There are an abundance of educational activities and service opportunities at Jiva Institute.  Some highlights include:

Dr. Satyanarayana Das Babaji teaching

• Courses: After the 5 years Bhakti-tirtha course from 2016 to 2021, we are not conducting the Bhakti-ratna course, which also runs for 6 months from October to end of March. It is covering the entry level books of the Sad-darshanas with a detailed study of Bhakti literature. Beside this there are classes on Srimad Bhagavatam and other classes on request.
• Research and Publication: Jiva Institute is actively engaged in translating and publishing the literature related to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. A present one of the main focuses is in presenting the Sat Sandarbhas of Jiva Gosvami into the English language. Five of the Six Sandarbhas have been already published. The last one, Priti Sandarbha, will be published Another major research work, taken up by Dr. Demian Martin, is discovering the unpublished works of Baladeva Vidyabhusana and translating and printing them. He has already published Tattva Dipika, Siddhanta Darpana, Mula Ramayana, and Gaura-ganasvarupa Tattva Candrika.

• Sanskrit School for Indian and international students at its Institute in Vrindavan and its branch in nearby Radha Kunda. Through our partnership with Sampurnananda Sanskrit University in Benares, Jiva’s Sanskrit School offers students the ability to pursue undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees. Classes are taught in English and in Hindi. In addition to studying grammar, scholars from around the world also frequent the Institute to study philosophical scripture under the guidance of renowned Sanskrit scholar, Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa.
• Gaudiya Grantha Mandir: This repository of texts is a community effort to collect, edit, and make available important and often rare Sanskrit and Bengali texts that belong to the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition. It will eventually contain carefully edited and proofread editions of the whole corpus of Caitanya Vaisnava texts and many other important Sanskrit texts from other traditions and fields of study.

• Goshala & Cow Service:  Feeding cows is very auspicious in Vedic Culture. Caring for and protecting cows is one of the oldest and most important features of Vedic culture. Cows are considered holy in India. They maintain human life through providing milk and tilling the land.

  

  Cows also serve as a practical example of proper conduct for humanity as they work for the welfare of other beings without causing them distress.  Goshala means the home of protected cows. Jiva Institute maintains a small Goshala at its facility for residents to interact with India’s sacred animal. Jiva Institute also supports several larger Goshalas in Vrindavan where residents are able to render service to the cows. Jiva ensures its students and residents the opportunity to participate in the timeless tradition of cow service and to benefit from the qualities of humility, compassion and selflessness such work instills in one’s character.

• Bio-Faming: Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies believes in the importance of an organic lifestyle and this begins with the food we eat.  Jiva owns 17 acres of farmland around Vrindavan where it grows the organic grains and vegetables consumed at its Institute.  While refraining from using pesticides and chemicals is important, organic farming goes beyond these fundamental principles.  It encompasses the environment, agricultural traditions, traditional seeds, animal protection, community, responsible resource use, and resource conservation.  Organic agriculture is based on the maintenance of local community through adhering to its inherent ecological cycles and conditions rather than using external inputs, which ultimately yield adverse effects.
  

  Satyanarayana Dasa and Professors of Jiva Institute on the Jiva Farm in Vrindavan

  Organic farming promotes a high quality of life for all living being involved. India has been steeped in the ancient wisdom of farming since the dawn of human civilization. The enlightened sages living in the forests understood the rhythms of nature and how humans could exist in synergy instead of opposition to these rhythms. Jiva Institute is committed to preserving this ancient knowledge and integrating it into our lives.

Future Plans and Projects

Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies is constantly planning, evolving and improving itself for the future. Our plans include:

1. To create critical editions of the major works of the Gosvamis.

3. To reprint rare and out-of-print books in their original language. This keeps books from going out of existence.

4. Setting up a university that represents the complete conception of Vedic culture in a modern context.

5. Expanding our online courses for promoting Sanskrit language, philosophy and other Indian sciences, such as astrology and music.

6. To establish an art department for illustrating the books produced at Jiva Institute.

7. Digitalizing its manuscripts to make them accessible to a wider body of people. We want to make ancient texts, written on mango leaves and tree bark, available on this website in the near future.