Sri Paramatma Sandarbha The Living Being, Its Bondage and The Immanent Absolute Satya Narayana Das Babaji

986 Pages·0182.483 MB·English

by  Satya Narayana Das Babaji

Paramatma Sandarbha
This is the third book in the series of six treatises called Sat
Sandarbhas or Bhagavata Sandarbha. It is an elaborate essay on
the nature of Paramatma. The distinction between Absolute
Reality’s manifestations as Paramatma and Bhagavan is
relatively unknown, even to specialists in the field of Vedanta.
These two specific designations are often used synonymously
to refer to a single aspect of the tattva. It was Sri JIva Gosvaml’s
genius to clearly define them and enumerate their characteris­
tics and functions in detail. There is no other work in the
entire gamut of Indian theological and philosophical literature
that throws light on this subject so lucidly.
Paramatma, also called Purusa, is akin to what people usually
conceive of as God, the creator and overseer of the cosmos,
whereas Bhagavan is God in His supreme transcendence,
without reference to the phenomenal world — God in His own
intrinsic being. Paramatma is the regulator of the intermedia­
ry potency (tatastha-sakti) and the extrinsic potency
(bahirahga-sakti), otherwise known as may a. He is never
influenced by this extrinsic potency, even while present in the
midst of it.
SatyanarayanaDasa
Born in 1954, he was drawn to the spiritual traditions of his
home country India since his childhood. After receiving a
postgraduate degree in 1978 from iit Delhi, he then worked in
the United States for four years. After this period, he returned
to India to begin formal study of the orthodox systems of
Indian philosophy known as sad-darsana under the direct
guidance of his guru Sri Haridasa Sastrl Maharaja and Svami
Syama Sarana Maharaja. This education was pursued in the
traditional manner for more than 25 years as he dedicated
himself to the practice of bhakti-yoga. In 1991 he accepted the
traditional Vaisnava order of renounced life, babaji-vesa. His
main focus has been on the works of Jiva Gosvami, particularly
the Sat Sandarbhas, providing English translation and
commentary. He also earned four sastric degrees, and received
both a law degree and a PhD in Sanskrit from Agra University.
Satyanarayana Dasa is the director of the Jiva Institute of
Vaishnava Studies in Vrindavan, India. In 2013 he was honored
by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for his extraordi­
nary contribution in presenting Vedic culture and philosophy
to students and audiences within India and internationally.

MfcHt'Llui nftmfd
hastamalakavat-tattvam srimad-bhagavatasya yah
darsayamasajivebhyas tarn sri-jlva-prabhum numah
We bow down to Srlla JIva GosvamI Prabhupada who revealed the
essential meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam to the people of the world
just as plainly as one would display an amalaki fruit kept on one’s
palm.
sandarbha yena nadhltas tasya bhagavate sramah
sandarbha yena cadhlta nasti bhagavate bhramah
One whojias not undergone comprehensive study of SatSandarbhas
must struggle to assimilate the message of Srimad Bhagavatam. One
who has studied Sat Sandarbhas, however, will have no misgivings
about the essential meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam.
Sat Sandarbha
Tattva Sandarbha
BhagavatSandarbha
Paramatma Sandarbha
Krsna Sandarbha
Bhakti Sandarbha
Priti Sandarbha
SRI PARAMATMA
SANDARBHA
The Living Being, Its Bondage, and the Im m anent
Absolute
Srlla Jiva GosvamI
Sanskrit Text with English Translation
and JIva-tosani Commentary
SATYANARAYANA DASA
# JIV A
Jiva Institute of
Vaishnava Studies
Vrindavan
Paramatma Sandarbha: The Living Being, Its Bondage, and the Immanent Absolute.
Translation and Commentary
Satyanarayana Dasa
This book is published and distributed by Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies.
For further information on Jiva books, please contact
Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies
Sheetal Chaya 1, Raman Reti
Vrindavan, up 281x21
India
or visit www.jiva.org
To learn more about Sat Sandarbha, please go to sandarbhas.jiva. org
To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]
Copyright © 2016 by Satyanarayana Dasa
Print Kbsel GmbH & Co. KG, Altusried-Krugzell
Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. For in­
formation on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected].
ISBN-13: 978-81-87153-46-7
isbn-io: 81-87153-46-6
First edition, 2016
Printed in Germany on non-aging, acid-free, Fsc-certified wood-free book paper
Contents at a Glance
Introduction and Dedication............................................ xxi
I The Ontology of Paramatma — The
Suprem e Im m anent Self 1
Anucchedas 1-18................................................................................ 7
II The Ontology of the JIva — Tatastha-sakti 149
Anucchedas 19-47.............................................................................. 153
III The Ontology of M aya — Bahiranga-sakti 315
Anucchedas 48-104 . 319
IV Determ ination of Bhagavan as the Subject
of Bhagavata Purana 673
Anucchedas 105-110........................................................................... 677
References
Editors’ Notes.................................................................... 785
The Language of Transcendence — Key Terms
and Concepts...................................................................... 787
Paramatma Sandarbha at a Glance................................... 801
Glossary and Abbreviations............................................... 803
Subject Index, Verse Index, Bibliography,
and Contributors............................................................... 827
1 vii