Pañcamy Amṛta Vṛṣṭiḥ
Ruci – Taste
Verses 1-2
When the golden coin of bhakti, devotion, shining effulgently by the fire of steady practice and propelled by its own energy, becomes fixed in the devotee's heart, ruci or taste for devotional activities appears.
When a person develops a taste for the activities of bhakti such as hearing and chanting, which is vastly greater than attraction to anything else, that is called ruci.
Unlike the previous stages, at the state of ruci constant performance of hearing and chanting does not result in even the least fatigue.
Ruci quickly produces a great attachment to the activities of bhakti.
This is similar to a brāhmaṇa boy who, after diligently studying the scriptures daily, and in time grasping the meaning, finds no difficulties at all in applying himself to study, and moreover, develops a pleasure in the task.
Because of a defect in the liver the ability to taste becomes affected, and sugar becomes distasteful.
Sugar however is also the medicine to cure the defect.
Understanding this, an afflicted person will take sugar daily, though it may be distasteful, and eventually he will develop a real taste for it, as it cures his sickness.
In this way, the jīva's heart which is contaminated by ignorance and the other kleśas, becomes cured by the medicine of hearing, chanting and the other devotional processes, which in the beginning may not be so tasteful, and eventually develops a taste for the activities.
Verses 3-4
Ruci is of two types: that which depends on excellence of elements, and that which does not.
Excellence of elements refers to an excellence relating to such things as the Lord's name, qualities, form.
For instance a person may only experience pleasure from kīrtana if it is pleasing to the ear and artistically sung, or may only relish topics of the Lord if they are delivered skillfully with literary ornaments and qualities, or may only enjoy Deity worship if all the implements, place, and materials are of high standard.
This is just like a person with a weak appetite who, when notified of a meal, will ask what types of preparations there are and of what quality.
The first type of ruci is in which a slight trace of impurity remains.
Therefore if a person depends on the excellency of the material elements of kīrtana to experience a spiritual taste, one should understand that this is evidence of impurity in his heart.
A person with the second type of ruci will experience great pleasure wherever and whenever there is a performance of kīrtana.
He does not depend on excellence of the elements because he has actual depth in his taste.
One should understand that he has no trace of impurity in his heart.
Oh friend, giving up the nectar of Kṛṣṇa's names, why are you engaging yourself in pursuits for security and enjoyment, so hard to attain?
What can I say? I am unfortunate, for I am the lowest criminal. Though I have received the mercy of the spiritual master, I have not understood its proper value. Instead I have been wandering everywhere, and in that way I have wasted my life.
Keeping a precious jewel tied in the hem of my cloth, I have been searching out a cracked cowrie, a spot of false happiness between the banks of the river of material engagements.
Not practicing any aṅga of bhakti, I have simply manifested lack of energy. So deceitful I am, such is my sense of taste, that I lick up acrid-tasting profane gossip like nectar and remain apathetic to hear the names, qualities and pastimes of the Lord.
How unfortunate I am! When I start to hear about the Lord, I comfortably fall asleep, and at any opportunity for vulgar discussion, I prick up my ears and become wide awake. In this way I have contaminated the assembly of devotees and everything else.
Old and bent as I am, what sinful act have I not performed, simply for the satisfaction of my insatiable belly? I do not know what type of hell I will have to suffer for all my activities.
In this way the devotee will despair over his previous state of consciousness with a taste of disgust.
Then, in a remote place, like a swan, he will begin tasting and speaking reverently the nectarean topics about the Lord, the juice from the fruit of the desire tree, the Great Upaniṣad, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, containing the mystic science of bhakti.
He will converse constantly with devotees, to the exclusion of all topics other than Kṛṣṇa like a curious spectator, first standing, then sitting, finally entering in with full attention.
He will take refuge in the Lord's dhāma and will fix himself purely in the Lord's service. Ignorant people will think he is going crazy.
The blissful devotional service performed by the expert devotees is like a dance.
The devotee begins to learn the lessons of that dance; being taken by the hands of the dance instructress, ruci, he learns all experiencing an extraordinary, unprecedented, unimaginable golden bliss which cannot be described.
In what blissful realm will he come to exist, when in time, he is made to dance by the supreme masters of dance, bhāva and prema?