Sthāyī-bhāva—Permanent Ecstatic Relationship
Channel: Consciousness Research Centre
Date: 2022-08-02

“That bhāva which, controlling other favorable bhāvas such as hāsya, and contradictory bhāvas such as krodha, presides in the manner of an efficient ruler, is called the sthāyī-bhāva. In this context, the rati directed towards one’s iṣṭa-devatā is called the sthāyī-bhāva. Those knowledgeable of rasa say that there are two types of sthāyī-bhāva: mukhya (primary) and gauṇa (secondary).”

“A rati that is śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā (composed of the hlādinī and saṁvit śaktis) is called a primary rati. Though this is the primary rati, it takes two forms: svārtha and parārtha. That primary rati that clearly nourishes itself with non-contradictory bhāvas and becomes intolerably depressed with sorrow by contradictory bhāvas is called the svārtha-rati (nourishing itself).”

“The same primary rati that restricting itself, accepts both non-contradictory and contradictory bhāvas (which then become prominent) is called parārtha (nourishing the other bhāvas). A primary rati in these two forms has five varieties: śuddha, prīti (or dāsya), sakhya, vātsalya and priyatā (or madhurya).”

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