This quiz is designed to motivate you to study the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava scriptures in specific, and the Sad Darshanas in general, which are necessary to understand Gauḍīya philosophy properly.
Jnana or knowledge related to bhakti is also part of bhakti. In fact, hearing, which includes studying shastra, is the first limb of bhakti. Learning, followed by consolidating and then testing our knowledge in the form of a quiz is a fun and effective way to help us retain information.
This quiz is in multiple-choice questions format. (MCQs). If you see the response that you anticipated simply click on it. The quiz will immediately show which answers are correct or incorrect so we can learn as we go.
1 / 10
What is the meaning of the term "sandarbha"?
To explain the term sandarbha, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes a well-known verse of unknown origin:
"gūḍhārthasya prakāśaś ca sāroktiḥ śreṣṭhatā tathānānārtha-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.
2 / 10
Who does Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī credit for starting the work on the Sandarbhas?
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī writes that Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī originally started the work on the Sandarbha, but it is he (Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī) who completed it.
We have no knowledge of what Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī may have written, as no records are available. However, based on the authority of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, we can infer that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī must have made significant contributions in some way.
3 / 10
What was the original name of the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas?
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.
4 / 10
Why did Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī compose the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas?
In Anuccheda 3 of Tattva Sandarbha, Śrīla Jiva Goswami explains his reason for composing the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas. He states that is doing it at the behest of his spiritual teachers, Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, who are also his uncles. Jīva Gosvāmī studied under them, and they asked him to compile their teachings into a book for the benefit of all.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī prays that through the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas his great spiritual masters Śrīla Rūpa Goswami and Śrīla Sanātana Goswami may manifest their opulence and glory for the welfare of others.
5 / 10
If Gopāla Bhatta Gosvāmī had already composed a work on this subject, why would Rūpa and Sanātana have engaged Jīva Gosvāmī in compiling a similar work?
In Anuccheda 5 of Tattva Sandarbha Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī writes that some parts of the first book by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī were in order, some were out of order, while other parts were incomplete or missing. After thorough deliberation, Śrī Jīva now rewrites this book in the appropriate order.
In Anuccheda 3 & Anuccheda 4, Jīva Gosvāmī establishes that his work is not a product of his imagination but is based on the authority of the scriptures and previous ācāryas. From this verse it appears that the work of Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī did not take the final shape of a book, but was in the form of notes, technically called kaḍacā, and so was not arranged systematically.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that his mission was to complete the task that Gopāla Bhatta Gosvāmī began and to set the material in proper order.
6 / 10
Is there any other literary work that is sometimes referred to as the seventh Sandarbha?
The Bhāgavata Sandarbha is also called Ṣaṭ Sandarbha because it contains six books — the Tattva , Bhagavat , Paramātma, Kṛṣṇa, Bhakti, and Prīti Sandarbhas . Each Sandarbha is an analysis of the subject stated in the title, and each is based on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also wrote a verse-by-verse commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam called Krama Sandarbha, and this is sometimes referred to as the seventh Sandarbha.
7 / 10
What are the criteria for determining the essence or main message of a book?
The essence of a book must be derived according to the six indicators used in Pūrva-mīmāṁsā. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmi cites the following statement in Anuchheda 105 of the Paramātmā Sandarbha which lists these indicators:
upakramopasaṁhārāv abhyāso’pūrvatā phalamarthavādopapattī ca liṅgaṁ tātparya-nirṇaye
The sixfold criteria by which one can establish the meaning [of a text] are ( 1 ) the introductory and concluding statements, ( 2 ) repetition, ( 3 ) originality, ( 4 ) result, ( 5 ) glorification, and ( 6 ) logical confirmation.
Learn more: No One Falls From Vaikuṇṭha
8 / 10
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī what is the criteria of eligibility for study of the Śrī Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas (adhikārī)?
In Anuccheda 6 of Tattva Sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that this book may be studied only by one whose sole aspiration is to worship the lotus feet of Śrī Krsna. All others are forewarned as to the implications of this investigation.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī specifies that the Truth to be self-disclosed through submission of consciousness to the investigation is Bhagavān. Consequently, even the beginning of the inquiry is based upon a prior devotional turning of consciousness toward its Source, so that the inquiry itself becomes non-different in function and essence from the completed realized state. Therefore, the admonition can indirectly be taken as an invitation to the sensitive reader to suspend the ego-referencing function that predisposes one to forgetfulness of one’s true Self and the sense of independence or separation from one’s Source. The reader is thus alerted that this book is not simply to be read from a detached or non-participatory stance; rather, it must be entered into and received from the core of being, or consciousness itself, beyond the conventional egoic reference.
In other words, the inquiry itself should be rooted in a trans-egoic view; otherwise, one need not bother. The reader is thus alerted that this book is not simply to be read from a detached or non-participatory stance; rather, it must be entered into and received from the core of being, or consciousness itself, beyond the conventional egoic reference.
9 / 10
What purpose or aim does Tattva Sandarbha seek to fulfill?
Among the Six Sandarbhas, Tattva Sandarbha may be the shortest in terms of length, but it certainly does not lack in significance. As its name suggests, it discusses the Reality (tattva) that is the ultimate subject to be understood and realized.
Tattva also means “essence,” and thus Tattva Sandarbha provides the essence of what is to be elaborated upon in the rest of the Sandarbhas. Thus, it serves as an introduction to them.
After studying what Vyāsa and Śuka Gosvāmī are saying, analyzing what they feel, and after understanding their mood, Jīva Gosvāmī, in this book, succinctly establishes and concludes essential matters: the nature of Tattva, the identity of the Supreme Reality, the nature of the individual soul (jīva), and the relationship between them.
10 / 10
Why is the study of Śrī Jīva Goswami's Ṣad Sandarbhas important?
sandarbhā yena nādhītās tasya bhāgavate śramaḥsandarbhā yena cādhītā nāsti bhāgavate bhramaḥ
One who has not undergone comprehensive study of Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas must struggle to assimilate the message of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam . One who has studied Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas , however, will have no misgivings about the essential meaning of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. - Śrī Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji.
Learn more: Sandarbhas Now Available as E-books
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