Book Description

The Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition is famous for its depth of devotion to Krishna, the blue-hued Deity. Chaitanya Vaishnavas are known for having refined the practice and aesthetics of devotion into a sophisticated science. This imposing devotional edifice was constructed upon a solid foundation of philosophical argument and understanding. In this book, Ravi Gupta sheds new light on the contribution of Chaitanya Vaishnavism to the realm of Indian philosophy. He explores the hermeneutical tools employed, the historical resources harnessed, the structure of the arguments made, and the relative success of the endeavor. For most schools of Vaishnavism, the supporting foundation consists of the philosophical resources provided by Vedanta. The Chaitanya tradition is remarkable in its ability to engage in Vedantic discourse and at the same time practice an ecstatic form of devotion to Krishna. The prime architect of this balance was the scholar-devotee Jiva Gosvami (ca. 1517 - 1608). This book analyses Jiva Gosvami's writing concerning the philosophy of the Vedanta tradition. It concludes that Jiva's writing crosses 'disciplinary boundaries', for he brought into dialogue four powerful streams of classical Hinduism: the various systems of Vedanta, the ecstatic bhakti movements, the Puranic commentarial tradition, and the aesthetic rasa theory of Sanskrit poetics. With training in and commitments to all of these traditions, Jiva Gosvami produced a distinctly Chaitanya Vaishnava system of theology.

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Major study of a Hindu religious site, temples, symbolism, architecture. includes maps, glossary ... Read more

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systematic guide to holdings and films, Adyar Library, Bodleian library, American University Library. includes critical introduction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Journal of Vaisnava studies
Every year many words are written about religion, most with no lasting value and not based on any real research, so it is a happy event when one comes across apublication like the Journal of Vaishnava Studies (JVS). Requiring a high standard from its authors, JVS publishes material specifically focused on the study and understanding of the Vaishnava tradition. The journal presents the research of Vaishnavas andscholars of Vaishnavism. This works to present both the practitioner and academic perspectives of the tradition.

Published biannually, JVS was founded in 1992 by Editor Satyaraja dasa -scholar and author of more than 20 books. It has been called the most important academic journal in the field of Hindu studies generally and in Vaishnava studies in particular.

JVS has been lauded for its thoroughness and ground-breaking scholarship. Columbia University's Southern Asian Institute haspraised the Journal for its visionary approach and for its high quality. In his textbook, "A Survey of Hinduism" Professor Klaus Klostermaier notes that "Journal of Vaishnava Studies carries important scholarly as well as devotional articles likely to stimulate research and disseminate knowledge on this major religion associated with the name of Vishnu."

The Journal has attracted the top scholars in the field of Vaishnava studies.Each issue assembles a group of articles that are genuinely informative and are written to be read by scholars as well as those not familiar with the intricacies of the study of Vaishnavism. JVS is thematic and each issue has a particular focus.

Previous issues have covered themes such as the Ramayana, Vaishnavism and Modernity, and Yoga. The most recent issue, released in the Spring of 2007, has the theme Sacred Biography and contains biographies of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Jiva Goswami along with biographical pieces about Narayana Bhatt and others. Each article is complete with bibliography and references.

The current issue, themed Gita Comes West, is JVS Vol 16, No. 1/ Fall 2007. It contains ten fascinating and well researched articles over more than 200 pages about how the Bhagavad Gita came to the West. The articles tell the story of how the Gita arrived in Europe in the 1870sand the influence the Gita had on philosophers such as Emerson and Blake and other people such as T. S. Elliot. Also included is
'Of Mothers and Messengers: Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada As He Is.' This piece by Vineet Chandra, tells the story of Srila Prabhupada presenting the teaching of Krishna to the west.
... Read more

Book Description
There is a steady and growing scholarly and popular interest in Hindu religious - especially devotional (bhakti) traditions as forms of spiritual practice and expressions of divine embodiment. Associated with this is the attention to sacred images and their worship. This book extends the discussion on Indian images and their worship, bringing historical and comparative dimensions and considering Krishna worship in the context of modernity, both in India and the West. It focuses on one specific worship tradition, the Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition of the 14th to 16th centuries, as it develops and sustains itself in two specific locales. By applying the comparative category of "religious truth," the author provides a comprehensive understanding of a living religious tradition. He successfully demonstrates the understanding of devotion as a process of participation with divine embodiment in which worship of Krishna's image is integral.
A presentation of a traditional north Indian Krishna temple, which represents an "embodied community" and a western Krishna temple to represent a "missionizing tradition" of the Hari Krishnas (ISCON-The International Society of Krishna Consciousness), completes this analysis.
This book offers an original contribution to comparative religious studies. ... Read more

Book Description
Bhaktivinode's life straddled contemporary British society and ancestral Hindu culture. One was a modern, analytical world which demanded rational thought. The other was a traditional world of Hindu faith and piety, which seemingly allowed little room for critical analysis. Could he play a meaningful role in modern society and at the same time maintain integrity as a Hindu? This book systematically examines his reinterpretation and application of Hinduism in the context of rational thought. In this well-researched, comprehensive, and objective study Dr. Shukavak begins with a discussion of the "crisis of faith" many Hindus experienced during British rule in India. This is followed by a biographic narration of the life of Kedarnath Dutta concentrating primarily on his devotional development and struggle with the problems of tradition and modernity. Shukavak identifies the inner logic of Bhaktivinode's approach as it points backward to Caitanya and the Goswamis and forward to the challenges of rationalism and universalism.Kedarnath Dutta Bhaktivinode (1838-1914) was an English-educated member of the Bengali bhadralok in 19th century British India. He was an associate of such noteworthy men as: Kashiprasad Ghosh, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Keshub Chandra Sen, Michael Madhusudan Datta, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sisir Kumar Ghosh and the Tagore family. In his late twenties he discovered his "Eastern Savior", Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533) and became a leader of the Caitanya Vaishnava movement in Bengal. He made a lifelong study of Vaishnava philosophy, theology, and literature; and he wrote or edited almost a hundred books in Bengali, Sanskrit, and English.Bhaktivinode's spiritual insights which divide religion into two constituent parts, the phenomenal and the transcendent allowed him to combine critical rational analysis with the best of Hindu mysticism, Krishna lila. This created a unique synthesis of tradition and modernity. Instead of relinquishing modernity, he utilized it in his writings; instead of rejecting the Hindu tradition in the presence of rational thought, he strengthened it. This is the first scholarly biography and exposition written in English on the life and thought of Kedarnath Dutta Bhaktivinode. Bhaktivinode is presented from the perspective of his own times and in his own words. His writings, theology, and religious practices are thoroughly and systematically examined from a nonhagiographic viewpoint and the entire work is carefully annotated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ideal book for aspirants in spiritual life
This books gives very detailed accounting about Bhaktivinoda Thakura's teachings. I would not say that this book gave me new understanding but certainly it is worth to read. ... Read more

Book Description
To a disenchanted America of the 1960s, seeking alternatives to materialism, Sâdhupâda's devotional singing and exotic Hindu religious doctrine of love for Lord Krishna found instant appeal. In its fertile field Sâdhupâda found space to fulfil his guru dream of spreading Krishna consciousness to the materialist West.Founder of the Worldwide Organisation for Awareness of Krishna Consciousness, the religious message he preached, and the organisation he founded to spread the word, became mired in rigid formalism, plain perversion and grotesque distortion. The Organisation, far from spreading Krishna consciousness in the West, turned out to be a mere euphemism for self-seeking greed and other malpractices at the hand of senior devotees.Abiding faith in, and unbound love for, the personal godhead of Krishna made devotees like Pracodayât and his wife turn away from the perverted WOAK to strive for spiritual advancement following Sâdhupâda's original teachings and Hindu religious scriptures.'Devotee Farm' is a lucid narrative that describes the distortions of original Hindu philosophy at the hands of successors of Swami Sâdhupâda. Claiming themselves to be the representatives of Hindu religion, they used it as a camouflage to realise their base instincts, deceiving simple faithful devotees who went to them to find spiritual succour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An accurate description
I was a member of ISKCON for many years and I can recognize many of the things the author describes in this book. "Devotee Farm" is obviously a fictional story about a fictional cult, but it is clearly based of the true stories and scandals of ISKCON and its splinter groups.

As a former member, I can say that the description of the leaders' mentality, and their manipulation of the cult members, is very accurate, although the author has changes some details.

This book is a good reading for anybody who wants to know the manipulation and abuse that takes place in cults.

Weak and poorly researched !
The writing here is pretty lame.As a cult buster I have studied the Hare Krishnas and this book reallly distorts the facts about them. It is worse than a cheap romance novel.

Basic facts are wrong
I have only read the cover review of this book and I am not a devotee of Hare Krishna, but the founders name was NOT Sâdhupâda, his name was Srila Prabhupada.He didn't found the World Organization for Awareness of Krishna (WOAK), he founded the International Society for Krisha Consciousness (ISKCON).

If the author messed up on such basic facts as the name of the founder and the name of his organization, how can we trust anything else he says? ... Read more