Text 3] Questions by the Sages 57

spiritual exchange or rasa is fully exhibited in spiritual existence between
living beings and the Supreme Lord.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is therefore described in the
Sruti mantras, Vedic hymns, as “the fountainhead of all rasas.’” When one
associates with the Supreme Lord and exchanges one’s constitutional rasa
with the Lord, then the living being is actually happy.

These Sruti mantras indicate that every living being has its constitutional
position which is endowed with a particular type of rasa which is to be
exchanged with the Personality of Godhead. In the liberated condition
only, this primary rasa is experienced in full. In the material existence, the
rasa is experienced in the perverted form, which is temporary. And thus
the rasas of the material world are exhibited in the material form of raudra
(anger) and so on.

Therefore, one who attains full knowledge of these different rasas,
which are the basic principles of activities, can understand the false repre-
sentations of the original rasas which are reflected in the material world.
The learned scholar seeks to relish the real rasa in the spiritual form. In the
beginning he desires to become one with the Supreme. Thus, intelligent
transcendentalists cannot go beyond this conception of becoming one
with the spirit whole, without knowing of the different rasas.

In this sloka, it is definitely stated that spiritual rasa, which is relished
even in the liberated stage, can be experienced in the literature of the
Srimad-Bhdégavatam due to its being the ripened fruit of all Vedic know-
ledge. By submissively hearing this transcendental literature, one can
attain the full pleasure of his heart’s desire. But, one must be very careful
to hear the message from the right source. Srimad-Bhdgavatam is exactly
received from the right source. It was brought by Narada Muni from the
spiritual world and given to his disciple Sri Vyasadeva. The latter in turn
delivered the message to his son Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami delivered the message to Maharaja Pariksit just seven days before
the King’s death. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a liberated soul from his
very birth. He was liberated even in the womb of his mother, and he did
not undergo any sort of spiritual training after his birth. At birth no one
is qualified, neither in the mundane nor the spiritual sense. But Sri
Sukadeva Gosvami, due to his being a perfectly liberated soul, did not have
to undergo an evolutionary process for spiritual realization. Yet despite
his being a completely liberated person situated in the transcendental
position above the three material modes, he was attracted to this transcen-
dental rasa of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is adored by
liberated souls who sing Vedic hymns. The Supreme Lord’s pastimes are
