Books (by Author)

The word “yoga” has varied connotations; to some it may evoke images of grim ascetics in far-off mountain caves, pushing the limits of human tolerance of austerity. To others, yoga is a household word, a label for some of the many forms of holistic exercise available on the market. Some are familiar with the practice of yoga but are only dimly aware of the philosophy behind its practice. Still more people have no idea what it means at all.

Until the late twentieth century, yoga was hardly discussed or practiced outside India, where—according to traditional wisdom—human beings have been practicing some form of yoga or another since before recorded history; before there were supposed to have been human beings at all.

When His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada began teaching the Bhagavad-gita to New York audiences in 1966, he saw the need to relieve his listeners of some popular misconceptions of yoga circulating at the time (which nevertheless continue to circulate). The point of yoga, he explained, is not to get a good body, increase longevity, or even to “become one” with the formless totality of all energy; there’s a lot more to it than that.

In the Bhagavad-gita—the central and foundational text of all Vedic wisdom—Krishna concisely explains the actual essence of yoga. There are varieties of yoga practice—intellectual, physical, devotional—but the ultimate goal of all yoga is one (an extremely lofty one); “union with God.” Krishna, speaking with the voice of authority as the Absolute Truth in person, gives His final opinion on the matter (Bg. 6.47): “And of all yogis, he who meditates on Me within himself and worships Me with devotion and faith is the highest of all.”

The Perfection of Yoga is an edited compilation of some of Srila Prabhupada’s earliest recorded talks on the Bhagavad-gita in New York City in 1966. Drawing upon his knowledge of not only the Gita but the whole Vedic tradition, he reminds us of some essential truths about ourselves that the human race has forgotten for a very, very long time. Such truths, when brought to bear in our daily lives, can invest our human experience with a degree of peace and purpose that is rarely even imagined. The Bhagavad-gita is the main source-book on yoga and a concise summary of India’s Vedic wisdom. Yet remarkably, the setting for this classic of spiritual literature is an ancient Indian battlefield. At the last moment, the great warrior Arjuna begins to wonder about the real meaning of his life. In the Bhagavadgita, Lord Krsna brings His disciple from perplexity to spiritual enlightenment. Bhagavad-gita As It Is is the largest-selling, most widely used edition of the Gita in the world.

For thousands of years, people on a spiritual quest have consulted the intensely philosophical Upanishads. As the name implies (upa-near; ni-down; shad-to sit), one is advised to sit near a spiritual teacher to learn. Upanishad means “the supreme controller. the knowledge that brings one nearer to the Supreme Person, Krsna” This translation and commentary are guided by scholarship, and devotion in spirituality, in the ligne of the greatest Gaudiya Vaishnavas such as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja, the spiritual master of the author, which is directly descending from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The translation and commentary of Srila Prabhupada strictly adheres to the book’s intention, assuring you of a legitimate understanding of the depths of Upanishadic knowledge.
Sri Isopanishad is one of the first books Srila Prabhupada published in the course of establishing the Hare Krishna movement in the Western world. Its eighteen mantras—Vedic hymns—are meant to focus the mind in meditation on the Supreme Person, Krishna. The 108 Upanishads are considered the essence of all the Vedas, and Ishopanishad is foremost among them. Discover the distilled essence of all knowledge in these eighteen enlightening verses.For thousands of years, people on a spiritual quest have consulted the mystical, intensely philosophical Upanishads. As the name implies (upa—near; ni—down; shad—to sit), one is advised to sit near a spiritual teacher to learn. To learn what? This Upanishad’s name gives the clue: Isha means “the supreme controller.” Let us sit near the spiritual guide to learn about the supreme controller: God. The process is simple, provided one learns from an authentic guide. The translation and commentary of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada strictly adheres to the book’s intention, assuring you of a legitimate understanding of the depths of Upanishadic knowledge.

Sri Isopanishad’s mantras direct our attention toward how the Supreme Person is the complete whole of existence, and that all manifestations emanating from Him—including our bodies and the world we inhabit—are also complete in and of themselves. The Isa—”supreme controller”—for whom Isopanishad is named, is poetically described as being simultaneously far away and near, walking and not walking, within and outside of everything.

In the book’s Introduction—adapted from a lecture Srila Prabhupada gave in London in 1968—he explains how the Vedas’ teachings are perfect; Vedic sound is not of this world, not created by man, and thus not subject to human frailty and imperfection. Isopanishad is one of the principal Upanishads in Vedic literature that present the ultimate philosophical conclusions of all scripture.

Srila Prabhupada composed Sri Isopanishad with the same scholarly standards as his Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Srimad-Bhagavatam, providing the original Sanskrit verse, its English transliteration, word-for-word Sanskrit-English equivalents, translations and purports. In his words, “This makes the book very authentic and scholarly and makes the meaning self-evident.”

Dr. T.D. Singh and Richard L. Thompson examine key underlying concepts of the modern life sciences in light of India’s age old Vedic knowledge. With an introductory survey of the issues by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

What is consciousness? how do physical processes in the brain give rise to the self-aware mind and to feelings as profoundly varied as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual yearning? consciousness is perhaps the most puzzling problem we humans face in trying to understand ourselves. In this thought-provoking book, scientists of the bhaktivedanta institute examine key underlying concepts of the modern life sciences in light of india’s age-old vedic knowledge offering an elightening view of consciousness through the lenses of science and philosophy.

When law of karma acts on every individual and makes everyone responsible for the actions performed during one’s life, it also mysteriously determines ones destiny at the crucial moment called death. Near death experiences may have gained a lot of interest in the past few decades, but their intricate details and mysteries have been well documented in the ancient Vedic scriptures thousands of years ago. This amazing narrative by H.D.G. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is based on ancient Vedic scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. The book will guide you to have a second chance, by employing techniques of Bhakti yoga to overcome the material obstacles of life, meet the challenges of death, and peacefully attain spiritual enlightenment.

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are not new phenomena; the Srimad-Bhagavatam, written thousands of years ago, recounts this NDE occurring in the much deeper past.

Ajamila, a young, religious student, is drawn astray to a life of debauchery and crime. At the appointed hour of his death, he witnesses an extremely unusual conversation between the agents of death and the agents of the Supreme Person, Vishnu. Ajamila receives a second chance to live, and his life is transformed forever.

During the winter of 1970-71, Srila Prabhupada was traveling in India with some of his Western disciples. They had heard him speak about Ajamila several times, and at their request he gave a systematic series of lectures on Ajamila’s history. This book includes the original Bhagavatam verses outlining Ajamila’s NDE, selections from Srila Prabhupada’s published commentary, and excerpts from transcriptions of his lectures during the ’70-71 India tour.