WELCOME  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. Misconceptions about what constitutes genuine kirtana abound, however. So in this issue we’re running an excerpt from the book Prema Kirtan: Journey into Sacred Sound, by Pranada Devi Dasi. The excerpt focuses on one of the many spiritual benefits of being part of the culture of kirtana as promoted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

Hare Krishna. – Nagaraja Dasa, Editor

Departments

From the Editor

Q&A

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out

Bhakti Wisdom