© 1999 VNN
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WORLD December 30, 1999 VNN5181 Comment on this story BBT Releases Bhagavatam CD-ROMs BY SVAVASA DASA  USA, Dec 30 (VNN) — The North American office of the Bhatkivedanta Book Trust has released a set of two CD-ROMs containing Amala-bhakta dasa's audio recording of all the translations of Srimad-Bhagavatam, by Srila Prabhupada and his disciples. The set also contains about 300 BBT paintings and 200 color photos of Srila Prabhupada.Using state-of-the-art software, the BBT staff has compressed the sound on the original set of 64 audiocassettes so that it now fits on two CD-ROM disks. (Unlike audio CDs, these CD-ROMs will play only on a CD-ROM drive in a computer.) The sound quality is better than on the audiocassettes because the original master tapes were used for encoding. To hear the CD-ROMs, all you need is a Pentium computer with a CD-ROM drive and software you can download free from the Internet. For those unfamiliar with this production, the Srimad-Bhagavatam audio recording is presented not only as a narration but as a drama. Amala-bhakta employs numerous voice characterizations to evoke the sense of various people talking and many events happening. It's easy to know when Sukadeva Goswami, Suta Goswami, Narada Muni or Lord Brahma is speaking, since each voice personality is presented uniquely. This makes the narrations easy to follow and easy to remember. In addition, Amala-bhakta has incorporated many realistic sound effects to enhance the atmosphere of the stories and thus absorb the listener more deeply. Thus, when Lord Nrsimhadeva roars loudly, we hear an actual lion roaring, and when sages discourse in the forest, we hear birds twittering in the background. Various selections of Indian background music further enhance the moods of each chapter. So this professional production is both entertaining and instructive, making learning the Bhagavatam very pleasurable. The entire recording plays for over 90 hours. It is excellent for persons with limited reading time but with some time to listen, such as while cooking at home or traveling on an airplane with a notebook computer. While the set of 64 tapes is $240, the set of CD-ROMs is only $24.95--a savings of almost 90%! It is available exclusively from the BBT at 3764 Watseka Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90034, USA or from stores that carry BBT products. Shipping: Airmail Only. US: $3.95 (up to 8 copies); $1 each addit'l. CANADA/MEXICO: $3.95 (up to 3 copies); $1 each addit'l. EUROPE: $5.95 (up to 3 copies); $1 each addit'l; PACIFIC RIM: $7.95 (up to 3 copies); $2 each addit'l. CREDIT CARD ORDERS: Phone: 1 (800) 927-4152; FAX: 1 (310) 837-1056. Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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