Natural emotions in Love

 Natural emotions in Love 

शिवे शृंगारार्द्रा तदितर जने कुत्सन परा 

सरोषा गङ्गा यां गिरिश चरिते विस्मयवती 

हराहिभ्यो भीता सरिसिरुह सौभाग्य जननी 

सखीषु स्मेरा ते मयि जननि दृष्टिस् सकरुणा || 

~ Soundarya Lahari, Shloka 51 

The Many Bhāvas of the Divine Mother 

Around Śiva, your Beloved, you melt in tenderness and romance; 
around others, you remain serenely indifferent. 
You flare with fiery jealousy toward Gaṅgā, 
and yet are filled with wonder upon hearing the legends of your Lord. 
You tremble at the sight of His serpents, 
you who yourself created all beauty in the lotus of the crown (Sahasrāra). 
You smile gently among friends — sweet, soft, and radiant. 
But, O Mother, may your mood toward me be one alone — compassion. 

This verse exquisitely depicts the many bhāvas — emotional modes — expressed by Prakṛti, the Divine Feminine. Yet it can also be read, even from a worldly lens, as a guide to cultivating saubhāgya — good fortune, harmony, and grace in life. 

Each divine emotion, when rightly placed, becomes a key to wholeness. 

It spectacularly mentions the Navarasas too.

1. Toward Your Highest Purpose (Shiva)— Love - śṛṅgāra

For your greatest and noblest calling, be a hopeless romantic. 
Dream of it, long for it, surrender your resources and your heart to it. 
Let love — deep, unashamed, uncalculating — be your guiding force. 

2. Toward Lesser Goals (other men)— Detachment - bībhatsa

For the many smaller aims and distractions of life, remain indifferent. 
Give them only what they deserve — attention without obsession. 
This is integrity — fidelity to your true purpose. 

3. Toward Competitors (Ganga)— Fierce Zeal - Raudra

For those who rival your pursuit, let there be fire — not hatred, but drive. 
Even Pārvatī never harmed Gaṅgā; she sought only to outshine her. 
Let jealousy refine itself into excellence. 

4. Toward Success (achievements of Shiva) — Wonder - Vīra & Adbhuta

When your highest efforts bear fruit, respond not with pride but awe. 
Arrogance hardens the heart; wonder softens it into gratitude. 
Be amazed by what grace has flowed through you. 

5. Toward Failure (serpents)— Fear and Humility  - Bhaya

Let fear be your teacher, not your jailer. 
It warns, it guides, it sharpens awareness. 
Reverence your failures — they carve wisdom into strength. 

6. Toward Allies and Friends (Sakhi)— Appreciation - hāsya

For those who walk beside you, offer gentleness and warmth. 
A calm smile, a kind word, a listening ear — these are the ornaments of friendship. 
Inclusiveness sustains your fortune. 

 

7. Toward the Weak and Dependent (me, the bhakta) — Compassion - śĀnta & karuṇā

For the less informed, the less fortunate, or the weary — show compassion. 
Power must never oppress; it must protect. 
Strength becomes divine only when tempered by mercy. 

Thus, the Goddess Herself teaches balance —  
Love for the Highest, detachment from the rest, zeal without cruelty, success without pride, failure without despair, friendship with gratitude, and power with compassion. 

That, indeed, is Saubhāgya — the art of living divinely. 

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P.S: Credits to Pranav for pointing the Navarasa and Bhava significance.

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