Inquire from the Spiritual Master

For those who are serious about attaining perfection on the self-realization path there is no greater teaching than the Srimad Bhagavad-gita. In this greatest of all guidebooks Lord Sri Krishna gives all the information necessary for one to quickly and easily attain the topmost platform of expanded consciousness, pure love of God. One of the Gita's most important principles is described in Chapter Four:

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."
Bhagavad-gita 4.34

Because of the importance of being able to inquire from the spiritual master and receive answers, the spiritual master works very hard to answer thoroughly and lovingly all sincere inquiries that are put forward to him. If the disciples take full advantage of this mercy of the spiritual master, they will quickly gain a clear understanding of the Bhagavad-gita and be able to properly follow its sublime guidelines.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Bhava and Prema...

In the Bhagavad-gita Chapter 4, Text 10 Srila Prabhupada says:

"The last stage of devotional life is called bhava, or transcendental love of Godhead".

In the same purport, according with the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu(1.4.15-16) bhava is defined as the preliminary stage of transcendental love of God. Real love for for God is called prema, the highest perfectional stage of life.

Could you explain why in the same purport we call bhava both the preliminary stage and the last stage of devotion in the same purport?

What is the difference between bhava and prema?
Is it enough to reach bhava to love God?

Thank you kindly for your every day e-mails, best way for me to have Krishna katha (topics of Krishna).

Respectfully your humble servitor.

J. Raul Cardenas

Answer: Nectar and Highly Condensed Nectar...

Bhava and prema are both considered to be on the final stage. Bhava is the beginning of that final stage, when ecstatic emotion fully awakens within the heart.

In this regard Srila Prabhupada explains bhava as follows:

"The bhava stage is manifested by eight transcendental symptoms, namely inertness, perspiration, standing of hairs on end, failing in the voice, trembling, paleness of the body, tears in the eyes and finally trance. "
purport to SB 2.3.24

The difference between bhava and prema is described as follows in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita:

samyan-masrnita-svanto
mamatvatisayankitah
bhavah sa eva sandratma
budhaih prema nigadyate

"When that bhava softens the heart completely, becomes endowed with a great feeling of possessiveness in relation to the Lord and becomes very much condensed and intensified, it is called prema [love of Godhead] by learned scholars."--Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 23.7

Since bhava is love of God in its preliminary stage, once one attains bhava he should continue advancing to prema, the perfection of bhava.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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