Vaiṣṇava Siddhānta Māla

translated by Swami Bhaktivijñāna Giri

Written in 1888, Vaiṣṇava Siddhānta Māla was composed by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura as an introduction to the nine foundational principles of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy as expounded by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa in his Prameya Ratnāvalī. The first part of the work takes the form of questions and answers, making the philosophy accessible to a general readership, while subsequent chapters are devoted to the subject of the Holy Name.

Three chapters from Vaiṣṇava Siddhānta Māla were later extracted by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and published as independent pamphlets for public distribution: Śrī Hari-nāma (chapter two), on the glories of the Holy Name and the ten offenses to be avoided in its chanting; Śrī Nāma Mahimā (chapter five), presenting Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Nāmāṣṭakam with Bhaktivinoda’s translations and original songs; and Śrī Nāma Pracāra (chapter six), containing eleven songs for congregational kīrtana and bhajana.