Purnacandra Goswami
Purnacandra Maharaja joined Srila Prabhupada’s movement when he was 17 years old. For more than 38 years he served ISKCON with great dedication. His knowledge of the Vedic scriptures was vast and profound. For many years he was teaching Bhakti Sastri course and many other courses to the devotees.
He had very deep attachment to Sri Vrindavana-dhama. He divided his preaching time between Russia and Balkans, but Karttik he would always spend in Vrindavan. Over the last few years he was writing a book dedicated to Lord Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavana. He was always deeply absorbed in the holy names. The concentration and intensity with which he would chant the holy name every day was incomparable.
Purnacandra Goswami, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, joined ISKCON in New York city in 1976. He travelled throughout the United States distributing books on the Radha Damodar bus party.
In 1981 he journeyed east, leading the first book distribution team in Hong Kong. Returning to the US he served as a bhakta-trainer, sankirtan leader and preacher. Venturing to the Orient again in 1984, but this time to the Philippines, Purnacandra Goswami managed the Manila temple and later conducted Vedic presentations in many universities. Later he resided in India and began preaching in universities throughout Gujarat. Arriving in England in 1987, he began lecturing in the London temple, introducing new guests to Gaudiya Vaishnava practices.
Noticing that many new devotees were leaving the ISKCON communities due to what he saw as lack of training, he began conducting tutorials of the Bhagavad-Gita in 1991 which later developed into regular Bhakti Sastri seminars at the Bhakti Vedanta Manor and the London temple. The years 1992 to 1997 brought about more of the same and he began teaching in other countries including Ireland, France, India, Latvia, Lithuania, the Philippines and Russia. In 1997 he moved to Russia and continued teaching and counseling devotees here and in Eastern Europe.
Purnacandra Goswami is presently the Chairman of the Sastric Advisory Council (SAC) which writes philosophy papers to assist ISKCON’s Governing Body.He has authored a book entitled “Unspoken Obstacles On The Path To Bhakti” and he has written and narrated the “Gitamrita”, a dramatic reading of the Bhagavad-Gita.
