Question: I would like to discuss an apparent contradiction concerning the impassibility of God (the theological concept that God does not experience pain or pleasure in relation to material happiness or suffering of the living entities). As you know, Jīva Gosvāmi is firm on this point. God’s emotional life plays out under the influence of
Question: In his Hari Nāmamṛta Vyākaraṇa, in one of his vṛtti commentaries, Jīva Gosvāmī analyzes the declension of words “vaikuṇṭha-dhvas” and “vaikuṇṭha-sras”, which both mean “one who falls down from Vaikuṇṭha”. One may, of course, argue that the words refer to Jaya and Vijaya. But if they were indeed the only souls who fell down from
Question: In SB 3.33.6, it is stated: tyan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād, yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit śvādo ‘pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate, kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt “To say nothing of the spiritual advancement some who see the Him face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if
Question: I´m experiencing some duality regarding the functional aspect of the Paramātmā. On one side we hear that his role as Antaryāmī is neutral; only a witness bestowing the proper fruits of one´s good or bad actions or in other words, an aspect of God more related to the world and the principle of karma/justice. On
Question: Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī writes in his Paramātma Sandarbha (44): tad evam ananta eva jīvākhya taṭasthaḥ śaktayaḥ. tatra tāsāṁ varga dvayaṁ. eko vargaḥ anādita eva bhagavad unmukhaḥ anyas tu anādita eva bhagavat parāṅmukhaḥ svabhāvataḥ tadīya jñāna bhāvāt tadīya jñānābhāvāc ca: “There are innumerable spirit souls and they are the marginal potency of God. There are
QUESTION: I have a few questions that are important to me. It would be very kind of you to speak to them. Of the sādhanāṅga… № 32 is gīta, singing songs about Krishna № 33 is saṅkīrtana, “nāma-līlā-guṇādīnāmuccair-bhāṣā tu kīrtanam” № 34 is japa, “mantrasya sulaghūccāro japa ity abhidhīyate” And a little later… № 45 is smṛti – yathā kathaṁ
Changing Form according to Bhāva QUESTION: In Chāndogya Upaniṣad, it is mentioned that a mukta jīva can expand into many bodies. How is this possible for the atomic (aṇu) jīva? ANSWER: Just as a tiny bulb can spread its light in a big room, an atomic jīva can spread consciousness in a big body. The yogīs
