What to Read First

Srila Prabhupada said that his books would be the lawbooks for human society for the next ten thousand years, and that everything he wanted to teach was in them. He wrote more than fifty volumes. This page suggests an order for someone starting from nothing. Every title is available to read free, with the original text, at prabhupadabooks.com, and printed copies are easy to find.

Start here

1. Bhagavad-gita As It Is. The foundation of everything. Krishna speaks directly about the soul, karma, the material world, yoga, and devotional service. Read it slowly, with the purports, from the beginning. Srila Prabhupada said that if a person reads only this book he will understand the whole science of Krishna consciousness.
2. The Science of Self-Realization. A collection of Srila Prabhupada's articles, lectures, and conversations, arranged by topic. Easy to dip into, and the best answer to "What do the Hare Krishnas actually believe?"
3. Sri Isopanisad. Eighteen short mantras with purports. The clearest introduction to the Vedic view of God, the soul, and the world, and short enough to read in an afternoon.
4. Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers. A young Peace Corps worker asks Srila Prabhupada the questions every newcomer has. An excerpt is on this site.
5. The Nectar of Instruction. Eleven verses by Srila Rupa Gosvami on how to practice devotional service, with Srila Prabhupada's purports. The practical rulebook. Chapter 26 summarizes its first verses.

Then

6. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavana and Dvaraka, retold from the Tenth Canto. Srila Prabhupada said this book should be read after one has understood the philosophy of the Gita, so that Krishna's activities are not mistaken for ordinary stories.
7. Teachings of Lord Caitanya. A summary study of Caitanya-caritamrta, and the best introduction to Lord Caitanya's philosophy and mission.
8. The Nectar of Devotion. The complete science of bhakti, summarized from Srila Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. The handbook for anyone practicing devotional service seriously.

For the rest of your life

9. Srimad-Bhagavatam. Eighteen thousand verses in twelve cantos, with purports. Srila Prabhupada's life's work and the book read every morning in every temple. Read it from the First Canto, in order, a little every day. Srila Prabhupada asked that it not be skipped ahead to the Tenth Canto.
10. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. The life and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in seventeen volumes. The most advanced of the books, to be read after the Bhagavatam.

How to read

Read a little every day rather than a lot occasionally. Read the purports, not just the verses; the purports are where Srila Prabhupada speaks to us. Read aloud when you can, and read with others when you can, since hearing together is itself devotional service. Keep a notebook. And read only the original editions as Srila Prabhupada published them, which is what prabhupadabooks.com provides.

Srila Prabhupada's recorded lectures, conversations, and letters are also there. A morning Bhagavatam class with Srila Prabhupada, played while you take breakfast prasadam, is the closest thing to living in the temple with him.