Appreciations from Scholars

Welcome · Appreciations · What's in Vanipedia now · Vanipedia in the Media · Help · Tutorials · Quick Reference · Glossary · FAQ

---

The following is a listing of appreciations for Srila Prabhupada's books from scholars.

Legend:

BG - Bhagavad-gītā As It Is / SB - Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam / CC - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta / TLC - Teachings of Lord Caitanya / NOI - Nectar of Instruction /
NOD - Nectar of Devotion / KB - Kṛṣṇa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead / POY - Perfection of Yoga / ISO - Śrī Īśopaniṣad / MISC - Miscellaneous

---

Pub	Surname	Initials	Title	Institution	Location	Year of Quote	Appreciation
SB	Gelade	Dr. Garry	Professor of Psychology	Oxford University	UK	unknown	"This is a work to be treasured. No one of whatever faith or philosophical persuasion who reads these books with an open mind can fail to be both moved and impressed..."
SB	Wayman	Dr. Alex	Professor of Sanskrit	Columbia University	USA	unknown	"It has been my great pleasure recently to have read the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the superb edition authorized by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.... I am sure this monumental work will go far to bring the sublime message of the Bhagavatam to numerous Westerners who otherwise would miss this opportunity."
SB	Bhatt	Dr. Sooda L.	Professor of Indian Languages	Boston University	USA	unknown	"The Srimad-Bhagavatam is extremely useful for all those interested in ancient India, whether their interest be that of the philosopher, the student of religion, the historian, the linguist, the sociologist or the political scientist. ...I truly hope that Srila Prabhupada will complete his translation of the entire Bhagavata and continue to translate other eminent Sanskrit works as well. Undoubtedly, this work of Swamiji's is a great contribution to the troubled human society of today's world."
SB	Mish	Dr. John L.	Chief, Oriental Division	New York Public Library	USA	unknown	"The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust editions of famous religious classics of India with new translations and commentaries, are an important addition to our expanding knowledge of spiritual India. The new edition of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is particularly welcome."
SB				Choice magazine		1975	"...A commentary on the Vedanta-sutra by Srila Vyasadeva divided into twelve 'cantos' of which four are presented here in eight beautifully produced volumes. These lavish volumes, obviously the product of devotional effort, contain many lovely full-color illustrations...."
SB	Mehta	Dr. Mahesh	Professor of Asian Studies	University of Windsor	Ontario, Canada	unknown	"In the diversity of religious approaches offered by the yogis of India, the most significant, of course, is the way of Krsna consciousness. It is amazing to see how Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami has in less than ten years succeeded, by his personal devotion, untiring energy and efficient direction, in organizing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Now, he has undertaken the stupendous project of rendering the entire Bhagavata, the great devotional classic of India, into English. His edition is learning blended with devotional feeling and inspired by a definite purpose of communicating the intense Iyrical and devotional quality of the Bhagavata. Srila Prabhupada has done an excellent service by his able rendition of 'the abode of divine joy' that the Bhagavata is."
SB	Asher	Dr. R. E.	Professor of Linguistics	University of Edinburgh	UK	unknown	"It is axiomatic that no book can be expected entirely to satisfy all its potential readers. Here is one, however, which can be said to come remarkably close to that ideal...we have here the ideal of what an edition of a Sanskrit text for a Western audience should be."
SB	Hejib	Dr. Alaka	Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies	Harvard University	USA	unknown	"...For those who have no access to the Sanskrit language, these books convey, in superb manner, the message of the Bhagavatam. In addition to being a scholarly work, it directly reflects the spiritual aspirations of a religious community which has gained considerable popularity in modern America."
SB	Agrawal	Dr. C. P.	Chairwoman, Department of Humanities	University of Michigan	USA	unknown	"Srimad-Bhagavatam is a valuable source material and cannot but be attractive to serious students and scholars of religion and philosophy. I recommend this series, to anyone, as an important and useful reference work."
SB	Kapoor M.A., D. Phil	Dr. O. B. L.	Ex-Principal	Govt. Post-graduate College	Rampur, India	unknown	"Srimad-Bhagavatam is the quintessence of the Vedas, the crest-jewel of the entire body of Hindu and non-Hindu scriptures. It is Vyasadeva's own commentary on his aphoristic Brahma-sutra, in which he summarizes the Vedas, and on a particular commentary and interpretation of which is based each one of the orthodox schools of Indian philosophy. It is the simplest and the most popular exposition of the Absolute Truth in its highest and most attractive form. It surpasses even the Gita in the supreme excellence of its divine teachings. Its supreme importance is borne out by the fact that it is regarded as identical with Krsna Himself. It is unique as a work referring to the most ancient times and presenting vivid pictures of the most ancient peoples. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has done great work indeed by presenting an English version of Srimad Bhagavata with the original Slokas in Sanskrit, the English transliteration, word for word meaning of the Sanskrit words, free translation of the Slokas, and exhaustive, erudite and illuminating purports."
SB	Biswas	Dilip Kumar	Head of the Department Ancient Indian and World History	Government Sanskrit College	India	1976	"The Srimad Bhagavatam is a great Puranic text which has served as the basic source of inspiration for the various branches of the bhakti cult in medieval India. Indeed it would not be a hyperbole to assert that the fundamental tenets of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, are, in their mature form, based on Book XI of this celebrated text just as the indigenous Vaisnava tradition of the neighboring state of Orissa can be said to have developed around the Tenth Book. The Krishna-Gopi theme in its purist form, has been regarded by Indian seers and saints as representing deep mutual love that unites God and His worshippers. It however, finds only casual (and not always authentic) mention in earlier texts like the Mahabharata, Hala's Gatha-saptasati etc. It develops in some of the later texts like the Hari-vamsa, Vishnu-Purana, Padma-Purana, Varaha-Purana, and Brahmavaivarta-Purana. It however attains full bloom in the Bhagavata the one great purpose of which seems to have been to glorify the passionate love of the Gopis for Krishna as a concrete expression of the philosophy of saranagati - the keynote of medieval Vaisnava thought. The beautifully produced volumes of this important text with English translation, commentary, notes and index by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada will, I am sure, go a great way to popularize the spiritual teachings of the Bengal School of Vaisnavism in the English-speaking world."
SB	Sharma	Mohan Lal	Professor of English	Slippery Rock State College	USA	unknown	"Having heard the august author of Srimad Bhagavatam in person, once at the campus of Slippery Rock State College, Pennsylvania-to the best of the knowledge of the writer of this review, the first institution in America to have hosted the great speaker- the reviewer considers it a rare privilege to say something about this beautiful addition to the spiritually inspiring and inspiriting treasure of humankind. The life of Krishna, beside whom, to Thoreau's judgment, "even Shakespeare seems sometimes so youthfully green," and whose exalted and exalting message deserves to be read, according to Emerson, 'on one's knees,' is treated here with marvelous felicity and facility. Each Sanskrit text carries an English rendering followed by an exegesis/explanation in the form of 'purport' in considerable depth and detail, drawing upon examples from India's hoary and sublime contributions in culture, philosophy, politics, sociology, religion and bhakti or love. The encyclopedic work, undertaken as a labor of love, is more than a 'Passage to India,' to use Whitmanated imagery. It is a veritable 'peripluum' [sic] by a Columbus of the soul. The reviewer deems it a signal honor to strongly recommend this welcome acquisition to all readers/students of that greatest of all sciences, the science of God, in each and every part of this great globe."
SB	Gokhale	Dr. V. V.	Thirty-seven years as Prof. of Sanskrit,	Fergusson College	India	1977	"The Bhagavad-gita speaks of three ways of life: namely (1) the way of knowledge (jnana), (2) the way of selfless work (karma), and (3) the way of self-dedication (bhakti). All the three partaking of each other, lead to the realization of the Absolute. Among them, however, Bhagwan Sri Krishna unmistakably stresses the bhakti-marga as the most comprehensive, the most smooth and the most fulfilling. This aspect of the teaching has therefore come to be glorified in the later Srimad-Bhagavatam which has grown into a veritable Encyclopedia of the entire temporal and spiritual life of India, unfolding in the most elaborate and eminent poesy of whole panorama of legends and events connected with the highest, multi-faceted manifestation of the Divine Avatara called Sri Krishna. The gates of these most valuable treasures of Indian literature were thrown open by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada by his establishing the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness with centers in all parts of the world. The BBT has already published a number of important books written by him on the tradition of bhakti yoga coming down from the hoary Vedic Age to recent times, such as Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. The book production of these encyclopedic renderings is of a very high order, not only in respect of the external get-up and printing, but also in respect of the authenticity of the English translation of the original Sanskrit texts, accompanied by Roman transliterations, vocabularies, detailed cultural expositions of the stanzas, aids to reading of Sanskrit and copious indexes, all of which will serve to make even the common non-Sanskritist readers enjoy these inspiring literary expressions of ancient Indian civilization. I would therefore recommend that these books be acquired by all college and University Libraries, for they reflect the highest peak of literary genius.
SB	Samtaney	Gune	Sahitya Akademi Award Winner	Sahitya Akademi	India	1976	"No earthly writer today can match the vast outpouring of pure verse which our ancient sages, particularly the great Vyasadeva, have left to the world. Motivated by a deep desire to give moral, cultural, and educational upliftment to all people irrespective of caste, creed, or nationality, they have taught to us the higher values of life through the medium of historical narrations, biographies of the lives of great men, and simple instructive stories. The unlimited wealth which they have left behind in the Devanagari script is sheer ecstasy to read for the poet, the student or the common man. Since dialectic differences began to splinter men into smaller groups, the original language, Sanskrit, was gradually forgotten. It is a special grace upon the denizens of the world today that His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has done such a tremendous job of meticulously translating into so many languages the sacred books of our heritage. Swamiji's most noteworthy achievement is his encyclopedia of Vedic Education, the multi-volume presentation of the Srimad Bhagwatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita. His treatment of the verses through his transparent translations and purports show that his scholastic and spiritually-realized grasp of the text is incomparable. It is his understanding of the goal of all knowledge as shown by his skillful pen that makes him rightfully the founder and acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. I am very, very happy to see that many different types of libraries and institutions of the world are snapping up his encyclopedia. Any educational centre interested in giving a complete education to its pupils should follow the examples set by the University of California, the British Library, the Oxford University, and University of Bombay among many others who have ordered sets of the BBT's encyclopedia. As an Indian I am proud of the vast accomplishments of my fellow countryman, Swami Prabhupada."
SB	Stafford Betty	Dr. L.	Dept. of Philosophy and Religious Studies	California State College	USA	Year	"Krsna is based on the popular Tenth Book of the Srimad Bhagavatam, or Bhagavata Purana. It is not merely a translation of the Book; it is also a commentary reflecting the Hindu fundamentalism that has come to be associated with the Krsna-Consciousness movement. It is written not only in the religious spirit of Caitanya but in the philosophical spirit of Madhva, who was quick to denounce the "Mayavadins," or followers of Sankara. It predictably spiritualizes the exploits of Krsna with the Gopis, so much so that it is not always clear what the Srimad Bhagavatam actually said. It is well written and well put together, with a glossary at the back of each of the three volumes. It is conveniently divided into the same eighty-nine sections as the Bhagavata's Tenth Book itself."
SB	Joshi	P. M.	Joint - Ed. Medieval Deccan History	Bombay and Poona University	India	1977	"His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is well known as an exponent of Vedic philosophy and the Indian way of thinking. Here in India Swami Prabhupada has won a wide circle of well-wishers who have nothing but admiration for the notable work that he is doing. His aim is to bring peace of mind to the citizens of a disturbed world. By the powerful force of the message of his voluminous writings, he can lead to peaceful conditions the peoples of our earth. To effect this end, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has published its literatures in twenty-five languages to give everyone the full benefit of Swamiji's transcendental message. I feel that Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami has rendered a noble service in translating and commenting upon the Srimad Bhagwatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita, the BBT's encyclopedia of our timeless wisdom meant for all good-thinking people. Thus this great wealth of knowledge is a necessity for all libraries of India and the world. By ordering the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust encyclopedia the libraries can well perform their duty to the public whom they are ever pledged to serve. In this way they can render some service to Swamiji in fulfilling his noble mission."
SB	Broker	Gulabdas	Advisory Board	Gujarati Sahitya Akademi	India	1977	"His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has done an immensely valuable service for the sake of all mankind by releasing India's immortal classic Srimad Bhagavatam for the close scrutiny of Western eyes. This Bhaktivedanta Book Trust edition is handsomely bound and lavishly printed, and it should find a place on the shelf of every library whether scientific, collegiate or public. Most of all, the lucid writing of Swamiji, direct and to the point, highlights the many features of this edition. I am very pleased to recommend this Encyclopedia of Vedic knowledge - true to the letter of the word - to all who are eager to scrutinize India's foremost of philosophical systems - Krishna bhakti - in detail. Jai Sree Krishna"