Gour Govinda Swami

Gour Govinda Swami, (September 2, 1929 - February 9, 1996) He was born in the village of Jagannatha-pura near Orissa, India as Braja-bandhu. [ [http://www.gopaljiu.org/Gurudeva/Gurudeva.htm A Brief Life Sketch of Srila Gour Govinda Swami ] ]

By the age of eight, Braja-bandhu had read the entire Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and could also explain their meanings. [ [http://www.gopaljiu.org/Gurudeva/Gurudeva.htm A Brief Life Sketch of Srila Gour Govinda Swami ] ]

On April 8th, 1974, at the age of 45 he left home and relatives in quest of spiritual perfection. Carrying only a Bhagavad-gita and a begging bowl he wandered around India for one year and visited many sacred places along the river Ganges. He was searching for that person who could help him develop a true understanding of the maha-mantra. After many philosophical debates with mayavadi sannyasis and yogis in the Himalayas, he proceeded on foot to Vrindavana.

Two weeks after arriving in Vrindavana he saw a signboard for ISKCON, then he met a group of Western devotees who gave him a copy of "Back to Godhead" magazine. When he read the contents describing the glory of divine love for Krishna, his heart became anxious to meet the writer A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. At last he was to meet his eternal spiritual master, whose association he had been awaiting for such a long time.

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami had just finished his lunch when Gour Govinda Swami entered the room and paid his obeisances. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami then asked him, "Have you taken sannyasa?"

Gour Govinda Swami said, "no," and A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami said, “Then I will give you sannyasa.” At that time Gour Govinda Swami understood that A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami knew his heart and surrendered to him.

In 1975, at the opening of ISKCON’s Krishna-Balaram Temple in Vrindavana, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami accepted him as a disciple, gave him the name Gour Govinda and awarded him the sannyasa order. [ [http://www.gopaljiu.org/Gurudeva/Gurudeva.htm A Brief Life Sketch of Srila Gour Govinda Swami ] ] He is a saint within ISKCON. [ [http://www.iskcon.com/culture/festival_year/cal_info/continu.html Saints and Incarnations] Official ISKCON website] During his life, Gour Govinda Swami preached for ISKCON in Orissa. He worked to establish an ISKCON temple in Bhubaneswar, as he was instructed to do so by his guru in 1977. [ [http://www.iskconbbsr.org/jaga.htm How Jagannataha came to Bhubaneswar] ISKCON Bhubaneswar website] He an author of many research papers and translated his guru's books into the Oriya language.cite journal
author = G.G. Swami, A.C. Bhaktivedanta
year = 2001, Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications
title = Krishna OR Vishnu?
url = http://www.gopaljiu.org/Bindu/Back_issues/Bindu042.pdf
accessdate = 2008-04-12] He died in 1996 while in Mayapur [ [http://www.iskcon.com/culture/festival_year/cal_info/continu.html Saints and Incarnations] Official ISKCON website] and is remembered in annual ISKCON festivals. [ [http://news.iskcon.com/node/906 Annual Disappearance Festival Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami] ISKCON News, 25 Feb 2008]

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