Devamrita Swami
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Devamrita Swami was born on October 16, 1950 in New York City. At the age of seventeen, he received a scholarship to Yale University and graduated in 1972. Upon graduation Devamrita Swami began to study the literary works of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. In 1974, Devamrita Swami became an initiated student of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He accepted the renounced order of sanyasa in 1982.
For the past twenty-six years, he has traveled worldwide, presenting the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness. Currently he is based in Australia and New Zealand, and frequently travels to India and the Orient on preaching missions.
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[edit] Early Years in ISKCON
After joining ISKCON in 1974 Devamrita Swami received initiation from Srila Prabhupada being given the name "Devamrita das brahmacari". He spent two years distributing the books of Srila Prabhupada on the streets of New York however his health prevented a long career in distributing books. Devamrita Swami was moved to the ISKCON centre in Los Angeles where he began work as an editor for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT); a trust set up with the focus of publishing A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's books.
Devamrita Swami was at the BBT during the time of the famous "Caitanya-Caritamrita Marathon". By the time of Srila Prabhupada's disappearance he was one of the chief editors of the BBT, responsible for the English editing of Srila Prabhupada's commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam.[1]
[edit] Eastern Europe
In the late 1970s Devamrita Swami was feeling bereft as his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, had left the world. He was in Mayapura, an especially holy place for Hare Krishna's, praying for guidance when one of his god brothers related to him that Srila Prabhupada had said: "Whoever preaches in Communist Europe - I will personally take them back to Godhead." Taking this as a sign of his Spiritual Master's will Devamrita Swami headed to Eastern Europe to begin the dangerous work of trying to spread Krishna Consciousness philosophy behind the Iron Curtain. Working under Harikesa Swami, who awarded him the Sannyasa order on Gaura Purnima of 1982, Devamrita Swami worked as a prominent organizer giving assistance and guidance to many ISKCON centers throughout communist Europe. He continued preaching and organizing in Eastern Europe into the mid 1980s. The exact circumstances of his leaving Europe are not well documented, but it has been alleged that his identity was disclosed to the KGB and he was consequentially unable to return.
[edit] New Vrindavan, Australia and New Zealand
After leaving Europe he moved to New Vrindavan, a Hare Krishna farming community in West Virginia, USA.
In 1987, soon after Devamrita Swami arrived in New Vrindavan, Kirtanananda Swami was expelled from ISKCON by the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON, thus causing the residents of New Vrindavan, to also be expelled. During this period Kirtanananda began Interfaith preaching, after been inspired by the history of Father Bede Griffiths,a Benedictine monk who had preached Christianity in India dressed as an Indian sannyasi. Kirtanananda Swami did this in the inverse - preach Krishna Consciousness in the West dressed as an Christian monk.
Devamrita Swami started to travel between New Zealand and Australia in 1993, with a team of preachers from New Vrindavan. Devamrita and the other devotees ran interfaith programs in Kyneton Victoria, Queensland's Gold Coast, and Auckland New Zealand.
Devamrita Swami's preachers secured a building lease in Ponsonby, Auckland, entitled "the Loft". The name was already on the building from the previous tenants, and it also echoed the name of an early preaching venue used by Srila Prabhupada, so it stuck.
When Kirtanananda Swami's personal problems were revealed and he was unable to continue in any leadership capacity, Devamrita Swami assumed ultimate responsibility for the now orphaned team, and shortly afterwards, in 1994, they made connections with the local ISKCON authorities, and were accepted again within ISKCON by the GBC by 1995.
[edit] Present Day
Since starting "The Loft" in Auckland, it has spread throughout New Zealand and Australia, with several centers opening. Devamrita Swami has become an authority within ISKCON for his innovative techniques for spreading the philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita in a modern urban setting. Since it's inception, 'The Loft', which offered classes on the Bhagavad-gita, and philosophical discourses, followed by dinner, has grown in popularity amongst both the general public and the devotee community. Over the years, the Loft has gone through various innovations, and the concept has spread to various centres throughout the world. These centers offer yoga classes, meditation and philosophy nights, and the classic Hare Krishna Sunday Feast, which is sometimes called "Krishnafest". As a result of the success of these centres, Devamrita Swami has on several occasions given seminars during the ISKCON Mayapur festival, and other conferences, detailing the practical aspects to running a Loft-style urban center for presenting Krishna Consciousness in a relevant context.
The central concept of the Loft preaching comes from statements by Srila Prabhupada that he wanted to develop inner city centers where people could come and read books in comfort, and also that he wanted the distribution of complete sets of books. Loft centers specialize in helping people develop an appreciation for the practical value of Srila Prabhupada's books, and to obtain and read complete sets of Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrita.
In 2002 the GBC authorized Devamrita Swami to officially accept disciples as an initiating guru in ISKCON.
[edit] Bibliography
- Devamrita Swami, Perfect Escape, 1994, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, ISBN 91-7149-480-4. Commentary on spirituality of modern times.
- Devamrita Swami, Searching for Vedic India, 2002, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, ISBN 0-89213-350-3. Contemplating the vast ocean of India's Vedic culture.
[edit] Filmography
- The Complete Prabhupada DVD Set (2005) Includes newly discovered films of Srila Prabhupada in Germany, Mayapur, Sweden, Detroit and Los Angeles arranged chronologically.
- Holy Cow Swami (TV) (1996) A documentary about the prosecution of Kirtanananda Swami by US authorities for fraud, allegations of murder and child molestation, and the fall out amongst his followers.
