Gopala-tapani Upanisad

Gopala-tapani Upanisad is one of the principal 108 Upanisads. It emphasizes Gopala Krsna and the spiritual practice by which this feature of the divine can be realized. Gopala Krsna represents the heart of the Absolute and is thus realized by the exercise of the practitioner's heart: from dutiful devotion to love itself. Within the narratives that this Upanisad employs to reveal its esoteric doctrine, the very figure of love personified appears along with love's object. The perfect object of love, Krsna, while nondual, is not alone. He appears with the milkmaid Gandharvi, identified elsewhere in sacred Hindu lore as Radha. She is his primary sakti. As the principle of sacrifice, self-giving, and love, she exemplifies the means to unlock the mystery of life. Swami B. V. Tripurari's commentary is deeply perceptive. It draws tastefully on much older Sanskrit commentaries penned by saints of Swami's own lineage and, in doing so, serves to further establish him not only as a contemporary voice of devotional Vedanta but as a person of both wisdom and heart. Author biography: Swami B. V. Tripurari resides in his monastery, Audarya, in the redwoods of northern California. Author and spiritual teacher, Swami has written several books including Rasa: Love Relationships in Transcendence, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Ignorance, Tattva-sandarbha: Sacred India's Philosophy of Ecstasy, Joy of Self, Aesthetic Vedanta: the Sacred Path of Passionate Love, Sri Guru-Parampara, Form of Beauty, and Bhagavad-gita: Its Feeling and Philosophy.