Latest BTG Issue
This issue coincides with the sacred festival known as Gaura Purnima, which commemorates Lord Krishna’s advent as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur, West Bengal, in 1486 CE. The festival’s name refers to Lord Chaitanya’s golden (gaura) complexion and the fact that He appeared on a full-moon (purnima) night. This issue of BTG honors the event with two articles related to Lord Chaitanya: The Unsurpassed Excellence of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, by Satyaraja Dasa, and Nine Glories of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, by Gauranga Darshana Dasa.
One of the main purposes for Lord Chaitanya’s descent was to inaugurate the spiritual practice recommended by the Vedic scriptures for the current age – sankirtana, or the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada introduced kirtana to the West in the 1960s, and it has become a common practice for many spiritual groups.