20251223 Śrī Caitanya-śīkṣāmṛta 7.2

Introduction: So, this is audārya-dhāma, land of mercy and we would like to welcome all of you. Susvāgatam. Lord Caitanya, He appeared a kilometer or so down the road and Śrīla Prabhupāda said that is His janma-sthāna and ISKCON is His karma-sthāna, place of work. So here all the devotees are very active.

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Today we will begin with reading from the Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta by Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Seventh Shower — Rasa vicāra (Analysis of the mellows), Second Stream — The analysis of rasa is of worship alone.

Introduction: I am telling the team that is working on the fourth floor of SMOVP, the Scientific Museum of Vedic Planetarium, which is the west wing of TOVP, Temple of Vedic Planetarium   so I am telling them that we should stress the aspect of rasa, that’s what Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said.

Bhaktirasāmṛta-sindhu 2.5.131-133

sarvathaiva durūho ‘yam abhaktair bhagavad-rasaḥ |
tat-pādāmbuja-sarvasvair bhaktair evānurasyate ||131||

vyatītya bhāvanā-vartma yaś camatkāra-bhāra-bhūḥ |
hṛdi sattvojjvale bāḍhaṁ svadate sa raso mataḥ ||132||

bhāvanāyāḥ pade yas tu budhenānanya-buddhinā |
bhāvyate gāḍha-saṁskāraiś citte bhāvaḥ sa kathyate ||133||

In all respects, rasa directed to the Lord is very difficult to understand for those with no devotion. Those who have totally dedicated themselves to the lotus feet of Bhagavān can continuously taste bhakti-rasa. That which is the root of profound astonishment, which is beyond conscious contemplation, and which is relished in the heart bright with śuddha-sattva (the combination of hlādinī and saṁvit śaktis) is called rasa. Bhāva (rati), on the other hand, is that which the wise person with undivided intelligence contemplates in the consciousness – the seat of conscious thoughts – by means of deep impressions [of previously performed bhakti].

(Prabhupāda: Those who are not devotees can never achieve the benefits of devotional service. For them the subject of devotional service is always very difficult to understand. Only persons who have dedicated their lives unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can relish the real nectar of devotion. When one transcends the status of ecstatic love and thus becomes situated on the highest platform of pure goodness, one is understood to have cleansed the heart of all material contamination. In that pure stage of life, one can taste this nectar, and this tasting capacity is technically called rasa, or transcendental mood.)

Jayapatākā Swami: So, how many would like to taste the rasa, and so how many would like to go beyond ecstatic worship to the stage of prema? (Haribol!) very good. I am speaking to the right audience.

You see this tasting capacity called as rasa is completely transcendental and if only if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa then we begin to understand it and how by relating with Kṛṣṇa by devotional service we can understand this spiritual happiness. Trying to please Kṛṣṇa is actually the secret. Kṛṣṇa came as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the third reason was to understand why is Rādhārānī is enjoying more than Kṛṣṇa so Lord Caitanya told us that we can serve Kṛṣṇa in separation and we have so many reasons to be separated, we are separated. The reality is we are separated, so one may think that well if Kṛṣṇa was here I could have engaged in devotional service but Lord Caitanya’s teaching is when Kṛṣṇa is not here, we can serve Him in separation. This is the higher method and I would say I would select the most thing ____ . Like this we want to taste the ecstasy, we kindly give the happiness to Kṛṣṇa, we will automatically feel happiness. He is the Supreme enjoyer; He can expand Himself into unlimited forms. Just like He is in everyone’s heart as Supersoul. One time Lord Caitanya asked, ‘Where is Kṛṣṇa?’ and then He was told that Kṛṣṇa is in your heart, then He started scratching on his chest, they stopped him, no no! So Kṛṣṇa He has unlimited capacity, he is the Supreme enjoyer and we are meant to serve Him.

Various worshipers

Worshippers are of two types: worshipers who know the essence of rasa (rasa-tattva-vit) and worshipers devoid of the analysis of rasa. Even if they lack an understanding of rasa, in practice, they engage in discussions of rasa to some extent. Due to the absence of true knowledge of its essence, they label this as conceptual meditation (dhyāna), concentration (dhāraṇā), deep reflection (nididhyāsana), trance (samādhi), supplication (prārthanā), spiritual practice (Evādat in Islam), worship (pūjā), prayer and similar terms.

When worshippers become absorbed in these acts of worship, prayer, evādat and so on, a sudden emotion, akin to a lightning flash, arises from their inner self, trembling the mind and sometimes manifesting physically, such as through standing of the hairs on the body etc. They feel as though if this state could remain permanently within them, all their suffering would cease. What is this state? Is it a nature of matter, nature of thought, or a nature opposite of matter? Search the entire material world, and you won’t find such a phenomenon. Even the subtlest aspects of matter, such as electricity or magnetism, do not exhibit this state. If you analyze thought and see, you will find that it also lacks that state. There is certainly nothing in thoughts that are opposed to matter. Then, from where did it originate? Reflect deeply, and you will see that this mood springs forth from the perfected essence of the soul, even though it is covered by matter. Only during the time of worship, you realize such a state, but you do not analyze its essence in precise detail. Come, let us analyze it and see.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is very systematically Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda, He is showing us how the wonderful perception of some kind of subtle inspiration, some kind of ecstatic feeling and some kind of profound ecstatic symptoms like standing of hairs on end and sometimes someone laughs or cries or get choked up that are aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva, eight ecstatic symptoms So these are actually kind of what we want to realize a little bit the essence of rasa. So, if we cultivate this, like Lord Jesus, he told His followers the ten commandments but first commandment:
Love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
We love Him, so I told some of the nurses who came to see me, they were Christians, when I was in the Hospital. So, then I said that your Bible talks lot about Lord Jesus but in Bible it says in the Ten commandments that you should Love God but your bible doesn’t tell much about your God and so in the Bhagavad-gītā, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam those tell a lot about God and naturally if you know about God, then you can love Him. When I said this, they thought about this and they said, Yes, you are right. We need to also preach to Christians and other religions, because they do some devotional service like praying or service but they  don’t really know about rasa.

Material thought or impersonal thought is not worship

That inconceivable emotion is a particular function. A function does not exist without a shelter (āśraya). The pure self, veiled by the material body and material thought-filled mind, is the shelter of that function. As soon as the discussion of one’s own smallness and subordination to the greatness of others arises, that function suddenly manifests like the emergence of fire after striking a match or flint. The one toward whom it is directed becomes its only viṣaya (object). During the time of worship, the proximity of the object of worship causes this function to emerge from its shelter and move toward its object. This function is sthāyī-bhāva (permanent ecstatic moods). The practitioner (sādhaka) and the goal (sādhya) serve as its ālambana (support), while the remarkable qualities of the object act as its uddīpana (awakening/stimulus); these kind of particular ecstasies (vibhāva) are observed in it. The moment the functions, shelter, and object were combined, immediately several actions and characteristics, which are the subordinate external ecstasies (anubhāvas) indicating the internal emotions, were observed in the shelter.

(Jayapatākā Swami: The science of ecstasy!)

Among the thirteen types of anubhāvas previously mentioned, one or more will definitely appear. At that very moment, some of the thirty-three vyabhicārī bhāvas, such as joy, humility, or indifference, will come and assist the actions of those functions. At this time, some of the sāttvika transformations such as standing of hairs on the body, tears, and others will come and be present. Now consider and see: what is worship? I have explained the components of worship separately. Now, you have understood that the rasa I referred to earlier is worship itself. Sthāyi-bhāva’s (permanent ecstasy) attainment of the state of relishing is seen in the worship through the interaction of these four bhāvas, viz., Vibhāva (special ecstasy), anubhāva (subordinate ecstasy), sāttvika-bhāva (natural ecstasy), and vyabhicārī-bhāva (transitory ecstasy). Thus, worship itself is rasa. Material actions or thoughts, or non-material impersonal thoughts, can never be worship. All such actions are always devoid of rasa. An important point is that all worshippers inherently adopt the process of rasa. However, due to their lack of understanding of the science of rasa, they fail to explain their functions in a systematic, scientific manner. The cause of this anartha is due to the impression of previous association.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we worship Kṛṣṇa, that’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness and naturally that means that we, so this worship of Kṛṣṇa is something different. Like the material thoughts, material doesn’t produce this rasa. Materially some scientist speaking is very dry but when you actually Kṛṣṇa, worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead then you feel something special, some new devotees asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, why should we bow down, he said you do it you will see. They did it and they saw. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is something that we experience, then we advance,  but some people they take it , I have been chanting for three weeks still I don’t feel any ecstasy. It might take years who knows, it might happen in three weeks but generally it takes 20 years. The 14^th Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā talks about the three modes of material nature, so how one in the mode of goodness is conditioned by happiness and in mode of passion you have unlimited desires and in the mode of ignorance, you are crazy and you don’t understand anything. So its saying how, how ultimately surrendering to Kṛṣṇa you automatically reach the suddha-sattva  pure goodness so we need everyone to understand that we are eternal souls with temporary bodies and we are meant to serve Kṛṣṇa eternally so naturally then we get transferred to the spiritual world but those in the mode of material goodness which is mixed little bit so they reach the higher planets and in the mode of passion they take birth usually in earthly planets or lower heavenly planets. Those who in the mode of ignorance go to the lower planets and some of them would come back to the lower species so we want to be free from mode of ignorance and we want to be free from passion and finally reach the mode of goodness so by worshipping Kṛṣṇa it happens automatically.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Second Stream — The analysis of rasa is of worship alone Part 1.

Under the section: Seventh Shower — Rasa vicāra, Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta.