[Advaita-l] bhakti rasas and shivAnandalaharI

[Ramakrishna Upadrasta]

namaste,

This post is not about records of experiences by devotees, but
presence of the bhakti-school classification of the various bhakti
rasa experiences in shivaananda-laharI.  I found in some websites that
the classification of rasaa-s is santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and
maadhurya. Here are some illustrations of the same from
shivaananda-lahari:


santa rasa:

In verses #24-25, is the illustration of the devotee yearning for
being in the presence of Ishvara (but not actively doing service).

kadaa vaa kailaase kanakamaNisaudhe sahagaNai\-
rvasan.h shaMbhoragre sphuTaghaTitamuurdhaaJNjalipuTaH |
vibho saamba svaamin.h paramashiva paahiiti nigadan.h
vidhaatR^INaaM kalpaan.h kshaNamiva vineshhyaami sukhataH || 24||



stavairbrahmaadiinaaM jayajayavachobhirniyaminaaM
gaNaanaaM keliibhirmadakalamahokshasya kakudi |
sthitaM niilagriivaM trinayanamumaashlishhTavapushhaM
kadaa tvaaM pashyeyaM karadhR^itamR^igaM khaNDaparashum.h || 25||



daasya rasa:

In verse #26, the devotee yearns for being a dasa to Ishvara by doing
paada-pUja:

kadaa vaa tvaaM dR^ishhTvaa girisha tava bhavyaaN^ghriyugalaM
gR^ihiitvaa hastaabhyaaM shirasi nayane vakshasi vahan.h |
samaashlishhyaaghraaya sphuTajalajagandhaan.h parimalaa\-
nalaabhyaaM brahmaadyairmudamanubhavishhyaami hR^idaye || 26||


The story of bhakta-kannapa which has been beautifully described in
verse #63 can be taken as an example of daasya-bhakti:

maargaavartitapaadukaa pashupateraN^gasya kuurchaayate
gaNDuushhaaMbunishhechanaM puraripordivyaabhishhekaayate |
kiMchidbhakshitamaaMsasheshhakabalaM navyopahaaraayate
bhaktiH kiM na karotyaho vanacharo bhaktaavataMsaayate || 63||


sakhya rasa:

One example of sakhya-bhakti is in verse #82:

baaNatvaM vR^ishhabhatvamardhavapushhaa bhaaryaatvamaaryaapate
ghoNitvaM sakhitaa mR^idaN^gavahataa chetyaadi ruupaM dadhau |
tvatpaade nayanaarpaNaM cha kR^itavaan.h tvaddehabhaago hariH
puujyaatpuujyataraH sa eva hi na chet.h ko vaa tadaanyo.adhikaH || 82||

So shrii-hari is a sakhya-bhakta of shiva-deva by being a companion in
the former's mohini-avataara, and for playing the mRidanga when the
latter dances.


In verse #43, shambhu in the form of girisha/Adi-kirAtaka is being
invited as a sakha to the manas-forest and get mRigayA-vinoda:

mA gachCha tvamitastato girisha bho mayyeva vAsaM kuru
svAminnAdikirAta mAmakamanaHkAntArasImAntare .
vartante bahusho mR^igA madajuSho mAtsaryamohAdaya##-##
stAn.h hatvA mR^igayAvinodaruchitAlAbhaM cha saMprApsyasi
.. 43..


In verse #35, shambhu is directly called the paramaantaranga.

yogakshemadhuraMdharasya sakalashreyaHpradodyogino
dR^ishhTaadR^ishhTamatopadeshakR^itino baahyaantaravyaapinaH |
sarvaGYasya dayaakarasya bhavataH kiM veditavyaM mayaa
shaMbho tvaM paramaantaraN^ga iti me chitte smaraamyanvaham.h || 35||

So, by Ishvara being a paramaantaranga, conversely, the manas (the
chitta here) becomes a parama-aapta and hence parama-sakha as well.


In verse #46, the manas is being being to live happily along with the
bhakti-vadhu, in the mansion of the Ishvara.

aakiirNe nakharaajikaantivibhavairudyatsudhaavaibhavai\-
raadhautepi cha padmaraagalalite haMsavrajairaashrite |
nityaM bhaktivadhuugaNaishcha rahasi svechchhaavihaaraM kuru
sthitvaa maanasaraajahaMsa girijaanaathaaN^ghrisaudhaantare || 46||

As it is traditionally accepted that bhakti is a sakhi of bhagavaan,
by manas being a sakhi of bhakti also satisfies the "friend of friend"
relationship.


vatsalya rasa:

In verse #62, the bhakti-janani is taking care of the seeker-child, by
taking care of its needs in various ways:

aanandaashrubhiraatanoti pulakaM nairmalyatachchhaadanaM
vaachaa shaN^khamukhe sthitaishcha jaTharaapuurtiM charitraamR^itaiH |
rudraakshairbhasitena deva vapushho rakshaaM bhavadbhaavanaa\-
paryaN^ke viniveshya bhaktijananii bhaktaarbhakaM rakshati || 62||


maadhurya rasa:

Giving the buddhi/manas as a vadhu with Ishvara as its lone husband
and final refuge is one of the recurring themes of shivaananda-lahari.

In verse #77, the buddhi-vadhu is in viraha of shiva:

buddhiHsthiraa bhavitumiishvarapaadapadma\-
saktaa vadhuurvirahiNiiva sadaa smarantii |
sadbhaavanaasmaraNadarshanakiirtanaadi
saMmohiteva shivamantrajapena vinte || 77||

In the next verse itself, the Ishvara is being asked to treat the
buddhi as a nava-vadhu, none less.

sadupachaaravidhishhvanubodhitaaM
savinayaaM sahR^idayaM sadupaashritaam.h |
mama samuddhara buddhimimaaM prabho
varaguNena navoDhavadhuumiva || 78||


In verse #84, the buddhi-kanya is being offered to the Ishvara by the father.

shiva tava paricharyaasannidhaanaaya gauryaa
bhava mama guNadhuryaaM buddhikanyaaM pradaasye |
sakalabhuvanabandho sachchidaanandasindho
sadaya hR^idayagehe sarvadaa saMvasa tvam.h || 84||


In the earlier referenced #82, shrii-hari is said to have been the
bhaarya of siva-deva.


==
All the above rasas and many other can be found in shloka #61, which
is oft quoted to be the the perfect definition of bhakti, independent
of the matas the AchAryas follow:

a~NkolaM nijabIjasantatirayaskAntopalaM sUchikA
sAdhvI naijavibhuM latA kShitiruhaM sindhuH saridvallabham.h .
prApnotIha yathA tathA pashupateH pAdAravindadvayaM
chetovR^ittirupetya tiShThati sadA sA bhaktirityuchyate .. 61..

In the above shloka, one can see the a~Nkola is similar to vaatsalya,
sUchika as a sakhya, saadhvi and lata as maadhurya, and saritaM as
attained the mukti itself.


In the verse #28, even the various levels of being near to Ishvara is
given, while not compromising the highest mukti of advaitins:

sArUpyaM tava pUjane shiva mahAdeveti saMkIrtane
sAmIpyaM shivabhaktidhuryajanatAsAMgatyasaMbhAShaNe .
sAlokyaM cha charAcharAtmakatanudhyAne bhavAnIpate
sAyujyaM mama siddhamatra bhavati svAmin.h kR^itArtho.asmyaham.h
.. 28..

Note the use of atra bhavati in the above.


These are only some of the examples from shivaananda-lahari. It is
perhaps not an atishayokti that shivaananda-lahari by the advaitin
shankaraachaarya is the epitome of bhakti shaastra. Further, since
shankaraacharya is the kavi of shivaananda-lahari, it can also be said
that He wrote all this after experiencing them.

namaste
Ramakrishna


2011/10/26 Rajaram Venkataramani <rajaramvenk at gmail.com>:
> If we see the legends of vaishnavas, shaivas and saktas, we see that they
> experience direct relationship with the Lord in different bhakti rasas such
> as madhurya, vatsalya, sakhya, dasya etc.