Sri Upadesamrta by Srila Rupa Gosvami gives instructions indispensable for practitioners (sadhakas) of the devotional path (bhakti). Without following these instructions, entering the realm of pure devotion and especially following the intricate and elevated path of spontaneous devotion (raganuga-bhakti) is not only difficult, but impossible. This unprecedented edition contains the commentaries of Srila Radha-ramana dasa Gosvami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada.

Utkalika means 'very intense eagerness mixed with extreme restlessness,' and vallari means 'creeper;' hence Utkalika-vallari means 'The Vine of Intense Longings.' Srila Rupa Gosvami, being Sri Gaurahari's topmost associate, was saturated with His mercy. As the acarya of transcendental rasa-sastras, he wrote invaluable literatures, including the most exceptional Sri Stava-mala, 'A Garland of Prayers,' which was actually compiled later by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Utkalika-vallari, one of the flowers in this garland, is a poetic entreaty for the service of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna by Srila Rupa Gosvami.

Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala was originally composed in the Bengali language by the incarnation of auspiciousness upon this world, om visnupada Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who is to be included as an intimate member among the eternal associates of Sri Sacinandana Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the purifier of the age of Kali and the source of all incarnations. It is a compilation of selected verses from the Vedic literatures to provide the reader with a comprehensive analysis of all questions related with sambhanda, abhideya and prayojan tattva.

Śrīla Vyāsadeva, a powerful incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, compiled the Vedānta-sūtra, and in order to protect it from unauthorized commentaries, he personally composed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada Muni, as the original commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. Besides Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there are commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra composed by all the major Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, and in each of them devotional service to the Lord is described very explicitly. Only those who follow Śaṅkara’s commentary have described the Vedānta-sūtra in an impersonal way, without reference to viṣṇu-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord, Viṣṇu. Generally people very much appreciate this Śārīraka-bhāṣya, or impersonal description of the Vedānta-sūtra, but all commentaries that are devoid of devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu must be considered to differ in purport from the original Vedānta-sūtra. In other words, Lord Caitanya definitely confirmed that the commentaries, or bhāṣyas, written by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas on the basis of devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu, and not the Śārīraka-bhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya, give the actual explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra.

Śrīla Vyāsadeva, a powerful incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, compiled the Vedānta-sūtra, and in order to protect it from unauthorized commentaries, he personally composed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada Muni, as the original commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. Besides Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there are commentaries on the Vedānta-sūtra composed by all the major Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, and in each of them devotional service to the Lord is described very explicitly. Only those who follow Śaṅkara’s commentary have described the Vedānta-sūtra in an impersonal way, without reference to viṣṇu-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord, Viṣṇu. Generally people very much appreciate this Śārīraka-bhāṣya, or impersonal description of the Vedānta-sūtra, but all commentaries that are devoid of devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu must be considered to differ in purport from the original Vedānta-sūtra. In other words, Lord Caitanya definitely confirmed that the commentaries, or bhāṣyas, written by the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas on the basis of devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu, and not the Śārīraka-bhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya, give the actual explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra.

Sri Vraja-mandala parikrama, originally inaugurated by Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself, has been conducted for over fifty years under the supervision and guidance of Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. This book is a beautiful exposition of the confidential places of Sri Krsna's sweet pastimes in Vraja. The sincere devotee who has a deep thirst to enter into the sweetness of the land of Vraja will find ambrosial nectar flowing through these pages.

"Blessed is the land of Vraja, where the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma, dwells in the form of a mountain range in Varsana, to have the dust of the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha-Krsna's lotus feet on the head; where the maintainer, Lord Visnu, has assumed the forms of Govardhana and Visnu-parvata; where the moon-crested Lord Siva has taken up residence as Nandisvara Hill in Nandagrama; and where Sri Uddhava, the best of Hari's servants, lives as a blade of grass, a small shrub or a creeper on the bank of Kusuma-sarovara."