Mādhurya Kādambinī – Sri Visvanatha Cakravartipada

Commentaries by Śrī Rādhākuṇḍa’s Mahānta Paṇḍita Śrī Ananta Dās Bābājī Mahārāja
Translation by Advaita das

athābhyāsa kṛṣṇa vartma dīpitāṁ bhakti kāñcana mudrāṁ sva tejasā vahantīṁ dadhāne bhakta hṛdi tasyāṁ rucir utpadyate. śravaṇa kīrtanādīnām anyato vailakṣaṇyena rocakatvaṁ ruciḥ. yasyām utpadyamānāyāṁ pūrva daśāyām iva tair muhur apyanuśīlitair na śramopalabdhi gandho’pi. yā hi teṣu vyasanitvam acirād evotpādayati. (1)

TRANSLATION:

The gold coin of bhakti illuminated by the fire of devotional practices, by its splendour, gives rise to ruci in the heart of a devotee. ruci means a special taste in every devotional part such as chanting, hearing, and so on. In this stage, a sādhaka never feels the slightest fatigue even by repeated hearing and chanting. ruci quickly causes a devotee’s intense absorption in chanting and hearing.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation – 

In the Fourth Shower of Nectar, niṣṭhā in bhajana was described. By practicing devotion with niṣṭhā, a sādhaka devotee bears the golden coin of bhakti, brightly illuminated by the fire of devotional practice. This bright golden coin of bhakti can be compared with highly luminous gold burnt in blazing fire. One thus gradually develops ruci in devotion. ruci means a specific taste that one gets by realizing the form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord and His associates. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpāda has written in his commentary on Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.4.15): rucir abhilāṣa kintu buddhi-pūrvakam, “ruci means desires to attain Kṛṣṇa and His service, but such desires appear intentionally.” The desire to serve the Lord favorably is the very life of bhakti. Along with this desire, naturally the desire arises to attain Kṛṣṇa and establish an affectionate relationship with Him. Thus, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī says desires are of three kinds: desire to serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, the desire to establish an affectionate relationship with Him and the desire to attain Him. The desire to make the Lord happy with one’s service, along with the desire to exchange affection with Him and the desire to attain Him arise spontaneously within the heart. At the ruci-stage, all these desires intentionally appear in the intellect; in the āsakti stage they appear spontaneously.
ruci is related to bhajana. A special taste in each devotional part such as hearing, chanting, and so on of the Lord’s name, form, and qualities is known as ruci. When ruci awakens one never gets even slightly tired of repeated hearing and chanting, like before. This ruci creates a strong attachment to hearing and chanting within the devotee. In this stage the time the topics of the Lord are not discussed appear totally useless. The topics of Śrī Kṛṣṇa do not appear tasteful unless one attains the ruci stage. This is known as mādhurya-anubhava, realization of sweetness. ruciḥ pāpa bīja nāśād bhaktau mādhuryānubhava “In this stage the seed of sins is destroyed and one realizes the sweetness of devotion.” (Commentary by Mukunda Dāsa on Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15-17) Śrī Jīva Gosvāmīpāda has written—mādhuryaṁ tu rupa guṇa līlānāṁ rocakatvam (Commentary on Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 4.4.15) “Realization of sweetness means relishing the taste of Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities, and pastimes.” Thus one does not feel bored during chanting and hearing Śrī Hari-kathā. The Bhāgavata (1.1.19) says:

vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma uttama-śloka-vikrame
yacchṛṇvatāṁ rasa-jñānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade

The ṛṣis headed by Śaunaka say, “O Sūta! We never tire of hearing the pastimes of Lord Uttamaśloka, because they appear sweeter than sweet at every moment to those who have realized transcendental mellows.” Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmī describes that taste in hari-kathā is the primary and best devotional part: kathā ruceḥ sa evatraivād yat vāt śreṣṭhātvātcca (Bhāg. 1.2.8 Krama Sandarbha ṭīkā). (1)

yathā nityaṁ śāstram adhīyānasya baṭoḥ kāle śāstrārtha praveśe sati śāstrasya rocakatvam utpādyamānam eva tat tatra śramaṁ nopanayatyāsañjayati ca vastutaḥ siddhānte tu paittika vaiguṇyena dūṣitāyāṁ rasanāyāṁ sitāyā arocakatve’pi sitaiva tad vaiguṇya nirāsakam auṣadham iti vivekinaḥ tasyā eva yathā muhur upasevane kālena svādvīyaṁ svādvīyam ābhātīti tasyā eva rocakatvaṁ tathaivāvidyādi vidūṣitasya jīvāntaḥ karaṇasya śravaṇādi bhaktyā tad doṣa praśame tasyāṁ rucir udbhavatīti (2)

TRANSLATION:

A brāhmaṇa boy absorbed in studying the scriptures gradually develops a taste in his studies as he starts understanding the essence of the śāstras. Then he does not feel tired while studying. When someone is attacked by a liver disease, then his tongue becomes unable to relish any taste and the taste of sugar candy appears bitter to him. But the wise know only sugar candy can cure his disease. Only after repeatedly taking sugar candy, he is gradually able to taste its sweetness. Similarly, if a jīva too much influenced by ignorance repeatedly practises chanting, hearing, and other devotional parts, then his heart gradually becomes free from ignorance and he attains a taste in devotional practices like hearing.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation – 

In the preliminary stage śāstras appear difficult to a brāhmaṇa boy who has just started studying them. Their meanings appear difficult to him and thus he does not attain any taste in studying them. Regularly continuing his studies, he gradually understands the essence of the śāstras and attains ruci in studying them. Then he does not feel any more fatigue in his studies. Similarly, slackness is seen in a sādhaka who has just started chanting, hearing, and other devotional parts because he is unable to relish the taste in them. Then bhajana slackens and appears hard to carry out. Practice of bhajana gradually purifies the heart, and one gradually attains taste for the mellow of bhajana.
The author says: Factually those whose tongues are affected by jaundice taste the natural sweetness of rock candy as being bitter. Doctors say that the best medicine against jaundice, however, is constant eating of rock candy. As the jaundice gradually makes way as a result of constant eating of rock candy, one gets a corresponding amount of taste for the sweetness of rock candy. Similarly those whose hearts are polluted by the faults of ignorance, self-conceit, attachment and hatred, may even practise hearing and chanting, but they cannot taste the natural sweetness of Śrī Hari’s names, attributes and pastimes. The wise say that the more one hears and chants the holy names, attributes and pastimes of Śrī Hari, the more the faults of ignorance etc. subside, the heart gets purified and relish is attained for the process of hearing and chanting. In this way the sādhaka gains taste for hearing and chanting. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavata (11.14.26) the Lord says to Uddhava:

yathā yathātmā parimṛtjyate’sau mat-punya-gāthā-śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ
tathā tathā paśyati vastu sūkṣmaṁ cakṣur yathaivāñjana-samprayuktam

“A person who regularly applies balm to the eyes is able to see minute objects more and more. Similarly, the more the devotee purifies his heart by chanting and hearing My glories, the more he relishes the sweetness of My form, qualities, and so on.” tattvaṁ mad rūpa līlādi svarūpaṁ sūkṣmaṁ tan mādhuryānubhava viśeṣam (Viśvanātha) (“This subtle truth is the particular experience of the sweetness of My svarūpa, or innate status, like My form and pastimes”.)

sā ca rucir dvividhāḥ vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī tad anapekṣiṇī ca. vastūnāṁ bhagavan nāmarūpa guṇalīlādīnāṁ vaiśiṣṭyaṁ kīrtanasya sausvaryādimattvaṁ varṇita bhagavaccaritāder guṇālaṅkāra dhvanyādimattvaṁ paricaryādināṁ tādṛśa svābhīṣṭa deśa pātra dravyādi sadbhāvavattvaṁ yad apekṣate tad vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī. kiṁ kiṁ kīdṛśaṁ vyañjanam asti iti pṛcchatāṁ manda kṣudvatām iva. prathamā seyaṁ yato’ntaḥ karaṇasya yat kiñcid doṣa lava eva kīrtanādīnāṁ vaiśiṣṭyam apekṣate ato’tyantaḥ karaṇa doṣābhāsā jñeyā. dvitīyā tu yathā tannāma rūpādyupakrama eva balavatī bhavantī vaiśiṣṭyetvati prauḍhatvamāpadyamāneyaṁ nāsti mano vaiguṇya gandhā eva jñeyā. (3)

TRANSLATION:

ruci is of two types: vastu-vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣinī, which depends on excellence of details and vastu-vaiśiṣṭyānapekṣinī, which does not. vastu-vaiśiṣṭya refers to excellence of such details as sweet melodies, proper quality, ornate language, and proper pronunciation while describing the topics related to the Lord’s name, qualities, and pastimes. While serving the Lord, ruci depends on place, time, implements, and other paraphernalia befitting one’s mood of serving. While serving the Lord, if one’s ruci depends on the excellence of such qualities befitting one’s fancy, then such ruci is known as vastu-vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣinī. If a person ready to eat food asks about the variety and quality of the preparations, then it suggests a weak appetite. Thus if ruci depends on excellence of such details as sweet melodies of kīrtana and so on, then one should also consider this as indicating a trace of impurity in the heart (doṣābhāsa). A person with the second type of ruci feels great pleasure even from the beginning of chanting the Lord’s name, qualities, pastimes, and other devotional practices. If excellence of details is present, such ruci becomes very joyful and ecstatic. Not even the slightest trace of impurity exists in heart of a person with this ruci.

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation—

The definition of ruci was given as gusto for relishing the Lord’s holy names, form, attributes and pastimes or relishing their sweetness. This ruci comes in two kinds—
1) vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī; here the word vastu means that for which the sādhaka has taste, that is Śrī Hari’s holy names, form, attributes and pastimes. When that ruci is dependent on those conditions (vastu) it is called vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī. In other words, if taste does not arise for the Lord unless His pastimes are glorified in an inciting manner with tunes and rhythms, the Lord’s pastimes are narrated with nice poetic embellishments with sweet suggestions, the narrator is very eloquent and expert, the deity worship takes place in a pure environment that one likes, the time is proper, the person has faith, the paraphernalia like flowers are lovely etc etc, then this is called dependent taste or vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī ruci.
For example when a person has little appetite he asks for relishable dishes on his plate. Unless the most wonderful vegetables are on his plate he won’t have gusto. In the same way vastu vaiśiṣṭyāpekṣiṇī ruci also means poor appetite. It can occur when there is there even a little fault in the mind. When there is not even the slightest fault in the mind the naturally delightful holy name, attributes etc. of Śri Hari do not require relishable embellishments.
2) vastu vaiśiṣṭyānapekṣiṇī; this is not dependent on favourable embellishments or conditions. Here the effects of the holy names, attributes etc of the Lord are self-empowered. It is no longer dependent on nice tunes and rhythms in the kīrtana, embellishments in the recital etc. The more endeavour of hearing and chanting will awaken ruci. And if there is excellence in conditions like tunes and embellishments, then there will be mature relish. A very hungry person will eat anything, nice dishes or not. And if there are nice dishes, then he will experience a greater fascination and relish for food. Therefore that ruci which does not depend on nice tunes and so is called vastu vaiśiṣṭyānapekṣiṇī ruci. The excellences of the subject are then very mature and cause great joy. One should know that in such a mind and heart there is not a whiff of fault anymore.

tataś cāho sakhe kṛṣna nāmāmṛtāni vihāya kim iti duṣparigraha yoga kṣema vārtā viṣayeṣu nimajjayasi tvāṁ vā kiṁ bravīmi dhiṅ māṁ yad aham api pāmaraḥ śrī guru caraṇa prasāda labdham apyetad vastu svagranthi nibaddhaṁ mahāratnam ivānupalabhya parito bhramann etāvantaṁ kālam anya vyāpāra pārāvāra madhye mithyā sukha leśa sphuṭita kaparddaka mātram anviṣyāyuṁṣi vṛthaivānayam. bhakteḥ kam apyanaṅgīkurvan śakter abhāvam evādyotayam. hanta sa evāyaṁ saiveyaṁ me rasanā yā hyanṛta kaṭu grāmya pralāpam amṛtam iva lihyatī bhagavannāma guṇa vārtāsu sālasaivāsīt. hanta hanta tat kathā śravaṇārambha eva svāpaṁ bhajaṁs tadaiva kadācit prastutāyāṁ grāmya vārtāyām ūtkarṇatayā labdha jāgaraṁ sādhūnāṁ sada eva tat sakalam akalaṅkayam. asya ca duṣpurasya jaṭharasya kṛte jaṭharo’pi kāṁskān duṣkṛtodyamānnākaravam. tadahaṁ na jāne kasmin vā niraye svakṛta phalam upabhuñjānaḥ sthāsyamīti nirvidyamānas tadaiva kvacid aho raho bhuvi mahopaniṣat kalpavalli phalasāraṁ sāraṅga iva prabhoś caritāmṛtaṁ svādayannabhivādayan muhur muhur api sādhūnavyādhūta saṁlāpa tiṣṭhann upaviśan praviśannapi bhagavad dhāmavaddhāmala sevāniṣṭhas tanmanā unmanā ivābhijña lokair ālakṣyamāṇo bhaktajana bhajanānanda nṛtyādhyāyamadhyetum upakramamāṇa iva rucir nartakyā pāṇibhyāṁ gṛhītveva tattat śikṣyamāṇa iva kāñcanamudam ananubhūta carīm upalabhe na jāne kuśīla vācāryābhyāṁ bhāva premābhyāṁ kālena praviśya nartayiṣyamāṇaḥ kasyāṁ vā nivṛti nīvṛti virājayiṣyatīti (4)
iti mahā mahopādhyāya śrīmad viśvanātha cakravarti viracitāyāṁ mādhurya kādambinyāṁ upalabdhāsvāda nāma pañcamyamṛta vṛṣṭiḥ

TRANSLATION:

A sādhaka having attained ruci says to his friend, “O friend! Giving up the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s name, why are you absorbed in acquiring wealth, which is attained after many efforts and makes one worry for its security? What shall I tell you? Shame on me! I am such a sinful person that, though I received the most precious jewel of bhakti by the mercy of gurudeva, I kept it tied in the knot of my cloth. Not knowing its value, with the desire for a tiny speck of false pleasure, I was searching for a broken cowry shell on the shores of the ocean of material affairs. Thus I merely wasted my life wandering here and there. Without practicing any of the devotional parts, I simply showed laziness. Oh! I am such an evil person, that until now I relished bitter false gossip as if it were sweet nectar, and remained apathetic to chant the holy names, qualities and pastimes of the Lord. Oh! As soon as hari-kathā starts, I fall asleep. But if useless idle talk starts, I immediately wake up and my ears prick up. I have thus many times contaminated the assembly of sādhus. What sinful acts have I not done, even in my old age, simply to satisfy my insatiable belly? I don’t know for how long or in what hell I’ll have to suffer for such sinful acts.” In this way the devotee repents.
Sometimes like a bee, he repeatedly relishes the nectar of the fruit of the Mahopaniṣad-desire creeper. He praises such transcendental topics and sits in the assembly of the devotees, giving up all material talks. He enters the abode of the Lord and becomes firmly absorbed in the pure service of the Lord. To the ignorant people he appears like a crazy man. For teaching the new dance-step of the bliss of bhajana relished by the devotees, the dancing instructress, ruci, personally takes him by both hands. Thus he experiences an extreme unprecedented bliss. Who can describe the limitless bliss he will experience when, in time, the two gurus of dance, bhāva and prema, will make him dance?

Pīyūṣa kaṇā explanation—

The most scholarly author is describing various mental, vocal, and bodily activities of a sādhaka at the stage of ruci to give an easy explanation of the symptoms appearing in such a sādhaka. One sādhaka whose ruci has awoken tells a friend: “O friend! Giving up the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s name, why are you absorbed in acquiring wealth, which is attained after many efforts and makes one worry for its security?” The more one attains ruci in the name, form, and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the more he loses his taste for material affairs unrelated to Kṛṣṇa. Mundane affairs thus appear detestable to him. Hence he is distressed when he sees his dear friend so eager for acquiring sense objects. The nature of devotion is such that when it sheds even the slightest light in the heart of the sādhaka he condemns himself as wholly unqualified and fallen. Such anxiety gradually lifts him up to the higher steps of sādhana.
Condemning himself, the sādhaka who has ruci says: “O friend! What more can I tell you? Fie on me! I am so fallen that although I attained the great gem of bhajana by the grace of Śrī Guru I had no appreciation for it at all and instead I just wandered here and there to fill up my belly, seeking rubbish things and wasting my life hearing nonsense topics. I could not do any bhajana. My tongue was constantly licking mundane topics that were not related to Kṛṣṇa, as if it was nectar and my ears were too lazy to hear about the Lord’s attributes and names. When it is time to hear topics of the Lord I fall asleep and when there were sensual discussions I at once woke up and my ears pricked up. In how many ways have I not polluted the society of sādhus in this way?” Some hearers may fall asleep while sitting in a group of sādhus listening to Śrī Harikathā. This may have a contagious effect on the others, who then also become drowsy. When a visitor then enters the assembly he thinks: “All these listeners to Śrī Harikathā are sleeping here!” This criticism will again be contagious and in this way the society of sādhus will be disgraced. The sādhaka whose ruci has awoken will lament when he thinks of his previous condition.
The sādhaka who has ruci will again regretfully say: “Although I am already old my belly is never full, and I am committing so many crimes just to fill it up, as a result of which I will have go to who knows what hell. Who knows how much and what kind of torment I will suffer there?” Speaking so remorsefully, the sādhaka whose ruci has awoken will one day take his place in the society of sādhus, give up all other topics and, like a Cakora-bird, start repeatedly relishing nectarean topics of Śrī Hari, that are the ripened fruits of the wish-yielding vine of the great Upaniṣads, that emanate from the mouths of the great saints. Sometimes he will enter the temple and become absorbed and fixed in the service of the Lord. In this way each devotional item, such as hearing, chanting and worshipping the deity, becomes most relishable to the sādhaka whose ruci has awoken. An ignorant person may think he is mad. The expert dancing girl named ruci takes him by the hand and teaches him how to dance from the dance-manual called ‘the most delightful bhajana of the devotees’. This makes him experience unprecedented bliss. At times the dancing teachers called bhāva and prema will make him dance. Who can describe the limit of the bliss he experiences then?
Here the sequence of the maturity of ruci that does not depend on excellence of details was described. The blessed author says that as this taste increases in due course of time bhāva and prema gradually come to being. But first the stage preceding bhāva, namely āsakti, will be described in the sixth shower of nectar.

Thus ends the Fifth Shower of Nectar of Mādhurya Kādambinī by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī entitled “Attainment of Taste.”