunk with the abundance of sweetness, and
then, at the departure of the Lord he grieves, and becomes despondent. In this way the symptoms of sancari bhava
decorate his body.

His intelligence, in the states of wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep, determines to fix itself without deviation on the
path of remembrance of Krsna. At the time of attaining his spiritual body suitable for performing his eternal service,
the indestructible soul enters that body, and the material body becomes almost lifeless. At this stage the devotee
begins to experience extreme possessiveness of Krsna: like a bee he becomes anxious to indulge in the fragrance of
Krsna's lotus feel. Having obtained the most precious jewel of bhava, the devotee, like a miser, hides it from the
ordinary people. As he becomes the reside nce of renunciation, tolerance and the other wonderful qualities which
manifest themselves at the stage of bhava, advanced devotees will understand his internal status by those external
symptoms, but others v1ho see his distracted mind, will conclude that he is mad.

This stage of bhava is of two types: that arising from raga bhakti and that arising from vaidha bhakti. The first type
of bhava, arising from raganuga bhakti, being greater ir. its strength and natural feeling, with a predominance of the
feeling that the Lord is on an equal level, and a distaste for seeing the Lord as the all-mighty master, is very thick
or intense . The second type, arising from vaidha bhakti, being somewhat lesser in strength and natural feeling, with
a type of possessiveness of the Lord mixed with perception of the Lord as the all-mighty God, is not so condensed.
Those two types of bhava arc tasted in two different ways in the two types of hearts possessed of two types of spiritual
desires in tw~ types of devotees.

This bhava is lasted !n. different degress of sweetness, as in various degrees of condensation of mango, jack fruit,
sugar cane or grape JUiee. There are five types of devotees: those acting as santas, dasas (servants). sakhis (friends),
pitr (elders), preyasi (lovers), acting in the moods of santi, dasya, sakhyam, vatsalaya and priyata. Bhava by its own
energy causes the appearance of vibhava, anubhava, vyabhicari. The dominating mood or king generated fro m these
e~~ments is called sthayi bhava, which, by mixing with the elements, produces santa, <laysa, s akhya, vatsalya and
u11vala rasas.

The srutis texts define rasa as the very essence of the Lo rd: raso vai sah. Just as water is present in all the streams,
rivers and ponds, but is waler personified in the ocean, tho ugh this rasa is present in all the avataras of the Lord, and
touches perfect ion each of them, it attains its absolute climax in the son of the king of Vraja, Sri Krsna. R asa {Krsna
?im~elf) which aprears at the first stage of maturity (bhava) and becomes fully substantiated in the stage of prema,
1s directly expencnced by such a qualified devotee.

Madhurya Kadamhlni Ch. 2

H
 Chapter8

The Eighth Shower of Nectar

From the creeper ofbhakti which first sprouted two leaves during sadhana bhakti, now suddenly appear many smooth
petals in the form of anubhavas (the symptom~ of ecstasy) . attached !O the. fl.ower of bhava. These an~bhavas ~re
filled with the devotional processes such as heanng and chanting, and shme bnlltantly at every moment. First forming
the flower called bhava finally they bring forth the fruit called prema. But what is most astonishing about the creeper
ofbbakti is that, though its leaves, bud, flower and fruit mature into the succeeding form, they do not give up their
original forms. Together they shine in newer and newer ways.

The devotee's innumerable emotions were previously bound tightly by the ropes of possessiveness to family, relatives,
house and properties. However when prema appears, it easily frees the emotions of the mind from all those
attachments. By its inherent power prema transforms those material emotions into personal, spiritually blissful
elements and makes all ones accrued types of possessiveness of the same spiritual nature. Then, by those ropes of
spiritual possessiveness, prema binds the spiritualized emotions to the sweetness of the Lord's name , form and
qualities. The splendorous sun of prema in this way manifest its brilliance and immediately puts all material ideals
(purusartha), to shame like constellations in the sky,.

The juice which comes from the fruit of prema and is tasted has the essential quality of concentrated bliss, and its
outstanding nourishing property is its power to attract Krsna. Needless to say, when the devotee begins to taste that
juice, he does not take heed of any obstacles. Like a miser feverish for treasure, like a thief who has lost all sense of
discretion out of absorption in his job, the devotee loses all sense of self consciousness. Sometimes there is an
impatience for obtaining the Lord, like a hunger which cannot be satisfied even by eating the most tasty foods day
and night. Burning like the sun by that anxiety, he is soothed by the coolness of a thousand moons only on tasting
the form, qualities and sweetness of the Lord, which make a momentary appearance at that time. Simultaneously,
this prema, arising from its own reservoir, increases slightly, and the devotee longs for direct contact with the Lord
at every moment. By the intensity of his longing for the Lord, which burns like a conflagration and tears his body
like a sharp arrow, be remains unsatisfied with the momentary vision of the Lord's form, qualities and sweetness.

He considers friends as useless as a dry, overgrown well, his household becomes like a thorn-filled forest. Food
becomes totally distasteful. Praise from other devotees is like the biting of a snake. Daily duties become
unperformable. All the necessary rituals become an unmanageable burden. The consolation of his comrades is like
poison. Though he remains constantly awake, wakefulness is an ocean of repentance and his sleep seems to be simply
fleeing from life. His body seems the target of chastisement for the Lord. His life airs become as lifeless as roasted
grains. What he previously took as his life's goal is abandoned as a great calamity. Even thinking of the Lord tears
his body asunder.

Then prema, assuming the form of a tender kiss, attracts black Krsna and makes him appear to the devotee for a
moment. At that time all the senses of the devotee (eyes, nose, ears, tongue, sense of touch) become the receptacles
of all the auspicious qualities of Krsna--his supreme beauty, fragrance, melody, youthfulness, tastiness, audarya and
karunya. From lasting the extreme sweetness and ever-freshness of these qualities of the Lord, a greater longing
which al every moment increases is born in the devotee. Poetic words are not adequate lo describe the ocean of
bliss which appears at this time.

Like a traveller on a desert path burned by the sun's rays during the hot season, who takes she lter in a cool place
supplied with a hundred vessels filled with icy water from a divine pool, under the shade of a vast banyan tree densely
tangled with branches, or like an elephant caught in a forest lire who is finally bathed by unlimited water from a
bank of rain clouds, the devotee, afflicted by mortal disease, and craving satisfaction, drinks the nectar, tastes its
exquisite sweetness, and experiences unbounded bliss.

The Lord reveals first his beauty to the eyes of the devotee in this remarkable condition. On account of the sweetness
of that beauty, all the senses and the mind take on the quality of eyes, and obstacles such as paralysis, shaking and
tears are generated. From this the devotee swoons. To console the devotee, the Lord next reveals his fragrance to
the nostrils of the devotee, and by this, the devotees senses take on the quality of the nose in order to smell. Again
the devotee swoons in bliss. The Lord then reveals his sonorous voice to the devotee's ears. All the senses become
li~e ears to hear. and for the third time the devotee faints. The Lord then mercifully gives the touch of his lotus foot,
his hands and his breast to the devotee, and the devotee experiences the Lord's fresh youthfulness. To those in the
mood of servant he bestows his lotus feet on their heads, to those in the mood of friendship, he grasps their hands
Madhurya Kada.mblni Ch. I
n
 v.ith his, of those in the mood of parental affection with his hand he wipes away tears, and those in conjugal mood
he embraces, touching with his hands and chest. Then the devotee's senses all take o~ the se~se oft.ouch and t~e
devotee faints for a fourth time. The Lcrd then restores him by giving the taste from his own lips. This however is
revealed only to tho:;e in the conjugal mood. The devotee's senses take on the sense of taste and he faints for a fifth
time. This blissful swoon is so deep that the Lord must revive him by giving his audarya (generosity). Audarya refers
to the state in which simultaneously all of the Lord's qualities, (his beauty, fragrance, sound, touch and taste) all
suddenly manifest themselves to the devotee's various senses.

At that time, prema, which understands the indications of the Lord, increases to th~ extreme, and though the~e is a
corresponding extreme increase in the craving, this increased prema, becoming like the moon, then creates m !he
devotee's heart a friction amongst the simultaneous emotions, a conflict of a hundred waves of the ocean of bliss,
and becomes the beautiful ruling deity of his mind in that condition. At this time prema bestows its specific power
by which one can experience the different tastes simultaneously without conflict. One should not thin~ t~at the
intense craving of the mind will cause dilution of the various tastes. Rather, all of the senses, attammg the
inconceivable, astonishing, extraordinary quality lo perform the functions of the other senses to appreciate the Lord's
various qualities, give more intensely to the taste. Jn these matters, one cannot use material arguments evolved from
material experiences. These inconceivable conditions of prema are not subject to mundane logic.

Then the Lord, seeing that the sweetness of his beauty, frngrance, sound, touch, taste, and audarya are being supplied
unlimitedly to the devotee, like rain drops to the beak of a cataka bird trying to taste the totality, considers,"Why am
I holding so many wonderful qualities to my self." To let the devotee enjoy them, the Lord distributes his krpa sakti
(also called anugraba), the superintendent of all the saktis, which is situated like an empress ia the middle of a lotus
whose eight petals are the eight saktis (vimala, utkarsini, jnana, kriya, yoga, prahvi, satya, and isana). This sakti is
called vatsalya (affection) in relation to his ctevot~es in the mood of servant (dasa etc) and is called karunya
(compassion) in relation to the devotees in conjugal mood . This krpa sakti decorates the self in the eyes of the Lord.
By this all-pervading sakti the element of the Lord's free will appears in the devotees, and causes astonishment even
in those who have realized paramatma. By this energy the one quality called "bhakta valsalya" (affection to his
devotees), like a emperor, rules over the other auspicious, constitutional qualities of satya, sauca, daya and tapas.

The condemned qualities of illusion, laziness, error, intense lust, fickleness, arrogance, envy, violence, exertion,
lame ntation, dishonesty, anger, longing, fear, visva vibhrama, partiality, and dependency on others are not present
in the body of the Lord. By the request of krpa sakti however these qualities become present sometimes in the various
avataras and are realized by the devotees. But at this time these faults become excellent qualities.

Attaining the power to taste all those bestowed qualities of the Lord, and tasting each om:, the devotee ascends to
higher and higher peaks of astonishing experience, and his heart melts on incessant realization of the Lord's unheard
of bhakta vatsaly~ (affection for his devotee.) Then the Lord, displaying his wonderful nature, says, " Oh best of
devotees, many births you have given up wife, house and wealth for my sake, endured the miseries of cold wind
hunger, thirst and pain, tolerated the contempt of other men, taking to a life of begging. In payment for ail you;
sacri.fice, I cannot ~ive you anything. ~ have become your debtor. Since lordship over the whole earth in the post of
dem1g~d and mystic powers ar~ ~nsmtable for you, how can I give them to you? One cannot give grass and straw,
the enjoyment of cows, to a spmtual personality such as you. Though I am unconquerable, I have been conquered
by you. You have become my shelter."

Hearing the ~weet, affectionate words of the Lord, the devotee says, "Oh Lord, master, ocean of mercy, you glanced
upon me while I was being bitten by an array of crocod iles, the infinite miseries of endless births and deaths amidst
the terrifying current of material existence. Lord, transcendental to all the material planets, whose butter-like heart
melts as it manifests mercy, original spiritual master, destroyer of ignorance and lust, by manifesting sudarsana cakra
of your wonderful form, you have pierced those crocodiles and freed me from the clutches of their teeth. To fulfill
my desi~e to serve your lotus feet, you placed the syllables of your mantra in my ears, you destroyed my suffering,
you purified me by the process of co~stant hearing, chanting, and remembering you r qualities and name, and made
me understand how to perform service to yourself through the association of your devotees. I am unintelligent, the
lowest of the l?w, and even one ?ay have not done you service. Such a miserly selfish person deserves to be punished.
Co~trary to this however, showmg your very self to me, you have made me drink nectar. You have mortified me by
saying that you have become my debtor. Now I am thinking what to do. I would be presumptuous to ask you to
pardon all my offenses--five, seven, eight, a thousand or a million? I can definitely say it must be more than a hundred
thousand b~llion. But let be all the fruits of my past activities, received and yet to be received. Previously I compared
your dark limbs to the monsoon cloud, lo the blue water lily and to the sapphire; I compared your effulgent face to
the moon, and your tender feet, to newly sprouted leaves. Now these analogies seem like a pile of burned mustard
seeds compared to a golden mountain or like chick pea in comparison to a touchstone, like a jackal in comparison
Madha.rya Kadam.bi.ni Cb. 8
to a lion, or a mosquito in comparison to garuda. By my poor intelligence I have clearly comi_nitted offense lo you.
Such inapt poetry meant as praise unto yourself is accepted by the common people. I am like an unsettled cow
threatened by the sudden appearance of your form. But I cannot defile the desire tree of your beauty even with my
destructive comparisons."
In this way the devotee praises the Lord, and the Lord, becoming more please.cl with the devotee .r eveals all that is
suitable to ones particular relation to the Lord, imbued wil h .excellent rasa: S~t Vrdavana, the destre ~rec, the ~aha
yoga pitha, the most dear daughter of Vrsabhanu, her associates such as Lahta and other servant, his own friends
such as Subala and palyamanas such as Naiciki, the Yamuna River, Govardhana, forests such as Bhandira,
nandisvara giri, all the mothers, fathers, brothers, friends and servants there, and the houses. the Lord submerges
the devotee in the enchanting tidal wave of bliss and then disappears with his entourage.

Recovering consciousness after some moments the devotee, anxious to see the Lord again opens his eyes, and not
seeing the Lord, he begins crying. "Was I merely dreaming?--No, no, I was not dreaming, because I have neither
drowsiness, nor any contamination in my eyes from sleep. Was it some hallucination? No, for a hallucination could
never give such bliss. Or was it from some defect in the mind? No, because all the symptoms of unsteady mind are
absent. Was it the fulfillment of some material desire? No, no material fancy could ever approach what I have seen.
Was it a momentary meeting with the Lord? No, because it is completely different from all previous visions of the
Lord that I remember." Jn this way the devotee rem:-ins in uncertainty. Lying upon the dusty earth he prays
constantly for the same experience, but not obtaining it he laments, rolls on the ground, weeps, wounds his own
body, faints, recovers, stands, sits, runs about, and wails like a madman. Sometimes he remains silent like a sage and
sometimes like a social misfit, he fails to perform his daily obligatory duties. Like a person possessed of spirits he
talks incoherently. Unto a devotee friend who comes asking privately what is the matter, he explains what he has
experienced. When the friend explains that it was, by good fortune, a direct meeting with the Lord, satisfied, he
recovers himself and becomes happy.

But then again he laments, "No longer do I have that association. Was it a shower of mercy from some great devotee
of the Lord upon this unlucky soul? Or was it by mere chance, or was it the result of some past honest endeavour.
Or perhaps it was simply the causeless mercy of the Lord. By some indescribable fortune I have attained the Lord,
but then, because of a grave offense, I have lost him again. Without life, without intelligence, I cannot ascertain
the truth. Where shall I go? What shall I do? By what means? Who lo ask? I am completely vacant, without soul,
without shelter , scorched by a conflagration. The whole world gazes upon me, ready to devour me. Giving up this
worldly association, I will live in solitude for a time."

Doing this he laments further. "Lotus-faced Lord, holdi ng streams of nectar, bedecked with fragrant garlands which
scent all the forests, attracting swarm of vibra ting bees, just for a moment may I serve your Lordship again. Having
once tasted your sweetness, I cannot aspire for anything else."

He begins to roll on the ground, breathe heavily, faint, and lose his mind. Suddenly seeing the Lord everywhere he
rejoices, embraces, laughs, dances and sings, and when the Lord disappears again, he becomes filled with remorse,
and weeps. Behaving in this way, he withdraws his very life symptoms, and he loses awareness of whether he has a
body or not. Then, not aware that his material body has passed to the elements, he understands only that his desired
Lord, the ocean of mercy, has manifested himself, engaged him in service and is leading him to his own house. Thus
the devotee reaches the goal of life.
adau sraddlra tatalr sadlm sango'tlra bliajana kriya, tato' nartlra nivrttis ca tato nistlta rncis tatah
atlwsaktis tato bhavas tatah premablryudancati
(First appears faith, then association with devotees, devotional activities, clearing of obstacles, steadiness, taste,
attachment, bhava and finally prema.)

The stages of devotion men! ioned in this verse have been described as they are. Sneha, mana pranaya, raga, anuraga,
and mahabhava , successively specialized tastes, are progressively higher fruits on the creeper of bhakti. Because
the body of the devotee cannot tolerate the friction of extremes of all the tastes, they are not manifested in his body.
Thus these tastes have not been described here. Ruci, asakti, bhava and prema, which can be experienced, have
been described, but the spiritual evidences have not been supplied, as this would create an obstacle in comprehension
of those states. They are supplied here.

mci: labdha nicer malramater, asaki: gtmes11 saktam bandhana ratam 1•a p11msi muktaye
bhava: pirya sravasyanga mama bhavad ratir, prema: preatibhara nirbltim1a pulakonga'ti nirvrte

Madhvya KadambW Ch. 8

symptoms of ruci: fa ye pibanfy avifrso nrpa gadha kamais fan na, sprsantyasanatrd bhaya soka moha
snnntoms of asakti; gayan vi!ajjo vicared asango
Symptoms of bhaya :yaflza blzraamyafayo bra!tm011 svayam akarsasm1id!ta
tatha me bhramyate ce tas cakrapaner yadrcchaye
symptoms of vrema: vrafa ityatra !tasaty atho roditi, rauti gayati
meeting the Lord: ahuta iva me sighram darsa11a111 yati cetasiti
nature in that state tair darsaniyavayavair udara vilasa haseksita vama suktaih
octMt!es In that state; vaso yatba parikrtam madiramandha

These verses should be considered. The basic truth is as follows. Ahankara is of two types: ahanta (consciousness of
"I") and mamata (consciousness of "my"). By jnana these two are destroyed and liberation is attained. By directing
these two towards body (I a m this body), house (this is my house) etc. bondage results.

"I am the follower of the Lord. I am the servant of the Lord. The Lord with his associates, an ocean of sweetness
with his form qualities and pastimes is to be served by me." If one thinks in this way ide ntifying oneself as the Lord's
servant and making the Lord the object of ones possession, it is called prema. Prema is different from both bondage
and liberation, and is thus called the crown jewel of human goals. The order is as follows.

When the materialistic aspect of ahanta and mamata is elremely deep, one remains in the cycle of birth and death.
When faith is born and one thinks of becoming a vaisnava and serving the Lord, the materialistic asp ect b ecomes
slightly spiritualized and the jiva becomes qualified for devotional service. At the stage of sadhu sanga, the
spiritualization becomes more pervasive. At the stage of anisthita bhajana kriya, the spiritualization is localized in
one place, whereas the mate rial aspect is in full force. At the stage of nistha, spiritualization becomes more pervasive
and the materialistic influence decreases somewhat. A.L the stage of ruci, spiritualization of me and mine becomes
dominant and the the materialistic aspect becomes localized. ·At the stage of asakti the spiritual aspect b ecomes
complete and the mate rial aspect becomes a trace. AT the stage of bhava the spiritual aspect becomes thorough
and the material aspect becomes a shadow, occasional'" appearing. AT the stage of pre ma, the spiritual aspect
becomes extremely intense and the material aspect is co1npletely absent.

At the stage of bhajana kriya meditation the Lord is mixed with other topics and is temporary. At the stage of nisth a
me~itation, there is a trace of other topics. At the stage of ruci, other topics are absent and the meditation is long
la~ltrg. A~ t~e stage of asakti, _med ital io n becomes deep. During bhava with meditat ion the Lord appears in the
mmd. Ach1evmg prema, along with the appearance of the Lord in the mind there is direct association with the Lord.

May the sweet bank or clouds satisfy the world by distrib11Jng its rasa lifted from the ocean of sweetness Sri Krsna
~.
\.-aitanya. '

Madhvya Kadam.bW Ch. 11