About Bhakti Sandarbha

Bhakti Sandarbha is the heart of all the Sandarbhas. The first four lay its theoretical foundation, and the last reveals its fruit—divine love (prīti). Bhakti Sandarbha stands out as the most practical, guiding one’s daily life, while the others provide essential theoretical insight for authentic practice. Ultimately, Bhakti Sandarbha serves as the guiding light for sādhakas.

What you get

A one-time purchase includes access to:

  • 158h of Video lectures reading the original text and translation of Bhakti Sandarbha Volume 1

  • Engaging questions and answers on how to practically apply the concepts in your daily devotional practice

  • Expert teacher: Babaji studied all Sandarbhas from his guru, a realized teacher in paramparā. He has also translated and commented on all six Sandarbhas

Contents at a Glance

  1. Bhakti Is The Complete Abhidheya
    1.  Establishment of Bhakti As the Complete Abhidheya
    2. The Essential Nature of Bhakti
    3. Ananyā-bhakti Culminates in Natural Attraction
  2. How Akiñcana-bhakti Is Attained
    1. Devotees As the Cause of Attaining Bhakti
    2. Characteristics of Devotees
    3. Devotees As the Cause of Progress on the Path


Course curriculum

    1. Overview of the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas

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    2. Importance of the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas

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    3. About this course

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    4. Course Author

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    5. Eligibility of the student

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    6. Course Book

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    7. The Language of Transcendence — Key Terms and Concepts

    1. Anu 1 (Part 1) - Sāmmukhyatā Identified As the Essence of Abhidheya-tattva

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    2. Anu 1 (Part 2) - Sāmmukhyatā Identified As the Essence of Abhidheya-tattva

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    3. Anu 1 (Part 3) - Sāmmukhyatā Identified As the Essence of Abhidheya-tattva

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    4. Anu 1 (Part 4) - Sāmmukhyatā Identified As the Essence of Abhidheya-tattva

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    5. Anu 2 (Part 1) - Sāmmukhyatā in the Form of Bhajana Is the Abhidheya

    6. Anu 2 (Part 2) - Sāmmukhyatā in the Form of Bhajana Is the Abhidheya

    7. Anu 3.1 (Part 1) - All Forms of Sāmmukhyatā Culminate in Bhakti

    8. Anu 3.1 (Part 2) - All Forms of Sāmmukhyatā Culminate in Bhakti

    1. Anu 3.2 (Part 1) - Bhakti to Bhagavān Is Para-dharma

    2. Anu 3.2 (Part 2) - Question Answers

    3. Anu 3.2 (Part 3) - Bhakti to Bhagavān Is Para-dharma

    4. Anu 4 - Bhakti Bestows Jñāna and Vairāgya

    5. Anu 5 (Part 1) - The Futility of Dharma Not Culminating in Bhakti

    6. Anu 5 (Part 2) - The Futility of Dharma Not Culminating in Bhakti

    7. Anu 5 (Part 3) - The Futility of Dharma Not Culminating in Bhakti

    8. Anu 6 (Part 1) - The Real Purpose of Dharma Is Apavarga — Meaning Bhakti

    9. Anu 6 (Part 2) - The Real Purpose of Dharma Is Apavarga — Meaning Bhakti

    10. Anu 6 (Part 3) - The Real Purpose of Dharma Is Apavarga — Meaning Bhakti

    11. Anu 7 (Part 1) - Absolute Reality Is Disclosed Only by Bhakti

    12. Anu 7 (Part 2) - Absolute Reality Is Disclosed Only by Bhakti

    13. Anu 8 - Dharma Culminates in the Pleasure of Bhagavān Hari

    14. Anu 9 (Part 1) - Sūta Recommends Direct Engagement in Bhakti

    15. Anu 9 (Part 2) - Sūta Recommends Direct Engagement in Bhakti

    16. Anu 9 (Part 3) - Sūta Recommends Direct Engagement in Bhakti

    17. Anu 10 - A Taste for Hearing — The First Step in Bhakti

    18. Anu 11 - Mahat-sevā Leads to a Taste for Hearing

    19. Anu 12 - Service in the Form of Hearing Purifies the Heart

    20. Anu 13 - Establishment in the State of Resolute Bhakti

    21. Anu 14 - Absorption of the Mind in Śuddha-sattva

    22. Anu 15 - Bhakti Grants Direct Experience of Bhagavān

    23. Anu 16 - Concomitant Effects of the Immediate Vision of Bhagavān

    24. Anu 17 - Enlightened Sages Continuously Engage in Bhakti

    25. Anu 18 (Part 1) - Worship Is Intended Only for Sākṣāt-parabrahma Viṣṇu

    26. Anu 18 (Part 2) - Worship Is Intended Only for Sākṣāt-parabrahma Viṣṇu

    27. Anu 19 - Nārāyaṇa Alone Is Worshiped by Those Who Aspire for Mukti

    28. Anu 20 - Worship in the Guṇas Is Influenced by Acquired Nature

    29. Anu 21 - The Import of All Scriptures and Practices Is in Vāsudeva Alone

    30. Anu 22 - The Consistent Reconciliation of All Scriptures Is in Vāsudeva

    1. Anu 23 (Part 1) - Jñāna and Karma Are Ineffective without Bhakti

    2. Anu 23 (Part 2) - Jñāna and Karma Are Ineffective without Bhakti

    1. Anu 24 - Attached Householders Are Concerned Only with Mundane Topics

    2. Anu 25 (Part 1) - Śuka Recommends Bhakti As the Abhidheya

    3. Anu 25 (Part 2) - Śuka Recommends Bhakti As the Abhidheya

    4. Anu 26 (Part 1) - The Virāṭ Is Not the Object of Bhakti — I

    5. Anu 26 (Part 2) - The Virāṭ Is Not the Object of Bhakti — I

    6. Anu 27 - The Virāṭ Is Not the Object of Bhakti — II

    7. Anu 28 - Sākṣāt Bhakti-yoga Is the Abhidheya

    8. Anu 29 - Bhakti Is the Essential Abhidheya of the Vedas As a Whole

    9. Anu 30 (Part 1) - Bhakti Is the Prime Duty of All Human Beings

    10. Anu 30 (Part 2) - Bhakti Is the Prime Duty of All Human Beings

    11. Anu 31 - Bhakti Is the Abhidheya for All Aspirants

    12. Anu 32 (Part 1) - Bhakti Is the Supreme Fruit of Worshiping Other Devatās

    13. Anu 32 (Part 2) - Bhakti Is the Supreme Fruit of Worshiping Other Devatās

    1. Anu 33 - Life without Bhakti Is Meaningless

    2. Anu 34 - Merely Living Is Not the Fruit of Human Life

    3. Anu 35 - Human Life Devoid of Bhakti Is Animal Life

    4. Anu 36 - The Ears and Tongue Are Worthless If Not Engaged in Bhakti

    5. Anu 37 - The Head Is a Burden without Bhakti

    6. Anu 38 - The Eyes and Legs Are Worthless without Bhakti

    7. Anu 39 - Mortal Beings Are Living Corpses without Bhakti

    8. Anu 40 (Part 1) - Without the Affect of Bhakti, the Heart Does Not Melt

    9. Anu 40 (Part 2) - Without the Affect of Bhakti, the Heart Does Not Melt

About this course

  • $199.00
  • 372 lessons
  • 158 hours of video content

Instructor

Director - Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji

Satyanarayana Dasa, born in 1954, was drawn to the spiritual traditions of his home country India since his childhood. After receiving a postgraduate degree in 1978 from IIT Delhi and working in the United States for four years, he returned to India. There he studied the formal systems of Indian philosophy known as Ṣaḍ-darśana under the direct guidance of his guru Śrī Haridāsa Śāstrī Mahārāja and Swami Śyāma Śaraṇa Mahārāja.

This education was taken up in the traditional manner for more than 25 years, while he dedicated himself as a practitioner of bhakti yoga. In 1991 he accepted the traditional Vaiṣṇava order of renounced life, bābājī-veṣa. His main focus has been with the works of Jīva Gosvāmī, particularly on translating the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas, into English and commenting on them. He also earned four śāstric 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. He is a visiting professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. In 2013 he was honored by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, for his extraordinary contribution in presenting Vedic culture and philosophy, both nationally and internationally.

Importance of Bhakti Sandarbha

To engage in bhakti, one has to have the proper understanding of one’s relation with Bhagavān. One has to know that one is an integrated part of Bhagavān and not absolutely identical with Brahman, as is understood by the radical nondualists (the Advaita Vedāntīs). Although the living beings and Bhagavān are one in terms of consciousness, a distinction exists between them not only in the phenomenal state but even in the liberated state. The relation between them is thus one of transrational oneness and distinction (acintya-bheda-abheda), which is the inherent nature of the relation between potency (śakti) and potent source (śaktimān). This in brief is the “integral nonduality” propounded in Śrīmad Bhāgavata. Pure bhakti is not possible without this understanding.

With this view in mind, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī composed the earlier Sandarbhas to elaborately explain the relation between the jīva and Bhagavān. These Sandarbhas are meant to be studied in the order given by the author, otherwise the complete understanding of Reality will remain beyond the practitioner’s grasp, which will in turn obscure the practice of śuddhā-bhakti. And if bhakti is thus obstructed or adulterated, it will not directly disclose Bhagavān and prema to the practitioner, which is the whole purpose of undertaking the investigation into Reality in the first place. In Śrī Jīva’s ordered exposition, Bhakti Sandarbha stands out as the pivot or the center of all the Sandarbhas. The first four provide the theoretical underpinnings that lead to it, and the last one elucidates its outcome in the form of divine love (prīti). Bhakti Sandarbha is also the most practically oriented out of the complete set, because it provides the method to be followed in one’s life. As far as a sādhaka is concerned, the other five offer only a theoretical understanding, which is however essential for authentic practice. Thus, although each of the other Sandarbhas have their own specific role and importance, ultimately it is only Bhakti Sandarbha that is the beacon light in one’s day-to-day life. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for a sincere sādhaka.

For the reasons just stated, anyone who is serious about becoming a pure devotee of Bhagavān, especially of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, must study Bhakti Sandarbha thoroughly. Along with Bhakti Sandarbha, it will also be beneficial to study the Eastern division of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. This will provide an in-depth understanding of pure devotion, which is not an easy subject to comprehend. These two books are complementary and cover most of the theoretical and practical aspects of devotion. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu deals with the practical as well as with the emotional aspect of bhakti. The Eastern division enumerates the first aspect and the remaining three divisions, namely, Southern, Western, and Northern, deal with the second aspect. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, however, deals with these two aspects of bhakti separately in Bhakti Sandarbha and Prīti Sandarbha, respectively. What is described in a very terse form in the Eastern division of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu has been elaborated in Bhakti Sandarbha. The former, being composed in śloka form, has its limitations, and needs the help of a commentary to understand the subject matter. Bhakti Sandarbha is not subject to the same limitation. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī makes the subject easier to comprehend.

Bhakti Sandarbha places bhakti on the highest pedestal, which it rightly deserves. Earlier, bhakti was considered only as a means for liberation. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, however, on the strength of scriptural authority, establishes that bhakti is the supreme process as well as the ultimate goal. All other processes cease after delivering their respective results, but bhakti continues even beyond videha-mukti, or ultimate liberation. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī goes on to say that without the grace of bhakti, all other processes are impotent. Bhakti, being the intrinsic potency of Bhagavān, is complete by itself and does not depend upon anything. It was propagated by Bhagavān Himself at the beginning of creation. Whatever a person wishes to attain — material or spiritual — can be attained through bhakti. Everyone is eligible to engage in bhakti irrespective of their status, gender, age, nationality, or education. Only bhakti awards direct realization of Bhagavān. Indeed, Bhagavān becomes controlled by His devotee.

All auspicious qualities become naturally manifest in a devotee. The realization of Brahman is possible only by the grace of bhakti. Even a semblance of bhakti can award liberation. The only obstacles to bhakti are the offenses, and therefore they must be conscientiously avoided. They have been elaborately discussed in Bhakti Sandarbha. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī also describes the influence of offenses. This is highly practical knowledge for a practitioner. One can examine one’s own mind to see if one is progressing or regressing because of offenses. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī also offers advice as to how to mitigate the offenses committed in the past or in the present life. Bhakti is the most blissful process both in the stage of practice as well as in the perfected stage.

These characteristics of bhakti highlighted in Bhakti Sandarbha are unique. It is crucial to understand all these points to uproot all doubts about the nature and efficacy of bhakti. Because of the popularity of other paths in the past, a sādhaka may have deeply formed saṁskāras about the importance of other processes and may, thus, knowingly or unknowingly harbor doubts or lack faith in bhakti. Doubts and lack of faith dampen one’s enthusiasm to engage in bhakti wholeheartedly. Worse yet is that one may act in an offensive manner that will completely obstruct one’s progress. It is thus of the utmost importance for a sincere sādhaka to study Bhakti Sandarbha. It is recommended that a serious practitioner should study a part of this book regularly, just as one would commit to other devotional practices, such as chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. By doing so, one’s understanding of bhakti becomes more and more refined, which results in a corresponding increase in the purity and fixity of one’s practice. This is the whole point of Bhakti Sandarbha.

Questions and Answers

  • Why do you charge so much for this course? Spiritual education should be free of charge!

    Yes, we agree that spiritual education should be accessible to everyone. That's why we allow everyone to attend our classes in Vrindavan for free and give a donation they find appropriate. However, the Jiva Institute needs to cover costs, just like any other school. Recording and archiving classes cost money and labor which we need to cover to sustain our efforts.

    Through this course, in exchange for your tuition fee, you get the chance to study from a world-famous scholar without having to adjust your schedule or live in his ashram.