Madhya-līlā

Chapter 23: Life's Ultimate Goal—Love of Godhead

Verse 55 of 111
Cc Madhya 23.55

সখ্যবাত্সল্যরতি পায ঽঅনুরাগঽসীমা সুবলাদ্যের ঽভাবঽ পর্যন্ত প্রেমের মহিমা

सख्यवात्सल्यरति पाय ऽअनुरागऽसीमा सुबलाद्येर ऽभावऽ पर्यन्त प्रेमेर महिमा

sakhya-vātsalya-rati pāya 'anurāga'-sīmā subalādyera 'bhāva' paryanta premera mahimā

Synonyms

sakhyain friendship; vātsalyain paternal affection; ratiaffection; pāyaobtains; anurāga-sīmāup to the limit of subordinate spontaneous love; subala-ādyeraof friends like Subala and others; bhāvaecstatic love; paryantaup to; premera mahimāthe glory of the love of Godhead..

Translation

"After the mellow of servitorship, there are the mellows of friendship and paternal love, which increase to subordinate spontaneous love. The greatness of the love found in friends like Subala extends to the standard of ecstatic love of Godhead.

Purport

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that the mellow of neutrality increases to simple love of Godhead. In the mellow of servitorship, love of Godhead increases beyond that to affection, counter-love (anger based on love), love and attachment. Similarly, the mellow of friendship increases to affection, counter-love, love, attachment and subattachment. It is the same with the mellow of paternal affection. The special feature of the mellow of friendship exhibited by personalities like Subala is that it increases from fraternal affection to counter-love, to spontaneous attachment, to subordinate attachment, and finally to the ecstasy where all the ecstatic symptoms continuously exist.

Verse 55 of 111
Prabhupāda Says