A childhood desire to serve the Indian Army as an officer, diverted mid-way by fate to be an engineer and if that was not enough, at the age of 24 he becomes a monk. Such extreme possibilities amidst available options happen when there is a strong element of love involved towards the path one has opted for.
Nityanand Charan Das, a practising monk at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, ISKCON Chowpatty and author of Bound By Love is a living example of what selfless love towards the Supreme can do to one’s life.
“The only way you can conquer me is through love, and there I am gladly conquered,” Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita.
The amount of love expressed towards the almighty in this book shall seldom fall short of conquering the heart and soul of every reader, irrespective of one’s class, creed or religion.
Instead of terming this book a short read, I would like to refer to it as a lifetime read, something that leaves you spellbound. Each chapter is like a fresh stream of love flowing from the devotion of a devotee towards the Supreme. As a reader, you get a blissful experience through several short stories as well as a moment of enlightenment in the form of ‘insights’ at the end of every chapter likening it to the present situation or scenario one can relate to.
As a child, you might have heard of mythological stories related to Krishna, Rama, Hanuman or several gods, goddesses, kings and their kingdoms. However, through Bound By Love, the author has touched upon some rarely known insights about them. For example: We are aware of Shabri and her devotion and love towards Lord Rama, but we seldom try to seek information about her past life. The author has given two different instances of Shabri’s past life: in one life she was a beautiful queen who wasn’t allowed to be seen by any male, while in another, she was a wife of a Brahmin who cursed her for giving birth to a daughter during a period which was considered contaminated.
Simple and easy to understand language with shlokas in Sanskrit translated into English, the book gives every reader a perfect connection of mind and soul. So much one can write about this book, after all, love is infinite.
Among several blissful passages in the book, the one that, according to me, brings out the core element of what Nityanand Charan Das wants to convey is: “The Lord is so kind that He never forgets any offering of love. Love purchases Him, binds Him and makes Him a debtor. He feels that He can never repay this debt. He wants to give the greatest reward to the giver, but since He has no one greater than Himself, He gives Himself. He remains eternally grateful and never forgets even a small service rendered.”
So, dive into this soulful ocean called Bound By Love and discover your pearl of wisdom.
Title: Bound By Love
Author: Nityanand Charan Das
Publisher: Birch Books
Pages: 136
Price: Rs 220
(You can buy the book on Amazon)
