Practicing bhakti (devotion) in the worship of Lord Krishna This is a book of 688 pages that describes the teachings of Bhagavata Purana, one of the most commented texts in Hindu literature. This sacred text teaches that bhakti (devotion), the unconditional love for Lord Vishnu, or his reincarnation Krishna as most fundamental to find salvation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The Sanskrit scripture consists of twelve books (skandhas) with 332 chapters that comprises 16,000 to 18,000 verses depending on the recension. The tenth book, with about 4,000 verses is the most popular and widely studied with the philosophical implications of Vedanta, Yoga, and Samkhya. The author offers an introduction to the definition and practices of bhakti, provides translations of key tales and some popular stories from Krishna and other reincarnations of Lord Vishnu. The original text is filled with prayers, hymns of praise, and narratives aimed at inculcating a devotional sensibility in its followers. The key feature of this book is the description of bhakti yoga, an offering the unconditional love for Krishna. In fact, this is one of three spiritual paths taught in the Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavata Purana, like other puranas, discusses cosmology, astronomy, genealogy, geography, legends & tales, but it also presents a form of religion (dharma) as an alternative to Vedas, wherein bhakti leads to self-knowledge, bliss, and complete unification with the Supreme Lord. The often-quoted verses from Bhagavata Purana 1.3.38-41 are used by the followers of Hare Krishna movement. The Gaudiya tradition of Vaishnavism, founded by Chaitanya (1486–1533), is one of the popular schools in Western hemisphere that inspired the founding of ISKCON (Hare Krishna organization) by Srila Prabhupada. There are several other traditions that interpret this purana differently. For example, the Warkari-tradition (worship of Vitoba and Rukmini) is another tradition of Vaishnavas with notable saints like Jñāneśvar, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath, and Tukaram. The Ramanandi tradition emphasizes the worship of Rama and Vishnu, but all Vaishnava sects considers Bhagavad-Gita and Bhagavata purana as the two major texts sacred to their belief system. The Bhagavata Purana is known to be founded on the principles of Vedanta, Yoga and Samkhya philosophies. Eminent commentators belonging to these schools have interpreted that this purana that supports their school of thought. Of these the oldest and the most respectable annotator is Sridhara Swami of Advaita Vedanta, Sukadeva of BhedaBheda Vedanta, Vallabhacharya of Shuddha Advaita Vedanta and Srila Prabhupada supporting Dvaita School of Vedanta. Other interesting features of this Mahapurana are the tales of dying that explores many-sided images of death and dissolution. King Yayati seeking to curb aging; the epic heroine, Savitri, refusing to accept her husband’s death, rescues him from Yama, the Lord of Death; and demon kings like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu strive for immortality by drinking amrta (sacred drink of eternity). Another section of significance is the Uddhava-Gita (Hamsa-Gita), the message of which is the same as Bhagavad-Gita is a part of this purana. This is the direct teaching of a Master (Krishna) to His disciple Uddhava who had no other aim in life but to attain union with Him. It is a unique confluence of poetic imagery, eclectic philosophy, and religious mystery. The English translation of Bhagavata Purana by Srila Prabhupada has many similarities to the translation by Bibek Debroy. And this book is strongly influenced by the interpretation of Srila Prabhupada and bhakti movement of Hare Krishna organization. I recommend other works by Indian scholars like Surendranath Dasgupta, G. P. Bhatt, J. L. Shastri, and G.V. Tagare published in the “Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology” series for an unbiased and broader view of Bhagavata Purana.