प्राक्तन्याधुनिकी चास्ति यस्य सद्भक्तिवासना ।
एष भक्तिरसास्वादस्तस्यैव हृदि जायते ॥
prāktany ādhunikī cāsti yasya sad-bhakti-vāsanā |
eṣa bhakti-rasāsvādas tasyaiva hṛdi jāyate ||
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 2.1.6)
“The taste of bhakti-rasa arises only in the heart of one who has a prior and a present vāsanā (affinity) for pure bhakti [i.e., saṁskāras for bhakti that were formed in one’s previous life (or lives) and one’s present life].”
Commentary
yadyapi rater astitvenādhunikī vāsanāsty eva tathāpi rasatāpattau prāktanī cāvaśyaṁ mṛgyata ity āha—prāktanīti | prāg-janma-jātā prāktanī, ādhunikī janmany asminn udbhūtā ceti madhye tirodhānāpekṣayaiva bhedo vivakṣitaḥ | idam api prāyikam | tātparyaṁ tu raty-atiśaya eva jñeyam |
(Durgama-saṅgamaṇī-ṭīkā)
“Although a present vāsanā [for pure bhakti] certainly exists [i.e., is known to exist] by virtue of rati’s existence [i.e., when rati is known to exist by recognition of its characteristics because rati cannot exist without vāsanā for bhakti being first present in the heart], still a past vāsanā [for pure bhakti] is also certainly to be found out for [rati’s] entering into the state of rasa [i.e., still, rati will not enter the state of rasa without one also having a vāsanā for bhakti from one’s past life]. Thus, he speaks this verse. The distinction between a ‘past’ (prākanī) [vāsanā], that is, one produced in a past birth, and a ‘present’ (ādhunikī) [one], that is, one produced in this birth, is intended only out of consideration of disappearance [i.e., consideration that a vāsanā for pure bhakti can also be lost as a result of aparādha, and thus even if one has such a vāsanā, it is not necessarily inevitable that one will successfully further develop it in one’s next life as one still may end up committing a severe aparādha in that life whereby that vāsanā may become effaced]. This, however, is common [i.e., it is common for one who develops a vāsanā for pure bhakti in one birth to also foster it in the following birth]. The intention (tātparya), however, is to be understood as simply an abundance of rati [i.e., one has to have an abundance of rati for it to transform into rasa].”
yadyapi rater astitvenādhunikī vāsanāsty eva tathāpi spaṣṭatārtham uktam | prāktanī vāsanā tu raty-āsvāde’vaśyam apekṣitā | ata eva ekasminn eva janmani daivān niraparādhair guru-pādāśrayaṇādibhir bhajanais tasminn eva janmani ratau jātāyām api tasyāḥ āsvādaḥ kintu janmāntara iti bodhyam |
(Bhakti-sāra-pradaśinī-ṭīkā)
“Although a present vāsanā [for pure bhakti] certainly exists [i.e., is known to exist] by virtue of rati’s existence [i.e., when rati is known to exist by recognition of its characteristics because rati cannot exist without vāsanā for bhakti being first present in the heart], still it is mentioned for the sake of clarity. A past vāsanā, however, is certainly required for tasting rati [i.e., for rati to assume the state of rasa]. Therefore, even if rati manifests in one particular birth fortunately by virtue of forms of bhajana free from aparādha beginning with taking shelter at the feet of guru in that particular birth, tasting of that [i.e., of rati, that is, rati entering into the state of rasa], however, will be [experienced only] in one’s next birth. This is to be understood.”