Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c8.s2.24

c8.s2.24

This Bhāva-bhakti is devotion based on inward emotion (Bhāva), which has not yet reached the stage of the sentiment (Rasa) of Love or Preman. It may be born of Sādhana-bhakti, but it is not the direct result of extraneous ways and means, and arises spontaneously as a personal feeling, although this feeling has not yet ripened into Prema-bhakti. It is defined as consisting of a particular pure and inborn feeling (śuddha-sattva-viśeṣa), which partakes of the nature of the first dawn of love (prema-sūryāṃśu-sāmya-bhāk)¹ and brings a smoothness of the mind (citta-māsṛṇyakṛt), arising from relish (ruci). This relish, as the commentary explains, may take the form of a desire for the deity (bhagavat-prāptyabhilāṣa), for his favour (tad-ānukūlyābhilāṣa) or for his friendship (tat-sauhārdābhilāṣa). The ensuing attendant circumstances (Anubhāvas) occur as signs, whenever there is a sprouting of this form of Bhakti, namely, placidity of mind (kṣānti), an effort to apply one's time to the successful realisation of this feeling (avyartha-kālatā), distaste for the objects of sense (virakti), lack of pride (māna-śūnyatā), bond of hope (āśā-bandha), eagerness (samutkaṇṭhā), taste for singing the name of the deity (nāma-gāne ruciḥ), desire for the recital of the attributes of the deity (tad-guṇa-vyākhyāne āsaktiḥ), and pleasure in the place where the Lord lived, e.g. Mathurā, Vraja etc. (tad-vasati-sthale prītiḥ).