The Heart of a Vaishnava: Exploring the Essence of Humility, Tolerance & Compassion in the Life of God's Servants

The Heart of a Vaishnava reminds us of Krishna's words, "The worship of My devotee is greater than even the worship of Me." To the uninitiated, this is a puzzle, for Krishna elswhere says, "The devotee is My heart and I am His." But here Swami B.P. Puri shows that without the association of devotees there is no Krishna. The Lord is present in this world through His devotees. If we want to find Krishna, we must look for Him in the midst of Vaishnava association. This book glorifies the Vaishnava: it tells us of the necessity of Vaishnava association, it tells us how to recognize the Vaishnava, and it tells us how to serve the Vaishnava. Indeed, it is the association of Vaishnavas that is the most dear to the heart of every other Vaishnava.

Swami B. P. Puri (1898–1999), born in Ganganandapur in Jessore district (present-day Bangladesh), dedicated his life, spanning over a century, to the service of his guru. He was the founding Acharya of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math. His writings reflect the disciplined eye of a scholar who expresses profound scriptural conclusions with grace and directness. He taught and exemplified the spiritual concept of pure devotion, or Krishna bhakti, as expressed within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.