Shastra Quiz 4

Learn more: Mukti, Destination before Perfection, Emotions in Gita

Sārṣṭi - the same opulence as Bhagavān.

A devotee possesses the same opulence as Bhagavān though in a minute quantity.

Learn more: The Jīva’s Beginningless Nature and Bondage

Kādācitkī, is devotion performed by people who are not devotees but may perform an act of devotion because of some circumstances.

It is basically the temporary influence of association on someone, just as if you preach to someone and the person may become inclined towards devotion. The influence is not permanent and as soon as the association is lost, bhakti stops.

Learn more: Sayujya-mukti, Divisions of Bhakti, Subhadra

The term “jīvanmukti” means liberated while living in the sādhaka body. This meaning of jīvanmukti is the same for Gaudīyas as well as Advaitavādīs.

Mukti means to give up bodily identification and to be situated in our own svarūpa—muktir hitvānyathā rūpam sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthiti, SB 2.10.6.

Our svarūpa is kṛṣṇa-dāsatva—jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣnera nitya dāsa, CC, Madhya 20.108. The jīva is a servant of Hari and never of anyone else—dāsa-bhūto harer eva na anyasya kadācan, PP 226.37.

We become situated in our svarūpa when we have attained bhāva-bhakti or have gotten our sthāyi-bhāva.

Learn more: Ultimate Mukti Comes from Kṛṣṇa

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that māyā can be subdivided into two categories based on her functions.

The first is called jīva-māyā, the feature of māyā that covers the living being’s true nature, or svarūpa. He also uses the term nimittāṁśa, “efficient or instrumental aspect,” to refer to this subdivision due to it being instrumental in covering the living being with ignorance.

But it is not sufficient to cover consciousness, or the nature of the living being. To perfect the soul’s bondage she must also provide the material body, senses, and sense objects for the jīva’s enjoyment. This is called guṇa-māyā, because all this paraphernalia is a transformation of the guṇas of māyā.

Learn more: The Vaiṣṇava Concept of Māyā

Pure sattva or viśuddha sattvam, is called Vasudeva. In it, Bhagavān becomes manifest. Therefore He is also called Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is viśuddha-sattva, completely free from impurities.

Viśuddha-sattva is also a name for the cit or antaraṅga-śakti of Bhagavān, which means bhakti. So it is a synonym for bhakti because the Lord manifests only in bhakti. When one’s heart is imbued with this energy one can have an inspiration of the Lord’s form in the heart.

Viśuddha-sattva cannot be achieved through material sattva, although sometimes people think sattva in a purified state becomes viśuddha-sattva because it appears like that.

Learn more: Viśuddha Sattva is not of this World

To explain the term sandarbha, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes a well-known verse of unknown origin:

"gūḍhārthasya prakāśaś ca sāroktiḥ śreṣṭhatā tathā
nānārtha-vattvaṁ vedyatvaṁ sandarbhaḥ kathyate budhaiḥ"

A literary work that discloses the confidential meaning of a subject, incorporates its essence, explains the superiority of the subject, elaborates its various meanings, and is inherently worthy of study is called a sandarbha by learned scholars.

The original name of the Ṣaṭ Sandarbas was Bhāgavata Sandarbha because it is an exposition and analysis of the essential message of Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

The Bhāgavata Sandarbha is also called Ṣaṭ Sandarbha because it contains six books — the Tattva, Bhagavat, Paramātma, Kṛṣṇa, Bhakti, and Prīti Sandarbhas.

Although the Vedas recommend many processes for worshiping Bhagavān, in Kaliyuga the wise worship Him primarily through sacrifice of the self in complete [saṁ] kīrtana of His Holy Names.

The prefix saṁ carries the sense of “altogether” and “completion.” Thus, it can imply both congregational chanting and chanting in which the self is completely offered.