CC Antya 5.97 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 97
- 'rasābhāsa' haya yadi 'siddhānta-virodha'
- sahite nā pāre prabhu, mane haya krodha
SYNONYMS
rasa-ābhāsa—overlapping of transcendental mellows; haya—there is; yadi—if; siddhānta-virodha—against the principles of the bhakti cult; sahite nā pāre—cannot tolerate; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mane—within the mind; haya—is; krodha—anger.
TRANSLATION
If there were a hint that transcendental mellows overlapped in a manner contrary to the principles of the bhakti cult, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not tolerate it and would become very angry.
PURPORT
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes the following definition of rasābhāsa from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (Uttara-vibhāga, Ninth Wave, 1-3,20,22,24):
- pūrvam evānuśiṣṭena
- vikalā rasa-lakṣaṇā
- rasā eva rasābhāsā
- rasajñair anukīrtitāḥ
- syus tridhoparasāś cānu-
- rasāś cāparasāś ca te
- uttamā madhyamāḥ proktāḥ
- kaniṣṭhāś cety amī kramāt
- prāptaiḥ sthāyi-vibhāvānu-
- bhāvādyais tu virūpatām
- śāntādayo rasā eva
- dvādaśoparasā matāḥ
- bhaktādibhir vibhāvādyaiḥ
- kṛṣṇa-sambandha-varjitaiḥ
- rasā hāsyādayaḥ sapta
- śāntaś cānurasā matāḥ
- kṛṣṇa-tat-pratipakṣaś ced
- viṣayāśrayatāṁ gatāḥ
- hāsādīnāṁ tadā te 'tra
- prājñair aparasā matāḥ
- bhāvāḥ sarve tadābhāsā
- rasābhāsāś ca kecana
- amī prokta-rasābhijñaiḥ
- sarve 'pi rasanād rasāḥ
A mellow temporarily appearing transcendental but contradicting mellows previously stated and lacking some of a mellow's necessities is called rasābhāsa, an overlapping mellow, by advanced devotees who know how to taste transcendental mellows. Such mellows are called uparasa (submellows), anurasa (imitation transcendental mellows) and aparasa (opposing transcendental mellows). Thus the overlapping of transcendental mellows is described as being first grade, second grade or third grade. When the twelve mellows-such as neutrality, servitorship and friendship-are characterized by adverse sthāyi-bhāva, vibhāva and anubhāva ecstasies, they are known as uparasa, submellows. When the seven indirect transcendental mellows and the dried up mellow of neutrality are produced by devotees and moods not directly related to Kṛṣṇa and devotional service in ecstatic love, they are described as anurasa, imitation mellows. If Kṛṣṇa and the enemies who harbor feelings of opposition toward Him are respectively the object and abodes of the mellow of laughter, the resulting feelings are called aparasa, opposing mellows. Experts in distinguishing one mellow from another sometimes accept some overlapping transcendental mellows (rasābhāsa) as rasas due to their being pleasurable and tasteful. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, paraspara-vairayor yadi yogas tadā rasābhāsaḥ: "When two opposing transcendental mellows overlap, they produce rasābhāsa, or an overlapping of transcendental mellows."