Romapada Swami
Srila Romapada Swami appeared in this world on December 27, 1948. He was born in Utica, New York, as the youngest of five children. Although the youngest member of the family, Srila Romapada Swami was respected by the others as the most responsible, the most principle-centered, and the highest achiever amongst them.
Coming from a Christian upbringing, he received a strong sense of values, as passed on by his mother and father. As a child, he was deeply thoughtful about his experiences in life. He carefully contemplated the teachings of the Bible that were imparted to him. He would frequently question such things as: "What does it mean to love God with all one's heart, mind and soul? How does one practically live by the principle 'Love thy neighbor as thyself'? What is it like in the Kingdom of God? What do people do when they get there?
In search of the answers to these questions, he explored various teachings of transcendental knowledge and was gradually lead to the Bhagavad-Gita. He read seven or eight English translations of Bhagavad-Gita and experimented with meditation. Yet his search was still incomplete.
It was as a student at the State University of New York in Buffalo, in 1969, that Srila Romapada Swami finally found the path to the Absolute Truth that he had been searching for. It was there that he had his first introduction to Krsna consciousness when he heard His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada chanting on campus.
Sometime thereafter, Srila Romapada Swami received a copy of Back to Godhead Magazine and Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-Gita, As It Is, the first translation he read that revealed the transcendental message with clarity. He attained the association of devotees who were participating in the preaching center that formed near campus, headed by one of Srila Prabhupada's senior disciples.
Srila Romapada Swami was 21 years old and had just been accepted to medical school when he joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
During July of 1971,Srila Romapada Swami received first initiation from Srila Prabhupada at the temple located on Henry Street in Brooklyn, New York. One year later, during the summer of '72, Srila Romapada Swami received second initiation. At the time he was fully engaged as the Sankirtana Leader and the Temple Commander in a temple of 150 devotees. During that same summer, Their Most Beautiful Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Govinda, arrived in New York.
Srila Romapada Swami has remained a faithful servant at the lotus feet of Their Lordships ever since. In the summer of 1982, Srila Romapada Swami received initiation into the renounced order of life. After accepting sannyasa, he traveled to many temples throughout the United States and Europe, preaching Krsna consciousness.
In March of '92, he was appointed Governing Body Commissioner for New York and New Jersey. In '94 he accepted the same responsibility for the Midwest United States. Under his inspiration and direction many Sunday Schools and congregational development programs have sprouted and flourished. Due to his indebtedness to Srila Prabhupada, and the particular circumstances in which he contacted Krsna consciousness, Srila Romapada Swami remains forever dedicated to college preaching.
