Chapter One: Rāgamayī Bhakti and Its Vaishnava Tradition
Those who, feeling "I am the Lord's father," "I am his mother," "I am his friend," "I am his servant," and so forth, render the corresponding rāgamayī service possess the sambandha-rūpā form of rāgātmikā-bhakti.
The nature of Sambandha-rūpā and Kāma-rūpā devotion
Kāma-rūpā rāgātmikā-bhakti contains none of the relationships just described. The desire to serve the Lord and make him happy is the sole impulse behind every action, and, filled with that desire, the devotee continually performs rāgamayī service. Both kāma-rūpā and sambandha-rūpā do indeed contain rāga. In sambandha-rūpā-bhakti, however, identification with a particular relationship impels divine service; in kāma-rūpā no such identification is the cause. Its sole impulse is the desire to make the Lord happy through service filled with the love called kāma.
In the Vraja līlā, the embodiments of sambandha-rūpā rāgātmikā are the parental group headed by Sri Nanda and Yasoda; the friends headed by Subala and Madhumangala; and servants such as Raktaka and Patraka. The embodiments of kāma-rūpā rāgātmikā are the beautiful ladies of Vraja, filled with the sweet disposition. No relationship of the foregoing kind impels these women to serve God or makes them long for his service. Their devotion is set in motion solely by exclusive desire-love: the wish to offer him their service and make him happy. The devotional scriptures call this desire kāma: premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṃ kāma ity agamat prathām— "The prema of the women of Vraja became renowned as kāma." [Gautamīya Tantra]
The corresponding rāgānugā devotion likewise has two forms: kāmānugā and sambandhānugā. Kāmānugā itself is of two kinds: sambhogecchā-mayī and tad-tad-bhāvecchā-mayī. Devotion joined to a desire for amorous play is called sambhogecchā-mayī. Devotion consisting of the desire to attain the disposition and sweetness of the leading ladies of Vraja is called tad-tad-bhāvecchā-mayī.
Bhāva-bhakti
Bhāva is a particular manifestation of the pure and real spiritual essence; this is its essential characteristic. A particular function of the Lord's own all-revealing essential power is called śuddha-sattva. The softening of the heart produced by longing to attain God, longing to act for his pleasure, affectionate goodwill toward him, and similar dispositions is the incidental characteristic of bhāva. Bhāva is also called rati, the sprout of prema, or the sprout of loving affection. The first stage of prema is called bhāva.
After prema matures, it unfolds progressively as sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva, and mahābhāva. At the same time, this first stage of prema, called rati, becomes fivefold according to the devotees' different dispositions: peaceful rati, serving rati, friendly rati, parental rati, and sweet or amorous rati. Corresponding to these divisions of rati, the devotional rasas are likewise five: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, and madhura-rasa.