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Who is Acaryadeva?
H.H. Hridayananda
dasa Goswami (Dr. Howard J. Resnick, Ph.D.) is one of the most respected
spiritual leaders of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
In modern times, amongst the most essential tasks of the Krishna conscious
spiritual masters has been to translate the Vedic scriptures of millennial
India to modern languages and to distribute them profusely all over the
world. H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami has accepted this mission as his
life and soul.
H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami appeared in this
world in November 5, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. Due to his academic
merits, he secured a full scholarship for the University of California,
where he first saw a lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of the Krishna Consciousness
Movement. Impressed by the vast knowledge and saintliness of Srila
Prabhupada, H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami became a member of the Hare
Krishna movement in Berkeley, and, shortly after, on the 8th of February
of 1970, he was initiated as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.
Since
the very beginning, H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami distinguished himself
for his eloquence, devotion, and dedication to studying the writings of
his spiritual master, through which he acquired a profound knowledge of
Sanskrit. In 1972, he accepted the renounced order of life, sannyasa, to
dedicate himself totally to his spiritual master's mission: to spread the
Krishna Conscious movement all over the world. In the two subsequent years
he traveled widely, giving lectures and conferences in colleges and
universities in the United States.
In 1974, H.H. Hridayananda dasa
Goswami was named member of the Administrative Body of ISKCON, where he
was encumbered with development of Krishna consciousness in Latin America.
In the following three years, he established twenty-five centers of the
Society and attracted thousands of Latin Americans to Krishna
consciousness. In his trips throughout Latin America, he met many
political authorities and religious leaders, conversing with them in
fluent Portuguese and Spanish. He is also the founder of the Portuguese
and Spanish Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which has already distributed over
twenty-five million books all over Latin America.
A little before
departing from this world in November of 1977, His Divine Grace Srila
Prabhupada asked H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami, as well as ten other
prominent disciples, to accept the role of spiritual masters and initiate
disciples to give continuity to the disciplic succession starting with the
Supreme Lord, Krishna. The biggest challenge in his career as spiritual
leader, however, came when the leaders of ISKCON, recognizing his profound
devocional erudition, entrusted him to complete de Srila Prabhupada's
monumental translation and commentary of the Srimad Bhagavatam, the most
important classic of Vedic literature. For thousands of years in India,
great spiritual masters presented commentaries on the Bhagavatam to
explain its urgent message to the people of their times. H.H. Hridayananda
dasa Goswami is the first westerner is trusted with this laborious task,
and his success in communicating the essence of India's spiritual heritage
to modern readers has already been noticed by scholars and religious
leaders in the whole world.
In 1996 H.H. Hridayananda dasa Goswami
received his Ph.D. in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from the University of
Harvard.
His present project is the translation and adaptation of
the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He is also currently finishing his first
novel, a modern-day, exciting drama meant to captivate the general public
while transmitting Krishna conscious philosophy and values.
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