Bridal Mysticism in the Narada Bhakti Sutras

In his introduction to Arunachala Aksharamanamalai, Dr T. M. P. Mahadevan writes the following: "In bridal mysticism, the devotee considers himself to be the bride of God. He employs the intimate language of love in conversing with his Lord. All the processes connected with carnal love are observed to take place between the devotee-soul and the bridegroom, except the carnality. The devotee pines for, cringes, cajoles, chides and quarrels with the Beloved. There are courtship, union, separation, and reunion. In that phase of mysticism which is known as bridal mysticism, the mystic revels in the love-play with the Divine. The culmination of this sadhana, however, is the Realisation of non-duality. Love is never satisfied so long as the dualistic consciousness lasts. Where twoness is, there is no true love. Love is oneness; ananda is Advaita; the Atman is rasa.In Sri Ramana's love-litany we have this clearly taught. ...In the first verse* of Arunachala Aksharamanamalai he speaks of the 'I am Arunachala' experience. When love matures and realises itself, there is nothing but Arunachala. Arunachala is all; all is Arunachala. This is the plenary experience which is advaita."

*O Arunachala! Thou dost root out the egoity of those who think 'I am, verily, Arunachala!'
(from Arunachala Siva - Translation and commentary by Dr T. M. P. Mahadevan, Tiruvannamalai; 2000)


In Srimad Bhagavatam, Skanda 10, Chapter 29, we find Sri Krsna remonstrating, in jest, with the Gopis of Vraja. He advises them that they must not abandon their husbands and families and embark on a relationship with a paramour such as Him, for that would put a serious stain on their reputation and would surely lead to a tremendous fall from Grace. He advises them it would be easier if they saved their reputations and simply returned to their homes and took to devotional practices such as hearing and singing about the Supreme Lord.'The Gopis retorted that they had abandoned all to serve Him, alone, and that, in any case, the blissful Self of all had already stolen their minds and removed any delight that they may have had in family life. In fact, they advised Sri Krsna that if He persisted in sending them away they would attain association with His Lotus Feet through their already constant meditation and thus their bodies would be consumed in the fire of tapas. Those Gopis who had been unable to attend on Sri Krsna personally, perhaps because they had been shut in their homes by their concerned families, gave up their bodies, all karma burnt up by the intense tapas of separation, and immediately attained Realisation of the Self.