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Posts to BVKS Sanga 5
for beginners among Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books is
Bhaktyaloka.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Madhurya Kadambini has been
translated and is an important book.
Kusakratha Prabhu has translated many books from
Sanskrit and Bengali. Again, not all of these are suitable for
beginners, as many of them describe intimate pastimes of
Krsna, and are thus not intelligible for those who have not
controlled their senses. Caitanya Candramrta and Stotra-
ratna are my favorites of the books he has translated.
Suhotra Maharaja’s books, Substance and Shadow and
Transcendental Personalism are good for the analytically
minded. The Nectar of Book Distribution is inspirational and
instructive for book distributors. Harikesa Maharaja’s book,
Varnasrama Manifesto, is inspiring and visionary.
For those who want to read Mahabharata and Ramayana,
the Gita Press English translations are suitable. Kamala
Subrahmaniyam’s books are not.
Books not mentioned here are not necessarily banned by me,
but have not come to my mind as being particularly helpful
either. Any further questions in this regard may be directed
to me. There are definitely some authors whose books I do not
want my disciples to read, but I’m not going to make a public
statement about them, lest offense be taken by the authors.
7 May 1999
Although we could all probably find some reason to do so,
I personally don’t feel badly about the ISKCON leadership. I
reason that, although it’s easy to find faults in at least some of
their policies and attitudes, why should I spend my time doing
so unless I’m able to rectify discrepancies, and am prepared to