As I mentioned in a previous article, Śrī Jīva Goswami summarized the definition of prīti in the Prīti Sandarbha Anuccheda 78.2 with a beautiful metaphor. For this, he employed gadya-kāvya or prose poetry consisting of one very long sentence with many compound words. The passage starts with the following statement:
atha śrī-bhagavat-prīti-lakṣaṇa-vākyānāṁ niṣkarṣaḥ—
Now, the essence of all the statements defining the nature of prīti for Śrī Bhagavān is poetically expressed in the following words [employing the metaphor of the exclusive loving disposition of a beautiful, exquisitely adorned, exceedingly virtuous, and supremely opulent wife toward her uniquely qualified husband]
The long sentence consists of only three types of words: one verb, many qualifiers of prīti which is the subject of the sentence and the object of prīti, Bhagavān, along with many qualifiers which are all in the locative case. The verb is virājate – shines forth majestically. Thus, the overall syntax is:
bhagavati pritir virājate – prīti for Bhagavān shines forth majestically.
I examined the justification for putting the object of prīti in the seventh case in this article. Below, I present Babaji’s translation of Śrī Jīva Goswami’s prose poetry —
nikhila-paramānanda-candrikā-candramasi sakala-bhuvana-saubhāgya-sāra-sarvasva-sattva-guṇopajīvyānanta-vilāsa-mayāmāyika-viśuddha-sattvānavaratollāsād asamordhva-madhure śrī-bhagavati
Divine Prīti for Bhagavān shines forth majestically while perpetually engaged in serving Him — the Moon who diffuses the soothing moonrays of the totality of supreme bliss (paramānanda), and He whose delightfulness (madhura) is unequaled and unsurpassed by virtue of the ceaseless play of the potency of unalloyed being (viśuddha-sattva) present within Him — the potency that is altogether beyond māyā’s influence, that abounds with limitless splendor (ananta-vilāsa), that is the ground and support of materially conditioned being (prākṛtasattva-guṇa), and the sum total of the auspicious fortune of all worlds.
In the portion of the sentence above, the object of prīti is described.
katham api cittāvatārād anapekṣita-vidhiḥ svarasata eva samullasantī, viṣayāntarair anavacchedyā, tātparyāntaram asahamānā, hlādinī-sāra-vṛtti-viśeṣa-svarūpā,
Because Prīti manifests causelessly (katham api) in the practitioner’s cognitive ground (citta), she is independent of all injunctions. She shines forth gloriously by her own independent will alone. She can never be impeded by the presence of any other object, and she is intolerant of any aim [other than loving service to Bhagavān]. Her innermost essential being (svarūpa) consists of the specific functional capacity that constitutes the essence of the delight giving potency (hlādinī-sāra-vṛtti-viśeṣa).
The rest of the sentence describes prīti. I broke the sentence up into parts for ease of comprehension. Note how he makes it clear that prīti manifests (avatāra) into the citta or heart by her own will. This refutes the notion of dormant prema in the ātmā. He further specifies prīti as the essence of hlādinī, which is a śakti of Bhagavān, and not the jīva.
bhagavad-ānukūlyātmaka-tad-anugata-tat-spṛhādi-maya-jñāna-viśeṣākārā, tādṛśa-bhakta-mano-vṛtti-viśeṣa-dehā, pīyūṣa-pūrato’pi sarasena svenaiva sva-dehaṁ sarasayantī,
Her form (ākāra) consists of a distinct state of consciousness ( jñāna-viśeṣa) rooted in a pleasing disposition (ānukūlyātmaka) toward Bhagavān and imbued with intense yearning to attain Him (tat-spṛhā), which naturally ensues from the same core attitude of agreeableness toward Him (tad-anugata). Her manifested body (deha) consists of the unique state of mind (mano-vṛtti-viśeṣa) of those devotees who are endowed with such consciousness. She infuses her body with rasa by means of her own rasa, which is more delectable than the ambrosial food of the gods.
Recall the definition of prīti. There, Śrī Jīva Goswami had specified prīti to be a state of consciousness. Here also, we find the same type of definition, except it is in the form of a metaphor. As prīti is a wife, she has a form. That form is a favorable disposition toward Bhagavān.
For many, bhakti refers to an act, such as the act of chanting the names of Bhagavān. But bhakti is more than just a specific act or acts. At its core, bhakti is a favorable disposition toward Bhagavān. When one has such a disposition, all actions done by such a person are bhakti. This is why Śrī Jīva Goswami does not include any specific action in the metaphor above.
The favorable disposition toward Bhagavān gives rise to an intense longing for Him. Her form is imagined to be imbued with this longing. Further, her body is specified as the state of mind of the devotees who have prīti. This body is made of rasa – the experience of delight which manifests in the minds of devotees.
bhakta-kṛtātma-rahasya-saṅgopana-guṇa-maya-raśanā-bāṣpa-muktādi-vyakta-pariṣkārā, sarva-guṇaika-nidhāna-svabhāvā, dāsīkṛtāśeṣa-puruṣārtha-sampattikā, bhagavat-pātivratya-vrata-varyā-paryākulā, bhagavan-manoharaṇaikopāya-hāri-rūpā, bhagavati bhāgavatī prītis tam upasevamānā virājata iti |
Her distinctive ornaments (vyakta-pariṣkārāḥ) include a halfmoon-shaped girdle (raśanā) strung with the splendid cord of the devotees’ efforts to conceal the secret abiding in their hearts (ātma-rahasya) and with the pearl-like tears that forcibly issue from their eyes. Her natural disposition (svabhāva) is to be the exclusive reservoir of all virtue. Being endowed with such incomparable opulence (sampatti), she causes all other valued human pursuits (puruṣārthas) to become her maidservants. She is fervently intent on fulfilling her preeminent vow of spousal fidelity to Bhagavān (pātivratya-vrata). Her charm and beauty are the singular means by which she steals away the mind of Bhagavān. Divine Prīti for Bhagavān thus shines forth majestically while perpetually engaged in serving Him.
Prīti’s ornaments are the attempts of the devotees to conceal the fact that they have prīti, which are likened to the cord that is used to tie a girdle, while their tears of bliss are likened to pearls. She is full of virtue, and all other goals and ambitions of life are her servants, that is to say, are subordinated to her. Bhagavān is Her exclusive master, whose mind she steals by means of her beauty, that is to say, her favorable disposition (form as described above). And she serves Him perpetually.
Summary
As a reminder, prīti is the name given to Bhagavān’s hlādinī-śakti when it is transmitted into the devotees. She seizes control of the devotees’ minds. Therefore, the entire metaphor that defines prīti above revolves around the mental disposition of the devotee, which is described as her form. Her body is the specific state of the devotee’s mind. Her existence is for the sole purpose of serving Bhagavān. The favorable disposition of the devotee attracts Bhagavān even, which makes prīti the highest goal of human life.
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