Sri Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatara of Divine Love (Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical) Hardcover – November 8, 2017

“With this book ‘Sri Chaitanya's Life and Teachings – The Golden Avatara of Divine Love,’ author Steven J. Rosen offers rare and substantial insights into the biographical narrative and philosophical underpinnings of a most important if little known 16th century Vaishnava saint, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533). The book offers a thorough and yet readable examination of all topics related to this saint/avatara, including the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition as a whole and even more depthful subjects like “Sri Gaura Tattva”, “The world of Bhakti”, “The Nectar of The Holy Name”, “Inconceivable Unity in Diversity” (acintya-bhedabheda-tattva), and, perhaps most important, a clear reading on the esoteric subject of ‘raganuga-bhakti.’ Also important is Rosen’s chapter on Mahaprabhu and other religions, showing that what the Master revealed was not so much yet another religious tradition amidst so many, but rather a science of spirituality, which could be used to great advantage by practitioners of ANY religious tradition. The Afterword, which focuses on Mahaprabhu’s teaching moving westward, into modernity, is invaluable in that we see with great detail how this ancient spiritual teaching, originating in India, is actually a nonsectarian ‘science’ that came West for the betterment of all practitioners. Though the book obviously is aimed at a scholarly audience, Rosen defines and explains the rather complicated metaphysics presented by Sri Chaitanya and his followers in clear and understandable language, which contributes to the fact that the book can be read by a broader audience and in this way builds the bridge from the contemporary reader to the ancient, traditional scriptures, highly illuminating the necessary insights and practices to be able to ‘grasp the ungraspable’ — i.e., the hidden truth which is so central to Sri Chaitanya's personality and teachings." L. Blom, MA in Philosophy, University of Copenhagen.

This book gives the reader some important information on Lord Chaitanya and where to look for further info. What I really dislike about this book is its propagation of Prabhupada's version of Chaitanya's teachings. There really are some statements in regard to ISKCON which are simply UNTRUE. One example is the general religious tolerance of Gaudia Vaishnavism SUPPOSEDLY including ISKCON. But in reality Prabhupada said, among other things, that "the followers of Jesus", i.e. Christians, were killers from the beginning - because of their non-vegetarianism (see Back2Godhead magazine) - to give one example, not to mention his racist comments and fundamentalist (in fact almost psychotic) rejection of science. It is very unfortunate that this book can motivate somebody to join a destructive cult like ISKCON.

This new stimulating volume on Sri Chaitanya is simultaneously a hagiography; an exposition on the saint's theology; as well as a sacred history of the dynamic North Indian Bhakti tradition in all its glory. Within these pages we find great detail and scholarly information about the origins and development of the tradition today known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. And it is amazingly readable and accessible as well.Rosen transports the reader into Chaitanya's world--its diversity, its politics, its controversy, and its sublimity. It is remarkable how much is accomplished in this one volume. Most of all, it articulates religious truths and concepts of this exemplary figure, Sri Chaitanya, with the final result being a multidimensional portrait of this exemplar of divine love.Neatly arranged in ten chapters, the book takes its reader on a journey from the tradition's roots in Vedic India to the story of Krishna and the development of the Vaishnava tradition. Then we arrive at the core of the book: an overview of Chaitanya's life. What follows is his theology, the yoga of the holy name, his profound philosophy that elegantly incorporates insights from all the major bhakti traditions, his interreligious encounters, and then it introduces us to the unique practice of raganuga bhakti. The book concludes with a summary of how this profound tradition made its way to the West.The foreword from the series editor Jeffrey Long sums it up: "one would be hard-pressed to think of a more wide-ranging and comprehensive work on Sri Caitanya, his legacy, and its reception." In short, this is a classic work that promises to stand the test of time!

If for you the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge about favorite subject matters is heightened by an author’s ability to make difficult topics easy to comprehend - all the while employing a writing style at once breezy and eloquent, scholarly yet unpretentious, detailed and clear - then this is a book you will return to again and again. The text elucidates vital yet little known or else previously unexplored aspects of the theology upon which ancient India’s spiritual tradition rests. Thus the reader is treated to a treasury of new information about the relevance and applicability of ancient yogic meditation practices, important bhakti yoga texts, and the riveting esoterica associated with Lord Krishna and His feminine counter-whole, the supreme goddess Srimati Radharani. For some readers, that the divine couple Radha and Krishna have sometimes manifest as One in the form of Lord Chaitanya will be a revelation thoroughly explained for the first time. For other readers already acquainted with Chaitanya’s unique identity and pastimes, the text offers new insights and carefully researched scholarship that substantiates the author’s presentation and enlarges the field of knowledge about Lord Chaitanya, Kali-yuga’s hidden avatara known to connoisseurs as the Golden Avatara of Divine Love. With this new volume Steve Rosen invites readers to a banquet of unparalleled divine savor. A must read for anyone interested in yoga, the bhakti tradition, feminine divinity, or the little known secrets of the relationship between the soul and its source until now hidden away from all but a few in India’s vast spiritual literature.