The Essence of Instruction

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

Caitanya Vaiavism 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 r 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.