Harikatha-Amrthasara is an important book associated with
the Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya. Ranganath Bharadwaj has now authored a
commentary in English of Harikathaamrthasara of Jagannaatha Dasaru.
The book speaks about all the incarnations of Bhagvan
Srihari Vishnu.
The Hindu reports
The central theme of this work is constant contemplation about God by people to attain liberation is possible only by the grace of Hari. This blossom like a lotus while analysing each chapter, beginning with a salutation to Lord Narasimha and His consort Ramaadevi in the first chapter. Lord Hari’s attributes like being the controller of five elements and His presence in every being – are all vividly explained with appropriate similes and suitable examples in each chapter, giving word to word meaning for each poem.
An account of various types of meditation and several issues relating to it that lead to self realisation kindles the reader’s interest. It is alluring to note the benefits of worshipping four types of the Lord’s dwelling places in stanza 31 of Chapter 11. The extraordinary effectiveness of the ‘Harinama’ is to reinforce the importance of understanding that activities performed by everybody is actually done by Hari and one has to surrender all these at His feet. In Chapter 15, clear emphasis is laid on fitness through the breathing technique with an understanding that Hari is behind the perfect conduct of such technique and the results are decided based on the nature of the performer.