Questions & Answers

Sri Gadadhara Pandita’s Role in the Gaudiya Sampradaya

Question: On your website [under Lineage], you say that “Jiva Gosvami’s uncles, Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami received diksha from Gadadhara Pandita and Jiva Gosvami followed in the line of his uncles.” I do not see that anywhere in our Vaishnava literature. Is that in Chaitanya Charitamrta?

Brahman and Jivas

Question: My understanding is that on a superior level of analysis, Brahman is made of persons: Jivas, like light is made of photons. Am I right? Answer: No, Brahman is not made of jivas. Jivas are the tatastha sakti of Bhagavan and Brahman is Bhagavan with unmanifest qualities. Moreover, Brahman has no parts. If it were made of jivas, it would have parts in it.

Questions about Jñāna and its Relation to the Self

PhilosophyQuestions & AnswersComments Off on Questions about Jñāna and its Relation to the Self

Question: I read the article on jñāna on your website and have some questions: What is the difference between self-luminous and self-conscious? Answer: Self-luminous means an object which does not need the help of another luminous object to see it or perceive it. For example, a burning candle is self-luminous because you do not need another burning candle or light source to see it. However a book or table is not self-luminous because you need a light source to see it.

Practices of Rāgānugā Bhakti

Question: Eight years ago, by his mercy my guru informed me about my siddha-deha (ekādaś bhāva). Gradually I came to understand that rāgānugā bhakti...   Read More

Questions on Bhakti

Questions & AnswersComments Off on Questions on Bhakti

Upanishads and Kamasutra Question: The Upanishads state that everything is a sacrifice – including the sex act in which woman’s sexual organs are seen...   Read More

God’s Personal and Impersonal Features – Part 3

Continuation of a discussion following a seminar in Terre de Ciel: Another one of God’s most important characteristics is that He has inconceivable power....   Read More

God’s Personal and Impersonal Features – Part 2

Continuation of a discussion following a seminar in Terre de Ciel: Every morning, Krishna’s mother Yashoda used to make butter from milk. She heated...   Read More

  • Satyanarayana Dasa

    Satyanarayana Dasa
  • Daily Bhakti Byte

    Material relations are a chess game. Underneath the surface there is an implicit strategy of, ‘how can I gain something from the other?

    — Babaji Satyanarayana Dasa
  • If you want to donate to Jiva Institute, please contact info@jiva.org.
  • Subscribe

  • Article Archive

  • Chronological Archive

© 2017 JIVA.ORG. All rights reserved.