Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 19.228
Parental Love Combines Four Rasas
“On the platform of parental love, the devotee considers himself the Lord’s maintainer. Thus the Lord is the object of maintenance, like a son, and therefore this mellow is full of the qualities of four rasas — śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, fraternity and parental love. This is more transcendental nectar.
What the purport teaches
- Being firmly fixed in the Lord’s service and devoid of material desires are the two qualities of śānta-rasa. These qualities are present throughout the other transcendental mellows.
- Active service becomes prominent in dāsya-rasa, and friendly intimacy is added in sakhya-rasa. In parental love, these qualities develop into the sense of maintaining the Lord.
- Without formality, the parental devotee considers himself the maintainer and regards the Lord as the object of maintenance, like a son. This love combines the qualities of śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, fraternity and parental love.
Try this today
Make a four-line study note tracing the progression from firm attachment and freedom from material desires to active service, friendly intimacy and maintenance.
Ask yourself
How does seeing these qualities develop together deepen your understanding of parental love?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.