ISKCON India Governing Council (Bureau) Letter on passing of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami

Dear devotees,

Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Gopal Krishna Maharaj ki jaya!

The ISKCON India Governing Council (Bureau), is deeply saddened by the passing of our longtime Chairman, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami, earlier today at Dehradun in Devbhumi Uttarakhand.

Words may not do justice to the lifetime of service to the ISKCON institution rendered by Maharaj both in India, and in the West.

Maharaj served ISKCON for nearly 57 years. An incredible innings that will not be forgotten by the thousands of ISKCON devotees who knew him as well as his thousands of disciples.

Gopal Krishna Maharaj preached Krishna Consciousness tirelessly right up until his last breath, here in holy Bharata, and also in Russia, Canada, and the USA.

Additionally he guided the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in India, and oversaw it’s becoming the largest and most productive branch of the BBT.

While he was our Zonal Secretary overseeing all of Northern and Western India, he particularly focused on developing the NCR (National Capitol Region), Kurukshetra, and the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School at Vrindavan.

He oversaw the “Heaven on Earth” expansion of ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, and before that the Bhaktivedanta Mission School.

Recently he was present at the inauguration of the more than Rupees One Hundred Crore project at Rohini Colony at New Delhi. He inspired the large temple at Bahadurgarh on the outskirts of New Delhi, and the ongoing project at Dwaraka Colony, New Delhi. Not to mention projects at Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi, Ghaziabad, and others in the NCR area.

He also oversaw the recently inaugurated temple at Ludhiana, in Punjab, and was directing the massive Krishna Arjuna temple project at Kurukshetra, where
he was the main fundraiser.

He was also directing ISKCON’s massive project at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, that is to open later this year.

He inspired ISKCON New Delhi’s several branches in achieving massive book distribution, usually finishing at the top of the World Sankritan newsletter’s book distribution reports for the annual December book distribution marathon.

Maharaj’s enthusiasm for lecturing and doing kirtan, dedication, strict sadhana and daily performance of mangal arati, as well as his daily worship of Shaligrama, Gaur Nitai, Lakshmi Nrsimha and Radha Krishna inspired thousands!

Maharaj participated in various ISKCON managerial oversight endeavors such as the international GBC, the Bureau, the VEB, MVT Trust, MEB, as well as the NIDC and WIDC.

He was a troubleshooter who was key to solving conflicts that sprung up at various places in India during the recent past.

His contribution to Indian society had been recognized by India’s Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi who had a direct “first name” relationship with Maharaj.

The Bureau members wish to recall all of these and so many more contributions that Maharaj made to our society, that sadly, have now ended by the Supreme will of Lord Krishna, to whom Maharaj spent the vast majority of his lifetime in sincere service.

We take it that Lord Krishna has taken Maharaj to his next destination where he will continue to engage in His eternal service. We lament that he will not be with us in the future. On this somber occasion we pledge to carry on the mission that our Chairman spent all of his days championing.

Praying to Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi, Sri Sri Sri Sitaram Lakshman Hanumanji, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai to grant us and his thousands of disciples the spiritual strength to bear his separation, and to serve him through his noble and transcendental instructions and the exemplary standards of devotional service that he set during his extraordinary lifetime.

Your servants,

Members of the ISKCON India Governing Council (the “Bureau”).