Essay name: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
Author:
Lance Edward Nelson
Affiliation: McMaster University / Religious Studies
This is a study and English translation of the Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati (16th century)—one of the greatest and most vigorous exponents of Advaita after Shankara-Acharya who was also a great devotee of Krishna. The Bhaktirasayana attempts to merge non-dualist metaphysics with the ecstatic devotion of the Bhagavata Purana, by asserting that Bhakti is the highest goal of life and by arguinng that Bhakti embodies God within the devotee's mind.
Page 296 of: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
296 (of 553)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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"Omnipresent" indicates that He pervades all space; 284 "eternal" that He exists through all time; "full" means
that, since He is one without second, He is the substratum
of the whole illusion of duality; and "consciousness and
bliss" marks the Lord as the supreme goal of life. Because
the numberless forms of objects that have entered the mind
since beginningless time are destroyed by such a mental form
of the Lord, and He alone shines forth, the purpose of life
is accomplished. This is the meaning.
The author now reminds us of the purpose of melting,
as previously explained, 224 in order to inspire
steadfastness in striving for it:
31. THE HARD MIND DOES NOT GRASP; THE SOFT MIND DOES
NOT RECEIVE AN IMPRESSION. KNOWLEDGE WHICH IS DIRECTED
TOWARD OBJECTS LIKE STONES, THE WISE CALL INDIFFERENT
225 COGNITION.
The hard mind simply does not grasp the object. The soft
mind, though it grasps, does not retain a permanent
impression. This is because in both cases there is no
melting of the mind, as has been previously explained. 226
Hardness is the state of not being even slightly melted,
while softness is that of being slightly so. These
conditions may be recognized by the absence of the ecstatic
modes,
227 which are effects of the melted state and are set
forth as follows:
