Hare Krishna everyone. PAMHO
I am a neophyte aspirant devotee. Currently chanting 8 rounds. My to-be-husband is a non devotee. He is not against being a devotee as such but his heart hasn't said "yes" to the philosophy yet. That "this is it" feeling has not come. He is not willing to chant for now but is reading Bhagavad Gita by Swami Mukundananda which according to him is okayish but he is not "loving" it. But he is liking the message of Gita. He knows bhakti is most important but does not have the desire at all for now. I asked him to read Prabhupada books. He read 2 small books and loved it. But when he read BG, he found it "uncomfortable" because of his own limited capacity, he has faith in Prabhupada. I do not want to force him to chant or read BG as it is because this will be counter productive. He has come a long way from being very less religious to this. I do not want to discourage him. I think he needs a light BG. He likes only to read, not to hear and chant for now. He was wanting to read GitaPress BG coz he loves to go in depth of topics, he a science guy but I denied because Prabhupada said that is an impersonal Gita.
So please tell me how should i handle this situation and what should i suggest him to read - more small books by Prabhupada, BG by any other ISKCON devotee or any outside reliable source, any supplement books to Gita written by modern iskcon devotees, any other book by modern iskcon devotee...etc
Please suggest on how to go about this situation. Any suggestion is welcomed.
Thank you so much in advance.
Hari Bol
Replies
This book is very helpful to explain each chapter with an acronym. HH Kesava Swami is an iskcon sanyasi
https://gitalife.keshavaswami.com
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gita-Life-Summary-Bhagavad-gita-Acronyms/d...
All the best
hare krsna mata ji dandwat pranam
you can give him books of Radha Narth swami maharaj !!
You can check on internet about Radha Nath Swami Maharaj
my suggestion : The Journey Within
Hare Krishna
That's a great idea. I have heard Radhanath Swami Ji's lectures but didn't know he had books too. That's a great suggestion prabhuji. Will buy the book.
Thank you. Hari Bol 🙏🏻
Hare Krishna,
PAMHO
This will give you an idea of how to proceed with this situation. Here is the link to all the books - https://vedabase.io/en/library/
Regards
Hare Krishna prabhuji
Yes I thought about the same too. Thank you for this.
Hari Bol 🙏🏻
Hare Krsna
any supplement books to Gita
Bhagavad Gita As it is written by Srila Prabhupada can be very voluminous in philosophy for beginners. My suggestion is to start with Essence of Bhagavad Gita written by HG Radheshyam Prabhu. It is gradual in philosophy, more logical, illustrative and thought provoking. This book comes in 4 volumes. This has been written for common audience. It covers the same topics of BG but the topics have been rearranged so that easily understandable topics come first.
Another book is Basics of Bhagavad Gita published by Bhakitvedanta Book Trust . This is also similar to the book mentioned above, but it is less illustrative, and not too deep although all topicvs are covered.
he loves to go in depth of topics, he a science guy but I denied because Prabhupada said that is an impersonal Gita.
In general such people do not like being denied or restricted. It may be better to show positive direction than to restrict or deny at this point.
He read 2 small books and loved it.
That is a very positive sign. Please try any of the above mentioned books.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna prabhuji. PAMHO.
Thank you so much for recommending the 2 books. I checked them out. The main one is out of stock. Other one is good but as you mentioned, it doesn't dive deep. So I'll buy the 4 volume book whenever it gets in stock.
I'll also keep in mind not to be restrictive and instead recommending a higher taste.
Hari Bol 🙏🏻
Hare Krsna
Just one important thing I forgot to mention. None of the above books are in anyway a replacement to Bhagavad Gita As it is authored by HDG Srila Prabhupada
These books serve as a bridge for a beginner to understand what Sri Krsna is conveying to Arjuna at a high level. The details. deeper understanding, the mood, the love Sri Krsna is converying in Bhagavad Gita is thoroughly given in Bhagavad Gita As it is.
The above mentioned books are both published primarily so that readers' interest is invigorated to study Bhagavad Gita As it is and taste the nectar that Sri Krsna is supplying to Arjuna & His devotees.
Hare Krsna