The Glorious Life of Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura

The Glorious Life of Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura
Author: Sitala Dasi
Publisher: Bookwrights Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781880404270

This biography of Narottama Dasa Thakur, beautifully written by Sitala Dasi, is the life story of this Gaudiya Vaishnava saint who was responsible for spreading Vaishnava bhakti throughout Odisha in and outside of Bengal in India. Narottama dasa Thakura was known to preach relentlessly-removing the misconceptions of the age.One of Narottama dasa Thakura's main preaching points was that Vaisnavism should only be gauged according to one's surrender and realization in Krishna consciousness. There should be no consideration of birth, age, caste, creed, shoe size, education, social status, who one is initiated by, the year one took initiation, or when one first came in contact with devotional service. Nor is Krishna consciousness advancement dependent on household duties, taking sannyasa, ritualistic performances, group agreement, or the like - simply how one is absorbed in one's service to the Lord. This is the conclusion of Narottama dasa Thakura's preaching strategy. Taking his lead from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his disciples, his preaching was diametrically opposed to the thinking of the time, especially among those in the Brahmin caste. Some reviews: Narottama dasa Thakura is Sri Caitanya's ecstatic love personified. His life of limitless wisdom and compassion has inspired humanity for over four centuries. Now, Sitala Dasi, from the depths of her devoted heart retells the life and teachings of Narottama dasa Thakura in a way that enthralls our hearts and lifts our souls. Thank you, Sitala Dasi. - Radhanatha Swami Once heard, the story of Narottama dasa Thakura's life is hard to forget. A young prince, consumed by love for God, embarks on an epic quest leaving his royal life behind in search of the saintly company he has craved for so long. His story is tender, enchanting, exciting, and right with insight for anyone trying to walk the path of devotion. This vivid retelling has been a labour of love for Sitala Dasi, and I wholeheartedly recommend diving in without delay! -Jahnavi Harrison, musician, artist, writer This is without a doubt one of the most fulfilling, entertaining, informative, and enjoyable books about the histories of our acharyas I have ever read. . . In the end, after the final page is turned, one looks eagerly for another page, another chapter, another volume. - Chaturatma Dasa, Narrator of Vaishnava Acaryas Histories

Prārthanā

Prārthanā
Author: Narottama Dāsa
Publisher:
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2000
Genre: Vaishnavism
ISBN:

A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti

A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti
Author: Tamal Krishna Goswami
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2012-06-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199796718

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhup?da (1896-1977), founder of the Hare Krishna Movement, traced his lineage to the fifteenth-century Indian saint Sri Chaitanya. He authored more than fifty volumes of English translation and commentaries on Sanskrit and Bengali texts, serving as a medium between these distant authorities and his modern Western readership and using his writings as blueprints for spiritual change and a revolution in consciousness. He had to speak the language of a people vastly disparate from the original recipients of his tradition's scriptures without compromising fidelity to the tradition. Tamal Krishna Goswami claims that the social scientific, philosophical, and 'insider' forms of investigation previously applied have failed to explain the presence of a powerful interpretative device-a mahavakya or 'great utterance'-that governs and pervades Prabhupada's 'living theology' of devotion on bhakti. For Prabhupada, the wide range of 'vedic' subject matter is governed by the axiomatic truth: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Goswami's academic training at the University of Cambridge, his thirty years' experience as a practitioner and teacher, and his extensive interactions with Prabhupada as both personal secretary and managerial representative, afforded him a unique opportunity to understand and illuminate the theological contribution of Prabhupada. In this work, Goswami proves that the voice of the scholar-practitioner can be intimately connected with his tradition while sustaining a mature critical stance relative to his subject. A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti includes a critical introduction and conclusion by Graham M. Schweig.

Stavāvalī

Stavāvalī
Author: HH Bhanu Swami
Publisher: Tattva Cintāmaṇi Publishing
Total Pages: 153
Release:
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila
Author: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Publisher: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Total Pages: 1284
Release:
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9171496610

Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta is the main work on the life and teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna who appeared in India five hundred years ago. Lord Chaitanya introduced the chanting of the holy names of God as the prescribed method of God-realization for our time. He began what is today called the Hare Krishna movement, since the movement's founder, Srila Prabhupada, comes in the Chaitanya line of spiritual masters. Lord Chaitanya transformed the face of India in four respects: philosophically, by encountering, defeating and converting the greatest philosophers and thinkers of His day; religiously, by organizing the largest, most widespread theistic movement in India's history; socially, by His strong challenges to the religious inequities of the caste system; politically, by His organization of a massive civil disobedience movement in Bengal, more than four centuries before Gandhi. This English translation with commentary, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, reveals his consummate Bengali and Sanskrit scholarship, his intimate familiarity with the precepts of Sri Chaitanya, and his pure devotion to God.

Dharma, the Way of Transcendence

Dharma, the Way of Transcendence
Author: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Publisher: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2022-02-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9171499393

The word dharma, originally from the Sanskrit, refers to the inherent, unchanging nature of something – sugar’s dharma is to be sweet, water’s dharma is to be wet, and fire’s dharma is to emit heat and light. Dharma also refers to our natural duty. We humans have ordinary dharma and an ultimate dharma that relates to who we are at soul level. That dharma requires that we ask existential questions and then seek ultimate answers – questions such as Who am I? Why am I here? and What is my ultimate purpose? Dharma, the Way of Transcendence is a compilation of lectures on human dharma given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1972 as he toured India. Here he teaches that the dharma of all humans and every other living embodied soul – is service. No one can exist for a moment without serving someone or something else, even if it’s only the mind and senses. So the question is, whom or what can we serve if we want to be truest to ourselves?

Our Family Business

Our Family Business
Author: Vaisesika Dasa
Publisher: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9171499636

The Origin of Ratha-yātrā

The Origin of Ratha-yātrā
Author: Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
Publisher: BHAKTI Trust Inc
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2003
Genre: Ratha-yātra (Hindu festival)
ISBN: 8186737138

Cowherd Boys Nectar

Cowherd Boys Nectar
Author: Nayanananda Thakura
Publisher:
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2018-11-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781880404263

This unique work was composed in 1731 A.D. by Sri Nayanananda Thakur. The word preyo is used in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu as a synonym for sakhya (fraternity). Nayanananda Thakura was a resident of Mangala-dihi village, and hailed from the disciplic branch of the famous Sri Parni Gopal, who was the direct disciple of Lord Nityananda's personal associate known as SriSundarananda Gopal. Sundarananda is celebrated as the incarnation of Sudama, one of the principal cowherd boys, who are eternal associates of Lord Balarama. These dear boyfriends incarnate on earth in order to sport with Balarama when He descends as Lord Nityananda during the performance of Gauranga-lila. This is described in the Sri Chaitanya- Charitamrita, Adi-lila, 11.13-48. The author's composition naturally follows in the footsteps of Sudama. Therefore we find the ecstatic descriptions of a day in the life of the cowherd boys of Vraja.

The Emergence of Women's Voices in ISKCON: A Collection of Letters, Articles, Papers, and Conference Reports from 1988 to 2020

The Emergence of Women's Voices in ISKCON: A Collection of Letters, Articles, Papers, and Conference Reports from 1988 to 2020
Author: Pranada Devi Dasi
Publisher: Bookwrights Press
Total Pages: 572
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781880404317

This compilation of materials was collected faithfully over the years by Pranada devi dasi and to find all these materials separately would be a daunting task. Many of these materials are no longer available in other places. However, all are collected here for use as a definitive reference. The essays in this anthology will bring light to ISKCON members around the world. They are as applicable today as they were yesterday and can be used as a road map for ISKCON as it moves into the future. Many senior sisters and brothers, have poured out their wise hearts here, having thought deeply about this topic. They knew Srila Prabhupada and lived under his roof. In addition to essays, are letters, conference reports, articles, and more. This is not only an important book of history, but a useful resource - a veritable encyclopedia of responses to misconceptions about women and their role in Krishna consciousness. Refer regularly to this comprehensive reference and you will stand on solid ground in good company. For women ISKCON members of the present and into the future, I remind you of the true story of a young Vaishnavi who was sitting with Srila Prabhupada when he said to room full of his students, "I want all of my disciples to open temples." This 16-year old girl, a recent initiate, inquired, "Even the girls Swamiji?"Prabhupada responded, "Yes, why not? Even the girls."