Reflections on Sacred Teachings (Set of 6 Volumes)

“Oh my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant your holy name? When will my voice choke up and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of your name?”

“Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Krsna, a task which those who follow Him have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are in fact most voluminous, exacting and consistent due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Siksastaka. These eight versed clearly reveal His mission and precepts.”

-A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

“Though the Siksastaka Prayers represent the spiritual sciences at their most complex, Bhakti-Tirtha Swami explains them in an almost simple way... And this, of course, has always been the Swami’s forte: He explains eternal truths in a way that enables a contemporary audience to appreciate them. He opens up the doors to the treasure house of Vedic wisdom, and, somehow, without diluting it, he gets us to walk in, to take off our coats and shoes, and to feel at home.”

Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen) Author, Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance Senior editor, The Journal of Vaishnava Studies

" The sweet, far-reaching fragrance of the blossoms of I bhava sends enchanting invitations to the Supreme Lord, gently inducing Him to appear in person before His devotee. Furthermore, when the soul's natural sentiments are even faintly scented by bhava, they melt and flow unrestrained toward the Supreme Lord, bathing His divine form with love. Bhava is selfwilled and moves on its own volition.” (Bhakti Trilogy. 45)

In our devotion, we receive guidance form sadhu, sastra and guru—as we honor the guidance in the right way and remove the blocks and obstacles, gradually our experiences move from the physical level to the spiritual... As we begin to reflect on our devotion more and develop a higher taste, param drstva nivartate, many of the other problems that produce anxiety and frustration are put to the side. Now the divinity begins to come forth and we begin to rediscover our natural inherent treasures that we have somehow forsaken.

“People today are profoundly skeptical about spiritual knowledge and spiritual life, and their skepticism often become reinforced by their own record of baffled and thwarted attempts, often undertaken under the misdirection of inexperienced, clueless or dishonest “guides.” Madhurya-Kadambini is an antidote to such skepticism. Furthermore, we see how the project of Visvanatha Cakravarti remains alive and current when it is translated into action by an experienced practitioner in the tradition. Bhakti-Tirtha Swami has a gift for bringing the teachings alive to the contemporary ear and relevant to the preoccupations of contemporary conditioned souls. This is a result of Maharaja's personal realization. We should take full advantage of it.”

-Ravindra Svarupa dasa

ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner Author of Endless Love

Chanting gradually diminishes the propensity to sin and simultaneously purifies the consciousness. At this juncture, the taste for chanting begins to manifest and the inclination to commit sinful activities vanishes."

- Harinama Cintamani

“Bhaktivinoda's Harinama Cintamani, where Haridasa Thakura discusses each of the offenses to the Holy Name, as well as, the stage of chanting in pure love, has already inspired books by Satsvarupa Maharaja, Sacinandana Swami, and Mahaniddhi Swami. Yet B.T. Swami's contribution is unique, as he explores subtleties of offenses, and explains how our daily lives in Krishna's service affect and are affected by our chanting.

Many topics that are of great importance to serious practitioners of bhakti are discussed here in direct and thought-provoking ways. B.T. Swami fearlessly writes of sexuality and celibacy, standards for guru worship, realizing our eternal spiritual form (siddha deha), rejecting fallen disciples, and tendencies to practice spiritual life as if it were a mundane “religion”. His question and answer sections are so relevant that the reader will feel that his or her own queries are being addressed... One feels that B.T. Swami is our intimate, caring friend, gently yet directly admonishing us to cleanse our hearts and apply ourselves with joyful seriousness to the task of falling in love with Krishna through his Holy Name.”

-Urmila devi dasi, ISKCON Educator

" One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What, then, can be illusion

or anxiety for him?"

-Sri Isopanisad

“Sri Isopanisad is an ancient work. It is counted as the first of the 108 Upanisads, and is part of the Yajur Veda- among those literatures which are accepted by followers of the Vedic tradition to have come from God Himself at the time of creation. As such it is, one could say, about as foundational a text as one could hope to find, anywhere, dealing with the most primeval and fundamental concepts of reality as we know it, presented in a context that is both timeless, in that it comes from the person who put time into motion, and simultaneously eternal.”

"Into this complex ocean of truth dives our commentator, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, whose background is eminently suitable for dealing with the subject matter of Sri Isopanised... With exacting integrity he takes us through some of the most essential basic elements of transcendence and gives us the keys to unlock their secrets and put them to work for us.”

- His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami

International GBC Chairman of ISKCON

Some find it more peaceful to avoid interacting with others. However, we do not just want peace. We want realization, and the unfoldment of realization is not always a peaceful process. It is peaceful to be in ignorance; it is peaceful to be in denial; it is peaceful to avoid dealing with issues by living a cloistered lifestyle, but the real challenge arises when we have to interact with people because it tests our genuine level of realization

- B.T. Swami

Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura founded his Gaudiya Matha on sixty-four principles that outline a prefect and complete foundation for a spiritual society... Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja has molded his life according to these sixty-four principles. Therefore, he is able to expertly guide the world towards the ultimate goal of life, not only by elaborating on them, but also by leading with his personal example.

— His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja

International GBC and ISKCON Guru

Srimati Radharani is the hladini-sakti, the internal potency of Krishna. She is the mother of devotion, the topmost devotee, and therefore the overseer of the entire province of bhakti. Thus, aparadha means becoming devoid of Radharani by creating a situation by which the mercy, the protection, and the benediction of the divine caretaker of bhakti is absent.

This sixth volume of commentary shines a spotlight on the central tenet of Vaisnava character-service to others—as described in Indic texts such as the Padma Purana and Narada-pancaratra and in medieval works such as Caitanya-caritamrta and writings of the Gosvamis of Vrndavana. These texts differentiate Salvationists, whose primary interest is their own safety, from Vaisnavas who place higher value on the well-being of others. Effective spiritualists honor God within their one hearts and the hearts of others—a gesture that energizes rather than dampens enthusiasm and initiative.

In his calm yet unambiguous style, Bhakti Tirtha Swami sends his message out to devotees young and old. The spiritual world, he reminds us, is a place governed by respect, compassion, forgiveness, and love. It was a message he embodied in his too brief career and one that, if taken to heart, can transform a world at war to a world at peace.

– Joshua M. Greene (Yogesvara dasa)

Author: Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison

Bhakti Tirtha Swami was born John E. Favors in a pious, God fearing family. As a child evangelist, he appeared regularly on television, and as a young man, he was a leader in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights movement. At Princeton University, he became president of the student council and also served as chairman of the Third World Coalition. Although his main degree is in psychology, he has received accolades in many other fields, including politics, African studies, and international law.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami's books are used as reference texts in universities and leadership organizations throughout the world. Many of his books have been printed in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Hebrew, Slovenian, Balinese, and Italian.

His Holiness has served as assistant coordinator for penal reform programs in the State of New Jersey, Office of the Public Defender, and as a director of several drug abuse clinics in the United States. In addition, he has been a special consultant for Educational Testing Services in the U.S.A. and has managed campaigns for politicians. Bhakti Tirtha Swami gained international recognition as a representative of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, particularly for his outstanding work with scholars in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami directly oversaw projects in the United States (particularly Washington D.C., Potomac, Maryland, Detroit, Pennsylvania, West Virginia), West Africa, South Africa, Switzerland, France, Croatia, and Bosnia. He also served as the director of the American Federation of Vaisnava Colleges and Schools.

In the United States, Bhakti Tirtha Swami was the founder and director of the Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology, director of the International Committee for Urban Spiritual Development, and one of the international coordinators of the Seventh Pan African Congress. Reflecting his wide range of interests, he was also a member of the Institute for Noetic Sciences, the Center for Defense Information, the United Nations Association for America, the National Peace Institute Foundation, the World Future Society, and the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders.

A specialist in international relations and conflict resolution, Bhakti Tirtha Swami constantly traveled around the world and had become a spiritual consultant to many high-ranking members of the United Nations, to various celebrities, and to several chiefs, kings, and high court justices. In 1990, His Holiness was coronated as a high chief in Warri, Nigeria in recognition for his outstanding work in Africa and the world. In recent years, he met several times with then-President Nelson Mandela of South Africa to share visions and strategies for world peace.

In addition to encouraging self-sufficiency through the development of schools, clinics, farm projects, and cottage industries, Bhakti Tirtha Swami conducted seminars and workshops on principle-centered leadership, spiritual development, interpersonal relationships, stress and time management, and other pertinent topics. He was also widely acknowledged as a viable participant in the resolution of global conflict.

On August 5, 2004, Bhakti Tirtha Swami was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in his left foot. Although he made every effort to treat his condition, the cancer continued to spread, leading His Holiness to teach the most important lesson—how to die. During the time after his diagnosis, he gave numerous lectures on the topic and completed a book of meditations, The Beggar IV: Die Before Dying, also dedicated to this same topic. Almost a year later, on June 27, 2005, His Holiness departed from this world, surrounded by loving friends, relatives, and disciples.

Although His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami has seemingly gone, he actually left behind him a powerful legacy that will continue to live on through his students and well-wishers, and especially through his books. Numerous lectures, seminars, and workshops wait in the archives for Hari-Nama Press to transcribe and to then publish in future books. B.T. Swami's teachings will undoubtedly continue through these unique books and through the lives of those who imbibe his message.

The spiritual journey is simultaneously very simple and I complex. It is frightening and dangerous but at the same time extremely exciting and adventurous. We may often feel that we are traveling alone, but in fact the opposite is true. Krishna is with us at every moment as Paramatma, situated in each person's heart. He also descends in His most personal and magnanimous form as Lord Caitanya, where He experiences the bhava of His eternal consort and hladini-sakti potency, Srimati Radharani. In this manifestation of Lord Caitanya, He presents Himself as a devotee for our benefit. It is not only Krishna that comes in so many lilas for the benefit of His devotees and to annihilate and expose the miscreants; many of His eternal associates frequent the material world to assist the Lord with His awesome missions. Our great acaryas are such associates. I have relied on the commentaries of two of our acaryas, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura for inspiration for my reflections on the Siksastaka prayers.

For self-purification and as a service to the Vaisnava community, I have chosen to offer a brief commentary on the eight Siksastaka prayers by Lord Caitanya. These prayers are extremely important in the life of the Vaisnava, and their mysteries continue to unfold as devotees reflect on them more and more. I originally presented the material in this book as a course for devotees at the Gita Nagari farm community in rural Pennsylvania during a Vaisnava Institute gathering. I hope this small offering will help and encourage the readers to make a more in-depth study of these great works for themselves.

The Siksastaka prayers are brief, but present eternal profound truths. They present information on states of consciousness from sambandha through prayojana, and discuss obstacles to be avoided as well as achievements to be attained.

By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya, even a lowly fool like myself can read such an extraordinary text and have the audacity to share a few ideas with others. I hope that you as readers will benefit from reflecting on these great verses as much or more than I have myself.

Recently I received a very powerful book entitled Children of N the New Millennium by a pious lady, P.M.H. Atwater, LH.D, who had several near-death experiences. She interviews young children who have had near-death experiences. The book shares their many powerful reflections and thoughts in relation to their experiences. Some of them recall their previous lives, and exhibit unusual abilities and powers that will unfortunately diminish if not properly protected or nurtured. In some cases, their abilities are not really understood or encouraged because these children might seem odd due to their insights, realizations, and perceptions. These days, there are unusual types of births taking place from both polarities. On one hand, we see children who are killing other children and are filled with viciousness, greed and other negative qualities, but on the other hand we see children with divine qualities. The fact that these distinct children are taking birth at this very unusual time in world history suggests something very powerful. Obviously the divine children have a significant role in bringing in a real new age, not a so-called new age still filled with the old archetypes and paradigms.

Many of these children shared certain dreams, experiences, or reflections that dealt with visions of their futures as well as visions of their previous lives. Some of these visions of the future at first included chaos, pandemonium, and confusion on this planet. They often saw themselves helping to inaugurate an era of more God consciousness. Obviously every parent feels that their child is special and will help uplift the world—and it is true that their children are special. Every soul is special because ultimately every soul is part and parcel of Krishna. However, some souls have very special qualities for they have descended into this world to bring love and guidance. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is one of these highly elevated beings who have come directly from the spiritual world.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti has not only given us this special book, Madhurya-Kadambini, for nourishing our devotional creepers, but his own life is a special gift to the world. Such great souls come into this world on a special mission. The pure devotees like Srila Visvanatha are conscious of who they really are, where they come from and where they, as well as all of us, can return to. They have some of the qualities of Krishna, for they expose the miscreants and they protect, guide and enlighten the devotees. They reveal obstacles and give us glimpses of the ultimate goal.

The Siksastaka, as explained in this book, are a rare and confidential series of eight brief prayers—though they are short, these verses are able to change your life, taking you from the most fundamental level of spiritual realization to the most exalted. I am deeply enlivened that His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, a dear friend and superlative Vaisnava, has chosen to comment on these most important of theistic texts. He is eminently qualified to do so—years of practice and a heart filled with devotion have given him invaluable insights. But, more, he has a spirit that acts as a key, a key that he often uses to unlock the mysteries of Caitanya Vaisnavism, the esoteric essence of all religious truth. As the Swami says in this book, he has delved into these prayers “as a service to the Vaisnava community.”

“These prayers,” he continues, "contain volumes of mysteries, secrets and knowledge. Just as the chanting of the holy name contains all knowledge, the spiritual world, and rasa-tattva [the truth of spiritual relationship), these eight prayers contain everything.”

It is an interesting manifestation of serendipity that I am called upon to write this foreword at this time: Back to Godhead, the magazine of the Hare Krishna movement, recently decided to print my five-part lecture series on these very same Siksastaka Prayers (beginning with the March/April 2002 issue). But this, you see, is Bhakti Tirtha Swami! He is clearly a mystic, and such fortuitous occurrences are not uncommon in his presence. This is why it is so special that we receive a commentary on these most special prayers from him: he is a most special person.

He lives these prayers in his day-to-day life. Just as Sri Caitanya, the author of the Siksastaka Prayers, entered into their mood so He could express them with clarity and vision, so, too, does Bhakti Tirtha Swami accentuate the need to enter into these prayers on a personal level: “In the mood of a bhakta or devotee,” he says, “Lord Caitanya taught how to fully surrender and how to acquire Bhagavan through the process of bhakti, or pure devotion. He showed that bhakti develops from bhakti and cannot be controlled or regulated by anything other than bhakti. This devotional service far surpasses processes such as jnana or empiric philosophy, tapasya or austerity, and yajna or sacrifice.” Bhakti Tirtha Swami thus establishes the need to walk in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and, like the Lord, he describes bhakti as the highest path.

“This Siksastaka states the conclusion of Krishna consciousness,” Bhakti Tirtha Swami tells us, “and offers the culmination of all the Vedas; therefore, it is the necklace that all Vaisnavas should wear. A necklace worn around the neck practically touches the heart. These verses are essential for us and should be kept close to our hearts. They should not be viewed as optional or as an extracurricular aspect of our spiritual life.”

Madhurya-Kadambini (Cloud Bank of Nectar), by the I renowned Gaudiya Vaisnava acarya Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, is a short work, and it is a commentary on an even shorter work—just two verses that appear in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.4.15–16. Merely two verses—yet they encapsulate extraordinary spiritual knowledge and realization. They set forth the sequence of eight stages that a sincere and serious practitioner of pure bhakti will ascend before arriving at the ultimate goal, pure love of God. Here we are given a valuable record of the factual spiritual experiences—from beginning to end—of devotees who have successfully traversed the path laid out by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The two verses in question are quoted in Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 23.14-15:

adau sraddha tatah sadhusango 'tha bhajana-kriya tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat

tato nistha rucis tatah athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudancati sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

“In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sadhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Krishna consciousness.”

The most basic practice for members of the Hare Krishna Movement is the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami’s (B.T. Swami’s) exposition on Harinama Cintamani adds substantially both to the theological and practical understanding of chanting Hare Krishna. Bhaktivinoda’s Harinama Cintamani, where Haridasa Thakura discusses each of the offenses to the Holy Name, as well as the stage of chanting in pure love, has already inspired books by Satsvarupa Maharaja, Sacinandana Swami, and Mahaniddhi Swami. Yet B.T. Swami's contribution is unique, as he explores subtleties of offenses, and explains how our daily lives in Krishna's service affect and are affected by our chanting.

Many topics that are of great importance to serious practitioners of bhakti are discussed here in direct and thoughtprovoking ways. B.T. Swami fearlessly writes of sexuality and celibacy, standards for guru worship, realizing our eternal spiritual form (siddha deha), rejecting fallen disciples, and tendencies to practice spiritual life as if it were a mundane “religion.” His question and answer sections are so relevant that the reader will feel that his or her own queries are being addressed. Certainly this is an “insider” book, geared primarily to ISKCON members who have the courage to face their inner demons and enter into deeper and sweeter levels of chanting the holy name.

The section on sin and offense explores what draws a person to the most grievous offense of sinning on the strength of chanting. There's much here that will help spiritual aspirants to keep themselves on the path to love of God. B.T. Swami often relates offenses, fall downs, crisis of faith, and lack of progress to the various types of experiences that people have, as well as their understanding and learning gained from those experiences.

Perhaps his most moving episode in this regard is when he recalls preaching in Communist Europe, alone. Away from temples and devotees, he would often chant forty-eight rounds a day for spiritual strength. But where was there to chant? If he was caught chanting he might be deported or jailed. So he would lock himself in the train bathroom for hours, often making it appear that the restroom was out of order. Because of his having lived through this situation, he now greatly appreciates having the association of devotees.

Sri Isopanisad is an ancient work. It is counted as the first of the 108 Upanisads, and is part of the Yajur Veda—among those literatures which are accepted by followers of the Vedic tradition to have come from God Himself at the time of creation. As such it is, one could say, about as foundational a text as one could hope to find, anywhere, dealing with the most primeval and fundamental concepts of reality as we know it, presented in a context that is both timeless, in that it comes from the person who put time into motion, and simultaneously eternal.

It deals with issues that are as broad and universal as its origins. Essential issues such as our responsibilities as integral parts of the universe, in one sense uniquely individual but simultaneously interrelated with everything else in an arrangement so delicate that one wrong move may adversely affect the existences of so many others. Some may be surprised that a book, which might be considered ostensibly “religious” in the more limited sense of the term, could be so practical and real. This is not the stuff that legends are made of, but rather a pragmatism that is as down to earth as Newton and his apple, while at the same time giving a tangible link to subjects transcendent to the current scope of our experience.

Not surprisingly, Sri Isopanisad deals with themes that are familiar to the reader of Vedic literature. The living entity is presented as atma—spirit soul—by nature not a part of this material world, but still deeply implicated and entangled in its permutations and fluctuations. Not at home here, but not easily able to extricate himself from its clutches. The Absolute Truth is presented at His inscrutable best—He is fixed in His abode, but is swifter than the mind. He is far away, but very near as well; He is within everything but also outside of everything. Many would say that such qualities demand that He not be defined as “He”, but rather in impersonal terms.

But wait! As we approach the final pages of the book we find the speaker appealing to the Absolute in deeply heartfelt, emotional terms. It appears he is coming to the final moments in his life, and is experiencing a type of communion with God that is driving him into areas of realization that seem clearly to defy impersonalism. Beyond that blinding spiritual light, that apparently all-consuming oneness, he sees a face! With excitement rising to a transcendental crescendo as everything material is torn away from him, he senses the presence of an extraordinary Supreme Person, full of mercy, who he has access to, and who will surely reciprocate with him as he opens his heart and fully takes shelter.

This is no stoic, emotionless non-entity that we are talking of. Rather this is that personal Absolute Truth accepted in the bhakti school of the Vedic tradition as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who reciprocates with those pure devotees who surrender wholeheartedly to Him. Thus Sri Isopanisad seems to ultimately direct us to the personal conception of the Supreme Truth, in this way resolving a dispute that is almost as old as the book itself is. At the same time it acknowledges an impersonal element, with characteristics distinct from personality as we know it, but behind that impersonal manifestation lies the personal feature, inasmuch as behind displays of energy we always find energetic sources.

Into this complex ocean of truth dives our commentator, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami. His background is eminently suitable for dealing with the subject matter of Sri Isopanisad. As a leading practitioner of bhakti-yoga for nearly 35 years, he has been living a Vedic lifestyle for the greater part of his life, and has immersed himself in the philosophy of the Vedic tradition. But then as a graduate and lecturer in political science and psychology he has a perspective on the application of the philosophy in the current age that is quite unique. In his own life the synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern day relevance has become complete, and this is reflected in his capacity to communicate with today's audiences, even including business and political leaders, in dynamic ways that empower them to successfully take on the problems of life in the 21st century from a higher platform of spiritual awareness and truth.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura founded his Gaudiya

Matha on sixty-four principles that outline a perfect and complete foundation for a spiritual society. With unwavering dedication to the mission of his spiritual master, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada revived the spirit of that vision. In 1965, according to the instructions he received from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura forty-three years earlier, Srila Prabhupada traveled to the Western world to establish his International Society for Krishna Consciousness as the pure embodiment of the principles that were propounded by his beloved spiritual master.

| Although they are not yet widely recognized in our society in their original form, our success lies in the implementation of these sacred instructions. They fully reveal the true essence and framework of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. As we progress and mature, we must realize that ISKCON carries the responsibility to epitomize the ideals on which Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura created the Gaudiya Matha. By remaining loyal to these principles, our society will surely prosper in spreading the message of Krishna consciousness and inspiring devotees in their spiritual growth. Therefore, in order to share these potent instructions with the community of devotees, I translated the original guidelines and printed them in Spiritual Connections, a magazine published for my disciples and friends.

Upon coming across the translation, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja immediately recognized their profound value and eventually resolved to present them in book format. I experienced immense gratitude and joy when Maharaja asked me to contribute to this wonderful elaboration on these timeless principles. I was especially inspired because, despite his very critical state of physical health, Maharaja is continuing to write Krishna conscious literatures to inspire and uplift others. In a true display of disciplic succession, Maharaja has wholly imbibed the spirit of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's intense determination to spread Krishna consciousness.

This Krishna consciousness movement is the only hope for this world; it is the yuga-dharma, the only means of achieving spiritual success in this age. In order to effectively spread this glorious mission throughout the world, strong, active leaders such as Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja are absolutely essential. Maharaja has molded his life according to these sixty-four principles of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Therefore, he is able to expertly guide the world towards the ultimate goal of life, not only by elaborating on them, but by leading with his personal example. I wholeheartedly pray to Krishna that Maharaja will continue to inspire us with his profound insight, compassion, and enthusiasm for many, many years to come.

Spiritual seekers take the availability of sacred texts for granted. Digital scanning and other efforts to preserve the past have rendered rare manuscripts easily accessible. Add tools such as Google, Amazon.com, and online electronic archives, and the exegetic treasures of faith traditions lie virtually at our fingertips. Gaps of course exist. Inventor Louis Daguerre created the first chemical plates in 1829. Prior to that time, preservation of sacred teachings was the domain of oral and written transmission, both subject to faulty reporting and prejudiced interpretation. As technology progressed, so did the accessibility of source materials. Today, anyone can conduct an online search for chapters of the Zohar or words to the Sanskrit Gayatri mantra and obtain documents previously restricted to the most advanced practitioners.

Still, physical possession of texts does not equate to understanding them. Here are the writings, but what do they mean? How do these precepts translate into practice? Do realizations posited hundreds or perhaps thousands of years ago apply to a post-modern world? What relevance do they have in the current environment of globalization, secularism, genetic engineering, and conventions on universal human rights?

One consequence of having access to sacred texts is the increased importance of mature commentary. Without the insights f seasoned practitioners, wise words dissolve into anachronisms, artifacts of a remote time, pages gathering dust. We can, then, be thankful that disciples of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami had the foresight to record their guru’s many lectures on Vaisnava (Hindu devotional) precepts, given roughly between 1990 and August 2005 when he succumbed to cancer. The result is a series of books titled Reflections on Sacred Teachings, in which this is the sixth volume.

Tirtha Swami was a sannyasi (renunciant) in the Vaisnava tradition. Many Vaisnava teachers have provided commentaries on the extensive library of Sanskrit devotional texts. Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja's own guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, produced more than 100 volumes of commentary that now form the doctrinal foundation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a worldwide confederation of temples, farms, schools, and community service centers. Inspired by that example, Maharaja left an impressive literary legacy of his own.

**Contents and Sample Pages**