Scholars in Love with Bhaktivedanta Books

After a few years of what could be described as only casual flirtation, scholars and librarians are starting to fall in love with Srila Prabhupada's books. The libraries of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Swarthmore and dozens of other major universities have placed standing orders for Srimad-Bhagavatam-for all the volumes published and all those yet to come. "This Srimad-Bhagavatam translation is very good," wrote the librarian at the Cleveland Public Library in placing a standing order for the prestigious John G. White Collection. "Please check and see what books of yours we do not have and send me those that are missing."

Professors are becoming enthusiastic. "This Nectar of Devotion is the greatest book ever published on bhakti!" declared Dr. Carl Waugh, Professor of Indian Religion at Cleveland State University. And Dr.H.B. Kulkarni of Utah State University found Prabhupada's books "of incalculable value to anyone who is curious about India's spiritual and cultural heritage." He added: "The author of these books displays on every page an astounding scholarship, and also an understanding and ease of exposition which are the rarest gifts."

Scholars especially praise Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Dr. Samuel D. Atikins of Princeton called it "a beautifully designed script of the stanzas, beautifully presented with accredited transliterations and a practical working vocabulary, followed by an outstanding exegesis ... A beautifully done book." Professor Shaligram Shukla of Georgetown offered this review: "It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don't know whether to praise more the translation of Bhagavad-gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas .... I have never seen any other work on Gita with such an important and authoritative voice and style. It is a work of undoubted integrity. I strongly recommend this book."