Sri Krsna Sandarbha (The Original Form of God)

Book Specification

Book Description

About the Book

Krsna Sandarbha WITHIN the entire gamut of Vedic literature, r Kra Sandarbha stands out as a unique and brilliant investigation into the constitutional being of Svayam Bhagavn. Who or what Bhagavn actually is in His own identity is not at all clear to people in general and also to the majority of spiritual practitioners. Prior to discussing Bhagavn in general in Bhagavat Sandarbha and Svayam Bhagavn in particular in this fourth volume, r dva Gosvm laid the foundation for an existentially grounded inquiry in the first volume itself, by making evident the primordial and fundamental nature of the Reality (tattva) to be investigated as nondual consciousness (advaya-jna). On this basis, r Jva proceeds in this volume to establish Krsna as Svaya Bhagavn, the same nondual reality in its highest completion. This is the principal theme of Krsna Sandarbha. This is also one of the chief distinctive features of the Gaudiya School of Vainavism. Although it contravenes the popular belief of Hindu indologists, this understanding is crucial for the highest type of devotion, uttama-bhakti, known as rgnug. rJva Gosvm thus endeavors to dispel any doubts in this regard. This is his unique contribution to Hindu theology.

About the Author

Satyanarayana Dasa BORN IN 1954, he was drawn to the spiritual traditions of his home country India since his childhood. After receiving a postgraduate degree in 1978 from IIT Delhi, he then worked in the United States for four years. After this period, he returned to India to begin formal study of the orthodox systems of Indian philosophy known as ad-darana under the direct guidance of his guru r Haridsa str Mahrja and Svm Syma Sarana Mahrja. This education was pursued in the traditional manner for more than 25 years as he dedicated himself to the practice of bhakti-yoga. In 1991 he accepted the traditional Vainava order of renounced life, bbj-vea. His main focus has been on the works of Jva Gosvm, particularly the at Sandarbhas, providing English translation and commentary. He also earned four stric degrees, and received both a law degree and a PhD in Sanskrit from Agra University. Satyanarayana Dasa is the director of the Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies in Vrindavan, India. In 2013 he was honored by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for his extraordinary contribution in presenting Vedic culture and philosophy to students and audiences within India and internationally.

Introduction

AMONG the pantheon of Hindu gods, avatras, and / or manifestations of Bhagavn, r Krsna stands out as one of the most popular and highly revered. Even among non-Hindus, He is widely acclaimed for His universal teachings on the path of enlightenment in the form of Bhagavad Gt, the most renowned scripture of the Hindus, and for His fascinating life-stories. In spite of this extensive notoriety, His identity remains a great enigma. No other Hindu deity is shrouded in as much mystery as He. People from different backgrounds hold diverse opinions about Kra, many of which seem contradictory. They consider Him as a great lover, a skilled statesman, and a highly realized mystic. As an irrepressible lover, He is famous for stealing the clothes of the young gops while they were bathing in the Yamun River and for marrying 16,108 princesses. Yet, as an accomplished mystic, He is esteemed as the speaker of Bhagavad Gt and as Yogevara, the Master of Yoga, in which celibacy and reticence are fundamental principles. He is well-known as a simple cowherder, yet He is also famous as the most venerated royal scion, who received the principal honors at Emperor Yudhisthira’s rjasya-yaja, in the presence of the world’s foremost kings, scholars, and sages.

Notwithstanding Krsna’s enigmatic nature, it is essential to gain a clear picture of His true ontological status in order to grasp the significance of the Bhgavata Pura and the method by which it self-discloses truth, namely, bhakti-yoga. As established in Tattva Sandarbha (Anucchedas 50-52) with reference to the Bhgavata’s second verse (SB 1.1.2), this Pura specifically propounds the supreme dharma of humanity, which is love for Bhagavn – our very source and refuge. To be infused with transcendental love for Bhagavn, authentic and unambiguous knowledge about Him and His essential being is of utmost importance. Since Bhagavn has innumerable forms, such as Vinu, Rma, Ksna, and Nsimha, the question must be asked, are They all equiprimordial in Their constitutional status or is there some hierarchy of being among Them? To address this question, r Jva Gosvm wrote this book, Kra Sandarbha.

The conventional and for the most part unexamined point of view is that Krsna is simply an avatra of Viu. In Kra Sandarbha, r sva Gosvm uproots this misconception, demonstrating that Bhagavn Vinu, being ontologically related to the play of creation and hence to immanence, is Himself implicitly included within a more complete transcendent Whole (avatr), technically known as Svayam Bhagavn, who is clearly identified in the text as r Krsna. Although r dva previously delineated the ontology of Bhagavn in general terms in Bhagavat Sandarbha, he did not address the question of the identity of Svayam Bhagavn Himself, or Bhagavn in His ownmost essential being, nature, and original form. In this respect, Krsna’s status in regard to the various avatras was not yet made a subject of inquiry. By first establishing a comprehensive universal understanding of Bhagavn in Bhagavat Sandarbha, Jva Gosvm laid the foundation for a detailed investigation into the ontology of Svayam Bhagavn in Krsna Sandarbha. His fundamental conclusion in the latter volume is that Ka is the source of all other avatras of Bhagavn and that He has no source other than Himself.

**Contents and Sample Pages**