“These are the essential characteristics of bhakti: Bhakti is an action intended to please Krishna. Now, we will look at the additional characteristics.”

Essence of the Ambrosial Ocean of Devotion (Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu Sar) by Vraja Kishor das (Victor D Dicara)

Part 3 - Definition of Uttama Bhakti.

Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu is about bhakti-rasa, the pleasurable essence of bhakti. But one cannot talk about "the pleasurable essence of bhakti" without first knowing what "bhakti" is. Rupa Goswami therefore dedicates all four waves of the First Division to defining bhakti. He begins by saying (1.1.11):

anyAbhilASitA-shUnyaM gyAna-karmAdy-anAvRtam |
AnukUlyena kRSNAnu-shIlanaM bhaktir-uttamA ||11||

In this shloka, Rupa Goswami defines Uttama-Bhakti, the "topmost devotion" (English readers may be more familiar with this term rendered as "Pure Devotion.") The second half of the shloka defines the essential characteristics ("svarupa-lakshana") of bhakti, while the first half defines additional characteristics ("tatastha-lakshana") that combine with the essential characteristics to refine the definition of bhakti ("devotion") into the definition of uttama-bhakti ("pure devotion").

The first essential characteristic is that bhakti is an activity ("silanam"). Activity can be either physical, mental, or vocal (or, in higher levels of bhakti, purely emotional), and may either be in pursuit of something ("pravritti"), or in avoidance of something ("nivritti"). For example, one may endeavor to do something, or may endeavor not to do something; One may try to contemplate something, or may try not to complate something; one may try to say something, or may try not to say something, etc.

But, who and what are all these varieties of action for? They are for pleasing Krishna ("krsnanu-silana").

"Krishna" includes his plenary expansions (visnu-tattva), his seperated expansions (siva and jiva-tattva) and the energies that compose the spiritual and material worlds. Thus the way we interact with other individuals, objects, and forms of Godhead is also a part of uttama-bhakti - when these ultimate aim of these interactions is to please Krishna.

If bhakti is simply an action that pleases Krishna, then demons like Kamsa who inadvertantly pleased Krishna by their actions would also be considered devotees. Rupa Goswami therefore specifies that such actions are not bhakti unless the intention is favorable ("anukula"). An action that inadvertantly pleases Krishna is not bhakti, only an action intended to please Krishna is.

Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur's comments indicate that the intention is even more important than the outcome, citing the example of Krishna's mother Yashoda. Though she sometimes caused her child tears of unhappiness, her actions are considered bhakti because her intention was favorable.

These are the essential characteristics of bhakti: Bhakti is an action intended to please Krishna. Now, we will look at the additional characteristics.

The first of the additional characteristics of uttama-bhakti is "anya-abhilashita-shunyam." This indicates that bhakti is "pure" when done by a person who has no ulterior motive. To illustrate: Someone may worship God with the intention to please him, but with the motive of getting something in return for it. This may be a type of bhakti, but it is not uttama-bhakti. In uttama- bhakti one acts with the intention to please Krishna, and with no motive except the desire to please him.

The second characteristic of uttama-bhakti joins closely with the first: "Jnana-karma-adi-anavrittam." Here "jnana" indicates pursuit of knowledge with the objective of liberation from temporal existence ("mukti"). "Karma" indicates pursuit of enjoyable rewards ("bhukti"). "Adi" indicates other similar pursuits with similar objectives.

A varying proportion of such pursuits inevitably is a part of everyone's life in the temporal world, and therefore may exist even in a person with pure devotion - but not to the extent that they overshadow or hide ("avritta") one's main pursuit, which is simply the pursuit of pleasing God.

In conclusion, Rupa Goswami defines uttama-bhakti as "action intended to please Krishna, performed as the main pursuit of one without ulterior motive."

Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu is about the flavor of the pleasurable essence (rasa) of this uttama-bhakti. Still, before directly discussing this topic Rupa Goswami will continue to describe uttama-bhakti and its three stages (sadhana, bhava, and prema). We will have a look at these topics in the upcoming articles of this series:

Part Four - Six Hallmarks of Uttama Bhakti
Part Five - Sadhana Bhakti
Part Six - Vaidhi Sadhana Bhakti
Part Seven - Raganuga Sadhana Bhakti
Part Eight - Bhava Bhakti
Part Nine - Prema Bhakti
Part Ten - An Overview of Rasa
Part Eleven - The Primary Rasas
Part Twelve - The Associated Rasas

© CHAKRA 15-Mar-2000

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