Monday, 3 June 2013

Radhanath Swamy





Born as Richard Slavin, he studied a number of religious paths such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. At the age of 19 he began traveling through Europe and the Middle-East, aiming for India and eventually settling for over a year in the Himalayas. He was living as a renunciate Sanyaasi in India when he first met with Krishna devotees near Delhi. Through contact with the devotees in Vrindavan, and after receiving name Ratim Krishna from Swamy Bon Maharaj; Radhanath swami began to focus exclusively on his spiritual path in Krishna Consciousness. In 1971 Radhanath Swami observed A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada during the ISKCON Cross Maidan festival in Mumbai. After leaving India, Radhanath Swami returned to the United States where he joined the New Vrindaban ISKCON farm community in West Virginia during July 1972. There he accepted initiation from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in February 1973 receiving the name Radhanath Das, later to receive the name Radhanath Swami.
In later years Radhanath Swami has been instrumental establishing The Radha Gopinath Temple which is renowned for its quality of community. He has been essential for many successful Mumbai projects associated with the Radha Gopinath Temple. in Chowpatty, The temple was founded in 1986 and joined ISKCON in 1994 becoming a hub for tens of thousands of devotees. The Bhaktivedanta hospital is another project emerging from the Radha Gopinath community. It has become a flagship center for holistic health and spiritual care in Mumbai.
Radhanath Swami  is a Hare Krishna guru. He works largely from Mumbai in India and also travels extensively throughout Europe and America for preaching.
In (ISKCON) he serves as a member of the Governing Body Commission. Steven J .Rosen described Radhanath Swami as a "saintly person respected by the mass of ISKCON devotees today.

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