Varsana Swami
Varsana Swami was born in 1950 in Morristown, New Jersey. From his childhood he was strongly drawn to the workings of the natural world. He became a vegetarian of his own accord at the age of seven and was determined to lead a life of compassion.
As a young man his search for meaning manifest through studying theology in college, visiting ashrams, and hearing from different gurus. Finally, in 1972 he had the great fortune of meeting his beloved Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada. That encounter had such a profound impact that he was inspired to join the Brooklyn temple. Shortly thereafter, he went to New Vrindavan and began what is now nearly 4 decades of devotional service there. Maharaj has performed a variety of seva over the years including: raising and training draft animals for farmwork; pujari service; conservation work and natural resources; and heading up the excavation department – responsible for literally carving out the infrastructure of New Vrindavan. Currently he continues his conservation work and is actively developing the lila-sthan of Govardhan Hill in New Vrindavan. This is being done in conjunction with Dham Seva (a non-profit organization dedicated to Srila Prabhupada’s desire that the holy places of Vraja appear in New Vrindavan.) When not serving in New Vrindavan, Varsana Swami travels as an advocate and dedicated supporter of the farm movement within ISKCON.
Varsana Swami is the author of the book Sri Gaura Lila.
