Page:Bengal Vaishnavism - Bipin Chandra Pal.djvu/105

 90 BENGAL VAISHNAVISM physical or physiological plane in (i) perspira- tion, (ii) tremor, (iii) pulaka, which means that extreme exultation of the nerves that lead to the hair of body to stand erect, (iv) flowing of tears, (v) pallor, (vi) unsteady' voice, (vii) absolute stillness of the body, and (viii) trance or swoon, wherein all outer consciousness is lost. These transformations result both from the chanting of the name of the Lord or nama- keertana and the singing of lyrics depicting the leela or S]5ort of the Lord, or what goes by the generic name of raaa-keertana. Every one can pursue the worship of the Lord through nama-keertana, but those whose senses have not been purified by means of strict and laborious physical, pS 3 xho-physical, mental, ethical and spiritual disciplines are not entitled to adopt the exercises of the rasa-keertana. These rasa-keertana-s, organised in the Bengal Yaishnava tyrics, that paint the romance of the different emotions, have a dual aspect : one sensuous and even erotic, and the other super- sensuous and spiritual. Those who are not trained to idealise and spiritualise their human and sensuous relations are not qualified to really enjoj' and spiritually profit by the rasa-keer- tana-B, that paint in the terms of vulgar canial