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Name: Gauranga Sundara Das
Date of Birth: 06/07/1950
Nationality:
German
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Germany, in a small village which is somewhere in the middle of Germany.
How long have you been in ISKCON?
I've been in ISKCON since 1975.
How did you come to Krsna consciousness?
That is a very interesting
story. I have been searching, looking for the truth. I looked through
various different faith groups and religions, including the Seven Days
Adventists, Mormons, a little bit into Jehovah Witnesses. I could find some nice points in all of them, but
non could answer all my questions.
I was brought up as a Catholic. I've even been an alter boy, which I liked very much. As time passed Christianity and Catholicism couldn't answer my questions. I came to study books of Rudolph
Steiner from the Anthroposophy Movement. For the first time I came
across information about a spiritual master, initiation etc. I have to say I also studied other spiritual books,
about Buddhism for instance, studied sociology and psychology, that in particular was one of my
favourites. My search brought me closer to Krishna consciousness.
At the time I was living in a community of young people. There was quite a few fluctuations , people came and
went. One day a girl wanted to join. She went out one day doing some shopping. She had met the devotees on the street, she came back with a Bhagavad-gita and
some posters. She had been convinced right there on the
street to join the Hare Krishna Temple at Schloss Rettershof. She didn't even stay or perhaps she stayed that night I don't remember.
On her leaving she gave me the Bhagavad-gita and two beautiful posters of
Krishna. I didn't really know what to do with them, I was quite overwhelmed. I wondered for years WHY ME?!
There were many other people, a dozen or more. Perhaps my room had a kind of an arranged, meditational
atmosphere.
I did at that time do some meditation, I tried to do some meditation with instructions from various
books, staring at the tip of the nose, eyes half closed, half open, trying to experience the third eye in the middle of the forehead. I seemed to have a little success, but thinking back
to that time I feel it had rather something to do with imagination. If you imagine something hard
enough, well it was something to keep you peaceful.
So when I got this Bhagavad-gita I was using the Gita for a year or
so just when I needed some advice some help when my mind was troubling me, or anything else troubling me. I'd just open it anywhere. Then I read that verse.
Wherever I opened Bhagavad-gita, it always and every time brought me a step closer. There's not a single time the Bhagavad-Gita didn't help me!
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Have you lived in any other Temples?
I've lived in Germany In the
temple, Schloss Rettershof. From Germany I moved to a temple in France, to New Mayapur, which was a large farm
community. I stayed there between 1980-1988. Then I came to Leicester,
living outside and since a year I moved into the Temple in Leicester.
What attracted you to the Leicester Temple?
Well I came to Leicester actually really circumstantially, it wasn't
planned. I am in Leicester since '88. There was a temple at that time on
Rendell Road it was a very small temple. I went there but not very
regularly. There were a few brahmacaris. When the Thoresby Street temple opened some 12 years
ago I was there for the opening ceremony. My friend Jagad Purusha, whom I was closely related to at that time, tried to convince me to become Temple
President, however I was not ready for that at the time. What attracted me or what does attract me to this
temple at the moment is that there is a wonderful community of devotees, young
devotees and enthusiastic devotees. A friendly congregation come to the
temple. It is a wonderful and fertile ground for preaching and a very supportive environment in the multicultural atmosphere of Leicester. By the order of Srila Prahbupada and Sivarama
Swami I'm here serving in what ever way possible.
What are your preaching activities?
My preaching activity as Temple President reach from counselling devotees
at the Temple to
counselling congregational members who living outside the Temple and of
course the management of the temple.
Why do you enjoy being Temple President?
Because Krishna consciousness is enjoyable. What ever we do.
How would you like to see Krishna consciousness expand?
My dream is to see masses of people chanting Hare Krishna in the streets. I hope I'm going to see
some success in my life time. Particularly in Leicester I would like to see a vibrant community of devotees living at the
temple, I would like to see a bigger temple, A purpose built temple, a
vibrant place where devotees from all around the world would love to
come to.
I would like to see that newcomers to Krishna consciousness who have progressed on the spiritual path are properly taken care of, trained up to become first class devotees so that they can go back home to Godhead in this very lifetime.
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