The definition of uttamā bhakti in Śrī Rūpa Goswami’s Bhakti rasāmṛta sindhu is the foundation on which the edifice of the Caitanya tradition rests. I have discussed it in many different places on this site. Śrī Rūpa Goswami follows the definition with a very interesting exposition on the unique qualities of uttamā bhakti, which I seem to have left unexplored on this site. In this article, I will translate this section (which I really ought to have done long ago).
Before defining uttamā bhakti in kārikā 1.1.11, Śrī Rūpa Goswami writes:
tatrādau suṣṭhu vaiśiṣṭyam asyāḥ kathayituṁ sphuṭam |
lakṣaṇaṁ kriyate bhakter uttamāyāḥ satāṁ matam ||
In the beginning itself, in the first lahari of the eastern part, the unique characteristics of uttamā bhakti are provided, for properly differentiating it from others, according to the opinion of the devotees.
After defining bhakti, which I have examined here, he next gives us the unique qualities of uttamā bhakti in 1.1.17:
kleśa-ghnī śubhadā mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt sudurlabhā | sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī ca sā ||
[uttamā bhakti] is kleśa-ghnī, the destroyer of kleśas (all suffering), śubhadā, the giver of auspiciousness, mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt, the deprecator of mokṣa, sudurlabhā, very rarely achieved, sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā, intrinsically of the nature of compact bliss, and śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī, the attractor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Rūpa Goswami examines the term kleśa in some detail in the verses that follow, which I intend to translate in upcoming articles. The reason I reproduced 1.1.10 above, is that the commentary by both Śrī Jīva Goswami and Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī connects this kārikā to 1.1.10 as seen below:
viśvanāthaḥ: atra vaiśiṣṭyaṁ kathayitum iti yad uktaṁ tad eva saṅkṣipya darśayati—kleśaghnīti | t
[In 1.1.10], it was stated that “for properly differentiating it from others”, [the definition is being provided]. [That uniqueness is now] briefly shown here.
Śrī Viśvanātha adds:
atra sādhana-bhaktiḥ kleśaghnī-rūpā śubhadā-rūpā ca | bhāva-bhaktir mokṣa-laghutā-kṛd-rūpā sudurlabhā-rūpā ca | sādhya-prema-bhaktiḥ sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā-rūpā śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī-rūpā cety agre vyaktīkariṣyatīti | vāyu ādi bhūta-catuṣṭayavat tatra tatra tat-tad-antarbhāva iti
Here, sādhana-bhakti is the destroyer of kleśas and the giver of auscipiciousness. Bhāva-bhakti is the deprecator of mokṣa and very rarely achieved. The sādhya, which is prema bhakti is intrinsically of the nature of compact bliss and the attractor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The author intends to say that he will explain all this in what follows. Just like the four elements, starting with air, the preceding characteristics are included in the latter.
Here, the idea is that space has the quality of sound, while air, which is next in evolution has the quality of sound and touch, followed by fire which has the quality of sound, touch and color, followed by water which has these qualities plus taste, followed by earth which has all these qualities plus smell. The qualities of the previous element are included in the next one. Likewise, the qualities of sādhana-bhakti are present in bhāva-bhakti, and the qualities of bhāva-bhakti are present in prema bhakti. Thus, bhāva-bhakti actually has four qualities and prema-bhakti, six.
In the next few articles, I will examine each of these qualities in detail. I will draw on the Bhakti rasāmṛta sindhu as well as the Bhakti Sandarbha. It is interesting to see the parallels between these two works. A comparative study will also help to deepen our knowledge of uttamā bhakti.
Summary
The unique qualities of uttamā bhakti are:
1. kleśa-ghnī : the destroyer of kleśas (all suffering)
2. śubhadā: the giver of auspiciousness
3. mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt: the deprecator of mokṣa
4. sudurlabhā: very rarely achieved
5. sāndrānanda-viśeṣātmā: intrinsically of the nature of compact bliss
6. śrī-kṛṣṇākarṣiṇī: the attractor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa
There are three sub-types of bhakti. The first two are the qualities of sādhana-bhakti, the next two of bhāva-bhakti, and the next two of prema-bhakti.
The qualities of sādhana-bhakti are included in bhāva-bhakti, and those of bhāva-bhakti are included in prema-bhakti.
Categories: Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, bhāva, Definitions, sādhanā
Radhe Radhe, about the renouncing of karma by ekanta bhaktas, someone of another sampradaya commented this about Sri Jiva’s position in Bhakti sandarbha:
apratishṭhite lokasaṅgraho nāsti. jātaśraddhair aparatishṭhitais tyājya eveti jīvagosvāmī.
kiñcetareṣu – na kevalaṃ lokasaṅgrahāya – api tu, sva-śraddhāparyāptisaṃdehena, mahad-aparādha-vivārayiṣayā, vaiśiṣṭyakāmanayā ca.
Is this correct especially the second paragraph?
What is meant by apratisthitaih? It’s not clear to me.
Sri Jiva Goswami cites a Bhagavata verse — tavat karmani kurvita na nirvidyeta yavata mat katha sravanadau va sraddha yavannajayate — so long as one does not get sraddha in the hearing of Hari katha, or one is not renounced (qualified for jnana) — one must engage in karma.
In Anuccheda 284, Babaji translates pratishthitAnAm as “established in a social milieu”
One who is not established in varnasrama has already given up karma! What is the point in suggesting that it be given up?
Second paragraph does not make sense. Once there is sraddha in Bhakti, what mahat-aparadha?
He suggested that Sri Jiva is only suggesting loka sangraha for grihasthas(and others in varnashrama) with pratishtha and not those grihasthas or those within varnashrama who are without such a pratishtha. He wants to suggest that the Acharya is wrong since he seems to suggest that those grihasthas etc. in varnashrama(who are not with pratishtha) then donot need to do karma as lokasangraha and should give it up completely while still being situated in a social milieu.
I guess he takes “pratishtha” to be “लब्ध महदासन”
In my view: Even if we take pratishthita means “labdha mahadAsana”, then apratishthita ashramis who have attained sampurna shastriya shraddha will become nirAshramI/nirapekSha paramekAntins if there is no need for them to do lokasamgraha. So there is no real instance of “sa-shraddhAvAn apratishthita-ashramis”