Conjugal Love in Devotional Service to God - The Science of Mādhurya-Rasa
The exchange of love between the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not a vague or sentimental concept; it is a profound, exact science. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Vedic literatures, specifically the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, meticulously analyze the various mellows (rasas) of devotional service. Among all these transcendental relationships, conjugal love (mādhurya-rasa) stands as the absolute zenith, encompassing the qualities of all other mellows and possessing its own highly technical divisions and compatibilities.
The Supreme Amalgamation of Mellows
The spiritual relationships of neutrality, servitude, friendship, and parenthood are progressive stages that ultimately culminate in conjugal love. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that on this highest platform, all previous transcendental qualities are perfectly amalgamated, resulting in the most complete and intense taste of divine love.
- All these relationships (santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa and vatsalya-rasa) culminate on the highest platform of conjugal love (madhura-rasa), wherein all these transcendental relationships exist simultaneously.
- The qualities found in santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa and vatsalya-rasa are all manifested in conjugal love (madhurya-rasa).
- On the platform of conjugal love, the devotee offers his body in the service of the Lord. Thus on this platform the transcendental qualities of all five rasas are present.
- Similarly, on the platform of conjugal love, all the feelings of the devotees are amalgamated. The intensified taste is certainly wonderful.
- Conjugal love, just like man and woman, male and female, that love. That love includes everything - that appreciation of greatness, that servitude of service, the friendship, then maternal love, and further, offering everything for the lover.
The Two Classifications of Conjugal Love
Conjugal love in the spiritual world is not monolithic; it is categorized based on the specific mood of the relationship. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that mādhurya-rasa is divided into wedded love (svakīya) and the highly enthusiastic paramour love (parakīya), both of which exhibit uniquely advanced ecstatic symptoms.
- Conjugal love is divided into two categories-svakiya and parakiya. Svakiya refers to loving affairs between husband and wife, and parakiya refers to loving affairs between two lovers.
- Conjugal love is divided into two classifications - namely, conjugal love as husband and wife and conjugal love as lover and beloved.
- Therefore (that love which has the highest taste in the gradual succession of desire manifests itself in the form of conjugal love) I (Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami) call it madhura-rasa. It has two further divisions, namely wedded and unwedded love.
- Only in the conjugal mellow are there two ecstatic symptoms called rudha (advanced) and adhirudha (highly advanced). The advanced ecstasies are found among the queens of Dvaraka, and the highly advanced ecstasies are found among the gopis.
- The situations known as rudha and adhirudha are possible in the conjugal love relationship. Conjugal love exhibited by the queens at Dvaraka is called rudha, and conjugal love exhibited at Vrndavana by the damsels of Vraja is called adhirudha.
Meeting and Separation
The dynamic exchanges of mādhurya-rasa are further divided into the experiences of direct contact and intense separation. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that both of these phases evoke profound, highly advanced ecstasies that are completely devoid of any mundane ghastliness.
- This devotional service in conjugal love can be divided into two categories. One is indirect conjugal love, the other direct.
- Devotional service in conjugal love can be divided into two categories. One is indirect conjugal love, the other direct. In both of these categories, one has to follow the particular gopi who is engaged in such service in Goloka Vrndavana.
- The highest perfection of adhirudha affection in conjugal love involve meeting (madana) and separation (mohana). In the ecstasy of madana, meeting, there is kissing, and in the ecstasy of mohana, separation, there is udghurna and citrajalpa.
- In a direct relationship of conjugal love, there is laughter, astonishment, chivalry, lamentation, anger and dread, but there is no ghastliness. These expressions are considered to be the great reservoirs of pleasure.
- The separation of Lord Ramacandra from Sita is spiritually understood as vipralambha, which is an activity of the hladini potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead belonging to the srngara-rasa, the mellow of conjugal love in the spiritual world.
The Science of Compatibility
A unique aspect of the science of rasa is understanding how different emotional ecstasies interact. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously details that while conjugal love mixes beautifully with certain mellows like laughter and fraternity, mixing it with parental love, dread, or ghastliness creates a disruptive incompatibility.
- With the ecstasy of devotion in conjugal love a mixture of laughter or fraternity is compatible.
- With the ecstasy of fraternal love a mixture of conjugal love, laughter or chivalry is highly compatible. With the same fraternal love, a mixture of dread or parental love is most incompatible.
- With the ecstasy of parental love a mixture of conjugal love, chivalry or anger is incompatible.
- With the ecstasy of devotional chivalry a mixture of astonishment, laughter or servitude is compatible, whereas a mixture of dread or conjugal love is incompatible.
- In this statement there is incompatibility caused by a mixture of ghastliness and conjugal love in devotional service.
The Supreme Origin and His Avatāra
Ultimately, all these scientific mellows emanate from a single, supreme source. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that Kṛṣṇa Himself is the origin of pure conjugal love, and it was through the descent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the teachings of Mādhavendra Purī that this highest science was finally revealed to the world.
- As described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the original mellow, adi-rasa, is conjugal love. Krsna is the origin of pure and spiritual conjugal love.
- Krsna is all-attractive for devotees in all mellows because He is the personification of the conjugal mellow. Krsna is attractive not only to all the devotees, but to Himself as well.
- Yet in Krsna there is a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and consequently He surpasses Narayana. This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.
- Beginning from Madhvacarya down to the spiritual master of Madhavendra Puri, the acarya named Laksmipati, there was no realization of devotional service in conjugal love. Sri Madhavendra Puri introduced the conception of conjugal love.
- In the ecstatic mood of conjugal love, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was on the highest platform; therefore, all the exuberant ecstasies were naturally visible in His body.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the practice of bhakti-yoga is elevated from simple faith to an exact, transcendental science in the study of mādhurya-rasa. As Śrīla Prabhupāda expertly reveals through the teachings of the ācāryas, conjugal love in devotional service is the ultimate limit of spiritual realization, seamlessly amalgamating the qualities of neutrality, servitorship, friendship, and parenthood into one sublime, intensified taste. Whether experienced in the wedded reverence of Dvārakā or the enthusiastic paramour ecstasy of Vṛndāvana, this rasa operates on strict scientific principles of compatibility, blending perfectly with laughter and fraternity while rejecting incompatible emotions like ghastliness or parental love. Because this subject matter is so deeply confidential, it remained largely hidden until Śrī Mādhavendra Purī introduced it, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu freely distributed it. By strictly following this authorized science, a sincere devotee can transcend all mundane misconceptions and eternally relish the highest, original mellow of pure conjugal love with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
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