[New Member: Keshava Dasa]
From the Bhakti List Archives
• June 7, 1995
[I am forwarding an introduction from a new member of our mailing list, Keshava Dasa (Greg Jay)]. ------- start of forwarded message (RFC 934 encapsulation) ------- From: GORKESHAVA@aol.com To: mani Subject: Re: Vaisnava Web Site Date: Tue, 6 Jun 1995 16:18:01 -0400 Dear Mani, Back in the early 70's i got involved with the Hare Krishna movement which at the time was the only form of Vaishnavism commonly available in the west. I was always interested in the roots of Vaishnavism. So i travelled to India and studied Sanskrit, Hindu philoshophy, and Pancaratra Agama. I spent four years in Vrndavan, Mathura District, UP, and another four in Bangalore. I have travelled extensively in India to holy places from Kanya Kumari to Badrinath (and even to muktinath in Nepal) and from Dwaraka to Puri. Due to my background in Agamas I would fly all over the world to perform the opening ceremonies at ISKCON temples. I have also performed many marriages and other pujas for Hindu communities woldwide. I was general manager of a PL480 funded microfilm project run by the smithsonian in the 80's called Vaishnava Literature Conservation Project. I worked under Dr. Charles S. J. White of The American University, Washington, D.C. I have connections with saints, swamis, and scholars in India and abroad. I got initiated in ISKCON by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement Swami Prabhupada and was the head priest as his samadhi mandir in Vrndavan for over two years. I studied Pancaratra Agama (Padma Samhita mostly) from M. R. Sampat Kumara Bhattacharya of Tulasi Ram Das Mutt, Fraser Town, Bangalore (a vadakalai man) and the late Y. R. Vasudeva Bhattacharya (a tenkalai man), professor of Pancaratra Agama at the Maharaja's Sanskrit College, Mysore. I received Archaka Diksa (cakrabja mandala diksa, panca samskara, samashrayana, etc) from Vasudeva Bhattar. I live on Maui in Hawaii, with my wife Bhakti devi who is a watercolor artist and photographer. We are pure (lacto) vegetarians. We don't take meat, fish, eggs, etc. We don't smoke or drink and try to live satvik lives and do the kainkarya of the lord. We rise early every morning and chant suprabhatam. I perform sandhya vandanam, morning sauca vidhis and ijya (puja) every day. We have a lot of deities and saligrams on our altar and we also offer our food at home and regularly invite others for prasad. We chant Visnu Sahasranam whenever we find time and both do daily japa of Tirumantra, Dvaya, and Carama sloka. Whenever we can we Wear Dhoti, Sari, Tiruman and Sri Curna, especially in India. We visit india for at least one or two months a year. We have just returned (April 1st) from a six month trip to india, in which we lived for five months in Sri Rangam (witnessing the celebrations of Vijay Dasami, Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Brahmotsava, and Tepostsava), and spent one month travelling to Vrndavan, Udaipur, Nathadvara, Jaipur, Bangalore, Melkote, Mysore, Udipi and Bombay. I would very much like to be a part of your group. Specifically I am interested in sri vaishnavism (any discussion of philosophy or religion, really) but my wife and I are interested in pretty much anything connected with India, from Sambar recipies to Carnatic singing. ------- end -------
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