Preface

This “Haribhakti Subhodaya:’ book belongs to “Naradiya Purana”. Naradiya Purana contains 25000 (twenty five thous- sand) shlokas. And this Haribhakti Sudhodaya having 1623 (One thousand six hundred and twenty three) shlokas and is in twenty chapters. But in the present edition (Bharampur edition of Bengali Era 1301 edited by Sri Ramanarayana Vidyaratna) we have got only 1418 shlokas instead of 1623.

This is a very favourite book for the devotees of the Supreme Lord Sri Vishnu-Krishna. The great Sri Sanatana Goswami has quoted number of shlokas from this book in his glorious book ‘Haribhakti Vilas’ and Sri Rupa Goswami in his immortal work ‘Sri Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami in his nectarine Chaitanya Charitamrita.’ Sri Raghunandan Bhattacharya made reference of this book in his collection of Smriti-treatise.

This book illustrates in detail the lives of Sri Dhruva, Sri Prahlada and such others. Also it narrates about the glory of Tulasi and Ashvastha (Peepul tree). In nutshell this book vouchsafes the Prema-Bhakti to the delight of the loving devotees of the Supreme Godhead.

I tried in my humble way, to render it with my faltering English, therefore I do not know how far it would be possible for me to convey the original thought. I did it with the idea that I have got the chance to culture devotion to Godhead. If even a single soul Hs benefited by reading this, 1 shall consider myself blessed.

—B. P. Yati