Description
Book SynopsisTucked away in ancient Sanskrit and Bengali texts is a secret teaching, a blissful devotional (bhakti) tradition that involves sacred congregational chanting (kirtana), mindfulness practices (japa, smara?am), and the deepening of one's relationship with God (rasa). Brought to the world's stage by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (14861533), and fully documented by his immediate followers, the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, these unprecedented teachings were passed down from master to student in Gau?iya Vaishnava lineages. The Golden Avatara of Love: Sri Chaitanya's Life and Teachings, by contemporary scholar Steven J. Rosen, makes the profound truths of this confidential knowledge easily accessible for an English language audience. In his well-researched text, modern readersspiritual practitioners, scholars, and seekers of knowledge alikewill encounter a treasure of hitherto unrevealed spiritual teachings, and be able to fathom sublime dimensions of Sri Chaitanya's method. Using the ancient texts
Trade ReviewThere is much that is praiseworthy and much to be learned from Steven Rosen's book. * Reading Religion *
“Steven J. Rosen is well known and respected for his prolific output of writing on Krishna bhakti and related topics, but I would venture to state that this is by far his most important work yet. It represents a lifetime of serious study and scholarship, sieving through all the literature on Chaitanya— hagiographic, theological, pedagogical, academic and more—from the earliest literary sources to the transplantation of the tradition to the West. Indeed, this accumulation of sources from different genres is among the unique contributions of this book, allowing us to engage the significance of this remarkable saint/avatāra through a wide variety of lenses. This user-friendly volume seems set to be the go-to source for scholars, students, and practitioners of bhakti on one of the most divinely intoxicated personalities in recorded history.” -- Edwin Bryant, Rutgers University
“As one might imagine, I was delighted to learn that Steven was interested in contributing a work to this series. And not just any work: it could well be argued that this volume is his magnum opus. While it is written with the clarity of his earlier work, there is scholarly depth here that makes this particular volume a substantial contribution to academic knowledge of the important, but under-studied figure of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu.” -- Jeffery Long, Elizabethtown College
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Gauḍīya Tradition: From Veda to Rādhā 2. Śrī Krishna: Enter the Dark Lord 3. Śrī Gaura Tattva: From Black to Gold 4. The World of Bhakti 5. The Nectar of the Holy Name 6. Śikṣāṣṭakam: Eight Beautiful Prayers 7. Gauḍīya Vedānta: Inconceivable Unity in Diversity 8. Śrī Chaitanya and Other Traditions 9. Rāmānanda Rāya: The Viceroy of Devotion 10. Rāgānuga-bhakti: Śrī Chaitanya’s Special Gift Afterword: Mahāprabhu Comes West
