Gitamrtam - The Nectar of Bhagavad Gita BookIntroduction

Gītāmṛtam – The Nectar of Bhagavad-gītā

by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my initiating spiritual master, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda who, out of his causeless mercy, dragged me out of this material world and showed me the authorised path to attain the highest goal of life, kṛṣṇa-prema. Let me also offer my respectful obeisances unto his dearmost friend and śikṣā-guru, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja who, by his association, inspired Śrīla Prabhupāda Swami Mahārāja to present the great treatise Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, for the benefit of the entire human race.

The whole of the Mahābhārata culminates in the Battle of Kurukṣetra and the conversation between the Supreme Lord Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His dearmost friend and devotee Arjuna. It was Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja who presented Bhagavad-gītā in such a way as to give a deeper peep into that conversation, knowing that Kṛṣṇa’s topmost servitor and intimate counterpart Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, was waiting after many years of anticipation and intense separation from Her beloved, only to be denied the opportunity of union due to external circumstances.

From his inner inspiration which was revealed by the Lord, Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja explained the deep significance of the catur-ślokī (Chapter 10, Verses 8-11) that the Supreme Lord expressed to Arjuna at a most intense time. Thus, through these verses, Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja has presented to the Vaiṣṇava community and theistic-minded persons the highest pinnacle of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava siddhānta, namely union in separation. In Kali-yuga Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to deliver that highest sentiment through His practical demonstration of nāma-saṅkīrtana and His discussions on rasa-tattva with Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda.

Just as Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja extracted all of these deep sentiments from the Gītā and presented them in His own treatise, The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute, similarly, we have extracted his nectarean teachings from the extensive treasure trove of his lectures on select verses of the Gītā and are presenting them in this book, Gītāmṛtam.

Tridaṇḍi-bhikṣu
Swami Bhakti Kiśora Āraṇya

By Published On: December 20, 2023
Gitamrtam - The Nectar of Bhagavad Gita BookIntroduction
Avatar of Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja appeared in this world in the village of Hapaniya, West Bengal, in 1895 within a high class Bhaṭṭācārya brāhmaṇa family. After studying philosophy at Krishnanath College in Berhampore, he met his guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and accepted initiation from him in 1926 and sannyāsa in 1930. In 1942 Śrīla B.R. Śrīdhara Mahārāja founded the Śrī Caitanya Sārasvata Maṭha and remained there until his departure from this world in 1988. He was recognised by his godbrothers for his dispassionate nature and common sense, as well as for his superlative Sanskrit compositions and profound philosophical insights.