Krishnabookspov
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In part two of Śrī Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta, the book’s hero, Gopa-kumāra, an illiterate, naïve cowherd living near Govardhana Hill in Vṛndāvana, is inspired by a mysterious bhakta to start on a spiritual quest. In this volume, his journey takes him all the way from his home to Vaikuṇṭha-Ayodhya – and from śraddhā to almost-perfect prema.
Gopa-kumāra’s adventure is different from the hero’s journeys we read about in less spiritual literature because he explores the material universe not with his sights set on mundane wealth or power or romance or even simple heroism, but on the sweetness of confidential, selfless, devotional service to his dearest Lord and friend, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is this focus that takes him beyond all temporal dimensions into the spiritual world beyond.
As Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes, “Our divine master [Sanātana Gosvāmī] has revealed in his Bhāgavatāmṛta all the sweet conclusions of devotional philosophy, including its most confidential secrets.”
And Śrīla Prabhupāda adds: “Anyone who wants to know about the subject matter of devotees, devotional service, and Kṛṣṇa must read this book.”
Gopīparāṇadhana Dāsa (1950-2011) was both a scholar of Sanskrit and a practitioner of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Under the guidance of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he developed an expertise in Sanskrit and served for many years as an editor for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. When Śrīla Prabhupāda passed away, Gopīparāṇadhana served on the three-man team that completed Śrīla Prabhupāda's edition of /"Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam"/. In 1998 he and his family moved to Govardhana, the place of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's pastimes located in northern India, and an important place of pilgrimage for the followers of the Vaiṣṇava tradition. There he spent the last twelve years of his life, translating and training a new generation of devotional scholars at the Śrīmad-bhāgavata Vidyāpiṭham, a school he established for this purpose. Among his most significant literary contributions are the translations of the /"Tattva-sandabha"/, /"Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta"/, and /"Kṛṣṇa Līlā Stava"/.