Gopal Krishna Goswami

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Gopal Krishna Goswami is a religious leader within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (popularly known as the Hare Krishnas).[1]. He was the first Indian disciple A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to be initiated after the establishment of ISKCON. Gopal Krishna Goswami is currently a member of the Governing Body Commission[2] and an initiating guru within the movement.[3]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Gopal Krishna Goswami was born on August 14, 1944 in New Delhi, India He was known at that time as Gopal Krishna Khanna.[citation needed]

After graduating from the University of Delhi, he studied Business Management at the Sorbonne University of Paris[4] on a scholarship from the French Government, and later studied for a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the McGill University in Montreal.[citation needed]

Before dedicating his life in the service of ISKCON, Gopal Krishna Khanna worked as a marketing research analyst for Pepsi Cola and Bristol-Myers.[citation needed]

[edit] First meeting with his spiritual master

Gopal Krishan Khanna was living in Toronto in May 1967 when the president of the Toronto ISKCON temple, Mahapurusa Dasa, invited him to visit the temple. Upon hearing that Prabhupada would arrive at the temple the next day, Gopal Krisha immediately requested Mahapurusa to provide him a chance to serve Srila Prabhupada, and he was sent up to clean Srila Prabhupada's room before he arrived.[citation needed]

His first meeting with Srila Prabhupada occurred on the evening of June 1 1967. Within two weeks of meeting him, Gopal Krishna Khanna decided to accept Srila Prabhupada as his spiritual master and was initiated as one of his disciples, receiving the name Gopal Krishna dasa.[citation needed]

[edit] Receiving Instructions and Initiation

During a three month period where Prabhupada stayed in Montreal, Gopal Krishna regularly heard from him on devotional topics and took instruction regarding his own personal life. "My only small qualification was that I was very respectful to Srila Prabhupada from he first day I saw him, and I would stay for his lectures till the end, and leave only after he left".[5]

Later Gopal Krishna moved into the temple and lived there. He acted as Srila Prabhupada's secretary for many years. In 1970, he entered into an arranged marriage with a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Ekayani Devi Dasi, one of the earliest initiated devotees from New York, with the permission of Srila Prabhupada. Ekayani gave birth to a son in 1973. Ekayani and Gopal Krishna separated and he took the sanyasa order in 1982.[citation needed]

[edit] Mission to India

In 1975, Srila Prabhupada sent Gopal Krishna to India, giving him the responsibility of being a Governing Body Commissioner within the area. Prabhupada also instructed him specifically to print and expand the distribution of his books in India and to translate and print books in Indian languages. Prabhupada was pleased when Gopal Krishna presented him the first copies of the Srimad Bhagavatam translated into Hindi.[citation needed]

In the Prabhupada Lilamrita, a biography of Srila Prabhupada, written by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, it is mentioned that whenever Srila Prabhupada would see Gopal Krishna, he would enquire, "Where is book? Where is book?". Gopal Krishna would therefore ensure that he had a new version of a book or a translated book every time he would see Srila Prabhupada - such was his staunch determination to serve his Master.[6]

[edit] Mission to Russia

In 1976, Prabhupada appointed Gopal Krishna as Governing Body Commissioner for the Soviet Union of which Russia was a part at that time. Gopal Krishna made several trips to Communist Russia at that time to preach and publish the Bhagavad-gita in Russian, risking his life and putting himself in grave danger, especially at a time when the KGB was torturing and persecuting Russian Hare Krishna Hindu devotees.[citation needed]

[edit] Sannyasa and renunciation

In 1981, he took the sannyasa order and was initiated into the monastic order of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. He took the name, Tridandi Swami Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja and became an initiating spiritual master of ISKCON. Since then Gopal Krishna Goswami has been traveling extensively all over the world preaching the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Bhagavad-gita, building temples, initiating disciples, delivering talks, and overseeing various philanthropic and devotional projects.[7]

He is the Governing Body Commissioner[8] of many countries and regions including Delhi, Vrindavan, Mumbai, Mayapur, Chandigarh, Kenya, Canada and parts of North America.[citation needed]

[edit] Temple projects

Gopal Krishna Goswami played a leading role in inspiring and completing many of the largest ISKCON temples after the departure of Srila Prabhupada in 1977. Some of the temples he built included the Glory of India temple in New Delhi and the Radha-Bankebihari temple in Nairobi.[citation needed]

[edit] Lectures and writings

Gopal Krishna Goswami has been featured on many Radio, Television and Newspaper stories in India and abroad commenting on various issues. He has delivered many series of lectures to diverse audiences in the last three decades ranging from the Chamber of Commerce in Mumbai, IIT students in Delhi, and devoted congregation householders to academics, politicians and interfaith communities. He also delivers lectures at various ISKCON courses and has spoken on various scriptures including Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Upadeshamrita.[citation needed]

[edit] Disciples

- Gopal Krishna Goswami has over 2000 disciples, including:

  • Mahamantra Das, President Iskcon New Delhi ( Also know as Kamala Shankar Dubey)
  • Sura Dasa, Director of Bhakti Kala Kshetra
  • Romapada Dasa (also known as Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain and Vice Chair of Hindu Aid
  • Veda Vyasa Dasa, known as Ved Prakash Aggarwal, an eminent industrialist in New Delhi
  • Stoka Krishna Dasa, businessman from Kenya
  • Sridama Dasa, Editor, Sky News, New Zealand
  • Adi Purusa Dasa, Lecturer and Principal Manager, VIHE, Vrindavana India

[edit] References

  1. ^ ISKCON festival on founder's anniversary ISKCON Mumbai website
  2. ^ Society Scenes -- Pune Indian Express
  3. ^ ISKCON chairman in city Times of India, 12 Aug 2003
  4. ^ ISKCON chairman in city Times of India, 12 Aug 2003
  5. ^ An interview published in Sri Vyasa Puja 1994, a book published by his disciples.
  6. ^ For these and other details of Gopal Krishna Goswami's interactions with Srila Prabhupada, see Srila Prabhupada's biography: Goswāmī, Satsvarūpa dāsa (1980). Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmŗta. Los Angeles: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. .
  7. ^ List of Sannyasis in ISKCON April 2008 ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry, Retrieved on 5 May 2008
  8. ^ Society Scenes -- Pune Indian Express

[edit] External links

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