vṛndāvane sura-mahīruha-yogapīṭhe
siṁhāsane sva-ramaṇena virājamānām |
pādyārghya-dhūpa-vidhu-dīpa-catur-vidhānna-
srag-bhūṣaṇādibhir ahaṁ paripūjayāni ||
(Saṅkalpa-kalpa-druma: 52)
“When you are present with your beloved on the throne at the yogapīṭha beneath the desire trees in Vṛndāvana, I shall worship you with pādya, arghya, incense, a camphor lamp, the four types of foods, garlands, ornaments, and so forth.”
smaraṇaṁ darśanaṁ strīṇāṁ guṇa-karmānukīrtanam |
samīcīnatva-dhīs tāsu prītiḥ saṁbhāṣaṇaṁ mithaḥ ||
sahavāsaś ca saṁsargo’ṣṭadhā maithunaṁ viduḥ |
(Śaṅkarācārya’s Sarva-vedānta-siddhānta-sāra-saṅgraha: 109-110)
“Know intercourse to be eightfold: remembering women, looking at them, mentioning their qualities and activities, thinking of the suitability of them, favoring them [alt., taking pleasure in them], conversing with them privately, cohabiting with them, and copulating with them.”
smaraṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ keliḥ prekṣaṇaṁ guhya-bhāṣaṇam |
saṅkalpo’dhyavasāyaś ca kriyā-nivṛttir eva ca ||
etan maithunam aṣṭāṅgaṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ |
viparītaṁ brahmacaryam etad evāṣṭa-lakṣaṇam ||
(Vairāgya-mārtaṇḍa: 12.144-145; cited in Sādhana-dīpikā)
“Remembering, mentioning, playing [alt., joking], looking, conversing privately, fancying, pursuing, and completing the act [itself]—the wise say these are the eight aspects of intercourse. The opposite of these are the eight characteristics of brahmacarya.”
brahmacaryaṁ sadā rakṣed aṣṭadhā maithunaṁ pṛthak |
smaraṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ keliḥ prekṣaṇaṁ guhya-bhāṣaṇam ||
saṅkalpo’dhyavasāyaś ca kriyā-niṣpattir eva ca |
etan maithunam aṣṭāṅgaṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ ||
(Dakṣa Smṛti: 7.31–33)
“One should always observe brahmacarya to the exclusion of eightfold intercourse. Remembering, mentioning, playing [alt., joking], looking, conversing privately, fancying, pursuing, and completing the act [itself]—the wise say these are the eight aspects of intercourse. The opposite of these are the eight characteristics of brahmacarya.”
brahmacaryeṇa saṁtiṣṭhed apramādena maskarī |
darśanaṁ sparśanaṁ keliḥ kīrtanaṁ guhya-bhāṣaṇam ||
saṅkalpo’dhyavasāyaś ca kriyā-nivṛtttir eva ca |
etan maithunam aṣṭāṅgaṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ ||
viparītaṁ brahmacaryam anuṣṭheyaṁ mumukṣubhiḥ |
(Kaṭharudra Upaniṣad: 8.9–11)
“A sannyāsī (maskarī) should observe brahmacarya with vigilance. Looking, touching, playing [alt., joking], mentioning, conversing privately, fancying, pursuing, and completion of the act [itself]—the wise say these are the eight aspects of intercourse. The opposite [of these eight], brahmacarya, is to be practiced by seekers of mukti.”
svalpāpi rucir eva syād bhakti-tattvāvabodhikā |
yuktis tu kevalā naiva yad asyā apratiṣṭhatā ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.1.45)
“Even just a little ruci [i.e., ‘taste’] shall be an illuminator of the nature of bhakti. Pure reasoning, however, is certainly not, because of its inconclusiveness.”
hitvātma-māyā-racitā gṛhāpatya-suhṛt-striyaḥ |
tamo viśanty anicchanto vāsudeva-parāṅmukhāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.5.18)
“Giving up their homes, children, friends, and wife, created by the Ātmā’s māyā [i.e., Bhagavān’s māyā, or, their own māyā], those averse to Vāsudeva [at death] enter darkness against their will.”
ātmārāmān madhura-caritair bhakti-yoge vidhāsyam
nānā-līlā-rasa-racanayā nandayiṣyan sva-bhaktān |
daityānīkair bhuvam atibharāṁ vīta-bhārāṁ kariṣyan
mūrtānando vraja-pati-gṛhe jātavat prādurāsīt ||
(Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū: 2.9)
“To direct ātmārāmas to bhakti-yoga
With his sweet acts,
To delight his own bhaktas
With a production of the rasa of various līlās,
And to unburden the earth
From the excessive burden of the armies of the daityas,
Embodied Bliss [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa]
Appeared in the home of Vraja’s king
Like a newborn.”
gaṅgādi-tīrtha-parisevita-pāda-padmāṁ
goloka-saukhya-rasa-pūra-mahiṁ mahimnā |
āplāvitākhila-susādhu-janāṁ sukhābdhau
rādhā-mukunda-muditāṁ yamunāṁ namāmi ||
(Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 1.33)
“I offer obeisance to the Yamunā,
Whose lotus feet are worshipped by tīrthas beginning with the Gaṅgā,
Who is a great, powerful inundation of the rasa of Goloka’s joy,
By whom all exalted sādhus are immersed in an ocean of happiness,
And by whom Rādhā and Mukunda are delighted.”
