Suddha-bhakti-cintāmaṇi: The Touchstone of Pure Devotional Service

From the introduction by Gopiparanadhana Dasa: In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin. – Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.25 In Suddha-bhakti-cintamani, Sivarama Swami is making a major statement to the devotees of ISKCON as he traces the progression of faith, attraction, and devotion through regulated devotional practice. What he says here is invaluably useful for all who have strayed from Krsna and are serious about going back to Him. He explains how the adhikaras for various depths of hearing krsna-lila are acquired in the course of this standard cultivation. In this way he gives us the information we need to decide for ourselves what we are ready to hear and speak about. And he does this with strict adherence to guru, sastra, and sadhu.