Neutrality in Devotional Service to God - The Foundation of Śānta-rasa
The realm of pure devotional service is vast and filled with various transcendental flavors, or rasas. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the preliminary stage of this pure devotion is called neutrality (śānta-rasa), a fully liberated position characterized by a profound, peaceful appreciation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's absolute greatness.
The Definition of Śānta-rasa
To enter the spiritual reality, one must first be completely cleansed of material desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that when a person is situated in the neutral stage of devotional service, they are freed from material contamination and remain fully attached to the lotus feet of the Lord in peaceful appreciation.
- First neutrality estimation... That is called santa-rasa, neutral, no activity but simply appreciating, "God is great," simply appreciation. And then servitude.
- Santa-rasa, the position of neutrality, means being fully attached to the lotus feet of Krsna. This is the verdict from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. This state is called self-realization.
- The beginning of pure devotional service is called anyabhilasita-sunya. When one is situated on the platform of neutrality, he is freed from the material platform and fully situated in spiritual life.
- When one is actually able to maintain the transcendental position, his stage is called neutrality in devotional service. Some great sages have attained this neutral position by practicing austerity, penance and meditation to control the senses.
The Five Principal Mellows
The interactions between the Lord and His devotees are categorized into five primary relationships. The Vedic scriptures confirm that all living entities in the spiritual world engage in one of these pure mellows, with neutrality serving as the foundational flavor of transcendental love.
- Direct devotional services are as follows: neutrality, servitude, fraternity, paternity and conjugal love. Indirect devotional service is divided into laughter, compassion, anger, chivalry, dread, astonishment and ghastliness.
- The five rasas (mellows) in the transcendental world are practiced by the inhabitants of Goloka Vrndavana in neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love. All these please the Lord so much that He is controlled by the devotees.
- This third division of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu describes the five primary kinds of devotional service - namely neutrality, servitude, fraternity, parenthood and conjugal love.
- Transcendental loving service to the Lord in one of the five principal relations, namely santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya, i.e., neutrality, servitorship, fraternity, filial affection and conjugal love, is graciously accepted by the Lord.
Neutrality and the Viṣṇu Form
Those in the neutral stage of devotion are particularly struck by the majesty and opulence of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that such devotees typically direct their awe and veneration toward the four-armed Viṣṇu expansion of the Lord, fully appreciating His supreme position.
- When the devotee is situated in the santa-rasa, or neutral stage of devotional service, he appreciates the Visnu form of the Lord.
- This appreciation of Lord Visnu by saintly persons is an instance of situation in santa-rasa, or the neutral stage of devotional service.
- This appreciation of Lord Visnu in awe and veneration by the saintly is to be understood as the sign that they are situated in the santa-rasa, or neutral stage of devotional service.
- Generally, the bhakti-yogis are engaged in five different ways: 1) santa-bhakta, engaged in devotional service in neutrality; 2) dasya-bhakta, engaged in devotional service as servant; 3) sakhya-bhakta, engaged as friend.
Examples of Śānta-rasa
Neutrality is exhibited by many exalted souls and even by the transcendental environment of the spiritual world. By abandoning impersonal speculation, great sages attain this stage, while in Vṛndāvana, even the flora and fauna silently participate in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes through neutral devotion.
- After Brahman realization, when a liberated soul comes in contact with a pure devotee of Lord Krsna and submissively accepts the teachings of Lord Krsna without misinterpretation, he becomes situated in this neutral stage of devotional service.
- Sukadeva Gosvami and Bilvamangala Thakur's giving up of the impersonal conception of the absolute truth and taking to devotional service are the best examples of devotees being situated in the neutral state.
- There (in Vrajabhumi) are kadamba trees, cows, Krsna's sticks with which He herds cows, and Krsna's flute. All of these belong to santa-rasa, the mellow of neutrality in devotional service.
- In the devotional mellow of santa, or neutrality, such devotional enthusiasm may be absent, but because such a mood of devotion attracts the Lord's love, it is fully spiritual.
Progression to Higher Mellows
While neutrality is perfect and spiritual, the active mellows of devotion are considered even more intimate. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that as a devotee's active interest in Kṛṣṇa increases, they progress from neutrality to servitude, friendship, parenthood, and ultimately conjugal love, which encompasses all the preceding qualities.
- In that part (of the western division of the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu) there is a description of devotional service in neutrality, further development in love and affection (called servitude), further development in fraternity.
- Active interest in Krsna - the understanding that Krsna is mine or that I am Krsna's, and that therefore my business is to satisfy the senses of Krsna - is typical of a higher stage than the neutrality of the santa-rasa.
- We can judge that love of Godhead in fraternity is better than love of Godhead in neutrality and servitorship. Similarly, love of Godhead in parental affection is better than love in fraternity.
- In conjugal love there are the qualities of neutrality, servitorship, fraternity and parental affection, as well as those of conjugal love itself. The conclusion is that through conjugal love the Lord is completely satisfied.
Compatibility and Incompatibility
The science of devotion strictly governs how different mellows interact. The great ācāryas warn that while neutrality mixes compatibly with certain secondary mellows like chivalry or astonishment, it is severely incompatible with anger, dread, or an artificial leap into conjugal love.
- According to some expert opinions, the ecstasy of neutral love is always compatible with devotional service in chivalry.
- With the ecstasy of devotion in astonishment a mixture of chivalry or neutral love is compatible, whereas a mixture of anger or dread is always incompatible.
- When in the rasa of neutral love (santa-rasa) there are found traces of ghastliness or astonishment, the result is compatible. When with this neutral love there are manifestations of conjugal love, chivalry, anger or dread, the result is incompatible.
- Sometimes it is found in places like Vrndavana that a person with a slight devotional attitude of neutral love for Krsna may immediately and artificially try to attain to the platform of conjugal love.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully delineates the profound spiritual science governing the relationships between the living entities and the Supreme Lord. Neutrality in devotional service, or śānta-rasa, is not a mundane condition of apathy, but a fully liberated, transcendental state of self-realization where the soul is completely freed from material desires. In this foundational mellow, the devotee worships the majestic Viṣṇu form of the Lord with deep awe and veneration, simply appreciating the absolute greatness of God. While great sages and even the beautiful flora of Vṛndāvana perfectly exhibit this peaceful neutrality, the science of bhakti revealed in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu explains that devotion naturally blossoms into higher, more active stages. From the bedrock of neutrality, love expands into servitude, friendship, parenthood, and ultimately conjugal love, which flawlessly incorporates the steady, unalloyed appreciation found in śānta-rasa. However, practitioners must be extremely careful to follow this natural progression under the guidance of authorized ācāryas. By avoiding the dangerous pitfall of artificially imitating highly confidential mellows while still situated on the neutral platform, a sincere devotee safely and surely achieves the ultimate perfection of loving Kṛṣṇa.
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