397 The Nectar of Devotion

contradictory feelings is called rasabhasa. When there is rasabhdasa in
any book of Krsna consciousness, no learned scholar or devotee will
accept it.

In the Vidagdha-madhava, second act, verse 29, Paurnamasi tells
Nandimukhi: ‘Just see how wonderful it is! Great sages meditate
upon Krsna after being relieved from all material transactions, and
with great difficulty they try to situate Krsna in their hearts. And
opposed to this, this young girl is trying to withdraw her mind from
Krsna so she can apply it in the material activities of sense gratifica-
tion. What a regrettable thing it is that this girl is trying to drive away
from her heart the same Krsna who is sought after by great sages
through severe austerities and perseverance!” Although in this state-
ment there are contradictory mellows of ecstatic devotion, the result
is not incompatible because conjugal love is so elevated that it is de-
feating all other varieties of mellows. Srila Jiva Gosvami comments in
this connection that such a loving state of mind is not possible for
all. It is only possible in the case of the gopis of Vrndavana. There
are many other instances of contradictory mellows where there is no
perverted experience of rasabhasa.

Once some minor demigod of the heavenly planets remarked:
“Krsna, whose joking words were once the source of so much laugh-
ter for the residents of Braja, has now been attacked by the serpent
king, Kaliya, and He has become the object: of everyone’s over-
whelming lamentation!” In this instance there is a mixture of laugh-
ter and compassion, but there is no incompatibility because by both
of these rasas the loving affection for Krsna is increased.

Srimati Radharani was once told that although She had stopped
all activities, She was still the supreme source of inspiration for all
kinds of devotional service. The statement says, ““My dear Radharani,
in separation from Krsna You are now as still as the most beautiful
tree, whose gracefulness is not blocked by any covering of leaves.
Your tranquil mood makes You appear to be completely merged in
Brahman realization!” In this example there is a mixture of conjugal
love and neutral love, but the conjugal love has surpassed everything.
Actually, Brahman realization is only a stunted existence. There is
the following statement by Krsna Himself: ‘Srimati Radharani has
