Guru das | The Hare Krishna Movement

Remembering Jayananda

22 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Devotee's, Jayananda Thakur, Uncategorized, Vyasasan das Tags: Guru das, India, Jayananda das, Krishna, RDTSKP, sankirtan, spirituality, Srila Prabhupada, travel, Vishnujana das

Remembering Jayananda
by Vyasasan das
__________________

There are some things about becoming a devotee I will never forget, for instance; receiving my first book, relishing my first plate of prasadam, seeing the deities in the temple for the first time, meeting Srila Prabhupada, Visnujhana Swami and Jayananda das bramachari.

The first time I meet Jayananda, was in 1975 in San Diego. I had been traveling with the RDTSKP for the last few months, since I joined. I was very much enjoying being a devotee, and traveling and putting on festivals, distributing prasadam, books and the Holy Name. By this time I had meet a number of Sannyasis; including Tamal Krsna Goswami, Gurudas Swami, Tripuari Swami, Vishnujana Swami, etc. and was very impressed by their character, and position.

One morning after Bhagavatam class we were all sitting down on the floor taking our breakfast. I was looking over at all the assembled sannyasis; there must have been seven of them eating together. They all had on nice orange clothing, and were eating off beautiful silver plates, and I was thinking, “Ya, that’s what I want. I want to be a Hare Krishna Sannyasa. Devotees will offer me respectful obeisances when they see me, and I will always get the best accommodations and best prasadam”. So I was thinking like this… when in walks in this guy in a greasy hooded sweatshirt, ripped doti, hands and face covered with dirt and grease, (it turns out he just changed the oil in 6 sankirtan vans), and he walks over to the prasadam table and starts filling a plate.

So I ask the devotee sitting next to me, “Who is that guy, is he supposed to be here?” I thought it was some bum wearing a dhoti. But the devotee replied; “Oh, that’s Jayananda Prabhu, he’s a really advanced devotee”. Well I was looking at Jayananda who was eagerly feasting on the morning prasadam, and I was looking over at the sannyasis who were carefully moving the prasadam around the silver plates, and I just wasn’t that sure?

The Swami Who Rocked the World

07 Sep 2022 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Gallery of Images, Guru das, Photos by Gurudas, Srila Prabhupada (29) Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Guru das, gurudas photo essay, photo journal, Srila Prabhupada

My dear friend Gurudas Prabhu has just released a new photo journal. Follow the link below to view.

“My latest photo essay book about the genesis of the the International Society For Krishna Consciousness with rare photos of our founder Acharya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.”

Available on hardcover or Kindle. Order now on Amazon. Voted #1 on Amazon for New Photo Journal Release!

#theswamiwhorockedtheworlds #photo #book #photography #archival #rarephotos #swamiprabhupada #acbhaktivedantaswamiprabhupada #srilaprabhupada #swamiji #guru #iskcon #internationalsocietyforkrishnaconsciousness #genesis #movement #workdwide #spiritualpath #krishnaconsciousness

A Conversation between A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami & Allen Ginsberg

02 Apr 2016 2 Comments

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Allen Ginsberg, Back to Godhead, BTG magizine, Guru das, People, Roger Siegel Tags: 518 Frederick Street San Francisco, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Allen Ginsberg, BTG, conversation with Srila Prabhupada, Guru das, Krishna Consciousness Temple, swami

This morning I was cleaning out one of the sheds, and found this old suitcase filled with cassette tapes. There were some of the old Bhaktivedanta Archive tapes, Golden Avatar tapes, various lectures, bahjans and kirtans. I started to listed to some of the old vintage kirtans and lectures and I was filled with a nostalgic mood of yearning, for the early days of the Hare Krishna Movement. This lead me to re-examine the old Back to Godhead magazine issues. The following is one article I found very reminiscence of those early days.

A Conversation between A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami & Allen Ginsberg
Recorded by Guru Das Adhikary

Swamiji had come to San Francisco in late January, 1967 for the opening of the Krishna Consciousness Temple there, at 518 Frederick Street. Allen Ginsberg had always shown friendly and helpful interest in the Society; and he agreed to attend a giant “Mantra Rock Festival,” which the temple members were planning to hold in the Avalon Ballroom. And so, a few days before that event, the good poet came to early morning Kirtan (7 A. M.), and later joined the Swami upstairs in the apartment his pupils had rented for him.

We were sitting in the glow of this holy man, munching on Indian sweetballs cooked by the Swami, when Allen Ginsberg came through the door, a warm smile on his face.

The Swami offered him a sweetball: “Take.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, radiating mutual love.

By His Example 2nd Edition

21 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotee Books, Guru das, Roger Siegel, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada Conversations, Srila Prabhupada vani Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, book by gurudas, By His Example, By His Example 2nd Edition, Guru das, Gurudas, Roger Siegel, Srila Prabhupada, the wit and wisdom of his divine grace a. c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada

My dear friend and Godbrother, Sriman Gurudas Prabhu, has just sent me a box of his new ‘2nd Edition printing’ of the renowned classic “By His Example”, with new stories never before published. I am pleased to offer it for sale, from our web site http://www.theharekrishnamovement.com and hope it will be recieved by the vaisnava community. It is filled with wonderful stories and memories, as well as accounts of Prabhupada’s glories. In his own words…

“This book is not meant to be a biography, but rather a transcendental medium that allows both those who knew him and those who never had a chance to meet Prabhupada to experience his humor and compassion, to come into closer contact with his vani and vapu. Prabhupada once said, “Krishna consciousness means happiness.” I hope that you may derive some happiness, inspiration, encouragement, and transcendental ecstasy from this rendering.” (Gurudas)

By His Example

The Wit and Wisdom of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

by Gurudas

Excerpt from Preface; “Radha and Krishna have guided this book, a glorification of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the kindest, wisest, most determined, noncompromising, open-minded personality I have ever come in contact with. This book is also for and in glorification of all the devotees who have embarked on the path of Krishna consciousness. My heart goes out to all devotees, you who have become tender-hearted by hearing ancient, transcendental sounds and by accepting Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s benediction and effulgence” -Gurudas

Radha Damadara Traveling Sankirtan Party

22 Nov 2012 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Book Distribution, Sankirtan, The Hare Krishna Movement, Visnujana Swami, Vyasasan das, What Happened to the Hare Krishna's? Tags: Book Distribution, George Harrison, Guru das, Gurudasa, Jayananda das, Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party, RDTSKP, Srila Prabhupada, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Vishnjan Swami

click on image to slightly enlarge

…I loved being a devotee. I would look forward to going to the park or college campus, and putting on a festival. We set up the stage, brought on our musical instruments and chanted, while others arranged the distribution of prasadam and books. After the chanting when we went to mingle with the students or guests gathered there, I would enjoy preaching to new people and answering all sorts of questions like “why do you guys shave your head? And why do you put mud on your foreheads, etc., etc.? But sometimes the preaching was so sweet and people wanted to know who is Krishna? Who is Srila Prabhupada? And my joy knew no bounds. I hardly knew the philosophy myself, but when my desire to preach was unmotivated by false ego, Srila Prabhupada would give me the intelligence. I would be amazed how the words would just flow out of my mouth. By Srila Prabhupada’s great mercy, to one who has taken to this process of sharing with others, he gives the intelligence. I was gaining an understanding of the process of Krishna Consciousness, simply by acting in Krishna Consciousness. It was so sublime. So simple!

Radha Damadara Traveling Sankirtan Party
by Vyasasan das

First let me begin by offering my respectful obesiences to all the vaisnave devotee’s of the Lord, who are so merciful to the fallen conditioned souls that they put themselves in perilous and austere conditions of life voluntarily, in order to help others. And as always, let me offer my most humble obeisances to my beloved spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, haven taken shelter at his Lotus feet.

More