I am interested in Chaitanya Vaishnavism. This site is inspired by the teachings of Sri Satyanarayana dasa Babaji, scholar and practitioner.
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 […]
I have been flooded with congratulatory messages about the success of India’s chandrayaan-3 mission, whose goal was to soft-land a lander on the moon. The mission was a resounding success, achieving a soft landing on the lunar south pole on 23rd August, 2023. This is undoubtedly a crowning […]
Chapters 29-33 of the Bhāgavatam describe the rāsa-līlā of Bhagavān and the gopīs. Some claim that sādhakas should not hear these chapters till they have freed themselves from material desires, as otherwise, hearing the rāsa-līlā can further inflame their material desires. However, these claims do not find support […]
I recently became aware that some Gauḍiyas criticize Śrī Jīva Goswami for teaching svakīya-vāda in the Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha. These people go to the extent of rejecting his commentary on the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, and even the Sandarbhas, outright. They consider Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī to be reliable because he firmly supports […]
Q: I saw on social media that some quote text 5 of Anuccheda 4 of Bhagavat-sandarbha about how the jiva ‘regains its natural position’, proving that the jīva falls down from the spiritual world. Can you kindly explain what that text says? A: Sure. First, a rule to […]
A new article in Vrindavan Today on Babaji:
Anyone who has followed this website knows that the answer to the question in the title is an unequivocal ‘no’. Yet, there is now an ongoing trend to misinterpret Śrī Jīva Goswami’s teachings to support the theory that the jīva falls from the spiritual world. We at bhaktitattva.com […]
From Śrī Babaji’s commentary on Anuchheda 153 of the Bhakti Sandarbha — In Anuccheda 121, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī concluded the investigation into the means of ultimate attainment, establishing bhakti as the abhidheya for all human beings. He then began to specify the primary characteristics of bhakti , which […]
Aparādhas or offenses are the only obstacles that prevent sādhakas from attaining the fruit of bhakti. There are sevā-aparādhas and nāma-aparādhas. I have presented nāma-aparādhas elsewhere. Here, I examine sevā-aparādhas. In the Bhakti Sandarbha Anuchheda 300, Śrī Jīva Goswami writes: tathāsmin pāda-sevārcana-mārge,yānair vā pādukair vāpi gamanaṁ bhagavad-gṛhe ity-ādinā āgamoktā […]