Books published by Blazing Sapphire Press

The Blazing Sapphire or Ujjvala-n¿lamäi is the work of R¿pa Gosv¿min, a 16th century poet/theologian who was a direct disciple of ¿r¿ K¿¿¿a Caitanya of Bengal (1486-1534 CE). It is perhaps R¿pa's final work, composed after a lifetime of poetic and dramatic study and practice; its 15 chapters contain 1451 stanzas (¿loka). Some are didactic, but most are single-stanza poems designed to exemplify and evoke moods and feelings (bhakti-rasa) associated with the tradition's culture of love (preman) for K¿¿¿a-India's god of love. R¿pa's text is designed to analyze and teach about sacred erotic rapture in the Caitanya tradition, and to provide poems through which it can be experienced.This volume contains about a hundred poems from the first seven chapters, with annotations from major commentaries and introductory hints about who is speaking and why. Selections from the rest of the Sapphire will appear in subsequent volumes. We have focused mainly on example poems, though contextually important didactic verses appear in footnotes. We include Sanskrit originals plus romanized transliterations for readers interested in poetic sound.

This is a metrical translation with introduction and notes of the Hindu classic, the Bhagavad-gita, or the Song of the Lord. The translation is by C. C. Caleb and is edited and introduced by Neal Delmonico. Six brief traditional summaries of the Gita are included in an appendix.

This book is a presentation of new decorative designs by artist Kajal Dass Beck. Displaying her unique sense of creativity and imagination, they are nonetheless based upon and inspired by the traditional folk art of Bengal known as alpana (alpona in Bengali pronunciation). Thus she has chosen the title, Nava Alpana ("New Alpana"). Alpana belongs to the larger category of what is known as Indian 'rangoli,' in which patterns are created on floors of temples, courtyards, living spaces, or other surfaces utilizing rice flour, water, and other materials for religious and domestic ceremonies. (From the Introduction by Guy L. Beck)The book contains sixty example images of alpana portraying animals, vegetables, and various ornate squares, triangles, and diamonds. The some of the images are in black and white and others in full color.