Bhakti Sandarbha
Sandarbhas

Singing Captures Kṛṣṇa’s Heart

Kṛṣṇa is akhila-rasa-mūrti, the personification of all rasas. He is also a singer and dancer, naṭavara. Thus, He naturally loves to hear kīrtana. In Śrīmad Bhāgavata, kīrtana is praised as the best means to become free from material bondage and attain the supreme destination. Kīrtana of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is especially attractive to Him. Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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Sandarbhas

Hearing and Singing about Kṛṣṇa Is Supreme

Bhagavān has innumerable names, which all have inherent potency in them. Yet not all names have equal potency. The Name of Kṛṣṇa is supreme. Therefore, hearing and singing Kṛṣṇa’s names is most beneficial and effective, and thus constitutes one of the most important parts of bhakti in Gaudīya sampradāya. Moreover, hearing from the mouth of a

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Articles by Satyanarayana Dasa Sandarbhas

Symptoms of Śraddhā

The following article is based upon Bhakti Sandarbha (Anuccheda 172–173). In these two anucchedas, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī describes śraddhā as the basic qualification of a devotee. According to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there are only three paths for the ultimate good of human beings, as stated, “These three yogas—jñāna, karma, and bhakti—have been taught by Me with

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Sandarbhas

Importance of the Holy Name

In Anuccheda 256 of Bhakti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, writes about the importance of hearing the name of Bhagavān before engaging in meditation on pastimes, līlā-smaraṇam. In the preceding anucchedas, he described the process of hearing about the name, form, qualities and pastimes of Bhagavān. Here he describes the importance of the order. Below I

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Bhakti Sandarbhas

Why Do We Need To Study from a Guru?

To engage in the practice of bhakti, a practitioner needs the requisite knowledge about the practice and the goal to be achieved. These are the questions that are often asked: “Does this knowledge have to be received from a qualified teacher? Is it not possible to receive the knowledge by myself with the help of

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Gaudiya Philosophy Sandarbhas

Different Kinds of Bhakti and Karma

Question: Could you specify the difference between āropa-siddhā-bhakti and karma-miśrā-bhakti as defined by Srīla Jīva Gosvami in Bhakti Sandarbha? Answer: Āropa-siddhā-bhakti consists of activities that are not devotional in themselves but become part of devotion because of their contact with bhakti. Primarily it includes offering your actions to Kṛṣṇa, karmārpaṇam. These actions themselves are not

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Sandarbhas

Bhakti Defined—Glimpses into Bhakti Sandarbha

A word has a meaning, and often it may even many meanings. If we want to undersand the meaning of a sentence, we need to know the exact meaning of the words as intended by the speaker or author. Meanings change with time. For those on the path of bhakti, it is important to clearly

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