Love is Best

Prema-viśeṣa-lakṣaṇā Bhakti in the Nimbārka Sampradāya

Abstract

The Nimbārka Sampradāya uniquely posits that devotion characterized by a special kind of love (prema-viśeṣa-lakṣaṇā bhakti) for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, conceived as the conjoined equivalent of parabrahman and īśvara, constitutes both the means and the ultimate aim of spiritual practice. This article explores the nature of this "special love" within the pre-modern and early-modern Nimbārka tradition, highlighting its distinction from conventional devotional practices (sādhanā bhakti) and its initial confidential transmission among qualified muni practitioners. By examining Nimbārka's strategic communication in texts like the Vedāntakāmadhenu-Daśaślokī and Mantrarahasyaṣoḍaśī, alongside the elucidations of later figures such as Puruṣottama and the pivotal role of Śrībhaṭṭa's Brajbhāṣā poetry in the Yugalaśataka, the essay traces the gradual unveiling of this esoteric mādhurya bhāva-infused devotion. Ultimately, it argues that the "special love" in the Nimbārka tradition, particularly as it developed after Śrībhaṭṭa, centers on sakhī-bhāva-upāsanā, the meditative adoption of the intimate emotional disposition of Rādhā's closest companions in the eternal nikunja-līlā of the divine couple, as the key to experiencing profound spiritual bliss and liberation.