Guest guest Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 Hopefully I'm not overestimating the integrity and intellectual capability of this forum by posting this. Anyways... We all know that Srimad Bhagavatam is a samadhi grantha as Vyasadeva was full samadhi as he wrote it. But can the same be said for Bhaktivinoda'a Jaiva Dharma? My Guru Maharaja says it is but I am trying to look for proof elsewhere just to verify it in our vasinava sastra. Please help. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 I assume you're not just looking for our opinions, since our integrity and intellectual capacity are questionable. What would you accept as evidence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guruvani Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 First of all, show us any place in the shastra that the term "samadhi grantha" had been mentioned. Then, we will give you the answer. What is the origin of this term "samadhi grantha"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 We all know that Srimad Bhagavatam is a samadhi grantha as Vyasadeva was full samadhi as he wrote it. But can the same be said for Bhaktivinoda'a Jaiva Dharma? My Guru Maharaja says it is but I am trying to look for proof elsewhere just to verify it in our vasinava sastra. The status you give to an Acharya and their writings are based on your personal faith in them. You will not find any evidence that Bhaktivinoda Thakur was in samadhi when he wrote Jaiva Dharma. Even in the case of the Bhagavatam, the only evidence you will find is in the Bhagavatam itself. But logically a text can not be used as evidence to establish the authenticity of itself. Thus we are in a situation where: 1) Having accepted the Bhagavatam as truth... then we can conclude that Vyasa was in samadhi. 2) Having accepted Bhaktivinoda Thakur as a pure devotee... then we can conclude that his writings are revelations. There are plenty of other Bengali "saints" who wrote books which we do not consider as revelations. That is because of the status we accord those individuals, and our faith in their spiritual realizations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Okay, that's fine. But how about some other Bengali saints that have said that jaiva dharma is a samadhi bhasya, or samadhi grantha? Does anyone have ANY sources at all which say this book is derived solely from samadhi and was not written by BT to as a preaching book, but instead is divine revelation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guruvani Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Okay, that's fine. But how about some other Bengali saints that have said that jaiva dharma is a samadhi bhasya, or samadhi grantha? Does anyone have ANY sources at all which say this book is derived solely from samadhi and was not written by BT to as a preaching book, but instead is divine revelation? Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur stated that he wrote Jaiva Dharma "under the light of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy". He said he wrote the book: "Seated at Surabhi Kunja at Godruma island, next to the holy river Jahnava in Navadvip Circle" It should be quite obvious that the Thakur wrote down pastimes that he observed happening around him at that spot. Bhaktivinode was in trance while he was fully awake and conscious. He realized Navadvip as a transcendental place. He didn't see the external part that we see. His vision was of the transcendental. Being in yogic trance might not be the best way to describe the situation. The Dhama manifested itself to the eyes of Bhaktivinode. It wasn't necessarily a trance where he was oblivious to the outside world. Srila Bhaktivinode could see beyond the veil that covers the Dhama from the eyes of the impure. The term "samadhi grantha" might not be a proper term in Gaudiya texts, but there is no doubt that the Jaiva Dharma was written from a spiritually realized state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Okay, that's fine. But how about some other Bengali saints that have said that jaiva dharma is a samadhi bhasya, or samadhi grantha? Does anyone have ANY sources at all which say this book is derived solely from samadhi and was not written by BT to as a preaching book, but instead is divine revelation? Please carefully reread Jahnava Nitai's response to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 The way to understand the validity of any work is to enter into the revelations that it contains(if any). Everything that has it's origin in that plane of life is living, self-revealing and capable of bring us back into that state of life ourselves. Just taste it. Therein lies the confirmation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 My Guru Maharaja says it is Proof enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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