Sri Krsna-lila-stava

Book excerpt: Among the priceless books contributed by Srila Sanatana Gosvami to the literary heritage of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, his Sri Krsna-lila-stava is the shortest and simplest. An offering of praise in 432 verses, it gives a personal meditation of Krishna's Vrindavana pastimes as told by Sukadeva in Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is an authentic spiritual work that has inspired Gaudiya Vaishnavas for centuries. Able to touch both heart and mind, it steps forward from a living tradition to bear witness to the working of the spirit. This edition of the Sri Krsna-lila-stava is especially praiseworthy because it gives a scholarly but easily understandable translation of the Sanskrit text interspersed with helpful and sensitive commentaries. In Sri Krsna-lila-stava, Sanatana evokes remembrances of Krishna's childhood pastimes by summarizing Sukadeva's narration in simple verses. These verses give us a taste of Krishna's Vrindavana pastimes, one after another, thus immersing us in the nectar of the Bhagavatam.