Thakhura Mahasaya further goes to describe the moods or rasa involved in the loving service of Krishna. The tranquil mood or Santa Rasa is the basic mood of accepting Krishna favourably. Yet in this mood the ingredient of service is inconspicuous or hidden. The two basic attributes of tranquil flavour are loyalty to Krishna and renunciation of material desires. However the slightest mood of possession of Krishna is absent in a devotee who possesses the tranquil mood. One in this mood is completely aware of Krishna’s philosophical status and such a devotee’s consciousness hovers around the Paramatma and Parabrahman aspect of Krishna.
In the mood of Dasyam or servant hood the devotee is in awareness of the Personality of Krishna who is the possessor of the six opulences namely beauty, strength, knowledge, wealth, fame and renunciation. The devotee has an abundance of reverence and dignity towards Krishna but the main aspect of his mood is that he gives Krishna great delight with his personal service. The mood of servant hood possess in it more of a service-attitude than tranquillity. The higher rasa of the mood of friendship includes full faith and confidence in Krishna to a higher degree and an attribute of extreme closeness to Krishna. The friends of Krishna like Subala and Sudama climb on His shoulder and hold wrestling matches with Krishna and they even succeed in defeating Krishna. The degree of closeness is much greater in the mood of friendship. It however includes the attributes of tranquillity and servitude in addition to faith and confidence in Krishna as equals. The friends of Krishna not only serve Krishna in high spirits but also make Krishna serve them. The mood of friendship is predominated by great confidence and devoid of awe and reverence as was the case in the mood of servant hood. The mood of Parental love is a touch above the mood of friendship. It has the absence of attributes of reverence, hesitation and even equality that is predominant in the mood of friendship. It has instead qualities of possessiveness, superiority where the parent can even chastise and punish Krishna out of love and concern for Krishna. The mood of Parental love has inherent qualities of protection and nurturing the Supreme. Thus the mood of Parental love includes the preceding three moods with the addition of the quality of possessiveness, protection and superiority.
The topmost mood is however the mood of conjugal love which includes the mood of servitude to Krishna, the lack of hesitation, the feeling of possessiveness which is much more intense than that which is seen in the mood of Parental love. The mellow of conjugal love also includes extreme intimacy to Krishna at all levels which is conspicuously absent in the mood of Parental love. A person in the mood of unwedded conjugal intimacy knows Krishna and Krishna alone as the cause of one’s tranquillity, serves Krishna like a menial servant, confides in Krishna and treats Him as one’s equal as a friend, chastises and protects Krishna as a Parent and shares one’s all with Krishna as a lover. Hence this is the most relish-able and astonishing mellow of all mellows.
When Vraja’s conjugal mellow links up with the unbridled great astonishment of extra-marital love its tastiness attains unabated ever flourishing variety.
Charan Pahari 