Saṁskāras in the citta are the basis for the eight stages of Prīti

In Anuccheda 84 of the Prīti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmi explains that the eight stages of prīti are defined by the saṁskāras they instill in the devotee’s citta. In the preceding Anucchedas (78-84), he has already shown that prīti manifests in the devotee with varying intensities according to the different forms of Bhagavān. Since Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme manifestation of Bhagavān, endowed with unparalleled beauty, prīti for Him arises to the highest degree, specifically in the gopīs. The ultimate culmination of prīti is mahābhāva, which I will take up in a later article. Here, I examine Śrī Jīva’s treatment of the subject in Anu 84 of the Prīti Sandarbha.

Prīti’s qualities cause distinct saṁskāras in the citta of the devotee

Śrī Jīva Goswami begins by pointing out that it is possible to examine prīti’s gradations based on Her specific qualities. There is a gradation in Her qualities, only a subset of which manifest in a particular devotee. Accordingly, there is a gradation in prīti:

atha tasyā eva guṇāntarotkarṣa-tāratamyena tāratamyāntaraṁ bhedāś ca darśyante |

Now, other gradations and divisions will be shown by examining other qualities (guṇas) of prīti in terms of the degree of excellence (utkarṣa) they exhibit.

There are two broad categories of qualities:

tatra guṇāḥ dvividhāḥ | bhakta-citta-saṁskriyā-viśeṣasya hetava eke, tad-abhimāna-viśeṣasya hetavaś cānye |

These qualities [of prīti] are of two types — those belonging to the first group are the causes of instilling specific loving impressions (saṁskāras) in the hearts of devotees, while the others are the causes that give rise to a devotee’s specific sense of identity (abhimāna).

I am often asked for ‘proof’ that prema causes saṁskāras in the citta of devotees. Not only does Śrī Jīva explain this as one of the qualities of prīti above, but he will next sub-divide prīti into the famous eight categories (from rati to mahābhāva) specifically in terms of the distinct saṁskāras caused in the citta. He writes:

prītiḥ khalu bhakta-cittam…

ullāsayati — Prīti delights the devotee’s heart.

Śrī Jīva Goswami calls this prīti ‘rati’. Here the word ‘bhaka-cittam’ is to be applied to each of the distinct categories below, as it is the object of the various verbs in the sentence.

mamatayā yojayati — It unites the lover’s heart with the beloved through the feeling-awareness that “He is mine”.

This prīti is called ‘prema’.

visrambhayati –It endows the lover’s heart with a feeling of great confidence and intimacy in regard to the beloved.

And this prīti is ‘praṇaya’.

priyatvātiśayenābhimānayati — It fills the heart with “self-esteem” (abhimāna) due to the feeling of excessive dearness to, or fondness for, the beloved.

This prīti is called ‘māna’.

drāvayati — It causes the heart to melt (cittaṁ drāvayati).

This prīti is called ‘sneha’.

sva-viṣayaṁ praty abhilāṣātiśayena yojayati — It links the heart to one’s object of love (sva-viṣaya) due to the condition of extreme longing for Him (abhilāṣa).

This prīti is called ‘rāga’.

pratikṣaṇam eva sva-viṣayaṁ nava-navatvenānubhāvayati — It causes its object to be experienced in an ever newly unfolding manner at each and every moment.

This prīti is called ‘anurāga’.

asamordhva-camatkāreṇonmādayati ca — It maddens the heart with a feeling of unequaled and unsurpassed wonder.

And this prīti, the highest of them all, is called mahābhāva.

Summary

There are eight stages of prīti, progressively more intense, which are defined based on the type of saṁskāra they induce in the citta. They are:

rati, prema, praṇaya, māna, sneha, rāga, anurāga, and mahābhāva