Gītāmṛtam – The Nectar of Bhagavad-gītā

Offering obeisance unto the lotus feet of our guru-varga, our Gurudeva, Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja, our parama-guru, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, and the crest-jewel of paramahaṁsas, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we present this book, Gītāmṛtam – The Nectar of Bhagavad-gītā for the transcendental pleasure of the swan-like devotees of Śrī Caitanyadeva.

Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā needs no introduction. This celebrated conversation between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna is known the world over as one of the most important texts of spiritual knowledge. Recognising its significance, great Vaiṣṇava ācāryas such as Madhva, Rāmānuja, Vallabha, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and in more recent times, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, have written extensive commentaries elaborating on the Gītā’s philosophy of śuddha-­bhakti (pure devotion) and śaraṇāgati (surrender).

Similarly, in 1985, Śrī Chaitanya Saraswat Math published Bhagavad-gītā – The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute which included concise commentaries by Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja on fifteen verses of the Gītā. However, like the fabled cātaka bird, many devotees who read and appreciated those short purports were left thirsting for more nectar from His Divine Grace.

This book, Gītāmṛtam, is our humble attempt to help quench that thirst.

Gītāmṛtam is comprised of thirty ślokas from the Gītā that Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja frequently discussed, with illuminations extracted from his many talks given between 1980 and 1987.

We have endeavoured to publish as much original content as possible, but those readers who are already familiar with the works of Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja will notice that some sections of Gītāmṛtam may be found in other publications. We pray that our readers will not consider this to be a fault. Repetition that conveys profound spiritual truth is never undesirable. Such reiteration allows sincere sādhakas to constantly reflect upon and increase their own understanding of transcendental subject matters.

In the near future, by the blessings of Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇava, we hope to publish two more volumes, Bhāgavatāmṛtam – The Nectar of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Caitanyāmṛtam – The Nectar of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

The Publishers