Give to Live

Give to Live is a book of collected blogs from the author's blog on Krishna.com, dedicated to all spiritual seekers looking for the essence of knowledge and divine love. Karnamrita Das has attempted to make the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, or bhakti yoga, as accessible as possible for those interested in, or curious about, this tradition, and those who want to deepen their connection to the spiritual foundation and dimension of life. He shares his spiritual journey of over 45 years in a very personal way, including both his struggles and successes as a spiritual practitioner, and flawed human being. Before and after each blog is a relevant quote from his spiritual teachers, or the Vedic scriptures of India. To begin each piece, a short introduction is given to highlight the salient points, and thus prepare the reader. Each chapter opens with a drawing by Annapurna Devi, and throughout the book are an additional six full page drawings. In the Appendixes useful supplemental material is given, including an extensive Glossary. The title of Give to Live is taken from the entry of the same name. The idea of the piece-and the book-is that our natural function as souls is to give. We are meant to give-to other people, to the planet, to humanity, to the universe, to all living entities, and ultimately, to God. In fact, we can properly give to others only when, directly or indirectly, we give to the Supreme. Amidst sharing his life experiences, the book introduces the reader to Krishna, who in the Gaudiya tradition, is revealed to be the fountainhead of all features of God, or in the words of his teacher, Shrila Prabhupada, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead." To his best ability he has done this in a way that honors other faith traditions. As spoken about in one of the blogs, there is only "One Spiritual System in the Universe," or One God, though seen through many religious lenses.