Two New Articles Have Been Added At PureBhakti.Com
| Srila Jiva Gosvami's Disappearance Day |
On the veranda of Srila Jiva Gosvami's samadhi at Sri Radha-Damodara temple in Vrndavana
|
Mathura, India: September 25, 2004
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
[January 12, 2005 is the Disappearance Day anniversery of Srila Jiva
Gosvami, who is one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana.
For almost a week this past September, Srila Narayana Maharaja was giving nightly classes on Bhakti-rasayana, which is the last part of Srila Sanatana Gosvami’s Brhat-bhagavatamrta. On September 25th , Srila Jiva Gosvami's Appearance Day, Srila Maharaja continued his class series, but he also took a few minutes to glorify Srila Jiva Gosvami. The following is a transcription of his brief talk:]
Srila Jiva Gosvami was the nephew of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami. He is a direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and Srila Rupa Gosvami engaged him in the service of proofreading all his writings - his books. Actually, “proofreading” is not a completely appropriate word, because Srila Rupa Gosvami cannot make any mistakes. Rather Srila Rupa Gosvami engaged Srila Jiva Gosvami in this way, to bestow mercy upon him.
Srila Jiva Gosvami preached all the teachings of Rupa Gosvami. He supported and explained them with philosophical evidence. When he wrote Gopal-campu, he also explained all the pastimes of Sri Krsna from the point of view of philosophy.
It seems that Srila Jiva Gosvami supported svakiya-vada, which is the conception that Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna are married, and that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura supported parakiya-vada (The Divine Couple’s paramour love). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has reconciled the explanations of both. He called his reconciliation vicara-vaisistya, explaining that there is a specialty in their viewpoints, but there is actually no difference in their philosophy or conclusions.
For almost a week this past September, Srila Narayana Maharaja was giving nightly classes on Bhakti-rasayana, which is the last part of Srila Sanatana Gosvami’s Brhat-bhagavatamrta. On September 25th , Srila Jiva Gosvami's Appearance Day, Srila Maharaja continued his class series, but he also took a few minutes to glorify Srila Jiva Gosvami. The following is a transcription of his brief talk:]
Srila Jiva Gosvami was the nephew of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami. He is a direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and Srila Rupa Gosvami engaged him in the service of proofreading all his writings - his books. Actually, “proofreading” is not a completely appropriate word, because Srila Rupa Gosvami cannot make any mistakes. Rather Srila Rupa Gosvami engaged Srila Jiva Gosvami in this way, to bestow mercy upon him.
Srila Jiva Gosvami preached all the teachings of Rupa Gosvami. He supported and explained them with philosophical evidence. When he wrote Gopal-campu, he also explained all the pastimes of Sri Krsna from the point of view of philosophy.
It seems that Srila Jiva Gosvami supported svakiya-vada, which is the conception that Srimati Radhika and Sri Krsna are married, and that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura supported parakiya-vada (The Divine Couple’s paramour love). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has reconciled the explanations of both. He called his reconciliation vicara-vaisistya, explaining that there is a specialty in their viewpoints, but there is actually no difference in their philosophy or conclusions.
| From the Vintage Darshan Series — “Greed” |
Srila Narayana Maharaja on the island
of Kauai, when he arrived on January 1, 2005 (Sorry, but
we have no photo of his darsana below).
|
A Darsana of August, 1992 [Part 3]
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
Even conditioned souls are qualified for bhakti, but for attaining
raganuga-bhakti a greed is necessary. Greed comes by hearing the very
beautiful and sweet pastimes of Lord Krsna from any rasika and tattva-jna
Vaisnava, by reading the books of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Jiva
Gosvami, by reading Srila Sanatana Gosvami’s Brhad Bhagavatamrtam,
by reading Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the explanations of Srimad Bhagavatam
by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and by reading the books of Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
If anyone reads these books, a very beautiful greed will surely manifest. It is bound to come, even to lusty and cruel persons. Do you know Sri Bilvamangala Thakura? He was very lusty for a prostitute named Cintamani, and yet he received this greed. By hearing and reading, and by associating with a rasika tattva-vit Vaisnava, one develops a little greed and thinks, “I want to serve Sri Krsna like Lalita and Visakha,” or “I want to love Krsna as Mother Yasoda loves Him. He should be my son,” or “I want to serve Krsna as Subala-sakha does.” If this kind of greed arises in a person – even if he is very lusty and has many material desires and seems like a very wretched, stupid and nonsense person – he is qualified to receive raganuga-bhakti.
[Question:] How does this greed pertain to Srila Rupa Gosvami’s verse: “Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango tha bhajana-kriya tato ’nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah…….?” On what level does this greed come?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] A person who is practicing vaidhi-bhakti and reaches asakti and bhava, may or may not have greed. Ajamila had no greed, and a devotee like him will go to Vaikuntha. On the other hand, greed may come at the beginning stages, by ones association at the time of sraddha. Sraddha is of two kinds: aisvarya-mayi and lobhamayi, which comes by the association of a rasika Vaisnava. By that association sraddha may come for Vraja, then nistha will come for Vraja, then ruci will come for Vraja, asakti will come for Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, and the bhava will come through Lalita, Visakha, Subala-sakha, Mother Yasoda and so on.
If anyone reads these books, a very beautiful greed will surely manifest. It is bound to come, even to lusty and cruel persons. Do you know Sri Bilvamangala Thakura? He was very lusty for a prostitute named Cintamani, and yet he received this greed. By hearing and reading, and by associating with a rasika tattva-vit Vaisnava, one develops a little greed and thinks, “I want to serve Sri Krsna like Lalita and Visakha,” or “I want to love Krsna as Mother Yasoda loves Him. He should be my son,” or “I want to serve Krsna as Subala-sakha does.” If this kind of greed arises in a person – even if he is very lusty and has many material desires and seems like a very wretched, stupid and nonsense person – he is qualified to receive raganuga-bhakti.
[Question:] How does this greed pertain to Srila Rupa Gosvami’s verse: “Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango tha bhajana-kriya tato ’nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha rucis tatah…….?” On what level does this greed come?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] A person who is practicing vaidhi-bhakti and reaches asakti and bhava, may or may not have greed. Ajamila had no greed, and a devotee like him will go to Vaikuntha. On the other hand, greed may come at the beginning stages, by ones association at the time of sraddha. Sraddha is of two kinds: aisvarya-mayi and lobhamayi, which comes by the association of a rasika Vaisnava. By that association sraddha may come for Vraja, then nistha will come for Vraja, then ruci will come for Vraja, asakti will come for Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, and the bhava will come through Lalita, Visakha, Subala-sakha, Mother Yasoda and so on.
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