Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati

(Study and translation of first chapter)

by Lance Edward Nelson | 2021 | 139,165 words

This is a study and English translation of the Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati (16th century)—one of the greatest and most vigorous exponents of Advaita after Shankara-Acharya who was also a great devotee of Krishna. The Bhaktirasayana attempts to merge non-dualist metaphysics with the ecstatic devotion of the Bhagavata Purana, by assertin...

Warning! Page nr. 466 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

11 The 1 The Bhakti-rasayana consists of three chapters, called ullasas ("causing to shine forth, "manifestors," a term used by the aesthetician Mammata to designate the divisions of his celebrated Kavyaprakasa). The title of the first is "The Definition of the General Characteristics of Devotion" (bhaktisamanyanirupana), which bears an interesting resemblance to the title of the first section (lahari, "wave") of Rupa Gosvamin's BRS, "The General Characteristics of Devotion" (bhaktisamanya). Bhakti-rasayana 1 is accompanied by the author's own commentary (tika) and contains most of the material of philosophical interest found in the text. earliest published edition of the work (Calcutta, 1913) in fact contained only the first ullasa, and for some time it was thought that this was the complete text. Subsequent editions, however, corrected this impression by including all three chapters. The second and third ullasas deal with the details of rasa-theory and specify the various ways in which bhaktirasa is articulated in terms of the experience of the great devotees of the Bhagavata-purana They are entitled, respectively, "The Definition of the Special Varieties of Devotion" (bhaktivisesanirupana) and "The Definition of the Sentiment of Devotion (bhaktirasanirupana). Unfortunately Madhusudana did not provide us with a commentary on this portion of the text (or, if he did, it has been lost). The result is that the meaning of many individual stanzas in the second and third ullasas is less clear than one might hope-as is, consequently, the structure and rationale of the whole system of rasa that Madhusudana is trying to present. For discussion of the teachings of these chapters, see above, chap, 6.5. The present translation is based on the edition of Sri Janardana Sastri Pandeya (Varanasi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1961), hereafter abbreviated Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam To avoid confusion between the frequent references in the commentary to the "verses" (slokas) quoted by the author from the Bhagavata-purana and other sources, and the (less frequent) reference to the "verses" (karikas) of the Bhakti-rasayana itself, I consistently translate the former as "verse" and the latter as "stanza." Note that the section headings given in the translation do not occur in the original Sanskrit text. have inserted them to make the logical structure of the I 454

Warning! Page nr. 467 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

455 discourse a little easier to grasp and to facilitate reference to important passages of the text. 2 The indefinite pronoun kamcit, here translated as "that wondrous Being," signifies inexpressibility. The inexpressible Brahman is grasped by human consciousness in personal terms as bhagavat ("the Blessed Lord") or Isvara ("the Lord"). See note 8, below; chaps. 2.4, 5.6. 3 The Lord is addressed in this verse as Krsna. During his childhood and early youth, Krsna lived in the house of Nanda, the chief of the cowherds of Vrndavana, as his foster son. See Bhagavata-purana 10 and Vishnu Purana 5. 4"Mountain-lord, " a name of Siva, who is said to dwell on Mount Kailasa, a remote Himalayan peak. 5 At Bhagavata-purana 3.12.12, Siva as Rudra is described as having eleven forms: Manyu, Manu, Mahinasa, Mahan, Siva, Rtudhvaja, Ugraretas, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva, and Dhrtavrata. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.4 says that the Rudras are the ten vital breaths, with the Self as the eleventh. (See Walker, Hindu World [New York: Fredrick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1968], II, 314.) As he bows, ten of Siva's forms are reflected in Lord Krsna's ten toenails and Siva himself, we must suppose, assumes the eleventh. Siva is Visnu-Krsna's greatest rival for supremacy among the Hindu gods. In making him a devotee of, and therefore subservient to, Visnu in this verse, Madhusudana displays a typical Vaisnava attitude. In his Bhaktisandarbha, Jiva Gosvamin writes that deities like Siva and Brahma should be worshiped only (1) as great Vaisnavas-i.e., devotees of Krsna--or (2) as particular loci (adhisthana) or manifestations of Krsna. Some scriptures encourage equal worship of all deities, Jiva admits, since such an attitude may be useful for the yogin or the jnanin. This way of thinking would, however, be a serious handicap for the Vaisnava devotee. The latter must focus his entire devotion on Krsna alone and subordinate all other deities to him. See De, VrM, 275. 6 sistagrani, "foremost among the learned (sista).' From the root sas ("to teach, command"), sista suggests one who is well educated, widely read, and highly cultured. Cp. the colophon, sec. XXX. On Madhusudana's reputation as a scholar, see my introduction above. 7 angikurvann adau, literally, "receives at the beginning" or, perhaps, "recites at the beginning.

Warning! Page nr. 468 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

456 " 8 bhagavat, literally "possessing (-vat) fortune (bhaga)," hence "blessed," "glorious," "divine, "holy." Though applied in the literature to saints and demigods as well as gods, it comes to be used especially as a title of the supreme deity. In this sense it is roughly equivalent to Isvara ("Lord"), as used in the Vedanta, but with the particular connotations of loving compassion and approachability. In the present work, the term is translated as "the Blessed Lord" or, to avoid repetition, simply "the Lord." It could just as easily have been translated by the English word "God," with which meaning modern Indian vernaculars use the Sanskrit nominative singular form bhagavan. At Gudhartha-dipika 2.2 Madhusudana quotes the traditional scriptural definitions of bhaga and bhagavat from the Vishnu Purana: • "Bhaga is the designation of the six [attributes] complete dominion, righteousness, fame, glory, detachment, and liberation' [Vishnu Purana 6.5.74]. 'Complete' here applies to each of the attributes. He is bhagavat in whom such complete dominion and so on reside constantly and unrestrictedly. He who knows the origin and the dissolution of all beings, their coming and going, their knowledge and ignorance, is called bhagavat' [Vishnu Purana 6.5.78]. . . A designation such as bhagavat should be applied to Vasudeva [Krsna] alone" ("aisvaryasya samagrasya dharmasya yasasah sriyah vairagyasyatha moksasya sannam bhaga itingana //" samagrasyeti prayekam sambandhah etadrsam samagram aisvaryadikam nityam apratibandhena yatra vartate bhagavan iti. agatim gatim iti //" utpattim ca vinasam ca bhutanam vetti vidyam avidyam ca sa vacyo bhagavan etadrso bhagavacchabdarthah srivasudeva eva paryavasita, Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, 31-32). -- 9 At the beginning of any learned treatise in Sanskrit, it is customary for the author to make the value of his work explicit for his readers by stating its four anubandhas ("indispensable elements"). These are: the visaya (the "topic" of the work), the prayojana (the "aim" or "purpose" of the work), the sambandha (the "relation" of the work to the topic or the purpose), and the adhikarin (the "qualified person" eligible to study the work). See Vedantasara 5 (Nikhilananda, p. 3) and Annambhatta's Tarkasamgraha, ed. Athalye and Bodas (Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1974), p. 21. 21. That Madhusudana intends sambandha to be the relation between the work and its topic is made clear in section VIII, where he comments: "`I shall explain'--this is the declaration of the relation of the work to its subject matter" (tam aham vyanajmlty abhidheyasambandhanirdesah, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 17). Since the purpose of the work is to "bring contentment to all"

Warning! Page nr. 469 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

457 (akhilatustyai, stanza 1) and since "all living beings are qualified for devotion" (pranimatrasya bhaktau adhikarah, sec. XI; Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 27), no special adhikara ("qualification") need be mentioned. This is significant, in light of the highly restrictive qualifications placed on the study of traditional Advaita. 10 bhaktiyoga, "the path of devotion, of loving and intense attachment to God." See chap. 1.1, chaps. 3-6, passim. Note that Madhusudana uses bhakti and bhaktiyoga as interchangeable synonyms. In this translation, bhakti is invariably rendered as "devotion." 11 A name of Krsna. 12 navarasamilitam va kevalam va. The nine bhaktirasas ("devotional sentiments") referred to are: (1) srigara ("erotic love"), (2) karuna ("compassion"), (3) hasya ("mirth"), (4) pritibhayanaka ("love-in-fear"), (5) adbhuta ("wonder"), (6) yuddhavira ("heroism in battle"), (7) danavira ("heroism in charity"), (8) vatsala ("parental affection"), and (9) preyas ("dearness" or "friendship"). The word kevala is used here, probably for metrical purposes, as a synonym for suddha, which is described as the "tenth rasa" at Bhakti-rasayana 2.73. The idea is as follows. Devotion may be mixed, i.e., experienced in terms of the devotional mood of one or another of the participants in the Krsna-lila. As such, it would express one or more of the nine "sentiments" (rasas). But bhakti may also be "pure," i.e., enjoyed as simple bliss without reference to the various sentiments. Being divorced from the rasas that have their parallel in mundane human emotions, it would then have a more ascetic orientation. In the final analysis, although Madhusudana has great regard for the ecstatic love of the gopis, he regards the pure (suddha) devotion of such sage-devotees as Sanaka as the highest. See chap. 6.5 for references and a discussion of Madhusudana's theory of bhaktirasa; see chap. 6, passim, for rasa-theory in general. 13 pumartham (equivalent to purusartha), "goal of life" or, more literally, more literally, the "aim, end or goal of man.' This term is here translated consistently by the phrase "goal(s) of life." The paramapurusartha (in this verse, pumartham paramam) is the highest human goal. See the discussion of devotion vis-a-vis the four commonly accepted purusarthas in secs. V-VII and IX, and chaps. 4.3.2, 5.3. " 14 The word iha in this verse is somewhat puzzling. Although it is probably added just for metrical purposes, one could conceivably make a case for its being consciously intended to suggest the limitation of bhakti to "this world"

Warning! Page nr. 470 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

458 (iha) as opposed to the "next world" (amutra), i.e., as statement that devotion is restricted to the state of liberation-in-life (jivanmukti) and not experienced in disembodied liberation (videhamukti). This, of course, would upset the whole interpretation of the Bhakti-rasayana presented in chap. 5. It is clear, however, that Madhusudana is trying to establish (1) that bhakti is the paramapurusartha and (2) that, as such, it can be experienced eternally, both of which would be impossible if devotion was confined to the state of jivanmukti alone. See secs. V-VII; also chaps. 5.3, 5.9, and 8. 15 nirupamasukhasamvidrupam, "the experience (samvid) of incomparable bliss (sukha), taking sukhasamvid as 'consciousness of bliss" (genetive tatpurusa) rather than "consciousness and bliss" (dvandva). I am indebted to Professor K. Sivaraman for this suggestion, which is important in the light of Hemadri's dictum that bhakti is the experience of bliss (sukhanubhava), while moksa is simply the state of bliss (sukhatva). See chap. 4, note 105. The word sukha, when connected with devotion or the aesthetic sentiments, is generally translated as "bliss, signifying happiness of a transphenomenal order. In other contexts, it can mean ordinary happiness or pleasure. 11 16 Madhusudana here lists the yogas in their order of priority from the devotional standpoint. As we shall soon see, the yogas of action, meditation, and knowledge are, in the Bhakti-rasayana, regarded as preliminaries to bhakti. 11 11 " " A yoga is a way or path of spiritual development. It involves disciplined activity aimed at preparing the practitioner for immediate, salvific experience of the transcendent, the conception of the latter varying with the particular religious context in which the effort is being carried on. A derivative of the Sanskrit root yuj, it is a cognate of the English "yoke" and suggests "means, "discipline," "endeavor, and also "joining, "union. There are many varieties of yoga in the Hindu (and Buddhist) traditions, including bhaktiyoga, which is the subject of the present work. The term, of course, means much more than the system of physical discipline, more properly known as hathayoga, that has gained some popularity in the West. Nevertheless, as the word is now commonly used in English, I leave it untranslated. 17 karmayoga, the yoga based on the disinterested performance of karma ("action" in the form of duties and religious rites). See Bhagavad Gita, chap. 3. 18 The astanga ("eight-limbed") yoga of physical and mental discipline systematized by Patanjali in his Yoga-

Warning! Page nr. 471 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

459 sutras (Yoga Sutras). The eight limbs are: (1) yama ("restraints" consisting of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possessiveness); (2) niyama ("observances," consisting of purity, contentment, austerity, scriptural study, and surrender to the Lord); (3) asana ("posture"); (4) pranayama ("control of the breath"); (5) pratyahara ("withdrawal of the senses"); (6) dharana ("concentration"); (7) dhyana ("meditation"); and " (8) samadhi ("perfect meditation, "absorption," "enstasis"). See Yoga Sutras 2.29-32. 19 9 jnanayoga, to be described shortly. 20 Unless otherwise indicated, all verse references are to the Bhagavata-purana 21 I have taken the liberty in this translation of relegating the long list of rites given at this point in the text to the notes in order to avoid unnecessary and tedious complexity. The "sacraments" of the Brahmanical tradition are called samskaras ("consecrations"). The Hindu law books (dharmas@tras and dharmasastras) mention some forty samskaras, but our text lists only eleven of the more commonly observed rites, as follows: (1) garbhadhana ("conception"), (2) pumsavana ("securing a male child"), (3) simantonnayana ("parting the hair" of the mother as symbolic preparation for delivery), (4) jatakarman ("birth ceremony"), (5) namakarana ("naming ceremony"), (6) annaprasana (first "partaking of solid food"), (7) caula (first "tonsure"), (8) upanayana ("initiation" as student and investiture with the sacred thread at the beginning of Vedic study), (9) the four vedavratas ("scripture-observances, marking the periods of Vedic study), (10) snana ("bathing,' marking the end of student life), and (11) sahadharmacarintsamyoga ("union with a partner who will be a companion in the performance of duty," i.e., marriage). For details, see Walker, II, 315-316; Kane, II, chaps. VI-IX; and Keith, The Religion and Philosophy of the Vedas and the Upanishads, Harvard Oriental Series, Vol. XXXII (authorized reprint; Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970), pp. 366-369. 10 22 The pancamahayajnas, daily sacrifices, incumbent on all householders, directed to (1) the gods, (2) the elemental spirits, (3) the ancestors, (4) the sages (in the form of study and teaching), and (5) humanity (as hospitality, charity, etc.). See Walker, I, 360; Kane, II, chap. XVIII; and Keith, pp. 359-360. 23 The pakayajnas ("cooked-offering sacrifices"). These, along with the samskaras and the pancamahayajnas were classed as grhya ("domestic") rites, generally performed by

Warning! Page nr. 472 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

460 householders within the privacy of their own homes using the domestic fire. (See Keith, pp. 358-378.) Madhusudana lists them as follows: (1) the astaka, a type of sraddha performed eight days after the full moon (Kane, IV, 353-360); (2) the parvana, a type of sraddha performed on the new moon day (Kane, IV, 426 ff.); (3) the sraddha itself, an offering to the ancestors performed at various times through the liturgical year (Kane, IV, chap. 9); (4) the sravani, an offering to the serpents to gain their good will (Kane, II, 821-829); (5) the agrahayani, a ceremony marking the end of the period in which raised cots were used for sleeping, a practice adopted during the rainy season from fear of snakes (Kane, II, 829-831); (6) the caitri, a rite of uncertain import, performed on the full moon day of the month caitra (Kane, II, 820); and (7) the asvayuji, an offering to Pasupati-Siva performed on the full moon day of the month asvayuja or asvina (Kane, II, 826-827). These 24 The haviryajnas ("oblation sacrifices"). were srauta sacrifices, distinguished from the domestic rites chiefly by the use of the three specially maintained srauta fires--or at least one of the three--instead of the single domestic fire, and by being for the most part public, involving the use of one or more priests. The srauta were of three types: isti (an offering of non-flesh food such as butter, rice, etc.), pasu (an animal sacrifice), and soma (marked by libations of soma juice, as described in the next note). The seven haviryajnas listed are (1) the agnyadheya, the "installation of the fire" (Kane, II, 986-997); (2) the agnihotra, the daily morning and evening oblations to Agni, the fire-god (Kane, II, 998-1008); (3) the darsapurnamasa, the "new and full moon sacrifices" after which all istis were modeled (Kane, II, 1009 ff.); (4) the agrayana, an offering of the "first fruits" harvested in the various seasons (Kane, II, 1106-1107); (5) the caturmasya, the "four-monthly" or seasonal sacrifices (Kane, II, 1091-1103); (6) the nirudhapasubandha, an offering of an eviscerated animal (Kane, II, 1224-1228); and (7) the sautramani, a mixed isti and pasu sacrifice dedicated to Indra as Sutraman, the "good protector" (Kane, II, 1224-1228). 25 The soma sacrifices were srauta rites distinguished by the ceremonial pressing and drinking of the juice of the soma plant. They also involve the sacrifice of animals, usually goats. The agnistoma was the model, the six others being regarded as derivatives of it. The seven somayajnas listed are (1) the agnistoma, the "praise of Agni" (Kane, II, 1133-1203); (2) the atyagnistoma (Kane, II, 1205); (3) the ukthya (Kane, II, 1204); (4) the sodasin (Kane, II, 1204); (5) the vajapeya, "drink of strength, lasting for seventeen days and featuring a chariot race

Warning! Page nr. 473 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

461 (Kane, II, 1206-1212); (6) the atiratra, "overnight" sacrifice, involving nocturnal libations of soma (Kane, II, 1205); and (7) the aptoryama, an extension of the preceding (Kane, II, 1206). 26 varnasramadharma. 27 antahkarana, literally "the inner organ, composed of buddhi, the discriminative faculty; ahamkara, the egosense; citta, memory; and manas, thought. There is some dispute within the tradition as to the exact meaning of these terms, especially citta and manas, so these translations are very rough. In practice, manas, citta, and antahkarana are often used loosely as synonyms. Since this is the case in the present work, we need not delve into further complications here. See Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya 2.3.32 (Vedanta Sutras (Shamkaracharya commentary) II, 48) and 2.4.6 (Vedanta Sutras (Shamkaracharya commentary) II, 81); Vedantasara 65-69 (Nikhilananda, pp. 46- 47). 28 gruti, the authoritative statements of the Veda, regarded as revealed scripture, which are "heard" (sruta) directly from one's teacher. I have not been able to trace the source of these particular texts. The ideas, however, are common and similar expressions may be found, for example, in Satapatha and Pancavinsa Brahmanas (personal communication from Dr. Fred Smith, Department of Oriental Studies, University of Pennsylvania). 29 The words "melted mind" (drutacitta) refer to a state of heightened emotional sensibility in which the mind can be deeply impressed by emotionally-charged objects. (See secs. XII-XIII, below.) The melted state is a characteristic of the devotee (bhakta) as opposed to the possessor of knowledge (jnanin), whose mind remains unmelted, i.e., not emotionally aroused, and hence more inclined toward an intellectual, analytical approach to life and the spiritual quest. 30 In the present translation, the term It The 10 bhagavatadharma is invariably rendered by the phrase "spiritual disciplines of the Lord's devotees". bhagavatas are the devotees of bhagavat. Dharma in this context means "practice," "discipline, "rule, 'duty.' The bhagavatdharmas are traditionally listed as nine: (1) hearing of the virtues and glorious exploits of the Lord (sravana), (2) singing his praise and chanting his name (kirtana), (3) constant thinking of him (smarana), (4) constant attendance and service (padasevana), (5) worship (arcana), (6) reverent prostration (vandana), (7) regarding oneself as the Lord's servant (dasya), (8) regarding the Lord as one's friend (sakhya), and (9) self-surrender

Warning! Page nr. 474 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

462 (atmanivedana). See note 291, pt. IV, and Bhagavata-purana 7.5.23-24, which is quoted there. 31 After the practice of karmayoga has reached its goal--the purification of the mind, which is an essential prerequisite for success in the the higher yogas--the spiritual ascent bifurcates into the paths of knowledge, as followed by the orthodox Samkara samnyasins, and bhakti. From here onward in the text, Madhusudana is exclusively concerned with the second of these two disciplines, the way of devotion. It will become apparent that the yoga of knowledge discussed in sec. IV is not the rigorous and highly formalized discipline adhered to by the samnyasin, but rather a loosely conceived collection of practices-including both meditative yoga and certain devotional disciplines (sadhanabhakti)--designed to further prepare the mind for Self-realization (atmasaksatkara) and the higher levels of devotional experience. Madhusudana discusses the relation between the orthodox Advaitic path of knowledge and devotion in his Gudhartha-dipika See chap. 9. 32 which has just been declared to be included in the yoga of knowledge, at least from the point of view of the Bhagavata-purana and the present discussion of devotional spirituality. 33 See the discussion of non-attachment and knowledge as preliminary to the highest levels of devotion, secs. XXIV-XXVIII. follows: 34 The reference is to Bhagavad Gita 13.7-11, which reads as "Absence of pride; lack of deceit; non-violence; tranquillity; straight-forwardness; service of the teacher; purity; steadfastness; self-control; [8] indifference to the objects of the senses; absence of egoism; contemplation of the evil of birth, death, old age, sickness, and pain; [9] non-attachment; absence of clinging to sons, wife, home, and the rest; constant even-mindedness toward occurrences desirable and undesirable; [10] unswerving devotion to Me through yoga directed toward no other; frequenting lonely places; dislike for crowds of people; [11] constancy in the knowledge that pertains to the Self; awareness of the goal of true knowledge--this is declared to be knowledge; what is other than this is ignorance" (amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa ksantir arjavam / acaryopasanam saucam sthairyam atmavinigrahah // indriyarthesu vairagyam anahankara eva ca janmamrtyujaravyadhiduhkhadosanudarsanam 11 asaktir anabhisvangah putradaragrhadisu / nityam ca samacittatvam istanistopapattisu // mayi cananyayogena

Warning! Page nr. 475 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

463 bhaktir avyabhicarini / viviktadesasevitvam aratir janasamsadi // adhyatmajnananityatvam tattvajnanarthadarsanam etaj jnanam iti proktam ajnanam yad ato 'nyatha). Madhusudana, in his Gudhartha-dipika, comments on this passage as follows: "These twenty, from absence of pride through awareness of the goal of true knowledge, are called knowledge because of being conducive to that" (etad amanitvadi tattvajnanarthadarsanantam vinsatisamkhyam jnanam iti proktam, jnanarthatvat, Gudhartha-dipika 7.14.11; Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, p. 549). What is being described here, and what Madhusudana wants to suggest by quoting this passage at this point in the Bhakti-rasayana, is therefore neither knowledge itself as the immediate realization of Brahman nor the discipline followed by the orthodox Samkara samnyasin but rather, as indicated in note 31, a loose amalgam of yogic, ascetic, contemplative, and even devotional practices designed to prepare the mind for knowledge and, eventually, the highest levels of bhakti. 35 Spratilomanulomatah, literally "with the grain and against the grain. In the present context, where Samkhya doctrines of the "origin and passing away of all things" are being discussed, the most appropriate translation is "according to the order of evolution and involution." Sridhara explains anulomatah as "production in due order beginning with prakrti" (prakrtyadikramena bhavam) and pratilomatah as "dissolution in due order beginning with the element earth" (prthivyadikramena apyayam, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 674). 36 The text of the verse: nirvinnasya viraktasya purusasyoktavedinah / manas tyajati dauratmyam cintitasyanucintaya. Sridhara glosses the difficult phrase cintitasyanucintaya (which I have translated "by continuous reflection on such thoughts") as "repeated reflection on the thoughts (`objects of reflection,' 'things thought about') imparted by the preceptor" (gurupadistasyaiva cintitasya punahpunar anucintaya). The text of Sridhara's commentary: nanupayasahasrenapi mano visayakaratam na tyajati kim bhuyo bhuyah upadeseneti cet tatraha nirvinnasyeti tatas cagamapayisu tesv avadhibhutatmadarsanat tadavivekapannasamsare nirvinnasyato viraktasya tatas coktavedino gurupadistarthalocakasya tato gurupadistasyaiva cintitasya punahpunar anucintaya dauratmyam dehadyabhimanam tyajati, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 674). 7 yama, see note 18. 37 38"proper object" is my translation of yogyan, the meaning of which is not clear. Sridhara glosses it as paramatman ("supreme Self"): etair upayair yogyam paramatmanam manah smaret, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 674.

Warning! Page nr. 476 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

464 # 39 pandeya, the author of the Hindi anuvada, explains that jnana is useful only as long as bhakti has not arisen, because it is bhakti that leads to the final tranquillity of mind (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, 9). The text reads bhaktiyogam vina manassamyakprasadabhavat, "without the yoga of devotion there cannot be proper tranquillity of mind." This is perplexing, however, because it appears from the reference to Samkhya in 11.20.22, which is the basis of the remark in question, and indeed the whole tenor of the passage, that the verse is describing the yoga of knowledge--not bhakti-as the discipline which leads to the mind "becoming tranquil" (prasidati). Therefore, it would seem more straightforward to say that knowledge, not devotion, is necessary for "proper tranquillity (prasada) of mind, especially as Madhusudana later stresses that one can enter upon the higher levels of devotion only after such tranquillity has been attained through the yoga of knowledge. The yoga of devotion is the goal or end (avadhi) of knowledge, he will assert, not because bhakti itself leads to tranquillity of mind, but because it presupposes and builds upon the tranquillity which is a result of knowledge. Tranquillity is therefore not a product of bhakti but a prerequisite for it. In his comments on sec. XXIX, Madhusudana indicates that knowledge is an essential basis of the full development of love because it removes psycho-physical distractions that impede such development (note 291, pt. VI). Cp. sec. XXV: "First comes knowledge of the Blessed Lord, then there arises the higher nonattachment, and then the devotion which is of the nature of love." For these reasons, I have been tempted to amended the text to read jnanayogam vina and translate accordingly. But consulting the edition of the Bhakti-rasayana prepared by Mahamahopadhyaya Duracaran Samkhya-Vedanta-Tirtha Mahodaya (Calcutta: Surendranath Bhattacarya, 1944), I find the same reading--bhaktiyogam vina. So I let it stand and remain somewhat perplexed. 40 of knowledge? See previous note. 41 A portion of the Gita text just cited. See note 34 for a full translation. 42 sadhanabhakti, the spiritual practices that serve as a means (sadhana) to encourage the growth of devotion. The devotional exercises described in 11.20.23-24 and Bhagavad Gita 13.10 are forms of sadhanabhakti, which Madhusudana here wants to include in jnanayoga as preliminary to the higher devotion. Sadhanabhakti is therefore to be distinguished from sadhya- or phala-bhakti, "devotion as end." See sec. X and note 30.

Warning! Page nr. 477 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

465 43 That is, after purifying the mind through the practice of the yoga of action and further preparing it through the yoga of knowledge, which here includes meditative yoga and sadhanabhakti. 44 sthayibhava, a permanent mental impression of an emotional state. See sec. XVII and chap. 6, passim. 45 Sanskrit has many words for love. The most frequently used in this text is preman, which suggests an ecstatic, selfless love for God. I translate preman as "love" or "ecstatic love," and when this is done no note is given. But in cases where "love" is the translation of another term, reference is made to the notes where the Sanskrit will be found. " ☐☐ "1 In Here the word is rati which, depending on the context, has various shades of meaning such as "delight,' "joy, enjoyment, or "amorous love." In classical aesthetic theory, it is associated with the sentiment of erotic love (srigara) as the sthayibhava of the latter. the exposition of bhaktirasa given by both the Bengal Vaisnavas and Madhusudana, rati is the sthayibhava, and nascent state, of premabhakti. Madhusudana calls the initial stage of devotion the "sprout of love" (ratyankurotpatti). See stanza 35 and note 291, pt. V; also chaps. 4.3.4-5, 6.4-5. 11 rasa is 46 rasa, "sentiment." In this translation, invariably translated as "sentiment. For a discussion of rasa theory and its application to bhakti, see chap. 6. 47. vibhavas, "objective causes," the external object and associated qualities which serve to arouse the latent emotion of the sthayibhava into full manifestation as a rasa. The alambanavibhava ("primary objective cause") is the figure who is the main focus of the sentiment, e.g., the hero or heroine of a drama or, in devotion, Lord Krsna. The uddipanavibhavas ("exciting objective causes") are the personal qualities and accessories, such as the beautiful garments, perfumes, and other paraphernalia connected with the primary figure, that serve to enhance the mood. JIva Gosvamin mentions some 85 uddipanavibhavas of Krsnarati, including the Lord's beauty, smile, sweet fragrance, crown, and flute, his armlets and anklets, the garlands that adorn his neck, his footprints, and so on (De, Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, 140-141). 48 Banubhavas, "outward signs" or "effects," the physical manifestations of the rising emotion, such as laughing, crying, singing, dancing, and other actions of the characters, which make the internal emotion of the actors visible and communicate it to the audience. See De, Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, p. 141.

Warning! Page nr. 478 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

466 49 vyabhicaribhavas, "associated transitory states," temporary mental states not tied to any one of the basic emotions (love, humor, fear, etc.) but which, briefly portrayed, enhance the development of the basic emotion towards full manifestation as rasa. The orthodox rhetoricians accept thirty-three vyabhicaribhavas, including confusion, shyness, fatigue, indifference, distraction, and reflection (De, Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, p. 140-141). Abhinavagupta explains that Bharata, author of the Natyasastra, created this special language for describing the origin of rasa in order to emphasize that the aesthetic experience pertains to a level of reality that is beyond the ordinary (alaukika). In his Abhinavabharati, he gives an illuminating explanation of the rationale behind this terminology: In the course of our ordinary life, we acquire a certain proficiency (patava) through long practice in inferring people's mental moods (cittavrtti), i.e. their basic emotions (sthayyatma) (,) from observing certain signs (linga) consisting in causes, effects, and accompanying elements (sahacara). In watching a drama (or reading a poem--adhuna), a garden, a glance, i.e. ordinary causes (effects, etc.) (,) lose their ordinary characters of cause, etc. and take on the essential nature of the function of awakening a permanent emotion (vibhavana), the function of leading the spectator to a recognition of this permanent emotion (anubhavana) and of adding color (to the emotions in question--samuparanjakatva). And so they acquire the non-ordinary names of vibhavas etc." (trans. Masson and Patwardan, Aesthetic Rapture, I, 26). For an excellent discussion of rasa-theory and its technical see Masson and Patwardan, Aesthetic Rapture, I, 23-35 and their translation in the same volume (pp. 43-57) of the Rasadhyaya of the Natyasastra, with excerpts from Abhinavagupta's commentary. 50. manovrttau. Note that the rasa is manifest in the vrtti, it is not the vrtti itself. Cf. chap. 6.5. 51 on Madhusudana's understanding of bhakti--and later bliss--as the paramapurusartha, see chap. 5.3, 5.8-9. 52 True devotees do not seek liberation because their only desire is to serve God and enjoy the bliss of devotion. For some, there is the fear that liberation will bring an end to the joy of service, which for them is a higher goal than liberation. See chaps. 3.2 and 4.3.2. 53 sarvatantrasiddhanta, literally "the settled doctrine (siddhanta) of all the books (tantra)," i.e., of

Warning! Page nr. 479 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

467 the texts of the various systems of thought such as Vedanta, Sankhya, Nyaya, etc. 54 dharma, artha, kama, and moksa. See chap. 4.3.2. 55 The four are not ends in themselves, but are means to happiness, as the plow is a means to livelihood. 56 The original view of the Nyaya school is that the goal of life is the absence of suffering only. Thus, Gautama's Nyayasutra (1.1.22) defines liberation as absolute freedom from suffering (tadatyantavimokso 'pavargah), and Vatsyayana (fifth century), in his commentary thereon, argues against the notion that liberation is bliss, concluding that what the scriptures call bliss is only the cessation of suffering. (See M. Gangopadhyaya, Nyaya: Gautama's Nyaya-Sutra with Vatsyayana's Commentary [Calcutta: Indian Studies, 1982], pp. 27-32, 424.) Jayanta (ninth century), in his Nyayamanjari, takes a similar line. (See A. G. K. Warrier, The Concept of Mukti in Advaita Vedanta [Madras: University of Madras, 1961], p. 31.) Some later Naiyayikas, however, hold that bliss has a place in liberation. Bhasarvajna (tenth century), for example, argues in his Nyayasara that, from scriptural statements regarding the bliss of liberation, it is known that the liberated soul enjoys bliss eternally. Hence, he believes, liberation is the attainment of eternal bliss as well as the cessation of suffering (nityasamvedyamanasukhena visistatyantiki duhkhanivrttih purusasya moksa iti, Nyayasara, quoted by Chattopadhyaya and Gangopadhyaya, Nyaya Philosophy [Calcutta: Indian Studies Past and Present, 1967], pt. I, p. 98). According to Mahamahopadhyaya Phanibhusana Tarkavagisa, this view was current at an even earlier period and was referred to as "the view of a section of the Naiyayikas" (Chattopadhyaya and Gangopadhyaya, p. 92). It is this understanding that Madhusudana is attacking in the present context. Madhusudana gives a similar argument against the Nyaya view at Vedanta-kalpalatika 9 (Karmarkar, p. 27). See Chattopadhyaya and Gangopadhyaya, pp. 85-93; K. Potter, Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1977), pp. 28-30. 57 Learned tradition has it that action involves the train jnanecchapravrttiphala ("knowledge, desire, activity, and result"), each factor leading to the next. Madhusudana argues that, unless the knowledge or cognition contains happiness as its object, no desire will be generated. The objector would of course assert that knowledge of the possibility of the elimination of suffering can also lead to desire, as in the case of the removal of a thorn, where one knows that suffering can be stopped and acts to put an end

Warning! Page nr. 480 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

468 to it. But the reply would be that the desire to remove suffering is itself ultimately directed toward the happiness that thereby results, so it is simpler to say that knowledge generates desire only when it presents the possibility of happiness. 58 The argument will be that the absence of suffering is not valuable in itself, but only insofar as it is a precondition (paricayaka) of bliss, i.e., a state that paves the way for the experience of bliss. On the other hand, Madhusudana argues, bliss is valuable in and of itself. 59 vinigamaka. 60 vyapyavyapakabhava. 61 vyapaka. 62 In both, according to the Nyaya, there is absence of pain but no bliss. 63 As the absence of suffering is the invariable concomitant of bliss, it appears with the latter not because it is itself the goal of life but because it is anyathasiddha ("otherwise accomplished"), i.e., it is incidentally required as a prior condition of bliss. Hence it occupies a position of subordinate interest, and bliss alone is the true goal of life. 64 The objector now resorts to the position of the earlier Naiyayikas that liberation is not bliss at all but consists solely in the absolute cessation of suffering. note 56. 65 And not merely the absence of suffering. 66 The four commonly recognized goals of life. chap. 4.3.2. See See 67 gauravat ananugamat ca. To postulate four different types of bliss is unnecessarily complex and excessively verbose. This is the fault of gaurava ("prolixity"). Then, to consider only these specific types of bliss as the goal of life is to exclude others; this is ananugama ("excessive restriction"). So it is better to drop the modifiers and define the goal of life simply as bliss. 68 samadhi. 69 dharma.

Warning! Page nr. 481 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

469 70 yogadharma. 71 See the discussion of the sixth stage of devotional practice, note 291, pt. VI. bliss. 72 bhagavatadharma. See note 30. 73 The important point is that the goal of life is Devotion is bliss, therefore it is the goal of life. It can be considered such in its own right or, if necessary to satisfy the formula-bound, as included within the commonly accepted quartet of goals. 74 At Bhakti-rasayana 2.31-35 (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 161-162). See note 12 and chap. 6.5. cause," 75 A name of Krsna. 76alambanavibhava, literally "the foundational the object toward which the emotion is directed, in this case Lord Krsna. See note 47. 77 mangala, literally "auspiciousness" or "happiness." In a more technical sense, it means an auspicious word or phrase used at the beginning of a work in order to ward off any obstacles to its completion or proper understanding. The verse that follows in the text makes a play on the two meanings of the word. 78 smrti, "remembrance," "traditional wisdom," as opposed to sruti ("revealed scripture"). verse. 79 mangala. Cp. note 28. 80 amangala. I have not been able to trace this 81 See note 9. 82 rati, a term which, were Madhusudana not talking about bhakti and rasa, might be translated in this verse as "delight." (See note 45.) Note that in sec. IV Madhusudana has already identified rati as the sthayibhava of bhaktirasa, and that the Gosvamins did the same. Sridhara (see note 83) glosses "toward the Self (atmani)" as "toward Hari (harau)," so the translation "love" is not inappropriate in this devotional context. 83 So according to sridhara, who glosses: bhagavan brahma / kutastho nirvikarah / ekagracittah sann ity arthah tris trin varan kartsnyena sakalyena brahma vedam anviksya

Warning! Page nr. 482 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

470 vicarya / yata atmani harau ratir bhavet / tad eva manIsaya adhyavasyat niscitavan, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 65. 84 ya nirvrtis tanubhrtam tava padapadmadhyanad bhavadjanakathasravanena va syad / sa brahmani svamahimany api natha ma bhut kim tv antakasilulitat patatam vimanat. This is a difficult verse. Sridhara comments: "It may be objected that, while the joy of heaven, etc. can be obtained through [rituals] motivated by selfish desire, it cannot be [attained] by desireless worship. Therefore he [Dhruva] says, 'The complete fulfillment, etc.' The phrase 'even in all its greatness' means 'even in its innate bliss-form'; 'let not' means 'is not found.' Is it necessary to say that this [fulfillment] does not exist [for those falling] from celestial cars `crushed' (i.e., `cleaved') 'by the sword of death' (i.e., `by Time') (nanu svargadisukham sakamaih prapyate niskamabhajane tan na syad ity ata aha yeti svamahimani nijanandarupe pi ma bhat na bhavatity arthah antakasyasina kalena lulitat khanditad vimanat sa nastiti kim u vaktavyam, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 180). Visnu Purf's remarks indicate essential agreement: "Since in reality the joy of hearing [the Lord's glories] is superior even to liberation, it is proper to speak of it as a goal of life in its own right. Nirvrti means 'joy.'. In Brahman' means 'in the state of liberation.' If that joy is not found even there, it goes without saying that it will not be enjoyed by persons 'falling from celestial cars' (i.e., from heaven) `crushed' (i.e., attacked) by the sword of death (i.e., Time)" (vastutas tu moksad api sravanasukham garfya iti svatah purusarthatvam evaisam yuktam iti nirvrtih sukham /* brahmani moksavasthayam apity arthah / sa nirvrtir ma bhut na bhavati yadi tada antakah kala evasih khadgas tena lulitdd upadrutad vimanat svargadeh patatam jananam tat sukham na bhavatiti kim vacyam iti, Kantimala, BRA, p. 74). The idea is that neither the celestials nor those merged in Brahman enjoy a bliss as great as that enjoyed by embodied bhaktas. Cp. Bhagavad Gita 9.20-21. • 85 sadhana, the means to the highest goal, and not the goal itself. See note 42. 86 ahaituka, "not of the reasoning kind. Visnu Purt comments: "knowledge,' whose object is the Self; `not dependent on reasoning,' not requiring proof, not the object of dry argumentation, i.e., Upanisadic knowledge" (jnanam atmatattvavisayam ahaitukam hetusunyam suskatarkadyagocaram / aupanisadam ity arthah, Kantimala, BRA, p. 7). He seems again to follow Sridhara, who glosses: ahaitukam suskatarkadyagocaram aupanisadam ity arthah, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 16.

Warning! Page nr. 483 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

471 87 11 phala, literally "fruit," hence "result,' "end." 88 bhajana, "worship" is an abstract neuter noun derived from the same root--bhaj--as the word bhakti itself. 89 The bhagavatadharmas. • • See note 30. is devotion" (bhajanam • • 90 According to Sanskrit grammar, all words come from verbal roots. Thus, as we have already noted above, bhakti is derived from the root bhaj. The word vijnana is from the root jna ("to know") plus the intensive prefix vi-. The meaning of a word may be related to the root in various ways. It may express the basic notion of the verb as an abstract entity, such as "worship" or "knowledge." In such a case the grammarians will explain the meaning by bhavavyutpatti or abstract derivation such as, in our text, "worship iti bhaktih). Or the meaning may indicate some activity related to the abstract entity, such as the means to it. To suggest the latter, the grammarians will give the karanavyutpatti or instrumental derivation, e.g., "He is worshiped by this" (bhajyate . anayeti). The point is that, just as vijnana can mean either knowledge or the means to it, so bhakti can mean either devotion or its means, depending upon how it is used. Madhusudana employs the grammarian's method of analysis in order to provide further justification for his position that the term has this two-fold sense. 91 That is, the distinction between the two types of devotion. 92 A great yogin and devotee, Prabuddha was one of the nine, among Rsabha's 100 sons, who were famed as saints. See Bhagavata-purana 11.2.14-23. 93 bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya. I use the literal but awkward translation "devotion-generated devotion" in order to retain the word order, which is important for the discussion which follows. 94"Divine creative power, 11 etymologically related to It the root ma, "to measure, mete out." In Advaita Vedanta, Maya is the power that superimposes the real-unreal universe of multiplicity upon the formlessness of pure being and veils our awareness of the ultimate truth of things. should be obvious from our analysis of Samkara's "levels of being" (chap. 2.3) that Maya, as the source of the empirical world, is not to be translated simply as "illusion.' Though Samkara did on occasion use the term in this sense, the translation "illusion" actually suggests not so much his own understanding of Maya but rather that of the later advocates 11

Warning! Page nr. 484 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

472 of Advaitic solipsism (drstisrstivada, see chap. 2, note 14), and perhaps also the polemically distorted interpretation of the concept common to Samkara's theistic critics. J. G. Arapura writes: "To treat maya as illusion is to misunderstand it. Truly speaking, it is the cosmic condition of which illusion is the model. All descriptions of maya are given through analogy with human illusory experiences but to identify the terms of the analogy is to mistake its purpose" ("Maya and the Discourse about Brahman, in M. Sprung, ed., Two Truths in Buddhism and Vedanta [Dordrecht, Holland: D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1973], p. 120). 11 Maya figures in the Sanskrit tradition from the time of the Rg Veda, and the concept as used in Advaita takes over and includes some of its earlier meanings. It is a "wondrous creative power" by which the gods assume many forms; it is a "magic display" which entrances the soul and causes it to be lost in the repeated cycles of birth and rebirth. Cp. Bhagavad Gita 7.14: "This divine Maya of Mine, consisting of the material qualities, is exceedingly difficult to escape; only those who resort to Me overcome this Maya" (daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya / mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te). Since the word has a wide range of meaning that is misrepresented by simplistic translations such as "illusion," and since it has a certain currency now even in the West, I feel justified in leaving it, like "yoga" and "Brahman, untranslated. See L. Thomas O'Neil, Maya in Samkara: Measuring the Immeasurable (Columbia, Missouri: South Asia Books, 1980), pp. 29-40, 92-94. " 95 grahana, literally "grasping"--which is to say, remembering and repeating but, in this stage of Vedic study where mere mechanical repetition is aimed at, not necessarily understanding. Since the English word "grasping" conveys the idea of understanding and makes it difficult to see how one process can be both the means and the end, I use the word "repetition." The student learns to repeat the Veda by repeating the Veda, in the beginning by imitating the chanting of his teacher. Traditional Indian education places great emphasis on memory and assumes that understanding of what has been memorized will come with time and maturation. Thus, the first step in the study of Sanskrit in the traditional schools is to memorize Panini's grammar. Then only gradually does the student learn what it all means. Consider in this context the following warning issued by the ancient etymologist Yaska: "He is the bearer of a burden only--the blockhead who, having studied, does not know the meaning of the Veda. Whatever is learnt •

Warning! Page nr. 485 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

473 without its being understood is called mere cramming; like dry logs of wood on an extinguished fire, it can never illuminate" (Nirukta 1.17, trans. L. Sarup, p. 18). 96 That is, a state in which the devotee stops performing sadhana and enjoys its result. 97 Krsna, who in reality is free from birth as the unborn, undying Brahman. 98 Devotion as end (sadhyabhakti) is the full realization of the bliss of God, and is therefore distinct from devotion as means (sadhanabhakti), which consists primarily of the bhagavatadharmas. ✗. 99 Bhagavata-purana 6.1.15, already quoted at the beginning of sec. The 100 The question of the direct (drsta, literally "seen") and indirect (adrsta, "unseen") rewards of bhakti is discussed at Bhakti-rasayana 2.44-50 (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 168-171). Madhusudana defines a direct reward as one that is attained in this present body (vartamanatanuprapya) and an indirect reward as one to be enjoyed in a future body (bhavidehopabhogya). indirect rewards of bhakti include religious merit (punya) and (as in Bhagavata-purana 6.1.15, quoted above) the destruction of sin, both of which generate salutary experiences in a future life--either on earth or a celestial paradise--for those devotees who do not secure liberation in the present body. For the jivanmuktas, however, there are only the direct rewards, chief among which is the manifestation of bliss (sukhavyakti). 101"The inquiry (mimamsa) into the earlier (purva) portion of the Veda," the system of thought formulated by Jaimini in his Purvamimamsasutras. Jaimini's system deals primarily with interpretation of the samhita and brahmana sections of the Veda, the primary aim of this exegesis being the determination of correct ritual practice. 102"The - 102 "The inquiry into the latter (uttara) portion," the Vedanta system, based on the Brahmasutras of Badarayana, which is concerned with interpretation of the Upanisads, the final sections of the Veda. The purva- and uttara-miamsas may also be understood as the "earlier" and "later" inquiries, since some thinkers (e.g., Ramanuja) believe that the study of the ritual texts must precede the study of the Vedanta. 103 priti, "love," roughly synonymous with preman in Vaisnava thought.

Warning! Page nr. 486 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

474 104 This section of the Brahmasutras teaches that works lead to See Radhakrishnan, The Brahma Sutra, pp. 517 knowledge. 518. 105. . into devotion as if it were a new topic. 106 svarupasadhanaphaladhikarivailaksanyat, "because of differences of nature (svarupa), means sadhana), end (phala), and qualified persons (adhikarin). 107 savikalpakavrtti, see chap. 5.6-7. 108 nirvikalpakavrtti, see chap. 5.6-7. 109 For Sanskrit, see chap. 5.7, note 59. Hearing (sravana) is the first element of the nine-fold devotion of Bhagavata-purana 7.5.22-23. (See notes 30 and 291, pt. IV.) The most important composition to be heard by the devotee is, of course, the Bhagavata-purana On this, see chap. 5.7 and note 237, below. 110 See Bhagavata-purana 11.12.8-9, quoted in note 291, pt. I. 111 paramahamsaparivrajikas. A parivrajaka is, literally, a "wanderer, a "wandering religious mendicant. The term perhaps owes its currency to the oft-cited text, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.22: "Seeking this realm [of the Self], mendicant Brahmins wander forth" (etam eva pravrajino lokam icchanto brahmanah pravrajanti). It is used to designate a renunciate who has left the ties of family life and social duty to seek salvation. Among samnyasins, the itinerant life is held in high esteem as a means of avoiding social and other attachments. The higher orders of samnyasins, especially the paramahamsas, were traditionally subject to severe restrictions as to the amount of time they could settle in any one location: in some cases only one night in a given place was allowed. Paramahamsa means "supreme swan. In the Hindu tradition, liberated saints are likened to swans or geese, who are free to range at will through the sky, on the earth, or across the water. (See Bhagavata-purana 10.87.21, quoted in sec. XXIV.) In particular, the reference is to the wild geese that are said to fly at altitudes as high as 35,000 feet and thus be able to soar over the Himalayas to quench their thirst in the sacred Manasa lake on Mount Kailasa. The vehicle-mascot (vahana) of Brahma, the creator, is one such hamsa. It is reputed to have the power of separating out and drinking only the milk from a mixture of milk and water, becoming thus a symbol of spiritual discrimination. The word hamsa is also associated with the sacred syllables so'ham ("I am He") chanted by renunciates who wish to realize their identity with the absolute (John S. Hawley, At -

Warning! Page nr. 487 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

475 Play with Krsna [Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985], p. 290, note 25; Paramahamsa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi [11 th ed.; Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship Publishers, 1979], p. 460). According to Vidyaranya's JIvanmuktiviveka, there are four orders of renunciates (samnyasins). The kuticaka, who resides in a secluded hermitage and the bahudaka, who wanders from place to place, have "sharp detachment, the "firm resolve of the intellect not to have a child, wife, or wealth in this life." The hamsa and the paramahamsa, however, have a "sharper detachment," expressed in the following terms: "For me the whole of this world, whirling through the cycle of rebirths, shall never be." The hamsa attains liberating knowledge in brahmaloka, but the paramahansa in this very life. Paramahamsa is thus the religious title of the highest order of samnyasins (s. Subrahmanya Sastri and T. R. Srinivasa Ayyangar, ed. and trans., The Jivanmuktiviveka of Vidyaranya [Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1935], pp. 2, 176-178; Kane, II, 938-942). For Samkara's specification of the paramahamsa as the ideal adhikarin, see chap. 2.5.5 and 2.5.8 (note 83). The point of all this is, again, that the qualifications for engaging in the study of Advaita are very high indeed (see next note). Also worthy of contemplation is the fact that, in the colophons of his works, Madhusudana consistently identifies himself as a paramahamsaparivrajika. XXX, below, and note 294 thereon. See sec. 112 sadhanacatusaya, the "four-fold means [to knowledge]" consisting of: (1) discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal (nityanityavastuviveka); (2) absence of desire for the enjoyment of the results of one's actions both in this world and the next (ihamutraphalabhogavairagya); (3) the six endowments (samadamadisatkasampati), namely, tranquillity (sama), self-control (dama), withdrawal (uparati) from the pursuit of sense objects and the performance of prescribed rituals, patience (titiksa), concentration (samadhana), and faith (sraddha); and (4) the desire for liberation (mumuksutva). Possession of the "four-fold means" is the most essential qualification for the study of Vedanta. This subject is discussed at Brahmasutras 3.4.27, which makes reference to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.23. The Upanisad declares: "Therefore he who knows thus, having become tranquil (santa), self-controlled (danta), withdrawn (uparata), patient (titiksu), and concentrated (samahita), sees the Self in himself and sees all in the Self (tasmad evanvit, santo danto uparatas titiksuh samahito bhutva, atmany evatmanam pasyati sarvam atmanam pasyati). See Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya 1.1.1 (Vedanta Sutras (Shamkaracharya commentary) I, 12), 3.4.27 (Vedanta Sutras (Shamkaracharya commentary) II, 309); Vedantasara 15-26, (Nikhilananda, pp. 9-14); and chap. 2.5.5., above.

Warning! Page nr. 488 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

476 113 The argument will show that one thing, such as good deeds, can be a means to more than one end. Since they are conducive to purity of mind, good works can be a factor in any of these results. 114 I have not been able to find the source of these precise quotations, but similar expressions are common in the Brahmanas and the literature of the Purva Mimansa. 1 115 The samyogaprthaktvanyaya. Writers on Vedanta often seek to substantiate their arguments by reference to rules of interpretation established by the Purva Mimansa. This is such a case, based on Purvamimamsasutra 4.3.5-7 and the Sabarabhasya thereon. The ritual texts prescribe the offering of a single substance in two different types of sacrifices, each leading to different results. According to the maxim of separate connection, the relation of the substance with its result in one case is quite distinct from that in the other, because the injunctions prescribing the acts are themselves distinct and separate. Hence the relation between a good deed (in this case the new or full moon sacrifice) and the result (heaven) mentioned in one injunction will be an entirely separate affair from its relation to a result (the desire for knowledge) specified in another text. The same will apply to any connection between good deeds and results, such as devotion or the knowledge of Brahman, that may be mentioned in other texts. So a single means may lead to different results, and the fact of having common means, such as good works, does not necessitate that any two results be identical. See Pandit Mohanlal Sandal, trans., The Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini, Vol. XXVI of the Sacred Books of the Hindus (Allahabad: The Panini Office, 1923-25). pp. 228-229. 116 See Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya 3.4.26. 117 There would be atiprasanga ("undesired consequences"). All things, for example, that happened to have clay as a common cause would have to be identical. The simple distinction between the clay pot and the clay doll would require special explanation. 118 parinativirasena, literally "tasteless (without delight or disagreeable) in the end," because they lead to pain. This is a common estimation of all sense-pleasures in the ascetic spirituality of Advaita Vedanta. Compare this with the Buddhist teaching "All is suffering" (sarvam duhkham). Even the joys of heaven (svarga) are not much valued in the impersonalist traditions of India because such celestial "pleasures," like everything else in the realm of phenomenality, are ultimately perishable, contingent, and therefore painful.

Warning! Page nr. 489 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

477 119 That is, the sentiments recognized by the classical aestheticians. See chap. 6.2. 120 See note 100. The discussion at Bhakti-rasayana 2.44-50 does not refer to the secular rasas at all. We can only assume the idea to be that the effects of the experience of worldly sentiments are immediate only while some of the effects of devotion (such as the acquisition of spiritual merit and release from sin) are not realized immediately but only in a future birth. Note that in both the secular rasas and in bhakti there is the manifestation of bliss. In bhakti, however, the bliss is much greater. For additional discussion of the difference between devotion and the sentiments of the aestheticians, see sec. XVIII, especially the commentary on stanza 13, and chap. 6.5. 121 As explained above in note 112, the desire for liberation (mumuksutva) is one of the "four-fold means" and is regarded as an essential prerequisite for undertaking the study of Vedanta. And 122 satyam, bhakti sukhasaktan prati anarambhat. perhaps the devotee does not wish to study Vedanta, because he or she is caught up in the bliss and emotion of bhakti and finds the thought of intellectual inquiry dry and uninviting. The anti-intellectualism of many devotional sects is well known. 123 bhajanIyasvarupanirnayarthan bhaktanam api tadvicarasya vasyakatvac ca. Although its precise meaning is difficult to determine with certainty, this phrase may be an important indication of Madhusudana's understanding of the value of Vedantic discipline for the bhakta. See note 291, sec. VI. "Object of worship" is my translation of bhajaniya, "that which should be worshiped." Cp. Shandilya-bhakti-sutras 85: "This world] is not different from the object of devotion [namely, God]" (bhajaniyenadvitiyam idam, Harshananda, p. 194). 124. jivanmuktanam api, see chaps. 5.8 and 8.1. 125 urukrama, "the wide strider," a reference to the myth of Visnu's incarnation as Vamana ("the dwarf"), in which he shows his prowess by encompassing the entire universe in three steps. See Bhagavata-purana 8.18-23. 126 On this verse, which figures importantly in the Krsnaite tradition, see chaps. 3.2, 5.8, and especially 9.3.1 (note 21).

Warning! Page nr. 490 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

478 127 In stanza 1 and the commentary thereon, he has already stated that the purpose of the work is to "bring contentment to everyone" (akhilatustyai). See note 9. 128 For a discussion of the play on words involved in the title Bhaktirasayana, see chap. 5.2. 129 See chap. 5.4 for a discussion of this section and its implications. 130 bhagavadgunasravana, "the hearing of the Lord's glories." Again, this is the first element of the nine-fold devotion of Bhagavata-purana 7.5.23-24. See note 30 and chap. 5.7. 131 The son of Damaghosa, King of Chedi, Sisupala was Krsna's cousin. He became Krsna's relentless enemy after the latter abducted his betrothed, Rukmini, and married her (Bhagavata-purana 10.53-54). Sisupala's intense hatred caused his mind to be fixed so constantly on his divine cousin that, after his death at Krsna's hand, he attained salvation (Bhagavata-purana 10.74). The story of Kamsa, the wicked King of Mathura, is similar. His fear of Krsna, whom he had been told was to be his death, was so strong that his mind was continually occupied with thought of him. For this reason, Kamsa, like Sisupala, attained salvation after the final encounter with his foe (Bhagavata-purana 10.44). Though Madhusudana here seems to admit Sisupala and the like as bhaktas, he later disqualifies them. In chapter 2 of the Bhakti-rasayana he stipulates that bhaktirasa must be based on love (see note 136), and at Gudhartha-dipika 7.16 he writes: "But Kamsa and Sisupala, even though they were constantly intent on thought of God out of fear and hate, were not bhaktas, because they did not have love for Him" (kamsasisupalayas tu bhayad dvesac ca satatabhagavaccintapara api na bhaktah bhagavadanurakter abhavat, Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, p. 363). 132 vrtti. For an explanation of the process of cognition by means of mental modification (vrttijnana), see stanza 24 and the commentary thereon. 133 avichinna. 134 • • mentioned in stanza 2. 135 tapaka. 136 At Bhakti-rasayana 2.2-28, Madhusudana explains that the various "heating agents" produce different qualities of "melting.' These arouse different permanent emotions and a corresponding variety of sentiments. For example, desire produces two different kinds of permanent emotions, love in ""

Warning! Page nr. 491 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

479 union (sambhogarati) and love in separation (viprayogarati), depending upon whether its object is present or absent. Affection (sneha) is either paternal or fraternal, leading to the permanent emotions of paternal love (vatsalarati) or fraternal love (preyorati). In a similar way, Madhusudana assigns various permanent emotions and sentiments to each of the heating agents, arriving at an involved list of seventeen of each. (For a summary, see Gupta, p. 220-223). Not all of these, however, may become sentiments of devotion, but only those that are directed toward the Lord and are not opposed to the feeling of love (priti) (Bhakti-rasayana 2.27, 30; Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 159-160). Eliminating those which do not so qualify, there remain the nine devotional sentiments and suddha (the "pure") bhakti, to which Madhusudana alludes in the first stanza. (See note 12 for a list and discussion.) The important point in all of this is that the experience of devotion varies according to the emotional nature of the individual and the mode in which he or she approaches God. Thus the milkmaids of Krsna's village experienced an erotically tinged devotion, their minds being melted by lust (kama). The devotion of Yasoda, Krsna's mother, is colored by her parental love, and her mind is melted by affection (sneha). Sisupala's melting is due to his anger (krodha), while Kamsa's is due to fear. anger and fear are opposed to love (pritivirodhena), the last two individuals do not experience bhakti (Bhakti-rasayana 2.29-30; Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 159-160; see note 131). Sanaka and other saints, whose minds are melted merely by contemplating the Lord's wondrous majesty (mahiman), experienced devotion in its pure form, untouched by any extraneous sentiments (Bhakti-rasayana 2.12-13, 64-65, 73; Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam pp. 150, 179, 183). See chap. 6.5. This kind of thinking is based on Bhagavata-purana 7.1.25-30 and 10.29.15, to which the reader is referred for fuller understanding. Since 137 All of the terms listed are roughly synonymous in this context. Madhusudana nevertheless chooses to use vasana consistently in the subsequent discussion. Hence jnana 138 na tu vinasyata jnanena janitas tarkikadiarikalpita atmaguna ity arthah. The Nyaya realist rejects the identification of knowledge and consciousness common to Samkhya-Yoga and Vedanta. He regards consciousness as an adventitious property of the soul and knowledge as the simple "awareness of an object" (arthagrahana). is for him more appropriately translated as cognition." As such, it generates an impression but is itself a momentary experience since, if it continued to exist, it would remain present as an object of perception, and memory would not be needed (Nyayasutras 3.2.42-44; Gangopadhyaya, Nyaya-Sutra, pp. 254-257). The Nyaya differs further from Samkhya-Yoga and Vedanta in its doctrine that the impressions (samskara

Warning! Page nr. 492 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

480 or bhavana) generated by such cognition are properties or qualities (guna) that inhere in the soul (atman), which is conceived of as a substance (dravya). (See Potter, Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology [Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1977], pp. 112-127.) Madhusudana here, in passing, rejects both of these notions. For the Advaitin knowledge is eternal, being identical with Consciousness (caitanya, see chap. 5.7). Moreover, and perhaps more important in the present connection, the samskara resides not in the atman, which of course has no qualities, but in the mind (citta). Advaita here adopts the view of Yoga. According to the Vyasabhasya on Yoga Sutras 2.13: "This mind (citta)--which is filled from beginningless time with impressions (vasana) produced by the experience of afflictions, actions, and consequences--is variegated like a fishnet covered with knots" (klesakarmavipakanubhavanirvartitabhis tu vasanabhir anadikalasammurcchitam idam cittam vicitrikrtam iva sarvato matsyajalam granthibhir ivatatam). In the same passage, Vyasa suggests that vasana and samskara are identical (Bangali Baba, Yogasutra of Patanjali with commentary of Vyasa [Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1976], p. 38). The rasa theory also regards the sthayibhava as a samskara or vasana residing in the mind (De, Sanskrit Poetics, I, 133-134, note 40). Thus the two terms are widely accepted in the tradition as designations of a permanent mental impression derived from experience. Madhusudana's special contribution here is the conception of a vasana or samskara produced, not by ordinary empirical cognition, but by the manifestation in the mind of the form of bhagavat. This notion has a parallel in Bengal Vaisnava rasa-theory. See my discussion of Madhusudana's notion of sthayibhava in note 153. 139 vasana, "permanent impression." 140 • as a true permanent impression because of the melted condition of the mind at the time of entry 141 This classification, based on Bhagavata-purana 11.2.45-47, is also utilized by Jiva Gosvamin (Dasgupta, IV, 422). 142 samagri, literally "equipment. 143 prakrta. It 144 prakrti. 145 pranaya. 146 anuraga.

Warning! Page nr. 493 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

481 147 sneha. 148 pranaya. 149, pranaya. 150 It is not seen as either real or false, i.e., it is not seen at all. 151 The text reads: napasyam ubhayam mune. Sridhara (Bhavartha-bodhini, P. 26) glosses ubhayam atmanam param ca--"neither myself nor the Supreme"--but Madhusudana seems to want to give the verse, out of context, an ad hoc interpretation of his own. See previous note. 152 sthayi. 153 That is, Madhusudana intends the second and more literal of the two meanings discussed at chap. 6.2. While sthayibhava is commonly used by the rhetoricians in the sense of the "dominant" or "prevailing" mood of a literary piece, it is also understood to refer to a "permanent" or "abiding" state of mind. (Sthayin comes from the root stha, "to stand, remain.") As a samskara or vasana, the sthayibhava is said to be a permanent aspect of consciousness. In Madhusudana's theory of devotion, however, and that of the Gosvamins, the sthayibhava of bhaktirasa is not acquired through empirical experience, as are the permanent emotions of the secular aestheticians. Rather, it is innate in the mind as either the form of the Lord or, in the Bengal school, an aspect of the divine svarupasakti. It is therefore permanent in a more profound, metaphysical sense. The sthayibhava of bhaktirasa never actually "enters" the mind, since it has always been there. See sec. XXIII; chaps. 4.3.6, 5.5, 6.5. 154 Because the object is never released from the mind. See stanza 8. 155 The spectator's identification with the events and emotions of the play leads to self-transcendence and a blissful state of awareness. See Masson and Patwardan, Aesthetic Rapture, I, 33. For explanations of the technical terms, see notes 47-49. 156 The author of the Natyasastra. See chap. 6.2. 157 Madhusudana wants to show that devotion is a true sentiment. But a sentiment develops only from a permanent emotion and must involve the apprehension of bliss, so he must show that devotion arises from legitimate permanent

Warning! Page nr. 494 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

482 emotion that is blissful. For this role he nominates the form of the Lord as reflected in the melted mind. 158 For discussion of this section and its implications, see chaps. 5.5 and 6.5. 159 The permanent emotion is a reflection of either the Lord, who is the supreme bliss, or an object, which is the supreme bliss limited by adjuncts. This idea is developed immediately below. 160 Actually, as Madhusudana demonstrates in sec. XXIII, the form of the Lord is innate in the mind; so it never really enters, but only becomes manifest. See note 153. 161 pratibimba. 162 bimba. 63upadhi. 163. 164 Because, as Madhusudana well knows, the pratibimbavada explicitly emphasizes the identity of the Lord (isvara) and the individual soul (jIva), the Lord's reflection, I cannot accept this disclaimer as the author's final opinion. According to the reflection theory, the permanent emotion, the form of the Lord reflected in the mind, must ultimately be identical with the primary objective cause (alambanavibhava), the Lord himself, who is the original. Later writers of the Vallabha sampradaya criticise this very theory on the grounds that it would make bhakti identical with God. See chap. 5.5, note 27. 165 ragara. 166 According to the Advaita, Maya is said to have two powers or saktis: viksepa ("projection") and avarana ("concealment "). The power of projection creates the world of names and forms and the power of concealment veils the true nature of reality. As Vidyaranya says at PD 6.26 and 33: 1 • "Ignorance appears as twofold with the forms of projection and concealment. Concealment produces (such ideas as], 'the Immovable [Brahman] does not appear; [therefore] It does not exist. . . Mind and the two bodies [gross and subtle] are superimposed on the Immovable, like silver on mother-of-pearl, when It has been concealed by ignorance. This superimposition is called projection" (viksepavrtirupabhyan dvidha 'vidya vyavasthita / na bhati nasti kutastha ity apadanam avrtih // avidyavrtakutasthe dehadvayayuta

Warning! Page nr. 495 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

483 citih / suktau rupyavad adhyasta viksepadhyasa eva hi (Swahananda, pp. 134, 137). When a person attains enlightenment, the concealing power of Maya is broken. Even though the individual may continue to experience the world of names and forms, it no longer deludes him. As long, however, as the body remains alive and action continues, the enlightened saint yet remains under the influence of the power of projection (PD 6.53; Swahananda, p. 144). 167 That is, Brahman or caitanya, the cause. 168 Sridhara glosses: "A thing that, because it is something indefinable, is perceived in the absence of the thing (i.e., without reality) in the Self which is its support, and one that is not perceived, even though it exists--know these to be [caused by] my Maya. 'Like a false appearance,' such as seeing two moons [ on account of double vision]--this is the illustration of cognition in the absence of an object. "Like darkness' is the illustration of noncognition of an existing object. For example, the planet Rahu, though present among the other planets, is not seen because it is dark" (Ite artham vinapi vastavam artham yad yatah kimapi aniruktam atmany adhisthane pratiyeta sad api ca na pratiyeta, tat atmano mama mayan vidyat / yatha abhaso dvicandradir ity artham vina pratitau drstantah / yatha tama iti sato pratitau / tamo rahur yatha grahamandale sthito pi na drsyate tatha, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 82). 169 mana. 170 Most Indian thinkers--with the exception of the Jainas, the Vaisesikas, and some Vedantins (such as Madhva)--deny that memory (smrti) is a valid means of knowledge. Novelty is regarded as an essential characteristic of genuine knowledge; the latter must be new, not previously acquired (anadhigata). This requirement disqualifies memory, which necessarily reveals only that which has been known before. See Chatterjee, The Nyaya Theory of Knowledge (Calcutta: University of Calcutta, 1965), p. 371 ff.; Datta, The Six Ways of Knowing (Calcutta: University of Calcutta, 1972), pp. 22-23; and especially Sinha, Indian Epistemology of Perception (Calcutta: Sinha Publishing House Private, Ltd., 1969), chap. 10. 171 caitanya. Since this word is in Advaita synonymous with Brahman, and as such designates the ultimate reality, I capitalize it in translation, as "Consciousness. 11

Warning! Page nr. 496 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

484 as 172 According to the epistemology of Advaita, the object itself is never perceived. It is Consciousness, limited by the objects, that is revealed by the vrtti. And it is Consciousness, as limited by the vrtti, that does the revealing. Knowledge and ignorance relate only to the real, i.e., to Consciousness. Objects, which are neither real or unreal (sadasadvilaksana), are strictly speaking neither known or unknown. P. Granoff discusses this doctrine, summarizing Vimuktatman's demonstration (at Istasiddhi 1.125, 137) of the unknowability of the object, as follows: "The purpose of knowledge is to remove ignorance, avidya; avidya, in turn, functions to obscure awareness. Since that which has no awareness or sentience needs no further obscuration, avidya cannot be associated with any jadavastu (insentient object]. This makes knowledge of the insentient impossible. Only the soul as obscured by ignorance is really "drsya" [perceivable] or #1 prameya" [knowable], etc." (Philosophy and Argument in Late Vedanta [Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1978], p. 253, n. 170). I am indebted to Prof. Granoff for my understanding of this point. 173 An immediate realization of Consciousness in its unconditioned form would result in instant liberation (sadyomukti), but not so the perception of the same consciousness as limited by objects. In the latter case, the mental modification (vrtti) does not eradicate the ignorance obscuring the object-delimited Consciousness (visayavacchinnacaitanya). Rather, the ignorance is temporarily "overpowered" (abhibhuta) or suppressed by the vrtti, just as a magic gem temporarily suppresses the burning power of fire. When the vrtti is withdrawn, obscuration sets in again. This is the explanation given by Madhusudana in the Siddhantabindu (Divanji, pp. 35-36, 238). See also Gupta, pp. 155-156. 174 To say that Consciousness is self-luminous (svaprakasa) means that it shines by itself and is not the object of any means of knowledge. While manifesting everything, it cannot itself be manifested by anything else. But this claim is made only for Consciousness that is unlimited (anavacchinna). When it is limited by objects, it may become the object of a means of knowledge. The selfluminosity of unlimited Consciousness is not compromised, however, by the fact that limited consciousness can thus be manifested by something other than itself. I am indebted to Prof. Granoff for my understanding of this point. 175 At Bhakti-rasayana 2.74-79 (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 183-185), Madhusudana again emphasizes the superiority of the sentiment of

Warning! Page nr. 497 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

485 Its devotion to those based on ordinary worldly emotions. excellence, relative to the rasas of the aestheticians, is like the light of the sun compared to that of a firefly (Bhakti-rasayana 2.77). See chap. 6.5. 176 One of the six orthodox systems of Hindu philosophy, the Samkhya is based upon an dichotomy between spirit and matter. There are a multiplicity of spiritmonads (purusas), which, prior to moksa, are caught up in bondage through association with matter (prakrti). Matter in its primal state is composed of the three material "qualities" (gunas) in undifferentiated equilibrium; when this equilibrium is disturbed, primal matter begins to unfold in various directions, manifesting the universe. Everything except pure spirit is a product of primal matter. This includes mind as well as physical objects. All things, therefore, derive their individual characteristics from the material qualities, which produce them by combining in varying proportions. zheng Patanjali's Yoga, regarded by the tradition as the sister system of Samkhya, accepts the ontology of the latter almost completely, making only a few changes such as the addition of its own concept of Isvara, a sort of eternally liberated purusa. The Advaita Vedanta, though differing radically in many respects from the same, also owes much to its influence* Collapse the multiplicity of purusas into one atman, for example, and reduce prakrti to a real-unreal Maya which is dependent upon the atman, and one begins to come very close to the non-dualist metaphysic. Advaita has borrowed the guna doctrine from the Samkhya and much of its psychology as well. Therefore, as Madhusudana expounds the rasa theory from the point of view of that system, he can find himself in agreement with much of what is said, excepting of course such items as the criticism of the Advaita doctrine of Brahman (commentary on stanza 15) and the minor point about the composition of the mind (commentary on stanza 20). 11 177 The gunas, literally "strands" or "qualities, are the three basic factors that make up (prakrti), primal matter. They pervade creation, the evolute of prakrti, in all its aspects, mental and physical. The principle of creativity and luminosity is sattva, the "luminous quality"; the principle of activity and passion is rajas, the "active quality"; and that of destruction and inertia is tamas, the "inert quality." As specified in the text, a predominance of these in the mind is associated, respectively, with the manifestation therein of happiness (sukha), suffering (duhkha), or delusion (moha). Each of the terms sattva, rajas, and tamas has an extraordinarily wide range of meaning, so the reader is asked to be aware of the -

Warning! Page nr. 498 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

486 limitations of the translations and regard them as suggestive rather than exhaustive. The term guna in this technical usage does not, of course, intend "quality" in the sense of an attribute of a substance. If anything, gunas are factors which combine to make up substances. This ambiguity, however, is present in the original Sanskrit, and as "quality" is in common use as a translation, I have elected to use it with the foregoing cautions. For the classical presentation of the guna theory, see Sankhyakarika 12-15. 178 prakrti. 179 vyabhicara. 180 The Nyaya logician might argue that things may have a similar nature without sharing a common material cause. This would involve the acceptance of a universal such as, for example, "potness." Utilizing such a notion, the pots filling a shop could be understood to have the same nature even though they might not all have the same material cause. Some might be made of clay, but others of brass or copper. But an admission like this would constitute a "fault in inference" (vyabhicara) in view of the rule, just enunciated by the Samkhya, that "all things that are seen to share a certain nature have a common material cause of that nature." The alleged fault is that the sadhana ("minor premise")--having a particular nature, in this case "potness," in common--is perceived without the sadhya ("conclusion"), the state of having a common material cause. But, as Madhusudana points out, Samkhya does not admit universals of this type, so there is no such difficulty. am indebted to Prof. Granoff for my understanding of this point. 181 paramanus. These impartite "atoms" are the ultimate constituents of the universe according to the pluralistic Nyaya-Vaisesika system. 182 God must be one, otherwise creation would be impossible owing to the conflict of separate wills. I 183 The Samkhya believes that this is required by the Vedantin's theory. 184 The different mental impressions serve to color their experience differently. 185 The reference is presumably to Kumarila Bhatta, a leading exponent of the Purva Mimansa system. The idea expressed in the verse is set forth in Kumarila's $loka-

Warning! Page nr. 499 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

487 varttika (sunyavada, verses 59 and 215), but not in the same words. The exact quotation appears on p. 12, verse 7 of the Sarvasiddhantasangraha of Samkara (ed. M. Rangacarya, Madras, 1909) and in the Sarvadarsanasamgraha of Madhava, in the section dealing with Buddhist doctrine (personal communication, Sri K. Venugopalan, Dictionary Department, Deccan College, Poona). The verse, in fact, appears frequently in Buddhist sources (P. Granoff, personal communication). 186 At Bhakti-rasayana 2.74-79 (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, pp. 183-185). 187 The followers of Prabhakara, author of the Brhati, a commentary on the Sabarabhasya. The Prabhakaras were one of the two main schools of the Purva Mimamsa, the other being that founded by Kumarila Bhatta. 188 According to the Purva Mimamsa, the mind is allpervading (vibhu)--i.e., omnipresent--functioning as a sense-organ by virtue of the limiting adjunct of the body. See Narayana's Manameyodaya 1.2.5, 2.2.124-129 (ed. and trans. C. K. Raja and S. S. Suryanarayana Sastri [Adyar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1933], pp. 10-11, 214-218); also G. Bhatt, Epistemology of the Bhatta School of Purva Mimamsa (Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1962), pp. 168-173. 189 According to the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness (ksanikavada), nothing exists for more than one moment. Things come into existence at one moment and are destroyed at the next. Entities which to the ordinary observer appear to possess permanence, are in fact nothing but a series of momentary existences, each causally determining its successor and thus creating an illusion of continuity. The mind also is nothing but a series of momentary cognitions linked together in a causal relationship. See Dasgupta, I, 158-162. 190 That is, it is neither atomic nor all-pervading. 191 This is a reference to the view held by the Naiyayikas and the Mamansakas that the sense of hearing is identical with the ether (akasa), which they hold to be allpervading and eternal, as limited by the "ear-orifice" of a particular individual. The ether, though omnipresent, is not able to apprehend all sounds when thus associated with the ear because it is restricted by the limitations of the individual psycho-physical organism. See Sinha, Indian Psychology: Perception, p. 13. 192 Madhusudana here rejects the doctrine of the

Warning! Page nr. 500 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

488 Nyaya and the Mimamsa that the ether (akasa) is eternal. According to the Advaita Vedanta, the ether is a product of Maya and must therefore be non-eternal. 193 Here the opponent's identification of the ether and the sense of hearing is implicitly rejected. The auditory faculty is, for the Vedantin, a product or derivative of the ether. "1 194 The original inference is as follows: "The mind is of medium size because it is a sense organ like the eye. The opponent objects that the fact that something is a sense organ does not necessarily prove that it is of medium size, for the faculty of hearing is a sense organ, but it is not of medium size. Rather it is all-pervading. Against this objection Madhusudana argues that the auditory sense is a non-eternal product of the ether and that, being a product, it cannot be all-pervading. 195 vyapti. 196 According to the Vedanta, the Mimamsa, and the Nyaya, each of the various sense qualities is associated with a particular one of the five elements, of which it is considered to be the essence. Thus the quality of smell belongs to earth, taste to water, color to fire, touch to air, and sound to ether. The affinity that a sense has for the particular quality it apprehends is due to the fact that each sense is produced from the element which possesses that quality. It is a case, as Bhatt (p. 164) suggests, of "like apprehending like." The eye has an affinity for color because it is produced from the element fire, which has color as its quality. Being "fiery," it is naturally capable of apprehending the fiery quality. Similarly, the sense of smell, which perceives the earthy quality, is derived from earth, and so on in respect of the other senses. In the Nyaya and the Mimamsa, however, the organ of hearing is not a product of the ether but rather identical with it (note 191). The Sankhyas hold a completely different view. The senses, they say, are evolutes of the ego-principle (ahamkara) and not products of the elements. They are thus psychic (ahamkarika) in nature rather than strictly physical (bhautika). See Bhatt, p. 164 ff.; also Chatterjee, p. 133 ff. Note that the argument which follows in the text is aimed at showing that the mind is a composite entity and, hence, capable of melting. 197 The Vedanta holds that the mind is one of the senses, a product of not one but all of the elements in combination. For the Nyaya, however, the mind is an

Warning! Page nr. 501 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

489 independent principle. As an atom, it is ultimate and impartite. Rather than being a product of something else, it is one of the nine independent, eternal substances (dravya), along with the five elements, time, space, and soul. 198 That is, it is a composite formed from the five elements in the pure, subtle form in which they exist before each of the five elements is alloyed with fractions of the other four in the process of "making five-fold" (pancikarana), which precedes production of material creation. This is the view of Advaita. 199 The nature of the luminous quality (sattvaguna) has been briefly described in note 177. It is the principle associated with clarity, intelligence, happiness, and tranquillity. Although each of the gunas is present in every aspect of creation, they appear in different proportions in different situations. Mind has a predominance of sattva; stones, of tamas, the principle of inertia and ignorance. 200 The Naiyayika bases his doctrine that the mind is atomic on his belief in the impossibility of the occurrence of simultaneous cognitions. At Nyaya Sutra 1.1.16 we read: "The non-occurrence of simultaneous cognitions is the grounds for [the inference of] the mind" (yugapajjnananutpattir manaso lingam, Gangopadhyaya, Nyaya-Sutra, p. 424). Although the several senses are more or less constantly in contact with their various objects, simultaneous cognitions do not occur. Therefore there must be some other factor necessary for perception over and above the contact of the senses with their objects. The mind is said to be an "extra auxiliary cause" (sahakarinimittantara) in this respect, and contact of the mind with the senses is taken as the necessary additional factor in perception. It follows, moreover, that the mind must be atomic in size because otherwise it could be in contact with more than one sense organ at the same time, simultaneous cognitions being the result. To the objection that we often do have the impression of experiencing different cognitions through different senses at the same time, the Naiyayika would respond that this feeling is only an illusion created by the mind's capacity for extremely rapid movement. This ability enables it to have contact with several sense organs in quick succession. The Vedantins would agree with the Naiyayikas only to the extent of admitting that it is impossible to have more than one cognition at a time through one sense. For them, as we shall see, the mind is of such a size and, being partite, is in possession of sufficient flexibility, as to

Warning! Page nr. 502 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

490 be in contact with two or more different sense organs simultaneously. See Chattopadhyaya and Gangopadhyaya, pp. 81-82; and Tarkasamgraha (ed. Athalye and Bodas), pp. 147- 148. 201 The main function of the mind, according to the Nyaya, is to provide a link between the soul (atman) and the sense organs. Conjunction between the soul and the mind (atmamanahsamyoga) is postulated as a necessary condition for perception. As the soul is said to be all pervading, however, it would seem that the mind must be unable to avoid contact with it, and that the connection between the soul and the mind must therefore be eternal. If this is the case, it becomes difficult to account for the phenomenon of deep sleep, where there is no perception and, hence, an apparent disjunction of the soul and the mind. To avoid this difficulty, the Naiyayikas assert that in sleep the mind enters a particular vein, the puritat, situated near the heart. When it does so, they say, its conjunction with the soul ceases. But this solution is not really satisfactory, for if the soul is truly all-pervading, it must be present in the puritat as well as everywhere else. So a further requirement for perception is stipulated, namely, contact of the mind with the skin. It is then declared that there is no skin in the puritat, so that the contact of the mind with the skin is suspended when the mind enters therein. See Tarkasamgraha (ed. Athalye and Bodas), pp. 147-148. 202 Sugar sitting on the tongue would be, according to the Vedantin, simultaneously perceived by both taste and touch. The Naiyayika is in trouble here, for the doctrine that the conjunction of the skin and the mind is necessary for perception goes against the notion of the impossibility of simultaneous cognitions and undermines the argument for the atomicity of the mind. It appears that this doctrine was not well thought out but invented ad hoc to avoid the difficulties regarding the relationship of soul and mind stated above. 203 I have not been able to find any reference to the Buddhist theory of mind in this text, a treatise in which Madhusudana attempts to set forth the true nature of liberation and refute the views of other schools. Divanji notes that, of the at least eleven references to the Vedanta-kalpalatika that can be found in Madhusudana's other writings, few can actually be traced in the present printed editions of the work. For this and other reasons he concludes that the text as we now have it is incomplete. See Divanji, p. v; R. D. Karmarkar, ed., Vedantakalpalatika (Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1962).

Warning! Page nr. 503 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

491 204 ahamkara. - 205 Upadesasahasri 14.3. 206 This 206 This explanatory phrase may be the interpolation of some overzealous copyist or perhaps the mistaken incorporation into the text of what was originally a reader's marginal note. In the verse the copper, already melted, is poured into the musa, the form of which it assumes. The musa must therefore be the mold itself, not the crucible (putapakayantra) in which the copper is melted. 207 See sec. XIII. 208 Upadesasahasri 14.4. 209 The bhagavatpujyapada, i.e., Sankara. 210 Suresvara (seventh century), disciple of Samkara and author of the Vartikas or versified glosses on his teacher's commentaries on the Brhadaranyaka and Taitiriya Upanisads. 211 Brhadaranyakopanisadvartika 1.2.103. In the process of knowing, the one universal Consciousness appears in the three forms described in this stanza. The first is the knower (matr), which is Consciousness limited by the mind (antahkaranavacchinnacaitantya). The second is the object of knowledge (meya), which is Consciousness limited by the object (visayavacchinnacaitanya). Consciousness limited by the modification (vrtti) of the mind (antahkaranavrttyavacchinnacaitantya) is the third, called the means of knowledge mana). The function of the mental modification is to create a connection between the subjectConsciousness and the object-Consciousness and to temporarily suppress the veil of Ignorance which obscures the latter. (See stanza 12 and its commentary, with notes.) The vrtti accomplishes this by the process, clearly described in the text, of flowing out and assuming the form of the object. For further details see Siddhantabindu (ed. Divanji), pp. 32-36, 235-238; Sinha, pp. 128-139. 212 mana 213 vrttijnana. 214, cidacidgranthirupa, "a composite of consciousness and unconsciousness." The mind is a product of the five elements (bhautika) and, hence, unconscious (jada). Its consciousness is derived from caitanya, which is refected in it.

Warning! Page nr. 504 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

492 215 The mental modification (vrtti) remains a part of the mind even while flowing out--being, so to say, an expansion of the mental substance. Though the vrtti flows out of the mind, the latter is not exhausted so as to become "empty. Indeed, the vrtti remains in the mind just as water remains in the tank even though some of it may be flowing out through the irrigation channels. " 216 Siddhantabindu (ed. Divanji), pp.32-36, 235-238. 217 PD 4.25. 218 The first half of the stanza is PD 4.23 a, the second half is Madhusudana's. 219 Madhusudana. 220 sthay!. 221 rati, the permanent emotion of srngara, the 221 rati, sentiment of erotic love. 222 hasa, the permanent emotion of hasya, the sentiment of mirth. 223 See especially Bhakti-rasayana 2.2-43. Gupta gives a good summary, pp. 220-224 and appendix. 224 See stanza 8 and commentary. 225 upeksajnana. 226 See sec. XIII. 227 sattvikabhavas. 228 uddyotakara (sixth century C.E.). Sri K. Venugopalan, of the Dictionary Department, Deccan College, has kindly attempted to trace this quote for me in the Nyayavarttika, but without success. He informs me, however, that the idea is found in Dharmottara's commentary on the Nyayabindu and in Jayantabhatta's Nyayamanjari (personal communication). 229 For a discussion of this important section, see chap. 5.7-8. 230 That is, it is only figurative. 231 apiti.

Warning! Page nr. 505 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

493 232 laya, the final dispersion of the individuality upon attainment of knowledge of Brahman and liberation. 233 That is, it awakens. 234 Madhusudana here wants to support his view that the mind is not dissolved in deep sleep by a reference to the Pancapadikavivarana of Prakasatman (thirteenth century), a commentary on Padmapada's Pancapadika (seventh-eight century), which in turn is a commentary on a portion of the Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya The phrase "What subtlety, pray, is this?" (keyam suksmata nama), however, appears in neither the Pancapadika nor Prakasatman's Vivarana, nor even in Vidyaranya's Vivaranaprameyasamgraha (personal communication from Sri K. Venugopalan, Dictionary Department, Deccan College). 235 §astrasya kopayoga iti. Scripture (sastra) urges us to strive to realize God and specifies means and disciplines dedicated to the end. If God is already attained, what is the point of all this? See stanza 32 above and note 237. 236 It is the Lord, as Consciousness, who/which reveals the objects. Without this inherent form of the Lord, the mind, itself insentient, would have no power of manifestation (see note 214). Here Madhusudana is talking of the "form" of bhagavat in a way that Advaitins usually talk of Brahman or caitanya. This is not, however, a deviation from Advaitic principle since, strictly speaking, it is not the pure Absolute (suddhabrahman) that is present in the mind as a reflection, making possible the experience of objects. It is, rather, the "prototype Consciousness" (bimbacaitanya), which is the same as Isvara or bhagavat. See chap. 5.5-6. 237 jastrajanya. Madhusudana is unfortunately not specific about the important question of which sastra or scripture he has in mind. In sec. XI he specified that "the hearing of compositions that bring together the exalted qualities of the Blessed Lord is the means to devotion" (Sanskrit: chap. 5.7, note 59). This, combined with the general tendency of the Bhakti-rasayana to regard the Bhagavata-purana as its primary authority, makes it almost certain that it is the latter text that Madhusudana has in mind here (see chap. 5.7). Note, however, that Samkara habitually used the term sastra to designate the sruti-texts, e.g.: "Brahman is known only from the Vedanta scripture" (brahma vedanta- • sastrad evavagamyate, Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya 1.1.4); "The purpose of the scripture is the destruction of all difference posited by Ignorance" (avidyakalpitabhedanivrttiparatvat sastrasya, Brahmasutra-samkara-bhasya 1.1.4); "Scripture is the final means of knowledge

Warning! Page nr. 506 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

494 (sastram tu antyam pramanam, Samkara-gita-bhasya 2.18). See T. M. P. Mahadevan, Sankaracharya (New Delhi: National Book Trust, 1968), p. 77-78. 238 Here, bhakti begins to sound very much like knowledge of Brahman. See chap. 5.7. 239 The material qualities (guna), as mentioned above Since (note 177), are the basic constituents of creation. everything, in the final analysis, consists of them, the gunas and their activity come to stand for relative creation in general, as opposed to absolute Being or Spirit. Hence the notion of the contamination of Spirit by involvement with the gunas is suggestive of any kind of relative involvement whatsoever. Conversely detachment from the gunas implies indifference to, or separation from, every aspect of mundane existence. 11 240 The four mind-born sons of Brahma, who were "boysages, great spiritual adepts who remained eternally youthful and celibate. Their names were Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara. See Bhagavata-purana 3.12, 4.22, 11.13. fact that Madhusudana himself identifies with these figures is of great significance. See chap. 6.5, note 83. 241 According to the Bhagavata-purana (3.25-33), Kapila, the The founder of the Sankhya system, was an incarnation of Visnu. Scholars are generally agreed that Samkhya is one of the oldest systems of Indian philosophy, but all evidence regarding its founder is mythical. If there was an historical personage of the name Kapila who was responsible for originating this school, it is likely that he lived in the century preceding the Buddha. The works ascribed to him, the Samkhyapravacanasutra and the Tattvasamasa, appear to be of much more recent origin (probably fourteenth century C.E.). See Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, (2 nd ed.; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1958), I, 212. 242 Madhusudana has just stated that "the condition of being filled with the forms of objects is not the inherent nature (svabhava) of the mind" and that "this condition is the effect of adventitious causes" (visayakarata hi na cittasya svabhavabhuta, tasya agantukahetujanyatvat, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 69). He continues: "What is inherent (svabhavaki) in the mind, however, is its having the form of the Blessed Lord" (bhagavadakarata tu cittasya svabhavaki, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 70). It seems strange, therefore, that he should now use the word "inherent" or "natural" (svabhavaki) in reference to the state of being filled with the forms of objects (visayakarata). But this is what he does: prakrtih svabhavaki visayakaratety arthah (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 73).

Warning! Page nr. 507 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

495 11 " This could be an error in the text, and perhaps we should read asvabhavaki, the "unnatural" or "adventitious" condition. In light of the association with the term prakrti ("crude nature, "unrefined state"), however, I have chosen the more conservative alternative of translating svabhavaki as "common. ("Natural" cannot be used because it also would suggest innateness.) By saying that "crude nature" (prakrti) refers to "the common condition of having impressions of the forms of objects," Madhusudana is giving a rather lofty philosophical interpretation of the Bhagavata-purana text. More simply, he could have glossed prakrti as "the state of being entangled in the material qualities of prakrti. This seems, in fact, to be the idea of the citation from the Hamsagita that immediately follows. See note 239 for the significance of the important notion of involvement in the material qualities. " 243 "The Song of the Swan, a section of the Bhagavata-purana (11.13.15-42) in which the Lord tells how He appeared before Brahma and his four saintly, mind-born sons (note 240) to answer their questions regarding the means of extricating the mind from sense attachment. 244 Iva. 245 turya, "the Fourth," the state of pure awareness which underlies and supports the waking, dreaming, and deepsleep states. In respect of these three, it is the fourth. See the Mandukya Upanisad for the classical exposition of this notion. 246 Sridhara explains tad gunacetasam as follows: tad tada gunacetasam gunanam cetasas canyonyam tyagah bhavati, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 657. I have translated accordingly. 247 The Lord as Consciousness, the Fourth, is the constant and silent witness of the other three states. 248 badhya, "to be contradicted, set aside, annulled." Because the world is false appearance produced by Maya, its apparent reality will be contradicted or sublated by true knowledge. 249 That is, the state in which this reality is experienced. 250 Regarded by the tradition as one of the greatest devotees of all time. To save Prahlada from destruction at the hands of his evil father, the demon-king Hiranyakasipu, the Lord incarnated as Narasimha, the Man-lion. See Bhagavata-purana 7.2- 10.

Warning! Page nr. 508 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

496 251 priti. 252 For a discussion of the implications of this and the following five sections, especially the implication that Advaitic knowledge is preliminary to the highest stages of bhakti, see chap. 5.8-9. - 253 paripurnasaccidanandaghana. 254 sanmatra. 255 drstanusravikavisayavitysnasya vasIkarasanjna vairagyam, Bangali Baba, p. 8. In verses 13-15 of his introduction to the Gudhartha-dipika (Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, pp. 3-4), Madhusudana equates this vasikaravairagya with the "non-attachment to the enjoyment of the results of action in this world and the next" (ihamutraphalabhogavairagya) that is the second of the "four-fold means" that qualifies a renunciate for the study of Advaita. It leads, he says, to the strengthening of the desire for moksa. Thus it becomes a preparation for jnana rather than, as here in the Bhakti-rasayana, a preliminary to bhakti. This provides further support for my thesis that Madhusudana is writing from quite a different standpoint in the Gudhartha-dipika See note 112, below; also chap. 9.3. 256 That is, the earlier stages are the means to 256 That those which follow. 257 dosa, "fault," is also a is also a common medical term meaning "bodily humor," "morbid element, 11 or "disease. " 258 The five senses, external as opposed to the mind. See next note. 259 antahkarana, in relation to the five external senses, the "internal sense. 01 260 The practice of reflecting on the unpleasant aspects of sense objects rather than their pleasant aspects is a type of Vedantic vicara ("reflective discipline") designed to produce non-attachment. Confronted by the temptation of amassing wealth, for example, the aspirant would deliberately bring to mind and reflect on all the troubles and grief that money brings in its train, thus overcoming temptation and attachment. 261 purusa, see note 176. 262 According to Vyasa's commentary on Yoga Sutras 1.16, this higher non-attachment is a very advanced state indeed, practically equivalent to liberation:

Warning! Page nr. 509 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

497 "There are two kinds of non-attachment. The higher of these is the pure calm of knowledge at the appearance of which the yogin whose realization has dawned thinks: 'Attained is that which had to be attained; destroyed are the afflictions that had to be destroyed; broken is the series of births whose links were tightly joined, because of the continuance of which, having been born, one dies, and, having died, one is reborn. This nonattachment is the supreme culmination of knowledge, for liberation is not something distinct from it" (tatra yad uttaram taj jnanaprasadamatram yasyodaye sati yogi pratyuditakhyatir evam manyate--praptam prapaniyam ksinah ksetavyah klesah / chinnah slistaparvabhavasamkramo yasyavicchedaj janitva mriyate mrtva ca jayata iti / jnanasyaiva para kastha vairagyam / etasyaiva hi nantariyakan kaivalyam iti, Bangali Baba, p. 8). etasyai 263 A brave and pious king who helped protect the gods against the demons. His story is told at Bhagavata-purana 10.51. 264 According to Sridhara (Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 538): 11 known as the senses" (indriyalaksanah), i.e., the five senses and the mind, which is the "internal sense" (antahkarana). Another traditional formula counts the six enemies as lust (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), infatuation (moha), pride (mada), and jealousy (matsara). 265 moksaparyantam, literally "up to and including liberation. The point is that, while the lower nonattachment just described involves lack of desire for everything except liberation, the higher is characterized by desirelessness toward everything including liberation. This is amply illustrated by the twelve verses cited following. The author here, continuing to take the point of view of the devotional schools, implicitly slights the Vedantins' high valuation of the "desire for moksa." See notes 112, 121 above; and chaps. 3.2, 4.3.2, 5.8-9. 266 This text refers to the puranic doctrine of the five kinds of liberation. Salokya is the attainment of the same heavenly realm (loka) occupied by the Lord, sarsti is the acquisition of powers similar to his, samipya is close proximity to him, sarupya is the assumption of a form or beauty (rupa) similar to his, and ekatva or sayujya is oneness with him. From none of these states does the soul return to transmigration. Contrary to what we might expect ekatva or oneness is not always regarded as the highest goal. This is especially the case in the Bengal Vaisnava school. Even though the soul in the state of oneness is never completely identified with the Lord so as to lose its individuality (as

Warning! Page nr. 510 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

498 in the liberation of Advaita), still to be completely immersed in the divine bliss is to lose one's ability to experience the outward glories and sports of the Lord as well as the capacity for service. The Gosvamins, for this reason, regard ekatva as the lowest of the five. For them samipya or close proximity is the highest, for in it there is direct perception of the supernaturally glorious form of the Lord, and in it the bliss of devotion, a goal superior to any state of liberation, is at its highest. See De, Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, pp. 294-295. Rupa Goswamin quotes the present verse (Bhagavata-purana 3.29.13) at BRS 1.1.14 and again at 1.2.28 (Bon, pp. 28, 86); he then goes on to state that, though all but ekatva are compatible with bhakti, true devotees, who are "tasting the unique sweetness of preman" (prema ikamadhuryajusa), do not desire any of the five forms of liberation (BRS I.2.55- 57; Bon, pp. 106). 267 Visnu incarnate in partial form as the son of Vena. A king renowned for his virtue, Prthu was most famous for taming the goddess Earth, who was withholding food from his subjects. See Bhagavata-purana 4.15-23. 268 I have followed Sridhara's interpretation of this verse. "The nectar of Thy lotus feet" is glossed "the bliss of hearing Thy glory. Rear Thy glory" (yasansravanaya) etc." (yasahsravanadisukham). The ten thousand ears are Prthu is saying that he does not desire liberation if in that state he cannot hear the nectar-like stories of the Lord being sung by the great saints. The text of Sridhara's commentary: mahattamanam antarhrdayan mukhdvarena nirgato bhavatpadambhojamakarando yasahsravanadisukham yatra nasti tadrsam cet kaivalyam tarhi tat kvacit kadacid api na kamaye tarhi kin kamayase tad aha yasahsravanaya karnanam ayutan vidhatsva nanu ko 'py evam na vrtavan kim anyacintayety aha mama tu esa eva varah, Bhavartha-bodhini, 199. 269 The son of King Uttanapada. As a boy Dhruva, inspired by the celestial sage Narada, performed austerities so rigorous that the breathing of all creation was obstructed. The Lord blessed him with the boon that, on his death, he would have the pole star (dhruva, "fixed") as his abode. See Bhagavata-purana 4.8-12. 270 This verse has already be quoted once in sec. IX. See note 84. 271 Krsna's Queens, addressing Draupadi. 272 An epithet of Visnu-Krsna. 273 A name of Laksmi, goddess of prosperity and beauty (srI), the consort of Visnu.

Warning! Page nr. 511 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

499 274 The King of the devas, addressing the Lord who, in His Man-lion incarnation, has just slain the demon Hiranyakasipu. The latter had been tyrannizing his own son Prahlada and, indeed, all the world. 275 A demon important in the Rgveda, where he is Indra's chief adversary. In the Bhagavata-purana account (6.11-12), he is presented as a devotee of Lord Visnu. 276 At the end of the period of universal dissolution (mahapralaya), the eternal Vedas awaken Visnu from his cosmic sleep by singing his praises. 277 See note 111. 278 bhagavatpremaparakastha. 279 prakti. 280 premalaksana bhaktih. 281 A devotee of Krsna who was a leader of the Yadu clan, into which Krsna was born. p. 670. 282 sridhara: yato 'sau jnanena mam dharayati, Bhavartha-bodhini, 283 The Self which exists both before and after the appearance of the products of Maya continues to exist in the interim as the support or locus (adhisthana) of these phenomenal manifestations, just as, in the classical analogy of the snake and the rope, the rope continues to exist as the substratum of the illusory snake. This seems to be the meaning of this obscure passage, which Sridhara glosses as follows: "The rope which exists at the beginning and end of the unreal snake also exists in the interval, but the snake does not exist; similarly, this change does not exist" (asatah sarpader adyantayor yad asti rajjvadi tad eva madhye 'pi na tu sarpadi tadvad ayam vikaro nasti, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 670). 284 mayika. 285 vikalpa. He becomes detached from all of creation, realizing that it is but a false mental construct. Sridhara: . . because of the falsity of the mental construct" (vikalpasya mithyatvat, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 671). " 286 Sridhara: "Who in reality is the Self and Who gives Himself to the worshipers" (vastuta atma atmapradas copasakanam, Bhavartha-bodhini, p. 630).

Warning! Page nr. 512 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

500 287 The pairs such as pleasure and pain, heat and cold, and so on, which trouble people in this world of relativity. 288 This and the following two verses are cited and commented upon by Madhusudana in sec. X. 289 The eleven stages of devotion enumerated in verses 34-36 follow roughly Narada's account of his own growth in bhakti, described in Book I of the Bhagavata-purana (1.5.23-40). Born as the son of the servant-maid of a group sages, he waited on them, earned their grace, was attracted to their practices, heard their accounts of the Lord's glories, and so on. Note that there is very little in common between Madhusudana's eleven stages of devotion and the nine enumerated by Rupa at BRS 1.4.15 (see chap. 4.3.4). Gupta's suggestion (p. xxii) that Madhusudana based these stages on the model of the seven stages of knowledge listed in the YV, and cited by Madhusudana at Gudhartha-dipika 3.18, seems to me to have little foundation. The Bhaktisutras attributed to Narada contain a list of eleven types of bhakti, as follows: (1) love of the greatness of God's qualities (gunamahatmyasakti); (2) love of the beauty of God's form (rupasakti); (3) love of worship (pujasakti); (4) love of the constant remembrance of God Smaranasakti); (5-8) love of the Lord as his servant, friend, parent, and beloved (dasya-, sakhya-, vatsalya-, and kantasakti); (9) love of complete self-surrender (atmanivedanasakti); (10) love in identity with God (tanmayatasakti); and (11) supreme love in separation (paramavirahasakti) (Narada-bhakti-sutras 82, Swami Tyagisananda, Aphorisms on the Gospel of Divine Love or the Narada Bhakti Sutras [Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1978], pp. 22-23). To what extent the Narada-bhakti-sutras intends this list as a hierarchical arrangement is not clear. It does not use any word for stages or degrees, but says only that bhakti is "elevenfold" (ekadasadha). At any rate, the scheme has little in common with Madhusudana's eleven bhaktibhumikas. 290 rati. 291 Madhusudana's commentary on these three verses (34-36) covers forty-four pages in the text. Remarks from his own hand occupy a total of only about two pages of this bulk; the rest is made up of some 190 verses from the Bhagavata-purana which the author quotes to explain, through illustrative reference to the legends of great devotees, the various stages of devotion. This section of the commentary is, therefore, lengthy--perhaps unnecessarily so--and for that reason somewhat tedious. Rather than translating it in full, I here summarize its essential points, providing

Warning! Page nr. 513 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

501 direct translations of Madhusudana's own commentary where appropriate, together with a sampling of the more important verses cited. Madhusudana explains the stages as follows: I. 11 Service of the Great (mahatam seva). Note that the word seva ("service") used here carries also the meanings "resorting to," "constant attendance on," and "dwelling near" or "frequenting. Close contact is implied. By "the great" Madhusudana means either the devotees of the Lord, i.e., saints and one's preceptor, or the Lord himself in the form of an avatara ("divine incarnation") such as Krsna. "Service of the great," he says, "is two-fold: service of the devotess of the Lord or service of the Lord Himself" (saksadbhagavatseva, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 97). Just as it harms the mind to associate with persons of bad character and unwholesome interests, so association with saintly persons purifies the mind, helping it to overcome attachment to worldly things and acquire a tendency to dwell on things spiritual. Worldly desires begin to become spiritual desires, e.g., for hearing tales of the Lord's glory and realizing him in one's own life. Of course if one is fortunate enough to live at the time of an avatara of the Lord, an even greater opportunity presents itself. Some examples of service of the Lord's devotees quoted by the author: "They say that service of the great (mahatseva) is the gateway to liberation while association with those attached to women leads to hell. The great are those who are even-minded, tranquil, free from anger, kindhearted, and pure" (Bhagavata-purana 5.5.2). "The wise know attachment as the ageless bond of the Self. But that same attachment, when directed towards the saintly, is an open gateway to liberation" (Bhagavata-purana 3.25.20). An example of service of the Lord Himself: "For merely by loving attachment (bhava) [to Me], the milkmaids, the cows, and the trees, along with the beasts, the serpents, and other other dull-witted creatures, all became perfected and easily attained Me • "Whom even one striving by means of yoga, reasoning, vows, austerities, sacrifices, recitation and study of the Veda, or renunciation may well not reach" (Bhagavata-purana 11.12.8-9).

Warning! Page nr. 514 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

502 Madhusudana comments: "Without either close association with the Lord Himself or with those [saints] who are in close contact with Him, whichever is possible, devotion to the Lord will not arise. Here is the distinction: for those who have close association with the Lord Himself, there is no requirement for any further contact [with saints], because their goal is already achieved, but for those who are enjoying the company of saints, there is the further requirement of direct contact with the Lord, as this is the goal" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 101). Note that Rupa Gosvamin, in his scheme of devotional stages, counts "association with the holy" (sadhusanga) as the second, to be preceded by faith (sraddha). See chap. 4.3.4. II. Being a Fit Object of Their Compassion (taddayapatrata). Here the word "compassion" suggests also the active spiritual help or grace that flows from the saint or avatara to the devotee. Though the great souls show love impartially to all creatures, devotees who possess, either naturally or by self-effort, noble qualities such as kindness, non-violence, patience, truthfulness, tranquillity, and so on, may become the special object of their compassion. "The compassion of great," comments Madhusudana, "directed toward oneself, arises because of one's virtues such as having a pure and tractable disposition" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 102). The virtues are important for, "If the disciple does not have such qualities, association with the great, even if attained, is useless (nirarthaka)" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 104). The compassion of the great is expressed in the form of grace and special attention bestowed upon the devotee, which aids him in his spiritual development. It may be earned by the bhakta's own efforts or bestowed without such consideration (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, 104). III. Faith in Their Disciplines (sraddha tesan dharmesu). "For one who is possessed of the qualities just described and is engaged in the service of the great, faith in their disciplines arises in the form of a particular inclination, namely, `By the performance of such disciplines I too may become one whose purpose in life is fulfilled' (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 108). 1 #1 Madhusudana cites a series of verses that extol these disciplines and explain how the aspirant may acquire a liking for their practice, e.g.: "Who will not love to hear of Him by the sword of constant meditation on Whom the wise and disciplined souls have cut the knot of karma that binds them?

Warning! Page nr. 515 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

503 "O Brahmins! Through service of great saints and frequent pilgrimage to holy places, a taste for tales of Vasudeva arises in those who are attentive and faithful" (Bhagavata-purana 1.2.15-16). "This faith with the maturation of practice causes an increasing dislike for all objects, both of this world and the next, and leads one to regard the performance of the disciplines of the Lord's devotees as the sole support of his life, just as hunger makes one wholly intent on food" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, 109). Madhusudana illustrates such intense faith with the example of the fasting King Pariksit, who says to Suka, the narrator of the purana: "As I drink the nectar-like story of Hari flowing from the lotus of your mouth, this intolerable hunger does not trouble me, who have given up even water" (Bhagavata-purana 10.1.23). "1 IV. Hearing of the Glories of Hari (hariguna- sruti). "This phrase,' says Madhusudana, "is meant to suggest all nine of the disciplines of the Lord's devotees" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 115). (See note 30 above.) These nine are enumerated at Bhagavata-purana 7.5.23-24, which the author of the Bhakti-rasayana quotes: "Hearing (sravana) of the glories of Visnu, singing of them, constant thought of Him, attendance at His feet, worship, reverent prostration, regarding oneself as His servant, thinking of Him as a close friend, and surrender of oneself to Him-- "If this nine-fold devotion, offered to the Blessed Lord Visnu, were practiced by a man (pumsa), it would indeed, I deem, be the highest learning. "The performance of such disciplines of the Lord's devotees according to one's capacity is the fourth stage. These four stages are means (sadhana) only" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 124). That is, the first four stages serve only as the means to devotion, which begins at the next stage, and are not ends in themselves. V. The Arising of the Sprout of Love (ratyankurotpatti). This is the beginning of true devotion, the result of the practice of the first four stages. "This love (rati) will be explained as the permanent emotion of the sentiment of devotion. It is a special permanent impression of the form of the Lord that has entered into the melted mind, the 'sprout' of the 'seed' which consists in the performance of the disciplines of the Lord's devotees" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 124). The following text is cited:

Warning! Page nr. 516 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

504 "As a result of association with the saintly, one hears stories, like elixir to the mind and ear, from which one gains knowledge of My heroic deeds. From the enjoyment of these, faith in the path to liberation, love (rati), and devotion follow in quick succession" (Bhagavata-purana 3.25.25). "The idea is that after one has faith in the experience of the sentiment of devotion, love (rati), the permanent emotion, will arise. Then that will develop into the sentiment of devotion, all in proper sequence" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 125). (See sec. XVII.) "This, the fifth stage, represents the real essence (svarupa) of devotion. The other six levels become the fruit of this through a particular process of development" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 126). (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 126). The devotion that has been described Bhakti-rasayana 1.3-10 begins at this stage and develops until it reaches its highest limit in stage eleven. Rupa Gosvamin also uses the word rati to designate the initial stage of bhakti that emerges out of the practice of sadhanabhakti (chap. 4.3.4), as well as the sthayibhava of bhaktirasa (chap. 6.4). In both theories, then, rati is the nascent state of love which develops eventually into preman. While the author of the Bhakti-rasayana regards rati as the manifestation of the form of bhagavat, Rupa understands it as an appearance in the devotee's mind of the divine hladini Sakti. The classical aestheticians, as we have seen, regard rati as the sthyayibhava of srigararasa, the sentiment of erotic love. VI. Realization of the Essential Nature (svarupadhigati). This stage is especially interesting since Madhusudana indicates clearly that it is the same as knowledge of Brahman, the highest goal of Advaita. He describes it as "the direct realization of the essential nature (svarupa) of the inner Self (pratyagatman) as distinct from both the gross and subtle bodies" (pratyag- atmasvarupasya sthulasuksmadehadvayatiriktatvena saksatkaras sasthi bhumika, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 126). sasthi The following verses are said to illustrate its nature: "The Self is eternal, immutable, pure, one, the conscious principle within the body, the support [of all], changeless, self-luminous, the [first] cause, all pervading, unattached, uncircumscribed. "Realizing the Self through these twelve preeminent characteristics, one should abandon the false notions of 'I' and `mine' with regard to the body which are born of delusion" (Bhagavata-purana 7.7.19-20). Any doubts regarding the equivalence of this state to

Warning! Page nr. 517 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

505 Vedantic knowledge of Brahman are removed by Madhusudana's assertion that it includes the realization of the truth of the "great saying" of the Upanisad, "Thou art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.9.4): "When, in this way, that which is designated by the word 'thou' is realized in its purity, there arises knowledge of its non-difference from what is designated by the word 'That'" (evam suddhe tvampadalaksye 'vagate tatpadalaksyena sahabhedajnanam bhavati, Bhakti-rasayana, p. 128). Madhusudana declares that such "knowledge of reality" (tattvajnana) generates intense non-attachment and suggests that this non-attachment prepares the ground for the next stage (etadrsatattvajnane sati vairagyadardhyad bhagavati premno vrddhir bhavati, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 129). Without it, he says, "love (rati) will not reach its full development due to the distractions of the body and senses" (anyatha dehendriyadiviksepena jataya api rater anirvahat, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 126-127). Cp. Gudhartha-dipika 7.17: "Of the four types of devotees, the possessor of knowledge (jnanin) • is the best . • • since he is able to concentrate his mind on the Lord constantly, due to the absence of distractions" (caturvidhanam tesam madhye jnani . . . visisyate yato bhagavati sada samahitaceta viksepabhavat, Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, p. 363). (See also the discussion of knowledge and nonattachment as preliminaries to the highest levels of devotion, Bhakti-rasayana 1, secs. XXV-XXVII; chap. 5.8-9.) • • Note that svarupadhigati is not the same as the realization of bhagavat. The latter occurs in the eighth stage and is preceded by the increase of love made possible by the knowledge and non-attachment generated here. This is a further confirmation of the fact that, though Madhusudana often speaks of bhagavat as identical with the Self, he does wish to retain both a conceptual and an experiential distinction between the two. The interpretation of this stage is made somewhat uncertain by the fact that Madhusudana has earlier (sec. XI) asserted that "inquiry into the Vedanta may be necessary even for devotees for the sake of determining the essential nature (svarupa) of the object of their worship" (see note 123). If, as seems likely, he is using svarupa in that passage indicate the same reality--the atman--that is intended here in the compound svarupadhgati, it could possibly be argued that he really believes that this and the higher stages of bhakti are open only to those who undertake study of Vedanta, i.e, Advaitin renunciates. This interpretation might find some support in Madhusudana's failure to explicitly specify which scripture (sastra) "generates" the manifestation of the form of God in the mind (see note 237, above, and chap. 5.7, notes 59 and 62). Is, then, the allusion to the "great saying" tat tvam asi here a covert introduction of Advaitic orthodoxy? Is, in other words, Madhusudana trying to suggest that the mediation of

Warning! Page nr. 518 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

506 the sruti essential even for the bhakta? Such an interpretation of the text would have the advantage of harmonizing the teachings of the Bhakti-rasayana with those of the Gudhartha-dipika (see chap. 9.3). But the problem, over and above Madhusudana's ambiguity, is that no Brahmin renunciate, as we shall see, is named among the puranic heroes the author mentions in his commentary on Bhakti-rasayana 1 as exemplars of the higher stages of bhakti. The paradigmatic bhaktas referred to are all either Ksatriya kings, princes, or noblemen (Ambarisa, Pariksit, Uddhava, and Prahlada) or, worse for the interpretation under consideration, Ksatriya women (Krsna's queens) or even low-caste women (the gopis). Of course, there is always the doctrine, enunciated by Madhusudana at Gudhartha-dipika 18.63 (see chap. 9.3.3), that renunciation performed in a previous life may be efficacious in provoking liberation in a present, non-renounced existence. And the Vaisnavas teach that the gopis are incarnations of great sages (rsis). But we cannot base our interpretation of the text on the unlikely possibility that Madhusudana had such notions in mind to rationalize the status of all the exemplar-devotees referred to. I feel confident that he is here suggesting the possibility of Self-realization, as a preliminary to the higher stages of bhakti, attainable without reference to Vedantic inquiry and all the restrictions that pertain thereto. VII. The Increase of Love for the Supreme Bliss (paramanande premavrddhih). Preman is the developed and enhanced state of rati. In the literature of the devotional schools, the word suggests "pure, ecstatic love of God." (See chap. 4.3.4-5.) The "Supreme Bliss" is, of course, the Lord. Purified by knowledge and non-attachment, the mind becomes lost in the love that first appeared at stage five. The example of Prahlada, son of the demon-king Hiranyakasipu (see notes 250, 274), is cited: "That boy, who had abandoned all his toys because his mind was absorbed in the Lord, seemed like an insentient dolt. His mind possessed by Krsna, he was unaware of the world around him. "Lost in the embrace of Govinda, he was not aware of anything while sitting, roaming about, eating, lying down, drinking, or speaking. "Sometimes, his mind agitated by anxious yearning for Vaikuntha [Visnu-Krsna], he wept. Sometimes he laughed out of joy at the thought of Him; sometimes he sang loudly. Sometimes, yearning [for Him], he cried out. Sometimes he danced without inhibition, and sometimes, intent on contemplation on Him and identified with Him, he would imitate [His actions].

Warning! Page nr. 519 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

507 "Sometimes he sat silent, the hairs on his body thrilling in rapture, delighting in the close contact, his eyes closed with tears of joy from his unswerving love" (Bhagavata-purana 7.4.37-41). Madhusudana states that this stage represents the end of the practice of the means (sadhana) and that "the four remaining stages are accomplished without effort" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 131-132). VIII. The Direct Manifestation of Him (tasya sphuranam). "The eighth stage is the immediate realization (saksatkara), caused by the super-abundance of love (prematisaya), of the Blessed Lord who is the object of that Love (premaspadibhuta" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 132). Devotees at this level (who are not specifically named in the passage cited) commune with celestial manifestations of the Lord: "There are some few, My devotees, who have such longing for Me and take such delight in the worship of My feet that they do not desire oneness with Me. Joining together, they celebrate My heroic deeds. "These saintly ones see My divine forms--radiant, boonbestowing, with charming face and violet eyes--and they engage with them in enviable conversations. "Their minds and life-breath stolen by My beautiful limbs, My enchanting sports, smiles, looks, and sweet speech, they are transported, by [their] devotion, to My exceedingly subtle state" (Bhagavata-purana 3.25.34-36). In It is worth noting a study such as this that the words premaspada ("object of love"), which are used here in reference to bhagavat, are also used in Advaita as a designation of the atman. In the Siddhantabindu, for example, Madhusudana speaks of the discrimination between "the suffering [jIva] and the object of supreme love" (duhkhiparamapremaspadanvayavyatireka, Divanji, p. 70). another place he describes the Self as the "object of supreme love, since it is of the nature of bliss" (paramapremaspadatvena ca tasyanandarupatvat, Divanji, p. 9). This usage seems to be based on PD 1.8-9, where the Self is described as parapremaspada (Swahananda, pp. 4-5). See also Gudhartha-dipika 7.17 (Shrimad-bhagavad-gita, p. 363). IX. Spontaneous Absorption in the Disciplines of the Lord's Devotees (bhagavaddharmanistha). At this stage the devotee, filled with love for God, is constantly engaged in devotional activities. These are no longer consciously cultivated as means to realization, but are spontaneous

Warning! Page nr. 520 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

508 expressions of ecstatic love. Ambarisa, a king whose devotion was so great that the Lord protected him against the powerful curse of the sage Durvasas (Bhagavata-purana 9.4-5), was such a devotee: "He attained such great love (bhava) for the Blessed Lord Vasudeva and for His saintly devotees that he looked upon the whole universe as if it were a clod of earth. "He directed his mind toward the lotus feet of Krsna, his words to describing the glories of Lord Vaikuntha, his hands to cleaning the temples of Hari, his ears to narrations of the purifying tales of Acyuta, "His eyes to seeing the shrines which contained images of Mukunda, his limbs to embracing the bodies of the servants of the Lord, his sense of smell to the fragrance of His lotus feet, his taste to the sacred basil leaves offered to Him" (9.4.15-19). Also cited as examples are Uddhava (Bhagavata-purana 11.6.48) and Pariksit (Bhagavata-purana 1.9.15-21). Madhusudana concludes: "The absorption in the disciplines of the Lord's devotees that requires effort is a means (sadhana) but this absorption, which is accomplished spontaneously (svatassiddha), is an end in itself (phalabhuta)" (Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 136). x. Possession of His Glorious Qualities in Oneself (svasmims tadgunasalita). Madhusudana's exposition of the tenth and eleventh stages is disappointingly brief, covering a total of only 21 lines of text. He begins his discussion of the former by quoting two verses from the Bhagavata-purana (3.25.37-38) which indicate that the devotee attains supernatural powers, divine radiance, and other spiritual gifts, even though he has no desire for these things. These are explained in a brief comment as a "manifestation [in the devotee] of qualities that are imperishable and similar to the Lord's' (avinasvarabhagavattulyagunavibhava, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 137). Madhusudana gives no further explanation of the possibilities involved, but the state seems equivalent to the sarstimukti of traditional Vaisnava thought. See note 266. " XI. The Supreme Limit of Love (premnah parama kastha). Madhusudana's explanation of this stage is short: "It is characterized by the inability to endure separation (viraha) to the extent of giving up one's very life" (pranaparityagavadhivirahasahisnutarupa, Bhakti-rasayana, p. 137). This comment is supported by four passages from the Bhagavata-purana illustrating the anguish experienced by the bhaktas when

Warning! Page nr. 521 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

509 separated from Krsna. Here, the paradigms are the gopis and the queen's of Dvaraka: "There was supreme bliss for the milkmaids on seeing Govinda, a moment without Whom was to them like a hundred world ages" (Bhagavata-purana 10.19.16). "When you go off to the forest during the day, an instant seems like a world age to us [the gopis] who are not seeing you. A dolt is he who made the lashes of these eyes that are gazing at your radiant face with its [frame of] curly hair!" (Bhagavata-purana 10.31.15) "Whenever, O Lotus-eyed One, you depart [from Dvaraka] for the land of the Kurus [Hastinapur] or the Madhus [Mathura] with the desire to see your friends, a moment resembles a hundred thousand years for us [Krsna's queens], O Acyuta, who become like the eyes without the sun" (Bhagavata-purana 1.11.9). The highest intolerance of separation is illustrated by the gopis who were prevented by jealous relatives from responding to the call of Krsna's flute and participating in the celebrated Dance of Love (rasalila) on the mooonlit banks of the Yamuna: "Some milkmaids, confined in their inner apartments and unable to escape, meditated on Krsna with closed eyes, deeply engaged in thought of Him. "Their sins removed by the intense agony of unbearable separation from their beloved, their merits exhausted in the ecstasy of Acyuta's embrace attained during meditation, associating with Him, the Supreme Self, with bonds destroyed thereby even though they regarded Him as their lover, they immediately abandoned the body composed of the three material qualities" (Bhagavata-purana 10.29.9- 11). At this point, Madhusudana admits that he is only hinting at the nature of preman, and he promises to explain it in greater detail in the second chapter (dinmatram ihodahrtam / anantarollase punar etat saprapancam udaharisyate prema, Shrimad-bhakti-rasayanam, p. 139). The important aspects of that discussion have already been summarized in chap. 6.5. In Bhakti-rasayana 2, we noted, Madhusudana at first identifies the gopi's love for Krsna as the highest sentiment (paramo rasah). But he then goes on to identify the suddhabhakti ("pure devotion") of sages like Sanaka as an even superior rasa (eti rasatam adhikam). This, combined with the emphasis here on the "inability to endure separation" and

Warning! Page nr. 522 has not been proofread. Click the page link to verify the generated OCR text with the original PDF.

510 the tenor of the last verse quoted, which suggests a kind of disembodied union with Krsna, suggests that Madhusudana, as a true Advaitin, envisions some kind of unitive experience as the final goal of bhakti. Certainly Madhusudana does not develop the theme of vipralamba or viraha ("love-inseparation") to anywhere near the extent that the Gosvamins do. It is disappointing, however, that neither here, in the commentary on the last verses of the first chapter, nor in Bhakti-rasayana 2 or 3 do we find any discussion of the metaphysical implications of the higher stages of bhakti. Does the "inability to endure separation" mean that the devotee utterly loses him/herself in the experience of bhagavat, so that an authentic Advaitic identity is attained? Perhaps, but in the absence of any further help from Madhusudana, we are only guessing. On all of this, see chap. 6.5. Note that both the inability to endure separation and the distortion of time suggested by the Bhagavata-purana quotations given here are recognized by Rupa as symptoms of mahabhava, the highest level of preman. They are, however, associated with the rudha ("developed") and not the adhirudha ("totally developed ") state of that "great ecstasy" (chap. 4.3.5). 292 paramahamsa, see note 111. 293. 3 parivrajaka, see note 111. 294 The colophons of the Vedanta-kalpalatika, Siddhantabindu, Gudhartha-dipika, and Advaitasiddhi, which I have at hand, do not contain the laudatory epithets "most excellent of teachers and best of ascetics whose proficiency in all branches of learning is famed throughout the world" (acaryavaryavisvavisrutasarvatantrasvatantrataka • • All yativara). An admiring copyist may have added them. but the Vedanta-kalpalatika include instead a more humble designation that serves as a tribute to Madhusudana's guru: "disciple at the revered feet of the glorious Visvesvara Sarasvati" (srivisvesvarasarasvatipujyapadasisya, Shrimad-bhagavad-gita 775; see Divanji, p. iv, note 1, and p. 82).

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: