The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) is delighted to announce the South Asia editions of two significant academic works on Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism by Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr. Ravi M. Gupta): Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Philosophy: Tradition, Reason and Devotion and Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedanta of Jiva Goswami.
Both books, published by Routledge—a globally acclaimed academic publisher renowned for its contributions to the humanities and social sciences—now have South Asian editions brought out by BRC in collaboration with Dev Publishers to meet the growing demand for accessible, high-quality academic resources on Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. The editions are also priced affordably, making them more accessible to universities, libraries, scholars, and devotees desirous of deepening their understanding of Caitanya Vaiṣṇava philosophy. The books are now available for purchase across academic platforms and bookstores in India and South Asia.
“I am delighted that these books are now easily accessible to readers in India, thanks to the reprints by BRC and Dev Publishers. I hope that the books are useful to the growing community of students and scholars of Vaisnavism in South Asia,” says Dr. Ravi M. Gupta.
The first book, Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Philosophy: Tradition, Reason, and Devotion, offers a comprehensive study of the philosophical foundations of Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism.
His disciples and followers systematically expounded Lord Caitanya’s theology in a vast corpus of poetical, philosophical, and ritual literature. This book provides a thematic exploration of Caitanya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, introducing key thinkers and ideas within the tradition and drawing from some Sanskrit and Bengali sources that have rarely been studied in English. The text addresses major areas of the tradition, including epistemology, ontology, aesthetics, ethics, and history, with each chapter featuring relevant primary-source readings.
Edited by Dr. Ravi M. Gupta (Radhika Ramana Dasa), the book includes contributions from Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey (Krsna Ksetra Swami), Graham M. Schweig (Garuda Dasa), Prof. Joseph T. O’Connell, Dr. Kiyokazu Okita, and Dr. Rembert Lutjeharms. The Dharma Academy of North America awarded this book the Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi Book Award.
Radhanath Swami presents “Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Goswami” and “Caitanya Vaisnava Philosophy” to Bhakti Vikasa Swami at ISKCON Chowpatty.
The second book, Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedanta of Jiva Goswami, authored by Dr. Ravi M. Gupta (Radhika Ramana Dasa), offers an in-depth analysis of Srila Jiva Goswami’s Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas, cornerstone texts of Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedanta. This book is, in fact, Radhika Ramana Dasa’s Oxford PhD thesis published in book form.
Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism is renowned for refining the practice and aesthetics of devotion into a sophisticated science. This impressive devotional framework is underpinned by a solid foundation of philosophical argument and understanding. In this book, Dr. Gupta sheds light on Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism’s contributions to Indian philosophy, examining the hermeneutical tools employed, historical resources utilized, the structure of arguments presented, and the success of these endeavors. The tradition’s ability to engage in Vedantic discourse while practicing an ecstatic devotion to Krishna is particularly noteworthy. Srila Jiva Gosvami, the primary architect of this balance, brought together four powerful streams: the Vedantic systems, ecstatic bhakti movements, Puranic commentarial traditions, and the aesthetic rasa theory of Sanskrit poetics. This book analyzes how Srila Jiva Goswami synthesized these influences to develop a distinctly Caitanya Vaiṣṇava system of theology. The book also includes an overview of the Bhagavata-Sandarbha as an appendix.
The author/editor of these landmark books, Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr. Ravi M. Gupta), holds the Charles Redd Chair of Religious Studies at Utah State University. Raised in a devotee family, he earned his doctorate in Hindu Studies at Oxford University and has taught at the University of Florida, Centre College, and the College of William and Mary. Recognized with four teaching awards and multiple research fellowships, his scholarly interests include Sanskrit commentary, Vaiṣṇava devotional traditions, and interfaith theology.
These South Asia editions are key additions to BRC’s ongoing Vaiṣṇava Studies Series, which aims to showcase recent and impactful research on Vaiṣṇavism both within India and globally. This series adopts a multidimensional approach, placing particular emphasis on annotated translations of key primary sources.
Highlighting the significance of these books, Dr. Sumanta Rudra, academic dean of BRC, pointed out that in addition to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting ancient Vaiṣṇava manuscripts and artifacts and offering Masters and PhD programs in philosophy, BRC prioritizes research and publishing as central pillars of its mission to preserve and disseminate Vaiṣṇava philosophy and scholarship. “The Vaiṣṇava Studies Series is an integral part of BRC’s efforts to serve Srila Prabhupada’s mission by acting as a hub for Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism research and scholarship,” he said.
Expressing his appreciation for these books, Gauranga Dasa, GBC member and director of ISKCON Govardhan EcoVillage (GEV), stated, “These books are a significant addition to BRC’s rapidly growing list of publications. I congratulate BRC on this new milestone and encourage devotees to take advantage of these valuable publications for a deeply enriching experience.”
Ananda Tirtha Dasa, who runs a Bhaktivedanta Academy for Culture and Education (BACE) center at IIT Bombay, shared his enthusiasm: “These books will be immensely relevant for students and scholars, as well as for anyone wishing to connect more deeply with our Caitanya Vaiṣṇava philosophy through scholarly works.” Readers interested in purchasing copies of these books are requested to contact Raman Reti Das at +91 9820026302.
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to its below esteemed patrons and supporters for their valuable partnership:
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