Krsna The Lord of Sweetness

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Throughout India’s ancient scriptures, it is described that although God is infinite, unlimited, and inconceivable, He is a person. He manifests in many forms and is most often worshiped with great reverence. In His original and topmost feature, however, He inspires such intimate, sweet affection in the hearts of his dear devotees that, by the action of his spiritual potency, both he and they forget that He is god.

In this feature, his prominent quality is human-like and full of a superlative sweetness, as he enacts pastimes from childhood to youth, like a person in this world. Krsna- the Lord of Sweetness presents just some His charming childhood pastimes.

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja Appeared in a devout Vaisnava Family in Bihar, India, in 1921. In 1946. He took imitation from his gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhakti prajnana Kesava Gosvami maharaja, and became absorbed in the highest conception of godhead. For over sixty years, he travelled throughout India and the world, speaking about the pastimes of Krsna and explaining that bhakti-yoga has the power to give us eternal entrance nto those pastimes. In December 2010, he left this mortal world, but his example remains, that by complete absorption in the spiritual realm, we can be completely blissful and loving to all, unperturbed by any material disturbance.

In 1998, in Malaysia, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja gave a series of lectures about the wondrous pastimes of Sri Krsna, the ultimate Divine Person. These lectures were originally presented in 1999 by the late Sripad Hrsikesa Maharaja and the devotees of Malaysia, in a book entitled Damodara-lila- madhuri.

In these lectures, Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja first gives the history of the scripture on which he is about to speak: Srimad- Bhagavatam. This is presented in Chapter One of this book Srimad-Bhagavatam is written in Sanskrit and is divided into twelve cantos. It is regarded throughout India as the most authentic literature on the Supreme Lord. Its Tenth Canto describes the loftiest conception of Godhead: a God who relishes such sweet and loving relationships with His devotees that both He and they lose all awareness that He is God. It is this Tenth Canto on which Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja speaks in this book, Krsna - the Lord of Sweetness.

In Chapter Two, Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja explains who Krsna is, and in Chapters Three to Seven, he narrates some of Krsna's charming childhood pastimes.

Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's native language, Hindi, is erudite and refined, and he uses many Sanskrit words to specifically convey the elevated philosophy he is so well known for presenting. In his English lectures also, he employs Sanskrit words for this reason, because often he is speaking to people who are familiar with them.

In our presentation of this particular series of lectures, however, we have for the most part translated these terms into English, just as we sometimes do when translating Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's Hindi books. In cross-referencing the respective sound files, one may note that a few words may be required to adequately cover the specificity of a Sanskrit term.

In summary, the book you hold in your hands contains a rare and elevated conception of the Absolute Truth, presented simply, so that anyone can understand it and begin their journey of becoming blissfully immersed in the Lord's all-loving pastimes, thus transcending all material difficulties.

SRILA NARAYANA GOSVAMI MAHARAJA1

On February 7, 1921, the new moon day of the month of Magha, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja took his divine birth in a highly educated and respected brahmana family in the village of Tiwaripura, in the Buxar district of Bihar, India. In February, 1946, he met his gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and his life of complete and exemplary dedication to the path of krsna-bhakti began.

From 1946 onward, he traveled throughout India to spread the message of bhakti-yoga, or establishing a connection with the Supreme Lord through devotional service. In the mid 1980's, the first Western devotees came to receive his guidance, and in 1996, upon repeated requests, he went to Europe and America. During the next fourteen years, he circled the globe more than thirty times.

His gurudeva had instructed him to translate the writings of prominent Vaisnavas into Hindi, a task he assiduously assumed throughout his entire life and which resulted in the publication of nearly fifty Hindi texts. These invaluable masterpieces are currently being translated into the major languages of the world.

Since his heart brimmed with the most profound realizations of Radha and Krsna's pastimes, which automatically include the essence of all transcendental truths, it was radiant with the deepest affection. Those who heard his discourses felt supreme protection from the onslaught of material miseries and experienced a deeper commitment to the path of bhakti. When he uttered the Hare Krsna maha-mantra at the time of initiation, it bore the same effect. He is famous for how he transformed people's hearts in these ways.

A most endearing hallmark of his telling others about Krsna was the heart-stealing affection he showed to all. As a topmost devotee of the Lord, he was able to enter the deepest recesses of the heart to give the unmistakable reassurance that he is one's eternal well-wisher. The depth of his affection is a tangible reality for all who have experienced it, and this in itself bears subjective testimony to the fact that he was a true emissary of the Supreme Lord. As thousands of devotees will affirm, his genuine interest in the spiritual well-being of all souls was evident in his equal love and affection for all. He cared not if a person were his disciple, the disciple of another, or of another philosophical school altogether. His divine affection knew no bounds.