Jīva Gosvāmin and the Extent of the Vedic Paradigm

Abstract

The article "Jīva Gosvāmin and the Extent of the Vedic Paradigm" by Mans Broo investigates how the 16th-century Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theologian Jīva Gosvāmin conceptualizes scriptural authority by expanding the category of “Vedic” beyond the conventional definition of śruti. Drawing extensively from Tattva-sandarbha and its commentary Sarva-saṁvādinī, the author illustrates Jīva's defense of the epistemological supremacy of śabda (revealed sound) and the unique status of the Veda as apauruṣeya (non-human in origin). The article further explores how Jīva integrates Purāṇic and devotional texts—especially the Bhāgavata Purāṇa—into the broader Vedic framework by arguing for their alignment with eternal truth. Broo also traces Jīva’s reliance on Mīmāṁsā and Vedānta doctrines regarding the eternity of Vedic words, the reliability of scripture, and how history itself follows Vedic paradigms, not the other way around. The study contributes to understanding the flexibility and authority of textual classification in Gauḍīya hermeneutics.