ISKCON Aligarh - Official, India shared Vrindavan Darsan with Sundar Nityananda Das - Jps's post.

TODAY IS THE VYASA PUJA OF HH GOPAL KRISHNA GOSWAMI MAHARAJ

His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami appeared on 14th August, 1944 in New Delhi, India. The day was the eleventh day of the waning moon, the auspicious day of Lord Hari - Annada Ekadashi.

After graduating from the University of Delhi, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami studied Business Management at the Sorbonne University of Paris (on a scholarship from the French Government). Later, he also obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the McGill University at Montreal.

H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami's life changed dramatically after he met His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1968. His Holiness was living in Toronto at that time. Having received an invitation from the President of the Montreal temple, he arrived there on 30th May, 1968.

When H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami came to the temple, the President HG Mahapurusa Dasa, announced that Srila Prabhupada would be arriving the next day (1st June). After the kirtana, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami asked Mahapurusa Dasa if there was any service he could do. Mahapurusa Dasa immediately sent H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami to clean Srila Prabhupada's room. "I was fortunate enough to receive this as my first assignment in devotional service," says H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami. He cleaned the doors, shelves and windows of Srila Prabhupada's apartment. In this way, his service attitude for Srila Prabhupada was manifest right from the beginning - even before he actually met Srila Prabhuapada!

He first met Srila Prabhupada in the evening of 1st June, 1968. Within the first two weeks of meeting him, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami knew that he would accept him as his spiritual master later.

Around December 1967, six months before he met Srila Prabhupada, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami had a strong desire to surrender to the Supreme Lord. He had started visiting many Hindu temples, Gurudwaras and Churches hoping to find out about God. Every Sunday he would seek out a different Church, Temple or Gurudwara, and would spend the whole day there. In H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami’s own words: "When I first met Srila Prabhupada, the motivation to surrender to God was already there in me, and two weeks after meeting him, I knew that Lord Krishna wanted me to surrender to Srila Prabhupada".

Srila Prabhupada was always sympathetic and extra-merciful to Indians, but of all the Indians who came to listen to him, young Gopala Krishna was very special. While all the other Indians would offer obeisances and sit for a few minutes, he was the only Indian who would come regularly and sit right till the lecture ended.

During the three month period that Srila Prabhupada stayed and lectured in Montreal, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami says, "Of course, I did not at any time know the importance of hearing , but my only small qualification was that I was very respectful to Srila Prabhupada from the first day I saw him, and I would stay for his lectures till the end, and leave only after he had left the temple".

Around that time H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami was working for Pepsi-Cola, handling their Marketing Research. Srila Prabhupada started taking great personal interest in him, and would talk to him almost everyday.

Since then, both of them started a regular correspondence, with Srila Prabhupada writing as many as three long letters every month. Thus began, a very intimate guru-shishya relationship .

On 27th May 1969, Srila Prabhupada wrote to say, "As your name is already Gopala Krishna, there is no need for changing it. You will now be known as Gopala Krishna Dasa. His Holiness was only 25 years old then!

Later on H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami moved into the temple and engaged himself fully in the service of Srila Prabhupada. For many years he acted as his Personal Secretary.

In 1975, Srila Prabhupada sent H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami to India. He had made H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami the Governing Body Commissioner for the entire India from 1975 to 1976. Srila Prabhupada specifically instructed H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami to print and expand book-distribution in India.

"He was already anxious that book-printing in India should expand," says H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami; "during my first two years he would press me again and again to print more and more books." Srila Prabhupada was especially pleased when H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami presented him copies of the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam in Hindi.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami to utilise his talents for selling his books as widely as possible. "Now you can utilize your knowledge of marketing for Krishna's service, idam hi pumas tapasya srntasya va, svistasya suktasya ca buddhi dattayo. This is the perfection of education."

Around this time, H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami was also made G.B.C. for Russia. Later he made several trips to Communist Soviet Union and risking grave danger, preached and distributed books over there. After the fall of the Communist Regime, and the freedom granted to religious expression, he has helped establish many centers in the erstwhile Soviet Union.

In 1981, His Holiness took to the sannyasa order and a year later, in March 1982, on the auspicious day of Gaura-Purnima, became a "diksha guru" (an initiating spiritual master). H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami is also the Chairman and Trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which is the largest publisher and distributor of Vedic literature all over the world. He is also the Governing Body Commissioner for Western and Northern India, Kenya, parts of America, and many parts of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami has been and is at present ,actively involved in many of ISKCON's current projects, including the multi-crore 'Glory of India.' Project in New Delhi. This includes a multi-media visual display, a Vedic Cultural Museum, the Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi temple, and an open air theatre. In Bombay past services include, a Centennial Committee that was formed to launch campaigns to create funds to celebrate Srila Prabhupada's Centennial. These included the building of Srila Prabhupada's Memorial Hospital Project, a Nationwide Communications Project, Hare Krishna Television Project, and many more are being discussed and improvised. His Holiness has also procured land in Kurukshetra and Vrindavana for expanding preaching programmes.

Currently this has manifested in Heaven On Earth, another magnificent Project , this time at Hare Krishna Land, Juhu. The Vedic Educational and Cultural Complex at the Heaven on Earth is a must-visit place, where the Robot Show presents religious knowledge by using electronic power. There are also excellent facilities at the new revamped Guest House and the unparalleled Prasadam served at Govindas here.Congregational participation is being encouraged in all spheres here and in other Zones. In the erstwhile Soviet Union, His Divine Grace has had phenomenal success in serving Srila Prabhupada! Across Delhi and the other Zones, buildings have been acquired, book distribution is growing rapidly, Food for Life programmes have been introduced and are thriving, weekly seminars are being conducted, restaurants are being developed, regular preaching programmes are being conducted in schools and colleges and people are becoming favourable to the movement.
Other projects include youth cultivation programmes, house programmes in every corner of the world, and overseeing of the translation, printing and distribution of Srila Prabhupada's books.Youth and Householders in the Congregation are thriving in numbers and throbbing with enthusiasm in serving Lord Chaitanya's Mission under Srila Prabhupada's Instructions.Thus Lord Krishna's mercy is being distributed everywhere!

"H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami’s spirited enthusiasm makes even a sceptic pause and contemplate on his words" said one atheistic visitor. His aims are so clear! Many are overwhelmed by his selfless and compassionate intellect, as they strive towards becoming virtuous people. Even the subtlest concepts are explained with such admirable ease and patience.

Srila Prabhupada always admired his qualities of head and heart, and he once remarked: "Gopala is a very nice boy and he must be encouraged". Even hard core atheists are attracted to his graceful simplicity. Every encounter, every gesture and every answer brings out the inner conviction he has, in the mission he has embraced.Srila Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki Jaya.