Indradyumna Swami

Indradyumna Swami is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada [ [http://www.prabhupada.com/disciple.php?letter=I Disciple Database ] ] founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a sannyasi [ [http://www.iskcon.net.au/sannyasaministry/listing List of Sannyasis in ISKCON April 2008] ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry, Retrieved on 2008-05-05] traveling preacher, and a guru or spiritual teacher in the Chaitanya Vaisnava tradition. Each year Indradyumna Swami circles the globe teaching the message of the Bhagavad-gita and introducing people to kirtan chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra. His yearly activities culminate in coordinating the annual summer Festival of India tour on the Polish Baltic coast from June to September. He also leads an annual pilgrimage to Krishna's holy land Vrindavan in North India during the sacred month of Kartika October/November. Indradyumna Swami shares his experiences and realizations as a traveling preacher in a journal "The Diary of a Traveling Preacher". Now in its eighth volume the journal is published each year as a book. Chapters from "Diary of a Traveling Preacher" are available in soft form on the Internet [http://traveling-preacher.com] . Lectures and kirtans by Indradyumna Swami are also regularly uploaded on the Internet [http://narottam.com] .

Early life

Born as Brian Tibbitts on May 20th, 1949 in Palo Alto, California, after surviving a struggle with spinal meningitis at age four and the death of a neighborhood dog at age six, he began contemplating existential questions concerning the nature of life and death, happiness and distress, real love and the purpose of the universe [Swami, I. (1993). Shelter beyond duality. Back to Godhead, 27(5).] . Unable to find the answers within his home community, he left home to find the secret of a "truly satisfying life" at age sixteen. An idealist he eventually joined the US Marines to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. A year later he was discharged as a conscientious objector. Shortly thereafter in 1970 he met members of ISKCON in Detroit, Michigan and became a member, moving into the temple at 8311 East Jefferson. Within a week of joining he was leading congregational chanting kirtan and distributing spiritual literature such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In December 1971 he was awarded initiation by his spiritual master A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, receiving the name Indradyumna [Prabhupada, A. C. B. S. (2003). 1971 Correspondence. In Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. Los Angeles, Ca: Bhaktivedant Book Trust International.] after a saintly king described in India's ancient traditions.

Missionary activities

Following the instruction of his spiritual master to “preach boldly and have faith in the holy names,” [Swami, I. (2001). Vyasa-puja homages from Sannyasis - Indradyumna Swami. In Sri Vyasa-puja. Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.] Indradyumna left the USA in 1972 journeying to Europe where he helped open new centers in France [Swami, I. (1997). Vysa-puja homages from Sannyasis - Indradyumna Swami. In Sri Vyasa-puja 1997. Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.] , Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium. In 1979 at age 29 he took a vow of lifelong dedication to missionary activities as a celibate monk and entered the renounced order of sannyasa as Indradyumna Swami. In the early 1980s he served as the temple president at the New Mayapur château temple and farm near Chateauroux in France.Fact|date=February 2008

Since 1986 Indradyumna Swami has been traveling and spreading Krishna Consciousness throughout the world, including the Amazon jungle [Swami, I. (1988). Drums along the Amazon: A new frontier for Lord Caitanya's mercy. Back To Godhead, 23.] , the Zulu tribal areas and Soweto township in South Africa [Swami, I. (1988). Kirtana in Kwazulu. Back To Godhead, 23(9).] , the tropical islands of Mauritius [Swami, I. (1989). Seeds for the simple life. Back To Godhead, 24(6).] and New Caledonia [Swami, I. (1991). Sharing in New Caledonia. Back To Godhead, 25(4).] , the snows of Siberia [Swami, I. (2002). A Siberian Gypsy welcome. Back To Godhead, 36(5).] [Swami, I. (2005). The diary of a traveling preacher (Vol. 3). Badger, Ca: Tourchlight Publishing.] , war torn Bosnia [Swami, I. (1997). Angels in Hell. Back To Godhead, 31(1).] , and Indonesia [Swami, I. (1992). Indonesia's Vedic Valley. Back To Godhead, 26(3).] . By founding the highly successful annual Ratha Yatra festival on the Durban beach front in 1989 [Every town and village: Ratha-yatra comes to Durban. (1989). Back To Godhead, 24(5).] . Indradyumna Swami fulfilled a request made by Srila Prabhupada in 1975 [Temple, D. (1996). Vyasa-puja homages from ISKCON centers - Durban. In Sri Vyasa-puja. Los Angeles, Ca: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.] . On occasion Indradyumna Swami and his party have faced attacks by extremists such as those in Bosnia and Poland [Swami, I. (2001). For the gentle and the ruffians. Back To Godhead, 35(5).] . In 2001 he headed up Food for Life's international relief effort to provide hot meals to 250,000 [ISKCON serves 250,000 freshly cooked meals to survivors. (2005, February 14). Colombo Daily News.] tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka [Packree, S., & Sookha, B. (2005, January 12). Opening hearts, wallets for disaster relief funds. Daily News.] . Since 1990 Indradyumna Swami's activities have increasingly centered around coordinating massive cultural events each year in Poland.

Polish Festival of India

Indradyumna Swami has been involved in coordinating the annual Festival of India tour in Poland since 1990. The festivals seek to introduce people to India's ancient cultural traditions through a feast of entertainment and education involving: [Prahlada, S. (2000). Bharata culture on the Baltic coast. Back To Godhead, 34(4).] :

* classical Indian dance performances
* theaters with larger than life puppets
* presentations on classical Indian texts such as Bhagavad-gita
* musical performances
* graphic exhibits
* stalls with books and handicrafts
* vegetarian cuisine

The events are attended by between 5,000 to 10,000 people at a time. Over 200 volunteers from around the world participate in setting up equipment, running the stalls, performing on stage, and advertising the festivals. An estimated 750,000 people attend the events each summer.

Polish Woodstock

Since 1996 Indradyumna Swami and the Polish Festival of India team have participated in the Przystanek Woodstock free music festival organized over the first weekend in August each year by Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. Dubbed Europe's largest annual open air event, Przystanek Woodstock is attended by over 300,000 people each year. Within the mayhem of this setting Indradyumna Swami and the Festival of India team of more than 500 volunteers set up a spiritual sanctuary called "Krishna's Village of Peace" [Das, K.-k. (2003). Krishna's village of peace. Back To Godhead, 37(1).] . In the village, festival goers can participate in spiritual discussions and cultural performances, or join the line at the Food for Peace tent to receive one of 90,000 plates of vegetarian food distributed there each year.

Vrindavana Pilgrimage

Indradyumna Swami has a special fondness for Vrindavana the holy land of Krishna’s pastimes in North India. Each year he invites disciples and friends to join him for pilgrimage in the sacred month of Kartika in October/November [Swami, I. (2007). Fruit of Vrindavan. In The diary of a traveling preacher (Vol. 7). Badger: Tourchlight Publishing.] . During the a two-to-three-week pilgrimage around 200 participants assemble each morning in front of the famous Krishna Balarama Temple where they board designated buses to visit various holy sites and temples in the Vrindavana area such as Govardhana hill, Radha-kunda, and Varsana. At each site Indradyumna Swami and his associates sing kirtan and describe the pastimes performed there by Radha, Krishna and saints such as the Six Goswamis.

References

External links

* [http://www.traveling-preacher.com Read chapters of Indradyumna Swami's "Diary of a Traveling Preacher" online]
* [http://narottam.com Listen to lectures and Kirtans by Indradyumna Swami]