English

This book is unique and very significant. It presents for the Western readers the life, teachings, activities, and interactions of a deeply realized recent acarya in a Gaudiya Vaisnava culture. We are privileged to witness through this book the guru-disciple relationship in a line of empowered acaryas, and to see a variety of expressions of guru-nistha.

The title of this book, Arcana-dipika, means "the lamp that illuminates arcana." The term arcana signifies honour or worship. As one of the the nine processes of devotional service it refers to worshiping the deity form of the Lord. Arcana-dipika teaches us how this service is performed and how to please the Lord through this process of worship. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; the six Gosvamis and other contemporary followers of Sriman Mahaprabhu; and more recently Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja the process of deity worship, which is the authentic method of approaching Sri Bhagavan, has been successfully introduced to the entire world.

By BV Tridandi Svami (based on Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's teachings)

The purpose of this booklet is to outline three distinct paths that people follow in order to achieve happiness in life. Most people seek pleasure from what is in front of them in the external world of objects and from satisfaction of the body's sensory demands for all kinds of pleasure. The second proposition is to renounce the external material world completely and take shelter of the peace found within the soul. The third, much more rarely followed path, is one traveled by an awakened soul who seeks to know his eternal identity in relationship with God.

This book especially investigates the philosophy of Sri Sankaracarya, whose philosophical misinterpretations of the Vedas were so influential that not only did he succeed in driving Buddhism out of India, but what most of us now think of as Hinduism is fundamentally nothing but his brand of impersonal Mayavadism. To quote the author, "...it can be safely concluded that in truth, any philosophy which has the propensity to dilute, divide, and confuse the rational, logical or factual understanding of the Supreme Lord's personal form, has at some juncture been influenced by the deceptive forces of Mayavadism." Furthermore, Beyond Nirvana demonstrates that Sankaracarya's teachings are in the final analysis ironically nothing but a recycled form of Buddhism and in no way true to the original Vedic wisdom known as sanatana-dharma.

This present edition of Srimad Bhagavad-gita contains the essential meanings given in the commentaries of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. It is further illuminated by the exegesis of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. This translation is complimentary to the authoritative and popular Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada.

Sri Bhajana-rahasya is compiled by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Mahasaya. He has collected into the form of a book several confidential hints from his own method of bhajana to guide sincere sadhakas who are performing bhajana under his direction. Some years ago, this destitute person (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) observed him performing bhajana. He was constantly reciting and relishing verses such as the ones in this book, thus becoming overwhelmed with bhagavat-prema. For sadhakas whose faith is on the neophyte platform, the system of arcana is provided.

"A Drop of the Nectarian Ocean of Bhakti-rasa." Composed by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and translated and commented upon by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the crown prince of illustrious teachers among the Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas is the author of what is considered to be one of the greatest treasures of Vaisnavas. In this great book there is a description of the nature of uttama-bhakti, its divisions, sadhana-bhakti, the stages in the development of prema, the limbs of bhajana, offences committed in the performance of devotional service (sevaparadha), offences against the holy name (namaparadha), vaidhi- and raganuga-sadhana-bhakti, prema-bhakti and bhakti-rasa. Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja has written in his preface, "I have complete faith that those who are possessed of yearning for bhakti and especially the sadhakas of raganuga-bhakti who are captivated by vraja-rasa will receive this book with great reverence. Faithful persons who study this book will obtain qualification to enter into the wealth of prema of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."

In the final chapter of Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta, after the story of Gopa-kumara has been completed (see Going Beyond Vaikuntha), Sanatana Gosvami has quoted verses from the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam which Pariksit Maharaja spoke to his mother Uttara. They are verses of very beautiful poetry which stimulate the sentiment of bhakti. Stringing these verses together, Sanatana Gosvami has composed a necklace for the benefit of the sadhakas of this world, and when sadhakas keep these verses in their hearts, it is as if they are wearing this necklace around their necks. And if while chanting harinama they sometimes call out these verses, it will increase the bliss in their chanting. This compilation of verses is known as bhakti-rasayana, or the nectar-tonic of bhakti-rasa. (Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja)

Composed originally in Bengali by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bhakti-tattva-viveka is a collection of four essays. By understanding the true nature of suddha-bhakti (pure bhakti), one can relish the ultimate goal of all scriptures, the pure nectar of krsna-prema as exhibited and preached by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Translated from the Hindi edition of Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja.

Lord Brahma's prayers of devotion to Krsna
These prayers offered at the dawn of creation by Brahma, the secondary creator of the universe, contain all the essential truths of Vaisnava philosophy.

In the Second Canto of Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta, Srila Sanatana Gosvami examines all the manifestations and incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, culminating in Sri Nandanandana, the beloved son of Sri Nanda Maharaja. He does so by narrating the story of Gopa-kumara and his fascinating journey throughout the material and spiritual universes as he searches for the Lord of his heart. “Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta alone is the main foundation of all the scriptures written by Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and so on. All the other books of our Gosvamis manifested from this one book alone.” [Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja]

The true nature of devotion: This book describes Krsna's sweet childhood pastimes, in which He plays with Mother Yasoda as an ordinary child.

This book is a collection of scriptural proof establishing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Svayam Bhagavan, the Original Form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the case of discerning bhagavat-tattva and the truth about the Lord's incarnations, only two kinds of evidence are acceptable. The first kind is evidence extracted from the bona fide scriptures and the second is taken from the realization of great devotees, maha-bhagavatas, who are expert in the philosophical conclusions of the Vedic scriptures, and who have direct experience of the Absolute Truth, param-brahma. This book is a limited collection of both kinds of evidence.

The Vedic scriptures explain that a person who wants to engage in devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, with the aim of becoming His eternal servant, must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of such a guru, one must hear and read about spiritual topics, such as those described in Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and other scriptures. The young, yet interested, audience often finds these literatures difficult to read and understand. The subject matter is deep and the language complex, therefore we are presenting Sri Caitanya-lila for Children. The contents of this compilation have been taken from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, and from some of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's own commentaries on these pastimes.

This incomparable narrative poem has been painted with the soft brush of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura's supremely sweet and natural prema-bhakti and the colour of the all enchanting nectar of rasa. This literary composition consists of four astonishing and delightfully charming stories of the mischievous meetings of the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. It is presented for rasika and bhavuka readers, as well as sadhakas who desire to taste vraja-rasa.