CHAPTER 8

Eighth Shower of Nectar


From the creeper of bhakti, which first sprouted two leaves during sadhana bhakti,

many smooth petals now suddenly appear in the form of anubhavas (the symptoms of

ecstasy) attached to the flower of bhava.

These anubhavas are filled with the devotional processes, such as hearing and

chanting, and shine brilliantly at every moment.

First forming the flower called bhava, they finally bring forth the fruit called prema.

But what is most astonishing about the creeper of bhakti is, though its leaves, buds,

flowers and fruits mature into the succeeding form, they do not give up their original

forms. Together they shine in newer and newer ways.

The devotee's innumerable thoughts and emotions (citta vritti) were previously bound

tightly by the ropes of attachment to family, relatives, house and properties.

However when prema appears, it easily frees the thoughts from all those

attachments. By its inherent power, prema transforms those material emotions, into

spiritually blissful elements, as if submerging them all in a deep well of transforming

nectar.

Similarly, all the attachments become spiritualized. Then, with those ropes of

spiritual attachment, prema binds the spiritualized emotions to the sweetness of the

Lord's name, form and qualities.

Prema manifests its brilliance in this way and immediately puts all material ideals

(purushhartha) to shame as the sun puts to shame all the constellations in the sky.

The nectar which comes from the fruit of prema has the essential quality of

concentrated bliss (sandrananda), and its outstanding nourishing property is its power

to attract Krishna (krishnakarshani). When the devotee begins to taste that nectar,

he does not take heed of any obstacles.

Like a miser feverish for treasure, like a thief who has lost all sense of discretion out

of absorption in his job, the devotee loses all sense of self-consciousness.

Sometimes, there is an impatience for obtaining the Lord, like a hunger which cannot

be satisfied even by eating the most tasty foods day and night.

The devotee burns like the sun by that anxiety. He is soothed only by tasting the

form, qualities and sweetness of the Lord, which make a momentary appearance, like

the coolness of a thousand moons.

The prema which exists in the devotee, the receptacle of prema, is very astonishing

in that simultaneously even its slightest increase pierces the devotee like a shaft in

the form of anxiety, by which the devotee at every moment longs for the direct

darshan of the Lord.

And at the same time, by the intense manifestation of that prema, that shaft is

burned by the realization (sphurti) of the form, pastimes and sweetness of the Lord.

Still he remains unsatisfied.

Simultaneously, this prema, arising from its own reservoir, increases slightly, and the

devotee longs for direct contact with the Lord at every moment. This hankering

burns like a conflagration and tears his body like a sharp arrow.

By the intensity of his longing for the Lord he remains unsatisfied with the

momentary vision of the Lord's form, qualities and sweetness.

He considers friends as useless as a dry, overgrown well, and his household becomes

like a thorn-filled forest. Food becomes totally distasteful. Praise from other

devotees is like the biting of a snake.

Daily duties become difficult to perform like death. All the limbs of his body become

like an unmanageable burden. The consolation of his comrades is like poison.

Even though he remains constantly awake, wakefulness is an ocean of repentance, and

his sleep seems to be simply fleeing (destroying) from life. His body seems like the

chastisement for the Lord. His life airs become as lifeless as roasted grains. What

he previously took as his life's goal is abandoned as great calamity. Even thinking of

the Lord tears his body asunder.

Then prema, assuming the form of a magnet, attracts black Krishna and makes Him

appear to the devotee for a moment. At that time, all the senses of the devotee

(eyes, nose, ears, tongue, sense of touch) become the receptacles of all the

auspicious qualities of Krishna.

His supreme beauty, fragrance, melody, youthfulness, tastiness, audarya and karunya.

From tasting the extreme sweetness and ever-freshness of these qualities of the

Lord, a greater longing, which at every moment increases, is born in the devotee

because of his prema. Poetic words are not adequate to describe the ocean of

transcendental bliss which appears at this time.

A traveller on a desert path, burned by the sun's rays during the hot season, finds

shelter in a cool place supplied with a hundred vessels of ice-water from a divine pool

under the shade of a vast banyan tree densely tangled with branches.

An elephant caught in a forest fire without escape is finally bathed by unlimited

water from a bank of rain clouds. A person afflicted by mortal disease and craving

satisfaction, drinks the nectar, tastes its exquisite sweetness, and experiences

unbounded bliss. This cannot be compared.

Then Lord reveals first His beauty (saundarya) to the eyes of the devotee in this

remarkable condition. On account of the sweetness of that beauty, all the senses

and the mind take on the quality of eyes, and obstacles, such as paralysis, shaking and

tears, are generated. From this the devotee swoons in bliss.

To console the devotee, the Lord next reveals His fragrance to the nostrils of the

devotee, and all the devotee's senses take on the quality of the nose to smell. Again

the devotee swoons in bliss.

The Lord then reveals His sonorous voice to the devotee's ears: Oh My devotee, I am

under your control. Don't be overwhelmed, but fully satisfy your desire by relishing

Me. All the senses become like ears to hear and, for the third time, the devotee

faints.

At the beginning of the swoon, the Lord then mercifully gives the touch of His lotus

feet, His hands and His breast to the devotee, and reveals His fresh youthfulness

(saukaumarya) to the devotee.

To those in the mood of servitude, He bestows His lotus feet on their heads, to those

in the mood of friendship, He grasps their hands with His. For those in the mood of

parental affection, He wipes away their tears with His own hand. For those in

conjugal mood, He rewards them with His embrace, touching them with His hands and

chest.

Then the devotee's senses all take on the sense of touch and the devotee faints for a

fourth time in a deep swoon. At the start of the swoon, the Lord then restores him

by giving the taste (saurasya) from His own lips. This, however, is revealed only to

those in the conjugal mood. The devotee's senses take on the sense of taste and he

faints for a fifth time.

This blissful swoon is so deep that the Lord must revive him by bestowing His audarya

(generosity). Audarya refers to the state in which simultaneously all of the Lord's

qualities (His beauty, fragrance, sound, touch and taste) suddenly manifest

themselves to the devotee's various senses.

At that time, prema, which understands the will of the Lord, increases to the

extreme and there is a corresponding extreme increase in the craving.

That prema presides as a moon over the ocean of bliss and simultaneously it increases

hundreds and hundreds of waves and it agitates and creates an almost destructive

friction in the devotee's heart. It then becomes the beautiful ruling deity of his

mind in that condition.

This increased prema usually controls everything as the moon presides over the

ocean, then seems to withdraw its powers. It creates in the devotee's heart an

almost destructive friction and tearing amongst the simultaneous tastes, a conflict of

a hundred waves in the ocean of bliss.

Then again, prema assumes the role of ruler, the presiding deity, and manifests its

specific power, which allows the devotee to experience the different tastes

simultaneously and without conflict.

One should not think that the devotee will not be able to experience the fullness of

all the tastes because of their multitude, which may cause dilution of the very tastes.

Rather, all the senses attain the inconceivable, astonishing, extraordinary quality to

perform the functions of the other senses to appreciate the Lord's various qualities.

In this way, they can experience more intensely the taste. In these matters, one

cannot use material arguments evolved from material experiences. The inconceivable

conditions of prema are not subject to mundane logic (acintya).

Even if the devotee wishes to relish all types of sweetness, of saundarya, etc, all at

once, but like a chataka bird wants to drink all raindrops by his beak which is

impossible.

The devotee tries to experience the sweet tastes of the Lord's beauty, fragrance,

sound, touch, taste and audarya all at once like the chataka bird who tries to catch all

the rain drops in his beak. Then the Lord, seeing that all cannot find room in His

devotee, considers, "Why am I holding so many wonderful qualities with My self."

To let the devotee also partake of them all, the Lord manifests His kripa shakti (also

called anugraha), the superintendent of all the shaktis, by which the devotee becomes

attractive even to the Lord. This shakti is situated like an empress in the middle of a

lotus, whose eight petals are the eight shaktis (vimala, utkarshini, jnana, kriya, yoga,

prahvi, satya, and isani).

This anugraha decorates itself in the eyes of the Lord and it appears in different

forms as vatsalya (affection) in relation to His devotees in the mood of servant, etc,

(dasa, sakha, etc.). In some cases it appears as karunya (compassion).

When it appears to in relation to the devotees in conjugal mood it is known as cittaviddravini

akarshani shakti (which melts the heart of Krishna and attracts Him).

Sometimes according to the different moods of the different devotees it is known by

other names also.

By this kripa-shakti, the all-pervading element of the Lord's free will influences the

heart and causes great astonishment even in those realized souls who are fully selfsatisfied

atmaramas.

By this energy, the one quality called bhakta vatsalya (affection for His devotees),

like an emperor, rules over all auspicious, spiritual qualities such as satya, shaucha,

daya and tapas mentioned in the First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

The eighteen condemned qualities of illusion, laziness, error, intense lust, fickleness,

arrogance, envy, violence, exertion, lamentation, dishonesty, anger, longing, fear,

partiality, and dependency on others are not present in the body of the Lord.

By the agency of this bhakta vatsalya, however, even these qualities become present

at times in various avataras, such as Rama and Krishna, and are appreciated by the

devotees. But now these faults become excellent qualities.

Attaining the power to taste completely the beauty, fragrance, etc, of the Lord, and

tasting each one, the devotee ascends to higher and higher peaks of astonishing

experience.

His heart melts on incessant realization of the Lord's unheard of bhakta vatsalya.

The Lord, displaying His wonderful nature, says:

"Oh best of devotees, many births you have given up wife, house and wealth for the

sake of My service. You endured the miseries of cold, wind, hunger, thirst and pain,

tolerated the contempt of other men, taking to a life of begging. In payment for all

your sacrifice, I cannot given you anything. I have become your debtor.

Since lordship over the whole earth in the post of demigod and mystic powers are

unsuitable for you, how can I give them to you? One cannot give grass and straw, the

enjoyment of cows, to a spiritual personality such as you. Though I am unconquerable,

today I have been conquered by you. I am taking shelter of the creeper of your

gentleness."

Accepting the sweet, affectionate words of the Lord as the ornaments of his ears,

the devotee says:

"Oh my Lord, my master, oh ocean of unfathomable mercy! You glanced upon me while

I was being bitten by an array of crocodiles, the infinite miseries of endless births

and deaths amidst the terrifying current of material existence. Oh Lord,

transcendental to all the material planets, Your butter-like heart melts as it is filled

with mercy.

In the form of the spiritual master, You destroy ignorance and lust! By manifesting

the Sudarsana Chakra of Your wonderful form, You have pierced those crocodiles

and freed me from the clutches of their teeth. To fulfill my desire to serve Your

lotus feet as a maidservant dasi, You placed the syllables of Your mantra in my ears.

You destroyed my suffering, You purified me by the process of constant hearing,

chanting, and remembering Your qualities and name. You made me understand how to

perform service to Yourself through the association of Your devotees.

I am unintelligent, the lowest of the low, and even one day have not done You service.

Such a miserly selfish person deserves to be punished. Contrary to this however,

showing Your very self to me, You have made me drink nectar. You have mortified me

by saying that You have become my debtor.

Now I am thinking what to do. Would I be presumptuous to ask You to pardon all my

offenses five, seven, eight, a thousand or a million? I can definitely say it must be

more than a trillion. Just let all the reactions to my past activities, intense and longstanding,

suffered and to be suffered in the future, remain.

Previously, I compared Your dark limbs to the monsoon cloud, to the blue water lily

and to the sapphire. I compared Your effulgent face to the moon, and Your tender

feet, to newly sprouted leaves.

Now these analogies seem like a pile of burned mustard seeds compared to a golden

mountain, or like a chick pea in comparison to a touchstone, like a jackal in comparison

to a lion, or a mosquito in comparison to Garuda.

By my poor intelligence, I have clearly committed an offense to You. Such inept

poetry meant as praise unto Yourself is accepted by the common people. But after

seeing the opulence of the Sri Murti for a while I have just become shameful and like

an impatient cow my voice wordings will not defile the desire creeper of your beauty

with the teeth of comparison.

I am like an unsettled cow threatened by the sudden appearance of Your form. But I

cannot defile the desire tree of Your beauty even with my destructive comparisons."

In this way, the devotee praises the Lord, and the Lord becomes more pleased with

the devotee. Then He reveals all the favorable accoutrements necessary for the

devotee's particular relation to the Lord, imbued with excellent rasa:

Sri Vrindavana, the desire tree, the maha yoga pitha, the most dear daughter of

Vrishabhanu, Her associates such as Lalita and her manjaris, His own friends such as

Subala, the cows maintained by Him, the Yamuna River, Govardhana, forests such as

Bhandira, Nandishvara Hill, all the mothers, fathers, brothers, friends and servants

there, and the other vrajavasis.

The Lord submerges the devotee in the enchanting tidal wave of bliss and then

disappears with His entourage.

Recovering consciousness after some moments, the devotee, anxious to see the Lord

again, opens his eyes, and not seeing the Lord, he begins crying.

"Was I merely dreaming? No, no, I was not dreaming, because I have neither

drowsiness, nor any contamination in my eyes from sleep. Was it some hallucination?

No, for a hallucination could never give real bliss. Or was it from some defect in the

mind? No, because all the symptoms of an unsteady mind are absent.

Was it the fulfillment of some material desire? No, no material fancy could ever

approach what I have seen. Was it a momentary meeting with the Lord? No, because

it is completely different from all previous visions of the Lord that I remember."

In this way, the devotee remains in uncertainty. Lying upon the dusty earth, he prays

constantly for the same experience. Not obtaining it, he laments, weeps, rolls on the

ground, wounds his own body, faints, recovers, stands, sits, runs about, and wails like

a madman.

Sometimes he remains silent like a sage and sometimes like a social misfit, he fails to

perform his daily obligatory duties. Like a person possessed of spirits, he talks

incoherently. Unto a devotee friend who comes asking privately what is the matter,

he explains what he has experienced.

He recovers for a moment, and the friend explains, "That was, by good fortune, a

direct meeting with the Lord." Satisfied with that explanation, he becomes happy.

Then again he laments, "No longer do I have that association. Was it a shower of

mercy from some great devotee of the Lord upon this unlucky soul? Or was it by

mere chance, or was it the result of some past honest endeavor? Or perhaps it was

simply the causeless mercy of the Lord.

By some indescribable fortune I have attained the Lord, but then, because of a grave

offense, I have lost Him again. Without life, without intelligence, I cannot ascertain

the truth.

Where shall I go? What shall I do and how? Whom to ask? I am completely vacant,

without soul, without shelter, scorched by a conflagration. The three worlds seem to

be devouring me. Giving up this worldly association, I will live in solitude for some

time."

Doing this, he laments further. "Oh lotus-faced Lord, You are possessed of streams

of nectar, bedecked with fragrant garlands which scent all the forests, attracting

swarms of vibrating bees! Just for a moment may I serve Your Lordship again?

Having once tasted Your sweetness, I cannot aspire for anything else.”

He begins to roll on the ground, breathe heavily, faint, and lose his mind. Suddenly

seeing the Lord everywhere, he rejoices, embraces, laughs, dances and sings, and

when the Lord disappears again, he becomes filled with remorse, and weeps.

Behaving in this way, he withdraws his very life symptoms and he loses awareness of

whether he has a body or not.

Then, not aware that his material body has passed to the elements, he understands

only that his desired Lord, the ocean of mercy, has manifested Himself.

Engaging him in service, He is leading him to His own house.

Thus the devotee reaches the final goal.

adau sraddha tatah sadhu sango'tha

bhajana kriya tato' nartha nivrttih

sya tato nistha rucis tatah athasaktis

tato bhavas tatah premabhyudacati

First appears faith, then association with devotees, devotional activities, clearing of

obstacles, steadiness, taste, attachment, bhava and finally prema.

The stages of devotion mentioned in this verse have been described as they are.

Sneha, mana pranaya, raga, anuraga, and mahabhava, successively specialized tastes,

are progressively higher fruits on the creeper of bhakti.

Because the material body of the devotee cannot tolerate the friction of extremes

of all those tastes, they are not manifested in his body. Thus these tastes have not

been described here.

Ruci, asakti, bhava and prema, which can be experienced, have already been

described. The scriptural quotations have not been supplied, however, as this would

create an obstacle in comprehension of those states. They are supplied now.

ruci:

tasmins tada labdha rucer mahamune

priyasravasy askhalita matir mama

“O great sage, as soon as I got a taste of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, my

attention to hear of the Lord was unflinching.” (SB 1.5.27)

asakti:

gunesu saktam bandhaya

ratam va pumsi muktaye

“The state in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted by the three

modes of material nature is called life. But when that same consciousness is attached

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness of

liberation.” (SB 3.25.15)

bhava:

priya sravasy anga mama bhavad ratih

“Thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead

increased at every step.” (SB 1.5.26)

prema:

prematibhara nirbhinna

pulakango'ti nirvrtah

ananda samplave lano

napasyam ubhayam mune

“O Vyasadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness,

every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of

ecstasy, I could not perceive either myself or the Lord.” (SB 1.6.17)

symptoms of ruci:

ta ye pibanty avitrso

nrpa gahha karnais

tan na sprsanty asana

trh ubhaya soka mohah

“They drink with attentive ears, without being satisfied, O King, and they are not

touched by fear, lamentation and illusion.” (SB 4.29.40)

symptoms of asakti:

srnvan subhadrani rathanga paner

janmani karmani ca yani loke

gatani namani tad arthakani

gayan vilajjo vicared asangah

“An intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear should give up

all attachment to material objects such as wife, family and nation. He should wander

freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, the

bearer of the chariot wheel.” (SB 11.2.39)

symptoms of bhava:

yatha bhramyaty ayo brahman

svayam akarsasannidhau

tatha me bhramyate cetas

cakrapaner yadrcchaya

“O brahmanas, as iron attracted by a magnetic stone moves automatically toward the

magnet, my consciousness, having been changed by His will, is attracted by Lord

Vishnu, who carries a disc in His hand. Thus I have no independence.” (SB 7.5.14)

symptoms of prema:

evam vratah sva priya nama kartya

jatanurago druta citta uccaih

hasaty atho roditi rauti gayaty

unmadavan nrtyati loka bahyah

“When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of

the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly chants the holy name. He

also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants just like a madman, not caring for

outsiders.” (SB 11.2.40)

momentary vision of the Lord:

pragayatah sva varyani

tartha padah priya sravah

ahuta iva me saghram

darsanam yati cetas

“The Supreme Lord Krishna, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once

appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy

activities.” (SB 1.6.33)

association of the Lord:

pasyanti te me rucirany amba santah

prasanna vaktraruna locanani

rupani divyani vara pradani

sakam vacam sprhanayam vadanti

“O My Mother, My devotees always see the smiling face of My form, with eyes like

the rising morning sun. They like to see My various transcendental forms, which are

all benevolent, and they also talk favorably with Me.” (SB 3.25.35)

The devotee's reaction to associating with the Lord:

tair darsanayavayavair udara

vilasa haseksita vama suktaih

hrtatmano hrta pranams ca bhaktir

anicchato me gatim anva prayunkte

“Upon seeing the charming forms of the Lord, smiling and attractive, and hearing His

very pleasing words, the pure devotee almost loses all other consciousness. His

senses are freed from all other engagements, and he becomes absorbed in devotional

service. Thus in spite of his unwillingness, he attains liberation without separate

endeavor.” (SB 3.25.36)

vaso yatha parikrtam madiramadandhah (SB 11.13.36)

These verses taken from Bhagavatam should be considered.

The substance of this is as follows.

Ahankara is of two types:

ahanta (consciousness of I)

mamata (consciousness of mine).

By jnana these two are destroyed and liberation is attained. By directing these two

towards body (I am this body), house (this is my house), etc, bondage results.

I am the follower of the Lord. I am the servant of the Lord. The Lord with His

associates, an ocean of sweetness with His form, qualities and pastimes, is to be

served by me.

If one thinks in this way, identifying oneself as the Lord's servant and making the

Lord along with His associates the object of one's possession, it is called prema.

Prema is in this way distinct from both bondage and liberation, and is properly called

the crown jewel of all human goals.

There is a sequence in this.

When the materialistic aspect of ahanta and mamata is extremely deep, one remains

fixed in the cycle of birth and death.

When a particle of faith, by good fortune is born and one thinks of becoming a

Vaishnava and serving the Lord, the materialistic aspect becomes slightly

spiritualized (gandha) and the jiva becomes qualified for devotional service.

At the stage of sadhu sanga, the spiritualization becomes more condensed and his

material attachments are atyantiki.

At the stage of anishthita bhajana kriya, the spiritualization of I and mine is specific,

localized in one place, whereas the material aspect is still in full force (purna).

At the stage of nistha, spiritualization becomes detectable in many places, and the

materialistic influence is still prominent (prayiki).

At the stage of ruci, spiritualization of I and mine becomes dominant, nearing

completion (prayiki) and the materialistic concept of I and mine becomes localized in

certain issues.

At the stage of asakti, the spiritual aspect of I and mine becomes complete (purna)

and the material aspect becomes a trace (gandha).

At the stage of bhava, the spiritual aspect becomes thorough (atyantiki) and the

material aspect becomes like an empty shadow.

At the stage of prema, the spiritual aspect becomes extremely intense

(paramatyantiki) and the material aspect is completely absent.

At the stage of bhajana kriya, meditation on the Lord is momentary with a tinge of

material topics.

At the stage of nistha meditation, there is a trace (abhas) of other topics.

At the stage of ruci, other topics are absent and the meditation is long lasting.

At the stage of asakti, meditation becomes very deep.

During bhava, meditation is marked with the Lord.

At the stage of prema, in contrast to simply seeing the Lord, there is direct

association with the Lord.

madhurya varidheh krishna

chaitanya duddhatai rasaih

iyam dhinotu madhury

maya kadambana jagat

The cloud bank has lifted the rasa from the ocean of sweetness personified, Sri

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. May the sweet bank of clouds satisfy the thirsty world by

distributing that rasa.

Remaining constantly with devotees, he sits with them conversing about the

nectarean pastimes of the Lord, relishing and glorifying them again and again, to the

exclusion of all other topics. He enters the sacred dhama and becomes fixed in the

pure unalloyed service of the Lord (seva-nishtha). Ignorant people think he is going

crazy.

He attempts to learn the new dance step of the devotees' joyful process of

meditating on and serving the Lord, and ruci, the dance instructress, takes him by the

two hands to personally teach him.

Thus, he begins to experience extraordinary, unimaginable bliss. Who can describe in

what realm of bliss will he reside when, in time, he is made to dance by the two

headed mistresses of dance, bhava and prema?

Thus ends the Eighth Shower of Nectar of Madhurya Kadambini

By Mahamahopadhyaya Srimat Vishvanath Cakravarti

Discussing the attainment of taste for devotional service

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