Shant bhav (शांत भाव)

Shant Bhav is the devotional sentiment of loving God as King, with awe, reverence, and respectful distance.

JKP Literature

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A devotee standing with folded hands before Lord Vishnu seated majestically as Divine King
The devotee approaches God with the awe and reverence of a subject before a king.

Shant Bhav (शांत भाव | śānta bhāva) is the devotional sentiment in which the devotee relates to God as a subject relates to a king.

It is a passive relationship characterized by awe, reverence, and fear of God more than loving intimacy.

The devotee recognizes God's Divine majesty and loves and respects Him while maintaining the distance of a subject before a king.

Devotees established in Shant Bhav attain Baikunth Lok, where they remain in the association of Lord Vishnu and experience the unlimited Divine Bliss of His form and presence. However, His majesty remains constantly apparent, so the devotee does not develop an intimate relationship with Him.

Among the five Bhav (भाव | bhāva), Shant Bhav therefore allows the least intimacy with God. It contains only one relationship: God as King. The increasingly intimate relationships begin with Dasya Bhav, in which God is loved as Lord and the devotee as His servant.

The Rasik Saints do not give special importance to Shant Bhav. Divine love begins with Dasya Bhav, and devotees are therefore usually found practicing Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya, or Madhurya Bhav.

Also written as

Shanta Bhav, Shanta Bhava

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Reference

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