HH Romapada Swami Maharaj - Sunday - 29 Mar 2015
ISKCON BALTIMORE
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Feel free to browse www.romapadaswami.com, for a comprehensive resource on the sublime activities, writings, lectures and projects of His Holiness Romapada Swami.
Below are few glimpses of "His Holiness Romapada Swami"
Srila Romapada Swami was born in this world on December 27, 1948 in Utica, New York, as the youngest of five children. Coming from a Christian upbringing, he received a strong sense of values, as passed on by his mother and father. As a child, he was deeply thoughtful about his experiences in life. He carefully contemplated the teachings of the Bible that were imparted to him. He would frequently question such things as:
"What does it mean to love God with all one's heart, mind and soul? How does one practically live by the principle 'Love thy neighbor as thyself'? What is it like in the Kingdom of God? What do people do when they get there?
It was as a student at the State University of New York in Buffalo, in 1969, that Srila Romapada Swami finally found the path to the Absolute Truth that he had been searching for. It was there that he had his first introduction to Krsna consciousness when he heard His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada chanting on campus. He squeezed himself into a packed lecture hall and there was Srila Prabhupada and Alan Ginsberg on stage chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
He became more and more attracted to Krsna consciousness on account of Srila Prabhupada's purity, the perfect philosophy, and the practical life of devotion based upon practices that actually purified. As he took up those principles and practices of Krsna consciousness, a profound realization unfolded that Srila Prabhupada had undergone great personal sacrifice to deliver a divine message that was now changing his life. Thus, Srila Romapada Swami developed a very deep sense of indebtedness to Srila Prabhupada and concluded that he must dedicate himself in full gratitude to the mission of his spiritual master.
Srila Romapada Swami was 21 years old and had just been accepted to medical school when he joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
During July of 1971,Srila Romapada Swami received first initiation from Srila Prabhupada at the temple located on Henry Street in Brooklyn, New York. One year later, during the summer of '72, Srila Romapada Swami received second initiation.
Srila Romapada Swami has remained a faithful servant at the lotus feet of Their Lordships ever since. In the summer of 1982, Srila Romapada Swami received initiation into the renounced order of life. After accepting sannyasa, he traveled to many temples throughout the United States and Europe, preaching Krsna consciousness. Yet he always maintained his base at Sri Sri Radha-Govinda Mandir in New York, and continued to orchestrate many local opportunities for college preaching, distributing prasadam and giving the message of Krsna consciousness to others.
In March of '92, he was appointed Governing Body Commissioner for New York and New Jersey. In '94 he accepted the same responsibility for the Midwest United States. Under his inspiration and direction many Sunday Schools and congregational development programs have sprouted and flourished. Due to his indebtedness to Srila Prabhupada, and the particular circumstances in which he contacted Krsna consciousness, Srila Romapada Swami remains forever dedicated to college preaching.
It is not possible to describe the entire range of his activities in devotional service even in the course of one day, what to speak of one decade, or the course of his entire lifetime thus far. One thing that can be said for certain, however, is that each and every moment of his life Srila Romapada Swami is cent-per-cent absorbed in serving the instructions and the mission of his beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.