Customer Reviews

Caitanya Caritamrta of Krsnadasa Kaviraja: A Translation and Commentary (Harvard Oriental Series, 56.)

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Dimock and Stewart's translation of the Caitanya Caritamrta (The Nectar of the Acts of Caitanya) is a readable and extremely well-researched edition of the biography of Sri Caitanya, a 16th century Bengali ascetic who is believed by Gaudiya Vaisnavas to have been the androgynous dual incarnation of Krsna and Radha. The lengthy introduction and notes on translation provide readers unfamiliar with the tradition with all the background they need to appreciate the layers of meaning hidden in the text and the narrative strategies of Krsnadasa that come across so well in this translation. For more background, read Dimock's 1966 book, "The Place of the Hidden Moon". a true classic in the literature of South Asian studies. Highly recommended.

This book is extraordinary. The multiple prefaces and introductions alone are worthy of five stars. I find the translations of the text itself to be well-balanced.