The Sublime Teachings of Mahaprabhu (Includes the Siksastakam in Original Sanskrit with English Translation and Meanings)

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Is there some such thing as pure and genuine love? Is it ever possible to find happiness that lasts beyond one's lifetime and never ends? If yes, is there a process by which one can find such love and happiness? This book addresses questions such as these based on the sublime teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu popularized the process of nama-sankirtana, chanting the names of Sri Krishna. He also composed the Siksastakam, a set of eight slokas that describe the process of sankirtana, the ultimate goal prema, and the happiness that comes with it. This book provides a brief and simple introduction to Mahaprabhu's teachings and potentially opens the door to the pursuit of eternal spiritual happiness.

The author works as a professor in a postgraduate academic institution in India. He has an interest in Sanskrit, philosophy, and spiritual knowledge and in his spare time, he studies and writes on spiritual topics. The author holds B. Tech. and M. Tech. degrees from IIT Kanpur and a Ph.D. from IIT Madras. Readers can write to him at: [email protected]; please use the subject line TEACHINGS OF MAHAPRABHU."

This book is a modest attempt to present the sublime teachings of sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu primarily based on his original work, the Šikşaştakam. It includes English transliterations and translations pertaining to each of the siksastakam's eight ślokas. Also included are the author's additional notes to assist a reader in contemplating on the meanings of the slokas and comprehending their import.

Translating a scholarly work from one language to another involves at least two challenges. The first is of conveying the very same shades of meaning that the writer of the original intended to. The second is of ensuring that no new meanings are introduced anywhere, even inadvertently, that the writer of the original did not intend to convey. These challenges manifest to an even greater degree when the two languages are embedded in starkly different socio-cultural backgrounds and philosophical orientations such as Sanskrit and English.

The author has used some Sanskrit words such as bhakti, seva, dharma and so on in their native form (untranslated) in this book. The author found it difficult to find single words or succinct phrases in English that could consistently represent the native meanings of these words. For example, dharma in different contexts can indicate either "essential nature, character or property" or "ordained duties" or "natural way of life", or something distinct from all these. The author hopes that the appropriate connotations of such a word left untranslated will be evident to the readers as they encounter the word in respective contexts. A glossary of Sanskrit terms that repeatedly appear in this work is provided at the end.

Happiness is the common goal for all human beings regardless of their caste, colour, gender, region, religion, nationality, and language. Not only human beings, but animals too hanker for happiness. In their pursuit of happiness, human beings take numerous approaches. Some believe that earning more money is the way to happiness and some think that power, fame, and recognition can yield happiness. Others feel that learning and knowledge give better happiness and yet others find their best happiness in social relationships.

These means do give happiness, no doubt. Yet, it is also seen that the happiness obtained through these erodes with time. Happy times are often interrupted by unhappiness, pain, and misery. Happiness is beset with insecurity and uncertainty. It matters little whether one is rich or poor, powerful, or insignificant, educated or uneducated, young or old. Happiness alternates with misery and suffering for all. As old problems resolve, new ones emerge. No one seeks difficult times, but they emerge in one's life. Deep and lasting happiness seems elusive.

A pristine body of spiritual knowledge, the Vedanta, offers a possible solution to this problem.