In this first volume of Hari Sauri's Transcendental Diary the reader comes to understand the man who has touched the hearts and minds of so many people around the world. For scholars and students of religion the material presented represents a critically important historical record. Anyone seeking to understand Prabhupada's movement specifically, or the centrality of charismatic leadership to the development of religious movements, will want to consider this book. The use of a diary to record and present Prabhupada's life has helped assure that the material presented is richly detailed and an accurate reflection of unfolding events. Hari Sauri has given the reader a clear and rather straight forward presentation of events rather than engaging in historical reconstruction meant to serve partisan or theoretical interests. As such, it will be of great interest to historians and sociologists of religion who seek to understand the cultural and social significance of Prabhupada and the broader Hare Krishna movement. The value of this volume and the ones to follow cannot be overstated.

-From the Foreword by Professor E. Burke Rochford, Jr., Dept. Sociology and Anthropology Middlebury College, and author of Hare Krishna In America