Jayadvaita Swami also reflected on Goswami Maharaja’s challenges in taking up the academic study of religion. “He was aware of what kind of battlefield he was on. It was not the place to go head-to-head with people and say, ‘You’re wrong; you’re a demon; you’re a speculator.’ It was a field in which you had […]
As senior leaders in Srila Prabhupada’s movement Jayadvaita Swami and Tamal Krishna Goswami had to deal with complex and delicate issues over many years of service, and there were times when they didn’t see eye to eye. However, Jayadvaita Maharaja emphasized how important it was to Goswami Maharaja for a respectful bond to continue between […]
In the early 1980s at Radha-Kalachandji dhama in Dallas, Goswami Maharaja spoke every morning for about a month about surrender from the Sixth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, the story of Ajamila. Many young, exuberant devotees were joining at that time, fusing with a powerful group that included remnants of the Radha Damodara party and senior […]
Giridhari Swami explained, “Goswami Maharaja was my closest Godbrother. He was always very kind to me in ways too numerous to mention. I had the great fortune of trying to assist him in his preaching work beginning from the Radha-Damodara party. Later on we took responsibility for the Dallas and Houston communities, and I went […]
Guru Prasada Maharaja quoted one Godbrother who had said, “Whenever I see Tamal Krishna Maharaja, I think of Srila Prabhupada. He was always the reference point to Srila Prabhupada. Whether we were younger or older devotees, we often wondered what Srila Prabhupada would think about something. At such times we would always confirm what Srila […]
Giridhari Swami went on to share, “We can certainly understand that Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, and Sri Sri Radha-Madhava here in Mayapur made some very, very special arrangement for Goswami Maharaja. There is no doubt. Of course, we lament his departure. But at the same time we think about the will of this great […]
Caitanya Carana dasa first listened to Tamal Krishna Goswami’s lectures as a new bhakta in the Amsterdam temple. Trying to figure out who his guru might be, he would look for audio tapes of different gurus and listen to them. He would think, “That is nice, but it isn’t my guru.” Then he would listen […]
Madhudvisa dasa remembered how Tamal Krishna Goswami led the devotees on so many adventures. “When we first went to India in 1970, Tamal Krishna led us up and down the aisles of the Pan American 747 when we were 30,000 feet up in the air, doing sankirtana. We were chanting Hare Krishna at 30,000 feet. […]
In Suva, Fiji, in 1979, Govardhana dasa (who was not initiated then) and his mother attended a lecture program by Goswami Maharaja. When Govardhana danced enthusiastically in the kirtana after the talk, Goswami’s keen eyes noticed him. In fact, thinking that this robust dancer was a good candidate for Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy, he later dispatched […]
Dayal Nitai dasa, Goswami Maharaja’s Belgian disciple, was working in the devotee restaurant at Radhadesh, a beautiful castle transformed into an ISKCON temple in rural Belgium, but his mind was unsettled. He was considering changing his work and possibly his asrama as well. At that time Goswami Maharaja was visiting Bhaktivedanta Manor, the temple in […]