We who are privileged to identify ourselves as members of the Madhva-Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya can take pride in being heirs to the legacy of several mighty ācāryas, beginning with Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rūpa Gosvāmī, all of whom were unique and inimitable and who have made lasting contributions to the sampradāya.
In terms of his mass preaching exploits, Śrī Rasikānanda Deva remained unparalleled for several centuries until the advent of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda. It was my great good fortune to bring the glories of Śrī Rasikānanda to the attention of the worldwide Vaiṣṇava community when in 1997 I first published The Story of Rasikānanda, based on Rasika Maṅgala, an extensive Bengali biography by Śrī Gopījanavallabha Dāsa, who, as a direct disciple of Śrī Rasikānanda, was witness to many of the superhuman feats of his Gurudeva.
Now, more than a quarter century later, Dr. Baladeva Dāsa has further significantly enriched the Vaiṣṇava world by this publication. Herein we learn of the calibre of Śrī Rasikānanda’s intimate associates and disciples, and of his unstinting appreciation of them. We gain insights into the exalted level of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that Śrī Rasikānanda constantly experienced and that he communicated to others, and become privy to Śrī Rasikānanda’s deep love for his Gurudeva, Śrī Śyāmānanda Prabhu.
A major section of this book consists of Śyāmānanda-śatakam, wherein we learn much about the transcendental characteristics of Śrī Śyāmānanda Prabhu also. Overall, this is another splendid contribution by Baladeva Dāsa, undertaken with his usual thoroughness and scholarly exactness. Our Gauḍīya ācāryas are inherently glorious, and Baladeva Dāsa is performing important service by revealing their glories to the world, in the form of their writings. May his service, which is particularly but not exclusively focussed on the works of Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, continue to be fruitful for many more years to come.
Bhakti Vikasa Swami
| Name | Śyāmānanda-śatakam |
| Publisher | Bhakti Vikas Trust |
| Publication Year | 2023 |
| Binding | Paperback |
| Pages | 254 |
| Table Of Contents | Contents Preface by Bhakti Vikāśa Swami Introduction Sādhanā-sāra-catuḥ-ślokī Kuñja-keli-dvādaśakam Bhāgavatāṣṭakam Śyāmānanda-śatakam Baladeva Vidyābhūṣāṇa Project |
Coming soon!
