Discussions on the doctrines of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Please place practical questions under the Miscellaneous forum and set this aside for the more theoretical side of it.
Dasa-mula and other summaries of Gaudiya-thought - Bhaktivinoda, Vipina Vihari, Baladeva and Srinatha
Madhava - Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:35:21 +0530
I'm certain many of you are familiar with the concept of dasa-mula presented in the writings of Bhaktivinoda. A fellow devotee asked me post in some comments on the concept.
The root verse itself, broken into ten segments:
AmnAyaH prAha [1] tattvaM harim iha paramaM [2] sarva-zaktiM [3] rasAbdhiM [4]
tad-bhinnAMzAMz ca jIvAn [5] prakRti-kavalitAMs [6] tad-vimuktAMz ca bhAvAt [7] |
bhedAbheda-prakAzaM sakalam api hareH [8] sAdhanaM zuddha-bhaktiM [9]
sAdhyAM tat-prItim [10] evety upadizati harir gauracandro bhaje tam ||
1. The tradition of sacred texts declares:
2. The supreme truth is Hari,
3. Who is invested with all potency,
4. And is an ocean of rasa,
5. And the living entities are his separate parts,
6. Some of them engrossed in matter,
7. And some of them become liberated.
8. Everything is a different-and-nondifferent manifestation of Hari,
9. The path of attainment is pure devotion,
10. And love for him is the perfection.
Thus Hari, Gaurachandra, has advised; him we worship.
The above is from the edition of Sri Chaitanya Math. A variant reading of the second half of the last line, found in the publications of Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, reads:
upadizati janAn gauracandraH svayaM saH - "Thus Gaurachandra himself has advised people."
The abovementioned dasa-mula is an attempt to summarize the entire Gaudiya faith in ten core doctrines. Bhaktivinod himself has elaborated on this thesis in several of his works.
Bhaktivinoda's guru, Vipina Vihari Goswami, wrote an elaborate work called Dasa-mula Rasam, published in 1898 in over 1000 pages. The text, however, cites a verse of Bhaktivinoda's mentioning the concept, written in 1896. Bhaktivinoda wrote of the concept in his Sriman Mahaprabhur Siksha, published in 1892. Jaiva Dharma (1893), too, predates the Goswami's work.
It is, therefore, hard to say who is behind the original formulation. I have never seen it traced beyond the two. Does anyone have further notes on the origins of the thesis?
Madhava - Tue, 23 Aug 2005 02:13:01 +0530
Another summary seeking to capture Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's view is found in the beginning of Srinath Chakravarti's commentary on the Bhagavata called Chaitanya-mata-manjusha:
ArAdhyo bhagavAn vrajeza-tanayas [1] tad-dhAma vRndAvanaM [2]
ramyA kAcid upAsanA vraja-vadhU-vargeNa yA kalpitA [3] |
zrImad-bhAgavataM pramANam amalaM [4] premAn pumartho mahAn [5]
zrI-caitanya-mahAprabhor matam idaM tatrAdaro naH paraH ||
1. The worshipable Lord is the son of the king of Vraja,
2. His abode is Vrindavan,
3. The most beautiful flavor of worship is that of the newly-wed ladies of Vraja,
4. Srimad Bhagavata is the spotless evidence, and
5. Prema is the greatest of the human goals.
This is the view of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which nothing supersedes.
While Bhaktivinoda's is an apt summary of the basic philosophical truths of the Gaudiya tradition, it lacks in what Srinath offers in the world of rasa. On the other hand, Srinath says little in the Vedantic vein, focusing on the essentials of our upasana. Bhaktivinoda's version reminds me of Madhva's Nava-prameya.
Are there other such summaries of Gaudiya thought?
Madhava - Tue, 23 Aug 2005 02:43:13 +0530
Baladeva shaped his Prameya-ratnavali around the Nava-prameya, one chapter for each of the nine tenets. The verse itself was authored by Sri Vyasa Tirtha, an esteemed follower of Madhva's.
zrIman-madhva-mate hariH parataraH [1] satyaM jagat [2] tattvato
bhedo [3] jIva-gaNAH harer anucarAH [4] nIcocca bhAvaGgatAH [5] |
muktir naija-sukhAnubhUtir [6] amalA bhaktiz ca tat-sAdhanam [7]
hy akSAditritayaM pramANam [8] akhilAmnAyaika vedyo hariH [9] ||
In the opinion of Madhva,
1. Hari is the supreme,
2. The world is real,
3. And the differences are real.
4. The living entities are servants of Hari,
5. And reach distinct destinations.
6. Mukti is the experience of the joy of the self,
7. And untainted bhakti is the means of its attainment.
8. The triad beginning with perception are evidence,
9. And of all the sacred texts, Hari alone is to be known.
In his Prameya-ratnavali, Baladeva chose to re-word the verse containing the nine prameyas. He writes (1.5):
zrI-madhvaH prAha viSNuM paratamam [1] akhilAmnAya-vedyaM ca [2] vizvaM
satyaM [3] bhedaM ca [4] jIvAn hari-caraNa-juSas [5] tAratamyaM ca teSAm [6] |
mokSaM viSNv-aGghri-lAbhaM [7] tad amala-bhajanaM tasya hetuM [8] pramANaM
pratyakSAdi-trayaM ca [9] ity upadizati hariH kRSNa-caitanya-candraH ||
Sri Madhva said:
1. Vishnu is the supreme,
2. And is to be known of all the sacred texts.
3. The world is real,
4. As are the differences.
5. The living entities are servants of Hari's feet,
6. And there is a gradation among them.
7. Moksha is the attainment of Vishnu's feet,
8. And his untainted worship its cause.
9. The triad headed by perception are the evidences.
Thus Hari, Krishna Chaitanya-chandra, has taught.
The influence of these Nava-prameya summaries is very distinct in Bhaktivinoda's Dasa-mula.
lbcVisnudas - Tue, 23 Aug 2005 05:37:32 +0530
QUOTE
zrIman-madhva-mate hariH parataraH [1] satyaM jagat [2] tattvato
bhedo [3] jIva-gaNAH harer anucarAH [4] nIcocca bhAvaGgatAH [5] |
muktir naija-sukhAnubhUtir [6] amalA bhaktiz ca tat-sAdhanam [7]
hy akSAditritayaM pramANam [8] akhilAmnAyaika vedyo hariH [9] ||
In the opinion of Madhva,
1. Hari is the supreme,
2. The world is real,
3. And the differences are real.
4. The living entities are servants of Hari,
5. And reach distinct destinations.
6. Mukti is the experience of the joy of the self,
7. And untainted bhakti is the means of its attainment.
8. The triad beginning with perception are evidence,
9. And of all the sacred texts, Hari alone is to be known.
In his Prameya-ratnavali, Baladeva chose to re-word the verse containing the nine prameyas. He writes (1.5):
zrI-madhvaH prAha viSNuM paratamam [1] akhilAmnAya-vedyaM ca [2] vizvaM
satyaM [3] bhedaM ca [4] jIvAn hari-caraNa-juSas [5] tAratamyaM ca teSAm [6] |
mokSaM viSNv-aGghri-lAbhaM [7] tad amala-bhajanaM tasya hetuM [8] pramANaM
pratyakSAdi-trayaM ca [9] ity upadizati hariH kRSNa-caitanya-candraH ||
Sri Madhva said:
1. Vishnu is the supreme,
2. And is to be known of all the sacred texts.
3. The world is real,
4. As are the differences.
5. The living entities are servants of Hari's feet,
6. And there is a gradation among them.
7. Moksha is the attainment of Vishnu's feet,
8. And his untainted worship its cause.
9. The triad headed by perception are the evidences.
Thus Hari, Krishna Chaitanya-chandra, has taught.
The influence of these Nava-prameya summaries is very distinct in Bhaktivinoda's Dasa-mula.
Wow!
When is philosophy as beautiful and stirring as any art? When does song and Nagaswaram and Tavil stand abased. When does the entirety of the Visvarupa stand before you as your dearest friend?
Only in the utterings of the Mhajana.
Jay Radhe!
Madanmohan das - Tue, 23 Aug 2005 15:57:29 +0530
A book has been published in English now, about time too, on Dasa Mula. The best explanations are to be found in the author's own " Sri Chaitanya His Life and Precepts". Where Thakura Bhaktivinoda provides his own English explanations. It may not be immediately apparent there, but it is clear upon reading. Jaiva Dharma deals with the topic most extensively, but you find the Dasa mula in all of the Thakura's books.
It is a woderful schematic presentation, and if one commits it to memory it serves as a mental data base allowing access to the tattvas in a very logical and perspicuous
manner.