Devotional History of Adhoksaja Das

By Aananta Sesadas (Temple President Of ISKCON Nizhny Novgorod)

Adhoksaja das was born on the 16th of May 1975 in Serpukhov, Moscow Region, Russia. Attracted and inspired by sankirtana devotees Adhoksaja das joined the temple in February of 1993. In 1995 he was initiated by Harikesa Swami. In 2000 he was re-initiated and given a brahminical initiation by Niranjana Swami.

Book distribution was always the main source of inspiration and the main activity in devotiona He was very inspired to see how Srila Prabhupada’s books change people’s lives. In 1995 he sta families that had bought books from him. They became devotees, started to chant the maha-ma regulative principles. Adhoksaja held training programs for them, gave classes, taught them how etiquette and was overseeing them in KC. At present all of them are initiated devotees.

At that time having received support and blessings from the local authorities Adhoksaja for the first time participated in cable TV programs. It was his first preaching in mass media.

By 2000 there was a decline in book distribution in ISKCON worldwide. In summer 2002 Adhoksaja organized Russian Sankirtana Festival with the help of Yasomatinandana Prabhu and Ekanatha Prabhu (who was his first sponsor). At the festival Sankirtana Ministry of CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) was established to develop book distribution. On Bhakti Vijnana Goswami’s and Bhakti Ananta Krishna Goswami’s initiative Adhoksaja was included in the executive board of the Sankirtana Ministry.

Also in 2002 with the help of Yasomatinandana Prabhu, Adhoksaja started a new Russian sankirtana magazine entitled New Age Sankirtana. Unlike Param Vijayate Sri Krisna Sankirtanam magazine in the 1990’s, this magazine had another task – to propagate new sankirtana programs, to depict new trends in book distribution. The magazine is published up to now.

Since 2002 with the blessings of the local authorities and Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Adhoksaja developed a few sankirtana projects to develop book distribution in Russia.

In 2002 Adhoksaja started an educational program for young devotees. The program took the form of a school where young Vaisnavas were taught Vaisnava philosophy and practice Krishna Consciousness as well as Vaisnava etiquette. Besides, devotees were trained in book distribution. For fourteen years every summer Adhoksaja has been organizing preaching tours to South Russia with 10- 25 participants. The tour includes daily book distribution and philosophy studies. During the tour seminars are held daily as well as quizzes and competitions with sweet prizes for the winners. The participants follow regular program of Mangala-arati, Japa, Guru-puja, Bhagavatam class, Kirtanas etc. All this is done while travelling in Russia. The tour usually lasts for 15 days. Within this period devotees cover 4,500-5,000 km. On the way they distribute books in cities of South Russia. They spend nights in tents in the country. Some devotees sleep in a van which was donated to them by Vijaya Prabhu (ISKCON Sankirtana Minister) along with Srila Prabhupada’s disciples from the US. For a few days they distribute books on the Black Sea Coast and a few days – in the Caucasus mountains. A few generations of devotees attended the school. Nine of the students received first initiation. Many of the students chant pranama-mantra and are getting ready for the initiation. A few devotees from that program have become leaders.

In 2003 Adhoksaja organised a health program for CIS sankirtana devotees. Every year sankirtana devotees who have health problems come to ISKCON Ershovo health center and get free medical aid.

In 2003 with GBC’s approval and blessings Adhoksaja established Social Security Fund for Sankirtana Devotees. Bhakti Vijnana Goswami allowed sankirtana devotees to contribute to the Fund by taking a small percentage from every distributed book which they continue doing still. The Fund has three main activities:

1. Direct monetary aid to sankirtana devotees for medical purposes;

2. Financial support of elderly sankirtana devotees;

3. Maintainance of the Health center. The program has already existed for 13 years. Many sankirtana devotees get financial support for medical purposes.

In 2004 Adhoksaja organized special edition of the sankirtana bulletin called Sankirtana of the 21st Century. It was a colour brochure for free distribution in ISKCON centers. The bulletin was published for 4 years. At present it is out of print. Adhoksaja plans to resume the project.

In 2010 with the blessings of Gopal Krsna Goswami Adhoksaja organized Weekend Sankirtana Program in Nizhny Novgorod and started to launch this program in different cities of Russia. Over 30 Russian temples participate in the program. The scores of Weekend Sankirtana Program increase year after year. In 2014 the program participants distributed about 40,000 books. In 2014 and 2015 Adhoksaja organized Weekend Sankritana festivals.

In 2011 Adhoksaja supervised construction of a preaching and training center. At present there is a regional training center called Naimisaranya.

In 2014 Adhoksaja started a new project called Sundaracala. It is a small community in the country comprising a brahmacari and a vanaprastha asram.

At present Adhoksaja oversees 2 brahmacari asramas in different cities with 10 brahmacaris living in each of them.

Adhoksaja does all these projects along with his main service which is book distribution. He has been distributing books full time every day (except days when he travels from one place to another) for 24 years since 1993.

In 1998-2015 Adhoksaja was no 1 on sankirtana yearly’s and Srila Prabhupada marathon’s scores in Nizhny Novgorod Region. A few times he was among the top 10 book distributors in the world. In 2011 he was no 6 in the world. Since 1998 he has been in the top 10 book distributors in the CIS.

Since 1998 Adhoksaja has been giving regular Bhagavatam classes in the Golden Ring Region of Russia. Since 2005 up to now he has been giving 270 hours of classes a year. Besides, he regularly travels and gives seminars in other places. A third of his time he spends in Nizhny Novgorod. Another third of his time Adhoksaja delivers subject seminars. Since 2005 he has been giving as many as 10-12 seminars a year. The seminars last 3-7 days. Some of his seminars can be found in his group in the Russian social network called VKONTAKTE (http://vk.com/adhokshaja). Since 2000 another third of his time he spends visiting ISKCON centers in different countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belorus, Lithuania and Kazakhstan.

Adhoksaja was inspired to take this renunciation path by bhakti and renunciation in the hearts of pure devotees in our movement.

He believes that accepting sannyasa will help him to steadily follow this path without turning back and to attain the highest perfection – to please Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsna. He also believes that thus he will have more opportunities to engage new devotees in the preaching mission.

Coming Soon

I was born in a religious Brahmin family of Midnapore District in West Bengal, India. I am the younger son of my parents. I was born in a spiritual atmosphere. My father was a priest and we had Nitya Seva of Sri Sri Gour Nitai and Shaligram in our home. From very childhood I was inclined in service of Shaligram. When I was 14 years old, in 1986 during the 500th anniversary of Mahaprabhu’s appearance, ISKCON padayatra travelling party was passing through our village, my father brought a copy of Back to Godhead (Bengali) and kept it in book shelf. I was unaware of that incidence.

In graduation philosophy was one of my subjects. While reading the philosophy of Sankaracharya, I understood that this material world is unreal and I decided to search for the absolute truth and to leave home.

When this desire became very keen, one day I found that magazine “Back to Godhead” in my book shelf. I saw this magazine for the first time in my book shelf although it was lying there for years. Now I realized that it was a divine arrangement of SriSri Gaura Nitai. I was searching for the right path and it opened up in front of me by Their Divine mercy. I got the address of Mayapur Chandrodaya temple in that magazine and immediately I decided to join ISKCON Mayapur. I got the magazine on 2nd Feb 1991 and left home on 4th Feb and joined Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir.

One day New devotee in-charge took all of us to Gurumaharaj’s (HH Bhakti Charu Swami) room. He taught us a sloka from Bhagavad Gita “Sarva Dharman Parityajya” and I memorized it instantly. I was very much influenced by his class and decided to accept him as my spiritual master. I received first initiation in 1992 on the holy appearance day of Srivasa Thakur and got 2nd initiation in 1994 on the appearance day of Sripad Ramanujacharya in SriDham Mayapur.

I was engaged in Book table service. After that became Book godown in-charge. After few months during the Silver jubilee of ISKCON, H.H. Bhakti Purusottam Maharaja engaged me in preaching and drama in pandal programs. Under the guidance of Maharaja I was appointed in different services namely campus

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preaching, Gita study circle, Harinam preaching, cashier service etc. I served for 15 years as Harinam preaching and campus preaching departmental head. I served as school preaching departmental head for 4 years.

In September 2013 Gurumaharaja engaged me in Panihati project as Manager. Currently I am preaching in West Bengal and Bangladesh and doing Bhakti Vriksha programs in different places of West Bengal. I am serving as a teacher of Bhakti Shastri and Bhakti Vaivhav in MIHE.

As I mentioned earlier, I like to preach and teach extensively. Sannyasa ashram is ideal to fulfil those missions. It will help me to be fully involved in preaching mission of Srila Prabhupada and spread Krishna Consciousness. My Gurumaharaja is my role model and my main source of inspiration.

I was born in December, 1971, in Magadan-town, which is situated in Northern East of Russia. My parents were not believers, and I also had never thought about a matter of existence deep, though I was always fond of reading. Once, at the magazine called “Science and religion” I met the discussion of some priest, who was trying to approve an existence of God to some famous fantast-writer, who had been denying that fact. So their discussion had been going on in the same way from one magazine publication to next one, from number to number. And I remember I feel upset over the feebleness of that priest under arguments of the atheist. Later, I tried to learn the Bible, but had understood nothing and never tried again. Then, one day, going from school back to home, I distinctly heard a voice talking to me: “Wait, you’re going to get some interesting thing in your life”. For the first time I saw devotees at the lecture of Vrajendra Kumar Prabhu in university I studied in 1992. I was so impressed by the lecture, but had not realized Hare Krishna singing. Then I bought the BG and Krishna Book. When I was reading the BG, I felt, that I had already a deal with it, but didn’t understand where and when. Also, I felt bliss. Regularly visiting the local temple based on a usual flat, I started feel a strong bent for this philosophy and the special way of life. Book distribution was a basic service at that time, and I got involved in it immediately and certainly I liked street Harinamas. I joined the temple in 1994 and got the first initiation from His Grace Prabhavisnu Prabhu in that year. In 1996 I was asked to become TP, and Brahmacharies of our temple united the temple of Khabarovsk city, New Shantipur in 1997. As I was a poor manager in 1998 I was removed from the post of TP on my own will and I joined New Jagannatha Puri temple in Vladivostok city, where I continued to distribute books in the main. In the same year I got the second initiation. In 2008 I became a leader of a travelling sankirtana group. Then in 2015 I was asked to be the region secretary of Khabarovsk city and Republic of Yakutia. Now I am based in Khabarovsk, continue distributing books and preaching at the Nama-Hattas of Russian Far East. Besides, I tried to help to the preaching in Southern Korea, along and with sankirtana group. This year National Council of Russia suggested that I could become a candidate for the acceptance of sannyasa. And I feel and see that the service in this ashram can help me to get more serious eхperiense in my making attempts to serve to Srila Prabhupada’s mission.

I was born in 1981 to a Christian family in South Africa. I was raised as a Catholic and spent my formative years in a catholic mission school. I met the devotees of ISKCON in February of 2002, during the second year of my studies at the University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa. There was a weekly gathering which I came to know about through a poster on one of the University corridors. I became a regular attendee of that program and a month later attended a student retreat with the devotees. Subsequently my conviction to become a full time monk became resolute. I joined the temple a few months later in 2002 being attracted by the revolutionary idea of becoming an agent of a spiritual consciousness change in the world. I received first and second initiation in 2004 and 2007 from HH Bhakti Charu Swami. My services over the years have mainly been in outreach. Within 3 months of joining the temple, I became part of the book distribution and harinama team. In 2005 after completing my bhakti sastri studies in Mayapur, I began my service as a University preacher. I had the great fortune of traveling around Southern and East Africa with HH Bhakti Narasimha Swami for 4 years. I have been blessed with being in the frontlines in areas of Southern Africa where pioneering was needed. Between 2006-2017 I was involved in successfully introducing many souls to Krishna consciousness through University preaching in Pretoria and Johannesburg. I currently have a preaching base in the Kingdom of Swaziland. I’m very enthusiastic about the spread of Krishna Consciousness especially to areas where it hasn’t reached. I am currently approaching the sannyasa ashram with the intention to expand my outreach service. I love sharing the teachings of bhakti and chanting the holy names especially out in the streets of the world. 

Savyasachi Dasa was born in Meerut, a city in Uttar Pradesh, India on May 8, 1975.

While studying in grade 10 or so, fundamental questions about life started troubling him. What is the purpose behind our existence? Who has created this world and why? If death is the inevitable end to this and subsequent births, then life is meaningless. Will this cycle of repeated birth and death ever stop? No one around him seemed to be bothered by such questions, what to speak of their knowing the answers to them. But he had the faith that someone must know answers to such questions and that was the only motivation for him to continue living. Meanwhile, He needed to engage himself in something. Helping others seemed to be the most satisfying engagement and thus he opted to become a doctor since diseases appeared to him to be the source of biggest miseries to mankind.

While studying in medical college, he started reading Vivekananda, etc. and visiting different ashrams. He got some solace by discovering that there were others who were also searching for such fundamental questions about life but simultaneously he got disappointed by experiencing the vagueness of their realizations.

One day, he met a devotee of ISKCON in a shop who invited him to a Sunday feast program. There he saw a BBT poster entitled ‘Vedic Encyclopedia’ and depicting books of Srila Prabhupada. That this organization was rooted in immense knowledge was what attracted him the most. He started reading books by Srila Prabhupada and got perfectly satisfying answers to all of his questions. After associating with devotees regularly for a few days, he started chanting and performing some physical services and thus got a little taste of Krsna consciousness, which gave him the conviction to join ISKCON as a full-time brahmacari by the time he finished MBBS.

His first services at ISKCON Madurai, where he joined for the first time, were distributing books, cleaning, and other miscellaneous services. After a few months he was engaged in a life-membership program and college preaching.

He got first initiation by H.H. Jaypataka Swami Maharaja in the year 1999 at Madurai and second initiation in the year 2004 at Sridham Mayapur.

By the end of the year 1999 he shifted to ISKCON Vallabh Vidyanagar to serve under personal guidance of H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja, his siksa guru. There he served as a temple manager and youth preacher for around seven years. Gradually, he felt that city-preaching efforts in themselves would be insufficient to fulfill Lord Caitanya’s prophecy that Krsna Consciousness will spread in every town and village. He approached H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja to dispel his doubt. Maharaja introduced him to Srila Prabhupada’s vision of establishing varnasrama as a means to fulfill Lord Caitanya’s prophecy. He also directed him to H.G. Tejiyas Das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, to learn practical direction to establish farm communities, which Tejiyas Prabhu had received from Srila Prabhupada.

From the year 2007 to 2009, in response to his request, H.G. Jasomatinandana Prabhu (ACBSP), allowed him and other two brahmacharis to live on Ahmedabad farm to get first-hand experience of living a rural lifestyle.

In the year 2009, when a group of householder devotees in Salem, Tamil Nadu showed keen interest in starting a farm community, they moved there. And from 2009 till 2015 they guided that group of householder devotees to start a farming community on a piece of 25 acres of land near Salem.

Simultaneously, another group of householder devotees from Vadodara, Gujarat wanted them to guide their efforts to start a farm community and gurukula near Vadodara. By mercy of Srila Prabhupada and personal guidance of H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja, a farm community of 20 families and a gurukula of 40 students has been set up near Vadodara on the banks of river Narmada.

Presently, he is based at ISKCON Bhopal and is engaged in youth preaching besides giving guidance to householder devotees regarding varnasrama.

He was inspired to take sannyasa by H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja.

I was born on the 3rdNovember, 1971 in Kazakhstan. In one of the following years my parents got divorced, and I lived with my mother up to age of 7. In 1979 I was sent to orphanage school, and after having finished it in 1987, I entered the Construction-Engineering College in Omsk (Russia). From the early childhood my destiny was not favorable to me, and it was a good impact for my searching the sense of the life in everything I encountered around me. From 1990 till 1992 I was in military service. The early 1990’s were very hard times for everybody in the territory of former USSR (the time after the collapse of the USSR). After military service I was involved in semi-criminal structures related to provision of the protection in the sphere of business, and in 1994 I was convicted of extortion as the leader of criminal group, and imprisoned for 7 years. My spiritual life began in prison. Having a plenty of time I used to think of the sense of life, trying to understand the causes of particular moments of my life, and made experiments on my senses and mind. I began to read spiritual books (to the extent I was able to understand it at that time), and met a person who advised me to give up all my bad habits. His words had an effect on me, and I became a vegetarian. For good behavior I was released in early 2001, – ahead of time. After release from the prison the lady, with whom I was in a relationship and had a child in common, was waiting for me. A month later, Krishna sent the devotees who immediately gave me Bhagavad Gita and brought me to the temple. When I discovered to myself the divine knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, contained in Holy Bhagavad Gita, I couldn’t believe my luck, and had read the chapters from one till nine at once, and right next morning I rushed to temple to ask for japa mala. Following months I chanted 30-40 rounds each day. Krishna started destroying everything from my old life, and this is how He spread His causeless mercy upon me! We broke up our relationship with the lady in a friendly way in 2003 since she didn’t agree to accept the rhythm of life full of restrictions and rules. We were never married officially. In 2003 I entered the branch of Bombay Bhaktivedanta Institute ‘Vedic Health’, the branch in the Russian Federation, one year later I received an international certificate as a teacher of Yoga and Ayurveda. In 2004 started living in brahmachari ashram, and had the service of brahmachari life like Harinam-sankirtan, arrangement and development of internal and external preaching, book distribution. After 2 years of brahmachari life my counselor instructed me to try to preach. From 2006 I began to organize lectures and tried myself in preaching. In 2008 I got my first initiation from Chaitanya Chandra Charan prabhu.

In 25.04.1967, I was born in Kurgan Russia.

In September 1989, I joined ISKCON in Novosibirsk Academic Centre as a grihasta.

In October 1989, I started to chant 16 rounds and follow 4 principles.

In September 1990, I became leader of nama-hatta in Novosibirsk Academic Centre.

In Spring 1991 I became a member of Regional Meeting of ISKCON Sibiria as secretary of Novosibirsk Temple and regional preacher (Novosibirsk region, Barnaul, Tomsk, Kemerovo)

In September 1992 I received first initiation from Niranjana Swami.

In October 1992 – May 1993, I became the temple president of Novokuzneck Temple.

In September 1994, I was moved by Niranjana Swami to Ukraine and started to serve as the leader of the nama-hatta in Zhitomir and begun to function as a traveling preacher in Zhitomir region (4 nama-hattas).

In October 1996, my wife left me and Niranjana Swami transferred me to Kiev as leader of Nama-hattas in Kiev and teacher of Bhakti-shastri in Kiev Spiritual Academy.

In the Spring of 1997, I became the leader of Nama-hattas in Kiev preaching Region (Kiev, Zhitomir, Chernigov, Cherkassy and Kirovograd regions)

In July 1997, I received second initiation from Niranjana Swami, and started to be a travelling preacher in the Ukraine.

In October 1997, I became the rector of the Kiev Spiritual Academy, and Chairman of Kiev Temple manager meeting.

In Spring 1998 I became a member of National Meeting of Ukraine.

In 2000, I started to follow an instruction of my diksha-guru: “If you will have no managerial service, you have to preach and stay no more 3-4 days in one place” I began to follow this instruction and still follow it today.

In the Winter of 2001-02, I started my service as travelling preacher in Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) which I continue today.

From 2004 till now, I serve as the Leader of Bhakti-shastri Office and Bhakti-shastri teacher in Baltics.

From 2007-2008, I was the Chairman of Temple meeting in Tallinn (Estonia).

In 2007, I started to preach in Germany (Berlin, Koln, Heidelberg, and in nama- hattas). I continue this service today.

In 2011, I started to serve as a bhakti-shastri teacher and travelling preacher in Germany. I continue this service today.

In 2012, I became the rector of the RISHI Spiritual German Academy. I continue this service today.

On 6.10.2013, I accepted vanaprastha at Harinamadesh in Germany.