Vaisnava Epistemology and Ontology
Of the Six Sandarbhas, Tattva Sandarbha is the smallest in size, but not in importance. As its name suggests, it discusses the Reality (tattva) that is the ultimate subject to be understood and realized. Tattva also means “essence,” and thus Tattva Sandarbha provides the essence of what is to be elaborated upon in the rest of the Sandarbhas. Thus, it serves as an introduction to them.
It may be said that Tattva Sandarbha lays the foundation for entry into the subject matter of Bhāgavata Purāṇa, a detailed analysis of which follows in the rest of the Sandarbhas. It does so particularly by providing the epistemological viewing frame through which Bhagavān is directly intuited, devotionally served, and established ultimately as the supreme object of divine love.

Author: Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī

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Translation, commentary, and copyright: Satyanarayana Dasa
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 Syama Saraṇa Maharaja.
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 Śrīla 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.

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ISBN: 9788187153009
Subtitle: Vaiṣṇava Epistemology and Ontology. Sanskrit text with English Translation and Commentary.
Cover: Hardbound
Page count: 610
Publication date: 2015
Edition Second revised edition, 2000 copies

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Page format: 14 / 21.6 cm
Text area: 10.2 / 16.8 cm
Used software: XeLaTeX, TeXlive2013; Editpad Pro, PowerGREP; Pearl and Ruby scripts for encoding conversion and indexing
Print: Offset, 2/2-coloured black and special color
Book paper: Non-aging, acid-free, FSC-certified wood-free 70 g/m² book paper, extra white, bulk factor 1,2 from Cordier Spezialpapier GmbH, Bad Dürkheim (Germany)
Binding: Kaliko Iris (book cloth), thread sewn, Surbalin glatt (endpapers), round back, head- and tailband, Surbalin Linea (dust jacket)
Printing and binding: Kösel GmbH & Co. KG, Altusried-Krugzell (Germany)
Used fonts: SkolarPE Pro 10 pt (Regular and Semibold) and Skolar Devanagari 10 pt (Regular), Rosetta Type Foundry, linespread 1.1