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.”
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].”
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].”
alaukikyā prakṛtyeyaṁ sudurūhā rasa-sthitiḥ |
yatra sādhāraṇatayā bhāvāḥ sādhu sphuranty amī ||
eṣāṁ sva-para-sambandha-niyamānirṇayo hi yaḥ |
sādhāraṇyaṁ tad evoktaṁ bhāvānāṁ pūrva-sūribhiḥ ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.101–102)
“This occurrence of rasa, with its extraordinary nature, is extremely difficult to comprehend, wherein these bhāvas [i.e., the vibhāvas, anubhāvas, and so forth, as well as rati and so forth] genuinely manifest through sādhāraṇatā [i.e., “generalization”]. The non-determination of limitation between self and other in regard to these [i.e., these bhāvas, that is, modern bhaktas sharing in the experience of the bhāvas of ancient bhaktas by ceasing to make a distinction between the bhāvas of the ancient bhakta and themselves, that is, by wholeheartedly identifying with bhāvas of ancient bhaktas] is called generality (sādhāraṇya) of bhāvas by earlier luminaries.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasāsvādavatāṁ kiṁ syān na sundaram ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.4.39)
“For those who taste the rasa of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, what shall not be beautiful?”
rasikā ity anena prācīnārvācīna-saṁskārāṇām eva tad-vijñatvaṁ darśitam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.3)
“‘Relishers of rasa’ (rasikāḥ)—hereby it is shown that only those who have prior and present saṁskāras are knowers of that [i.e., of rasa].”
atulatvād apāratvād āpto’sau durvigāhatām |
spṛṣṭaḥ paraṁ taṭasthena rasābdhir madhuro mayā ||
(Ujjvala-nīlāmaṇi: 15.259)
“This ocean of madhura-rasa, difficult to fully plunge into [i.e., difficult to fully grasp, even for great prema-bhaktas and rasika-kavis, such as Śukadeva, Līlāśuka, and Jayadeva] because of its being bottomless and boundless [i.e., superior to all other rasas in quality and quantity], has only been touched by me, who am situated on the shore [i.e., who am unable to enter into it, and so, I, from the shore, have just collected a drop of it with my finger and placed it on my tongue].”
mukhya-raseṣu purā yaḥ saṁkṣepeṇodito rahasyatvāt |
pṛthag eva bhakti-rasa-rāṭ sa vistareṇocyate madhuraḥ ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 1.2)
“Madhura [i.e., madhura-rasa], the king of bhakti-rasas, which was described [only] briefly [in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu] among the principal rasas because of its being confidential, is separately described elaborately [here in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi].”
nivṛttānupayogitvād durūhatvād ayaṁ rasaḥ |
rahasyatvāc ca saṁkṣipya vitatāṅgo‘pi likhyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 3.5.2)
“This rasa [i.e., madhura-rasa], although it’s components are extensive, is described [only] briefly [here in this text (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu)] because of its being unsuitable for the abstinent, difficult to comprehend, and confidential.”
eteṣāṁ tu tathā-bhāve bhagavat-kāvya-nāṭyayoḥ |
sevām āhuḥ paraṁ hetuṁ kecit tat-pakṣa-rāgiṇaḥ ||
kintu tatra sudustarka-mādhuryādbhuta-sampadaḥ |
rater asyāḥ prabhāvo’yaṁ bhavet kāraṇam uttamam ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.5.90–91)
“Some [paṇḍitas] who are fond of that view [i.e., the view of conventional kāvya (poetics) and nāṭya (dramaturgy)] say that honoring kāvya and nāṭya related to Bhagavān [i.e., listening to recitations of kāvya, watching performances of nāṭya, and so on] is the primary cause in their being such [i.e., of vibhāvas, anubhāvas, etc. manifesting], but therein [i.e., in regard to vibhāvas, anubhāvas, etc.] this [present] influence of rati for him [i.e., Bhagavān], which is endowed with the wondrous excellence of highly incomprehensible sweetness, is the ultimate cause.”
