6 Goswamis | Masterminds of Bhakti | Session 2: Tattva | Svayam Bhagavan Keshava Maharaj

[@ShireenChetram]

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja 🙏🙏🙏🙏

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Dandavat pranam maharaj ❤❤❤❤

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Spell bounding talk! Thank you Maharaj for this presentation. One sentence summary: Tatva is the fundamental truth that defines & establishes relationship between the Supreme Reality, the Living being & the Inert matter; additionally, it describes the cause of bondage & means for liberation. 4 min read A. Lies and biases eclipsing truth Tatva means truth, which is often clouded by biases such as anchor, confirmation, self-serving & consensus biases. To parse through biases; truth is an effective tool. In the age of Kali, 3 out of 4 features of dharma that includes AMC- Austerity, Mercy & Cleanliness have tapered off. With only one feature: Truth is standing tall, we can be assured that biases & even lies can be stamped down. Lies are no less, compared to bias. Vociferously spoken lies become truth, which creeps into the culture and ossifies as tradition. Hence, truth is the only resort that can strengthen our integrity & by extension foster honesty in society. What does truth constitute? Specifically in an age that is highly riven by lies & biases: Truth imply dharma - love towards the Lord (SBG 1.3.43). And that dharma is delineated in the Vedas. Additionally, tatva doesn’t hint at some abstract body of knowledge; Tatva ontologically refers to the truth about the Supreme Reality; learning which brings order into the chaotic world rife with bias and lies. B. Fact-check Tatva The great preceptors of the Gaudiya-Vaishnav tradition such as Rupa Goswami & Jiva Goswami (JG) have produced copious amount of literature consolidating the essence of the Vedas. Vedas had more than 1120 branches, so required consolidation. But in the 16th century, when JG penned his commentary (sada-sandharbha) on the commentary (Bhagwatam) of the Vedanta Sutra; only 20 branches of the Vedic epistemology could be traced by him. However, Purana’s were smriti (written format), but considered as the 5th Veda (SBG 12.13.16). Although the Vedas were Sruti (aural format) there wasn’t any difference with the Smriti. Of the 18 Puranas, there were 3 fold gradations, 6 each. In the genre of satvika, rajasika and tamasica; customized as per the spiritual evolution of the seeker. Among the 6 sattvic puranas; the Bhagwatam (SBG) is considered as the crown jewel. SBG is the direct commentary on Vedanta Sutra composed by the same author Vyasadeva. To establish the veracity of a statement there are 4 types of fact-checking mechanisms; 1. Pratyaksha (direct evidence), Anumana (inference) 2. Shabdha (aural evidence) 3. Puranas (non-material, conventional evidence) 4. Satviki (evidence from Bhagvatam) All four factors should align to testify the validity of every Tatva. In this context: JG comments in his Tatav sandharbha, the following quote: sarva-vedānta-sāraṁ hi śrī-bhāgavatam iṣyate tad-rasāmṛta-tṛptasya nānyatra syād ratiḥ kvacit Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedānta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellow will never be attracted to any other literature. (SBG 12.13.15) C. The objective of Tatva: Furthermore, the primary function of Tatva is to define and establish three factors (tatva traya): 1. Brahman (Supreme Personality of Godhead) 2. Jiva (living being) 3. Jada (matter) And, the secondary function of Tatva is to state the reason for conditioning (badha) and the means for liberation (mukti). In short: Jiva, currently in their conditioned state, are the eternal associate of the Lord (BG 15.07), and Jada is the separated energy (BG 7.04) of the same Brahman-the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Conditioning of Jiva is due to the aversion to the Lord, and Liberation occurs when jiva voluntarily turns toward the Lord with the help of Guru, Sadhu & Sastra. Finally, Maharaj eloquently presented the intricate artistic Sanskrit works of Rupa Goswami, which were hard to decipher for a person without knowledge of Sanskrit. But, I understood the mastery of linguistic command the Gurus in the Vaishnava Tradition had, who drafted deep sciences of devotion, breathed the holy names of the lord, and broadcasted the living tradition of Bhakti (devotion toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna). That’s a crisp summary on Tatva, hope you got a holistic understanding on the epistemological study on Tatva-the Supreme Truth.

[@muralithundi7808]

Thank you Ashutosh Prabhu for this detailed summary

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Gurujii naman 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

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🙏🙏🙏🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

[@simon12332]

49:14 Sample

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Maharaj how can I contact you