Question: I wanted to know whether your paramparā has any scope for Gaura Gadādhara upāsanā. We know that many of the Nadiyā bhaktas wrote songs in praise of them together. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur and some of his followers also had a focus on Gaura Gadādhara. The other thing is, does your paramparā think that Gaura Gadādhara
Question: Previously, was there any distinction of dress between Gaudiya Vaishnavas and the regular population in India, and for the different varnas? What did people generally wear? There seems to be no mention of grihastha dress in shastra, only sannyasa garb. Answer: There is no such thing as Vaishnava dress specifically. It is Indian dress
Question: I have done spiritual research especially on Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy for several years and would like to clarify a few things. First, are there any similarities between Vaishnavism and Vaijirayana Buddhism? I started my spiritual path with Tibetan Buddhism and see similarities. Answer: Vaishnavism is much older than Buddhism. It is rooted in the
Sri Caitanya’s Initiation Question: I had a question regarding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s initiation. Some friends and I were talking about His pastimes and wondering why Mahaprabhu took sannyasa initiation from Keshava Bharati, even though he was against Mayavadi philosophy? If you could please clarify. Answer: If you have read Caitanya Caritamrita then you may remember
One of the aims of Jiva Institute is to publish rare books. Dr. Demian Martins discovered this previously unknown work of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and translated it into English. It has been printed for the first time in Gaudiya history and is now available in our Online Store. The author reveals here the identities of Sri Caitanya’s associates in
Question: I’m currently exploring Bhaktivinod Thakur’s understanding of the nature of sastra. He seems to suggest that sastra (Veda) is an expression of the inherent knowledge of the jiva. Here is a fairly clear statement expressing this position (from ch. 3 of his Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala): Q: How can one know the truth about the Lord (bhagavat-tattva)?
On the occasion of Śrī Haridāsa Śāstrī Mahārāja's Tirobhava Mahotsava at Kalidaha on October 14th, a new book was published and presented: Śrī Guru Darśanam - An Anthology of Questions and Answers with Śrī Śrī Haridāsa Śāstrī Mahārāja Navatīrtha
