The Essence of Instruction

The three short texts presented here belong to the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition which was inspired by the great Bengali saint Śrī Caitanya (1486-1533 CE) over five hundred years ago. Śrī Caitanya's movement was itself a revival/reinterpretation of an even older tradition dating back to pre-common era Vaiṣṇavism (the worship of the god Viṣṇu). This is testified to in such ancient Sanskrit texts as the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (The One Hundred Paths Commentary on the White Yajur Veda], 700 BCE) down through numerous others to the Padma Purāna (Ancient Lore of the Lotus, 1500 CE).

Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism has itself also inspired a rich blossoming of literature, philosophical discourse, and graphic art in the centuries succeeding its rise. The texts in this book present the essential teachings and practices of Śrī Caitanya and his followers majestically rendered into heroic couplets by a modern British bard, Morris Brand. The book has been edited with an introduction by Neal Delmonico.