Jayapataka Swami
Encyclopedia
Jayapataka Swami is a Vaishnava swami
and a religious leader for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON). He is a senior disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
. Presently he is one of the initiating spiritual masters, (ISKCON Gurus
), a member of the Governing Body Commission
(GBC), and is a divisional trustee for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
(BBT).
, a college preparatory school. He was offered full scholarship by Brown University
. There, as a fresh enrollee, he was influenced by a guest lecture on the life of Buddha
that he lost all interest in his studies and began searching for a spiritual teacher. After some time of searching he concluded he would have to go to India to find his teacher.
Before leaving for India, Gordon came across some Hare Krishna
devotees, doing kirtan
and distributing 'Back To Godhead
' magazine. Shortly after he visited the San Francisco ISKCON center, where he met Srila Prabhupada. John took first initiation
in Montreal
, Canada
and was given the name 'Jayapataka Dasa'. Soon after he was awarded 2nd initiation in New York
.
While in Montreal, Jayapataka was engaged in the service of printing books and dispatching them to other ISKCON temples around the world. Later, on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada, Jayapataka went to Toronto
to open a temple there. When Jagadisha Dasa took over the Toronto center as president he wrote to Srila Prabhupada enquiring about his service and was told by him to go to India.
On Radhashtami (festival for Radharani) in 1970, in Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada gave sannyasa
initiation to Jayapataka Dasa, awarding the title "Tridandi Biksu Jayapataka Swami".
When ISKCON got a land in Mayapur
, Jayapataka Swami went there on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada. There were 5 other devotees with him. Jayapataka Swami taught modern techniques of agriculture and the farmers taught him Bengali. Jayapataka Swami began to oversee construction work in Mayapur and the lotus building was built.
With the permission of Srila Prabhupada, Jayapataka Swami applied for Indian citizenship
. This meant that he could not leave the country. He utilized this time for traveling within Bengal
into the villages preaching and distributing books. Srila Prabhupada told him to distribute 10,000 'big books' and 100,000 'small books' every month. Also, Srila Prabhupada instructed Jayapataka Swami to build the congregation. He's been travelling extensively around the world for many years with the desire to fulfill this instruction of his spiritual master.
, [Ireland], England
, Europe
, Australia
, India
, and other parts of the world joined in the festival in Mayapur. Coinsiding this event, Jayapataka Swami led groups of devotees on parikrama (pilgrimage
) to local holy places. This visit to Mayapur would constitute the first half of the devotees' Indian pilgrimage; after ten days they were scheduled to go to Vrndavana. The Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama has been continuing ever since with the number of devotees participating increasing each year in the thousands.
Jayapataka Swami also has recently introduced the 'Ganga Safari' to visit those holy places connected to Lord Caitanya which are approachable only along the river flow. Similarly he conducts a tour of holy places in India and neighbouring countries.
After Srila Prabhupada died, Jayapataka Swami began to accept disciples as a spiritual master in the Srila Prabhupada branch of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya
.
Jayapataka Swami is the world chairman for 'Food for Life
' and ISKCON's Food Relief Programs. A descendant of Advaita Acharya
, selected him to be in charge of the annual Santipur mass prasdam distribution program.
On November 5, 1977, Jayapataka Swami went to Vrndavana to meet Srila Prabhupada, who announced creation of Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust and appointed Jayapataka Swami its life chairman. At this time he also got the mandate from Prabhupada to unite the Sarasvat family, preserving the holy dham of Caitanya and serving the pilgrims.
Jayapataka Swami started as GBC secretary in 1976 in East India
which includes Bihar
, Orissa
and Bengal
. From 1980 to 1999 he was the GBC for South-East USA, as well as South America
. He is also the GBC for Ecuador
, Peru
, Bolivia
, Chile
, the Far East
and Assam
. He is also the Minister of Congregational Preaching and Minister of Congregational Development, and the Vice-chairman of the World Hindu Federation.
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
and a religious leader for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
(ISKCON). He is a senior disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Gaudiya Vaishnava teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
. Presently he is one of the initiating spiritual masters, (ISKCON Gurus
ISKCON Guru System
ISKCON guru is permitted to initiate disciples in the system that is being used in International Society for Krishna Consciousness; this ISKCON Guru System has undergone a considerable evolution and reform since its beginnings in 1970s...
), a member of the Governing Body Commission
Governing Body Commission
The Governing Body Commission is the managerial authority of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . ISKCON's founder, A.C...
(GBC), and is a divisional trustee for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
thumb|300px|Books of BBTThe Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is the world's largest publisher of books concerning Krishna and the philosophy, religion, and culture of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of India . It was established in 1972 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the...
(BBT).
Early years
Jayapataka Swami was born as Gordon John Erdman II to Gordon John Erdman and Lorraine Erdman (Golich). At 16, he graduated in the top of his class from St. John's AcademySt. John's Northwestern Military Academy
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy was founded in 1884 as St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, by Rev. Sidney T. Smythe as a private, all-male college preparatory and leadership development school. In 1995, St. John's Military Academy merged with Northwestern Military and...
, a college preparatory school. He was offered full scholarship by Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. There, as a fresh enrollee, he was influenced by a guest lecture on the life of Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
that he lost all interest in his studies and began searching for a spiritual teacher. After some time of searching he concluded he would have to go to India to find his teacher.
Before leaving for India, Gordon came across some Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
devotees, doing kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
and distributing 'Back To Godhead
Back to Godhead
Back to Godhead, also known as BTG, is the main magazine of the Hare Krishna Movement. It was originally published by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and later by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami and Jayadvaita Swami.-External links:**...
' magazine. Shortly after he visited the San Francisco ISKCON center, where he met Srila Prabhupada. John took first initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and was given the name 'Jayapataka Dasa'. Soon after he was awarded 2nd initiation in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
While in Montreal, Jayapataka was engaged in the service of printing books and dispatching them to other ISKCON temples around the world. Later, on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada, Jayapataka went to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to open a temple there. When Jagadisha Dasa took over the Toronto center as president he wrote to Srila Prabhupada enquiring about his service and was told by him to go to India.
Preaching in India
At Calcutta, Jayapataka began to learn Bengali by going out to buy fruits and vegetables. Along with the other devotees, he conducted house programs, organized pandal programs, and went out on sankirtan and book distribution.On Radhashtami (festival for Radharani) in 1970, in Calcutta, Srila Prabhupada gave sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
initiation to Jayapataka Dasa, awarding the title "Tridandi Biksu Jayapataka Swami".
When ISKCON got a land in Mayapur
Mayapur
Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata...
, Jayapataka Swami went there on the instruction of Srila Prabhupada. There were 5 other devotees with him. Jayapataka Swami taught modern techniques of agriculture and the farmers taught him Bengali. Jayapataka Swami began to oversee construction work in Mayapur and the lotus building was built.
With the permission of Srila Prabhupada, Jayapataka Swami applied for Indian citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. This meant that he could not leave the country. He utilized this time for traveling within Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
into the villages preaching and distributing books. Srila Prabhupada told him to distribute 10,000 'big books' and 100,000 'small books' every month. Also, Srila Prabhupada instructed Jayapataka Swami to build the congregation. He's been travelling extensively around the world for many years with the desire to fulfill this instruction of his spiritual master.
Mayapur Mandala Parikrama and pilgrimages
In March 1972, the first Gaura Purnima festival was held. Two hundred devotees from North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, [Ireland], England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and other parts of the world joined in the festival in Mayapur. Coinsiding this event, Jayapataka Swami led groups of devotees on parikrama (pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
) to local holy places. This visit to Mayapur would constitute the first half of the devotees' Indian pilgrimage; after ten days they were scheduled to go to Vrndavana. The Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama has been continuing ever since with the number of devotees participating increasing each year in the thousands.
Jayapataka Swami also has recently introduced the 'Ganga Safari' to visit those holy places connected to Lord Caitanya which are approachable only along the river flow. Similarly he conducts a tour of holy places in India and neighbouring countries.
Namahatta
Jayapataka Swami has developed the system of bhakti-vriksa preaching which assists namahatta preaching by enabling wider preaching and giving intensive and personal training to devotees so that everyone gets the chance to train to be a pure devotee while engaging in preaching activities.Responsibilities in ISKCON
Jayapataka Swami was one among the eleven named by Srila Prabhupada to give initiation on his behalf when he was seriously ill.After Srila Prabhupada died, Jayapataka Swami began to accept disciples as a spiritual master in the Srila Prabhupada branch of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya
Sampradaya
In Hinduism, a sampradaya can be translated as ‘tradition’ or a ‘religious system’, although the word commands much more respect and power in the Indian context than its translations in English does...
.
Jayapataka Swami is the world chairman for 'Food for Life
Food for Life
Hare Krishna Food for Life is the world's largest vegan and vegetarian non-profit food relief organization with projects in over 60 countries. Volunteers serve more than 1,500,000 free meals daily in a variety of ways, including: food vans serving to the homeless within major cities around the...
' and ISKCON's Food Relief Programs. A descendant of Advaita Acharya
Advaita Acharya
Advaita Acharya , born Kamalaksha Bhattacharya, was a notable disciple and companion of the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and guru of Haridasa Thakur...
, selected him to be in charge of the annual Santipur mass prasdam distribution program.
On November 5, 1977, Jayapataka Swami went to Vrndavana to meet Srila Prabhupada, who announced creation of Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust and appointed Jayapataka Swami its life chairman. At this time he also got the mandate from Prabhupada to unite the Sarasvat family, preserving the holy dham of Caitanya and serving the pilgrims.
Jayapataka Swami started as GBC secretary in 1976 in East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
which includes Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
and Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. From 1980 to 1999 he was the GBC for South-East USA, as well as South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He is also the GBC for Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
and Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. He is also the Minister of Congregational Preaching and Minister of Congregational Development, and the Vice-chairman of the World Hindu Federation.