In a previous article, I examined the definition of rāgānugā bhakti. This rāgānugā bhakti is primarily for Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Gokula. It is not even practiced toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Dwaraka or Mathura. Needless to say, it is out of the question for other forms of Bhagavān like […]
If I had to pick the most misunderstood topic in the Caitanya tradition today, it would have to be jīva-tattva. The ontology of the jīva as taught in the Sandarbhas is fundamental to the bhakti tradition but few know and understand it clearly. The same types of questions […]
I have examined the definition of rāgānugā bhakti by Śrī Rūpa Goswami in a previous article. Here I examine Śrī Jīva Goswami’s definition of rāgānugā bhakti as presented in the Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuchheda 310.1. As usual, Śrī Jīva is precise in defining terms, and understanding his definition fully […]
From Śrī Babaji’s commentary on the Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, Anuchheda 183 Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī concludes his lengthy investigation into the existential reality of Kṛṣṇa’s being Svayaṁ Bhagavān. The conclusion that he reaches in this anuccheda constitutes the heart and the uniqueness of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism. We summarize here his conclusions […]
In a previous post, I examined the objections of Advaitins to svarūpa-śakti in the paraṁ tattva, as presented by Śrī Jīva Goswami in his Sarva-samvādinī commentary. Here, I will examine his refutation. Śrī Jīva starts with the Śrī Vaiṣṇava response to Advaitins: śrī-vaiṣṇavās tv evaṁ vadanti—bhāva-rūpasyaiva tasya tattvasya […]
A reader requested that I explain the definitions of the term ‘śakti’ present in Śrī Jīva Goswami’s Sarva-samvādinī commentary on the Bhagavat Sandarbha. As I examined the commentary, I realized that I would have to present his arguments in their entirety. I have therefore decided to translate Śrī […]
Question: Who is an ācārya? Answer: The definition of the term ‘ācārya’ is as follows: svayamācarate yastu ācāre sthāpayatyapi ācinoti ca śāstrārthānācāryastena cocyate He who collects the [essential] meanings of śāstra [i.e. explains them to the disciple], models [them] in his own behavior [ācarate], and inculcates [them] in […]
Śrī Babaji answers questions in Pearls of Wisdom– Question: What are the criteria for leaving one’s guru and taking reinitiation? Answer: This is an important and relevant question in present times. The first and foremost point of clarification on this topic is that although the word “guru” has […]
Question: Is Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa or Śrī Jīva author of the Sandarbhas? Answer: Anuchheda 4 and Anuccheda 5 of the Tattva Sandarbha make this matter clear. There, Śrī Jīva writes as follows (Śrī Babaji’s translation) ko’pi tad-bāndhavo bhaṭṭo dakṣiṇa-dvija-vaṁśajaḥ | vivicya vyalikhad granthaṁ likhitād vṛddha-vaiṣṇavaiḥ ||4|| Śrī Gopāla […]
In a previous article, I had discussed the meaning of the word ‘acintya’ in Caitanya Vaiṣṇava theology. There, I had shown that the word ‘acintya’ in the term ‘acintya bheda-abheda’ has the following related meanings: A reader reminded me that I owe readers an article on a related […]
A skeptical reader asked where Śrī Jīva Goswami explicitly states that experience, which is a type of perception, requires a mind-body complex. That this is so is a rather commonplace feature of Vedantic thought, although the reader seemed to think that this is somehow a feature of the […]
I am often asked about verse 10.2.32 from the Bhagavata purana. Proponents cite this verse to support the mistaken notion that the jīva can fall from Brahman. That is, after death, the jīva can attain Brahman, but it will fall down from there eventually, back into the material […]