October 27th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
The siddha-svarūpa is an extension of God’s own form, and thus the devotee identified with that siddha-rūpa experiences, through what is really an extension of God’s senses, a dynamic union with God in love
October 24th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas understand tādātmya in terms of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Thus, we should not think that tādātmya means absolute nondifference
October 20th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
Although Jīva Gosvāmī often compares the material body to iron filings, he never compares the svarūpa-śakti to iron filings
October 17th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
When the soul is analyzed in terms of svarūpa-śakty-ānanda, the amount of the soul’s bliss increases exponentially
October 13th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
Jīva Gosvāmī says that when the jīva does spiritual action, the jīva himself is the doer, indicating that svarūpa-śakti is intrinsic to the soul
October 10th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
Jīva Gosvāmī establishes that the jīva is only directly a doer when he performs action with the svarūpa-śakti
October 6th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
“The qualities which appear when the inferior qualities are destroyed simply manifest on their own. They are not created. They are eternally with the ātmā…the knowledge, detachment, power and dharma are eternally with the ātmā arising from Brahman.”
October 3rd, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
“The jīva’s qualities which are similar to the Lord’s are hidden. From meditation on the Supreme Lord, a śakti which defies darkness appears by the mercy of the Lord, like the power of a medicine.” This comment very clearly shows simultaneous inherence and bestowal because it says that the jīva’s hidden qualities (śakti) manifest by the mercy of the Lord
September 29th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
The śeṣa-śeṣi (servant/master) relationship is a key concept in Śrī Vaiṣṇavism. Since the term is not common in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, it is easy for those unfamiliar with its origin to fail to understand its significance
September 26th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
Serving Kṛṣṇa indirectly without even knowing it can hardly be the defining nature of the jīva. Rather, the jīva’s true nature is to serve the Lord with intentionality
September 22nd, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
There is no way to have spiritual ānanda without bhakti. This irrefutable fact is an inconvenient truth for those who maintain that spiritual ānanda is not the nature of the soul
September 19th, 2022 | by Harmonist staff
A liberated soul is either identified with Brahman or enjoying the bliss of a relationship with Bhagavān