Śrī Jīva Goswami refutes the notion that the universe is not real
Is the universe real? What does the word ‘real’ mean?
I am interested in Chaitanya Vaishnavism. This site is inspired by the teachings of Sri Satyanarayana dasa Babaji, scholar and practitioner.
Is the universe real? What does the word ‘real’ mean?
Absolute reality is called advaya-jñāna in the scriptures. What does this term mean?
In Anuccheda 60 of the Paramātmā Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Goswami accepts the Vedantic concept of sat-kārya-vāda as applying to the material world. Here we examine what sat-kārya-vāda means.
Hinduism has so many gods and so many scriptures. Why?
Prakaṭa means ‘manifest’, and aprakaṭa is the negation of manifest, or ‘unmanifest’. These terms crop up in the discussions of the tenth canto in the context of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s leaving Vṛndāvana for Mathurā. The gopīs are distraught. Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises them that He would return, but He never […]
Of the many amazing teachings of Śrī Jīva Goswami are his superb explanations of bhakti yoga, and its total difference from karma yoga and jñāna yoga. I heard these terms and frustratingly fruitless discussions about them from many others years ago. For example, in one current and prominent […]
Vairāgya literally means a state in which a person is devoid of attachment or rāga for things. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, we come across the curious term ‘yukta-vairāgya’, or literally, ‘appropriate’ vairāgya. Here we examine the definition of yukta-vairāgya as given by Śrī Rūpa Goswami, and examine Śrī Jīva’s […]
The famous eight instructions of Śri Caitanya
Pradhāna is the unmanifest state consisting of the three guṇas in a neutralized state.
Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism has come to be associated with proselytizing in modern times. However, a deeper study of the foundations of the tradition appear to not support the notion that ‘preaching’ was the main purpose of Śrī Caitanya. I have written about this elsewhere. We can also discern this […]
Leaving an inauthentic teacher and path.
The root cause of suffering is the jīva’s identification with the body. Is this identification real?