nāyakānāṁ śiroratnaṁ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam |
yatra nityatayā sarve virājante mahāguṇāḥ |
so’nya-rūpa-svarūpābhyām asminn ālambano mataḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.17; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.23.67)
“The crest-jewel of nāyakas (leading men), Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān Himself [see SB 1.3.28], in whom all great qualities shine in perpetuity—he with other forms and with his own form is considered the ālambana in regard to this [rati].”
kṛṣṇaś ca kṛṣṇa-bhaktāś ca budhair ālambanā matāḥ |
raty-āder viṣayatvena tathādhāratayāpi ca ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.16)
“Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s bhaktas are known by the wise to be the ālambanas (supports) by virtue of [their] being the object (viṣaya) and the vessel (ādhāra) of rati and so forth [i.e., and the secondary rasas of laughter and so on].”
tatra jñeyā vibhāvās tu raty-āsvādana-hetavaḥ |
te dvidhālambanā eke tathaivoddīpanāḥ pare ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.14)
“In this regard, vibhāvas are to be known specifically as the causes of relishing rati. They are of two types: one is the ālambanas (supports) and the other the uddīpanas (stimuli).”
ye kṛṣṇa-bhakta-muralī-nādādyā hetavo rateḥ |
kārya-bhūtāḥ smitādyāś ca tathāṣṭau stabdhatādayaḥ ||
nirvedādyāḥ sahāyāś ca te jñeyā rasa-bhāvane |
vibhāvā anubhāvāś ca sāttvikā vyabhicāriṇaḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.12–13)
“The causes of rati—Kṛṣṇa, the bhakta, the sound of the muralī, and so forth; the effects [of rati]—smiling and so forth, and the eight beginning with stupor; and the assistants [of rati]—self-disparagement and so on—these are to be known [respectively] in the production of rasa as the vibhāvas, anubhāvas, sāttvikas [i.e., sāttvika-bhāvas], and vyabhicāris [i.e., vyabhicāri-bhāvas].”
vibhāvair anubhāvaiś ca sāttvikair vyabhicāribhiḥ |
svādyatvaṁ hṛdi bhaktānām ānītā śravaṇādibhiḥ |
eṣā kṛṣṇa-ratiḥ sthāyī bhāvo bhakti-raso bhavet ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.5)
“This rati for Kṛṣṇa, the sthāyi-bhāva, brought into the state of taste-ability in the heart of bhaktas by vibhāvas, anubhāvas, sāttvikas [i.e., sāttvika-bhāvas], and vyabhicāris [i.e., vyabhicāri-bhāvas] through hearing and so forth, shall become bhakti-rasa.”
mitho harer mṛgākṣyāś ca sambhogasyādi-kāraṇam |
madhurāpara-paryāyā priyatākhyoditā ratiḥ |
asyāṁ kaṭākṣa-bhrū-kṣepa-priya-vāṇī-smitādayaḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.36–37)
“The rati [of doe-eyed women, i.e., beautiful young women] that is the primary cause of mutual enjoyment [i.e., of the eight types of enjoyment beginning with mutual remembrance and sight] between Hari and doe-eyed women, wherein side-long glances, arching of the eyebrows, endearing speech, mild smiling, and so forth occur, is called priyatā [i.e., the rati of dearness, on account of it being the rati of priyās, that is, ladyloves—those who regard Hari with amorous dearness] and [is] synonymous with madhurā [i.e., sweetness; it is also known as madhurā-rati].”
vaṁśī-nyastāsya-candraṁ smita-yutam atulaṁ pīta-vastraṁ vareṇyaṁ
kañjākṣaṁ sarva-dakṣaṁ nava-ghana-sadṛśaṁ barha-cūḍaṁ śaraṇyam |
trai-bhaṅgair bhaṅgimāṅgaṁ vraja-yuvati-yutaṁ dhvasta-keśy-ādi-śūraṁ
vande śrī-nanda-sūnuṁ madhura-rasa-tanuṁ dhurya-mādhurya-pūram ||
(Unknown source)
“A vaṁśī poised before his moon face
[Which is] Replete with an incomparable smile,
His yellow cloth superb,
His eyes like lotuses,
Expert in all respects,
Resembling a fresh cloud,
His chaplet a peacock-plume,
The [supreme] protector,
His figure embowed with three bends
And surrounded by the young women of Vraja,
The hero by whom Keśī and so forth have been vanquished—
I worship the beautiful Son of Nanda,
The embodiment of madhura-rasa,
The reservoir of the foremost mādhurya.”
na vayaṁ kavayo na tārkikā
na ca vedānta-nitānta-pāragāḥ |
na ca vādi-nivārakāḥ paraṁ
kapaṭābhīra-kiśora-kiṅkarāḥ ||
(Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; cited in Padyāvalī: 72)
“We are neither poets, nor logicians, nor great adepts in Vedānta, nor refuters of disputants. Rather, we are servants of a crafty cowherd boy.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-svarūpa śrī-bhāgavata |
tāte veda-śāstra haite parama-mahattva ||
ataeva bhāgavata karaha vicāra |
ihā haite pābe sūtra-śrutira artha sāra ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.25.150, 153)
“Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa and, therefore, is of greatness superior to [even] the Veda-śāstra. Therefore, engage in deliberation upon Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. From this you will find the essence of the meaning of the sūtra [i.e., Vedānta-sūtra] and the Śrutis [i.e., the Vedas].”
mūrtimanta bhāgavata—bhakti-rasa mātra |
ihā bujhe—ye haya kṛṣṇera kṛpā-pātra ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 3.3.529)
“Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is simply manifest bhakti-rasa. One who is a recipient of Kṛṣṇa’s grace understands this.”
