Preface

by
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad
Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

We are very fortunate to hear His Divine Grace, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajak Acharya Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj. By age and by experience, in both ways, he is senior to me. I was fortunate to have his association since a long time, since perhaps 1930. At that time he had not accepted sannyas, but had just left home. He went to preach in Allahabad, and on that auspicious occasion we were connected.

Sridhar Maharaj lived in my house for many years, so naturally we had very intimate talks. He has such high realizations of Krishna that one would faint to hear them. He was always my good advisor, and I took his advice very seriously because from the very beginning I knew that he was a pure devotee of Krishna. So, I wanted to associate with him. Krishna and Prabhupad, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, liked him to prepare me. Our relationship is very intimate.

After the breakdown of our spiritual master's institution I wanted to organize another institution making Sridhar Maharaj the head. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur told me that Sridhar Maharaj is one of the finest preachers of Krishna consciousness in the world, so I wanted to take him everywhere. This was my earnest desire. But since he could not go around the world and preach, at least the people of the world should come to hear from him.

For spiritual advancement of life we must go to someone who is actually practicing spiritual life. So if one is actually serious to take instructions from a siksa guru, or instructing spiritual master, I can refer him to one who is the most competent of all my Godbrothers. This is B.R. Sridhar Maharaj. I consider Sridhar Maharaj to be even my siksa guru, so what to speak of the benefit that others can have from his association.

Contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Krishna Consciousness: Love and Beauty
• Saints, Scriptures, and Gurus
• Fossilism vs. Subjective Evolution
• Origin of the Soul
• Knowledge above Mortality
• Six Philosophies of India
• Beyond Christianity
• Levels of God Realization
• The Krishna Conception
• The Hare Krishna Mantra
• Service of the Holy Name
• Nectar of the Holy Name
• Reality the Beautiful
• Explanation of Math Logo