Pinnacle Of Devotion

We all have a tendency to love. No one can live without loving someone. Even a tiger has this tendency; we see this in the way a mother tiger carries, maintains, and protects her babies. The problem, however, is where to place our love so that everyone will n be happy. In the beginning of life we love our parents, then our brothers and sisters, then our entire family, our beloveds, our community, nation, and even all of humanity. Yet, in spite of our giving so much love, we still feel frustrated. And it will continue to remain this way, o until we know the identity of our Supreme Beloved. As particles of sun-light or air expand without knowing where to end, so does our tendency to love whole-heartedly. According to co the timeless wisdom-books of ancient India called the Vedas, our 3 love can only be fully satisfied when it is fixed in Śrī Krsna, the Absolute Truth, He is the reservoir of all pleasure, all worlds, and all relationships. Pinnacle of Devotion, its source of knowledge taken from the ancient mystical Vedas, teaches us how to love all living beings – humans, birds, beasts, insects, and even trees and plants – by the easy method of loving Krsna. Pouring water on the root of a tree is the universal and practical method of supplying water to all the leaves and branches. In that connection, the Vedas say that Krsna, the Supreme Person, is the root of all. All beings are His parts, and therefore by loving Him, everyone becomes happy. In this book you will find that this elevated concept is written in yery simple, easy to understand language, because the words herein were spoken that way by Srīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja and then transcribed. If you feel some hesitancy to continue reading because of the several Sanskrit verses, phrases, and words scattered here and there, please don't miss this opportunity, even if this is the first time you are coming in contact with the Sanskrit language. Even if you don't understand the language, the transcendentally powerful verses, which are like mantras for meditation, free us from false material love. Material love is always frustrating. Reading, hearing, and uttering these verses gives us an opportunity to enter the all-blissful, loving Reality. You will also be happy to know that all the Sanskrit verses, phrases, and words are always translated.

Sanskrit is the main language of the ancient Vedas, and it is the world's original language. In fact it is the language that is spoken in the celestial planets as well as in the transcendental world.

The Sanskrit word veda means 'the aggregate of knowledge.' When knowledge comes to its most advance stage, it becomes a brilliant, spiritual love and affection. The quintessence of the Vedas is an ancient spiritual literature called Sri Caitanya-caritāmệta, and the essence of the Sri Caitanya-caritāmặta is vividly explained in this book, the Pinnacle of Devotion. Our respected readers will be introduced to that supremely beautiful love which is the ultimate goal of life and the foundation of endless, ever-fresh, and everunfolding fulfillment.

In February 1997, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja gave his divine teachings to devotees in Australia, where Y he spent three weeks, as part of his Bhakti Festival touring in the A West. There he lectured on the principle causes for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's appearance in this world. He also revealed the special gift which Mahāprabhu came to give the fortunate souls of this irona ge of Kali-yuga – a gift which is the very pinnacle of attainment for the spirit soul.

In order to give his audience a platform for understanding this sublime topic, Srila Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja first gave four lectures based on Chapter One of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmsta. In these lectures, he explained the essential principal of the spiritual preceptor (guru-tattva), who is a manifestation of Sri Krsna, the personification of Absolute Reality. He also emphasized the importance of association with pure saints (sādhu-sanga). In the remaining nine lectures, he spoke on the primary purpose for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance, and explained with great care and in detail how one becomes qualified for His mercy.

Srila Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja wanted his western audience to understand that the mission of his śikṣā-guru and intimate friend, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, known throughout the world as Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, was to fulfill this same principal purpose for which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared. In his discourses, he therefore quoted extensively from Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja's Śrī Caitanya-caritāmsta, Ādi-līlā Chapters Three and Four. In order to elaborate on certain points in his discourses, we have added quotes from Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja's books and recorded lectures as footnotes, all taken from Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja's Vedabase folio.

**Contents and Sample Pages**