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Narada's Way of Divine Love
LOVE has a divine essence, We experience this to some degree in all our human relationships since the love that we feel for one another is actually the attraction of God dwelling within. This love can lead us to God-realization, for, as the ancient sage Narada teaches, God is love.
Narada's Bhakti Sutras are the most important Hindu text on the path of love, or Bhakti-Yoga . By directing our passions towards God, we discover that it is possible to have a relationship with God. The relationship deepens until finally we realize that we are never separate from God -- our true, divine nature is simply waiting to be revealed.
Narada's Bhakti Sutras are the most important Hindu text on the path of love, or Bhakti-Yoga . By directing our passions towards God, we discover that it is possible to have a relationship with God. The relationship deepens until finally we realize that we are never separate from God -- our true, divine nature is simply waiting to be revealed.
- GenresSpiritualityMysticism
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2011
19 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Prabhavananda
76 books65 followersSwami Prabhavananda was an Indian philosopher, monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and religious teacher.
Born in India, he joined the Ramakrishna Order after graduating from Calcutta university in 1914. He was initiated by Swami Brahmananda.
In 1923, he was sent to the United States of America. Initially he worked as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco. After two years, he established the Vedanta Society of Portland. In December 1929, he moved to Los Angeles where he founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1930.
Under his administration the Vedanta Society of Southern California grew over the years to become the largest Vedanta Society in the West, with monasteries in Hollywood and Trabuco Canyon and convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.
Swami Prabhavananda was a scholar who authored a number of books on Vedanta and Indian religious scriptures and commentary. He was assisted on several of the projects by Christopher Isherwood or Frederick Manchester. His comprehensive knowledge of philosophy and religion attracted such disciples as Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard.
Swami Prabhavananda died on the bicentennial of America's independence, July 4, 1976, and on the 74th anniversary of the death, or mahasamadhi, of Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Order in India and many of the Vedanta centers in America and Europe.
Christopher Isherwood wrote a book, My guru and his disciple,[3] that described his more than three decades (1939–76) as a student of Swami Prabhavananda
Born in India, he joined the Ramakrishna Order after graduating from Calcutta university in 1914. He was initiated by Swami Brahmananda.
In 1923, he was sent to the United States of America. Initially he worked as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco. After two years, he established the Vedanta Society of Portland. In December 1929, he moved to Los Angeles where he founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1930.
Under his administration the Vedanta Society of Southern California grew over the years to become the largest Vedanta Society in the West, with monasteries in Hollywood and Trabuco Canyon and convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.
Swami Prabhavananda was a scholar who authored a number of books on Vedanta and Indian religious scriptures and commentary. He was assisted on several of the projects by Christopher Isherwood or Frederick Manchester. His comprehensive knowledge of philosophy and religion attracted such disciples as Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard.
Swami Prabhavananda died on the bicentennial of America's independence, July 4, 1976, and on the 74th anniversary of the death, or mahasamadhi, of Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Order in India and many of the Vedanta centers in America and Europe.
Christopher Isherwood wrote a book, My guru and his disciple,[3] that described his more than three decades (1939–76) as a student of Swami Prabhavananda
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 24, 2025
Narada's Way of Divine Love by Swami Prabhavananda. 2nd Edition. 2000.
This is an English translation with commentary of the Nārada Bhakti Sūtra, which is a foundational text on bhakti yoga, or the path of devotion.
While Swami Prabhavananda's translation is easy to read, he does appear to come from a school of thought that tried hard to make the concepts and practices relatable to a Western audience, often making comparisons to Christian teachings and the like, as well as translating Sanskrit words such as Bhagavān and Īśvara as "God" without further elaboration. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it can help those unfamiliar with Hindu philosophy and practice connect to the text, but for readers who prefer more precise technical language, this might be a point of contention.
Moreover, the Aphorisms are all given in English translation alone, without the Devanagari or Sanskrit transliteration (IAST), so the reader just has to trust Prabhavananda's translation. I had some questions myself and compared a few of the verses against other editions that provide the IAST along with more literal translations, and found Prabhavananda's renditions to be...shall we say...quite creative. Then again, I'm not a Sanskrit scholar, nor a translator, and despite this nitpick, I did enjoy the text overall. I guess I just personally have a preference for more scholarly critical editions because I feel a lot can be lost or misunderstood if the original concepts are not presented on their own terms, without trying to import religious or spiritual ideas from traditions presumed to be more familiar to the target audience.
Having said all that, I still rate this four stars for the insights Prabhavananda offers with his commentary and the entertaining anecdotes that are often presented in a conversational style. But I would recommend comparing this to Swami Chinmayananda's edition if you are interested in seeing the Devanagari and IAST along with the English translation.
This is an English translation with commentary of the Nārada Bhakti Sūtra, which is a foundational text on bhakti yoga, or the path of devotion.
While Swami Prabhavananda's translation is easy to read, he does appear to come from a school of thought that tried hard to make the concepts and practices relatable to a Western audience, often making comparisons to Christian teachings and the like, as well as translating Sanskrit words such as Bhagavān and Īśvara as "God" without further elaboration. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it can help those unfamiliar with Hindu philosophy and practice connect to the text, but for readers who prefer more precise technical language, this might be a point of contention.
Moreover, the Aphorisms are all given in English translation alone, without the Devanagari or Sanskrit transliteration (IAST), so the reader just has to trust Prabhavananda's translation. I had some questions myself and compared a few of the verses against other editions that provide the IAST along with more literal translations, and found Prabhavananda's renditions to be...shall we say...quite creative. Then again, I'm not a Sanskrit scholar, nor a translator, and despite this nitpick, I did enjoy the text overall. I guess I just personally have a preference for more scholarly critical editions because I feel a lot can be lost or misunderstood if the original concepts are not presented on their own terms, without trying to import religious or spiritual ideas from traditions presumed to be more familiar to the target audience.
Having said all that, I still rate this four stars for the insights Prabhavananda offers with his commentary and the entertaining anecdotes that are often presented in a conversational style. But I would recommend comparing this to Swami Chinmayananda's edition if you are interested in seeing the Devanagari and IAST along with the English translation.
September 29, 2023
Narada Bhakti Sutras contain the quintessence of Bhakti-Yoga or the yoga of divine love. This book wonderfully harmonizes Bhakti-Yoga with the other yogas.
Swami Vivekananda said: "Bhakti-Yoga is a real, genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in Love... The one great advantage of Bhakti is that it is the easiest and the most natural way to reach the great divine end in view" (Complete Works, 3.2.1).
This book must be studied by everyone interested in Bhakti and in realizing real love.
Swami Vivekananda said: "Bhakti-Yoga is a real, genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in Love... The one great advantage of Bhakti is that it is the easiest and the most natural way to reach the great divine end in view" (Complete Works, 3.2.1).
This book must be studied by everyone interested in Bhakti and in realizing real love.
October 2, 2020
Once again, this translation and commentary upon Narada's bhakti sutras is filled with Prabhavananda's own spirituality. It is a wonderful, thorough and systematic exposition of the path of loving devotion.
August 9, 2019
Just beautiful
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews