Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Through the 29th chapter, The Rāsa Dance: Introduction, I am trying to correlate the Rāsa-related terms we studied in Lesson 1. I must admit that my understanding of these terms has deepened. In particular, I now have a clearer grasp of the concepts of vibhāva—ālambana and uddīpana.
I was first introduced to these terms during our study of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta many years ago (even though I could not grasp the concepts fully), but it is always enlightening to revisit them in the context of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
In this forum post, my intention is to further explore and understand the concepts of ālambana and uddīpana by relating them to Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa dance.
It is beneficial to revisit the definitions of ālambana and uddīpana from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.14), vibhāva is described as: “The cause bringing about the tasting of love for Kṛṣṇa is called vibhāva. Vibhāva is divided into two categories – ālambana (support) and uddīpana (awakening).“
In the Agni Purāṇa it is stated: “That which causes love for Kṛṣṇa to appear is called vibhāva. That has two divisions – ālambana [in which love appears] and uddīpana [by which love appears].“
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.16), the following is stated about ālambana: “The object of love is Kṛṣṇa, and the container of that love is the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Both of them are called by the learned scholars ālambana – the foundations.“
Similarly, uddīpana is described: “Those things which awaken ecstatic love are called uddīpana.“
Mainly this awakening is made possible by the qualities and activities of Kṛṣṇa, as well as by His mode of decoration and the way His hair is arranged.
“Kṛṣṇa’s smile, the fragrance of His transcendental body, His flute, bugle, ankle bells, conchshell, the marks on His feet, His place of residence, His favorite plant [tulasī], His devotees, and the observance of fasts and vows connected to His devotion all awaken the symptoms of ecstatic love.”
In the Rāsa dance, both the ālambana and uddīpana are visibly present.
“Even though Kṛṣṇa is bhagavān, full in six varieties of opulences, He turned His mind toward enjoying because of the time, place and persons, which are three uddipanas to excite to rasa. The time was the full moon night of autumn (śārada-purnima). The place was the forest of Vrndavana, and the persons were the lovely damsels of Vraja. All three served to enflame the passion of enjoyment by their supreme capacity to attract Kṛṣṇa’s mind with their sweetness.” (SB 10.29.1 Sārārtha-darśini)
The attraction of the autumn night ignited in Kṛṣṇa the desire to enjoy with His own senses the sweet sounds of the gopis’ voices, their beauty and fine fragrance, tenderness, cleverness and skill in dancing and playing music. Kṛṣṇa also wanted the gopis to relish with their own ears and other senses the sweet sound of His voice.
The unseasonal blossoming of jasmine (mallikāḥ) flowers and the opening of lotus flowers at night acted as uddīpana and made Vrndavana very attractive.
Finally the attractiveness of the Vraja-gopis acted as further stimulus to uddīpana so much that Sri Kṛṣṇa got ready to enjoy those nights. The Vraja-gopis had such an incredible degree of kṛṣṇa-prema that the Supreme Lord Himself, although already fulfilled in all possible pleasures, was thinking of enjoying with them.
In addition, the rising of the moon played an additional stimulator (uddipana) of conjugal feelings. It served Kṛṣṇa and the gopis by illuminating their pleasure pastimes with its brilliant light. Sri Kṛṣṇa became absorbed in remembering the gopis’ faces upon seeing that moon.
Finally the ālambana. Kṛṣṇa’s form is the ālambana.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Krsna Katha 