Western Ocean

First Wave

Çänta-Rasa

Chapter 35
 Chapter 35
Neutral Love of God
BRS 3.1.1 - 47

Maìgaläcaraëa
To inaugurate the Western Ocean of Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé offers a mangaläcaraëa. As previously, Çré Rüpa
Gosvämé uses the word sanätana to indicate: (1) Kåñëa — the
Eternal Lord, and/or (2) Sanätana Gosvämé, his spiritual master.
By addressing this prayer to "Sanätana," Çré Rüpa Gosvämé
simultaneously seeks the blessings of both Kåñëa and his spiritual
master.
Çréla Prabhupäda translates the maìgaläcaraëa: “Çré Rüpa
Gosvämé offers his respectful prayers to the eternal Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is always so beautiful and for whom
the pure devotees are always engaged in loving transcendental
service (pg. 285).”
It can also be translated: "I offer my respectful prayers unto
Sanätana Gosvämé, whose devotion for the Supreme Lord is
beautifully resplendent, and who has great love for the
Vaiñëavas." 1

Still another interpretation describes Sanätana as, "He who

bears the extremely heavy weight of thinking about the material
and spiritual welfare of the author, who is ignorant." Çré Rüpa
Gosvämé describes himself as helpless, ignorant, and utterly
dependant upon the support and protection of Sanätana.

1 BRS 3.1.1
 Overview of the Western Ocean
The Southern Ocean described five elements of rasa: vibhäva,
Southern Ocean
Wave 1:
Vibhäva
Western Ocean
Wave 2: Wave 1:
Çänta-rasa
Anuhäva
Vibhäva
Wave 3: Anuhäva
Sättvika-bhäva Sättvika-bhäva
Wave 4: Vyabhicäré-bhäva
Sthäyé-bhäva
Vyabhicäré-bhäva
Wave 5:
Sthäyé-bhäva
1) Çänta-rati
2) Däsya-rati
3) Sakhya-rati
4) Valtsala-rati
5) Madhura-rati

anubhäva, sättvika-bhäva, vyabhicäré-bhäva, and sthäyé-bhäva.

In the section on sthäyé-bhäva, Çré Rüpa Gosvämé introduced five
direct moods of affection for Kåñëa: çänta, däsya, sakhya,
vätsalya, and madhura.
The Western Ocean has five waves. The First Wave describes
the vibhäva, anubhäva, sättvika-bhäva, and vyabhicäré-bhäva
that heighten çänta-rati to çänta-rasa. The Second Wave does the
same for däsya-rasa. The Third Wave for sakhya-rasa. The Fourth
Wave for vätsalya-rasa. The Fifth Wave, mädhurya-rasa.

ÇÄNTA-RASA
When one can maintain a transcendental position of neutrality, or
indifference to external sense objects, one becomes qualified to
achieve love of Godhead at the stage of neutrality (çänta-rasa).
Çréla Prabhupäda explains, “When one is actually able to maintain
the transcendental position, his stage is called neutrality in
devotional service (pg. 285).”
There are two types of souls in the transcendental position.
Both are free from material desires, but one is inclined to
appreciate the impersonal Absolute, while the other is inclined to
appreciate the personal Absolute.
 Impersonalist
“Some great sages have attained this neutral position by
practicing austerity, penance and meditation to control the
senses. Such sages are generally called mystic yogés, and in most
cases they are inclined to appreciate the spiritual pleasure of the
impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth (pg. 285).”

Personalist
A personalist is far more fortunate than the impersonalist,
because he is inclined to appreciate the Lord's form. The
happiness derived from direct perception of the Lord's form is far
greater than the happiness derived from impersonal Brahman;
because without the Lord's form there is no possibility of relishing
rasa.
Çréla Prabhupäda explains, “Actually the transcendental
pleasure derived in association with the Supreme Person is far
greater than the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman
realization, because of the direct meeting with the eternal form of
the Lord (pg. 285).”

Although neutral devotees may be qualified to achieve darçana of

the Lord's form, they are not qualified to experience His pastimes.
Until one has däsya-bhäva, one cannot achieve this qualification.

Vibhäva

Viñaya-Alambana

Kåñëa as the object of Neutral Devotion

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé describes the object of çänta rasa as the
four-armed form of Viñëu, with His specific qualaities.

Form of Viñëu
“For those great sages situated in the position of transcendental
neutrality, the beginning should be to take shelter of Lord Viñëu,
the four-handed eternal form of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead (pg. 286).” Çréla Prabhupäda confirms this by citing
three Vedic references. 2

Qualities of Viñëu
“He is also appreciated as being completely peaceful, completely
controlled and pure, merciful to the devotees and untouched by
any material condition.”

Äçraya-Alambana

The Devotee as the Resevoir of Neutral Devotion

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé mentions two types of devotees who are the
shelter of çänta- rasa: (1) ätmärämas — self-realized souls, and
(2) tapasvés — those who undergo penance and austerities.
Ätmärämas and tapasvés are usually impersonalists, but
they can develop faith in viñëu-bhakti if they are fortunate enough
to contact a pure devotee. This faith promotes them from
impersonalism to the status of neutral devotees. Çréla
Prabhupäda explains, “After Brahman realization, when a liberated
soul comes in contact with a pure devotee of Lord Kåñëa and
submissively accepts the teachings of Lord Kåñëa without
misinterpretation, he becomes situated in this neutral stage of
devotional service (pg. 287).”

Ätmärämas
The best ätmärämas are the Four Kumäras. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé
describes their appearance and devotional mood.
Their Form: They appear like naked young children, four or
five years old, with fair complexions and bright effulgences. These
four brothers usually stay together.
Their Devotional Mood: Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé includes a
statement by the Four Kumära's that indicates their mood of
devotion: “O Lord Mukunda. . . only so long as one does not
happen to see your eternal form of bliss and knowledge. . . can

2 Bhagavada-Gétä 18.54 (brahma-bhüta prasannätmä), the Åg Veda (oà tad viñëu parama),
and Çrémad-Bhägavatam 7.5.31 (na te viduù svärtha gatià hi viñëuà.)
the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, known as Brahman,
be very pleasing to a saintly person (pg. 287).”

Tapasvés
A tapasvé takes up devotional service because he knows
liberation can be obtained only through bhakti. Çréla Prabhupäda
says, “A saintly person is one who understands fully that simply by
discharging devotional service he can become confident of
liberation (pg. 287 - 288).”
Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé does not mention the form of a tapasvé
because there is no foremost tapasvé to describe.
Devotional Mood: “A saintly person thinks like this: ‘When
shall I be able to live alone in the caves of the mountains? When
shall I be dressed simply with undergarments? When shall I be
satisfied simply by eating a little fruit and vegetables? When will it
be possible for me to think always of the lotus feet of Mukunda,
who is the source of the Brahman effulgence? When, in such a
spiritual condition of life, shall I fully understand my days and
nights to be insignificant moments in eternal time?’ (pg. 288)”

Uddépana

Objects That Impel Neutral Devotion

There are two subdivisions of uddépana: (1) asädhäraëa —
"uncommon," and (2) sädhäraëa — "common." Uncommon
uddépanas are objects that impel devotees of one specific rasa.
Common uddépanas (sädhäraëa) are objects that impel devotees
of many different rasas.

Asädhäraëa Uddépana — Uncommon Impetuses

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé lists the impetuses unique to çänta-rasa:
“The impulse of a saintly person is to be engaged in the study of
the Vedas, especially the Upaniñadic portions, to live always in a
place where there is no disturbance from the common people, to
think always of the eternal form of Kåñëa, to be ready to consider
and understand the Absolute Truth, to be always prominent in
exhibiting knowledge, to see the Supreme Lord in His universal
form (viçva-rüpa), to associate always with learned devotees and
to discuss the conclusion of the Vedas with similarly elevated
persons (pg. 288).”

Example of "Hearing the Upaniñads"

Hearing the Upaniñads in Lord Brahmä's assembly impelled the
neutral affection of learned yogés, causing them to relish çänta-
rasa. (See pg. 288.)

Sädhäraëa Uddépana — Common Impetuses

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé lists the impetuses of çänta-rasa that may
impel devotees of other rasas as well: “. . .smelling the tulasé
offered at the lotus feet of the Lord, by hearing the sound of His
conchshell, by seeing a sanctified place in some mountain or hill,
by observing a forest like the ones in Våndävana, by going to a
place of pilgrimage, by visiting the course of the Ganges River, by
being victorious over the dictations of bodily demands (ie. eating,
sleeping, mating and defending), by understanding the
devastation of eternal time and by constantly associating with
devotees engaged in Kåñëa consciousness (pgs. 288 - 289).”

Example of Smelling Tulasé

Çré Rüpa Gosvämé quotes the Third Canto, describing how the
Four Kumäras achieved and relished çänta-rasa by smelling the
aroma of tulasé leaves mixed with saffron and offered to Lord
Viñëu's lotus feet.

Anubhäva

Asädhäraëa-Anubhäva

Manifestations of Ecstasy Unique to Çänta-Rasa

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé lists the anubhävas unique to çänta-rasa:
“. . .They concentrate their eyesight on the tip of the nose, and
they behave just like an avadhüta... Another symptom is that such
persons are very careful to step forward when giving speeches.
When they speak, they join together the forefinger and the
thumb...” The list continues to the paragraph's end, on page 289.
 Example of Concentrating Eyesight on Tip of Nose
“This great sage is concentrating his eyesight on the tip of his
nose, and from this it appears that he has already realized the
eternal form of the Lord within himself (pg. 289).”

Sädhäraëa-Anubhäva

Manifestations of Ecstasy Shared with Other Rasas

Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé lists the anubhävas that çänta shares with
other rasas: “Sometimes a devotee in çänta-rasa yawns, stretches
his limbs, instructs on devotional service, offers respectful
obeisances unto the form of the Lord, offers nice prayers to the
Lord and has a desire to give direct service with his body. These
are some of the common symptoms [sädhäraëa-anubhäva] of the
devotee who is situated in neutrality (pg. 290).”

Example of Yawning
“My dear mystic, I think that within your heart there is some
ecstatic devotional love which is causing you to yawn (pg. 290).”

Sättvika-Bhäva
“It is sometimes found that a devotee in the çänta-rasa falls down
on the ground, his hairs stand up on his body, and he trembles all
over. In this way, different symptoms of ecstatic trance are
exhibited automatically by such devotees (pg. 290).”

Example of Hairs Standing Up

“. . .when Lord Kåñëa was blowing His conchshell known as
Päïcajanya, many great sages who were living in the caves of the
mountains immediately reacted, being awakened from their
trance of meditation. They immediately saw that the hairs of their
bodies were standing (pg. 290).”
 Vyabhicäré-Bhäva
“Sometimes devotees in çänta-rasa become stunned, peaceful, 3

jubilant, deliberate, reflective, anxious, dexterous and

argumentative. These symptoms indicate continuous ecstasy, or
established emotion (pg. 290).”

Example of Nirveda — Self-Disparagement

“Once a great sage was lamenting that the Supreme Lord Kåñëa
was living in Dvärakä but that he was unable to take advantage of
seeing Him. After thinking this, the sage immediately became
stunned (pg. 290).”

Sthäyé-Bhäva
Obviously, a conditioned soul has not developed his sthäyé-
bhäva; and when one becomes a liberated soul — still it is not
developed. If a liberated soul is fortunate, the Lord arranges to
uproot the impersonal impressions in his heart (jïäna-saàskära) 4

and gradually the sthäyé-bhäva known as çänta-rati manifests.

This promotes him from impersonalism to personalism.
If he is extremely fortunate, this Brahman-realized
personalist can achieve darçana of the Lord's form. When the
Lord's form (vibhäva) stimulates his çänta-rati, he can for the first
time experience çänta-rasa — which is infinitely more pleasurable
than any impersonal realization. Çänta rati is the sthäyé bhäva of
çänta rasa. It is of two types: (1) samä (equal) and (2) sändrä
(condensed). An example of each of these is given below.

Example of Samä Çänta Rati

In çamä, a devotee experiences the Lord internally. "When a
mystic is transcendental to all kinds of mental concoctions and is
situated in Brahman, his stage is called trance, beyond the
influence of the material conception of life. In that stage, when
one hears about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, there
may be shivering in the body.(pg.290)"
3 "Stunned" refers to the vyabhicäri-bhäva called nirveda (self-disparagement), not to the
sättvika-bhäva called stambha.
4 Jïäna-saàskära refers to the mental impressions made by previous cultivation of the
impersonal process (jïäna-marg).
 Example of Sändrä Çänta Rati
In sändrä, a devotee experiences the Lord externally, directly
before his eyes. "When a Brahman-realized devotee who has
come to the stage of steady trance comes into contact with the
eternal form of Kåñëa, his transcendental pleasure increases
millions of times.(pg.290)"

Two Types of Çänta-Rasa

There are two ways that a Brahman-realized devotee may achieve
the Lord's darçana: indirectly, or directly. Two types of çänta-rasa
are thus produced: (1) parokña — indirect, and (2) çäkñäta —
direct.

Indirect Çänta-Rasa
Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé gives two examples of indirect (parokña)
çänta-rasa:
“My dear friend, do you think that after I perfect the eightfold
yoga performance I shall be able to see the eternal form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead? (pg. 290)”
"When some yogés saw the bodily effulgence of Kåñëa and
Balaräma they almost forgot the pleasure derived from impersonal
Brahman realization. (See pg. 291)"
In these examples the devotee does not directly achieve
darçan, but he indirectly recieves darçan by expectant desire to
see the Lord, or by remembering a previous darçan. 5

Direct Çänta-Rasa
Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé also gives two examples of direct (säkñät)
çänta-rasa:
"My dear Lord, You are always full with transcendental bliss,
excelling all other spiritual positions. And so, simply by seeing You
from a distant place, I have come to the conclusion that there is

5 Although not expressly stated in NOD, the yogés mentioned in the second example where
absorbed in remembering the form of the Lord whom they had seen previously at
Kurukñtra.
no need of my being situated in the transcendental bliss of
impersonal Brahman."
“When a great mystic was once awakened from his
meditative trance by hearing the vibration of Kåñëa's Päïcajanya
conchshell, the mystic became overpowered — so much so, in
fact, that he began to bash his head on the ground, and with eyes
full of tears of ecstatic love, he violated all the rules and
regulations of his yoga performances. Thus he at once neglected
the process of Brahman realization (pg. 291).”
The sage snapped out of his impersonal meditation when he
heard the sound of Kåñëa's conchshell. Opening his eyes, he
directly beheld the beautiful blackish color of the Lord's form, and
impersonalism immediately became distasteful. Lamenting his
waste of time, he harshly disregarded all impersonalist yoga and
became a çänta-bhakta of the Lord. In both cases, the devotee
6

directly beheld the Lord, therefore it is säkñät.

Special Mercy of Kåñëa

It was previously mentionned (3.1.17) that by the mercy of the
Lord's devotees and the ätmärämas, the tapasvés can obtain
çänta-rati. When that çänta-rati combines with the other
corresponding elements, they can then experience çänta rasa in
either of the two forms mentionned above.
If Kåñëa is most merciful, even a person who was previously
fixed in the impersonal conception can be promoted to the highest
realization: mädhurya-rasa. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé cites the
wonderful example of Bilvamaìgala Öhäkura, who wrote in his
Kåñëa-karëämåta, “Let the impersonalists be engaged in the
process of transcendental realization by worshiping the
impersonal Brahman. Although I was also initiated into that path
of Brahman realization, I have now become misled by a naughty
boy — one who is very cunning, who is very much attached to the
gopés and who has made me His maidservant. So I have now
forgotten the process of Brahman realization (pg. 291).”
One receives a different degree of mercy depending on the
manifestation of Kåñëa who bestows it. If Viñëu bestows His

6 BRS 3.1.42
mercy, one may achieve a certain level of appreciation for the
Lord's form in Vaikuëöha. Bilvamaìgala Öhäkura, however,
received mercy from Vrajendra-nandana Kåñëa and was thus able
to attain Vraja Prema.
Çréla Prabhupäda explains, “Bilvamaìgala Öhäkura was first
spiritually initiated for impersonal realization of the Absolute Truth,
but later on, by his association with Kåñëa in Våndävana, he
became an experienced devotee (pg. 291).”

Is Neutral Devotion a Genuine Rasa?

To experience rasa, various stimuli must heighten one's rati.

Çänta-rati, however, is indifferent and neutral towards external
stimulation. Because of this, authorities of drama say that çänta-
rati cannot be stimulated into genuine rasa. Çréla Prabhupäda
mentions this, “According to some authorities, this condition
[çänta] cannot be accepted as one of the transcendental humors,
or rasas (pg. 291).”
Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, however, disagrees with this opinion.
He points out that çänta-rati is neutral only towards material
stimulation. Therefore, çänta-rati can be stimulated by the Lord's
transcendental form and be heightened to genuine rasa.
To substantiate that çänta rati is the basis of çänta rasa, he
quotes Çrémad Bhägavatam (11.19.36): "The state of having the
intelligence established in Me is called çama. But without çänta
rati, fixed intelligence is extremely difficult." 7

Çama as a Prerequisite for Çänta Rasa

The extent one is inclined towards sense gratification is the extent
one will be disinclined towards devotional service (bhakti-rasa).
Therefore çama (indifference and equanimity towards material
desires) is a prerequisite for rasa. Çréla Prabhupäda says, “Even if
one does not accept it as a transcendental humor, one must still
accept it as the beginning position of devotional service (pg.
291).”
7 “The state of being established in My personal form is called çänta-rasa, and without
being situated in this position, no one can advance to actual pure devotional service (pg.
292).”
 When one achieves indifference to material desires, his mind
becomes free to exhibit its original tendency towards ananda-
svarüpa-brahman — the bliss relished by active devotional
service. This indifference is called çama and can lead the devotee
to servitude (däsya-rasa), which all authorities accept as a
genuine rasa. Çréla Prabhupäda mentions this: “However, if one is
not further raised to the platform of actual service to the Lord, he
is not considered to be on the platform of transcendental mellow
(pgs. 291 - 292).”
Çama (equanimity) is the basis of çänta rati. When çänta rati
combines with the appropriate vibhäva, etc., it transforms into
çänta rasa. In order to establish the existence of çänta rasa, Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé cites a verse from the Viñëu Dharmottara: "That in
which there is no happiness, distress, malice, envy, and in which
equanimity exists toward all living beings is called çänta-rasa."