Vaishnavism Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This article is about two great obstacles that stand in the way of receiving and cultivating pure bhakti: personality cult of the guru and disinterest in the Word of God. In order to avoid both, the German bhakti guru Svami Sadananda Dasa... more

This article is about two great obstacles that stand in the way of receiving and cultivating pure bhakti: personality cult of the guru and disinterest in the Word of God. In order to avoid both, the German bhakti guru Svami Sadananda Dasa (1908–1977) withdrew from the guru role and was very "careful with bhakti", i.e. he was careful to teach bhakti according to the disciples' qualification or the purity of their wish to serve God. If their wish was still mixed with other motives, i.e. was distorted by maya, he helped them to adjust their view by teaching them sambandha jnana over and over again. – This article consists of three main sections. In section (I) an overview of Sadananda’s life is given with particular attention paid to his relationship with Walther Eidlitz. In section (II) possible theological and spiritual reasons for his reluctance to play the conventional guru role shall be discussed. In the final section (III) the direct instructions Sadananda received from his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and their presumed connection with Sadananda’s final instruction to be “careful with bhakti” shall be presented.

Realizing the constructed nature of gender is often described as a twentieth-century Western phenomenon. Nevertheless, in several South Asian religious traditions, practitioners are instructed through songs and oral teachings to exchange... more

Realizing the constructed nature of gender is often described as a twentieth-century
Western phenomenon. Nevertheless, in several South Asian
religious traditions, practitioners are instructed through songs and oral teachings
to exchange and ultimately transcend gender identities. In this article
I discuss the practices aimed at transcending gender identity among some
contemporary Bengali lineages that have been defined as “heterodox” by
nineteenth-century reformers. Several lineages in West Bengal and Bangladesh
perform cross-dressing and meditative identification with the opposite
sex. I discuss such practices using songs, riddles, and oral sources collected
during fieldwork conducted between 2011 and 2015. I then briefly trace the
history of religious transvestism in South Asian literature, while contextualizing
this practice within Vaishnava and Sufi traditions. Finally, I discuss how
similar phenomena have been interpreted by modern and postmodern scholarship
to conclude with a conceptual framework for interpreting “pregnant
males” and “barren mothers” in light of contemporary gender theories, with
reference to performativity and ritual liminality.

জাতীয়তাবাদী ঐতিহাসিকদের দৃষ্টিতে গুপ্তযুগ প্রতিভাত হয়েছে ব্রাহ্মণ্যধর্মের পুনরুত্থানের যুগ হিসেবে। কিন্তু ব্রাহ্মণ্যধর্ম কোনো অখণ্ড সত্ত্বা নয়। যে ধর্মমতটি গুপ্ত রাজাদের সাম্প্রদায়িক পরিচয় হিসেবে গুপ্তযুগের লিপিগুলিতে ঘোষিত তা হল পৌরাণিক... more

জাতীয়তাবাদী ঐতিহাসিকদের দৃষ্টিতে গুপ্তযুগ প্রতিভাত হয়েছে ব্রাহ্মণ্যধর্মের পুনরুত্থানের যুগ হিসেবে। কিন্তু ব্রাহ্মণ্যধর্ম কোনো অখণ্ড সত্ত্বা নয়। যে ধর্মমতটি গুপ্ত রাজাদের সাম্প্রদায়িক পরিচয় হিসেবে গুপ্তযুগের লিপিগুলিতে ঘোষিত তা হল পৌরাণিক ভাগবতধর্ম। গুপ্তসম্রাট দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্ত ‘পরম-ভাগবত’ উপাধি ধারণ করেন যা পরবর্তী গুপ্ত শাসকেরা অনুসরণ করেন। পৌরাণিক ভাগবতধর্ম, যা পরবর্তীকালে বৈষ্ণবধর্ম নামেই সমধিক পরিচিত হয়, এবং গুপ্তসাম্রাজ্য প্রায় সমান্তরালভাবে বিকশিত হয়। এই নিবন্ধে দেখানো হয়েছে যে দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্তের ভাগবতধর্মের প্রতি আকর্ষণের সঙ্গে জড়িত রয়েছে শিল্প ও ধর্মের মাধ্যমে এক নতুন রাজনৈতিক দৃষ্টিভঙ্গীকে অনুমোদন প্রদানের চেষ্টা। রাজ্য-সমৃদ্ধির দেবী শ্রী-লক্ষ্মীকে বিষ্ণুর স্ত্রী হিসেবে বৈষ্ণবধর্মে আত্তীকরণ ছিল এই প্রচেষ্টার অন্যতম অঙ্গ। বিষ্ণুর সঙ্গে অভিন্নরূপে রাজা প্রতিভাত হয়েছেন শ্রীদেবী ও ভূদেবীর রক্ষাকর্তা হিসেবে। ফলতঃ বিষ্ণুর অবতারবাদের ধারণা প্রচলিত হলে ভূদেবীর রক্ষাকর্তা হিসেবে বরাহ হয়ে ওঠেন জনপ্রিয়তম অবতার। দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্ত, যাঁর রাজত্বকালে নির্মিত উদয়গিরির বরাহমূর্তিতে ভূদেবীর উদ্ধারকারী বিষ্ণুর সাথে গুপ্তসম্রাটের অভিন্নতাই প্রতিফলিত হয়েছে, তাঁর চক্রবিক্রম মুদ্রায় বিষ্ণুর চক্রপুরুষের থেকে গ্রহণ করেন চক্রবর্তী শাসকের প্রতীকস্বরূপ তিনটি চক্র। এই চক্রবর্তী ধারণারই প্রতিফলন দেখা যায় দিল্লীর মেহরাউলির লৌহস্তম্ভে, যেখানে বর্ণিত রাজা চন্দ্র সম্ভবতঃ দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্তই। দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্তের এই নতুন ধর্মীয়-রাজনৈতিক আদর্শ প্রতিফলিত হয়েছে তাঁর রাজসভার সাহিত্যেও। তাই শৈব কালিদাসের ‘রঘুবংশে’ রাম একাধারে বিষ্ণু-অবতার ও আদর্শ রাজার ভূমিকায় গৌরবান্বিত। এই আদর্শ ব্রাহ্মণ্য-বৈষ্ণব রাজার ধারণাও সম্ভবতঃ দ্বিতীয় চন্দ্রগুপ্তের ধর্মীয়-রাজনৈতিক নীতিরই প্রতিচ্ছবি।

Since the early 1970s, the small town of Mayapur in West Bengal has been home to a multinational Gaudiya Vaishnava community of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) devotees, popularly known as the Hare Krishnas.... more

Since the early 1970s, the small town of Mayapur in West Bengal has been home to a multinational Gaudiya Vaishnava community of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) devotees, popularly known as the Hare Krishnas. Although the land of Mayapur is understood to be sacred and therefore conducive to spiritual life, devotees often struggle with the practices and prohibitions that are deemed indispensable for their salvation. They are also, however, both prone to and adept at articulating their inability to live up to the ideals of Krishna consciousness, so much so that narrating failure itself becomes a privileged mode of moral self-cultivation. Devotees inhabit the moral system not simply by conforming to a set of Vaishnava ideals but by articulating their failure to do so consistently within Vaishnava moral narratives that account for the aperture between precept and practice. In other words, they inhabit the moral system by failing well. This article contributes to recent debates in the ethical turn that center on the twin problems of identifying and locating ethics. I suggest that beyond a focus on virtue, the anthropology of ethics must also account for how people relate to vices, and how moral systems accommodate the problem of moral failure.

Occurrences of depictions of Varaha as the presiding deity is scarcely noted in Tamil Nadu, here an attempt has been made to document one such temple housing an one of its kind manifestation of Shweadha Varaha. This temple personifies the... more

Occurrences of depictions of Varaha as the presiding deity is scarcely noted in Tamil Nadu, here an attempt has been made to document one such temple housing an one of its kind manifestation of Shweadha Varaha. This temple personifies the level of prominence the marathan architecture are devoid off for their impeccable contributions, compared to their predecessors and the need of the hour for the inevitable efforts for conservation for the already partly dilapidated structures within its complex. The temple stands as testimonial evidence of test of time and men to resonate the efforts of the revival of Vaishnavism and the Varaha cult by the Marathas while bearing the never healing wounds of battle scars it was subjected through.

Bringing together scholars from across the disciplines of social and intellectual history, philology, theology, and anthropology to systematically investigate Vaiṣṇavism in colonial Bengal, the book highlights the significant... more

Bringing together scholars from across the disciplines of social and intellectual history, philology, theology, and anthropology to systematically investigate Vaiṣṇavism in colonial Bengal, the book highlights the significant roles—religious, social, and cultural—that a prominent Hindu devotional current played in the lives of wide and diverse sections of colonial Bengali society.

A summary of the interpretive approach of and influences upon Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa's (18th century) commentary on the Bhagavadgītā, titled Gītābhūṣaṇa. The paper includes a translation of the verses which open and close each chapter of... more

A summary of the interpretive approach of and influences upon Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa's (18th century) commentary on the Bhagavadgītā, titled Gītābhūṣaṇa. The paper includes a translation of the verses which open and close each chapter of the commentary.

Hindu and Jain Mythology of Balarāma: Change and Continuity in an Early Indian Cult Vemsani, Lavanya Description This book studies the evolution of Balarāma in Vaişņavism through comparative analysis of Balarāma stories from... more

Among several predominant themes that pervade scholarly accounts of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is the idea that founder Srila Prabhupada (henceforth Prabhupad) ‘transplanted’ not only Indian spirituality... more

Among several predominant themes that pervade scholarly accounts of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is the idea that founder Srila Prabhupada (henceforth Prabhupad) ‘transplanted’ not only Indian spirituality but also Indian culture to the West. ISKCON’s success in the West however is just one chapter in a broader history that saw Prabhupad bring his mission, along with dozens of newly recruited Western devotees, back to India in the early 1970s. Over forty years later, although ISKCON’s appeal has long since waned in America, the movement is gaining momentum in India. This is maybe nowhere more evident than in Mayapur, West Bengal, which is today home to a growing multi-national community, many of whom have moved their lives to India to pursue what is often referred to as ‘Vedic culture’. This paper looks at narratives of and commitments to diverse conceptions of Vedic culture, as have come to animate devotees’ projects of both self-fashioning and world-making. I trace the culture concept through ISKCON’s history and suggest that, as is the case with the much-debated anthropological concept, the very ambiguity of Vedic culture in Mayapur is a necessary condition of its enduring significance.

From the early modern period to the present, Dvaraka has had a vital role in making Gujarat Vaisnava. The history of Dvaraka, a peninsular region and town in northwestern Gujarat strongly associated with Krsba, from the fifteenth to the... more

From the early modern period to the present, Dvaraka has had a vital role in making Gujarat Vaisnava. The history of Dvaraka, a peninsular region and town in northwestern Gujarat strongly associated with Krsba, from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century, offers clues to the layered sovereignty of 10 Hindu religious sites. Dvaraka's temple complexes have attracted pilgrims and generated revenue for centuries, a fact that has caused them to be regulated by successive rulers desiring to appropriate their association with Krsna and control the region's trade and piracy. The first half of the article describes Dvaraka during sultanate, Mughal, and Navanagar rule, and the second, the 15 period between 1817 and 1947 when the Dvaraka region became a non-contiguous part of the territories of the Gaekvads of Baroda who maintained an expensive but tenuous and locally resisted control over the peninsula. The article argues that the varied stakeholders in Dvaraka's history have prevented any single ruler or sect from exerting stable control over it or appropriating it 20 to a singular narrative.

The importance of philosophy in the religious traditions of Hinduism; Sampradayas and their significance in Vaishnavism; The emergence of Gaudiya Vaishnavism; Philosophical Directions of Vaishnava Thought; Peculiarities of Gaudiya... more

The importance of philosophy in the religious traditions of Hinduism; Sampradayas and their significance in Vaishnavism; The emergence of Gaudiya Vaishnavism; Philosophical Directions of Vaishnava Thought; Peculiarities of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy; Formation of Bengali Vaishnavism as the Fifth Sampradaya.
Presentation abstracts for the XXIX meeting of the Seminar of Oriental Philosophers. Kyiv, February 23, 2021.

The three gunas refers to the three modes or qualities of the material world. And they are sattva or goodness, rajas or passion, and tamas or ignorance. Guna also means rope [1]. Every embodied soul is inherently imbued with these... more

The three gunas refers to the three modes or qualities of the material world. And they are sattva or goodness, rajas or passion, and tamas or ignorance. Guna also means rope [1]. Every embodied soul is inherently imbued with these qualities in different permutations; and at any given time we are being acted upon by these gunas. These gunas are always vying for supremacy.

The Bengali Bāul songs of Lālan Fakir (d. 1890 C.E.) are notable for their rich poetic genius, but a lesser explored fact about them is the way in which they encode certain ritual practices that are also shared with traditions within... more

The Bengali Bāul songs of Lālan Fakir (d. 1890 C.E.) are notable for their rich poetic genius, but a lesser explored fact about them is the way in which they encode certain ritual practices that are also shared with traditions within Buddhist Tantric literature. Furthermore, Lālan's poetry not only riffs off Buddhist sources but also off of Vaiṣṇava (and to a lesser degree, Śaiva and Śākta) sources and Islamic mysticism. In some cases, these sources are blended inextricably in a single song, although many songs have a predominant aesthetic "bhāva" (Bengali "bhāb" = "attitude," "spirit") that informs the metaphors used. This article demonstrates that some of these bhāvas are undoubtedly a throwback to an earlier age (pre-15th century CE), when Buddhist Tantra is believed to have dominated the landscape of Bengal, from the proto-university of Vikramaśilā to the stupas of Chittagong. Furthermore, many of the songs that reflect a more Vaiṣṇava or Islamic bhāva use alternative motifs to thinly mask Buddhist concepts (e.g. using the Persian pākpānjātan ("five holy people") to represent the dhyānī-buddhas ("Buddhas of meditation"). Most convincingly of all, however, are the sexual practices of Bāul fakirs that clearly demonstrate continuity with medieval Buddhist tantra. Many of these earlier Buddhist ideas can be detected in the surviving Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna literature of medieval Buddhism, where they reflect their original contexts. As such, Buddhist literature provides a kind of "control variable" by which innovative elements later incorporated by Bāul fakirs can be better understood. This article therefore aims to briefly summarize the presence of these Buddhist tantric elements in the songs of Lālan Fakir and indicate possibilities for future research in this vein.

This is part of a larger work in progress, intended for translation into Chinese to introduce the Bhagavad-gītā to Chinese readers. As noted in the article, this is highly exploratory, and while admittedly exposing my ignorance of Chinese... more

This is part of a larger work in progress, intended for translation into Chinese to introduce the Bhagavad-gītā to Chinese readers. As noted in the article, this is highly exploratory, and while admittedly exposing my ignorance of Chinese Buddhist traditions, its aim is to facilitate discussion on potential spheres of theological comparison between Vaiṣṇava Hindu and Buddhist thought and practice.

This paper introduces the subject of a religious Indian board game commonly known as gyān caupaṛ. The game, which would go on to inspire the modern children's game Snakes & Ladders, appears to have been especially popular in the Jain and... more

This paper introduces the subject of a religious Indian board game commonly known as gyān caupaṛ. The game, which would go on to inspire the modern children's game Snakes & Ladders, appears to have been especially popular in the Jain and Vaiṣṇava communities of Western India in the 18th and 19th centuries. The paper was submitted as my MA Specialized Topic paper in Indology at the University of Copenhagen in January 2013.

Jasminum grandifiorum (see Figure 45). Constellated as sensory matter, the essence of jasmine flowers distilled into small bottles fuels olfactory dreams of fantastic bioworlds. Commonly known as the white jasmine, the fragrant flower is... more

Jasminum grandifiorum (see Figure 45). Constellated as sensory matter, the essence of jasmine flowers distilled into small bottles fuels olfactory dreams of fantastic bioworlds. Commonly known as the white jasmine, the fragrant flower is perhaps most familiar to us today as the principal ingredient of Chanel N°5, the very first perfume launched by the French couturier Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel in 1921. The plant's iridescent career in the cultural and biomedical worlds of Europe had commenced much earlier, with the Greek physician Dioscorides's firstcentury pharmacopoeia De materia medica extolling the aroma of oils prepared from jasmines by the Persians. 1 The deciduous shrub was certainly cultivated in Grasse on the French Riviera by the seventeenth century, leading to the consolidation of France's perfume industry in Europe. 2 Even as late as the eighteenth century, jasmine bowers offered an image of Asia's "silken pinions" and "spicy theft" for British philologists such as Williamjones. 3 Endemic to the Arabian Peninsula,

Abstract This paper focuses on the multi-faceted nature of the divine depicted in Narasimha and the unique perspectives on God and evil offered by the myths of Narasimha, which is also subliminally represented within the religious... more

Abstract
This paper focuses on the multi-faceted nature of the divine depicted in Narasimha and the unique perspectives on God and evil offered by the myths of Narasimha, which is also subliminally represented within the religious practice and performance traditions associated with Narasimha.

The Vaishnavite shrine of SHRINATHJI in Udaipur, India has a 550 years old rich cultural heritage of an elaborate system of deity worship. Daily rituals are woven around 8 darshanas signifying the 8 important sections of the day from... more

The Vaishnavite shrine of SHRINATHJI in Udaipur, India has a 550 years old rich cultural heritage of an elaborate system of deity worship. Daily rituals are woven around 8 darshanas signifying the 8 important sections of the day from morning to evening with special emphasis of Raag, Bhog and Shringar. This paper elaborates upon extensive system of the deity's daily shringar with influences interwoven from social & cultural ethos of 16th century. The elaborate system marvels the onlooker with its detailing and specification where no one set is repeated in 365 days of the year.

It has long since been established that the modern children's game of snakes and ladders originated from the Indian game of gyān caupaṛ (game of knowledge), but it has rarely been asked how gyān caupaṛ itself originated, and what exactly... more

It has long since been established that the modern children's game of snakes and ladders originated from the Indian game of gyān caupaṛ (game of knowledge), but it has rarely been asked how gyān caupaṛ itself originated, and what exactly constitutes it. The present thesis tells the story of gyān caupaṛ based on nearly 150 unique and mostly unpublished game charts and several little explored secondary sources. The majority of the game charts derive from Vaiṣṇava and Jaina communities in 19th-century western India, though a few reach back to the late 18th century. The thesis argues that the charts developed from tantric drawings of the subtle body used for purposes of meditation and visualization, and only later acquired the properties of a formal game system. Other influences can be traced back to the 12th-century Chinese game of xuanfo tu (table of Buddha selection) and the 15th-century Italian game of gioco dell'oca (game of the goose), but gyān caupaṛ itself does not appear to have been invented before the late 17th or early 18th century. The game charts consist of a sequentially numbered and inscribed grid diagram overlaid with snakes and ladders forming connections between individual squares. The representational value of the charts changes according to the world-views of the different religious communities in which they appear, but they all share a common concern with questions of cosmography, karma, and religious practice. The design is remarkable for its close integration of game mechanics and theme, and while it is possible to reconstruct the rules by which the game was played, little can be said about the uses to which it may have been put beyond that of mere play. Plausible suggestions include education, divination, and self-exploration, but, as evidenced by the later history of the game, such uses have long since fallen away, leaving only the innocent fun of a purely abstract game system.

ŚUDDHĀDVAITA – An Overview vis a vis KEVALĀDVAITA Abstract sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta – propounds the Cāndogya Upanishad, establishing the doctrine of Advaita, interpretations of which by the founder Acharyas of... more

ŚUDDHĀDVAITA – An Overview vis a vis KEVALĀDVAITA
Abstract
sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta – propounds the Cāndogya Upanishad, establishing the doctrine of Advaita, interpretations of which by the founder Acharyas of various philosophical traditions have differences varying in subtlety. This paper attempts an overview of Vāllabha Vedānta known as Śuddhādvaita, where Sri Vallabhācārya ji propounded Sākār Brahmavād, establishing the ekamevādvitiya Parabrahma as the Abhinnanimittopādāna Kāraṇa of the entire creation. His Avikṛtpariṇāmavāda differs from Sri Śankarācārya's vivartavāda in the sense that Brahma as well as Jīva and Jagat are Satya, as such the manifest reality is not simply an illusion. By the sankalpa “Ekohaṁ bahusyāṁ”, Brahman manifests in many names and forms simply to rejoice, not being subject to avidyā or māyā. While discussing various tenets of Vāllabha Philosophy such as satkāryavāda, āvirbhāva-tirobhāva vāda and more, this presentation highlights many common points as well as differences with respect to Kevalādvaita of Sri Śankarācārya. A major point of such disagreement being the nature of Ishwara. - While Sri Śankarācārya recognises various names and forms of the divine as the means to facilitate Upāsana before finally recognising oneself as Brahma , Sri Vallabhācārya substantiates on Parabrahma being Viruddhadharmāśrayi and hence Saguṇa, and Sākār Brahman being just as Supreme as Nirguṇa Nirākāra Brahman dwelling in the entire creation. Thus, in the realm of practice, in Vāllabha doctrine, Jñāna is a means to Bhakti and a limb thereof, rather than Bhakti or Upāsanā being a means to finally acquire Mokśa by jñānamārga. Here, Nirupādhika bhakti is not just means but the end in itself, uniting a Jīva to Kṛṣṇa.
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The struggle against untouchability, the religious history of Bengal, and the study of postcolonial displacement in South Asia can hardly be considered without paying attention to a roughly two-hundred-year-old low-caste religious and... more

The struggle against untouchability, the religious history of Bengal, and the study of postcolonial displacement in South Asia can hardly be considered without paying attention to a roughly two-hundred-year-old low-caste religious and social movement called Matua.
The Matua community counts at present fifty million followers, according to its leaders. It is scattered across a large area and connected through a trans-local network of preachers, pilgrims, institutions, print, and religious commodities. Most Matua followers are found in West Bengal; in southern Bangladesh, where the movement emerged in the 19th century; and in provinces where refugees from East Bengal have resettled since the 1950s, especially Assam; Tripura; the Andaman Islands; Uttarakhand; and the Dandakaranya area at the border of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. Building upon an older Vaishnava devotional stream, the religious community initiated by Harichand Thakur (1812–1878) and consolidated by his son Guruchand Thakur (1847–1937) developed hand in hand with the Namashudra movement for the social upliftment of the lower castes. Rebelling against social marginalization and untouchability, and promising salvation through ecstatic singing and dancing, the Matua community triggered a massive mobilization in rural East Bengal. Partition and displacement have disrupted the unity of the Matua movement, now scattered on both sides of the hastily drawn Indo-Bangladesh border. The institutional side of the Matua community emerged as a powerful political subject, deeply entangled with refugee politics, borderland issues, and Hindu nationalism. In the 21st century, the Matua community represents a key element in electoral politics and a crucial factor for understanding the relation between religion, displacement, and caste, within and beyond Bengal.

The Hindu theologian Jīva Gosvāmin (c. 1517-1608 ce) argued that God is always a single, conscious being, yet this God could be talked about in real and in meaningful ways using three specific-terms. This is God's inherent nature. Jīva... more

The Hindu theologian Jīva Gosvāmin (c. 1517-1608 ce) argued that God is always a single, conscious being, yet this God could be talked about in real and in meaningful ways using three specific-terms. This is God's inherent nature. Jīva argues for this view by saying that there is a "general definition" of God as a singular nondual awareness. This God is spoken of and it can manifest in accord with three "specific definitions": bhagavān, paramātmā, and brahma. This entry explains these terms; they are essential to Jīva's philosophy of religion. Jīva was an early Gaud .ī ya or Caitanya-Vais. n. ava theologian in the Hindu tradition who lived a large portion of his life in north-central India (modern-day Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh). He was inspired by Caitanya (b. 1486), a saint, mystic, and divinity. Jīva was the brilliant student of Sanātana and Rūpa, his uncles, who taught him and who wrote prolifically, although Jīva also received a classical education in Benares. Caitanya was from Gaud. a, or Bengal, and thus his followers are called Gaud .ī ya or Bengali-Vais. n. avas; the name distinguishes them from other Vais. n. ava traditions, like theŚrī-Vais. n. avas, Pus. t. i-Vais. n. avas, and others. Vais. n. avas are a branch of Hinduism focused on devotion (see BHAKTI) to Vis. n. u and Kr. s. n. a. Jīva is a theologian because his primary intellectual method is the justification and articulation of his views in a systematic manner by interpreting a revealed and eternally perfect scripture (Edelmann 2015; see revelation in hindu religion). This scripture is the Bhāgavatapurān. a (Tagare 1976) and related texts. My discussion here is based on a selection of Jīva's theological writings (Dasa 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016), and all translations are my own. Here Jīva provides philosophers and theologians with a linguistic system by which they can discuss God's nature: God is defined in a general manner with the definition of nondual awareness. This God is further inspected by means of specific definitions. (Dasa 2014, 5-9; Bhagavatsandarbha 1) In Jīva's theology, then, at the very least we can talk about God in "general terms" and "specific terms." Whether one should clarify the meaning of "general" and "specific" using, for example, the new logic (Navya-Nyāya) of Gaṅgeśa and Ragunāthá Siroman. i, or that of Vedāntins like Madhva, scholars whose work Jīva had read, is not explored here. I accept a general definition as something like a category with three aspects. Near to the passage quoted above Jīva further elaborates two of his essential teachings:

The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, has disseminated a flurry of antievolutionist media since its inception in 1966. Such communications frequently co-opt arguments... more

The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, has disseminated a flurry of antievolutionist media since its inception in 1966. Such communications frequently co-opt arguments employed by Christian creationists and Intelligent Design theorists. At the same time, however, there are indications that a scattering of ISKCON publications have articulated relatively ambiguous, less oppositional statements about evolutionary theory. This article reconsiders ISKCON’s Darwin-skepticism by appraising recent, largely unexamined Hare Krishna publications, as well as responses to evolutionary theory expressed by ISKCON’s founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta, and his immediate Vaishnava forerunners. The analysis reveals that, although the majority of contemporary ISKCON materials are vehemently opposed to evolution, some leading voices demonstrate less combative, cautiously accommodating stances. These cases are suggestive of complexities in ISKCON’s responses to evolution, both past and present, which are not necessarily encapsulated in the terms Vedic creationism or antievolutionism.

২০১৭। "আর 'হরিনামামৃত ব্যাকরণ' পড়া হয়ে উঠলো না"। ইন্টারঅ্যাকশন ভাষা ও ভাবনার সম্পা. প্রণব চক্রবর্তী। সংখ্যা ১৩। (৭-১৬ পাতা)

(Essay has been updated) An account of the Vaisnava Gosvami community of Baghnapara and especially of Vipinavihari (1850-1919), the guru of Bhaktivinoda Thakur. The works of Vipinivihari are summarised. The paper relies heavily on the... more

(Essay has been updated)
An account of the Vaisnava Gosvami community of Baghnapara and especially of Vipinavihari (1850-1919), the guru of Bhaktivinoda Thakur. The works of Vipinivihari are summarised. The paper relies heavily on the work of Kananavihari Gosvami (Baghnapara-sampradaya o Baishnab Sahitya) and other supporting works.

The beginnings of a translation of the songs of Govinda Dasa Kaviraja, one of the great Vaisnava poets of the Caitanya tradition. Contains the commentary of B.B. Majumdar when available. The text is in transliteration. The conversion... more

The beginnings of a translation of the songs of Govinda Dasa Kaviraja, one of the great Vaisnava poets of the Caitanya tradition. Contains the commentary of B.B. Majumdar when available. The text is in transliteration. The conversion program on this site seems to mess up the Bengali script.

This divyadesam is also one of the Nava thirupathis located in the ancient Pandya Nadu and now in Thoothukudi district of Tamilnadu. It is situated on the northern banks of the Porunai River. It is difficult to conclude whether the... more

This divyadesam is also one of the Nava thirupathis located in the ancient Pandya Nadu and now in Thoothukudi district of Tamilnadu. It is situated on the northern banks of the Porunai River. It is difficult to conclude whether the village was named after the God Vainkuntha Nathar or after the environment. Because the village which is surrounded by a river, tanks, trees, birds and green paddy fields which keeps it fertile and gives it a heavenly ambience. The principle deity, Lord Vaikuntanatha, is in standing posture with four arms facing east. He holds a mace in his hand. Adhisesha is seen with his hood spread like an umbrella above the head of the Lord Vaikunta. The processional deity is known as Kallapiran (kallar piran – deity worshiped by the thief’s). He was accompanied with Choranayaki and Boodevi his consorts. This temple has three different sthala puranas, each associated with the deities and the temple.

The path of prapatti or loving self-surrender traces its roots to Vedic texts, and was revealed again in the devotional oupourings of the twelve Alwars in the Tamil Divya-prabandhams. Their successors, Yamuna and Ramanuja gave concise and... more

The path of prapatti or loving self-surrender traces its roots to Vedic texts, and was revealed again in the devotional oupourings of the twelve Alwars in the Tamil Divya-prabandhams. Their successors, Yamuna and Ramanuja gave concise and cryptic definitions of prapatti in writings such as the Stotra-ratna and the Sharanagati-gadya, which laid the foundations of more elaborate and structured commentaries by preceptors such as Vedanta Desika. The aspirant who follows the path of prapatti, known as a prapanna cultivates significant qualities of dependence on God, confessional feelings of helplessness, and a firm conviction that God alone will provide salvation and protection. This in turn affects the ways by which he or she behaves individually or engages with society to share the grace and benevolence of God.

Earliest record of Vaishnavism in Bengal occurs in the Susunia rock insqription of Chandravarman. It is engraved along with the representation of a wheel (a cakra) on the back wall of a cave at a place called Susunia in the Bankura... more

Earliest record of Vaishnavism in Bengal occurs in the Susunia rock insqription of Chandravarman. It is engraved along with the representation of a wheel (a cakra) on the back wall of a cave at a place called Susunia in the Bankura district of West Bengal, already mentioned earlier. The inscription mentions of a king of Pushkarana, Chandravarman by name, who was a devotee of Chakrasvamin, which happens to be a name of Vishnu. Gupta Period: The cult of Bhagavatism appears to have been well estab lished In Bengal during the Gupta and post-Gupta periods. Vaishnavism was a predominant aspect of Brahmanical religion 2 during this Gupta age. With the rise of the power of the Guptas Bhagavatism came to the foreground and had spread to remotest corners of India including Bengal. Some of the Gupta monarchs were great champions of the Vaishnava cult. Not only the royal Guptas onwards from the time of Chandragupta had assumed the title Parama Bhagavata indicating that they were Vaishnavas in their personal religious pursuit.

Narada, the author of Bhakti-sutra, defines Bhakti as intense love of God.1 Comparing to other Hindu religious paths Bhakti, the path of devotion is simple. For example Jnana, the path of knowledge is apt to be hard and Karma the path of... more

Narada, the author of Bhakti-sutra, defines Bhakti as intense love of God.1 Comparing to other Hindu religious paths Bhakti, the path of devotion is simple. For example Jnana, the path of knowledge is apt to be hard and Karma the path of work (or religious performances) has often been exclusive. The teachings of Upanishads, or Samkhya, [adivedanta] seemed so metaphysical and thus difficult to understand the concept of God where as in the Bhakti movement let to religious enthusiasm rather than to claim speculations about all pervading Brahman. So it not wonder the path of devotion is more appealing to the common people. In this paper the Bhakti Movement in South India is historically evaluated.