Category:Bhakti-rasa - Devotional Service to God

Theme Analysis

The concept of bhakti-rasa represents the spiritual taste or mellow derived from the loving reciprocation between the devotee and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unlike mundane emotions, these transcendental flavors are eternal and liberate the soul, attracting the attention of God Himself. The science of these relationships is elaborately described by Rupa Gosvami in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, categorizing the various ways a living entity can relate to the Divine, ranging from servitude and friendship to parental affection and conjugal love, as well as indirect emotions like wonder, fear, and chivalry.

• The Nature of Transcendental Taste: Bhakti-rasa is defined as the exchange of loving sentiments between the lover and the Beloved. This spiritual taste is so potent that it alone is sufficient to produce a sense of liberation and attract Krsna.
• The Value of Devotional Consciousness: Rupa Gosvami advises that one should eagerly purchase the consciousness of krsna-bhakti-rasa wherever it is available, indicating that this specific type of intelligence is the ultimate goal of life.
• Primary Devotional Mellows: The direct relationships with the Supreme Lord include dasya (servitorship), vatsalya (parental love), and madhura (conjugal love), where the devotee's desires transform into specific spiritual sentiments.
• Secondary or Indirect Mellows: There are seven indirect rasas that can mix with the primary relationships. These include adbhuta (wonder), hasya (laughter), vira (heroism/chivalry), karuna (compassion), raudra (anger), bhayanaka (fear), and bibhatsa (shock/ghastliness).
• Interaction of Mellows: A pure devotee situated in a principal relationship can experience a mixture of emotions where indirect mellows, such as laughter or wonder, become prominent without disrupting the core devotional stance.

• Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Bhakti-rasa - The Mellow of Devotional Service to God.