I'm breaking from my own tradition here, basically to plug (review) something. But both because it is a great (and free) product, and as something of a promise to it's maker, I present the Android app - Gitabase.
Gitabase offers the bulk of all the books translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, including the entire Bhagavad Gita As It Is (both current version and his original 1972 version), Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Sri Ishopanishad, and more, including the original Devanagari script on most, transliteration, word for word translation, readable translation and exhaustive purports.
The program allows you to simply read through the verses, or to look at each verse in detail; copy and paste elements into other programs; an incredible search function, allowing you to find every occurence of any given word or phrase; bookmark verses as favorites or tag them with your own tags, etc.
You can also choose your font sizes (great for those of us with poor eyesight), and to include or exclude the Sanskrit.
In paper form, this would be some 50 or 60 books and would cost you hundreds of dollars. Now you can carry them around in your pocket.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (my spiritual master), was the foremost scholar and proponent of the Vedic Gaudiya Vaishnava culture, circling the globe 12 times in just 10 years, and starting over 100 temples.
Gitabase is available from the Amazon App store, or directly from
http://gitabase.com/
When reading these scriptures, I can completely concur with Gandhi, who said of Bhagavad Gita: "When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."
Or with Albert Einstein who said: "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."
Or as the Bhagavatam itself declares: "The great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, compiled by Maha-muni Vyasadeva from four original verses, describes the most elevated and kindhearted devotees and completely rejects the cheating ways of materially motivated religiosity. It propounds the highest principle of eternal religion, which can factually mitigate the threefold miseries of a living being and award the highest benediction of full prosperity and knowledge. Those willing to hear the message of this scripture in a submissive attitude of service can at once capture the Supreme Lord in their hearts. Therefore there is no need for any scripture other than Srimad-Bhagavatam."
A compendium of Vedic knowledge and understanding!
This is fantastic!
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