All varieties of devotional topics that don't fit under the other sections of the forums. However,
devotionally relevant topics, please - there are other boards for other topics.
Books of Sundarananda Vidyavinoda -
braja - Mon, 16 May 2005 22:31:43 +0530
Over yonder at the wonderful
Gaudiya Grantha Mandira mention is made of a series of texts by Sundarananda Vidyavinoda (or perhaps he has some titles in a larger series?). Does anyone know where these texts can be obtained and/or whether they are housed in any library collections?
QUOTE
This book was edited by Sundarananda Vidyavinoda's as number 8 in the Gaura Jayanti Grantha Mala (Calcutta: Sri Pat Parag, 1964). It contains a description of Radharani's sister Ananga Manjari, who is said to have appeared in Chaitanya's incarnation as Jahnava Thakurani. It's in Bengali with Sanskrit quotations from Dharani-Sesa-Samvada and Bhajana-candrika, two unknown works.
Text entered by Madhavananda Das (2004-05-18)
Jagat - Mon, 16 May 2005 23:00:23 +0530
Sundarananda published a number of limited run books after leaving the GM. The last few works before leaving the GM are also of great value. He definitely made a great contribution to the historical contextualization of Gaudiya Vaishnava religion and philosophy. Keshava Maharaj called his last three books "the trishul that pierces the heart of the Gaudiya Math." I am not quite sure which aspects of them he is refering to, as they are in fact fairly tame. But taken together, they give a great deal of insight into the other Vaishnava sampradayas and how they resemble or differ from Gaudiyas. These are "Achintya-bhedabheda," "Gaudiya Tin Thakur" "Gaudiya Darshaner Itihasa o Vaisisthya".
I looked at some of these when at Srivatsa Goswami's place this winter in relation to my research project. I was impressed by his argumentation on Nimbarka and Kesava Kasmiri, both of whose dates are a source of much confusion. What struck me about this and other books by Sundarananda was his detective work followup. There was a stela in Andhra Pradesh with some writing on it that was being used as proof that Nimbarka was alive earlier than the 11th century. So Sundarananda goes to Andhra Pradesh just to look at this stone, read the whole text, and makes it possible to establish from the context that it had been misinterpreted and was in fact something to do with Aditya (Sun God) worship.
Trouble was, even he couldn't come up with a reliable date for Nimbarka.
jijaji - Mon, 16 May 2005 23:08:20 +0530
Can anyone give an accurate account of what became of Sundarananda after he left the Gaudiya Math? I don't believe he followed Puri das to Radha Kunda from what I have heard.
namaskar,
jijaji
Mina - Tue, 17 May 2005 20:34:39 +0530
Sundarananda married and settled in Calcutta, where he continued to publish. I met with his son, Vinodananda, in Calcutta in 1980.
Puridas did not end up in Radhakund, rather settled in Vrindavan with his wife and a small group of several other married couples that was very secretive.
jijaji - Tue, 17 May 2005 20:45:59 +0530
QUOTE(Mina @ May 17 2005, 06:04 PM)
Sundarananda married and settled in Calcutta, where he continued to publish. I met with his son, Vinodananda, in Calcutta in 1980.
Puridas did not end up in Radhakund, rather settled in Vrindavan with his wife and a small group of several other married couples that was very secretive.
I remember seeing a photo of Sundaranand's son that was shown by Jayasachi and Jaganatha das back in the 70's in LA after Jaya came back from taking diksha..
did you take that photo Maha Mina..?
Mina - Tue, 17 May 2005 20:54:37 +0530
No, I don't have any photos of his son.
As far as the books he published, those are difficult to obtain, since they were small printings. I have several of them in my personal library.