Mukunda Goswami

H.H. Mukunda Goswami was born in Portland, Oregon, on 10 April 1942 and educated at Reed College. He met Srila Prabhupada in 1966, in New York, and took initiation from him later that year. H.H. Satsvarupa Das Goswami's authorised biography of Srila Prabhuapda, "Lilamrta" describes these events, as well as how he helped Srila Prabhupada start 26, 2nd Avenue, New York. Mukunda das Adhikari, as he was known at the time, then left to spread Krishna consciousness in San Francisco, setting up the Frederick Street

Temple. In 1968, he was one of six who pioneered the Krishna Consciousness movement in England. He circled the globe many times, aiding in the advancement of Krishna consciousness, always ready to encourage anyone who was interested, taking a personal interest in their lives and concerns. It is in only recently that he has been able to devote himself fully to his spiritual master's last instruction to him, which was to "write and edit.”Mukunda Goswami is co-author of Divine Nature – A Spiritual Perspective on the Environmental Crisis, with Drutakarma Das, (Michael Cremo).

He is currently researching the follow-up to this, entitled Spiritual Solutions to Material Problems. He has co-authored three other books, namely Coming Back – The Science of Reincarnation, The Higher Taste, and Chant and Be Happy, and wrote the foreword to the classic collection of Srila Prabhupada essays, Science of Self Realization. His latest book to be published is called Inside the Hare Krishna Movement – a history of ISKCON communications from 1989-1998.

His biographical entry on ISKCON's founder for the 1976 Encyclopaedia Brittanica Book of the Year, was published, as were several articles for newspapers and magazines around the world, including the Times of India. Mukunda Goswami is executive editor of the Hare Krishna World newspaper, and associate editor for Back to Godhead magazine. For ten years he was a governing body commissioner for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (GBC) and minister for Communications. As Director of Communications Global, and International Director of Food for Life, he contributed proactively on many levels, to Krishna Consciousness becoming better known in society at large, and to the training and education of the devotee community.Mukunda Goswami received the title "GBC Emeritus" in 1999 and is a member of the executive committee for ISKCON Communications Global. In his last years of office he was a key team member developing the first official ISKCON communications training course.

This is now regularly taught world-wide. He has lectured in thirty-eight countries, and is one of the more senior of Srila Prabhupada's initating gurus, with 47 disciples and several aspiring disciples. Mukunda Goswami lives and works in a rural temple community in New Zealand, but his main office remains in a house Prabhupada stayed in, at the Potomac Temple, Maryland, USA. This temple was predicted by Srila Prabhupada to be the place where "senators and their wives will stroll in the gardens and learn of Krishna consciousness." The Hare Krishna Today video team, as Avatar Studios, have their base there, and developed their expertise under his supervision in the late nineties. He remains a consultant to this creative group, many of whom are gurukuli graduates. He compiled the popular CD collection "Divine Classics" and personally features on the lesser known, limited edition CD, "Songs of Devotion." An experienced musician, Mukunda Goswami was one of the first devotees to have personal lessons on harmonium and mrdanga from his Divine Grace. His own memoirs of Srila Prabhupada are due out soon.
Web site: http://mukundagoswami.org/
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