निवृत्तानुपयोगित्वाद्दुरूहत्वादयं रसः ।
रहस्यत्वाच्च संक्षिप्य वितताङ्गोऽपि लिख्यते ॥
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 ascetic, difficult to comprehend, and confidential.”
Commentary
nivṛtteṣu prākṛta-śṛṅgāra-rasa-sama-dṛṣṭyā bhāgavatād apy asmād rasād virakteṣv anupayogitvād ayogyatvāt |
(Durgama-saṅgamī-ṭīkā)
“‘For the ascetic’ (nivṛtta) means for those who are averse to this rasa, although it is related to Bhagavān, because they see it to be the same as mundane romance (śṛṅgāra-rasa), and ‘because of its being unsuitable’ (anupayogitvād) means unfit.”
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī describes madhura-rasa at length in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, his supplement to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, and explains his reason for doing so at the outset of the text.