Icons of Grace , livre ebook
135
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English
Ebooks
2022
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135
pages
English
Ebook
2022
Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
27 mai 2022
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9789354924620
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Publié par
Date de parution
27 mai 2022
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9789354924620
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
PENGUIN ANANDA
ICONS OF GRACE
Nityanand Charan Das is a practising monk at the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, and a visionary who wishes to revolutionize the current urban scenario by aiding people to lead a life of purpose, fulfilment and satisfaction. He also specializes in guiding today’s youth to reconnect with their roots and lead a simple yet happy life.
Coming from an army background, Nityanand Charan Das’s childhood desire was to become an army officer. However, Krishna had other plans for him and orchestrated his life beautifully. Life led him to fail the NDA interview, despite being one of the best in the group; he took up engineering instead, and eventually became a monk when he was just twenty-four years old.
Nityanand Charan Das focuses on making the sacred teachings of our holy scriptures simple so that they resonate with anyone and everyone. His message is simple: ‘Spiritual life is not a life of rejection. It is a life of connection.’ He says, we do not have to give up anything, we simply have to add this valuable dimension to our life.
His divine radiance can be felt far and wide: his discourses are heard in every major city in India and in more than fifty countries across the globe.
ncd.rns@gmail.com http://www.nityanandcharandas.com/ https://instagram.com/nityananda_charan_das https://www.facebook.com/NityanandCharanD https://www.facebook.com/Nityanand.Caran.Das
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
‘Brilliantly explained and made so relatable by Prabhuji Nityanand Charan Das. Not only is this marvellous book an eye-opener, but it also touches the core of our soul and brings us one step closer to the divine grace. Highly recommend this book for all ages and keep coming back to it periodically’— Kajal Aggarwal, actor
‘A perfect tribute to the glorious masters of India. Intriguing, inspiring and an in-depth account of their lives. A must-read for everyone!’— Bijal and Hital Meswani
‘Nityanand Charan Das has written a book rich in details on connecting with our inner self, eloquently explaining the essence of spiritual life. The book teaches us about inspiring souls through history and their journeys to contentment and consciousness. He connects their legacies to our lives today, imparting wisdom while giving gratitude to the teachings we owe to them’ —Ajay Mittal, chairman, Arshiya Group, and partner, Mittal Builders
‘Nityanand Charan has very skilfully accomplished the daunting task of elucidating the exemplary lives of the greatest spiritual personalities of our great nation. Clearly, these saints were the custodians of India’s spiritual heritage, culture and values. With this comprehensive book their rich legacy has been made available for generations to come’ — Abhishek Karnani, director, Free Press Journal
‘ Icons of Grace explores the concept of spirituality through the lives of prolific personalities who have made a deep impact on Indian spiritual culture. I urge both young and elderly to read this book and collect the invaluable jewels hidden in the pages, through powerful life lessons’— Sima Taparia, Indian Matchmaking , Netflix
‘Nityanand Charan Das’s attempt to present the rare biographies of several prominent personalities of India is laudable. Reading the interesting narrations of the lives of these spiritual warriors, their struggles and successes inspire and teach us several life lessons. My congratulations and best wishes to the author for his wonderful effort’— Gauranga Das, ISKCON leader and author
Dedicated to
Our dear Lord Krishna, Who becomes the main audience, when the glories of His devotees are chanted.
My Param Guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada (the Founder–Acharya of ISKCON), the emblem of selfless love and indiscriminate compassion for one and all.
My Guru, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj, without whom I would have been totally lost in the quagmire of this world. He, through his associates and divine words, lifted me up and placed me where I am today.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
1. Mirabai
2. Kulasekhar
3. Ramanujacharya
4. Sant Tukaram
5. Hita Harivansh
6. Swami Haridas
7. Vallabhacharya
8. Bilwamangala Thakur
9. Tulsidas
10. Bhaktivinod Thakur
11. Shankaracharya
12. Haridas Thakur
13. Madhvacharya
14. Narasingh Mehta
15. Surdas
16. Rupa Goswami
17. Sanatana Goswami
18. Raghunath Bhatt Goswami
19. Raghunath Das Goswami
20. Gopal Bhatt Goswami
21. Jiva Goswami
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Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is a dream come true. But it has taken a multitude of blessings and support from many to make it happen. To put it across simply, my contribution has just been one per cent; ninety-nine per cent has been the causeless grace and selfless efforts of the personalities that I mention below.
At the very outset, I offer my immense gratitude and most humble obeisance to my Param Guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Shrila Prabhupada (Founder–Acharya of ISKCON), who revealed to the world the most confidential secret of the Lord’s heart that The Lord’s devotees are more dear to Him than His own life. It is this very secret that laid the foundation for this book to manifest.
I humbly bow down to my Guru, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj, whose life and words have been the perfect living example of the subject matter discussed in this book, and who personifies the humility and compassion that Shrila Prabhupada so selflessly taught throughout his life.
I cannot thank enough Radha Gopinath Prabhu, Shyamananda Prabhu, Gauranga Prabhu and Gaur Gopal Prabhu for being constant sources of encouragement and inspiration on this path, since the beginning of my spiritual life.
I also thank all my fellow devotees at the Radha Gopinath Mandir for constantly blessing me with their most valuable association, which is my strength to continue on this path of Krishna Consciousness.
My heartfelt gratitude to Vandita Khurana for meticulously maintaining all the material related to this sacred project. Vandita worked tirelessly, coordinating with devotees and making sure everything was available on time. Without her constant support, it would have been practically impossible to come up with this book.
My special thanks to Resham Mehta, Nupoor Desai, Haely, Chrisanne, Sneha Makhija, Shilpy Agarwal, Sneha Talreja, Vibhuti, Manika Shah, Parineeta, Manasi, Simran Bayas, Reet Shroff, Jyoti Modi, Sukanya Shah, Ranjini Loyalka, Ruchira Darda, Dhiti Thakker, Sunanda Dayani and Gayathri Dayanand for their crucial help in putting together the subject matter of this book.
At the most crucial hours, we need a perfect scribe. I thank Swasti Dhanuka for being that perfect one.
My sincere gratitude to Mr Ajay and Mrs Archana Mittal for being extremely supportive and enthusiastic about the book. Their immense confidence and constant encouragement in this project helped me move forward, without having to look back at any stage.
This book would not have been possible, had it not been for Dipti Patel (wordfamous.in), who put me in touch with Westland Publications and thus gave shape to my dream. She was very kind, supportive and always available to guide. Many thanks again to Vandita Khurana for putting me in touch with Dipti.
Special thanks to Deepthi Talwar and the entire team at Westland for coordinating the entire process of publication. Deepthi was extremely prompt in communication, professional in her approach and very patient in answering my countless queries. It was a pleasure working with her. May Krishna bless her and her entire team profusely.
Also, my heartfelt gratitude to countless people whom Krishna has sent into my life and whose names I have not been able to mention here but they have been a constant support in my journey on this path. I would have loved to mention everyone but the list is extremely long. I sincerely pray to Krishna to shower His choicest blessings on each one of them.
Lastly, I thank, in advance, the readers of this book and hope that the contents of this book will nourish your hearts with the Lord’s divine grace to inspire you to go deeper in life and understand its ultimate purpose.
FOREWORD
‘One cannot remember the Lord, without recalling His devotees.’
– Nityanand Charan Das
I grew up in a household that was God-revering, God- believing and God-fearing—a household that prayed daily and expressed gratitude as often as it could. So, from an early age, my relationship with the Divine had been outlined for me. I neither questioned it, nor did I feel the need to explore it further. God was always with us and in us. And yet, as I reached my forties, I found myself riddled and rudderless. Searching, seeking and failing miserably. It was like I had been set off on a path, but I had no idea of my final destination or the road I needed to take to get there. When others spoke of finding themselves spiritually, I literally did not even understand what that meant or felt like. My search took me to Prabhu Nityanand Charan Das. And, that’s when I went back to school. To the school of self-truth. Under him, I embarked upon an exciting trip to become God-knowing, to customising my own relationship with the Divine. As I learnt about the magic and miracle that is the Bhagavad Gita, the life of the Lord introduced me to the way of life. Religion no longer felt stationed in ether but within me as my steadfast companion and guide in navigating my time on Earth.
In India, God has played such a central figure in most of our lives. From birth to death, each milestone is punctuated with a ritual, a prayer and a belief. Faith has granulated the texture of our lives so tightly that it’s not just how we live, but how the world also perceives us. As Martin Luther King Jr famously said, ‘To other countries I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim.’
And yet, in the manic pace of our daily grind, these threads come apar
