Jagat

This section (231-233) is about svarūpa-siddhā bhakti .  In  Anuccheda 217  Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī said that  bhakti  has three divisions, namely  āropa-siddhā, saṅga-siddhā  and  svarūpa-siddhā . After describing the first two and their three subdivisions, he now begins explaining the third. This  bhakti  is so by its very nature. It also has three divisions, namely  sa-kāmā, kaivalya-kāmā , and  niṣkāmā .  Sa-kāmā  has two divisions of  tāmasī  and  rājasī . The remaining two,  kaivalya-kāmā  has only one division of  sāttvikī, niṣkāmā  has two divisions of  vaidhī  and  rāgānugā . Anuccheda 231 Svarūpa-siddhā Tāmasī Sa-kāmā Bhakti अथ केवलस्वरूपसिद्धोदाह्रियते। तत्र सकामा कैवल्यकामा चोपासकसङ्कल्पगुणैस्तत्तद्गुणत्वेनोपचर्यते। ततः सकामा द्विविधा—तामसी राजसी च। Now we will describe kevalā svarūpa-siddhā bhakti , or action directly constituted of devotion and ...

Crowds in the narrow alleyways trying to get darshan of Bihariji. Part I of this three part series. [Introduction, Places of Pilgrimage: Tirtha, Kshetra and Dham, Vaishnava criticisms of tīrtha-yātrā, Braj/Vrindavan is a dhāma] Part II of this three part series. [How a Gaudiya Vaishnava performs pilgrimage to the Dham, The eternal glory of residence in the Dham] Part III : Sattva-guṇa and Nirguṇa, Globalization and the Dham, Can a culture truly be translated? Sattva-guṇa and Nirguṇa At this point it is necessary to say a word or two about faith in the Dham and the Vaishnava dogma that the Dham is beyond the qualities of nature ( nirguṇa , rather than saguṇa , or under the control of the material qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas ). [ Bhakti Sandarbha  (152-159) ] According to the Gītā and Sāṅkhya philosophy, everything in this world is just the interplay of these three qualities. How can something like Vrindavan, which is clearly being influenced by the mat...

A common prejudice in the Gaudiya sampradaya, represented by ISKCON and the Gaudiya Math in most of the world, is that Radha and Krishna's love is the "highest" while human sexuality is the "lowest." This is commonly used as an argument against the type of sādhanā and philosophy that I am teaching. In my opinion, this just shows how ridiculous and marginal Krishna consciousness has become and how far from the goal of divine love or prema it has sauntered. Let me say it again, for the millionth time, Radha and Krishna have no meaning at all if there is no love in this world between men and women. You would have no ability to understand or relate to Radha and Krishna as the manifestations of the highest and purest love if you did not have some intuitive understanding based on things you have seen, heard and experienced in this world. And, by the same token, since they are the archetype of the purest form of romantic love, they can be seen and realized throug...