Srila Jiva Goswami | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1513 (1513) |
| Died | c. 1598 (aged 84–85) |
| Resting place | Radha-Damodar temple,Vrindavan, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Parent |
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| Notable work(s) |
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| Known for | CodifyingGaudiya Vaishnavism |
| Relatives | Rupa Goswami (paternal uncle),Sanatana Goswami (paternal uncle) |
| Honors | Six Goswamis of Vrindavana |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Denomination | Vaishnavism |
| Philosophy | Achintya Bheda Abheda |
| Lineage | Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya |
| Sect | Gaudiya Vaishnavism |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Rupa Goswami |
| Based in | Vrindavan, India |
| Part ofa series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
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| Orthodox | |
| Heterodox | |
Sub-schools | |
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Jiva Goswami (Sanskrit:जीव गोस्वामी,romanized: Jīva Gosvāmī;c. 1513 – c. 1598)[1][2] was an Indian philosopher andsaint from theGaudiya Vaishnava school ofVedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice ofBhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated disciplines. He is known as one of theSix Goswamis of Vrindavan and was the nephew of the two leading figures,Rupa Goswami andSanatana Goswami.
His family lineage can be traced toIndian State ofKarnataka andNaihati in the district ofNorth 24 Parganas in present-dayWest Bengal,India. The former generations according toBhakti-ratnakara:[3][4]
Sarvajna Jagatguru was a famousbrahmana, great scholar in allVedas, respectedYajur-vedi of the Baradvaja caste, and king ofKarnataka inSouth India, adored by all other contemporary kings. Sarvajna's son,Aniruddha, was spirited, famous, a proficient scholar of the Vedas, and a favorite of the reigning kings at the time. Aniruddha's sons,Rupesvara (eldest) andHarihara, were well respected due to their virtuous qualities. Rupesvara was famed as a scholar of the scriptures, while Harihara became a master in the art and science of weapons. Both brothers inherited the administration of the state after their father died, but Harihara soon snatched all the power, causing Rupesvara and his wife to travel to Paulastha-desa, where Sikharesvara befriended him and convinced him to settle there.
Rupesvara's son,Padmanabha, was a genius and easily learned the four Vedas making him famous. He had impeccable character and was genuinely absorbed in love ofLord Jagannatha. He left Sikharabhumi and settled on the bank of theGanges in the village Navahatta (present-dayNaihati,West Bengal,India[5]), where he had eighteen daughters and five sons. His five sons werePurusottama (eldest),Jagannatha,Narayana,Murari, andMukunda (youngest), where Purusottama and Mukunda were the best in experience and character. Mukunda's son,Kumara, was a great brahmana and highly virtuous. He privately engaged in oblations and purificatory penances. Becoming very disturbed by family difficulties, he left the village Navahatta with his followers and settled in the villageBakla Chandradvipa inEast Bengal (nowBangladesh). He built a house in the villageFateyabad inJessore for the convenience of communications with devotees and travelingVaishnavas.
Among Kumara's many sons,Sanatana (eldest),Rupa (middle), andVallabha (youngest) were the life of the Vaishnava community and great devotees, all three becoming well known for their academic genius and devotion, and eventually settling in the village Ramakeli inGauda (present-dayMaldah,West Bengal[6]). The brothers were greatly inspired byChaitanya Mahaprabhu, who lived inNadia (a district of present-dayWest Bengal,India) at the time. Sanatana and Rupa eventually resigned from their ministerial (royal) posts and retired to help Chaitanya in his mission, eventually relocating toVrindavana. Vallabha, who was always happy in service, was initiated by Chaitanya and given the nameAnupama, and was known for his stoicism and neutrality in his detachment from worldly affairs.
Alternatively, it is said that his ancestors migrated fromKarnataka toGauda and lived in the village Ramkeli, nearGauda for generations.[citation needed]
Vallabha's son,Jiva Goswami, was very talented, completing his studies invyakarana and other subjects within a very short time, grasping vast spiritual knowledge with a sincere and devotional endeavor. Jiva avoided activities that had no connection with Krishna. He never married and remainedcelibate. His pleased uncles treated him affectionately. Jiva, like his uncles, was greatly inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and was attracted to Vrindavana and his uncles there, which caused Jiva to eventually renounce material life and join his uncles in their mission. On the way to join his uncles in Vrindavana, he first met withNityananda Prabhu inNabadwip for a few days, then studied from Madhusudana Vacaspati inKasi and became expert inNyaya Vedanta and other scriptures.
There seems to be some controversy amongst biographers about Jiva Goswami's birth. Some opine that he lived from 1511 to 1596 CE, while others claim that he lived from 1533 to 1618 CE.
Not much is known about Jiva Goswami's childhood. He was born in Ramakeli in the district ofMaldah,West Bengal as the son of Srivallabha Mallika (also known as Anupama), the younger brother of Rupa and Sanatana; his mother's name is unknown. He had a strong affinity to the worship ofKrishna even from his childhood and excelled in his education completing his studies inSanskritVyakarana (grammar) andKavya (poetics) within a very short period.
When Jiva was three or four years old, his uncles resigned from their ministerial posts at the court of Alauddin Hussein Shah (ruled 1493–1519 CE) after their initial meeting withChaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534 CE) and they decided to join his ranks as mendicants. Jiva's father, Anupama, also met with Chaitanya at this time and followed in the footsteps of his elder brothers and proceeded to travel with Rupa toVrindavana.
Hearing that his father and uncles had made their decision to work in the service of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the young Jiva desired to join them also.[7] According to the biographical workBhakti Ratnakara of Narahari Chakravarti, Jiva had a dream of Chaitanya at this time. This gave him the impetus to leave home and join Rupa and Sanatana. It is unclear from his biographies whether or not Jiva actually ever met Chaitanya personally.
Jiva travelled toNavadvipa in West Bengal and met withNityananda Rama, one of the foremost associate of Chaitanya mahaprabhu.Nityananda took Jiva to all the holy places in Navadvipa and they circumambulated the entire area together. This marked the beginning of the Gaudiya tradition of Navadvipa parikrama (circumambulation of the nine sections of Navadvipa). After the pilgrimage, Nityananda gave his blessings for the young Jiva to proceed towardsVrindavana.
Jiva went on toBenares where he studied for some time under the tutelage of Madhusudana Vachaspati,[8] the disciple of the famous logician and Vedantist,Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. Under Vachaspati, Jiva mastered the six systems ofIndian philosophy known asSad Darsana.
In 1535 Jiva arrived in Vrindavana where he remained under the tutelage of his uncles, Rupa and Sanatana (by this time his father Anupama had died). He accepted initiation from Rupa Goswami and was taught theesoteric principles of devotion to Krishna.[7] Jiva helped to edit the writings of Rupa and Sanatana and assisted them in their work in propagating Gaudiya Vaishnavism and excavating the lost holy places of Vrindavana.
After the passing of Rupa and Sanatana, Jiva Goswami became the foremost authority in the Gaudiya Vaishnava line. In 1542 Jiva established one of the prominent and important temples in the Vrindavana area, the Radha Damodara mandir, installing deities ofRadha andKrishna that had been personally carved by Rupa Goswami. At that time he also established theVishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha (World Vaishnava Association) and the Rupanuga Vidyapitha, an educational facility for Gaudiya Vaishnavas to study the works of Rupa and Sanatana. His erudition and spirituality were so famous that the Moghul emperorAkbar became his ardent admirer and donated paper for his writing.
In 1558, Jiva instructed his students,Narottama Dasa,Srinivasa Acarya andShyamananda, to go toBengal and propagate theGaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and to take with them the original manuscripts that had been written by Rupa and Sanatana.
One of Jiva's main theological contributions was to present Chaitanya's teachings as “the epitome of theVedas.” To do so, Jiva should claim that theBhagavata Purana, which Chaitanya regarded as the key Hindu scripture, was indeed part of the Vedas, while it was not generally considered as “part of the canonical Veda” at that time. Jiva proceeded to “extend the scope of the Veda to include the epics and the Purānas,” and concluded that theBhagavata Purana was “scripturepar excellence”. In fact, he shifted “the locus of scriptural authority from the Veda to theBhāgavata,” which had important, if controversial, consequences for the subsequent development of Hindu theology.[9]
Jiva Goswami died in 1596 CE (or 1618 according to some biographies). Hissamādhi (tomb) is located in the precincts of theRadha-Damodara temple in Vrindavana.
According to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Jiva Goswami is considered to be the incarnation of Vilasa Manjari, an eternal maidservant of Radha.[10]
It was in his Sarva-samvadini commentary to theSat Sandarbhas ofHindu philosophy that Jiva Goswami first wrote ofAchintya Bheda Abheda, the philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In essence, the philosophy of Achintya bheda abheda, or "inconceivableoneness anddifference", avoids the extremes ofShankara's monisticAdvaita vedanta andMadhva's pure dualism (Dvaita) by interpreting the material and spiritual potencies of the Supreme Person (Bhagavan) as being simultaneously one and different with Him. Recent work in comparative philosophy "we should add the word mystery (which is from the Latin mysterium and the Greek mustērion) to the many ways acintya might be translated within the context of Jīva’s thought."[11]
There are at least 25 literary works attributed to Jiva Goswami,[12][7][13][14] which can be classified into four types: treatises, commentaries, grammar and rhetoric, and poetry, with the best-known in each category beingSat-sandarbhas,Durgama-sangamani,Hari-namamrita-vyakarana andGopalachampu, respectively.[15][16]
Western philosophers are now studying thesandarbhas and are marveling at the depth of the wisdom contained therein. It is sometimes said that the sixsandarbhas represent the perfection ofsambandha-gyan,abhideya-gyan, andprayojana-gyan. Of these six, the first foursandarbhas are devoted tosambandha; the fifth is devoted toabhideya; and the sixth toprayojana. Consequently, theSat-sandarbha is considered the most important philosophical treatise in the history ofChaitanyite Vaishnavism.[17]
Sat-sandarbhas(Six Sandarbhas),
Bhagavata-sandarbha(Bhāgavata-sandarbha):
Sometimes called theBhagavata-sandarbha, not to be confused with the second treatise titledBhagavat-sandarbha, where "sandarbha" literally means "weaving" or "arranging".Sandarbhas are a thematic arrangement of theBhagavata Purana presentingCaitanya Vaishnavism in a systematic and comprehensive way.[18] Intensely theological, this work is considered the most important among all his works.[19] According to Jiva Goswami,Gopala Bhatta Goswami completed the preliminary work, but couldn't finish it. Jiva Goswami expanded it into six books, wherein he systematically presents the philosophy ofChaitanya Mahaprabhu with scriptural evidences.
Radha-Krishna-archana-dipika(Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-arcana-dīpikā),
Radha-krishnarchana-dipika(Rādhā-Kṛṣṇārcana-dīpikā),
Radha-krishnarchana-chandrika(Rādhā-Kṛṣṇārcana-candrikā):
Intensely theological work describing the process of worshipingRadha andKrishna together indeity form, a significant contribution to theChaitanyitesampradaya.[24]
Krama-sandarbha,
Srimad-bhagavata-tika(Śrīmad-bhāgavata-ṭīkā):
A commentary on theBhagavata Purana, often described as the "seventh" of the sixSandarbhas.[24]
Dig-darshani-tika(Dig-darṣani-ṭīkā),
Brahmha-samhita-tika(Brahmhā-saṁhitā-ṭīkā):
A commentary on theBrahma Samhita (Brahmā-saṁhitā).
Durgama-sangamani(Durgama-saṅgamanī),
Bhakti-rasamrita-sesha(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-śeṣa),
Bhakti-rasamrita-sindu-tika(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindu-ṭīkā):
A commentary onRupa Goswami'sBhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.
Lochana-rochani(Locana-rocani),
Ujjvala-nilamani-tika(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi-ṭīkā):
A commentary onRupa Goswami'sUjjvala-nilamani.
Sukha-bodhini,
Gopala-tapani-tika(Gopāla-tāpanī-ṭīkā):
A commentary on theGopala-tapani Upanishad (Gopala-tapani Upaniṣad), which has importance inGaudiya Vaishnavism as it providesUpanishadic backing for the notion thatKrishna is the supreme deity.
Gayatri-vyakhya-vivriti(Gāyatrī-vyākhyā-vivṛti),
Agni-puranastha Gayatri-bhashya(Gāyatrī-bhāṣya):
A commentary on theBrahmaGayatri mantra as found in theAgni Purana, chapters 216–217.
Laghu-vaishnava-toshani(Laghu-vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī),
Laghu-toshani(Laghu-toṣaṇī):
A commentary on the 10th canto of theBhagavata Purana based onSanatana Goswami'sBrihad-vaishnava-toshani (Brhad-vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī) commentary.[25]
Sarva-samvadini(Sarva-saṁvādinī):
An extensive auto-commentary on Jiva Goswami's ownSat-sandarbhas.
Padma-puranastha Yogasara-stotra-tika(Yogasāra-stotra-ṭīkā),
Yogasara-stavaka-tika(Yogasāra-stavaka-ṭīkā)
Padma-puranokta Krishna-pada-padma-chihna(Kṛṣṇa-pada-padma-cīhna):
An elaborate description of the insignia found on Krishna's feet according toPadma Purana.
Radhika-kara-pada-sthita-chihna(Rādhikā-kara-pada-sthita-cīhna):
A description of the insignia found onRadhna's hands and feet.
Hari-namamrita-vyakarana(Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa),
Harinamamrita-vyakarana(Harināmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa):
A work onSanskrit grammar, wherein each and every word, syllable and grammatical rule is explained in relation toKrishna and his pastimes.[24]
Sutra-malika(Sūtra-mālikā):
A grammatical work on derivations ofSanskrit words.
Dhatu-sangraha(Dhātu-saṅgraha):
A work on the verb roots ofSanskrit words.
Rasamrita-sesha(Rasāmṛta-śeṣa):
A work dealing with Sanskrit composition based onViswanatha Kaviraja'sSahityadarpana, with many added examples from Jiva Goswami and the otherGoswamis.
Madhava-mahotsava(Mādhava-mahotsava):
Descriptions ofRadha's coronation ceremony as Queen ofVrindavana.
Gopala-virudavali(Gopāla-virudāvalī):
A short poem extolling the glories ofGopala (Krishna) in 38 verses.
Gopala-champu(Gopāla-campū),
Gopalachampu(Gopālacampū):
Intensely theological poetic work divided into two parts.Purva-champu (Pūrva-campū) has 33 chapters and elaborately describesKrishna's activities inVrindavana.Uttara-champu (Uttara-campū) has 37 chapters and describes Krishna's activities inMathura andDvarka after leaving Vrindavana and the separation the residents of Vrindavana feel in his absence.[24]
Sankalpa-kalpavriksha(Saṅkalpa-kalpavṛkṣa),
Sankalpa-kalpadruma(Saṅkalpa-kalpadruma):
Explains the eight-fold daily pastimes ofRadha andKrishna (asta-kaliya-lila) in prayer form.
Bhavartha-suchaka-champu(Bhāvārtha-sūcaka-campū)
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