Q: I had a question about an article by a devotee. He says that the śuddha citta in which prema manifests is the citta of the spiritual body, and not the material citta. What is your opinion on this? A: How does this author explain this verse from the […]
The Caitanya tradition, being based squarely on the Bhāgavata purāṇa, has a different understanding of bhakti as compared to other Vaisnava traditions such as the Madhva tradition or the Śrī Vaisnava tradition. Unlike these other traditions, in the Caitanya tradition, bhakti and varṇāśrama are two different or distinct […]
Why is Śrī Jīva Goswami important? Why should one study his Sandarbhas? I can think of no better answer to this question than two verses that Śrī Babaji has composed which I reproduce below. They appear at the beginning of each of the Sandarbha books that he has […]
We frequently hear these days that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. Presumably these ideas come from the following type of statements that He has made in the Gītā (9.24): ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca | na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te || Indeed, […]
Nothing is more frustrating for a serious seeker than conceptual inconsistencies. Thankfully, Śrī Jīva Goswami’s approach is methodical, structured and well-planned, features a fearsome command over Sanskrit, and involves searching for and establishing a consistent, unitary message of the entire corpus of Indian theological literature. Seven types of […]
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: 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 an ācārya has made many such statements about women. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]