Bhavas refer to the ‘spiritual emotions’ we experience in our relationship with God – Paramahamsa Vishwananda

Paramahamsa Vishwananda attracts people from all cultures through his wisdom, given with humility and humour, as well as his palpable divine presence. Since he was a small boy Paramahamsa Vishwananda has been deeply devoted to God and effortlessly gathered a following as miraculous events occurred around him, and people felt a deep love combined with a yearning to know themselves truly and their relationship with Bhagavan. Paramahamsa Vishwananda regularly gives his unique darshan blessing to people in locations across the world including India. This flow of Grace is given freely, and many people testify to the seed of transformation it has planted in them.

In recognition of his spreading Hindu dharma, Paramahamsa Vishwananda was awarded the title Mahamandaleshwar in 2015 and received the Bharat Gaurav Award for lifetime achievement in the UK Houses of Parliament in 2016. Guruji was recently honoured with the award titled “Revolutionary Guru 2022” by India’s leading digital business magazine Start Up India along with other prominent personalities of our nation.

Paramahansa Vishwananda here tells us about the Five Bhavas and their significance.

Bhava means ‘mood, being, and feeling.’

Bhavas refer to the ‘spiritual emotions’ we experience in our relationship with God. They are the divine stages of being which cannot be compared to the emotions one experiences in the material world. All the bhavas are equally significant and help us shape our relationship with the Lord in a very unique and special way.

1. Shanta Bhava: The bhava of peace.

Shanta Bhava is one of the first spiritual emotions all the devotees experience as they enter they realize their unconditional love for God. It is a state of deep peacefulness where one experiences their love for God inwardly. It really does not matter how the person may appear or behave on the outer side as internally a certain softness would have been awakened.

2. Sakhya Bhava: The bhava of friendship.

With Sakhya bhava, the devotee perceives God as his/her friend. The relationship between human and god become informal. However, the devotee never fails to realize and comprehend the fact that the Lord is a supreme power.

The greatest examples of Sakhya bhava are Arjuna and Sushma in their relationship with Lord Krishna.

3. Dasya bhava: The bhava of service.

In this bhava, the devotee only wishes to serve the Lord. He/she surrenders to the almighty losing all the senses of selfish motives and performs every action with the sole motive of impressing him.

Examples of this bhava are Lord Hanuman, the ever-faithful servant of Lord Rama, and Sabari who waited all her life for Lord Rama with the only intention of serving him.

4. Vatsala bhava: The bhava of parenthood.

In this divine state of Vatsalya bhava, the bhakt perceives the Lord as their own child. This is one of the most rare and beautiful spiritual emotions that a devotee can experience.

Nanda and Yashoda experience this state in their relationship with Lord Krishna as well as King Dasharatha as Lord Rama’s father.

5. Madhuria or Maha bhava: The bhava of the divine lover.

In Madhuria or Maha bhava, the Lord eventually becomes the soul’s Divine lover. Falling in love with God is a divine state, unlike any other forms in the material world.

Radha and the gopikas epitomize the transcendental state of Madhuria bhava while Mirabhai and Andalusia are also beautiful examples of this bhava.

A special practice known as Atma Kriya yoga was Given by Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s Guru, Mahavatar Babaji, and Guruji himself to humanity. The practice causes deep transformation inside one’s heart and prepares him/her for their own unique relationship with God. The Navadha Bhakti or 9 stages of devotion are actually built into the sadhana that helps awaken these bhavas within us.