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430 Jiva Gosvāmi and Baladeva Vidyābhūşaņa [CH. no experience of joy in the state of emancipation is invalid; for in that case the state of emancipation would not be desirable. Moreover, the view that in the state of emancipation one becomes absolutely identical with Brahman, which is of the nature of pure joy, is also wrong; for no one wishes to become identical with joy, but to experience it. The extreme form of monism cannot therefore explain why the state of emancipation should be desirable; if emancipation cannot be proved to be an intensely desirable state, there will be no reason why anyone should make any effort to attain it. It may further be added that, if the ultimate reality be of the nature of pure bliss and knowledge, there is no way of explaining why it should be subject to the obscuring influence of māyā. The conception of whole and part explains the fact that, though the jivas are not different from God, yet they are not absolutely identical, being indeed entirely dependent on Him. The proper way of regarding God is to recognize Him as presiding over all beings as they are associated with their specific conditions and limitations-as varied personalities and yet as one; this is the way to unify the concept of Paramātman with that of Bhagavan'.
The Joy of bhakti. Joy in God may be of a twofold nature. By an extension of meaning joy may be that attachment to God which produces the realization of the true conception of God (bhagavad-vişayānukulyatmakas tad-anugata-sprhā dimayo jñāna-višeșas tat-prītiḥ). But there is a more direct experience of joy in God which is directly of an intensely emotional nature; this type of bhakti is also called rati. This is also described as bhakti as love (preman). Just as one is attracted to physical objects by their beauty, apart from any notion of utility, so one may also be attracted by divine beauty and the diverse qualities of God, and fall into intense love with Him. It has already been said above that the joy of God manifests itself in the hearts of His devotees and produces their joyful experience of God.
Apart from the higher kind of mukti reserved for the most superior type of bhaktas there are other kinds of inferior liberation described as sälokya (coexistence with God), sārsti (the advantage of displaying the same miraculous powers as God), sūrūpya (having the same form as that of God), sāmipya (having the privilege of always being near God), sāyujya (the privilege of entering into the divine person of God). A true bhakta, however, always rejects these privileges, and remains content with his devotion to God. Şat-sandarbha, p. 691.
