The Jiva Institute of Vaisnava Studies is happy to announce the publication and availability of the fourth book in the ?a? Sandarbha series, the K???a Sandarbha. Here we are providing an exclusive preview of this wonderful book by making the part of the introduction available:
Among the pantheon of Hindu gods, avataras, and/or manifestations of Bhagavan, Sri K???a stands out as one of the most popular and highly revered. Even among non-Hindus, He is widely acclaimed for His universal teachings on the path of enlightenment in the form of Bhagavad Gita, the most renowned scripture of the Hindus, and for His fascinating life-stories. In spite of this extensive notoriety, His identity remains a great enigma. No other Hindu deity is shrouded in as much mystery as He. People from different backgrounds hold diverse opinions about K???a, many of which seem contradictory. They consider Him as a great lover, a skilled statesman, and a highly realized mystic. As an irrepressible lover, He is famous for stealing the clothes of the young gopis while they were bathing in the Yamuna River and for marrying 16,108 princesses. Yet, as an accomplished mystic, He is esteemed as the speaker of Bhagavad Gita and as Yogesvara, the ?Master of Yoga,? in which celibacy and reticence are fundamental principles. He is well-known as a simple cowherder, yet He is also famous as the most venerated royal scion, who received the principal honors at Emperor Yudhi??hira?s Rajasuya yaj?a, in the presence of the world?s foremost kings, scholars, and sages.
 Notwithstanding K???a?s enigmatic nature, it is essential to gain a clear picture of His true ontological status in order to grasp the significance of the Bhagavata Pura?a and the method by which it self-discloses truth, namely, bhakti-yoga. As established in Tattva Sandarbha (Anucchedas 50?52) with reference to the Bhagavata?s second verse (SB 1.1.2), this Pura?a specifically propounds the supreme dharma of humanity, which is love for Bhagavan?our very source and refuge. To be infused with transcendental love for Bhagavan, authentic and unambiguous knowledge about Him and His essential being is of utmost importance. Since Bhagavan has innumerable forms, such as Vi??u, Rama, K???a, and N?si?ha, the question must be asked, are They all equiprimordial in their constitutional status or is there some hierarchy of being among Them? To address this question, Sri Jiva Gosvami wrote this book, K???a Sandarbha.
The conventional and for the most part unexamined point of view is that K???a is simply an avataraof Vi??u. In K???a Sandarbha, Sri Jiva Gosvami uproots this misconception, demonstrating that Bhagavan Vi??u, being ontologically related to the play of creation and hence to immanence, is Himself implicitly included within a more complete transcendent Whole (avatari), technically known as Svaya? Bhagavan, who is clearly identified in the text as Sri K???a. Although Sri Jiva previously delineated the ontology of Bhagavan in general terms in Bhagavat Sandarbha, he did not address the question of the identity of Svaya? Bhagavan Himself, or Bhagavan in His ownmost essential being, nature, and original form. In this respect, K???a?s status in regard to the various avataras was not yet made a subject of inquiry. By first establishing a comprehensive universal understanding of Bhagavan in Bhagavat Sandarbha, Jiva Gosvami laid the foundation for a detailed investigation into the ontology of Svaya? Bhagavan in K???a Sandarbha. His fundamental conclusion in the latter volume is that K???a is the source of all other avataras of Bhagavan and that He has no source other than Himself.


Jiva Gosvami?s primary intention in writing this book is to reveal K???a as the supreme object of worship and love. In the very beginning of Tattva Sandarbha, he clearly stipulated that the subject of the Six Sandarbhas is meant specifically for those whose sole aspiration is to be immersed in the bhajana of Sri K???a. He even declared that the Sandarbhas should be studied only by such devotees. The present Sandarbha is surely in line with this declaration. In order for a devotee to be rightly established in such bhajana, he must have a clear understanding of the true nature of his object of worship. In K???a Sandarbha, Sri Jiva Gosvami provides this distinct and esoteric knowledge of K???a, the supreme worshipable deity.

This book is truly a work of genius. No other book in or related to its field of study can compare to it. There have been many essays or short treatises written about K???a, but no one else has afforded this subject such a thorough and systematic treatment. Sri Jiva Gosvami traces out K???a?s factual status among all the avataras of Bhagavan based upon his careful study of Bhagavata Purana. Not only does he demonstrate that K???a is the original form of God, Svaya? Bhagavan, he goes a step further to establish a hierarchy within K???a?s own multifaceted manifestations. In this respect, he discloses that K???a as a cowherder and lover in Vraja is superior to His manifestation as a royal statesman in Mathura and Dvaraka. This fact is so abstruse that even among Vai??avas, there are some who have difficulty in comprehending and accepting it. This precise realization, however, is crucial for the practice of raganuga-bhakti, or pure devotion in the wake of natural affection, which is the subject of the next book in this series, Bhakti Sandarbha. K???a Sandarbha is therefore the most important of all the ontological writings in the Gau?iya Vai??ava School, because it unravels the mystery regarding the Gau?iya Vai??ava?s worshipable deity, which gives the school its unique identity.

 K???a Sandarbha is the fourth book in the series of the Six Sandarbhas. Sri Jiva Gosvami wrote the first three Sandarbhas?Tattva, Bhagavat, and Paramatma?based on the Bhagavata Pura?a?sfamous ?vadanti? verse (SB 1.2.11). In these three books, he elaborated on the key words mentioned in this verse: tattva, brahma, paramatma, and bhagavan. While treating their own graded thematic subjects, these first three Sandarbhas ultimately serve as an introduction to the fourth volume, K???a Sandarbha, in which Sri Jiva Gosvami ascertains the identity of the original form of Bhagavan. In doing so, he brings to light the true significance of another key phrase from the vadanti verse?namely, that ultimate reality (tattva) is nondual consciousness (advaya-j?ana). Sri Jiva conclusively establishes that this phrase is a reference to Sri K???a, the Nondual Personal Absolute replete with His own interiority.