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mate sense into the most highly developed mind. It gives the wis-
dom side of man's evolution, which leads to the path of Jnana.
Then there is the Bliss aspect of the ray, which directly leads
to the union of the human soul with the Over-soul, of Jiva with
Isvara, and it leads to the path of Bhakti. It is the sensation of
pleasure that makes the lowest organic form, the primordial cell,
break through the inertia of Tamas. The cell moves about, either
for cell union or for the assimilation of food, because these give rise
to some sensation, call it pleasurable, if you like. It is not so easy
to form an idea of the sensation of pleasure in the vegetable kingdom,
but the excitement caused by the union of the sperm cell with the
germ cell cannot but strike any one with the existence of some
such feeling, though in a most rudimentary state.
Animals feel pleasure in the company of their female partners.
They also love their offspring. This gives rise to family connections,
to the formation of society and of social virtues. With the evolution
of body and mind, pleasures become many-sided, and the acquire-
ment of pleasure becomes in itself the principal factor in the deve-
lopment of man. Man seeks his pleasure outside himself, and he
does so either for himself or for others. A point is reached when
self is lost sight of and self sacrifice for the good of others becomes
a duty of pleasure. Self is estranged from the narrow groove of
personality. It tries to identify itself with all beings. There is
philanthropy, there is universal kindness. Still the differences cause
unrest and disquiet. Self finds no rest, till it seeks its reality, till it
makes a homeward journey, for even its own personality and the
outside world lose all charm for it. Self finds bliss in self void of
personality. This is spiritual bliss attained by those that are Antar-
mukh (facing inwards) and not by those that are Bahir Mukh
(facing outwards). Self when seeking self becomes united to the
universal self as its eternal friend and its real aspect. The universal
self in Vrindavana is Sri Krishna. And the bliss of the Gopis is
self-attainment, attachment to self or Atma and not to non-self or
worldly connections.
It is to those and those only that eagerly desire to make this
inward journey that the Vrindavana Lila is addressed.
Nanda is bliss, he is spiritual Bliss the Bliss of an Antar
Mukha. It is spiritual bliss that attracts spirit unto itself. It is the
field for spiritual growth, the nursery ground of enthusiastic devotion
and, what is more, of devotional love. The ideal spiritual bliss is that
of Radhika and of her fellow Gopis. It is the Bliss aspect of fsvara
that in the Jiva causes mutual attractions and makes devotion a law,
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