We are excited to announce the publication of a new book with audio by Swami Lakshmanjoo…
“Festival of Devotion & Praise”
The enchanting verses that comprise our newest publication, Festival of Devotion & Praise, were born on Kashmir Valley’s Dal Lake as an inspirational outpouring of devotion from the heart of the medieval Kashmiri spiritual master and mystic Utpaladeva.
These hymns are so profound they have the power to free the devoted readers from the restrictions of their intellect and instantaneously elevate them to the experience of oneness with their very nature of divine consciousness.
Kashmir Shaiva master and saint, Swami Lakshmanjoo, found these verses to be deeply moving and revelatory. As a teenage boy he became enchanted when he heard these devotional verses being sung by his father.
Deeply moved he implored his father to explain their meaning but his father was unable to do so. Determined to understand these mystical hymns that had so deeply penetrated his heart, he requested his father to find a reputable teacher from whom he could learn Sanskrit and thereby understand these verses. Thus, began Swami Lakshmanjoo’s entry into the study of Kashmir Shaiva philosophy.
When commenting on this text, Kashmir Shaiva master and saint, Swami Lakshmanjoo would tell his devotees that, as Utpaladeva taught us through these beautiful hymns, devotion or “passion for God consciousness,” is everything.
As Utpaladeva proclaims,
“This is also a great wonder to me that in reality, by nature, this mind is the seed of pain, sorrow, sadness and torture. But this seed, when watered with the nectar of devotion to Thee, bears the fruit of final liberation.” |
Although these hymns were composed more than a thousand years ago they are recited to this day by yoga devotees everywhere. This Festival of Devotion & Praise, also known as the Shivastotravali, Hymns to Shiva, is probably the greatest example of Kashmiri Shaiva devotional poetry that there is.
This initial printing of the hard cover edition (Pp xxvi + 511), includes an audio DVD-R with 16 hours of original audio by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Price is US $149 plus shipping and handling.
Order your book by clicking the button above.