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Radhanath Swami is a leading member and guru within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness who works largely from Mumbai in India and also travels exstensively throughout Europe and America. He is well known throughout the society largely through his lectures on the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
Introduction to Krishna Consciousness
American by birth, Radhanath Swami studied a number of religious paths in his early days such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam on a quest for spiritual truth. Then at the age of 19 he decided to geographically widen his field of exploration and began travelling and hitchhiking through Europe and Middle-East, eventually ending up in the Himalayas. There he spent a considerable time devoted to the tradition of Shaivism and was living as a renunciate Shaivite in India when he first met with Krishna devotees near Delhi. He was forced to leave a train at Vrindavana due to the train breaking down which happened to be the day of Janmashtami (Krishna's 'birthday'). Through contact with the devotees in Vrindavan Radhanath Swami began to focus exclusively on his spiritual path in Krishna Consciousness, and in 1971 came into contact with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada during the ISKCON Cross Maidan festival in Mumbai. Prabhupada called Radhanatha Swami up onto the stage to speak with him, and after their initial contact Radhantha Swami formally accepted initiation from him a number of days later, becoming one of Prabhupada's disciples (and receiving the name 'Radhanatha dasa').
Relationship with Prabhupada
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Radhanatha Swami personally served Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on a number of occasions.
Service in ISKCON
His early years in ISKCON were spent largely as a pujari (temple priest) in the farm community known as New Vrindavan. After eight years of working as a pujari and looking after the temple cows he was then given the task of working as a preacher in the local colleges and universities in America. He received sanyasa initiation from Kirtanananda Swami in 19??, and after this dedicated yet more time to travelling and preaching.
Radha Gopinath temple
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In later years Radhanath Swami became an accomplished preacher within Krishna Consciousness and was instrumental behind the growth of the Radha-Gopinath temple in Chowpatty, Mumbai which he founded in 1986. This temple has one of ISKCON's most internationally admired devotee communities and an innovative counsellor system which had now also been taken on elsewhere within the movement..
Disciples in the media
- Gauranga dasa - Based in Mumbai, India. He regularly appears on the Star Plus TV Show Aatma which is based on the Bhagavad Gita.
- Navadvipa Chandra dasa - based at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford, he recently appeared on Channel 4s programme Preachers To Be.
- Sanatana Goswami dasa - based in Los Angeles, he recently appeared on Channel 4's Preachers To Be.