Undeniably, it is love that is the most powerful force in life. And it follows that at the core of all religion and genuine spirituality is some form of love, some cultivation of the heart. The author of this work shares the early events of his life that led him to the life of a monk in the knina-bhakti tradition of the Caitanya school of Vaisnavism —that part of the Hindu tradition which focuses on the love and worship of Visnu, or more specifically the loving devotion taught and exemplified by the medieval mystic and divine incarnation Sri Caitanya (1486-1534) in His ultimate vision of the intimate divinities of Radha and Krishna.
Certainly, bhakti is a tradition that resonates with the biblical Johanine expression "God is love." But the knina bhakti tradition takes this expression further, because it ultimately asserts that "Love is God." The expression is reversed because in the final vision love subsumes both God and the soul —love conquers them both together.
Ocean of Mercy is a unique memoir. We are given entrance into a fascinating story of tragedy, adventure, and grace through the eyes of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami. It begins with a young Indian boy from Calcutta whose loving mother is stricken with a contagious disease and soon passes away when the boy most craved her love and care. Al-most immediately after her passing, his family fell from grand riches into poverty.
Just after his basic education, he abandoned his home, seeking ad-venture and friendship. He yearned to embrace the alluring promises of the Western world, leaving behind what he considered the backward, Third World society of India. While traveling over land and sea to Europe, he discovered everything he longed for and more.
But at the peak of his euphoria, something happened.
The ancient Veda, of India, which contain the world's oldest and most profound spiritual wisdom, state that human life begins when one sincerely inquires, "Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the purpose of my existence?" These three questions are called brahma-jinasa, or spiritual inquiry. They can be properly answered only by a bona fide spiritual teacher. Therefore, the actual search begins when one starts to look for such a teacher. I was a student in Europe when I began to feel the urge to find such a teacher, and I returned to India to begin my search. Up until then, my life had been like that of a weary traveler who had lost his way in the middle of the desert. I was running after a mirage to quench my thirst, trying to enjoy this world of illusion, but the more I ran after the mirage, the further it receded—and the more I tried to enjoy, the more I suffered.
After a long and disappointing journey to many places of pilgrimage, I finally met the divine personality who would lead me out of this world of ignorance to the light of knowledge.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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