RSBC:Different forms of our relationship with God.

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BHAVAS IN BHAKTI

 

When the devotee grows in devotion there is absolute self-forgetfulness. This is

called Bhava. Bhava establishes a true relationship between the devotee and the

Lord. Bhava then grows into Maha-Bhava wherein the devotee lives, moves and has

his being in the Lord. This is Parama-Prema, the consummation of love or Supreme

Love.

 

There are five kinds of Bhava in Bhakti. They are Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya,

Vatsalya and Madhurya Bhavas. These Bhavas or feelings are natural to human

beings and so these are easy to practice. Practice whichever Bhava suits your

temperament.

 

In Shanta Bhava, the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. He does not jump and dance.

He is not highly emotional. His heart is filled with love and joy. Bhishma was a

Shanta Bhakta.

 

Sri Hanuman was a Dasya Bhakta. He had Dasya Bhava, servant attitude. He served

Lord Rama whole-heartedly. He pleased his Master in all possible ways. He found

joy and bliss in the service of his Master.

 

In Sakhya Bhava, God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna had this Bhava towards

Lord Krishna. The devotee moves with the Lord on equal terms. Arjuna and Krishna

used to sit, eat, talk and walk together as intimate friends.

 

In Vatsalya Bhava, the devotee looks upon God as his child. Yasoda had this

Bhava with Lord Krishna. There is no fear in this Bhava, because God is your pet

child. The devotee serves, feeds, and looks upon God as a mother does in the

case of her child.

 

The last is Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava. The devotee regards the Lord as his

Lover. This was the relation between Radha and Krishna. This is Atma-Samarpana.

The lover and the beloved become one. The devotee and God feel one with each

other and still maintain a separateness in order to enjoy the bliss of the play

of love between them. This is oneness in separation and separation in oneness.

Lord Gauranga, Jayadeva, Mira and Andal had this Bhava.

 

A Caution: Madhurya Bhava is absolutely different from conjugality of earthly

experience. One should not be mistaken for the other. Earthly conjugality is

purely selfish and is undertaken only because it gives pleasure to one's own

self. But in love for God it is because it gives pleasure to God and not for the

sake of the devotee. Divine love is not selfish. It is born of sattva. But

earthly lust is born of rajas and attachment to bodies. Earthly conjugality is

the outcome of egoisitc self-regarding egoistic feeling, while divine communion

is the outcome of other-regarding feeling devoid of egoism. Strong selfishness

is the root of worldly passion; divine love is the product of loss of egoism.

This is the greatest difference between lust (kama) and divine love (prema). The

two are related as darkness is related to light. No development of earthly

affection, however perfect it may be, can lead one to supreme joy of divine

communion. Lust lurks in the heart due to the passion that

burns in the core of things. Divine love is unknown to the man of the world,

however religious he may be. The secret of divine love cannot be understood, and

should not be tried to be understood, so long as man is only a man and woman

only a woman. The austere transformation of the human into the divine is the

beginning of true love for God.

 

Regards

 

Vipin

 

 

 

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