Vishnujana Swami

Vishnujana Swami (1948-1976) [ [http://www.iskcon.net/inmemoriam/devotees/d_Visnuj.html iskcon.net memoriam] ] , born Mark Walsen, was a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and a sannyasi within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (commonly known as the 'Hare Krishnas' or ISKCON). Even though he is presumed to have died in 1976 he has continued to be a well-known figure within ISKCON through recordings of his singing of the Hare Krishna mantra and his historical position as a preacher in the early days of the movement.

Background

Vishnujana Swami took birth on June 2, 1948, in San Jose, California. At the age of seventeen he moved to San Francisco along with his long-term girlfriend, who he married in 1966. It was also in 1966 that Vishnujana first came into contact with the Hare Krishnas, and by 1968 he had received initiation from Srila Prabhupada and was a full-time member of the movement. By July 20, 1970, Srila Prabhupada had awarded Vishujana the order of Sannyasa.

Vishnujana was especially well known within ISKCON for his singing voice, and skill at playing instruments, such as the Mridangam (drum). Musical recordings of Vishunjana would later be released in 1995 [ [http://www.vishnujana.com/Timeline.htm Timeline - 1995 - BBT releases Vishnujana recordings] ] and are still popularly sold within ISKCON today. Recordings of his lectures and singing are included in the official MP3 archive collection of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Radha-Damodara traveling Sankirtan party

In 1973, Vishnujana Swami and his close associate Tamal Krishna Goswami headed up a team of devotees traveling on a bus across the USA which became famous within ISKCON as one of its most successful preaching parties. The team was named after the deities which travelled with them in the bus, called Radha-Damodara. This bus, filled with ISKCON devotees, would travel from city to city, performing sankirtan, and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books. Vishujana Swami continued travelling with the Sankirtan Party in this way until 1976.

Disappearance

In 1976, during the Mayapur festival, Vishnujana disappeared. It is commonly believed that he committed suicide, throwing himself from a bridge at the confluence of several sacred rivers including the Ganges. During a walk some days earlier it is believed he had mis-heard a general statement by Prabhupada concerning the duty of a sanyassi which could have led to him taking his own life, but as Vishnujana is not recorded to have disclosed his thoughts to anyone before disappearing it is not known for certain if this was the case.

Discography

ee also

*Gaudiya Vaishnavism
*Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.prabhupadavani.org/Bhajans/Vintage_Series.html Vishnujana & Prabhupada Kirtan] (VN024-06)