2024.05.06 (Vrindavan Today News) Thousands paid last respects to Iskcon – India chairman as Shri Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj on Monday as his mortal remains were given Bhu- Samadhi at Iskcon’s Vrindavan Gaushala. The last rites were perfromed in accordance with his wishes. His body was kept in sitting posture and all the offerings – flowers, honey, milk, sugar were showered on it before being covered with soil.
An hour long ceremony was held amidst the Vedic chanting and Mahamantra by the devotees keeping with the tradition of Iskcon. All the seers present there paid homage by offering a handful of soil each on the mortal remains of the spiritual master. Before the was taken for samadhi the mortal remains were kept at the Balaram Hall in the Krishna Balaram Temple premises for the last darshan. The body was then taken in an open vehicle, decorated with flowers. Hundreds of the grateful devotees followed the procession taken for the last rites. A huge number of his followers, disciples, seers and locals participated in the procession
Before the body of the spiritual master was interred in the holy land of Vrindavan, the mortal remains were placed for darshan also at the East of Kailash temple in New Delhi.
One of the most revered sannyasis of ISKCON and the Chairman of ISKCON India’s Governing Council, Revered Gopal Krishna Goswami, passed away on 5th May in Dehradun due to cardiac ailments.
According to Shri Vrajendra Nandan Dasa, Director of the Iskcon communication His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj was born in 1944 in New Delhi. He was a scholarly student who received scholarships to study at Sorbonne University (France) and McGill University (Canada). In 1968, he had the privilege of meeting his guru and ISKCON’s founder-acharya, Srila Prabhupada, in Canada, and since then, he dedicated himself to sharing the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna and the eternal principles of Sanatana Dharma for the peace and welfare of all.
In the years to come, he spearheaded outreach and community-building efforts in India, Canada, Kenya, Pakistan, the Soviet Union, and other parts of the world. He undertook the construction of numerous temples and cultural centers worldwide, including the renowned Glory of India Vedic Cultural Center in New Delhi, inaugurated by India’s former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the ISKCON NVCC in Pune, inaugurated by India’s former President, Pranab Mukherjee.
Shri Gopal Krishna Goswami also served as a trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the world’s largest publisher of Indian culture and philosophy, which translates and publishes sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam in over 70 languages, with over 600 million books printed to date. He initiated the Annamrita Foundation, which currently serves fresh and nutritious meals to over 1.2 million government school children in more than 20,000 schools across India.
Through decades of dedicated service and devotion, he inspired countless individuals, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural backgrounds, to embrace the path of spirituality and service. Through his thousands of lectures, he initiated over 50,000 people from more than 70 countries into the process of devotional yoga. From heads of state to prominent businessmen, students, and ordinary citizens, he was equally accessible to all as a friend, philosopher, and guide.
Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, wrote in tribute in 2019, “The life, ideals, and teachings of Shri Goswami Maharaj are an inspiration for humanity to tread the path of spirituality.
