Jagat

Ruci-pradhāna and vicāra-pradhāna  discussion from Bhakti Sandarbha. This is mostly excerpted from Bhakti Sandarbha 202 and 204-205 , which were posted before, but there are some extra observations here from the comments section. The all-important six criteria for evaluating the purport of a text are also discussed. A few other verses are quoted also. Facebook memories for June 26.

A mughal period miniature illumination of the Bhagavatam, illustrating King Prithu's court. This section continues as commentary on the two paths or ruci and vic āra-m ārgas . In particular, the equivalents of the  vic āra-m ārga (hearing,reflection and deep meditation) are described as they apply on both these paths. These are the subject of the present pair of  anucchedas . The six verses are taken from King  Pṛthu's speech to his subjects in Canto 4, chapter 21. Anuccheda 204 Proper Deliberation on Śāstra Brings About Śraddhā तत्र रुचिप्रधानानां श्रवणादिकम् (भा. १.५.२६)— तत्रान्वहं कृष्णकथाः प्रगायता- मनुग्रहेणाशृणवं मनोहराः। ताः श्रद्धया मेऽनुपदं विशृण्वतः प्रियश्रवस्यङ्ग ममाभवद्रुचिः॥ इत्याद्युक्तप्रकारम्। From his own experience, Nārada describes the devotional activities—particularly hearing—of those who are guided by taste: There by the grace of those [saintly people] who were engaged in singing the tales of Kṛṣṇa, I listened to the enchanting pasti...

Buddha giving first lecture in "Deer Park." This is at the Raman Reti Udasin Ashram in Gokul where there is a sanctuary for deer, which has been ordered closed . I find myself often refering to Bhakti Sandarbha 202 (as today in VMA 1.6 ). So, for the record, I am extracting the translation of that Anuccheda from Satyaarayana Dasaji's edition, along with his commentary, for the record. This passage is significant because it arises in the context of guru-tattva and firmly indicates that the mantra-guru is determined on the basis of one's ruci . The Anuccheda is a long one and so it has been divided in three parts, but only the second and third parts are given here. 202.2 The paths of taste and discernment तदेवं तेषां बहुभेदेषु सत्सु तेषामेव प्रभावतारतम्येन कृपातारतम्येन भक्तिवासनाभेदतारतम्येन सत्सङ्गात् कालशैघ्र्यस्वरूपवैशिष्ट्याभ्यां भक्तिरुदयते। एवं ज्ञानिसङ्गाच्च ज्ञानं ज्ञेयम्। Thus by associating with devotees among the various types that have...

My friend, Paramadwaiti Maharaj’s young sannyasi disciple from Argentina, Padmanabha Swami, recently wrote me a note thanking me for introducing him to Jordan Peterson after I posted a few links on my Facebook page. He then wrote an article , extracting a few points from Peterson’s latest book, Twelve Rules for Life An Antidote to Chaos , that he felt were compatible with Vaishnava teachings. At any rate, Peterson’s full-throated defense of religious belief and his debates with neo-atheists like Sam Harris have attracted the attention of Christian pastors like Paul VanderKlay who use his insights in their own understanding and explanations of religion. I have not written directly about Peterson very much on this blog, as my own journey is taking me away from the kind of academic explanations of religion that were a concern earlier on in this blog, after I had gone through religious studies at McGill University. Nevertheless, that is what first attracted me to Peterson was his...