Jīva Gosvāmī’s philosophical magnum opus, the Ṣaṭ Sandarbha (“six treatises) can be considered as the most conclusive and important work on Indian theology and philosophy (darśana) that answers all questions about Absolute Reality in a very systematical way.
Tattva Sandarbha is the first book of the Ṣaṭ Sandarbhas. It discusses the Reality (tattva) that is the ultimate subject to be understood and realized. It also offers a brief overview of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ontology, on which its theology is based. Tattva also means “essence,” and thus Tattva Sandarbha provides the essence of what is to be elaborated upon in the rest of the Sandarbhasand serves as an introduction to them. This book can be divided into two parts, pramāṇa and prameya. The first deals with epistemology (pramāṇa), or the means of valid knowing. In it, Jīva Gosvāmī establishes the Bhāgavata Purāṇa as the foremost source of knowledge and vision of Reality. Tattva Sandarbha provides the epistemological viewing frame through which Śrīmad Bhāgavata is established as the means of valid knowing of Ultimate Reality and Bhagavān as the supreme object of divine love.
Our mind is very tricky. It has a way of rationalizing. That is why everybody thinks they are right. And because of the human minds tricks, you are stuck here in the material world. You give the mind something spiritual, and it makes it material. The mind is material, so it naturally runs for material. Give mind God, and he uses God for his dog. You are trying to use God for small things. Don’t use God to make your dog better. God also knows your dog is sick, so why pray to God about your dog?
