There are four principal sentiments, or bhav, through which a soul can love Shri Krishna. These are Dasya bhav, the sentiment of servitude; Sakhya bhav, the sentiment of friendship; Vatsalya bhav, the sentiment of parental affection; and Madhurya bhav, the sentiment of the beloved. Each represents a progressively deeper and more intimate form of divine love.
In Dasya bhav, the devotee views himself as a servant of the divine Master. This relationship is rooted in deep reverence and discipline that is perfectly illustrated by Lakshman Ji during the exile, who would carefully avoid ever stepping on Shri Ram’s footprints. Noble and profound as Dasya bhav is, it maintains a considerable distance between the devotee and God.
Higher than Dasya bhav is Sakhya bhav, in which God becomes the devotee’s intimate friend. Equality enters the relationship. The devotee may even offer his own partaken food to Shri Krishna, something unthinkable in the sentiment of servitude. Yet even here, a subtle distance remains.
Higher than Sakhya bhav is Vatsalya bhav, in which the devotee becomes the parent and God assumes the role of the child. The authority of a parent over a child is immense. In this sentiment, the devotee may lovingly scold or bind God to the grinding mortar, as Mother Yashoda did. Yet, even in this tender relationship, some degree of distance remains.
The most exalted of all four bhav is Madhurya bhav, in which Shri Krishna is the devotee’s Supreme Beloved and the devotee becomes His beloved. In this sentiment, no distance remains. There is no hesitation, no restraint, and no inhibition of any kind.
Once, a Saint in Vrindavan was engrossed in the bliss of divine love. All of a sudden he saw his beloved Shri Krishna standing in front of him. He ran forward to embrace Him, but Shri Krishna ran away. The devotee followed Him, but he had hardly run a few feet, when his long matted hair got entangled in a thick bush, and at that moment Shri Krishna disappeared from his sight. The Saint frantically tried to disentangle his hair, but then a thought came into his mind, “Maybe my Beloved Shyamsundar likes to see me in this pose. I have not deliberately entangled my hair, if I disentangle it for my own happiness, then that may not fulfil the wish of my Beloved. It may hurt Him. So I am not going to disentangle it”. He remained standing for seven days in this pose.
On the seventh day, Shyamsundar came in disguise and said, “O Babaji! You are very lazy. Can’t you disentangle your own hair?” The Saint said, “A third person shouldn’t interfere in the matters of a beloved. Please go away. How does this matter to you?” Shyamsundar said, “It does matter. That is why I came here.” The Saint said, “I don’t understand what You mean.” Shri Krishna said, “I am your Beloved.” The Saint answered, “My Beloved Shyamsundar is Madanamohan, Radharaman, the Beloved of Shri Radha Rani, the one whose beautiful form is curved at three places.” Lord Krishna accepted defeat and appeared in His true divine form. Seeing Him, the Saint was overwhelmed. When Shyamsundar lifted His hand to disentangle the Saint’s hair, the Saint stopped Him, “Hey! Touching another person’s beloved is a sin.” Shri Krishna said, “Even now, you consider yourself to be someone else’s?” The Saint said, “Yes. I will not believe You until Shri Radha Rani Herself comes and testifies. The Saint took full advantage of this opportunity to make Shri Krishna do whatever he desired. Thus, Shri Radha Rani also appeared in front of him. His hair was disentangled. This is a glimpse of selfless love in Madhurya bhav.
In Madhurya bhav, a devotee experiences the highest degree of divine bliss, sweetness, and intimacy. Yet the scriptures reveal that Shri Krishna may be attained through all sentiments. In Madhurya bhav, love alone governs the relationship. This sentiment possesses another unique distinction. One established in Madhurya bhav may enter all the other sentiments. At one moment, Shri Krishna may be regarded as one’s child. At another, as one’s intimate friend. At another, as one’s beloved.
A Dasya bhav devotee remains solely within that sentiment, but a Sakhya bhav devotee may enter Dasya bhav. One in Vatsalya bhav may enter both Sakhya and Dasya bhav. But a devotee established in Madhurya bhav may experience all four. For example, a devoted wife naturally expresses all four sentiments toward her husband. She is his beloved. When she lovingly feeds him and worries about his well-being, she acts as a mother. When she advises him, she acts as a friend. When she serves him, she acts as a servant. Thus, all four bhav are present.
Thus, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says that Shri Krishna is our Master, our Friend, our Son, and our Supreme Beloved. He is everything to us. We can love Him with all four sentiments. However, devotion in Madhurya bhav is regarded as the highest of all sentiments. It grants complete freedom in love and the highest spiritual attainment.
Based on the teachings of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.
