Neutral Love of God 297
love, he violated all the rules and regulations of his yoga perform-
ances. Thus he at once neglected the process of Brahman realization.

Bilvamangala Thakur, in his book Krsna-karnamrta, says, ‘‘Let the
impersonalists be engaged in the process of transcendental realization
by worshiping the impersonal Brahman. Although I was also initiated
into that path of Brahman realization, I have now become misled by
a naughty boy—one who is very cunning, who is very much attached
to the gopis and who has made me His maidservant. So I have now
forgotten the process of Brahman realization.”

Bilvamangala Thakur was first spiritually initiated for impersonal
realization of the absolute truth, but later on, by his association
with Krsna in Vrndavana, he became an experienced devotee. The
same thing happened to Sukadeva Gosvami, who also reformed him-
self by the grace of the Lord and took to the path of devotional ser-
vice, giving up the way of impersonal realization.

Sukadeva Gosvami and Bilvamangala Thakur’s giving up of the iin
personal conception of the absolute truth and taking to devotional
service are the best examples of devotees being situated in the neutral
state. According to some authorities, this condition cannot be ac-
cepted as one of the transcendental humors, or rasas, but Srila Rupa
Gosvami says that even if one does not accept it as a transcendental
humor, one must still accept it as the beginning position of devo-
tional service. However, if one is not further raised to the platform of
actual service to the Lord, he is not considered to be on the platform
of transcendental mellow. In this connection, in the Eleventh Canto
of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Krsna personally instructs Uddhava like
this: “‘The state of being established in My personal form is called
Santa-rasa, and without being situated in this position, no one can ad-
vance to actual pure devotional service.” In other words, no one can
be situated in the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead without being situated at least in Sdnta-rasa.
