BY: SUN STAFF
Dec 22, CANADA (SUN) —
Tattva Sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
SECTION TWENTY-SIX
Therefore, to determine what is the ultimate good for a person, and while keeping proper harmony and consistency in the beginning, middle, and end, the Srimad Bhagavatam alone will be analyzed. Our introductory statements in the Shat-sandarbha will be like the sutras and the statements of the Srimad Bhagavatam will be the subject matter.
The Bhagavatam commentaries of the great Vaishnava, His Holiness Sridhara Svami, are mixed with advaitavada to attract the minds of impersonalists towards the glories of the Lord. These impersonalists are very popular in the middle region at present. Whenever Sridhara Svami's commentray is in accordance with the pure Vaishnava principles we will quote it as it is. That will be like the bhashya of our sutras. Sometimes we will accept his views found elsewhere.
We also accept those interpretations in accordance with the doctrines of respectable Sri Ramanujacarya Bhagavatpada, found in his writings such as Sri Bhashya. He is the famed leader of the Sri sampradaya, which originated directly from Sri Lakshmi. These great devotees can be found in plenty in the land of Dravida (Tamilanadu, Andhra Pradesa and Karnataka). As stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam: "O King, a few Vaishnavas can be seen here and there, but they can be seen in multitudes in Dravida..." (SB. 11.5.39). In some places our explanations will differ (from Sridhara Svami and Ramanuja) to maintain the natural sense of the original text.
Since the principles of Advaitavada are well known, they will not be explained too much here (as the antithesis).
Sri Jiva Toshani Commentary
Here Srila Jiva Gosvami explains his way of analyzing the Srimad Bhagavatam. He plans to follow a format similar to that used by Srila Vyasadeva in Vedanta Sutra, in which the sutras are Vyasa's introductory statements and the Upanishad mantras are the subject matter. Jiva Gosvami also indicates that his explanations are not his personal opinion nor are they imaginary, but are in agreement with the previous Vaishnava acaryas such as Ramanujacarya and Sridhara Svami.
From Sridhara Svami's commentaries on the Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and the Vishnu Purana it is clear that he was a great Vaishnava, although he accepted the renounced order of life in Sankara's sampradaya, which is opposed to the personalism of Krishna consciousness. Nevertheless, in his commentaries, Sridhara Svami clearly states that the Lord's form, qualities, abode, associates, and names are all transcendental and eternal, and that devotion to the Lord continues even after liberation. These key philosophical points are all opposed to monism and so they reveal Sridhara Svami's true stance.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted sannyasa in Sankara's line, but from the onset His teachings refuted the Mayavada doctrine. Hence the fact that Sri Caitanya accepted Sridhara Svami and had great respect for his Bhagavatam commentary is clear proof Sridhara Svami was not a Mayavada sannyasi at heart any more than was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who considered all Mayavadis offenders at the lotus feet of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would not tolerate even a mild or indirect criticism of Srila Sridhara Svami. When Vallabha Bhatta said he had written a Bhagavatam commentary that surpassed Sridhara Svami's Lord Caitanya refused to hear it and he rebuked Vallabha Bhatta. The incident is described in the Caitanya Caritamrita, Anyta Lila, Chapter Seven. From this we can understand the exalted status of Sridhara Svami as a sold out pure devotee of the Lord. We can also understand that Jiva Gosvami, as a loyal follower of Lord Caitanya, holds Bhavartha dipika in high esteem. Thus Srila Jiva Gosvami refers to Sridhara as "parama-vaishnava", a topmost devotee.
The reason for Bhavartha-dipika being a mixed commentary is given in this section. Some followers of Sankara, by reading some of his devotional prayers based on the Srimad Bhagavatam, developed a leaning towards the Bhagavatam, but with a Mayavada slant. To attract these sannyasis to the path of devotion, Sridhara Svami wrote a mixed commentary on the spotless Purana. Just as a fisherman uses bait to catch fish, once in a while Sridhara Svami gives monistic opinions on some of the less crucial Bhagavatam verses. By this, his Advaitin readers would not feel alienated, but he was not a monist himself. This was merely part of his preaching strategy.
Nevertheless, although Jiva Gosvami understands Sridhara Svami's motives, he does not use the monistic explanations given in Bhavartha-dipika, for it does not suit his purpose in compiling the Shat-sandarbhas. In fact he does the very opposite. At every opportunity throughout the Sandarbhas, Srila Jiva Gosvami demolishes the Mayavadi view. Clearly he does not consider the Mayavadis his primary audience the way Sridhara Svami must have when he wrote his commentary. Jiva Gosvami's intention is clear from his declaration in the sixth anuccheda where he says that his book is not to be read by anyone who does not desire to serve the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.
The audience in Jiva Gosvami's mind are persons who are already on the path of Krishna consciousness or willing to take to it. Naturally, therefore, he says he will quote Sridhara Svami's explanation "only when it is in accordance with the pure Vaishnava principles". Because of this, some modern scholars have criticized Jiva Gosvami for not respecting the sentiments of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but this criticism springs from a superficial understanding.
Sridhara Svami was not a monist, although he had a reason for giving a monistic slant in some parts of his Bhagavatam commentary. Considering this fact, why should Srila Jiva Gosvami, in an entirely different work, with an entirely different audience in mind, maintain a guise of accepting those explanations of Sridhara that are opposed to the true conclusion of the Bhagavatam and even to Sridhara Svami's convictions. Sri Jiva has already established Srimad Bhagavatam as the supreme authority and subsequently he avoids any explanations that contradict it. Srila Jiva Gosvami makes his policy explicit: He respects the purports of Sridhara in as much as they follow the spirit and intent of the Srimad Bhagavatam. In this way, he remains true to the Vaishnavism of Srila Sridhara Svami and to his own sampradaya.
At the end of this annucheda, when Jiva Gosvami says he is not giving the details of the monistic doctrines, since they are well known, he implies that monism although popular is only the apparent meaning of the sastras and not really worthy of discussion and that he will refute it.
Next, Srila Jiva Gosvami explains the source of the references he plans to cite as evidence in the Shat-sandarbhas.
Go to Section Twenty-seven
Return to Section Twenty-five
