SB 11.2.40
evam-vratah sva-priya-nama-kirtya
jatanurago druta-citta uccaih
hasaty atho roditi rauti gayaty
unmada-van nrtyati loka-bahyah
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
In this verse, pure love of God is being described. Srila Sridhara Svami has described this spiritual situation as samprapta-prema-laksana-bhakti-yogasya samsara-dharmatitam gatim, or the perfectional stage of life in which one’s devotional service to the Supreme Lord is enriched by ecstatic love. At that time, one’s spiritual duties are entirely beyond the scope of worldly affairs.
In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 7.78), there is the following statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
dhairya dharite nari, hailama unmatta
hasi, kandi, naci, gai, yaiche mada-matta
“While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately approached His spiritual master to ask him why He had apparently become mad by chanting the holy name of Krsna. His guru replied:
krsna-nama-maha-mantrera ei ta’ svabhava
yei jape, tara krsne upajaye bhava
“It is the nature of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Krsna.” (Cc. Adi 7.83) In this connection Srila Prabhupada has commented, “These symptoms are very prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our students of the Krsna consciousness movement chant and dance, even in India people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor these symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has warned us in this regard about the ungodly sahajiyas who imitate the pastimes of the Supreme Lord in an unauthorized way, neglecting the standard injunctions of Vedic scriptures, foolishly trying to take the position of Krsna as Purusottama, and thus making a cheap farce of the exalted pastimes of the Lord. Their so-called ecstatic symptoms like crying, shivering and falling on the ground are not to be confused with the advanced features of devotional service described by Sridhara Svami as samprapta-prema-laksana-bhakti-yoga. Srila Prabhupada comments in this regard, “One who has attained this bhava stage is no longer under the clutches of the illusory energy.” Similarly, Krsnadasa Kaviraja states:
pancama purusartha premanandamrta-sindhu
moksadi ananda yara nahe eka bindu
“For a devotee who has actually developed bhava [love of Godhead], the pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kama and moksa appears like a drop in the presence of the sea.” (Cc. Adi 7.85) As already stated in the previous verse of this chapter, gayan vilajjo vicared asangah: one exhibits the ecstatic symptoms of love of Godhead when he is asanga, free from all attachment to material sense gratification.
The word loka-bahyah in this verse indicates that a pure devotee on the platform of prema, love of Godhead, is not at all concerned with ridicule, praise, respect or criticism from ordinary people in the bodily concept of life. Krsna is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and when He reveals Himself to a surrendered servant, all doubt and speculation about the nature of the Absolute are vanquished forever.
In this connection Sripada Madhvacarya has quoted a verse from the Varaha Purana:
kecid unmada-vad bhakta
bahya-linga-pradarsakah
kecid antara-bhaktah syuh
kecic caivobhayatmakah
mukha-prasadad dardhyac ca
bhaktir jñeya na canyatah
“Some devotees of the Lord exhibit external symptoms, acting like madmen, others are introspective devotees, and still others partake of both natures. It is by one’s steadfastness and by the merciful vibrations emanating from one’s mouth that one’s devotion can be judged, not otherwise.”
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given a very nice example to illustrate ecstatic laughing and other symptoms of love of Godhead: “‘Oh, that thief Krsna, the son of Yasoda, has entered the house to steal the fresh butter. Grab Him! Keep Him away!’ Hearing these menacing words spoken by the elderly gopi Jarati, Krsna immediately prepares to leave the house. The devotee to whom this transcendental pastime is revealed laughs in ecstasy. But suddenly he can no longer see Krsna. He then cries in great lamentation, ‘Oh! I achieved the greatest fortune in the world, and now it has suddenly slipped from my hands!’ Thus the devotee cries loudly, ‘O my Lord! Where are You? Give me Your answer!’ The Lord answers, ‘My dear devotee, I heard your loud complaint, and so I have again come before you.’ Upon seeing Lord Krsna again, the devotee begins to sing, ‘Today my life has become perfect.’ Thus overwhelmed with transcendental bliss, he begins to dance like a madman.”
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also notes that the word druta-cittah or “with a melted heart,” indicates that one’s heart, melted by the fire of anxiety to see the Lord, becomes like Jambunadi, a river of roseapple juice. The acarya further points out, nama-kirtanasya sarvotkarsam: the present and previous verse clearly distinguish the exalted position of sravanam kirtanam visnoh, chanting and hearing the name and glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also emphasized this by quoting:
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
“In this Age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative for spiritual progress but the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.” In his purports to Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 7.76), Srila Prabhupada has given an elaborate explanation of this verse.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura recommends that we study the following verse in this connection:
parivadatu jano yatha tatha va
nanu mukharo na vayam vicarayamah
hari-rasa-madira-madati-matta
bhuvi viluthamo natamo nirvisamah
“Let the garrulous populace say whatever they like; we shall pay them no regard. Thoroughly maddened by the ecstasy of the intoxicating beverage of love for Krsna, we shall enjoy life running about, rolling on the ground and dancing in ecstasy.” (Padyavali 73)