Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c8.s2.134

c8.s2.134

Having thus given a detailed exposition of the Primary or Mukhya Bhakti Rasas, the Uttara or last Vibhāga of the work proceeds, in its nine Laharīs, to consider the seven Secondary or Gauṇa Bhakti Rasas, their mutual relation and opposition as subsidiary or contrary sentiments, and lastly, the semblance (Ābhāsa) of these Rasas. Although Rūpa Gosvāmin admits a total of twelve Bhakti-rasas, he tells us that in the authoritative Purāṇas and other scriptures, one finds in fact only the first five Mukhya or primary Bhakti-rasas,¹ that these five are considered as the real Bhakti-rasas, and that the seven Secondary Rasas of Hāsa etc. are generally ancilliary to them.² The septet of Secondary or Gauṇa Rasas includes, however, seven out of the nine conventional Rasas, the remaining two alone being admitted into the Primary or Mukhya. The exposition, therefore, of the seven Gauṇa Rasas follows in the main the treatment of orthodox Poetics, and need not be summarised here in detail, especially as they are not regarded as Rasas of primary importance in Vaiṣṇava Rasa-śāstra. They are secondary, because they are not always present (kādācitkodbhavatvena, Jiva). Thus, Heroism is not essential to Kṛṣṇa-rati, but Heroism which involves Kṛṣṇa-rati becomes a Rasa for that very reason. It is also maintained that these seven Gauṇas can be easily included (antaḥ-pāta) in the scope of the five Mukhyas. Thus, the Adbhuta (Marvellous) is included in all the five; the Hāsya (Comic) in the Sakhya; the Karuṇa (Pathetic) in the Vātsalya; the Vira (Heroic), in its different aspects, in the Sakhya and the Vātsalya; the Bhayānaka (Terrible) in the Vātsalya and the Prīta (Dāsya); the Bibhatsa (Abhorrent) in the Śānta; and the Raudra (Furious) partly in the Vātsalya and partly in the Madhura. The conflict and comity of the Rasas, which constitute the next topic dealt with, can be easily inferred from this relationship to one another. Of the five Mukhya Rasas, the Śānta and the Prīta are mutually agreeable; the Vātsalya is agreeable to none; the Sakhya and the Vātsalya are neither agreeable nor disagreeable to each other; the Madhura and the Prīta are antagonistic. Hence, it is possible that more than one of these Rasas can reside in the same person. Thus, the Sakhya, Prīta (Dāsya) and Vātsalya are found in Balarāma; the Vātsalya and Sakhya in Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma; the Sakhya and Prīta (Dāsya) in Arjuna, Uddhava, Nakula and Sahadeva; and so forth.¹ The five Mukhya and seven Gauṇa Rasas are supposed to react on the mind in five different ways. Thus, the Śānta fills the mind completely (Pūrti); the Prīta, Preyas, Vātsalya, Madhura and Hāsya develop (Vikāśa); the Vīra and the Adbhuta expand (Vistāra); the Karuṇa and the Raudra distract (Vikṣepa); and the Bhayānaka and the Bībhatsa repel (Kṣobha). This is a further working out of the attributes of Vistāra (expansion), Vikāśa (pervasion) and Druti (melting) of orthodox poetics.