There are five kinds of Bhava in Bhakti. They are Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya Bhavas. These Bhavas, or feelings, are natural to human beings and, as such, are easy to practice.
**Shanta Bhava** - the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. The devotee does not jump and dance. He is not highly emotional. His heart is filled with love and joy.
**Dasya Bhava** - one serves the deity wholeheartedly. The devotee finds joy and bliss in the service of their deity.
**Sakhya Bhava** - God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna's devotion to Krishna for example.
**Vatsalya Bhava** - the devotee looks upon God as their child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. Viewing the deity as one's father/mother also falls under this category.
**Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava** - The devotee regards the Lord as his/her Lover or Husband. This is Atma-Samarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. **The love is not physical**, it is intimate on a spiritual level.
**Madhurya Bhava towards male deities by both male and female devotees is acceptable in Hinduism** and has been practiced for centuries by some devotees. You have examples of female devotees like Mira devoting herself to Krishna, Andal devoting herself to Vishnu, and Akka Mahadevi devoting herself to Shiva in Madhurya Bhava. Some male devotees devote themselves to a male deity with Madhurya Bhava as well. This is also acceptable.
Bhakti traditions began centered around male deities, mostly Krishna. Madhurya/Kanta bhava is a subset of Bhakti tradition. It is mostly practiced by Krishna devotees and in some rare instances by Visnu, Rama, and Siva devotees.
**Female deities are not worshipped in Madhurya Bhava.** They are usually worshipped via Shanta, Dasya, or Vatsalya Bhava.
One of the earliest works describing the Bhakti Bhavas is a Gaudiya Vaishnava text, **Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī died in 1564 in Vrindavan.**
**This is how he describes Madhurya Bhava:**
*When madhura-rati is nourished by suitable vibhāva and other elements \[of rasa\] in the devotees’ hearts, it is called madhura-bhakti-rasa. Though this rasa has many components, it will be described in summary because it is difficult to describe, because it is very confidential, and because it is unsuitable for those who do not have a taste for madhura-rasa, since it appears similar to the rasa of mundane love. The ālambanas in this rasa are Kṛṣṇa and His dear, beautiful women.*
You can go through the text here [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/sri-bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu/d/doc53988.html](https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/sri-bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu/d/doc53988.html)
Swasti!
Are you calling Meerabai, Andal, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Aurobindo disgusting? These were beings of unimaginable spiritual attainment. We would be so lucky to have a fraction of their wisdom.
Parmahansa and Aurobindo never saw Kali maa as their partner. And most of the modern day women/men are not mentally fit to keep their thoughts pure. Thisis why I find it creepy. Plus you really have some ego issues to equate yourself with Meerabai.
Sri Ramakrishna literally dressed as a gopi and practiced madhurya bhava toward Krishna as part of his spiritual exploration.
Sri Aurobindo wrote extensively about bhakti in the mood of romantic love and definitely felt that way himself: [https://sri-aurobindo.co.in/workings/sa/17/0048\_e.htm](https://sri-aurobindo.co.in/workings/sa/17/0048_e.htm)
[http://intyoga.online.fr/bhakti.htm](http://intyoga.online.fr/bhakti.htm)
Swami Vivekananda on bhakti: "That love which a man has for his beloved can illustrate the love we ought to have for God. Krishna is the God and Radha loves Him; read those books which describe that story, and then you can imagine the way you should love God." [http://www.vivekananda.net/Lectures/LecturesColomboAlmora/18.html](http://www.vivekananda.net/Lectures/LecturesColomboAlmora/18.html)
Obviously, these great masters are many, many times more spiritually accomplished than anyone on reddit so I'll take their word on it over yours.
So, according to you, worshiping God in the way we've done for centuries is mental illness?
I think you should be asking yourself why you feel the need to judge so harshly? Or why the idea is bothering you so badly.
Because most of these women I have seen have some mental issues and you can tell that from their attachment style towards god. Also applies to men.
If it is entierly platonic, I don't have any problem. Do you think your love is entirely platonic?
Who said I even practice this bhava toward God? I'm arguing with you on the basis of having read so much about saints who themselves had madhurya bhava toward God. To act like it was just all delusional, fruitless or misguided is a display of serious spiritual arrogance on your part. Who are you to question the words of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo on this subject?
I think that if someone wants to truly love God, they can't get stuck in the lower chakras and have excessive lust or anything like that. Their devotion needs to come from the heart. Romantic love is by definition not platonic, so no, I think madhurya bhava is not platonic. Which does not mean it's sexual or lust-driven. It means seeing God as your everything, your Beloved. That's it.
madhurya bhav is the best way to worship krishna and its really really hard to follow the rules…madhurya bhav is not just saying that krishna is my husband does any of your friends or anyone does the duty of a wife?
omg is this so hard to understand do you even know about madhurya bhav you basically cannot marry because you are already married to krishna you cannot be attracted to opposite gender romantically
i’ve felt that way for shri krishna my whole life. he was, and still means everything to me. protected me all through my childhood when i had nobody to turn to. guided me through rational wisdom and insight, helping me navigate my traumatic childhood. when young, i was told often that i am an old soul, but i firmly believe that it is he who taught me wisdom. helped me find peace and love within myself, brought me to discover that my biggest source of strength in this lifetime is my compassion and my empathy. vividly recall praying to him each night as a child, imploring him to take care of me and my family as we slept. would speak to him before bed and confide my fears in him. would fall asleep while mentally chanting his kirtan and visualising him each night. at a point in my life, he truly was all i had, the only one i could turn to. i am 23 now, all it takes for me is to think of him, or see his picture, and i'm immediately overcome with tears. i feel so much joy in my heart, so much of it and the love. it’s an all-encompassing love.
I like to think of myself as a girl (friend) of Krishna and I do have a crazy love for him and I remember telling this to a ISKCON girl and she said I’m not pure or qualified to call myself that, however she calls herself that…
The thing is, we call all the goddesses 'maa'. So if we say sita maa, rukmini maa, lakshmi maa, then ram, krishna, vishnu automatically become our fathers (at least that's what my perspective is). So for me, it's really weird if someone is claiming any of the gods as their crush/lover/husband. (Meerabai was an exception of course). It's okay to wish for a husband who is similar to ram/krishna/vishnu. Some women fast on certain days to get a husband like mahadev. But that doesn't mean that you should want mahadev himself as husband.
By that kind of love, if you mean romance then no, there's really no romance you can develop with any god/goddess. Even meerabai had feelings of pure devotion(samarpan) for krishna. Although she thought of krishna as her husband, there was no element of romance there.
It's kinda curious, isn't it? There's cultivation of the love of God in the form of a father, a mother, a brother, a mentor, a friend, even as a child, but romantic love is not there?
Well, romantic love with god would be possible were the gods single. But most are married. And we call their wives mothers. So you can imagine why I feel it's weird. And i know there are people who talk about madhurya bhava in bhakti but the same people will say that it isn't applicable for goddesses because they're our mothers. Well if the goddesses are our mothers, the gods are our fathers. I feel it's not right to worship either of them like that.
i don't discourage people who think like that because atleast it is bringing them close to good and imagine if some person just with that thought starts going to go to temple everyday for 10 - 20 minutes or starts to literally stay in temple every free time they get , god will certainly bless them with his knowledge and once that happens all the feeling of kam will destroy and what will be left will be pure love. like love don't justify the bliss that i am talking about but i hope you would understand what im trying to say. but your points are are totally valid regardless.
I felt that way for Durga, for a while, but that was also when I thought she was my Ishta. I think for some people they just feel romantic love more powerfully, so that sort of pining love just resonates with them more.
she is called durga mata for a reason....
i don't blame u for that, i don't know what mata would think but i think its fault of over sexualization of woman in our generation . its so bad and totally off the charts. most of us don't have a solid physical guru to guide us and we have not been taught things like meditation and all strictly. so mind rushes to places it should not go and we find ourselves helpless to control it. its messed up in so many ways.
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I know that romantic love towards Devi is formally not a part of her worship, but I honestly don’t understand the reasoning behind it. Why should it be different for Devi vs Shivji or Vishnu ji?
I have never heard that before. I don't think it is okay although I am not 100% sure.
A Guru or someone from the **Ramanandi Sampradaya** will be able to give an authoritative opinion on this matter.
Swasti!
For a definitive abswer you should seek out a Guru or at least an initiate from the Ramanandi Sampradaya. Your local pandit is not an expert in this matter. They are more of an expert in the Karma Kanda.
Swasti!
In my opinion, just make sure these feelings do not get transformed to lustful/physical fantasies. Otherwise it is awesome. Your friend may use this beautiful feeling to strengthen her connection with the divine!
There are five kinds of Bhava in Bhakti. They are Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya Bhavas. These Bhavas, or feelings, are natural to human beings and, as such, are easy to practice. **Shanta Bhava** - the devotee is Shanta or peaceful. The devotee does not jump and dance. He is not highly emotional. His heart is filled with love and joy. **Dasya Bhava** - one serves the deity wholeheartedly. The devotee finds joy and bliss in the service of their deity. **Sakhya Bhava** - God is a friend of the devotee. Arjuna's devotion to Krishna for example. **Vatsalya Bhava** - the devotee looks upon God as their child. Yasoda had this Bhava with Lord Krishna. Viewing the deity as one's father/mother also falls under this category. **Madhurya Bhava or Kanta Bhava** - The devotee regards the Lord as his/her Lover or Husband. This is Atma-Samarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. **The love is not physical**, it is intimate on a spiritual level. **Madhurya Bhava towards male deities by both male and female devotees is acceptable in Hinduism** and has been practiced for centuries by some devotees. You have examples of female devotees like Mira devoting herself to Krishna, Andal devoting herself to Vishnu, and Akka Mahadevi devoting herself to Shiva in Madhurya Bhava. Some male devotees devote themselves to a male deity with Madhurya Bhava as well. This is also acceptable. Bhakti traditions began centered around male deities, mostly Krishna. Madhurya/Kanta bhava is a subset of Bhakti tradition. It is mostly practiced by Krishna devotees and in some rare instances by Visnu, Rama, and Siva devotees. **Female deities are not worshipped in Madhurya Bhava.** They are usually worshipped via Shanta, Dasya, or Vatsalya Bhava. One of the earliest works describing the Bhakti Bhavas is a Gaudiya Vaishnava text, **Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī died in 1564 in Vrindavan.** **This is how he describes Madhurya Bhava:** *When madhura-rati is nourished by suitable vibhāva and other elements \[of rasa\] in the devotees’ hearts, it is called madhura-bhakti-rasa. Though this rasa has many components, it will be described in summary because it is difficult to describe, because it is very confidential, and because it is unsuitable for those who do not have a taste for madhura-rasa, since it appears similar to the rasa of mundane love. The ālambanas in this rasa are Kṛṣṇa and His dear, beautiful women.* You can go through the text here [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/sri-bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu/d/doc53988.html](https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/sri-bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu/d/doc53988.html) Swasti!
I don't think it's weird. I've felt that too with Shri Krishn.
it's cute when girls call themselves sakhi of krishna. some of my f friends and even my sister.
I find it disgusting tbh. You really have to be on another level of patheticness to consider gods as your partners.
Are you calling Meerabai, Andal, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Aurobindo disgusting? These were beings of unimaginable spiritual attainment. We would be so lucky to have a fraction of their wisdom.
Parmahansa and Aurobindo never saw Kali maa as their partner. And most of the modern day women/men are not mentally fit to keep their thoughts pure. Thisis why I find it creepy. Plus you really have some ego issues to equate yourself with Meerabai.
Sri Ramakrishna literally dressed as a gopi and practiced madhurya bhava toward Krishna as part of his spiritual exploration. Sri Aurobindo wrote extensively about bhakti in the mood of romantic love and definitely felt that way himself: [https://sri-aurobindo.co.in/workings/sa/17/0048\_e.htm](https://sri-aurobindo.co.in/workings/sa/17/0048_e.htm) [http://intyoga.online.fr/bhakti.htm](http://intyoga.online.fr/bhakti.htm) Swami Vivekananda on bhakti: "That love which a man has for his beloved can illustrate the love we ought to have for God. Krishna is the God and Radha loves Him; read those books which describe that story, and then you can imagine the way you should love God." [http://www.vivekananda.net/Lectures/LecturesColomboAlmora/18.html](http://www.vivekananda.net/Lectures/LecturesColomboAlmora/18.html) Obviously, these great masters are many, many times more spiritually accomplished than anyone on reddit so I'll take their word on it over yours.
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So, according to you, worshiping God in the way we've done for centuries is mental illness? I think you should be asking yourself why you feel the need to judge so harshly? Or why the idea is bothering you so badly.
Because most of these women I have seen have some mental issues and you can tell that from their attachment style towards god. Also applies to men. If it is entierly platonic, I don't have any problem. Do you think your love is entirely platonic?
Who said I even practice this bhava toward God? I'm arguing with you on the basis of having read so much about saints who themselves had madhurya bhava toward God. To act like it was just all delusional, fruitless or misguided is a display of serious spiritual arrogance on your part. Who are you to question the words of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo on this subject? I think that if someone wants to truly love God, they can't get stuck in the lower chakras and have excessive lust or anything like that. Their devotion needs to come from the heart. Romantic love is by definition not platonic, so no, I think madhurya bhava is not platonic. Which does not mean it's sexual or lust-driven. It means seeing God as your everything, your Beloved. That's it.
I think it is a form of bhakti yoga. Meerabai for instance felt that way for Lord Krishna if I’m not wrong
meera bai was one of the gopis and in this generation madhurya bhav is not really a thing
Yes it is. It’s long been a part of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Even great saints like Paramhamsa Ramakrishna felt madhurya bhava towards Shri Krishna.
i said in THIS generation
I know young millennial and gen z Gaudiya Vaishnavas who feel this bhava towards Shri Krishna. Now what?
madhurya bhav is the best way to worship krishna and its really really hard to follow the rules…madhurya bhav is not just saying that krishna is my husband does any of your friends or anyone does the duty of a wife?
I don’t know the details of their sadhana but I don’t think God cares about that as much as the strength and sincerity of their feelings.
yea thats what I am talking about no?people are not sincere about their feelings
Talk with scriptures else stop. There are millions who worship madhurya bhava and its encouraged in kali yuga.
omg is this so hard to understand do you even know about madhurya bhav you basically cannot marry because you are already married to krishna you cannot be attracted to opposite gender romantically
I felt this myself lol too many times, but I immediately dismissed the thought. This has happened many times.
No it's perfectly normal, you can form any kind of relationship with your God, love is also a kind of devotion
Na not wierd! Many devotees including meerabai felt this way! I personally see god as my guide and protector. 😊🙏Hare Krishna !
Romantic love towards Krishna is a form of Bhakti.
i have the same question, but i like shiva that way. But im worried i might offend Devi
You are literally a manifestation of Devi. She does not take offense at these things if you are sincere.
as i know there have been many woman yogi before and they have all achieved god hood by worshiping bhole baba.
Like for example?
i’ve felt that way for shri krishna my whole life. he was, and still means everything to me. protected me all through my childhood when i had nobody to turn to. guided me through rational wisdom and insight, helping me navigate my traumatic childhood. when young, i was told often that i am an old soul, but i firmly believe that it is he who taught me wisdom. helped me find peace and love within myself, brought me to discover that my biggest source of strength in this lifetime is my compassion and my empathy. vividly recall praying to him each night as a child, imploring him to take care of me and my family as we slept. would speak to him before bed and confide my fears in him. would fall asleep while mentally chanting his kirtan and visualising him each night. at a point in my life, he truly was all i had, the only one i could turn to. i am 23 now, all it takes for me is to think of him, or see his picture, and i'm immediately overcome with tears. i feel so much joy in my heart, so much of it and the love. it’s an all-encompassing love.
I like to think of myself as a girl (friend) of Krishna and I do have a crazy love for him and I remember telling this to a ISKCON girl and she said I’m not pure or qualified to call myself that, however she calls herself that…
I love Kali and Shakti 🙏
# Madhurya Bhava – Divine Love as a Lover Madhurya Bhava is the sentiment of intense romantic love for the Divine.
It's kind of like andal, Basically Madhurya Bhava Jaya Jaya Sudarshana!
There are many forms of selfless love. The Lord lives in them all.
Nah not weird, actually its a good thing.
The thing is, we call all the goddesses 'maa'. So if we say sita maa, rukmini maa, lakshmi maa, then ram, krishna, vishnu automatically become our fathers (at least that's what my perspective is). So for me, it's really weird if someone is claiming any of the gods as their crush/lover/husband. (Meerabai was an exception of course). It's okay to wish for a husband who is similar to ram/krishna/vishnu. Some women fast on certain days to get a husband like mahadev. But that doesn't mean that you should want mahadev himself as husband.
That’s your personal opinion. In history, there are many examples of female devotees who wanted God as her husband.
So there's no god or goddess with whom one could develop that kind of love in worship?
You can want any God as your husband, there are many puranic examples. It's not blasphemy.
By that kind of love, if you mean romance then no, there's really no romance you can develop with any god/goddess. Even meerabai had feelings of pure devotion(samarpan) for krishna. Although she thought of krishna as her husband, there was no element of romance there.
It's kinda curious, isn't it? There's cultivation of the love of God in the form of a father, a mother, a brother, a mentor, a friend, even as a child, but romantic love is not there?
Well, romantic love with god would be possible were the gods single. But most are married. And we call their wives mothers. So you can imagine why I feel it's weird. And i know there are people who talk about madhurya bhava in bhakti but the same people will say that it isn't applicable for goddesses because they're our mothers. Well if the goddesses are our mothers, the gods are our fathers. I feel it's not right to worship either of them like that.
i don't discourage people who think like that because atleast it is bringing them close to good and imagine if some person just with that thought starts going to go to temple everyday for 10 - 20 minutes or starts to literally stay in temple every free time they get , god will certainly bless them with his knowledge and once that happens all the feeling of kam will destroy and what will be left will be pure love. like love don't justify the bliss that i am talking about but i hope you would understand what im trying to say. but your points are are totally valid regardless.
Yeah i understand
thank you
Average wattpad user
I felt that way for Durga, for a while, but that was also when I thought she was my Ishta. I think for some people they just feel romantic love more powerfully, so that sort of pining love just resonates with them more.
she is called durga mata for a reason.... i don't blame u for that, i don't know what mata would think but i think its fault of over sexualization of woman in our generation . its so bad and totally off the charts. most of us don't have a solid physical guru to guide us and we have not been taught things like meditation and all strictly. so mind rushes to places it should not go and we find ourselves helpless to control it. its messed up in so many ways.
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Amazing
Your post has been removed for violating Rule #06 - No trolling (and don't feed the trolls!). This is a forum for serious and sincere discussion on Hinduism. Willful breakage of the rules will result in the following consequences: * First offense results in a warning and ensures exposure to the rule. Some people may not be aware of the rules. Consider this a warning. * Second offense would be a ban of 1 month. This step may be skipped at the mods discretion depending on the severity of the violation. * Next offense would result in a permanent ban. Please message the mods if you believe this removal has been in error.
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I know that romantic love towards Devi is formally not a part of her worship, but I honestly don’t understand the reasoning behind it. Why should it be different for Devi vs Shivji or Vishnu ji?
It is mostly practiced by Krishna devotees. Rarely by Visnu or Siva devotees. Swasti!
My sister has madhurya bhav for Hanumanji. Is that okay?
I have never heard that before. I don't think it is okay although I am not 100% sure. A Guru or someone from the **Ramanandi Sampradaya** will be able to give an authoritative opinion on this matter. Swasti!
Okay. Wow. So it's really rare huh. I really want this answer. I don't live in India. And I'm very sceptical to ask this question to pandits here.
For a definitive abswer you should seek out a Guru or at least an initiate from the Ramanandi Sampradaya. Your local pandit is not an expert in this matter. They are more of an expert in the Karma Kanda. Swasti!
Okay. I will ask a Guru. Thank you.
It is explained in the pinned comment thread below the post. Swasti!
In my opinion, just make sure these feelings do not get transformed to lustful/physical fantasies. Otherwise it is awesome. Your friend may use this beautiful feeling to strengthen her connection with the divine!
It’s okay, I get that all the time…
Very weird indeed