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.

Arcana-dipika means “the lamp that illuminates arcana”. The term arcana signifies honour, or worship. As one of the nine processes of devotional service it refers to worshipping the deity form of the Lord. Arcana-dipika teaches us how to perform this service and thus please the Lord through this process of worship. It contains the exact details of worship, waking, bathing and feeding the Lord, and putting Him to rest at night. It also includes exact details of the rules and regulations for brahminical cleanliness – all to help us develop pure bhakti.

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

This popular booklet, based on the teachings of Jaiva-dharma, outlines three distinct paths that people follow in order to achieve happiness in life. The third is the positive principle in life, the force of pure love. That force is far beyond material enjoyment and higher than impersonal liberation. It is such a powerful force that it can ultimately transport one to the spiritual world, a realm in which only sweet love and harmony exist.

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.

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu (a drop from the nectarean ocean of devotion), composed by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, is a brief summary of the essential topics presented in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu by Srila Rupa Gosvami. It describes the nature of uttama-bhakti, sadhana-bhakti, the stages in the development of prema, the limbs of bhajana, offences committed in the performance of devotional service, offences against the holy name, vaidhi- and raganuga-sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti and prema-bhakti. Faithful persons who study this book will obtain the qualification to enter into the wealth of the 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 described in a samhita (compilation) of one hundred chapters whatever essence of pure bhakti he had been holding in his heart in connection with the Supreme Lord. Among those chapters, this Fifth Chapter is most worshipable for Gaudiya Vaisnavas because it is extremely practical and advantageous for the living entity. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally brought Brahma-samhita from South India for His devotees.” [Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura]

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.