अणुभाष्य (महाप्रभु वल्लभाचार्य - शुद्धाद्वैत वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र महाभाष्य प्रकाश टीका सहित)

is the important and chief element of bhakti; that is why Vyāsa has shown the example of 'pradīpa' – lamp (Dīpaka) – instead of 'ayo-golaka' – heated iron ball – in his sūtra “pradīpavad-āveśaḥ; tathā hi darśayati”. This 'sneha' has 'śṛṅgāra' as its chief element as shown by the damsels of Vraja whose 'sthāyi-bhāva' was nothing but 'rati' and hence, bhakti-rasa also means the same 'śṛṅgāra'. This experience is non-worldly and is of the nature of 'saṁyoga' – togetherness – and 'viprayoga' – separation. This alaukika śṛṅgāra – non-worldly love, though similar to the worldly love, is not the same; because, it is known through the non-worldly means of knowledge, and not known through the worldly means of knowledge. In fact, in this bhakti, the mere doubt of its being this worldly is meaningless. Ṛṣis like Vātsyāyana and others wrote their treatises just to elucidate this bhagavat-bhāva experience. Ṛṣis intentions are not to convey the worldly experiences at any time. That is why, it is said – “tadetat brahmacaryeṇa parameṇa samādhinā vihito lokayātrārthaṁ na rāgārtho'asya samvidhiḥ; rakṣan dharmārthakāmānstrīn sampaśyam-lokavartinām; asya śāstrasya tatvajño bhavatyeva jitendriyaḥ”. If the intention of those writers were to be of this world, then they would not have said the end-result as ' jitendriya-bhavana' – becoming one who has won over his senses. This meaning has been elaborately shown by the Āchārya in his Bhāṣya on “liṅgabhūyastvādhikaraṇa” and in “kratuvaj- jyāyastvādhikaraṇa”. Likewise by Śrī Puruṣottamacaraṇa in his Prakāśa and by Śrī Gopeśacaraṇa in his Raśmi. The nature of this bhakti is 'śṛṅgāra' and it is of the nature of togetherness and separation; separation generates a suffering of longing; how then can it be of the nature of pleasure and that too, immeasurably? The answer is the śruti “yo vai bhūma tat sukham”; therefore, it is of the nature of only pleasure. In Vedānta, at all places, mukti has been described as of the nature of enjoyment of pleasure. In the Puṣṭi mārga also, the nature of Bhagavān being of ānanda, His prāpti – attainment – is the xxviii