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? […]
The Vedas are four- Ṛg , Yajur , Sāma , and Atharva. The Vedas alone are accepted as apauruṣeya – without human origin and hence a valid means to acquire knowledge of that which is beyond the material world. What is the status of the Purāṇas and Itihāsas […]
In the Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Goswami shows how the Bhāgavata teaches the concept that Kṛṣṇa alone is Svayaṁ Bhagavān. To fortify his interpretation, Śrī Jīva Goswami identifies a four-fold army (caturaṅginī senā) which supports the emperor statement, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayaṁ. His analysis is too vast to […]
As we discussed in a previous article, in Anuccheda 28 of the Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Goswami presents the emperor statement, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayaṁ – Kṛṣṇa, however, is Bhagavān Himself – in the famous verse below: ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge […]
Śrī Babaji answers a question in the book Pearls of Wisdom: Question: We read in the Bhāgavata about the austerities of King Pṛthu: “In the summer, he placed fires around himself in the four directions, with the sun burning overhead. During the monsoon season he tolerated the torrents […]
As we discussed in a previous article, in Anuccheda 28 of the Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Goswami presents the emperor statement, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayaṁ – Kṛṣṇa, however, is Bhagavān Himself – in the famous verse below: ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge […]
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is divided into 12 books, called skandhas, and contains 335 chapters. It is a dialogue between Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī, the teacher, and the sages, headed by Śaunaka Ṛṣi. The dialogue took place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India. In the […]
As we examined in a previous article, the concept of mithyā in Advaita-vāda must be properly understood and represented. As a reminder, mithyā means sat-asat-bhinnam or “neither sat nor asat” Water seen in a mirage is neither sat nor asat. It is not asat like a son of […]
It is very common to come across triumphant pronouncements in some modern Vaiṣṇava sects of how their gurus have refuted Advaita-vāda comprehensively. Yet a closer examination reveals that these sects do not have a clear understanding of even basic concepts of Advaita-vāda. More often than not, these sects […]
Lata Mangeshkar, singing genius and the voice of India, passed away a few days ago.
The word apauruṣeya is bandied about a lot, but few understand what it really means.
A nyāya is a logical argument that is used to establish one’s point. Śrī Jīva Goswami and Śrī Visvanatha make copious use of nyāyas to support their conclusions. Being the main tool for argument and refutation, it is important to be able to construct nyāyas without defects. Many […]