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72 Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta

TRANSLATION

““Perspiration, trembling, standing of one’s bodily hairs, tears, faltering, fading,
madness, melancholy, patience, pride, joy and humility—these are various natural
symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, which causes a devotee to dance and float
in an ocean of transcendental bliss while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his Priti-sandarbha (verse 66), explains this stage of love
of Godhead: bhagavat-priti-rupa vrttir mayadimayi na bhavati; kintu svarupa-
Saktyananda-rupa, yadananda-paradhinah sri-bhagavan apiti. Similarly, in the 69th
verse he offers further explanation: tad evam priter laksanam citta-dravas tasya ca
romaharsadikam. kathafcij jate’pi citta-drave romaharsadike va na ced dSsaya-
suddhis tadapi na bhakteh samyag-avirbhava iti jnaapitam. asaya-suddhir nama canya-
tatparya-parityagah priti-tatparyam ca. ataevanimitta svabhaviki ceti tad visesanam.
Transcendental love of Godhead is not under the jurisdiction of the material energy,
for it is the transcendental bliss and pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Since the Supreme Lord is also under the influence of transcendental bliss,
when one comes in touch with such bliss in love of Godhead, one’s heart melts, and
the symptoms of this are standing of the hairs on end, etc. Sometimes a person thus
melts and manifests these transcendental symptoms yet at. the same time is not well
behaved in his personal transactions. This indicates that he has not yet reached com-
plete perfection in devotional life. In other words, a devotee who dances in ecstasy
but after dancing and crying appears to be attracted to material affairs has not yet
reached the perfection of devotional service, which is called asaya-suddhi, or the
perfection of existence. One who attains the perfection of existence is completely
averse to material enjoyment and engrossed in transcendental love of Godhead. It is
therefore to be concluded that the ecstatic symptoms of aSaya-suddhi are visible
when a devotee’s service has no material cause and is purely spiritual in nature. These
are characteristics of transcendental love of Godhead, as stated in Srimad-
Bhagavatam:

sa vai purnsarm paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje

ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati

“That religion is best which causes its followers to become ecstatic in love of God
which is unmotivated and free from material impediments, for this only can com-
pletely satisfy the self.’’ (Bhag. 1.2.6)

TEXT 91

Sir CaM, Scar Sly otaarwarel |
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