Download Tattva Sandarbha here

This updated edition (3.00) now includes Sarva-samvadini, Baladeva Vidyabhushan's commentary and portions of two other commentaries, namely those of Radha Mohan Goswami (1-13, 61-63) and Gaura Kishora Goswami (Svarna-lata) (1, 62-63). These commentaries are still not fully completed.

These commentaries have been color-coded to help avoid confusion.

There is still much to be done in the editing of Tattva-sandarbha, some new errors have also crept in, but hopefully everyone will find this an improvement over the previous edition, with the addition of Sarva-samvadini being more than welcome.

Updated version 2006-05-18 (Jagat) 710 downloads up to this point.
Updated version 2007-10-01 (Jagat) 1503 downloads up to this point.


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The Sarva-samvadini is based on the edition by Puridas [1953].

The following printed editions were used in making this text:
(ed.) Sitanath Goswami, Jadavpur University, 1967. (only mula and Baladeva)
(ed.) Haridas Shastri. Vrindavan, 1983. (mula and all commentaries)
(ed.) Kanailal Adhikari. (Mayapur: Gopinath Gaudiya Math, 1998) (mula, Baladeva and Sarva-samvadini).
Puridas edition of 1953 for Sarva-samvadini. [This edition has been used by 2 and 3 above.]
Another edition of Sarva-samvadini, (ed.)Rasikamohan Sarma Vidyabhusana (Bangiya Sahitya Parisat, 1327=1921 CE).The numbering has been adjusted slightly. The old numbering system has been kept, but the following should be noted. The Tattva-sandarbha differs from the other five sandarbhas in that it is divided into two sections—the Pramana-prakaranam and the Prameya-prakaranam. The first section establishes the authority of the Bhagavatam as a source of revealed knowledge or shabda. The second enters into the content of the Bhagavata-sandarbha. Thus the numbering system followed throughout the rest of the Bhagavata-sandarbha only begins with the Prameya-prakaranam, with each section corresponding to the main Bhagavata verse under discussion. This is apparently what Puridas followed in the numbering in his Sarva-samvadini edition. Baladeva is the apparent source of the current numbering system, which he himself announces at the end of the commentary to the first verse.

Added by: Jagat
Credits: Jagat
Text version: 3.01 (legend)
Keywords: Sat-sandarbha, Tattva, Sandarbha, Jiva, Gosvamin, Baladeva, Vidyabhushan, Jiva, Goswami, Bhagavata, Sarva-samvadini, Gaurakisora, Goswami, Radhamohan, Goswami, Svarnalata, Chaitanya

Due to some inadvertance, the Krishna-sandarbha was posted here in the place of the Tattva-sandarbha for an unknown period of time. That has now been corrected. (2007-10-06)

Spotted a mistake, have a question or a comment to make on this text?
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Additional notes from the editors' research and selected discussion forum contributions.

No one could help me in determning the correspondence of the word guru to a number. The only hint is this, found on a Sai Baba site (Guru Purnima). I had never heard this classification before:

There are eight types of Gurus:

1. Bodha Guru
   
2. Veda Guru
   
3. Nishiddha Guru
   
4. Kaamya Guru
   
5. Vaachaka Guru
   
6. Soochaka Guru
   
7. Kaarana Guru
   
8. Vihita Guru

Bodha Guru teaches the Sastras and encourages the pupil to act up to sastraic injunctions. The Veda Guru imparts the inner meaning of the Veda s, establishes the pupil in spiritual truths and turns his mind towards God. The Nishiddha Guru imparts knowledge about rites and duties and shows how one's welfare here and in the hereafter can be ensured. The Kaamya Guru makes one engage himself in meritorious deeds to secure happiness in both the worlds. The Vaachaka Guru imparts knowledge of Yoga and prepares the disciple for the spiritual life. The Soochaka Guru teaches how the senses are to be controlled through various types of discipline. The Kaarana Guru reveals the unity of the jivi and the Atma. Vihita Guru clears all doubts, purifies the mind and shows how Self-realization can be attained.

Of these eight Gurus, the Kaarana Guru is the foremost. Through various teachings and practices, he helps the individual to progress from the human to the divine consciousness. Only the divine can act as such a teacher. All other Gurus can be helpful only to a limited extent.

Unfortunately, Haridas Das has nothing to say on this author. From the commentary itself, we know that he was a descendant of Vishnupriya, Chaitanya Maharpabhu's wife, through her brother Yadavacharya and nephew Madhavacharya. This is the family usually known as the Mahaprabhu vamsa, which serves the Mahaprabhu deity in Nabadwip. In the commentary to the first verse of Tattva-sandarbha, Gaura Kishor Goswami shows his sectarian leaning by saying that Vishnupriya is an incarnation of Radharani.

His commentaries to the first two verses are much lengthier than those of the previous commentators, as these two emphasize Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So there is some special value to these commentaries from this point of view.

The date of the commentary is given as Shaka graha-sara-guru-bhupe, in which the all important third number is unclear, but 1869 or 1969 seems reasonable. The CE date would thus be 1791 or 1891. I suspect the latter.

....

From Haridas Das's Abhidihan.

From the Advaita vamsa, seventh in line from Advaita Prabhu. He lived in Shantipur. Also known as Radhamohan Goswami Bhattacharya or Radha Mohan Vidyavachaspati for his vast erudition, especially in Nyaya and the Smriti. He was born in ca. 1740. There is a historical evidence of his receiving land grants from King Krsihnachandra of Krishnagar (Nadia) in 1762). No date for his decease is given, but the early part of the 19th century is reasonable).

• He wrote a commentary on select verses of the Bhagavatam called Bhagavata-tattva-sara.
• Bhakti-rahasya, a commentary on the Sruti-stuti (Bhag. 10.87) and Brahma-stava (Bhag. 10.14)
  
• Krishna-bhakti-sudharnava
  
• Krishnarcana-candrika
  
• Tattva-dipika, an extensive commentary on the Gautamiya-tantra
  
• Krishna-tattvamrita
  
• Krishna-bhakti-rasodaya.
  
• Krishna-bhajana-krama-sangraha
  
• Tattva-sangraha.
  
• Commentary on Padanka-duta
  
• Prayascitta-vyavastha-nirnaya
  
• Nyaya-sutra-vivaranam (published in 1903 from Kashi in Pandita Patrika.

Most of the above have not been published (not even by Haridas Das!) and are available only in the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad or other manuscript libraries. Some of Haridas's entries are based on Rajendralal Mitra's Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts, which were published in four volumes between 1871-1888. Many of the MSS listed in these volumes have since unfortunately disappeared.

Several translations of this work can be found

• That of Bhaktivedanta Tripurari Swami at swami.org.
  
  Tattva-sandarbha: Ancient India's Philosophy of Ecstasy
  Hardcover - 203 pages; 6 x 7.75"
  
  
• By Satya Narayan Das at Krishna Culture and Motilal Banarsidass.
  
  Author: Satya Narayana Dasa (Tr. & Comm.) Kundali Dasa (Tr. & Comm.)
  Year of Publication: 1995
  Bibliography: xxviii + 424p. Tables. Append., Biblio., Index
  
  
• Stuart Mark Elman's version is presumably available from Motilal Banarsidass, but it may be out of print.
  
  Jiva Gosvamin's Tattva Sandarbha : A Study on the Philosophical and Sectarian Development of
  Author: Stuart Mark Elkman
  Year of Publication: 1986
  Bibliography: xvi + 207p. Biblio., Gloss., Index

For the relative merits of these translations, see Gaudiya Discussions