Tattva-viveka
Sakhya as a limb of suddha bhakti
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 22, 2007 9:30 am
It just daunt on me that one of the nine limbs of suddha bhakti is sakhyam (in sravanam, kirtanam, seva padanam, arcanam etc..). This made me wonder why is it one of the 9 limbs? Of the nine limbs none seem to refer to madhurya which is often said to be the 'highest' goal in bhakti. Any thoughts?
Prema-bhakti - July 22, 2007 1:11 pm
I have recently looked at this section on sakhyam in Bhakti-sandarbha which describes sakhyam as a feeling of friendship imbued with a desire to bring well being, which is progressively more intimate in mood than dasyam. One verse which is referenced is SB 10.14.32 in which the commentary states as precisely describing the sense of sakhyam, "How greatly fortunate are the residensts of Vraja, headed by Nanda Maharaja, the chief of the cowherd people, whose friend is Lord Krsna, the eternal, the complete and the embodiment of supreme bliss." So here such a sentiment is ascribed to all the residents of Vraja in their intimate attitude of servitude which implies Krsna as being their well wisher and they being his as well. The nine limbs of bhakti are discussd in the section on vaidhi-bhakti.
You seem to be equating sakhyam (a limb of bhakti) with sakhya rasa which pertains to a particular sentiment that arises out of raga.
Jiva Goswami also describes that prema is not mentioned as one of the limbs of bhakti because it is the goal.
Just a few simple thoughts. :Big Grin:
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 25, 2007 12:06 pm
You seem to be equating sakhyam (a limb of bhakti) with sakhya rasa which pertains to a particular sentiment that arises out of raga.
Yes I do, I need a visual overview of all these stages or smth. I can't seem to put all the puzzle pieces together.
Can you clarify the difference between the two further? Maybe I don't understand what a limb of bhakti means...
Prema-bhakti - July 25, 2007 5:00 pm
Yes I do, I need a visual overview of all these stages or smth. I can't seem to put all the puzzle pieces together.
Can you clarify the difference between the two further? Maybe I don't understand what a limb of bhakti means...
Well as far I understand it the limbs or angas of bhakti are fundamental or foundational to bhakti. They are the various practices of bhakti that help give rise to perfection and also continue to nourish one in higher stages of perfection. As followers of Rupa Goswami aspiring for the raga marga (Vraja-bhakti) we perform various angas of bhakti to purify our hearts in order to provide a suitable place for bhava to manifest, the awakening stage of perfection. Such practices though continue in perfection. So in some stages the practices are medicine and in others they are food.
When one is sufficiently purified and in more advanced stages like asakti when the sadhaka becomes attached to the object of bhakti and further when the heart melts as in the stage of bhava one increasingly develops attraction and attachment to a particular mood of service in one of the four primary realtionships, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya.
Just a few more thoughts since you asked. 