Swami Answers Questions of Smt. Chhanda on Mahaa Bhaava and Urdhvareta

1. Is it mandatory for Urdhvareta that he has to be a perfect celibate accompanied by Mahaa Bhaava?

[Smt. Chhanda asked:- Padanamaskaram O Lord Datta! In yesterday’s (21^st June, 2026) satsanga, it was told that Shri RamaKrishna Pramahamsa was totally free of any sexual desire and is the best example of Urdhvareta. This is a fact indeed. In this regard, I had a small discussion with Nikhil sir. From that discussion, I got the following queries. They are given below. I would like to request You to kindly clarify them.  Is it mandatory for Urdhvareta that he has to be a perfect celibate accompanied by Mahaa Bhaava?]

Swami replied:- Mahaa Bhaava means the concentration of feelings on God. Mahaa means God (Mahat Brahma iti proktam). Bhaava means feeling. The most important point here is that the attractive feeling on God must be natural and not by any force caused by an effort. When it is natural, it will be real and permanent. In the context of love to God, it should be a natural and spontaneous process. Of course, in the beginning stage, some efforts are needed. Suppose you are involved in a conversation, which you like very much. You are attracted to the discussion of the topic so much that you even forget eating and drinking also. That is Mahaa Bhaava. It should come by itself and stay permanently by itself without your trace of effort. Becoming Urdhvareta (male, who can pull back his semen and dissolve it into the blood) cannot be possible without Mahaa Bhaava (complete concentration on God).

2. Is the idea of leading a family life in total conflict with the idea of Urdhvareta?

[We all know that Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa led a very ordinary family life. Maa Sarada was there with Him till the very last day of His life in that incarnation. Is it mandatory for Him (an incarnation) also that being an Urdhvareta, He must not have even a regular family life? Is this idea of leading a family life in total conflict with the idea of Urdhvareta? But, at the same time, the fact remains the same that He was with His wife (Divine Mother) till the very end. I think it was very natural for Him even with the presence of His wife. I also think that it was a lesson for all of us where God kept Himself as the example of climax devotion. Is it not right?]

Swami replied:- Mother Sharada was also in the same Mahaa Bhaava. Hence, both Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mother Sharada did not even get a thought of sexual life. We can say that even Mother Sharada was also Urdhvareta. Since she is a female, the word ‘retaas’ here indicates the dissolution of vital life energy (Ojas) into the blood. In exceptional cases, Pravrutti or family life is neglected before the level of climax devotion to God. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mother Sharada are one such exceptional case.

3. In spite of being in family life, was Paramahamsa an Urdhvareta?

[Does this example not show that in spite of being in family life, Paramahamsa remained a perfect celibate along with Mahaa Bhaava of course, was an Urdhvareta?]

Swami replied:- Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was in family life, but this word ‘family life’ means only that they were together in a house without any sexual life or even sexual feeling.

4. Can we say that the human being component of Paramahamsa cannot be Urdhvareta, but God component in Him made it possible?

[Can we say the human being-component of Shri Ramakrishna cannot be Urdhvareta being in family life but the presence of God-component in Him made it possible? If it is so, then the use of supernatural power has to come and He never favored it for Himself like other incarnations. Please comment.]

Swami replied:- God stands as an example for human beings to follow the climax spiritual path. Even if one fails, one day or the other, the human being can achieve such state of Mahaa Bhaava. In human incarnation, the human being-component and God-component have perfectly merged with each other. Therefore, the human being-component attains the nature of the God-component.

5. Is it true that even a devotee can also become an Urdhvareta by God’s grace?

[I also read at some places that Swami Vivekananda was also an Urdhvareta. If it is true then this example shows that by God’s grace even a devotee of his (Vivekananda) stature can also make it possible. Then can I say that he too was in Mahaa Bhaava? He was always against the institution of marriage and also treated every female as mother only.]

Swami replied:- Swami Vivekananda is the incarnation of sage Nara, who is already a climax devotee having the merge with God called Sage Narayana. This is the reason why the statement of God Krishna in the Gita that He is Arjuna is not wrong in the basic angle. Because of the ignorance (role), it is an arthavaada. But, if you take Sage Nara, who is the actor of Swami Vivekananda’s role, the arthavaada is also true in the basic angle. The celibate himself/herself means ‘Urdhvareta’. Without being Urdhvareta, one cannot be a perfect celibate.

6. Can we say that for any ordinary or even perfect celibate, it is just impossible to be an Urdhvareta?

Swami replied:- Unless one is Urdhvareta, Mahaa Bhaava is not perfect. Both are inter-linked. If a human being tries to attain this Mahaa Bhaava, God will be pleased with the consistent efforts and will merge with that devoted human being to make it successful in the spiritual line by making him/her Urdhvareta. Sometimes, God can also give this result by His power of grace.

7. How can we explain ‘Radha and other successful Gopikas were in Mahaa Bhaava’?

[Shri Paramahamsa also told that Radha and other successful Gopikas were in Mahaa Bhaava in the devotion to Lord Krishna. How can we explain this in line with my above questions, if at all it has any relevance?]

Swami replied:- In the case of Radha and Krishna, the madhura bhakti (sweet devotion) pertains to the roles, but not to the actors. As actors, both Radha and Krishna are one and the same unimaginable God. This applies only to Radha and not all Gopikas. In fact, all Gopikas have already burnt their lust in previous births through penance and they only acted as if they were in Dushpravrutti, as per the instruction of God for the sake of uplifting souls in the Kali age. Gopikas were also in Mahaa Bhaava like Radha. But since they were not incarnations of Parabrahman like Radha, who is Mahaa Maayaa, Krishna did not meet them directly in the level of roles.

8. Is the Mahaa Bhaava related to only devotion?

[Shri Paramahamsa’s soul being the soul of a Gopika (I guess it is a soul of a successful Gopika), was it very natural for Him to be in Mahaa Bhaava? Is this Mahaa Bhaava not related to only devotion then? We then can also say that in spite of being in family, they could come up to this stage. Is it not? In the birth of a successful Gopika, is this concept of Urdhvareta applicable then? Of course, a justified worldly life is always mandatory. At Your divine lotus feet always, Chhanda]

Swami replied:- ‘Mahaa Bhaava’ means nothing but climax devotion to God. Some clever devotees want to confuse others by introducing new words like ‘Mahaa Bhaava’ and make other devotees think that they don't know these things. By this, the speaker wants to establish his/her speciality in the minds of the other devotees.

Mahaa means God and Bhaava means love. Mahaa Bhaava means theoretical phase called love on God. It has nothing to do with the hormonal-provoked love of the physical state of the body, provided the devotee is completely detached from it. There are several liberated devotees, who lead a family life and have children. The attachment of mind is very very important. Mahaa Bhaava is purely theoretical phase and not practical phase, provided the soul is completely detached from the practical phase. A devotee is eating food and drinking water, which cannot obstruct the devotion. Similarly, family life is purely related to the physical phase of the body, provided you are not at all connected to it. This is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita.

The mind of a true devotee must be fully absorbed in God. For Urdhvareta, the advantage is that he/she will not face this risk of attachment and detachment to the physical phase. The Urdhvareta makes his/her devotional life very safe without a trace of risk. Being an Urdhvareta is like walking on the ground. The above-mentioned case of Mahaa Bhaava, which is detachment from sex theoretically, even though it is done practically to produce children, is like walking on the rope. For Urdhvaretha, there is not even a trace of risk in the spiritual path.

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