Our Teachers |
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H.H.
Sacinandana Swami left home only 16 years old to meet devotees and to become
a disciple of Srila Prabhupada in 1971. Maharaja’s first years in
ISKCON were spent by translating Srila Prabhupada’s books from English
to German and later he joined the book distribution party in Germany. Desiring
to deepen his preaching, Maharaja soon started to visit people, who already
got our books to encourage them to actively practice Krsna consciousness
at home. This was the beginning of a nama-hatta congregational preaching
in Germany and the North European area. Later this developed into a big
preaching programs with the Gauranga Bhajan Group and the Nityananda Bhajan
Group. Sometimes preaching to thirty thousand people, Sacinandana Swami
would say: "My heart dances in joy when I see so many people taking
to Krishna Consciousness." Later Maharaja was instrumental in helping
to start different farm communities and projects, like the Goloka Dhama
project in Europe.
In the last ten years H.H. Sacinandana Swami dedicated more of his time
to inner spiritual life, seeking inspiration and higher guidance on extended
pilgrimages and spiritual retreats. He visited Vrindavan many times and
organized a number of retreats, devoted to the Holy Name. He also visited
many holy places, such as in Himalayas, South India, etc. Always a preacher,
Sacinandana Swami shared many of his insights in his books: "Nectarean
Ocean of the Holy Name", "The Gayatri Book" and "The
Way of the Great Departure".Beside teaching in Bhaktivedanta College
(Radhadesh, Belgium), Maharaja's new emphasis lies on a unique preaching
concept of presenting the culture of Krishna Consciousness to the people
in Veda Academy. It has already been started in eight countries and soon
is to be spread to many others.
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H.G.Bhurijana
Prabhu first met Srila Prabhupada at 26 Second Ave, and was initiated by
Srila Prabhupada in 1968. After preaching in Japan for about a year, in
1970 he opened ISKCON's first Hong Kong center. Throughout the early 1970s
Srila Prabhupada would many times meet with Bhurijana during Srila Prabhupada's
tours of the Far East: Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Fiji, Australia
and New Zealand. In his last meeting in 1976, Bhurijana Prabhu was requested
by Srila Prabhupada to help develop the educational system. Since then
he has taught both academic and ashrama courses in Gita-Nagari and Vrindavana
and has conducted several teacher training courses in Vrindavana. In 1987,
in Vrindavana, he began the Vaisnava Institute for Higher Education, where
he has taught courses in teaching, writing, and the main books of Srila
Prabhupada -- Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, The Nectar of
Devotion, The Nectar of Instruction, and Sri Isopanisad. To fulfill Srila
Prabhupada's desire, he is now organizing degree courses on Srila Prabhupada's
books, especially the first six cantos of the Bhagavatam. No wonder that
his main topic at Govardhan Retreat is Bhagavatam. He has written several
books, including The Art of Teaching, Surrender Unto Me (in-depth study
of the Bhagavad-gita), Studying Srimad-Bhagavatam, My Glorious Master and "Unveiling His Lotus Feet" - in-depth study of the 1st and 2nd Cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
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H.G.
Jagattarini Mataji joined ISKCON and first met Srila Prabhupada in America
in 1970 (many of you may have heard of this famous story of a successful
actress becoming a devotee). Through her connections with the Movement,
Jagattarini met her husband, Bhurijana Prabhu, and together they pioneered
a nama-hatta center in Hong Kong. Srila Prabhupada encouraged her to use
artistic talents in attracting people to the cultural side of devotional
service. Some years later this manifested during her stay at the Gita Nagari
farm (USA) as a series of puppet shows, later presented for worldwide viewing
by ITV. In 1983 she moved with her family to Sri Vrindavan Dhama, and they
spent the next 13 years teaching in Bhaktivedanta Gurukula. In her spare
time, she regularly journeyed by local transport to significant holy places
throughout the outlying Braja District. After touring the sacred land for
years Jagattarini Mataji amassed a treasury of realizations about different
pastime places in Sri Vrindavan Dhama and developed a deep attachment to
them. Since 1996 Jagattarini, Bhurijana and family have been based in Perth,
where Bhurijana Prabhu lectures on the Bhagavatam. Jagattarini Mataji continues
to draw her artistic inspiration from Vraja Dhama, and since 1998 she has
been working with a variety of mediums producing miniature three-dimensional
diorama exhibits, depicting Krishna's nectarean Vrindavan pastimes. She
is establishing these dioramas within a project known as Gopinatha Dhama,
which is meant to attract souls to the glories of Sri Vrindavan Dhama.
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