Madhya-līlāChapter 23: Life's Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 23.62

'sambhoga'-'vipralambha'-bhede dvividha śṛńgāra

sambhogera ananta ańga, nāhi anta tāra

SYNONYMS

sambhoga — of meeting (enjoyment together); vipralambha — of separation; bhedein two divisions; dvi-vidha śṛńgāra — two kinds of conjugal love; sambhogera — of the stage of sambhoga, or meeting; ananta ańga — unlimited parts; nāhi — not; antaan end; tāra — of that.

TRANSLATION

"In conjugal love [śṛńgāra] there are two departments — meeting and separation. On the platform of meeting, there are unlimited varieties that are beyond description.

PURPORT

Vipralambha is described in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Vipralambha-prakaraṇa 3-4):

yūnor ayuktayor bhāvo yuktayor vātha yo mithaḥ

abhīṣṭālińganādīnām anavāptau prakṛṣyate

sa vipralambho vijñeyaḥ sambhogonnati-kārakaḥ

na vinā vipralambhena sambhogaḥ puṣṭim aśnute

"When the lover and the beloved meet, they are called yukta (connected). Previous to their meeting, they are called ayukta (not connected). Whether connected or not connected, the ecstatic emotion arising due to not being able to embrace and kiss each other as desired is called vipralambha. This vipralambha helps nourish emotions at the time of meeting." Similarly, sambhoga is described in the following verse quoted from the Vedic literature by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in his Anubhāṣya:

darśanālińganādīnām ānukūlyān niṣevayā

yūnor ullāsam ārohan bhāvaḥ sambhoga īryate

"Meeting each other and embracing each other are aimed at bringing about the happiness of the lover and the beloved. When this stage becomes increasingly jubilant, the resultant ecstatic emotion is called sambhoga." When awakened, sambhoga is divided into four categories:

(1) pūrva-rāga-anantara — after pūrva-rāga (attachment prior to meeting), sambhoga is called brief (sańkṣipta);

(2) māna-anantara — after māna (anger based on love), sambhoga is called encroached (sańkīrṇa);

(3) kiñcid-dūra-pravāsa-anantara — after being a little distance away for some time, sambhoga is called accomplished (sampanna);

(4) sudūra-pravāsa-anantara — after being far away, sambhoga is called perfection (samṛddhimān).

The meetings of the lovers that take place in dreams also have these four divisions.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness