The story of one man’s journey from his youth in suburban Chicago to an adult in spiritual India and a world of mystics, yogis, and gurus. Within this extraordinary memoir, Radhanath Swami weaves a colorful tapestry of adventure, mysticism, and love. Readers follow Richard Slavin from the suburbs of Chicago to the caves of the Himalayas as he transforms from young seeker to renowned spiritual guide. The Journey Home is an intimate account of the steps to self-awareness and also a penetrating glimpse into the heart of mystic traditions and the challenges that all souls must face on the road to inner harmony and a union with the Divine. Through near-death encounters, apprenticeships with advanced yogis, and years of travel along the pilgrim’s path, Radhanath Swami eventually reaches the inner sanctum of India’s mystic culture and finds the love he has been seeking. It is a tale told with rare candor, immersing the reader in a journey that is at once engaging, humorous, and heartwarming. Praise for The Journey Home “Here is an inspiring chapter of “our story” of spiritual pilgrimage to the East. It shows the inner journey of awakening in a fascinating and spellbinding way.” —Ram Dass, author, Be Here Now “He tells his story with remarkable honest—the temptations of the 1970s, his doubts, hopes, and disappointments, the culture shock, and the friendships found and lost . . . Add a zest of danger, suspense, and surprise, and Radhanath Swami’s story is a deep, genuine memoir that reads like a novel.” —Brigitte Sion, assistant professor of Religious Studies, New York University

What do you call a devotee who is also a king -- an emperor among saints or a saint among emperors? Kulasekhara Alvar, was a regal devotee who lorded over the Lord of His heart, Mukunda! He would cry, smile, weep, laugh, plead, throw a challenge to the lord and make Krishna give into His sweet adoration. Swami Ishwarananda in his erudite exposition on Mukundamala;, a composition of this saint says that love by itself is healing, but divine love is several notches higher and a Divine Lover is an alchemist who transforms an ordinary life into an inner pilgrimage, leading to an ecstatic union with the Lord. His exhaustive commentary is replete with easy examples and parallels from the Upanisads and the Bhagavad-gita;. This will be an illuminating affirmation for any devotee and an eye-opener to any atheist who is very sure of himself. Through this text you will discover the deeper dimensions of your emotional and spiritual personalities.

We cannot be happy without satisfying our fundamental desire to love. Discover all the intricacies of spiritual love, bhakti, in this devotional classic. This is a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, the Vaishnava classic written by Rupa Goswami that analyzes the various stages of bhakti (devotion) as a methodical practice resulting in love of God. Rupa Goswami uses a metaphor comparing an ocean (sindhu) to a devotional relationship with God. The title of the book conveys that loving relationships are enjoyable like sweet nectar and deep like an ocean. However, devotion is truly only meant for the supreme beloved, Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has written this summary study to show the essential understanding of the practices and ideals of Krishna consciousness, and to introduce the Western world to the beauty of devotional concepts. The spiritually thirsty can develop their relationship with Krishna by drinking from the unlimited reservoir of The Nectar of Devotion. Drink deeply.

Hymn to Tripurasundarī (Hindu deity).

At the final hour . . . This amazing narrative is based on the story of Ajamila from the Sixth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The law of karma states that we're all responsible for our actions, and death is the crucial moment when mysterious forces acting according to this law work behind the scenes to determine our destiny. As the sinful Ajamila lay on his deathbed, he was terrified to see three fierce, humanlike creatures coming to drag him out of his dying body and take him to the lord of death for punishment. Surprisingly, Ajamila escaped this terrible fate. How? A Second Chance: The Story of a Near-Death Experience teaches vital truths about the fundamental nature of the self and reality. At a time when reincarnation is quickly gaining acceptance, not only with the growing ranks of people reporting out-of-body and near-death experiences but with the public at large, A Second Chance can show one how to use meditation and yoga techniques to overcome the obstacles of materialism, meet the challenge of death, and ultimately attain spiritual perfection.

Renunciation Through Wisdom is a collection of essays originally written in Bengali and published by Srila Prabhupada in India during the 1940s. They were later translated into English by his disciples. In these essays Srila Prabhupada expands on themes found in the Bhagavad-gita, discussing such topics as why people are averse to God, the ultimate causes of suffering, and how the world’s troubles are extraordinarily fleeting when seen from the standpoint of eternity. Students of Srila Prabhupada will recognize the same common-sense writing style in Renunciation Through Wisdom as in his later, well-known works such as Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita As It Is, as well as his expertise at distilling the essence of India's ancient Vedic wisdom into powerful, convincing, practical, and easily readable directives.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is now widely recognised as a scriptural text of worldwide importance. Sri Ramanuja is one of the noted commentators on the Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana and the Bhagavad Gita. This has brought him recognition as one of the greatest exponents of Vedanta from the Vaishnava point of view. Swami Adidevananda, one of the distinguished scholarly monks of the Ramakrishna Order who retained his inherent Sri Vaishnava heritage, has translated the original verses and Sri Ramanuja’s commentary into English. This book is of special importance because it is the only English translation now available with the original Sanskrit commentary as well. The book opens with meditation on the Gita followed by the Gitartha-sangraha of Sri Yamunacharya with English translation. Swami Tapasyananda, who was a scholarly monk with deep devotional temperament and one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order, has written a scholarly introduction to this work.