34 / The Nectar of Devotion

The particular type of ecstatic loving sentiment that develops with-
in the heart of a particular devotee is considered to be vibhava. And
the resultant manifestations such as moving the eyebrows, fear, as-
tonishment and smiling, which have been explained hereinbefore,
are called anubhava. The different causes for developing anubhava
and vibhava are called steady ecstasy, or saficari-bhava.

Whenever there is a recitation of poetry or a dramatic play on the
different pastimes of Krsna, the audience develops different kinds of
transcendental loving service for the Lord. They enjoy different
types of vibhava, anubhava and sajicari-bhava.

No one, while remaining on the material platform, should discuss
these different descriptions of bhava and anubhava by quoting dif-
ferent statements of transcendental literatures. Such manifestations
are displays of the transcendental pleasure potency of the Lord. One
should simply try to understand that on the spiritual platform, there
are many varieties of reciprocal love. Such loving exchanges should
never be considered to be material. In the Mahabharata Udyama-parva
it is warned that things which are inconceivable should not be sub-
jected to arguments. Actually, the transactions of the spiritual world
are inconceivable to us in our present state of life. Great liberated
souls like Ripa Gosvami and others have tried to give us some hints
of transcendental activities in the spiritual world, but on the whole
these transactions will remain inconceivable to us at the present mo-
ment. Understanding the exchanges of transcendental loving service
with Krsna is possible only when one is actually in touch with the
pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord.

286
