Jaiva dharma is not fiction, nor books like Navadvipa Bhava Taranga or other books by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

[Paramananda das]

dear devotees
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

I have heared from a (socalled) scholarly devotee in ISKCON that he does not accept Navadvipa Mahatmya in full as many scholars in India may not accept this books also, he also thinks the characters in Jaiva Dharma are fictions such as Vrajanath and Vijaya Kumara, like some kind of novel.I can not even imagine what he will think of Navadvipa Bhava taranga by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. The fact is none of the writtings of Bhaktivinoda Thakura is fiction or imaginary or a novel etc.Some so called scholarly devotees do not believe in the way Srila Bhaktivinoda has interpreted verses from the Chandogya Upanisad in his Pramana khanda of Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, this is all their ignorance.All these books are highly authorized and nothing is made up, it is all revealed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakuras by transcendental revelation.Also in his Gita Mala he clearly manifests his nitya svarupa
as Kamala Manjari, these are no fictions .I have seen a painting done by a devotee in Mayapure, according to the descriptions of one of the sons of Bhaktivinoda Thakura about his manjari form, all the details of "her" ekadasa bhava is well known.For some devotees in modern time ,where 16 rounds is considered a maximum and fasting from grains on Janmastami is considered a choice ( though sastras like Haribhakti Vilasa never has allowed grains on Janmastami ,Gaura purnima ,Narasimha Caturdasi ,Ramanavami etc ) such subject may seem very far away.However Bhaktivinoda Thakura preached Suddha Bhakti as did Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada.Those who are interested to really understand Bhakti will find the Jaiva Dharma of
utmost importance..those who are not interested in this book or take it as some armchair philosophy all loose out .The fact is Jaiva Dharma helps us understand Caitanya Caritamrta
and the teachings of Lord Caitanya..the importance of chanting 64 rounds is also found there, the superiority to bhakti over all other religions and dharma is there.It is really such a superb book one can go on reading it over many life times and learn something new each time one reads this book.The empowerment of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is just amazing .
Anyhow I found some references by Narayana Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada that helps us better understand Jaiva Dharma so I am presenting them here for the pleasure of the vaisnavas:

"First of all we should know that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is an eternally liberated soul. Not only that, he is the direct manifestation of Srila Gadadhara Pandita. He is Saptama Gosvami. Whatever he has written is samadhi bhasya, written in trance, and everything is true. One may say that the personalities Vrajanatha and Vijay Kumar are imagination, but this is wrong. They actually exist and are real. All the scriptures, like Srimad Bhagavatam and the books of the Gosvamis, have manifested in samadhi or trance, and so is Jaiva-dharma. Jaiva-dharma is the essence of all the doctrines of our Sri Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy. If one considers that it is imagination, then Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Ujjvala Nilamani and all the books written by our Gosvamis are also imagination by this definition. A person who claims this is an aparadhi, a great offender." (Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja)
"Those who do not accept Jaiva-dharma are committing a big offense, and one who states or writes that Jaiva-dharma is the imagination of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will bring about only misfortune for himself. Also, one who reads the books that state this misconception will be devastated, for sure." (Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja)



[Referring to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's words on the first page of Jaiva-dharma, Srila Prabhupada said:] "So especially in India, the atmosphere is very good. It is especially meant, within this universe, this plot of land known as Bharatavarsa, India, is the most sacred place within this universe. And of the whole land Bharatavarsa, in Bengal, it is very sacred. And the whole of Bengal, this Nadia is very sacredŠThis is the statement of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Not that I am manufacturing. We cannot manufacture anything, but we can repeat the words of our predecessors. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his Jaiva-dharma, or in Caitanya-siksamrta, he has stated like that." (Srila Prabhupada's lecture in Mayapura, Apr. 8, 1975)
"You can write, but one cannot take it very seriously. If any Vaisnava is writing a song about Krsna, that should be from one who himself has realized Krsna, just like our great saints and acaryas like Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Rupa Gosvami, the six Gosvamis, Bilvamangala, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, like that. They are self-realized souls, and therefore if they write something song about Krsna, that is perfectly from the transcendental platform, without any tinge of mundane influence or nonsense imagination. Unless someone comes in the category of these great leading Vaisnava personalities, his manufacturing some songs will be misleading to himself and to others." (Prabhupada's letter to Billy Reyburne, 3 December, 1972)

your humble servant
 Paramananda das