Bhakti Caitanya Swami

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami
Religion Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Hinduism
Other name(s) Richard Naismith[1]
Personal
Born 14 August 1951
Auckland, New Zealand[2]
Religious career
Initiation Diksa–1973, Sannyasa–1994
Post ISKCON Guru,[2] Sannyasi,[3] Member of the Governing Body Commission[3]

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami (born 14 August 1951 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a Gaudiya Vaishnava swami[4] and a religious leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (also known as the Hare Krishna movement or ISKCON).[2][3][5] He is a member of the Governing Body Commission and is the leader of ISKCON in South Africa, the Baltic states and Russia.[3]

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami was born as Richard Naismith[1] on 14 August 1951 in Auckland, New Zealand.[2][3] In 1972 he first met ISKCON's founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in Auckland University.[1] A year later he joined ISKCON in London and received initiation from Swami Prabhupada, who gave him a sanskrit name Raghubhir Dasa.[1]

Bhakti Caitanya Swami is closely associated with the educational programs of ISKCON and teaches courses at the Vaisnava Institute for Higher Education in Vrindavana. In 1994, during the Gaura Purnima Festival, he took the renounced order of sannyasa from Giriraja Swami and received the name Bhakti Caitanya Swami. Later he became a member of the Governing Body Commission[3][5] and ISKCON Guru.[2][3]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Kūrma Dāsa 1999
  2. ^ a b c d e Petrova 2009
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Verba 2004
  4. ^ List of Sannyasis in ISKCON April 2008 ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry, Retrieved on 5 May 2008
  5. ^ a b Khan 2005

References

Modern Gaudiya Vaishnavas (1875 to date)
After the Founding of
ISKCON
(1966 to date)
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada* · Howard Beckman · Bhakti Caitanya Swami* · Bhakti Charu Swami* · Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami* · Bhakti Tirtha Swami* · Richard Shaw Brown · Michael Cremo · Henry Doktorski · Alfred Ford · Giriraja Swami* · Geoffrey Giuliano · Gopala Krishna Goswami* · Gour Govinda Swami* · Hansadutta Swami · Hanumatpresaka Swami* · Harikesa Swami · Hridaya Caitanya Dasa · Hridayananda Dasa Goswami* · Indradyumna Swami* · Jayadvaita Swami* · Jayananda Dasa · Jayapataka Swami* · Jayatirtha Dasa · Kadamba Kanana Swami* · Kirtanananda Swami · Krishna Dharma · Krishna Kshetra Dasa* · Kurt Mausert · Lokanatha Swami* · Malati Dasi · Mukunda Goswami* · Prabhavishnu Swami* · Radhanath Swami* · Radhika Ramana Dasa · Ramesh Kallidai · Ramesvara Swami · Ranchor Prime · Ravindra Svarupa Dasa* · Romapada Swami* · Steven J. Rosen · Sacinandana Swami* · Satsvarupa dasa Goswami* · Graham Schweig · Shaunaka Rishi Das · Sivarama Swami* · Suhotra Swami* · Tamala Krishna Goswami* · Richard L. Thompson · Tripurari Swami · Urmila Devi Dasi · Visnujana Swami · Yadunandana Swami
Pre-ISKCON