Every school of thought has some distinctive principles that make it different from other schools. In the Gaudīya school, one such principle is that bhakti is the only means of fully realizing the tattva (Reality), which manifests in triplicity as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Specifically, our school asserts that any endeavor devoid of bhakti will
Bhakti Sandarbha, which is the fifth volume in the anthology, deals with abhidheya, the prescribed method to actualize our relation with Bhagavān. After in Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī has established Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original complete form of Bhagavān and the source of all other avatāras based on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, he now discusses
Question: In Bhagavat Sandarbha, Anuccheda 3, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī cites Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.5.66–69): That which is unmanifest, free from aging, inconceivable, unborn, never decaying, indefinable and formless, which is thus devoid of hands, legs and other such bodily limbs; which is supreme, all-pervading, eternal, the cause of all beings, yet without any cause; which is
Offenses of the Instructor and the Instructed To give a valuable object to an unqualified person is indirectly disrespectful to the valuable object. An unqualified person does not understand the value of the object and thus will not respect it. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as respectable as Kṛṣṇa Himself, being nondifferent from Him.
The Name Is Not To Be Equated with Pious Works Bhakti and karma are two distinct paths. The qualifications needed for the two paths are also different. It is important to know this distinction. One should not use the chanting or kīrtana of holy name as a replacement for a Vedic dharmic ritual. That is
Committing Sins on the Strength of the Holy Name Śraddhā in śastra is the foundation of spiritual life. On the path of bhakti, this includes having śraddhā in the power of the name of Kṛṣṇa. There are hundreds of statements in śastra that state that even if one chants the name incidentally, one is freed
The third offense, to disrespect one’s guru, has not been elaborated by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, because it is considered as a special case of the first offense, i.e., to disrespect or criticize the genuine devotees (the sat). Spiritual life is based on knowledge given by śāstra, which begins with faith, śraddhā. If we have faith
