“Bhava has to do with the spirit — and the mind cannot comprehend the spirit.”
Bhava and bhava samadhi — often translated as “spiritual trance” — name a wide range of moods, ecstasy and loss of ordinary consciousness that arise in devotional practice. Swamiji explained that bhava works “through the unseen astral presence of higher spirits.”
It is a phenomenon of the spirit, best understood by experiencing it rather than by reasoning about it. Swamiji gave this experience generously, across every level of readiness, and consistently affirmed its authenticity and value.
His answer had four words.
Meditation on the third eye — the one practice he asked of everyone.
Sacred ash — a blessing and a token of his grace.
Devotional singing, which opens the heart and often carries devotees into bhava.
Direct spiritual experience — the spirit touched while the mind stands aside.
Bhava is best understood in a bhajan gathering or a program held in Swamiji’s tradition.
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