Philosophy
Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Gaudiya Vaishnavas Philosophy

The Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 6

Different Types of Vṛttis - All acquired knowledge, valid and invalid, is a product of the mind (mano-vṛtti). Śrī Kapila says that there are five types of vṛttis (SB 3.26.30): saṁśayo 'tha viparyāso niścayaḥ smṛtir eva ca svāpa ity ucyate buddher

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Philosophy

The Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 5

Because the nature of ātmā is jñāna, it is self-luminous. The ātmā’s intrinsic “I” is called ahamartha and is not the same as the conditional “I” called ahaṅkāra, which is projected through the mind to form a knot between ātmā and a material body. Ahaṅkāra is tangible as the delusion that a material body is

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Philosophy

The Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 4

Section 2:  The Conception of Advaita-vāda Advaita-vādīs offer authoritative quotations: yo vijñane tiṣṭhan — “It is that which is situated within consciousness.” (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad, 5.7.22) vijñānam yajnam tanute — “Consciousness performs sacrifice.” (Taittriya Upaniṣad, 2.5.1) jñāna-svarūpa — “Its intrinsic form is consciousness.” (Visnu Purāna, 1.2.6) Referring to these statements, they claim that ātmā is the

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Gaudiya Vaishnavas Philosophy

The Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 3

Ātmā is nitya-nirmala, ever pure. This means it never mixes with the qualities (gunas) of matter (prakṛti), it is always distinct from matter, factually untouched by it. This is evident from a statement in Bhāgavata Purāna (5.11.12): “The pure self witnesses the activities of the impure mind.”

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Gaudiya Vaishnavas Philosophy

The Self and Free Will in the Caitanya Sampradāya – Part 1

By Satyanaryana Dasa Part 1: The Nature of Ātmā - Different schools of Indian philosophy and theology present different doctrines regarding the agency, enjoyership and knowership of ātmā, the individual self. Among them, the Vedānta schools accept the authority

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Philosophy

The Ontology of the Jīva – Part 4

Advaita-vādīs raise an objection to this necessity of accepting illuminating power (dharma-bhūta jñāna) as a quality possessed by ātmā: “Consciousness (jñāna) cannot be the shelter of another consciousness (jñāna). So, how can the conscious self possess the quality of consciousness (jñāna)?” The sense of this objection is that an attribute does not have attributes. Attributes

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Philosophy

The Ontology of the Jīva – Part 2

The sixth verse will make it clear that the cause of the ātmā’s union with prakṛti is his own inclination towards and infatuation with her (parābhidhyānena). The current verse hints at this by saying that the ātmā sees (abhyapadyata) the enchanting qualities of prakṛti and thus becomes inclined, attracted towards her. Lord Kapila explains that

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