In this issue we hear about the life and glorious passing of one of the Hare Krsna movement's pioneers, His Holiness Sridhara Swami. Known as "the jolly swami," he joined Srila Prabhupada's fledgling movement in 1969 and spent the next thirty-five years in service to his guru, in dedicated spiritual practice, and in teaching Krsna consciousness around the world.
Sridhara Swami spent his last days at ISKCON's center in Mayapur, West Bengal, in the heart of Lord Caitanya's holy land. Srila Prabhupada wanted the center to become a showcase for all aspects of the Krsna conscious life, including education. A group of devotees there have wholeheartedly taken up the task of creating an educational institution in Mayapur where members of ISKCON can grow in their spiritual knowledge and practice. "Seed of a Sage Vision" introduces us to the fruit of their efforts: Mayapur Institute for Higher Education.
Mayapur lies only about thirty miles from the border of Bangladesh, formerly part of India and its rich spiritual heritage, especially as connected to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers. Indradyumna Swami's "Pilgrimage to Bangladesh" tells of a rare visit by Western devotees to some of Bangladesh's holiest sites.
(Nagaraja Dasa, Editor)
Our Purposes
• To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary.
• To expose the faults of materialism.
• To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life.
• To preserve and spread the Vedic culture.
• To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
• To help every living being remember and serve SriKrsna, the Personality of Godhead.