35 / Neutral Love of God

Sti Ripa Gosvami offers his respectful prayers to the eternal Su-
preme Personality of Godhead who is always so beautiful and for
whom the pure devotees are always engaged in loving transcendental
service. This third division of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu describes the
five primary kinds of devotional service—namely, neutrality, servi-
tude, fraternity, parenthood and conjugal love. These five items will
be very elaborately explained here, and thus they have been figura-
tively described as the five waves on the western side of this ocean of
nectar of devotion.

When one is actually able to maintain the transcendental position,
his stage is called neutrality in devotional service. Some great sages
have attained this neutral position by practicing austerity, penance
and meditation to control the senses. Such sages are generally called
mystic yogis, and in most cases they are inclined to appreciate the
spiritual pleasure of the impersonal feature of the absolute truth.
They are practically unaware of the transcendental pleasure derived
from personal contact with the Supreme Godhead.

Actually the transcendental pleasure derived in association with
the Supreme Person is far greater than the pleasure derived from im-
personal Brahman realization, because of the direct meeting with the
eternal form of the Lord. Impersonalists do not directly derive the
transcendental pleasure of association with the Lord by hearing of
His pastimes. As such, the impersonalists cannot derive any relishable
transcendental pleasure from the topics of the Bhagavad-gita, in which
the Lord is personally talking with Arjuna. The basic principle of
their impersonal attitude does not allow them the transcendental
pleasure which is relished by a devotee whose basic principle of

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