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  • mahāśakti-vilāsātmā bhāvo’cintya-svarūpa-bhāk |
    raty-ākhyā ity ayaṁ yukto na hi tarkeṇa bādhitum |
    (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.92)

    “This bhāva, known as rati, by constitution an expression of the supreme potency [i.e., the hlādinī-śakti], and [thus] possessed of an inconceivable nature, is not fit to be assailed with argument.”

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  • bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ |
    vīkṣya rantuṁ manaś cakre yogamāyām upāśritaḥ ||
    (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.29.1)

    “Seeing those nights in the autumn blooming with jasmine flowers, even Bhagavān made up his mind to enjoy and took recourse to yogamāyā.”

    Read on →: bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ

  • parisphuratu sundaraṁ caritram atra lakṣmī-pates
    tathā bhuvana-nandinas tad-avatāra-vṛndasya ca |
    harer api camatkṛti-prakara-vardhanaḥ kintu me
    bibharti hṛdi vismayaṁ kam api rāsa-līlā-rasaḥ ||
    (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.210)

    [Uddhava:] “The beautiful feats of Lakṣmīpati and his avatāras who delight the world may manifest in full here [i.e., throughout the universe], but the rasa of the rāsa-līlā, which increases the abundance of even Hari’s astonishment, continually produces some sort of [indescribable] wonder in my heart.”

    Read on →: parisphuratu sundaraṁ caritram atra lakṣmī-pates

  • santi yadyapi me prājyā līlās tās tā manoharāḥ |
    na hi jāne smṛte rāse mano me kīdṛśaṁ bhavet ||
    (Bṛhad Vāmana Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.209)

    [Bhagavān:] “Although I have many well-known enchanting līlās, when I remember the rāsa-līlā, I do not know what becomes of my mind.”

    Read on →: santi yadyapi me prājyā līlās tās tā manoharāḥ

  • vaṁśī-sañjalpitam anurataṁ rādhayāntardhi-keliḥ
    prādurbhūyāsanam adhi-paṭaṁ praśna-kūṭottaraṁ ca |
    nṛtyollāsaḥ punar api rahaḥ-krīḍanaṁ vāri-khelā
    kṛṣṇāraṇye viharaṇam iti śrīmatī rāsa-līlā ||
    (Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.33.26)

    “The call of the vaṁśī, the response, the sport of disappearing with Rādhā, the [re-] appearance, sitting on [the gopīs’] garments, incisive questions and answers, the exultation of dancing, further private play, sporting in the water, and strolling in the forest along the Kṛṣṇā [i.e., the Yamunā]—such is the beautiful rāsa-līlā [of Śrī Kṛṣṇa].”

    Read on →: vaṁśī-sañjalpitam anurataṁ rādhayāntardhi-keliḥ

  • rasānubhavino hy atra dvividhāḥ—pibatety upadeśyāḥ, svatas tad-anubhavi-līlā-parikarāś ca | tatra līlā-parikarā eva rasa-sāram anubhavanti antaraṅgatvāt; pare tu yat kiñcid eva bahiraṅgatvāt | yadyapy evaṁ, tathāpi tad-anubhava-maya-rasa-sāraṁ svānubhava-mayena rasenaikatayā vibhāvya pibata; yatas tādṛśatayā tādṛśa-śuka-mukhād vigalitaṁ pravāha-rūpeṇa vahantam ity arthaḥ | 
    (Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.3)

    “Experiencers of rasa here are of two types: (1) those who are to be instructed, ‘drink (pibata) [that Bhāgavata-rasa],’ and (2) līlā-companions (parikaras) who naturally experience that [i.e., Bhāgavata-rasa, by virtue of their being direct participants in Bhagavān’s līlā]. In this regard, only līlā-companions experience the essence of rasa, on account of their being intimate, whereas the others [i.e., sādhakas who have reached the level of bhāva-bhakti, experience] only something [i.e., a small amount of that rasa], on account of their being peripheral [i.e., their still being sādhakas and situated within physical bodies in saṁsāra rather in the immediate midst of Bhagavān’s līlā]. Although this is such, still [i.e., the intention of the phrase ‘pibata Bhāgavatam rasam’ is as follows,] considering the essence of rasa within their [i.e., the līlā-companions’] experience to be one with the rasa within one’s own experience, drink [Bhāgavata-rasa], since, on account of uniformity [i.e., the ‘oneness’ of rasa that comes about through identification with the experience of rasa of a līlā-parikara], that [i.e., Bhāgavata-rasa] flowed out, that is, flowed forth in the form of a stream, from the mouth of Śuka, who was [in this way also] uniform [i.e., Śukadeva in this way identified his experience with the experience companions of Bhagavān in the līlās he described and this facilitated rasa flowing through him to the listeners of the Bhāgavatam, so if listeners also identify with the experience of rasa of līlā-companions, then they too will experience this flowing stream of Bhāgavata-rasa].”

    Read on →: rasānubhavino hy atra dvividhāḥ—pibatety upadeśyāḥ

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