Welcome

THIS ISSUE presents an excerpt from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s new edition of the Rāmāyaṅa, India’s cherished epic about the activities of Lord Rāmacandra, an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṅa. The book showcases the unique art of Italian artist Parama Dāsa. Artists have been painting scenes from the Rāmāyaṅa for centuries, but it’s safe to say there have never been Rāmāyaṅa paintings quite like these, produced with state-of-the-art computer programs.

Besides extraordinary art, this issue also contains an article that’s mostly poetry. Kālakaṅṭha Dāsa’s “The Cowherd Men Confused” is a poetic rendition of Lord Kṛṣṅa’s pastime of lifting Govardhan Hill, which Kṛṣṅa’s devotees will commemorate in late October.

This issue also touches on a musical theme: the use of music in spiritual pursuits. While attending a Bach concert with his brother, Satyarāja Dāsa pondered the spiritual connections of both Western and Vaiṣṅava music. His article “Bach to Godhead: Music and the Vaiṣṅava Tradition”discusses the importance of music in the practice of Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

Added to the mix of art, poetry, and music is an excursion into the paranormal, as Caitanya Caraṅa Dāsa explains how near-death experiences point to the existence of the soul.

Hare Kṛṣṅa.—Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor

Our Purposes

• To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary.

• To expose the faults of materialism.

• To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life.

• To preserve and spread the Vedic culture.

• To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

• To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead.