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.

Devotional verse work in praise of Krishna (Hindu deity).

Hymns to Krishna (Hindu deity); text with translation and commentary.

This handy little book is a storehouse of choicest hymns and prayers of universal appeal culled from the Vedas, the Puranas, and other sources. These hymns and prayers are expressive of the deep spiritual longings and realisations of the Hindu seers. The compilation and English translation is by Swami Yatiswarananda, one among the foremost disciples of Swami Brahmananda and a former Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order. The masterly introduction by Swami Yatiswarananda guides those who wish to know why to pray and what to pray for. It also deals with the historical and psychological development of the hymns.

The temple for the Lord of Vengadam in Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh, India) is one of the richest places of worship in the entire world with ever-increasing popularity, the footfall of devotees on the Seven Hills touching a whopping figure of seventy thousand on weekdays and one hundred thousand during the weekends. The Temple's annual budget hovers around 25 billion rupees. This world record to fame and riches is not without its flip side. The temple has become the focal point for a variety of controversies-some created by the political class, some by historians with an axe to grind, and some more by Hindus with a sectarian outlook. The never-ending dispute is over the identity of the idol as a result of the age-old conflict between the worshippers of Siva and Vishnu, the two most important deities of the Hindu pantheon. Taking their cue from this, Neo-Buddhists joined the fray with the claim that the temple was a Buddhist shrine and that it was converted into Vishnu temple by "wily Brahmins." The book aims to unravel the mystery over the history of the temple, providing a historical perspective to the issue and thus establishing the real identity of the Lord, which is indisputably that of the Vishnu.

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.

The word dharma, originally from the Sanskrit, refers to the inherent, unchanging nature of something – sugar’s dharma is to be sweet, water’s dharma is to be wet, and fire’s dharma is to emit heat and light. Dharma also refers to our natural duty. We humans have ordinary dharma and an ultimate dharma that relates to who we are at soul level. That dharma requires that we ask existential questions and then seek ultimate answers – questions such as Who am I? Why am I here? and What is my ultimate purpose? Dharma, the Way of Transcendence is a compilation of lectures on human dharma given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1972 as he toured India. Here he teaches that the dharma of all humans and every other living embodied soul – is service. No one can exist for a moment without serving someone or something else, even if it’s only the mind and senses. So the question is, whom or what can we serve if we want to be truest to ourselves?