Every page of this biography, written by one pure Vaiṣṇava about another, offers enthralling information about the lion-like ācārya, Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. It not only describes his glorious life, spotless character and courageous preaching but it also details his lucid and penetrating delivery of Gauḍīya philosophy. It depicts the qualities of a true ācārya, who with his every breath demonstrates the pinnacle of loyalty to guru and who resolutely protects the tenets of his disciplic lineage for the benefit of the souls of this world. This biography is complete in every way and leaves the reader honoured to have come into contact with such a pure and dignified Vaiṣṇava.
Arcana-dīpikā 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-dīpikā 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.
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 present edition of Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā contains the essential meanings given in the commentaries of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. It is further illuminated by the exegesis of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. This translation is complimentary to the authoritative and popular Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda.
By Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Commentary by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura presents an astounding analysis of the mahā-mantra based on Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Śikṣāṣṭakam. Supporting his presentation by referencing abundant quotes from Vedic literature, he guides the practitioner of bhakti through the successive stages of perfection, from śraddhā (initial faith) to prema (pure love of God). In Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti, the first ever commentary on this text, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja has expanded on the meaning of each verse. In easily comprehensible language, he illuminates the process of bhajana.
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu (a drop from the nectarean ocean of devotion), is a brief summary of the essential topics presented in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. It describes the nature of uttama-bhakti, sādhana-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 rāgānuga-sādhana-bhakti, bhāva-bhakti and prema-bhakti. Faithful persons who study this book will obtain the qualification to enter into the wealth of the prema of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Bhakti-rasāyana, or the nectar tonic of bhakti-rasa, consists of a compilation of verses from the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Parīkṣit Mahārāja spoke to his mother, Uttarā, in the final chapter of Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. Like stringing pearls on a thread, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has composed a necklace of these verses for the benefit of the sādhakas (practitioners of bhakti) of this world, to stimulate the moods of bhakti in their hearts.
In Bhakti-tattva-viveka, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has extracted the essence of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and presented it in simple language that is easy for all to understand. This small book’s four chapters respectively describe bhakti’s intrinsic nature, an analysis of the semblance of bhakti, bhakti’s natural attributes and the qualification for bhakti. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s grave and loving concern that we truly understand this message permeates each and every page of this wonderful book.
"Lord Brahmā described in a saṁhitā (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 Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas because it is extremely practical and advantageous for the living entity. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally brought Brahma-saṁhitā from South India for His devotees." [Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura].
In the Second Canto of Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī examines all the manifestations and incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, culminating in Śrī Nandanandana, the beloved son of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja. He does so by narrating the story of Gopa-kumāra and his fascinating journey throughout the material and spiritual universes as he searches for the Lord of his heart. “Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta alone is the main foundation of all the scriptures written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and so on. All the other books of our Gosvāmīs manifested from this one book alone.” [Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja]
This small book, “The Butter Thief,” is a summary study of one of the most remarkable and illuminating pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This pastime is found in the venerable Bhāgavata Purāṇa, considered by self-realized authorities and scholars as the ripened fruit of the vast tree of Vedic literature.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura's beautiful Śrī Camatkāra-candrikā comprises four narrations of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's enchanting pastimes. These stories are so delightful that one naturally becomes joyful by absorbing oneself in them. By their very nature, these pastimes allure the reader to relish the eternal sweetness of the transcendental realm.
For thousands of years, devotees have sung Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam, especially in the revered month of Kārtika. These eight verses mark the profound blossoming of Śrī Satyavrata Muni's love for Śrī Dāmodara, as he prays, "Please appear before me in Your beautiful, eternal form as a young cowherd-boy, and grant me the perfection of life." The true meaning of this prayer remained mostly hidden until the late 1500s, when Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote his elucidating commentary. Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja's lively and poignant supplementary commentary serves to make these essential meanings even more accessible.
Discerning the True Sentiments of the Soul is the revised and enlarged edition of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja’s booklet regarding sahajiyaism and sahajiya babaji culture, entitled Gaudiya Vaisnavism vs. Sahajiyaism. The book is comprised of Srila Gurudeva’s lectures which inform all sincere aspirants regarding the real process of bhakti and how they can protect themselves from the danger of becoming influenced by imitation bhakti.
What did Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī come to give? Because he understood the heart’s desire of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was able to establish Mahāprabhu’s mission on this earth. Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, whose heart and soul are the teachings of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, distils the essence of those teachings in this nectarean monograph. From parakīya-bhāva and bhakti-rasa to the characteristics of uttama-bhakti and prema-bhakti, all are explained and defended.
