More than five hundred years ago, the Supreme Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat with His intimate devotee Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya on the banks of the river Godāvarī. For the benefit of all living beings, the Lord inquired from him about the ultimate goal of life, as if ignorant.

Śrī Rāmānanda’s initial response did not satisfy Lord Caitanya, who probed for a deeper answer. Again and again He rejected the goal Śrī Rāmānanda put forth, calling it external. Finally, when Śrī Rāmānanda touched upon the natural, eternal religion of the soul, the Lord was somewhat satisfied. His subsequent inquiries continued to depths that astounded and delighted His devotee, who replied wonderfully to each of them.

“Within the prayers of Śrī Saṅkalpa-kalpadrumaḥ, or desire-tree of auspicious resolve, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, who is the most learned in established spiritual philosophy and the crown jewel of all rasikas, nourishes only the mood of becoming a maidservant of the maidservant of the maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. May this book purify our and the readers’ aspirations and thus fulfill them. This is my only desire.” -Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless Purāṇa, the prema of Vraja permeating its every śloka. It is therefore natural to conclude that by hearing the Bhāgavatam from a person whose heart is similarly spotless, being suffused with that same prema, one will receive its true message and one’s own heart will effectively be transformed. It is with this purpose that we humbly present the series of classes given in Badger, 1999, on the secret truths of the Bhāgavatam – from the First Canto to the Tenth – culminating in the significance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana.

Śiva-tattva clarifies the truth (tattva) of Lord Śiva, particularly in relation to Lord Viṣṇu. Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s strong philosophical presentation is supported and enhanced by his rendition of numerous pastimes of Lord Śiva. This gives us a glimpse of Lord Śiva’s pure devotion to the Supreme Lord and of his endearing and affectionate nature.

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.

Who is Śrī Rādhā? She is the tender, divine counterpart of the Supreme Personality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She is the personification of His potency, specifically His potency of bliss, and She kindly bestows that transcendental bliss upon anyone who takes shelter of Her. This has been fully realized by stalwart practitioners of bhakti, such as the exalted authors of the articles herein. It is their sincere desire to see others relish substantial, never-diminishing happiness, the path to which they skillfully reveal in Śrī Rādhā: Our Supreme Shelter.

In this book Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given a brief yet vital description of the names, forms, qualities and different services of Śrī Rādhā’s and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s cherished companions. Such a comprehensive description of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His companions is not found in any other single scripture.

Issuing from the divine mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the eight verses comprising this Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka shine as the supremely radiant jewel of transcendental literature. They are the very essence of all the Vedas and a necklace for all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. This definitive edition, with the translation and commentary of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, features the soul-stirring commentaries of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

This pocket-sized, soft-bound book contains the most important verses from the book Śrī Ślokāmṛtam. It is an invaluable travelling companion, with each and every verse directing one's consciousness to the the spiritual world.

"For the benefit of all living beings, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī churned the ocean of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s instructions and extracted the essence in the form of this Śrī Upadeśāmṛta. Śrī Upadeśāmṛta gives indispensable instructions for practitioners of bhakti, the devotional path. Without following these instructions, entering the realm of pure devotion and especially following the intricate and elevated path of spontaneous devotion (rāgānug-bhakti) is not only difficult but impossible.” [Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja]

This book captures the wonderful interactive nature of a series of eleven classes given in Badger, California, 1997. The reader thus feels present in that assembly and thrilled to receive the combined instructions of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja and Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja (Śrīla Prabhupāda) on Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's Śrī Upadeśāmṛta. Anyone who wants to remember and practice these teachings will find an abundance of inspiration in the pages of this book.

This volume contains Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s appeal, inspiration, guidance and blessings in regard to the most essential practices that nourish our bhakti, namely śravaṇa (hearing, or reading) and kīrtana (chanting, or preaching).

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the very dear eternal associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, established Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s innermost desires in this world. He has compiled a scripture named Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, which is replete with realization of the ultimate, most effulgent mellow of amorous love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the king of Vraja and the emporium of all rasa. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has taken the very essence of what was compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi and presented it in very simple and easily understandable Sanskrit language, just like putting the entire ocean in a pot.

Utkalikā means ‘very intense eagerness mixed with extreme restlessness,’ and vallarī means ‘creeper’. Utkalikā-vallarī thus means ‘the vine of intense longings’. In this book, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī reveals the very nature of these longings, which consists solely of the desire to render service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa as the devoted maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.