Sri Paramatma Sandarbha (Volume 2)

About the Book

The purpose of this book is very succinctly stated: The description of sambandha - the relationship between the individual living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In this book there is a description of Paramatma (the Supersoul) and an explanation of how the Supersoul exists in millions and millions of living entities.

In this second volume of Paramatmasandarbha, Srila Jiva G osvami continues his discussion of the material nature and its relationship with the Supreme Lord.

There is a unique explanation of the meaning of the Gayatri mantra, and the work closes with a discussion of the ten subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam, showing how each and every verse of that great literature is nothing but glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

About the Author

"Jiva Gosvami has got six Sandarbhas, theses: Bhagavat-sandarbha, Krsna-sandarbha, Tattava-sandarbha, Priti-sandarbha, like that. So, I don't think that these books are published in English. These Sandarbhas of Jiva Gosvami are so philosophically discussed that throughout the whole world, there is not a single philosopher who can defy them. We belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya from Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, coming in the disciplic succession of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We have got immense literature to understand God. One who wants to understand God through philosophy, science, argument and logic, to supply them reading material, we have got immense literature, Vedic literature".

Back of the Book

Why did the Supreme Personality of Godhead create the material world? The answer is given here in the word svamatratma-prasiddhaye, which means, "so the individual spirit souls who worship Him may attain perfection."

When the darkness of the clouds is removed, then the eyes can see the original form (svarupam) of the soul. By thus seeing the original form of the soul, one understands the true nature of the soul.

Supreme Lord explains: The peaceful hearts of My devotees are the homes that the goddess of fortune and I like best. I reside in those homes and I call them Vaikuntha.

Introduction

In this purport to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi.10.85), Srila Prabhupada wrote: In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (195) it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-manjari gopi. From his very childhood Jiva Gosvami was greatly found of Srimad-Bhagavastam. He later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama. After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusudana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to Vrndavana and took shelter of his uncles, Sri Rupa and Sanatana. This is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara.

After the disappearance of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami in Vrndavana, Srila Jiva Gosvami became the acarya of all the Vaisnavas in Bengal, Orissa, and the rest of the world, and it is he who used to guide them in their devotional service. In Vrndamana he established the Radha-Damodara temple, where, after retirement, we had the opportunity to live from 1962 until 1965, when we decided to come to the United States of America.

In the Krsna-sandarbha, the second-to-last text states: The description of sambandha (the relationship between the individual living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead), which was begun in the Tattva-sandarbha, and continued in the Bhagavat-sandarbha and Paramatmasandarbha, is now concluded in this Krsna-sandarbha. In the next book (Srimad-bhakti-sandarbha), I shall describe abhideheya (devotional service, or the activities of the relationship between the individual living entities and the Supreme Lord) and in the last book (Priti-sandarbha), I shall describe prayojana (pure love for Krsna, the result of engaging in the activities of devotional service).

In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 1.42) of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, there is mention of the literature complied by Srila Jiva Gosvami: Sri Rupa Gosvami's nephew, Srila Jiva Gosvami, has compiled so many books on devotional service that there is no counting them.

In this purport, Srila Prabhupada was written: The third Sandarbha is called Paramatma-sandarbha, and in this book there is a description of Paramatma (the Supersoul) and an explanation of how the Supersoul exists in millions and millions of living entities. There are discussions of the difference between the qualitative incarnations, and discourses concerning the living entities, maya, the material world, the theory of transformation, the illusory energy, the sameness of this world and the Supersoul, and the truth about this material world. In this connection, the options of Sridhara Svami are given.

In the second volume of Paramatma-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Gosvami continues his discussion of the material nature and its relationship with the Supreme Lord. Here, the author stresses that the material cosmic manifestation is not a form of the Lord, as imagined by some philosophers. The Lord exists independently of the material nature, and although the material nature undergoes various transformations, this in no way indicates that the Supreme Lord Himself is transformed. Those who imagine such a thing are termed as belonging to the disciplic succession of blind men.

There are other philosophers who proclaim that the material manifestation is false, or illusory, like a dream. The author goes to great pains to refute such a notion. He argues that since the Supreme Lord is real, how can that which He manifests be considered unreal? Of course, the universe are sometimes manifest that the material nature is temporary. The material nature continues to exist in a subtle form even after the dissolution of the universes and again, when the time is ripe, they will become manifested.

There are others who say that the material creation has come about as a transformation of the mahat-tattva, and that there is no basis for regarding the Supreme Lord as the original cause. This leads to a discussion of the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. The Lord has transcendental senses. As stated in the Vedas, H glanced over material nature and thus created was effected. The mahat-tattva is not a conscious entity and thus there would be no question of it glancing over nature. In this way, all kinds of atheistic and impersonal philosophies are refuted in the volume of Paramatma-sandarbha.

Towards the close of this book, there is a discussion of one of the common misconceptions regarding the Supreme Lord - that He is impartial, the Supreme Lord is practically seen to fight on the side of the demigods against the demons. Actually, the Lord is not impartial. He reciprocates with everyone in the manner in which they approach Him. The demigods are His devotees, whereas the demons are determined enemies of the Lord. In this world, the Lord is neutral. He simply awards everyone the results of their karma, without discrimination. In the course of this discussion, the Lord's great love for His unalloyed devotees is presented with many examples.

Finally, there is a unique explanation of the meaning of the Gayatri mantra, and the work closes with a discussion of the ten subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam, showing how each and every verse of that great literature is nothing but glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.