Madhura-rasa-vicāra: Sthāyībhāva & Stages of rati
The next day, Vijaya Kumāra arrived punctually at the lotus feet of his Gurudeva, offered sāṣṭāṅga-daṇḍavat, and sat in his place. Śrī Gopāla Guru Gosvāmī observed Vijaya’s eagerness to know about sthāyībhāva and said, “Madhura-rati is
the sthāyībhāva of madhura-rasa.”
Vijaya: What causes the appearance of rati?
Gosvāmī: Rati arises from abhiyoga, viṣaya, sambandha, abhimāna, tadīya-viśeṣa, upamā, and svabhāva. Each of these causes is
progressively superior to the previous one, so the rati that arises
from svabhāva is the best of all.
Vijaya: What is abhiyoga?
Gosvāmī: Abhiyoga is expressing one’s bhāva. There are two types of abhiyoga: that which one reveals personally, and that which someone else reveals.
Vijaya: What is viṣaya?
Gosvāmī: There are five types of viṣaya, namely, sound (śabda),
touch (sparśa), beauty (rūpa), taste (rasa), and fragrance (gandha).
Vijaya: What is sambandha? Gosvāmī: Sambandha refers to the glories of four aspects: lineage, beauty, qualities, and pastimes.
Vijaya: What is abhimāna?
Gosvāmī: Abhimāna is the definite decision to accept only one particular object although many other beautiful objects are
present. For example, when Kṛṣṇa went to Mathurā, a certain