Indradyumna Swami
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Indradyumna Swami () is an initiating guru in the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known Colloquialism, colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava Hinduism, Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was found ...
(also known as
ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
or the
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known Colloquialism, colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnav ...
movement), which belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya. He is a disciple of His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a repr ...
(Srila Prabhupada) who introduced the Gaudiya Vaisnava, or
Bhakti Yoga Bhakti yoga ( sa, भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (, literally the path of ''Bhakti''), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.Karen Pechelis (2014), ...
, tradition to the western world and formalized its spread by founding
ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
in 1966. Indradyumna Swami travels around the world, spreading
Krishna consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
through lectures and large-scale kirtan and festival events. He shares his experiences and realizations as a traveling monk through his ongoing diary series (''The Diary of a Traveling Monk''), long-standing video lecture series, extensive photography stemming from his preaching tours and travels to sacred pilgrimage sites in India, and other books written by him or based on his lectures.Biography of Indradyumna Swami
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Early years

Indradyumna Swami was born as Brian Tibbitts on May 20, 1949, in Palo Alto, California. As a young man, he enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, thinking that helping to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam would bring about greater peace in the world. However, he was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector just a year later when he realized he did not believe in the war. Shortly thereafter, in 1970, he met members of ISKCON in Detroit, Michigan and moved into the local temple, joining its efforts to spread Krishna consciousness and distribute books written by his soon-to-be guru. In December 1971 he was formally initiated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, and given the name Indradyumna Dasa.


Worldwide Travels and Festival Programs

Indradyumna Swami left the United States in 1972, journeying to Europe where he helped open new Bhakti Yoga centers and temples in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium. In 1979, when he was 29, he took a vow of lifelong dedication to missionary activities as a celibate monk, entering the renounced order of
sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...
as Indradyumna Swami. In the early 1980s he served as the temple president at the New Mayapur
château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...
temple and farm near
Châteauroux Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Ch ...
in France. Taking to heart the direct instruction he received from his guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to "preach boldly and have faith in the holy names," Indradyumna Swami has circled the globe over 35 times in spreading Krishna consciousness, traveling to countries such as Russia, Mongolia, Siberia, and China, among many others. He is especially known for his large-scale festival programs, such as his annual Festival of India tour in Poland, the annual U.S.-based Sadhu Sanga Kirtan retreat (which attracts around 2,000 attendees each year), and the Rishikesh Kirtan Fest, a kirtan and spiritual culture event dedicated to introducing the many yoga practitioners who gather in Rishikesh to the spiritual tenets and practices of Bhakti Yoga. In 1990, Indradyumna Swami coordinated the very first annual Festival of India tour in Poland. The festivals seek to introduce people to the ancient spiritual culture surrounding Bhakti Yoga through a feast of entertainment and education involving presentations and lectures on sacred texts such as the
Bhagavad-gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
, classical
Indian dance Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local tradi ...
performances and theatrical performances based on stories from the Vedic and Vaisnava canon of literature, graphic exhibits, stalls showcasing books written by Srila Prabhupada, and distribution of vegetarian sanctified food, or ''
prasada 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...
m''. The events are attended by between 5,000 and 10,000 people at a time. Since its founding, the "Festival of India" tour has traveled to ten countries spanning six continents. Since 1996, Indradyumna Swami and the Polish Festival of India team have participated in the
Przystanek Woodstock Pol'and'Rock Festival, formerly known as Woodstock Festival Poland, (Polish language, Polish: ''Przystanek Woodstock''; "Woodstock Station"; English-language materials often referred to it simply to the ''Woodstock Festival Poland'') is an annual ...
free music festival organized over the first weekend in August each year by
Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (GOCC, Polish language, Polish ''Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy'', WOŚP) is the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, Charitable organization, charity organization in Poland raising money for pedia ...
. Dubbed Europe's largest annual open-air event, Przystanek Woodstock has been attended by over a million people in recent years. Within this busy setting, Indradyumna Swami and the Festival of India team of more than 500 volunteers set up a spiritual sanctuary called "Krishna's Village of Peace". Since 2021, concerned with the preservation of the Gaudiya Vaisnava canon, Indradyumna Swami has undertaken the responsibility of helping to restore and maintain the sacred scriptures found in the Vrindavan Research Institute, which houses more than 32,000 Gaudiya Vaisnava scriptures, including many original writings of important early Gaudiya Vaisnava writers and thinkers, such as Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Sanatana Goswami and Srila Narottam das Thakur. Indradyumna Swami currently acts as a spiritual guide for hundreds of thousands of people in the world including his disciples, followers, and well-wishers. When he is not managing festivals, writing, and lecturing, he interfaces with many spiritual and political leaders, including the Dalai Lama, the King of the Zulu Nation and the late Nelson Mandela. He spends the rest of his time traveling to various holy places in India and residing in the holy land of Vrindavan. His annual Kartika ''parikrama'' event, which involves visiting many different holy sites within Vrindavan during the sacred month of Kartika, draws hundreds of Bhakti Yoga practitioners each year, who then immerse themselves in ''kirtana'' (congregational chanting of the holy names of Krishna) and lectures on the spiritual significance of the sacred places visited.


Writings and Lectures

Indradyumna Swami has been writing his well-known ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'' series since 1995. To reach an ever-larger audience, in 2020, Indradyumna Swami began a weekly YouTube lecture series focusing on Sri Vrindavan Dhama, the sacred abode of Lord Krishna, located in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. A new and ongoing book series entitled, ''The Traveling Monk In Sacred Places'', is based on this lecture series.


Books


''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', ongoing series

* ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. I & II (May 1995 – November 1996); Torchlight Publishing. — 296 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. III (January 2001 – September 2001); Torchlight Publishing. — 251 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. IV (September 16, 2001 – April 19, 2003); Torchlight Publishing. — 183 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. V (May 2003 – November 2004); Torchlight Publishing. — 210 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. VI (November 2004 – December 2005); Torchlight Publishing. — 221 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. VII (January 2006 – November 2006); Torchlight Publishing. — 204 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. VIII (January 2007– January 2008); Torchlight Publishing. — 158 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Preacher'', Vol. IX (January 2008 – November 2008); Torchlight Publishing. — 149 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. X (November 2008 – October 2009); Torchlight Publishing. — 152 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. XI (November 2009 – March 2012); Torchlight Publishing. — 161 p. * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. XII (October 2011-March 2012); online only * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. XIII (August 2012-December 2013); online only * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. XIV (February 2014-November 2018); online only * ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'', Vol. XV (February 2019-August 2022); online only


''The Traveling Monk in Sacred Places'', ongoing series

* ''Govardhana''; Publisher: Thomson Press (2019) — 261 p. * ''The Sacred Forests of Vrindavan: Western Bank of the Yamuna''; Publisher: Thomson Press (2023) — 247 p.


Other works

* ''Vraja Lila''; Publisher: Torchlight Publishing (1994) — 96 p. * ''Daso 'Smi - I Am Your Servant'' (1994) * ''Drums Along the Amazon''; Publisher: Torchlight Publishing (2019),


Footnotes


References

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External links


Official directory of websites related to Indradyumna Swami

Chapters of Indradyumna Swami's ''Diary of a Traveling Monk'' online

Lectures and Kirtans by Indradyumna Swami

Annual Indian Pilgrimage led by Indradyumna Swami

Annual North American Kirtan Retreat organized by Indradyumna Swami

Collection of diary blogs by Indradyumna Swami

Collection of photos by Indradyumna Swami

Collection of verses quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Archive & Radio by Indradyumna Swami

Tour and Pilgrimage led by Indradyumna Swami
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami, Indradyumna International Society for Krishna Consciousness religious figures Converts to Hinduism Hindu revivalists Living people American Hare Krishnas 1949 births People from Palo Alto, California Performers of Hindu music