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 477 of: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
477 (of 553)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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NOTES: CHAPTER SEVEN 465 43 That is, after purifying the mind through the
practice of the yoga of action and further preparing it
through the yoga of knowledge, which here includes
meditative yoga and sÄdhanabhakti.
44sthÄyibhÄva, a permanent mental impression of an
emotional state. See sec. XVII and chap. 6, passim.
45 Sanskrit has many words for love. The most
frequently used in this text is preman, which suggests an
ecstatic, selfless love for God. I translate preman as
"love" or "ecstatic love," and when this is done no note is
given. But in cases where "love" is the translation of
another term, reference is made to the notes where the
Sanskrit will be found.
"
â˜â˜
"1
In
Here the word is rati which, depending on the
context, has various shades of meaning such as "delight,'
"joy, enjoyment, or "amorous love." In classical
aesthetic theory, it is associated with the sentiment of
erotic love (Å›rÄ«gÄra) as the sthÄyibhÄva of the latter.
the exposition of bhaktirasa given by both the Bengal
Vaiṣṇavas and Madhusudana, rati is the sthÄyibhÄva, and
nascent state, of premabhakti. Madhusudana calls the
initial stage of devotion the "sprout of love"
(ratyaá¹…kurotpatti). See stanza 35 and note 291, pt. V; also
chaps. 4.3.4-5, 6.4-5.
11 rasa is
46 rasa, "sentiment." In this translation,
invariably translated as "sentiment. For a discussion of
rasa theory and its application to bhakti, see chap. 6.
47. vibhÄvas, "objective causes," the external object
and associated qualities which serve to arouse the latent
emotion of the sthÄyibhÄva into full manifestation as a
rasa. The alambanavibhÄva ("primary objective cause") is
the figure who is the main focus of the sentiment, e.g., the
hero or heroine of a drama or, in devotion, Lord Kṛṣṇa. The
uddipanavibhÄvas ("exciting objective causes") are the
personal qualities and accessories, such as the beautiful
garments, perfumes, and other paraphernalia connected with
the primary figure, that serve to enhance the mood. JIva
GosvÄmin mentions some 85 uddÄ«panavibhÄvas of Kṛṣṇarati,
including the Lord's beauty, smile, sweet fragrance, crown,
and flute, his armlets and anklets, the garlands that adorn
his neck, his footprints, and so on (De, VFM, 140-141).
48-
BanubhÄvas, "outward signs" or "effects," the
physical manifestations of the rising emotion, such as
laughing, crying, singing, dancing, and other actions of the
characters, which make the internal emotion of the actors
visible and communicate it to the audience. See De, VFM, p.
141.
