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Post by Nitaidas on Sept 1, 2021 12:18:53 GMT -6
Here is an update to the group. Greetings All! Though I have been mostly silent here these last few months I have not been idle. I continue to work on five or so projects switching each day. I have revived the Bhagavata translation accompanied by the comms. of Sridharasvami and Srinathacakravartin (and a couple of others). It is bilingual with the text and commentaries in Sanskrit across from their translations. This is the only way, in my view, to present these texts. Too much tomfoolery is possible when a translation is separated from its source. Every translation is an approximation and is in need of improvement by later generations of scholars-bhaktas. I want to encourage all of you to become scholar-bhaktas. Learn to the best of your abilities Sanskrit or Bengali or both and continue the process of transmission/translation of these Caitanyite texts and their supporting texts (like Sridhara's). It is the only way the authentic tradition will survive. IGM is trying to kill the authentic tradition by burying it in BS (coincidentally, guess whose initials those are). We need to protect the texts, transmit them faithfully, and once we have comprehended them as best we can interpret them for the modern times we live in. There is no going back. We should not be encouraging people to try to return to the 16th century or to the time of Krsna's presence on the planet. We need to interpret the tradition for the modern day as generations of Caitanya Vaisnavas have done before us.
Anyway, patience please. I will post the results of my work here and periodically in book format. I do need help, however. Before I can translate any of these texts, I need to constitute the Sanskrit texts. This means adding, verse by verse, Sridhara's and Srinathacakravartin's texts (usually copied and pasted from the Gaudiya Grantha Mandira versions) to the Bhagavata, then check them for mistakes, then typeset them and then translate them, then check the translations for misspellings, missing words, and obscure or nonsensical meanings, etc.,etc. All this can be done over the internet. If anyone wants to help with any of these steps, please send me a note through this message board.
রাধে রাধে!
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Sept 1, 2021 13:30:05 GMT -6
Radhe Radhe Dada! Dandavat pranam! Thanks for the post. Always nice to hear about the progress of the grantha seva! So you mentioned "five or so" projects and only described your Bhagavat Purana project. What are the other ones you've got cooking? I would like to help, but might play favorites depending on what you're working on if that's ok. As for myself, I also have a few projects going, but am doing so at a very very slow, molasses-speed pace, if even that. 1) Jiver Svarup O Svadharma: I've re-typed the whole English text and edited it all with the exception of end 'reminisce' section. I hope to republish it in the spirit of Nitai Dada, with expanded info like a bio of Prabhupada Kanupriya Goswami (maybe we can use Eduardoji's JVS article??), a index of verses quoted, bibliography, new section headings, etc. 2) I had a Bengali Vaishnavi translate some songs by Narottama Dasa Thakura. This needs a thorough rehashing, which I plan to do, but definitely need to find the time. I think it would be a great contribution to present to the world the 'other' writings of Thakura Mahashay (aside from Prarthana and Prema Bhakti Chandrika). 3) She also translated a text by Kunjabihari Babaji Maharaja (diksa guru of Anantadas Babaji). This needs the same attention as #2 above. 4) I wanted to give another go through for Sundarananda's Mahamantra for you Nitai-ji. Maybe it can be published as soft back and ebook?? 5) I also need to make a corrected version of Mani Babu's text to replace the ebook edition we have for sale online now. I've done some work on this, but needs more. 6) I'm almost done transliterating a sadachar manual that Prabhupada Birchand Goswami gave me. 7) Same with the a songbook given to me by the bhaktas at Kanupriya Goswami's home. 8) I may pay to have an English translation of one of Kishor Rai Goswami's books done. I just have to get the whole Bengali text typed out correctly ---- at least as correctly as it is in the book as I really can't recognize errors if they're in the original texts at this point. This would be done by a different translator, who I think is more reliable and accurate. So... lots to do and no time to do it. Or rather, I'm just a poor manager of my own time. Hopefully I can get into it! Start knocking some of this stuff out! I have a list of more 'to do'. So many great texts out there! Jai Sri Radhe! PS - I also recently heard that people like Garuda (Grahm Schwag) are notorious for ripping of other people's projects and/or ideas and calling them his own with no credit given to the original sources, such a great honest scholar that he is that makes me want to not list anything I'm working towards on a public forum. Sad that such people exist, but wouldn't be surprised at all if he and others like Tripurari troll this site to get materials to steal and then pat themselves on the back in front of their followers. What to do? I've already edited this post accordingly. Oh well.
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Post by Nitaidas on Sept 3, 2021 12:49:55 GMT -6
জয় রাধে! নীলমাধবদাস্জী
Thanks for outlining the projects you are working on. Great stuff! Keep up the good work, Nilamadhavadasji. It looks like your hands are full. Let me know when you have finished with the Mahamantra text. We can publish that fairly soon in both print and ebook versions. I think I need to write an introduction to Sundarananda (Vidyavinode) Das for that. It would be a good time to discuss his and Puridas's departure from IGM in the 1940s and what they did afterwards. I had the good fortune of meeting Puridas's nephew who was a disciple of Siddha Manohar Das and the mahant of the Govindakund ashrama. What an amazing person. His name was Anantadas Babaji and he affirmed everything I had heard about Puridas's departure from the GM and the threats on his life by his former followers and cohorts from GM. Puridas had to hide out under the protection of Srivatsa Goswami's father's protection at the Radharamana Temple in Vrindaban, Anantadas Bababji also brought my attention to the importance of Sri Sanatana Goswami's works and especially his Brhad-bhagavatamrta. That is a text that gets overlooked or overshadowed by Sri Rupa's and Sri Jiva's work. And that is one of the seven projects I am working on. I am revising my translation, studying the commentary, and adding notes from the commentary. It is a big work and immensely important for an understanding of the unfolding of the Goswami philosophy and theology which later became (mis-?)identified with the philosophy/theology of Sri Caitanya. So here is a list of my current projects:
1. Bhagavata trans, based on the critical edition, with Sridhara and Srinathacakravartin comms and highlights from the comms of Radharamanadas Gosvami, Radhamohan Goswami, and Madhusudana Sarasvati's comm. on the first verse.
2. Sri Jiva's Tattva-sandarbha with the comms of Sri Jiva, Baladeva, Radhamohana Gosvami and Gaurakisora Gosvami
3. Sri Sanatana's Brhad-bhagavatamrta with notes from Sanatana's comm.
4. Sri Sanatana's Sri Krsna-lilastava (Sanatana's first work on settling in Vraja)
5. Sri Kanupriya Goswami's Nama-cintamani, vol. 1 (Bengali)
6. Sri Gopal Das's Sri Gauragovinda-lilamrta-gutika (Bengali)
7. Sri Rupa's Ujjvala-nilamani in several volumes with notes from Sri Jiva's, Sri Visvanatha's and Sri Visnudas Gosvami's comms.
Right now I am actively working on 1,2,3, and 6, devoting to each a day or two in the week.
Anyone who wants to help is welcome. I suggest starting by reviewing the first three chapters in J. Prabhakar Sastri's book which I posted in another part of this forum. That should help in learning the Devanagari script and alphabet. I think Nilamadhavadasji has put up some links to sites for learning the Bengali script and alphabet, too. Knowing how to read correctly the letters and combos is the first step to reading Sanskrit and Bengali. The second step is learning some of the fundamentals of grammar, also available there in Sastri's book. Once I am back in Kirksville I will add more chapters to that. I also think I have posted the early parts of Sri Jiva's Harinamamrta-vyakarana somewhere here. The first chapter of that is all about the alphabet and the names he gave them (for example, Caturdasa Sarvesvara (the Fourteen Lords of All) for the vowels, and so forth). Studying that is rather fun and connects you with the Names of Krsna. It is like doing japa or kirtana.
I will update that text shortly, too.
Let me know if you encounter any problems and/or questions.
রাধে রাধে!
P.S.
Let Garuda and Tripurari steal! That is the only way they will be able to learn and teach anything from authentic CV. Better for them to steal from us than making up BS and spreading it. Let their egos grow big and their heads swell. They are unfortunates on a train ride to nowhere. Stealing from us may actually save them. For us, we should think it is only my guru acting through me. It is not my intellect, or anything to my credit. We are but instruments in Sri Radhika's and Sri Krsna's hands. We are linked to the powerhouse and that is why we shine, not for any other reason.
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Post by meeno8 on Sept 5, 2021 14:37:55 GMT -6
It has always been my own understanding that gutikas are for those that have received their siddha-pranali, rather than for the general audience.
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Post by Nitaidas on Sept 8, 2021 12:27:46 GMT -6
It has always been my own understanding that gutikas are for those that have received their siddha-pranali, rather than for the general audience. Yes, that is the traditional view. It is only those who have their siddha-dehas who can perform the practice. At every step the Gurumanjari or Gurudeva engages the sadhaka in service to Sri Gauranga or Sri Radha-Krsna. Nevertheless, I don't think it is necessary to hide these texts from the eyes of the uninitiated. They are lovely descriptions of the sacred realm as imagined by our previous teachers and they are inducements to meditation and visualization on what passes for nitya-lila in this world. They are meant for mental and emotional training and don't really represent the real nitya lila or realm. They are meant to tune our minds and hearts for entrance into that reality, but that reality is far beyond our ability to imagine. We are like fish in water trying to imagine the world outside of water. It remains mysterious to us and beyond our grasp until we arrive there. Even then it will require major adjustments to our mental and emotional landscapes.
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Post by Nitaidas on Sept 9, 2021 13:02:09 GMT -6
I have made some progress on the introduction to the Bhagavata translation. I will be posting that for comments in the next few days. The big question is who was Sridharasvamin. There are three interesting options: Sankarite sannyasi, Rudra-sampradaya sannyasi, and both Sankarite and Vaisnava. I am working on the latter option at present.
Today the focus is on the Brhda-bhagavatamrta. We are nearly done with our reading of the first chapter of the first section. The gutika is proceeding apace. I am working on the second period of the day from 6:00 am to 8:24 am. I will post that for review when I finish the second period.
Hope everyone is doing well and is happily engaged in bhakti-sadhana.
রাধে রাধে!
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jiva
Full Member
Posts: 143
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Post by jiva on Sept 9, 2021 18:02:43 GMT -6
The big question is who was Sridharasvamin. There are three interesting options: Sankarite sannyasi, Rudra-sampradaya sannyasi, and both Sankarite and Vaisnava. I am working on the latter option at present. I've been thinking about him these days.
Is there any biography of him/them?
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Post by Nitaidas on Sept 10, 2021 11:20:53 GMT -6
The big question is who was Sridharasvamin. There are three interesting options: Sankarite sannyasi, Rudra-sampradaya sannyasi, and both Sankarite and Vaisnava. I am working on the latter option at present. I've been thinking about him these days.
Is there any biography of him/them? There isn't much available on Sridharasvami. Jonathan Edelmann has written a short essay on him for the Brill Encyclopedia. I have not read it because it is behind a paywall. I don't know what his sources are, except for a story about him from Nabhadas's Bhakta-mal. I have translated Haridas Das Baba's short article on him which is included in the Bhagavata introduction. I will post that in a few days. I am reading him now as part of my Bhagavata with comms. project. He has high appreciation for bhakti, but his main deity seems to be Laksmi/Narasimha. I will know more about him as I proceed. I have only read his comments on the first chapter of the first skandha of the Bhagavata. As I mention, there are three possibilities for him: Sankarite sannyasi (possibly of the Puri denomination), member of the Rudra-sampradaya founded by Visnusvami, or Sankarite, but a member of a later Sankarite lineage that emphasizes bhakti more than Sankara or other later followers of his tradition did.
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jiva
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Posts: 143
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Post by jiva on Sept 10, 2021 12:49:24 GMT -6
Yes. This third possibility seems the most probable to me, also (Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri...).
So, there seems to have been line of dandi svamis, "bhakti-advaitins", so to speak, or converted advaitins.
I look forward to your translation of Haridas Das Baba's short article on Sridhara Swami.
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Sept 10, 2021 13:04:48 GMT -6
Radhe Radhe Nitai Dada.
I just messaged you a short blurb from the Gaudiya Vaishnava Jivan about Sridhar Svamin. Not sure if there's any useful info there, but maybe??
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Sept 10, 2021 13:08:42 GMT -6
জয় রাধে! নীলমাধবদাস্জী
So here is a list of my current projects: 1. Bhagavata trans, based on the critical edition, with Sridhara and Srinathacakravartin comms and highlights from the comms of Radharamanadas Gosvami, Radhamohan Goswami, and Madhusudana Sarasvati's comm. on the first verse. 2. Sri Jiva's Tattva-sandarbha with the comms of Sri Jiva, Baladeva, Radhamohana Gosvami and Gaurakisora Gosvami 3. Sri Sanatana's Brhad-bhagavatamrta with notes from Sanatana's comm. 4. Sri Sanatana's Sri Krsna-lilastava (Sanatana's first work on settling in Vraja) 5. Sri Kanupriya Goswami's Nama-cintamani, vol. 1 (Bengali) 6. Sri Gopal Das's Sri Gauragovinda-lilamrta-gutika (Bengali) 7. Sri Rupa's Ujjvala-nilamani in several volumes with notes from Sri Jiva's, Sri Visvanatha's and Sri Visnudas Gosvami's comms. Getting back to this... I'd say I'm partial to Nama-cintamani and also to the Biography of Siddha Manohar Baba. Anything I can do to help push those two forward? Seems that the Siddha Baba Bio is at about 95% completion, no? What is left to do for that one? Jai Radhe!
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Post by Ed on Sept 10, 2021 13:25:34 GMT -6
I've been thinking about him these days.
Is there any biography of him/them? There isn't much available on Sridharasvami. Jonathan Edelmann has written a short essay on him for the Brill Encyclopedia. I have not read it because it is behind a paywall. I don't know what his sources are, except for a story about him from Nabhadas's Bhakta-mal. I have translated Haridas Das Baba's short article on him which is included in the Bhagavata introduction. I will post that in a few days. I am reading him now as part of my Bhagavata with comms. project. He has high appreciation for bhakti, but his main deity seems to be Laksmi/Narasimha. I will know more about him as I proceed. I have only read his comments on the first chapter of the first skandha of the Bhagavata. As I mention, there are three possibilities for him: Sankarite sannyasi (possibly of the Puri denomination), member of the Rudra-sampradaya founded by Visnusvami, or Sankarite, but a member of a later Sankarite lineage that emphasizes bhakti more than Sankara or other later followers of his tradition did. I have Edelman's article, downloaded it for free from his Academia.com profile, if I remember correctly. There are some interesting books/articles in his bibliography, I think the article is worth checking out. jivaEdelman J. - Sridhara Swami Life Times and ....pdf (283.31 KB)
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jiva
Full Member
Posts: 143
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Post by jiva on Sept 10, 2021 13:41:03 GMT -6
Excellent! Thank you very much, Ed
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Sept 10, 2021 13:51:42 GMT -6
Seems like Sridhara Svamin should have his own page on the Symposium somewhere, but where is the big question?! Below is some other info I found on Sridhara Svamin. I also found an entire Oriyan book on Sridhara Svamin. I definitely can't make heads or tales of that one! I know someone who could though :-) I also see some different editions of 'Bhaktamala' some in Hindi and some in Bengali. So if there might be some info on the great Svamin there, I could poke around and look. Well, at least at the Bengali ones. Just linked a bunch of the books and articles mentioned in this post. Bibliography on SridharasvaminCompiled by Tracey Coleman, from postings on RISA-L. Acharya, Padmashri P. 1965. " A Short Note on Sridhara Svamin and BaladevaVidyabhusana." The Orissa Historical Research Journal 13 (1) (April): 1-9. Elkman, Stuart Mark. 1986. Jiva Gosvamin's Tattvasandarbha: A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of the Gaudiya Vaisnava Movement. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. Gode, P.K. "The Date of Sridhara Svami", in Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, XXX, 1949, 277-83. Sheridan, Daniel P. 1986. The Advaitic Theism of the Bhagavata Purana. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. -----. 1986b. " Sridhara and the Bhagavata Purana I.1.1." Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute 67:1-4, 125-132. -----. 1994. " Sridhara and his Commentary on the Bhagavata Purana." Journal of Vaisnava Studies 2:3, 45-66. Vireswarananda, Swami, trans. 1964. Srimad Bhagavadgita. Text, translation of the text, and of the gloss of Sridhara Swami. 2d ed. Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math. Srimadbhagavatapuranam with the Tika Bhavarthabodhini of Sridharasvamin. Edited by Jagadisalala Sastri. 1st ed. Delhi: Motilala Banarasidas, 1983. ********************** This may be obvious: Sridhara wrote commentaries on the Vishnu Purana (SvaprakAza a/k/a AtmA-prakAza) and Bhagavad-gita (SubodhinI) as well as the Bhagavata (BhAvArtha-dIpikA). He mentions Bopadeva and Vishnusvamin. A traditional shloka says: vyAso vetti zuko vetti rAjA vetti na vetti vA | zrIdharaH sakalaM vetti zrI nRsiMhaprasAdataH || Nabhadasa's Hindi Bhaktamal (c. 1600) mentions (chappay 45) that Sridhara wrote his Bhavartha-dipika with the blessings of his guru, Paramananda. But there was some controversy about it, so it was tested by placing it before the deity of Bindu Madhava at Kashi; after some time, when the temple door was opened, Sridhara's commentary was found on top of many others. Writing in 1712, Nabha's Gaudiya vaishnava commentator praises Sridhara in this way. See Singh, BhagavatI-prasAda, Ed. _RAdhA-kRSNa-bhakta-koza_, MathurA: Sat zAstra-prakAzana, ZrI KRSNajanmasthAna SevA SaMsthAna, 1989. [Michael Tandy] ******************** This is probably more obscure than obvious: the 18th century Marathi poet/scholar Krishnadayarnava wrote a Marathi commentary on the tenth canto of the Bhagavata Purana called the Harivarada, which he based on Sridhara's commentary, calling his own work a "shadow" of Sridhara's. Krishnadayarnava was prompted to write his commentary by Eknath, who appeared to K. in a dream. Krishnadayarnava was suffering from some sort of leprosy and to cure it Eknath, in the dream, recommended he write the commentary. Apparently it worked. Seven years into the project Krishnadayarnava's symptoms disappeared. [Christian Lee Novetzke]
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Sept 10, 2021 14:44:01 GMT -6
If there is specific information that is wanted about Sridhara Svamin, I can ask someone to peruse the Oriyan biography to see what's in there.
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