A Necklace of Divine Conclusions: Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala

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Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura manifested the Sri Dasa-mula-tattva (ten fundamental truths) from the ocean of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings, thus bestowing unlimited auspiciousness upon the Vaisnava world.

This Sri Dasa-mula-tattva is the infallible medicine and remedial diet for the eternal disease of material existence. By this spiritually scientific process, consisting of the philosophical understanding of the stages of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana, all the main teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu have been strung together to form a necklace of Vaisnava conclusions or siddhantas.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayaņa Gosvamı Maharaja appeared in 1921 in Tivaripura, a village near the sacred Ganges River in Bihar, India. In 1946 he met and received initiation from the great Gaudiya Vaisnava acarya, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, who five years later awarded him the renounced order of life.

Srila Maharaja is widely recognized as an authoritative scholar having profound understanding of the essence of the Vedic literatures. He taught Vaisnava philosophy throughout India for over forty years before venturing to the West in 1996. Since then, he has circled the globe thirty three times, propagating the pure Bhakti mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Maharaja's books and classes are being translated into many languages, inspiring people every- where with the understanding of the highest spiritual truths, thus filling their lives with auspiciousness.

In this modern age there has been significant advancement in the development of science, engineering, medicine and economics. Simultaneously, however, the problems arising from poverty, crime, disease, and climatic irregularities are constantly increasing. Due to advancements in technology we can communicate with others throughout the world almost instantly. Despite this, as individuals, we are drifting further apart from each other, both physically and emotionally. Families are disintegrating around us, and divorce rates are soaring. Despite being offered so much facility by materialistic society, we are feeling so unfulfilled. As a fire does not decrease upon having oil poured upon it, in the same way, giving into the demands of the mind and senses will not satisfy us or give us peace, rather they will relentlessly demand more and more gratification.

Could there be a way to find happiness apart from sensual gratification? Are we nothing more than a combination of lifeless atoms? Is the goal of life nothing more than accumulation of wealth or sensual satisfaction? Such questions have arisen in the mind of mankind since time immemorial. Indeed it is this proclivity for investigation that separates us from the birds and beasts.

Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala was originally composed in the Bengali language by the incarnation of auspiciousness upon this world, om visnupada Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is to be included as an intimate member among the eternal associates of Sri Sacinandana Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the purifier of the age of Kali and the source of all incarnations. Now that this essay has become available to the faithful readers in the Hindi language, we are experiencing the most profound joy to serve the heart-felt desire of our most worshipful spiritual master, the lion-like acarya and jagadguru, om viSņupada aştottara-Sata Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana KeSava Gosvami Maharaja.

After the disappearance of Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas such as the six Gosvamis, Sri Kṛṣņa dasa Kaviraja, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, and Sri Baladeva Vidyabhuṣaņa, the pure Vaisnava dharma and true teachings, as practiced and preached by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, had become almost entirely lost. The most dear associate of Sri Gaurasundara, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, appeared within this material world and composed a great number of books in the Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Oriya, and English languages. For this, he became famous as the seventh Goswami in the historical annals of the Sri Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition.