“When a young couple are bound to each other by a feeling that is not destroyed in spite of immense threat (unfavorable conditions) we call it ‘love’,”

– (U.N. Sthâyi-63)

Example – Srimati Râdhârâni is infinitely greater than Chandrâvali in all respects – beauty, qualities, sweetness, expertise, charm etc. Chandrâvali is well aware of this fact and Sri Krishna too knows it. She also knows that He has extreme anurâg for Srimati Râdhârâni. Yet the bond of bhâv between Sri Krishna and Chandrâvali never fades.

Here, Srimati Râdhârâni’s extreme beauty and excellences and Sri Krishna’s tremendous love for Her are the causes that can sever Chandrâvali’s love for Sri Krishna; yet their love does not die. This is the true nature of love. Why? Because both the lovers are completely without any desire for sense gratification.

This sort of love is of three types –

1. manda (feeble)

2. madhya (intermediate)

3. proudha (mature )

“Mature love is the one in which the lovers cannot bear separation” – (U.N.)

“When the lovers tolerate separation with great sorrow we call it intermediate love” – (U.N.)

“When the lovers may forget each other sometimes, it is feeble love.”- (U.N.)

Leelâ-shakti creates such different types of love to enhance the ras of love and make it variegated. Of course, we should realize that Sri Krishna’s love is proportional to the type of love that the sweetheart feels for Him.

“Love increases gradually from sneha, mân, pranay, râg, anurâg, bhâv and mahâbhâv. Just as the taste is increasingly sweet from the seed of sugarcane, sugarcane, sugarcane juice, jaggery, lump sugar, sugar, refined sugar, double refined sugar and pure sugar, similarly the enjoyment increases from one level of love to the next.” – (C.C.Madhya.23.22-24)

The chemical analysts say that once we get the product, the reactant disappears – for instance – when the sugarcane is squeezed, we get the juice, however the sugarcane stick is no more; and when we thicken this juice to obtain jaggery, the juice disappears. Similarly when love deepens and reach the level of mân, we will not get the previous stage. When sneha turns into mân, sneha will vanish. This logic does not hold well in the case of love. Love has inconceivable power. It arouses the pleasure of all the levels in the heart of a lover.

“When love deepens, it makes us realize the object of love and melts our sub-consciousness. Then we call it ‘sneha’. When a lover reaches this stage he never feels satisfied on simply seeing his beloved.”- (U.N.)

Who is the object of love? Sri Krishna. To realize the object of love means ‘to become conscious of Sri Krishna’. Sneha dazzles such realization. Love (prem) too makes the lover realize Sri Krishna; however this consciousness shines brilliantly when he reaches sneha. His chitta too melts more than when he was in the stage of prem. Srimat Jiva Goswâmipâd has written in his Lochan-Rochani purport -“This definition of ‘sneha’ indicates that it is indestructible. The definition of prem states that one cannot annihilate prem. In sneha this quality becomes greater. When the devotee reaches sneha, in spite of getting Sri Krishna’s darshan, he is not satisfied. His thirst keeps on increasing.”

“janam abadhi ham,

roop nehârinu nayana nâ tirapita bhelo”.

Meaning – “I have been seeing Him since birth, yet my eyes remain thirsty for more.”- (Vidyâpati).¹

“When sneha increases and makes the lover relish novel sweetness and itself becomes crooked, and then we call it ‘mân’.’ – (U.N.)

When sneha become deep, the lover relishes a sweetness that is greater and new than what he has relished earlier. Yet, he behaves crookedly and does not show any interest. When a river gushes with great speed and comes across a giant barrier, this water surges. Unable to proceed in the normal course, it divides into hundreds of streams that flow in a curved manner. Similarly, the Vraja gopis, who are naturally crooked – when their love faces a barricade of mân, their love twists all the more and it rushes speedily through hundreds of courses. Hence U.N. says –

“The lover and the beloved are together; they are also attached to one another; they wish to see and embrace one another as well; yet the mood that stops them from doing so is called ‘mân’.”

Although mân apparently troubles the lovers, it enhances their love and becomes new each moment. Mân serves to revitalize love, heightens the pulse and maintains novelty. Mân makes love that is already enjoyable, more relishing, sweeter and more tempting. Truly, mân is a wonderful rejuvenator in the empire of prem – an amazing miracle! The lover starts yearning to drink the nectar of his beloved’s lotus-like lips just like a black bee tempted by a lotus full of honey. He prays to the beloved to dispel the darkness of his heart by flashing her sparkling white teeth (that is – by smiling at him). Ultimately He rolls at her feet crying – “dehi-pada-pallavamudâram” – and feels blessed in doing so! Actually the lover feels immense joy internally, he /she expresses disinterest, crooked behavior, sarcasm etc. outside. This is the true nature of mân. Hence Sri Chaitanya-Charitâmrita has stated –

“The Gopis’ mân creates ras in Vraja dhâm.”

¹

Prem and all the higher stages are present in Srimati Râdhârâni to the maximum extent in amount as well as quality.