Satsvarupa dasa Goswami


Satsvarupa das Goswami is a senior disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami, who founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known in the West as the Hare Krishna movement. Serving as a writer, poet, and artist, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami is the author of Bhaktivedanta Swami's authorized biography,Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. After His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's physical disappearance, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was one of the eleven disciples selected to become a priest to initiate future disciples on His Divine Grace’s behalf in ISKCON through proxy, although this order was later abandoned with no justification.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami,, is one of the first few Westerners ordained by Bhaktivedanta Swami in September 1966. He has been since established as a prolific Vaishnava writer and poet. While traveling, lecturing on Krishna consciousness, and instructing disciples worldwide, he published over hundred books including poems, memoirs, essays, novels, and studies based on the Vaishnava scriptures. In his later years he created hundreds of paintings, drawings, and sculptures that attempt to capture and express his perspective on the culture of Krishna consciousness.

Honorifics

He was born Stephen Guarino, the elder of two children, to Italian Roman Catholic parents in Staten Island, New York.
He was educated initially in a public high school nearby and then enrolled in the Brooklyn College, where he underwent an intellectual revolution putting in question his Catholic values. In the college he read Nietzsche and Dostoevsky and associated with students and professors who were religious skeptics.
In January 1962 he joined the Navy, where he served for two years on board of U.S.S. Saratoga, a super-carrier. In his introduction to With Śrīla Prabhupāda in the Early Days, 1966–1969 he writes: "A few months after the death of President Kennedy, I was honorably discharged, and without visiting my parents on Staten Island, I went directly to the Lower East Side. By then, the Lower East Side was, in my mind and in the minds of my friends, the most mystical place in the world." "I certainly didn't think some guru was suddenly going to appear and save me. I was too cynical. Yet I was regularly reading versions of the Bhagavad-gita and the Upanishads. Ironically, one week before the gift shop at 26 Second Avenue changed into Srila Prabhupada's temple, I was standing in that very doorway with a Bhagavad-gita in my back pocket, waiting to meet a friend. Somehow we had chosen 26 Second Avenue as a meeting place. At that time, I had no idea what was about to happen."
In July 1966 he met and accepted a spiritual instruction from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami who registered ISKCON a month later. Bhaktivedanta Swami soon began assigning him typing tasks which Satsvarupa understood "to be yoga". On September 23, 1966 he was ordained and shortly became one of the leading figures of the new Gaudiya Vaishnava movement.
After Bhaktivedanta Swami died, he was one of eleven disciples selected to become an initiating guru in ISKCON. Prof. Larry Shinn in his overview of the contemporary state of the Bhaktivedanta Swami's movement confirms this while relating his first meeting with Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
In a typical initiation ceremony as a guru of International Society for Krishna Consciousness he would begin with purification using achamana and concludes with a sermon on the importance of chanting of the holy names in the life of a new initiate.

Personal servant of Bhaktivedanta Swami

In addition to periods of being a GBC personal assistant, the brief period between January and July 1974 during which he had the opportunity to act as a personal servant and secretary to the founder of ISKCON, Bhaktivedanta Swami, is noted. During this time his duties included bringing Bhaktivedanta Swami his medicine and toothbrush in the morning, accompanying him on his morning walk, preparing his breakfast and lunch and providing his daily massage. In other words, the tasks were those of a menial servant, while Satsvarupa das Goswami was excited about it. Some note that the first time Satsvarupa gave Bhaktivedanta Swami a massage it was "an intense spiritual experience" for him:
One may understand how the service given to one's guru can be of such a value by seeing it in the ritual religious context. The theme of status difference, enriched with the idea of intimacy, coalesce in this simple pattern of devotee massaging the spiritual master's legs and feet in the cultural models expressed in puja and innumerable other Vaishnava contexts. Satsvarupa took the posture of a menial servant with evident relish. It is also taken as an example of ideal typical model of the guru-disciple relationship as a disciple should always consider him- or herself a menial servant of the spiritual master.

Literary contribution

As a writer he is following a line of teachers or gurus in his religious tradition. In his review Srivatsa Goswami suggests this view with a reference to the "path of Six Goswamis": Satsvarupa dasa Goswami's writing represents a contemporary variety from commentaries on scriptures to a free flowing poetry and prose.
His writings were translated to over forty languages by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and Gita Nagari Press. He was also requested by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust to complete a number of works, started by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Biographies

One of widely read and translated of all his books is Srila Prabhupada-Lilamrta. It's a biography of the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, depicting him through different stages of his life. It was written with the help of a large research team for a period of over six years. Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta is based on material given by interviewers and researchers and is based on a system of ascertaining whether a reported biographical story is authentic. By researching tape recordings of Bhaktivedanta Swami, author provided accurate quotes of his statements wherever possible. In this biographical work he would always look for several reliable witnesses, in addition to the one who is recalling a particular event.
Other biographical works include He Lives Forever and five volumes of Prabhupada Nectar and a number of other titles. His memoir With Srila Prabhupada in the Early Days covers the early years of 1966–1969, his book Life With the Perfect Master describes the seven-month period in 1974, when he served as Bhaktivedanta Swami's personal servant.

Scriptural writings

Books included in this category include titles published by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust such as Narada Bhakti Sutra and Mukunda Mala Strotra, both unfinished works of his preceptor, as well as the multi-volume A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam – elaboration on Bhaktivedanta Purports of the Bhagavata Purana. From 1966 to recent years Satsvarupa has been contributing to Back to Godhead magazine. His articles in the Back to Godhead often demonstrate variety of legitimate perspectives on different issues and perspectives in spiritual understanding of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Academic presentation

His book published in 1975 during Bhaktivedanta Swami's lifetime was Readings in Vedic Literature: the Tradition Speaks for Itself. Bhaktivedanta Swami was appreciative of reviews of the book by the academic circles. In the years to follow Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was supportive of the foundation of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and some of his works were published in the ISKCON Communications Journal and reviewed by the academia in ICJ academic journal. Despite initial anti-cult controversies, the Hare Krishna movement today is viewed by the academics as "the most genuinely Hindu of all the many Indian movements in the West".

Personal writings

A number of his books are employing techniques of free-writing. Diaries and the letters collection from Bhaktivedanta Swami are spanning from the very beginning of the movement in 1966 in the West and provide an account of the ISKCON movement from the very first years to present days. Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture and Religious Adviser to World Wide Fund for Nature wrote of his book Entering the Life of Prayer 'I recommend this book to any who are genuinely wrestling with the implications of faith and with the path of prayer. It deserves to become a spiritual classic.'

Art and poetry

A number of his poetical works were published in modern American idiom. He was also published in prominent Haiku magazines, the poetry dedicated to Bhaktivedanta Swami's glorification received positive reviews. His paintings and sculpture have also been reviewed by the Washington Times. His works as a self-taught artist are reflective of the dedication of his life to the "study of Vedic literature and the teachings of the spiritual tradition".

Other services within ISKCON

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was a pioneer in the early days of the movement, and is the most senior member of the movement at present. He was appointed as a ritvik by his perceptor. Satvarupa was also one of the original members appointed as Governing Body Commission created by Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1970 to gradually take on the responsibility of the spiritual management duties in ISKCON. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was selected a trustee in the will of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami for the management of ISKCON.

Brief history in ISKCON

Early days

After ISKCON's incorporation in July 1966 at 26 Second Avenue, Satsvarupa dasa was engaged as A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's personal typist and ISKCON secretary for the first year. He was one of the few devotees who maintained outside jobs to support the ISKCON temple at the beginning. Later he managed ISKCON Boston, and ISKCON Press which was later registered as Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. After assuming duties of a GBC in 1970, Satsvarupa was asked by Bhaktivedanta Swami to accept the order of sannyasa in 1972. He accepted sannyasa along with other GBC members, all of whom were originally married men, such as Tamala Krishna Goswami and Hridayananda dasa Goswami. At the time A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami awarded him and other followers the title "Goswami" with the single line instruction: "Preach, preach, preach!" He is sometimes listed among active promoters of ahimsa among other Eastern religious teachers.
ceremony in 1979

Preaching and traveling

Main preaching activities by the means of traveling sankirtana parties were centered in United States. BBT Library Party headed by him in mid-1970s was active in establishing distribution network mainly to the Universities of the United States, with some members of the team such as Bhakti Tirtha Swami and Suhotra Dasa traveling as far as Eastern Europe.
In 1974, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was requested by Bhaktivedanta Swami to join him as traveling GBC servant, replacing previous servant Srutakirti Dasa and travelled as a menial servant around the globe.

Managing BTG

From the early days of ISKCON, the Back to Godhead was project required a lot of both contribution and supervision. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was editor in chief and one of the main contributors to this magazine till 1991, when assisted editor Jayadvaita Swami took over as the editor in chief.

Dealing with early "zonal acarya" days

In accordance with ISKCON GBC Governing Body Commission resolutions March 1978 Satsvarupa dasa Goswami along with other eleven Governing Body Commissioners assumed duties and services of initiating disciples in assigned zones after the death of Bhaktivedanta Swami. Initial preaching areas in the United States and Caribbean were expanded with an addition of Ireland in 1982 where he became a zonal acharya. The assumption of equal status to Bhaktivedanta Swami and the title of "Guru-Acarya" are still surrounded in a controversy. While following the direction of Governing Body Commission, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was one of the pioneers who attempted to reform the system, by assuming more humble and appropriate role of a guru as per recorded instructions of the "Founder-Acarya." While imitation of Bhaktivedanta Swami was criticised, despite these warnings, specifically by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, such imitation sometimes resulted in curious side-effects and many devotees adopted Bhaktivedanta Swami's mannerisms. This remained evident especially among the older American devotees who even now speak with an Indian accent and display many of Bhaktivedanta Swami's gestures like turning one's head or moving one's hand in a certain way.

Later years

In years 1978–1985 he took part in a controversial zonal acarya system in a position of an Acharya while initiating reform of a high standard of worship. In 1986–1987 a number of senior members and newly appointed GBC members with the support of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami reformed ISKCON guru system, lowering unprecedented level of worship reserved to initiating gurus in ISKCON. He was called as the "most vocal in the cause of reform" in ISKCON. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami recorded this period in his book Guru Reform Notebook. Throughout the years that followed, up until the end of the century, new ISKCON guru system was further developed.
In 1999 Governing Body Commission confirmed GBC Emeritus status of his membership of the Governing Body of ISKCON.
, summer 2009
His extensive traveling in Europe in 1990s included areas of Scandinavia, Eastern, Central Europe and Italy, but mainly centered in preaching in Ireland and UK.
In following years, his devotional life has included the creation of hundreds of paintings, drawings, and sculptures that capture and express the artist's vision of Krishna consciousness. His latest literary work is centered on his commentary on Bhagavata Purana known as A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam.
In 2002, he suffered a physical and emotional collapse from chronic migraine headaches, a condition that required immediate medical intervention and treatment. In consultation with the official governing body of the Krishna consciousness society, he agreed to cease initiating disciples. With the GBC consultation, he retained his Goswami title and continued in the sannyasa order and as an ISKCON guru.
Following a period of health recovery, at the age of 68, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami took residence in the East Coast United States where he is engaging in a number of preaching activities, such as regular lecturing and traveling to the holy dhamas. All of the associated preaching and traveling is complementing his main service of commenting and answering disciples' questions on the Bhaktivedanta Purports being published as the volumes of A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam and daily online journal.

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