In Anuccheda 238 of Bhakti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī describes the importance of service and association with Vaiṣṇavas. Citing the statements of Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava, he shows how sādhu-saṅga captures the heart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Incidentally he also talks about how to deal with a situation if one has accepted an unqualified guru. Below
In Anuccheda 236 of Bhakti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explains that surrender to Bhagavān is the first step in pure devotion. However, Bhagavān is not directly available to us. So how do we surrender to Him? What is the proof that we are truly surrendered? It is not easy for our ahaṅkāra to surrender because
Surrender is the most fundamental step on the path of bhakti. It is like the foundation for the edifice of bhakti. The foundation is invisible but supports the edifice. Similarly, the activities of devotional service are based on surrender. Without surrender, service is nothing but work. The varṇāśrama system in Vedic society was designed to
To engage in the practice of bhakti, a practitioner needs the requisite knowledge about the practice and the goal to be achieved. These are the questions that are often asked: “Does this knowledge have to be received from a qualified teacher? Is it not possible to receive the knowledge by myself with the help of
In Anucchedas 179 to 185 of Bhakti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī establishes that bhakti descends into the heart of a jīva only by the association of a devotee, sadhu-saṅga or satsaṅga. Then, from Anucchedas 186 to 202.1, he describes various types of sādhus on the path of karma, jñāna and bhakti while emphasizing bhakta-sādhus. He
Question: In a seminar about the nature of the mind, you had mentioned that the subtle body (manas, buddhi, ahaṅkāra, citta) expresses itself through the physical brain, chemicals, etc. Therefore bhakti, Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual energy, also expresses itself through the manas, buddhi, ahaṅkāra, citta, and the brain chemistry. This may mean that theoretically, it should be
Question: I understand that there are two ways to practice rāganugā-bhakti: 1) sādhaka-rupa-sevā – Chant, serve guru. 2) siddha-rupa-sevā – Serve Sri Radha, Sri Lalita, but only if and when guru wishes to give knowledge of siddha-rupa. Rāgānugā bhakti begins at point 1) above after dikṡā. One may not ever get to point 2) in
