Reader Raj requested an explanation of SB 12.13.12. The verse is as follows: sarva-vedānta-sāraṁ yad brahmātmaikatva-lakṣaṇam vastv advitīyaṁ tan-niṣṭhaṁ kaivalyaika-prayojanam Śrī Jīva Goswami brings this verse up first in the Tattva Sandarbha Anuccheda 52.1, where he mentions that the verse will be discussed in depth later in the […]
Q: I have a thought. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have often heard devotees saying that devotees are not able to practise bhakti properly because they are not following varṇāṣrama. I have heard that the problems with bhakti arise because varṇāṣrama is not established properly. […]
Q: Do the Goswamis say that women are less intelligent than men? A: I am not aware of any statement, anywhere, in any of the Goswamis’ copious writings, that women are less intelligent than men. Q: I ask because a Gaudiya ācārya has made many such statements about […]
Śrī Babaji is famous for translating the Sandarbhas of Śrī Jīva Goswami into English. As we know, there are six Sandarbhas; Śrī Jīva Goswami collectively referred to them as the Bhāgavata Sandarbha in a verse he composed at the beginning of the Tattva Sandarbha in Anuccheda 7. It […]
Dormant prema-vāda posits that the ātman has prema or love inside of it for Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but has forgotten this fact due to māyā. Bhakti, then, is a means to revive this prema by reminding the ātman of it. If the ātman has dormant prema for Śrī […]
We saw in a different post, how Śrī Jīva Gosvāmi explains the essence of the Bhagavad Gītā. Here we examine how he derives the essence of the Bhāgavatam. As a reminder, I reproduce the sixfold criteria from Pūrva-mīmāṁsā for assessing the essence of a work below. The sixfold […]
Q: What is wrong if there are minor differences in teachings of my ācārya? We see such differences commonly between different sampradāyas also? A: How do you define the word ‘minor’ ? How can you assess if a difference is minor? Q: We ultimately chant the same mahāmantra […]
In several previous posts, we have seen Śrī Jīva Goswami’s conclusion that the Bhāgavata teaches the concept that Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is Svayaṁ Bhagavān. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmi bases his analysis on what he identifies as the emperor statement: kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayaṁ. Śrī Jīva derives the same conclusion also from […]
You are in a religious cult if one of more of these apply to you: You look down upon anyone not in your religious group You consider only members of your religious group as worthy of making friendships or maintaining relations You have broken off your old relations […]
I recently went to a Shri Ram temple inauguration. A gentleman generously donated a track of land to build the temple and everyone was invited to the installation of the deities and to raise funds for it. I was impressed with the festivities- there were Maharashtrian ladies performing […]
The Bhagavad-gītā has been variously explained by different commentators as teaching karma, jnāña or bhakti yoga. Some non-Hindus interpret it in their own way to justify their own acts. In their view, the Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to justify ‘holy war’. Others criticize it for advocating violence. How can […]
We saw in a previous article how Śrī Jīva Gosvāmi motivates the study of the Purāṇas. Now there are eighteen major Purāṇas. Some of them extol Śiva as the supreme, others Viṣṇu, and still others praise Brahmā, Devi, Agni or other devatās. What should an unbiased seeker study? […]
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