manifests the eternal and confidential pastimes of Lord Krsna known as the asta-kaliya-lila, or the eight three-hourly pastimes. And although this manifestation is transcendental, it still appears to the devotee within the material world.

The bhakti-sakti

"Latent within the jiva are the miniscule spiritual potencies of ahlada (bliss) and samvit (knowledge). The svarupa-sakti (the internal potency of the Lord Himself) descends to contact and awaken these tiny spiritual potencies of the jiva. All this is effected by the causeless mercy and influence of the holy name. The svarupa-sakti contains the very essence of the hladini and samvit potencies. The amalgam of the svarupa-sakti with the jiva's bliss and knowledge produces a mentality conducive to pure spontaneous devotion, known as the bhakti-svarupam-sakti.

Rasa and the bhavas*

"Thus one reaches a state of perfection known as sthayi-bhava, or permanent emotion, which is also called rati. Four bhavas combine to transform rati to rasa. The four bhavas are: vibhava, anubhava, sattvika, and vyabhicari (or sancari).

The no-self philosophy allows charlatans to believe (and to persuade others) that they have already gone past the search for enlightenment and successfully come out the other side. It allows them to feel they've answered the questions: "Who am I?" and "What is the purpose of my existence?" Their answer is: "I am nothing. I don't really exist. Therefore there is no purpose." Since there is no self and no purpose, there is also (so they say) no will. Will power is supposed to be the attribute of the self; but if there is no self, then "will power" is really just an illusion. So is responsibility for one's actions. Therefore any attempt to use will to control the senses is really a symptom of ignorance. The symptom of enlightenment, on the other hand, is to go with the flow of the body—the urges of the senses—without "hang-ups."
Jagad Guru Speaks

"Vibhava, the element that excites sentiment, has two subdivisions: alambana and uddipana. Alambana, or the person who is the object of sentiment, is again of two types: visaya (subject) and asraya (receptacle). The devotee of Lord Krsna is the asraya, and Lord Krsna Himself is the visaya. Uddipana or the impetus is Lord Krsna's beauty, qualities etc.

"Anubhava (the physical expression of permanent emotions) is what results from vibhava, or the activities of alambana and uddipana. Later, when these emotions become more intense, they are transformed into sanvika-bhava (the eight principal ecstatic

* For a more complete discussion of the principles and expressions of rasa, along with numerous examples from the scriptures, please see The Nectar of Devotion [op. cit.]. — Ed.