35 Years of IsKCoN IN the BeNelux

35 Years of ISKCON in the Benelux
by Mahaprabhu dasa
Introduction
The International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON) was established by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
in New York City in July 1966. By
1970, the year that it was incorporated in Holland, the Hare Krishna
movement had twenty-five centers
in North America, two in Europe,
and one in Asia.
The first devotee to visit Holland was
Sivananda dasa, who arrived in 1968
from Canada. He had wanted to visit
the UK, but was denied entry, so he
went to the nearest European destination: Amsterdam.
Sivanananda dasa: “Holland had
been one of the more liberal countries in Europe, and Amsterdam
in particular had become a kind
of Mecca for the blossoming hippie culture. I had no trouble going
through the customs, and I soon
found myself chanting Hare Krishna
on Dam Square, the meeting point
of the youth. My out-of-this-world
appearance caused quite a stir, and
soon a reporter took photographs
and asked questions. The next day,
one of the major newspapers in
Amsterdam carried an article about
Krishna consciousness and my
preaching activity, and I happily sent
it to Srila Prabhupada.
In my report I mentioned that a boy
from Finland had shown interest in
our philosophy and was helping me
in some ways. From conversations
with him, I got the impression that
people here were not too well off and
it would be difficult to find a permanent place for a temple. Therefore I
thought about other places I could
go, and finally I decided that West
Berlin would be a good place.”
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On this occasion of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of Radhadesh, I pray
to Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha to empower me to write something worthy
about ISKCON’s thirty-five years of
development in the Benelux. I am
unqualified and lack time to write
a thorough essay, but I will describe
some of the history of our movement
in this area of Europe. This is an auspicious occasion to reflect upon not
only ISKCON’s achievements, but
the challenges and shortcomings the
Hare Krishna movement must face.
It is an opportunity to appreciate the
valuable services devotees performed
to establish, preserve, or help spread
Krishna consciousness. On this auspicious occasion, Radhadesh is hosting
a reunion of devotees who rendered
innumerable services in the Benelux,
and the theme of this reunion is “appreciation, cooperation, and unity in
diversity.”
Srila Prabhupada soon replied to
Sivananda’s report, in a letter dated
August 27, 1968: “I am so glad to
receive your letter dated August
21, 1968, and I declare herewith
that Krishna desired you to go to
Amsterdam, and therefore, you
were not admitted in England. I
have seen also the description of
your little activities in Amsterdam,
but I could not understand the language. But one thing I observed
in that article, there was publication of my name, Swami A.C.
Bhaktivedanta. So this indicates
that your tour in Europe is going to
be very successful . . .”
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In 1969, the Dutch public had an
encounter with the Hare Krishna
movement in connection with a hit
record made with the help of George
Harrison for the Radha-Krishna
Temple in London. While the Hare
Krishna maha-mantra was on top
of the charts in Europe, a Dutch TV
company invited Srila Prabhupada’s
London disciples to Amsterdam,
all expenses paid, to do a five-minute show. Srila Prabhupada was in
London at the time, and he agreed
to appear on the show to present
Vaishnava philosophy.
The studio arranged for a minibus to
pick up the devotees at Tittenhurst
(John Lennon’s estate) and bring
them to Heathrow for their flight
to Schiphol airport. The devotees
traveling with Srila Prabhupada
were Mukunda dasa, Janaki dasi,
Gurudasa, Yamuna dasi, Malati dasi,
Dhananjaya dasa, Digvijay dasa,
Pritha dasi, Radha Raman dasa, and
Visakha dasi.
After they sang the maha-mantra
for a few minutes, the cameras focused on Srila Prabhupada, who ad-
dressed the Dutch TV audience for reacted to him pleasantly. He actutwo minutes. Srila Prabhupada said, ally was able to control the whole
“We have been chanting this Hare situation.”
Krishna mantra. This is a transcendental sound vibration, nondiffer- The main singers were Yamuna dasi
ent from the Lord. The Lord’ s name and Shyamasundara dasa, assisted
and His form are the same. Please by Radha Raman dasa, Mukunda
chant this sublime sound, and your dasa, Kulasekhar dasa, and others.
life will become perfect. You will At the end everyone was dancing
become happy, and you will real- and felt very happy, and a crisis was
ize your true nature—that you are avoided.
an eternal servant of God, Krishna. Srila Prabhudapada and his disciples leaving
This process is called bhakti-yoga, a TV studio in Amsterdam. (1969)
and we request everyone to take
to this chanting. Thank you very
much.”
The London devotees went to
Amsterdam a second time in
January 1970. Terry King, the manager of the devotee singers on the
popular Radha-Krishna Temple
album, organized a program in
the prestigious Concertgebouw
on the Leidseplein. Twelve devotees from London traveled by van
across the Channel. They arrived
in Amsterdam a few hours early, to
chant on the Leidseplein before the
concert. The public proved very receptive. The advertisement for the
show contained George Harrison’s
name in very big letters.
Dhananjaya dasa said, “When we
went onstage, the first thing that
people noticed was that George
Harrison was not with us, so the
mood turned very dark. The hippies thought they were being cheated, and they shouted out, ‘Why
is George Harrison not here? We
came to hear George Harrison!’ It
could have turned nasty, but Simon
Vinkenoog, a famous figure well
known to the hippies, was standing
in the wings, and he came onstage
and took the microphone. He started to quiet them down, and they
Srila Prabhupada leaving the Bethanienstraat temple in Amsterdam. Below: Delivering a lecture at Vondel Park. (July 1972)
The Amsterdam Temple (1970–2005)
Historically, Holland was a haven
for persons fleeing religious persecution throughout Europe. In
the 1960s and 70s, it became a haven for people dissatisfied with
the establishment and seeking an
alternative to mainstream life. It
closely resembled hippy havens like
Haight Ashbury in San Francisco
and Greenwich Village in New York
City, where the Hare Krishna movement was attracting followers from
the counterculture. Amsterdam was
also a melting pot of people of different nationalities. So it seemed to
be the right time and place to start
a center. Dutch television had also
done several interviews about the
Hare Krishna movement in New
York and London, further demonstrating the Dutch media’s openness
to this new religious movement.
Dhananjaya rented a two-bedroom
apartment and would chant every day by himself in the streets of
Amsterdam. Soon a Welshman named
Philip Garner met him on the street
and joined him in spreading Krishna
consciousness. They would distribute
invitations to the Sunday program in
their apartment. They also held programs in the Cosmos, a famous gathering place for the counterculture.
Soon some other people joined
and later became initiated: Kisori
dasai and Bhakti Kirtan, and then
Akhoyananda dasa. A few months
later, in early 1971, the first Dutch
devotee joined them. He was initiated with the name Sudarshan dasa.
Next Viranchandra dasa joined.
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In 1970, Srila Prabhupada asked
Gurudasa, who was the temple president of the ISKCON center at Bury
Place in London, to go to India, and
he asked Dhananjaya to become the
next temple president. Shortly after that, Murari dasa and his wife,
Lilavati dasai, and their daughter
arrived in London from the United
States. Before long, Murari told
Dhananjaya that he would now become the London temple president,
being senior to Dhananjaya, and that
Dhananjaya could go to Amsterdam
to open a center.
Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk at Vondel Park with his disciples.
Below: The installation of Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. (July 1972)
legalized.
Dhananjaya looked in an advertisement paper for a new place and
found a factory on Bethaniënstraat
for around 400 gulden a month.
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In 1971, Bhumadeva dasa, Atma­
nanda dasa, Venkatesh dasa, and
Hare Krsna dasa joined.
The Sunday feasts became quite
popular, so the devotees rented a
hall and had feasts there. Then the
Cosmos offered the devotees their
place in Amsterdam and other
meditation centers under the care
of Cosmos throughout Holland (in
Breda, Den Haag, and Utrecht).
ISKCON was incorporated in Holland
as a “stichting,” or foundation, called
the Internationale Gemeenschap
voor Krishna-bewustzijn, and book
distribution and harinama were
The Sunday feast attendance had
begun averaging three hundred
guests. The standing rule was that all
guests had to wash their feet before
entering.
The temple, being near the red-light
district, was visited by prostitutes
who become friendly toward the
devotees, so much so that once . . .
Dhananjaya: “On a Friday night, at
11 o’clock, we were sleeping, and we
were woken up by some banging. I
looked out from the ashram and saw
four prostitutes dragging the frame
of a big brass bed to the front door.
I went down and asked, ‘So what
is happening?’ ‘Well,’ they said, ‘we
heard that you sleep on the floor,
and we found this bed and thought
you could use it.”
The Dutch public responded positively. Dhanajaya had arrived in
Amsterdam in October 1970, and
by the time he left, in December
1971, there were twenty-five devotees. Akhoyananda dasa became the
next temple president, followed by
Jagadeva dasa, until 1973.
In August 1972, Srila Prabhupada
visited Amsterdam for the second
time, to install deities of Jagannatha,
Baladeva, and Subhadra. This visit
is described by Vedavyasa dasa in
his book “Srila Prabhupada and His
Disciples in Germany,” in the chapter entitled The Amsterdam Mess.
“The Amsterdam Mess”
by Vedavyasa dasa
After a week in Paris, Srila Prabhupada
visited Amsterdam, where the Dutch
devotees received him in their small temple on Bethaniënstraat for the first time.
Although the center was new and none of
the devotees were experienced, they had
asked Prabhupada to install the Deities of
Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra.
The devotees from Germany wanted
to be with their spiritual master
for some days more, and because
Amsterdam was only a few hours
drive from Paris, they all got into
their vans and headed north.
Cakravarti dasa: “We greeted Prabhu­
pada at the Amsterdam airport with
an enthusiastic kirtana and escorted
him to the VIP lounge. After accepting a
few pieces of cut fruit from a big plate of
prasadam, he settled down behind a huge
conference table in front of a crowd of reporters. The room had no air conditioning, and it was a very hot August day. The
devotees had not brought any fans. So
after I watched the pearls of perspiration
running down Srila Prabhupada’s face, I
finally grabbed a magazine and provided
some cooling air. The next day one of the
major newspapers published a photo of
me standing behind Prabhupada, and
the caption said that one of the Swami’s
young disciples was serving his spiritual
master by fanning him with a magazine.”
Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk at Vondel Park with his disciples. (July 1972)
Prithu dasa: “To attract people to Srila
Prabhupada’s lecture, Hamsaduta and
Revatinandana Swami led a huge harinama through the center of Amsterdam
and around Dam Square, and when they
arrived at the hall, an immense crowd of
hippies was following them. The kirtana
continued onstage for a good while, until
Prabhupada came and sat on the vyasa­
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For Friday evening and Saturday evening, the devotees had rented a hall in
the Krasnapolski Hotel, near the Dam,
the central square in Amsterdam.
Srila Prabhupada giving sannyasa initiation
to Akhoyananda dasa. (July 1972)
Hamsaduta told us that Srila
Prabhupada had said these people
were useless. Best was just to have
kirtana and give them prasadam;
there was no use discussing philosophy, because they were all intoxicated. So we had a festival program
with nonstop kirtana and distributed hundreds of plates of prasadam.”
Cakravarti dasa: “One of my duties was to keep order. Four or five
young men, that nowadays we would
call punks, started to smoke. So I
had them put out their cigarettes.
During Prabhupada’s kirtana, one
of them began to mock the devotees
dancing. We just ignored him, and
the rest of the evening passed without incident.”
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Revatinandana dasa: “On Saturday,
we had a program in Vondelpark the
whole day. Prabhupada told us, ‘Just
have kirtana, because these people
are very degraded. Don’t speak much,
because if you say the wrong thing,
they might become agitated and even
violent.’ I told him that I had experience with these kinds of people and
that after ten or fifteen minutes they
would often become restless. ‘Yes,’
Prabhupada said, ‘ten, fifteen minutes maximum, and no questions.’
“In the morning, I began the program with kirtanas and short talks.
Srila Prabhupada stayed in a nearby
apartment and his front window
faced the park. His servant later
told me that Prabhupada, hearing
our program going on, came out on
the balcony and stayed there a good
while. He obviously enjoyed hearing
us preach by chanting and lecturing.
One devotee had picked up a chant
in India: he krishna, govinda, hari,
murari/ he natha, narayana, vasudeva. When Prabhupada heard it,
he called us into his room and said,
‘This is not a Vedic mantra; this is a
cinema song. An intelligent disciple
just takes whatever his spiritual master provides for him, considering
that to be sufficient. There are many
names of God you can chant, but it’s
best to take what comes in disciplic
succession and what the spiritual
master introduces.’”
Cakravarti dasa: “So many hippies lived in that park that there
must have been at least four or five
thousand people present when
Prabhupada got on the vyasasana
and began to speak. I was again
a member of the security crew,
and suddenly the same group of
punks approached the stage. When
Pradyumna, Prabhupada’s Sanskrit
editor, spotted them, he found me
and advised me how to deal with
the guy who had been mocking our
dancing: ‘If he does any nonsense,
do something!’ I had been a devotee
less than a year, and the words of one
of Prabhupada’s personal staff were
like the Absolute Truth for me. From
that moment on I kept an eye on this
guy, and I even warned him that if
he dared to cause a disturbance, I
would take action. Wherever he
went, I followed him like a shadow.
He ended up right in front of the
stage staring at Srila Prabhupada,
who was speaking to a huge crowd of
young people. Then this fool dared
to make a nose at Prabhupada. I was
onstage, so I jumped on him like a
tiger, and he lost his balance, and
we both fell to the ground. Three or
four other devotees rushed to help
me, and a crowd of people gathered
around us. Angry voices could be
heard. Suddenly we heard the sound
of cymbals. Srila Prabhupada had
begun to chant Hare Krishna. As the
transcendental vibration of his voice
filled the air, the tension diminished,
and somehow or other the situation
calmed down. After the program,
Prabhupada called us in and reprimanded us for our foolish action.
He was disturbed and said that only
the chanting of the holy name had
prevented a disaster: five thousand
hippies fighting with a hundred of
us. He said that it was one of our
Western diseases to become easily
angered and start a fight over a trifle.
The next day this guy I had attacked
came to the temple and apologized.
To my amazement, he admitted being impressed by the decisive action
taken against him. And he stayed
and became a devotee.”
The incident made Srila Prabhupada
thoughtful. On several occasions he
had mentioned that the hippies were
the best candidates for spiritual life
because they had voluntarily rejected the materialistic life of their
parents to search for a better life. In
fact, most of Prabhupada’s disciples
had come from the counterculture.
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sana. He took karatalas and chanted Jaya Radha-Madhava, but after
the pranama prayers he called over
Hamsaduta, exchanged a few words
with him, and got up and left.
Installation of Sri Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra by Srila Prabhupada.
Below: Srila Prabhupada lecturing at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)
“. . . we are observing here in Europe
that many, many hippies have become disgusted with material life,
but they are also now so much degraded that they will not hear our
philosophy, simply mocking. So our
devotees may become very much
learned to remove their doubts
and become very much fixed up in
Krishna consciousness, but so far
preaching to the general public, especially the hippie class, it is better
not to preach very much philosophy.
Just somehow or other get them to
chant Hare Krishna mantra, and if
some of them are curious to learn
something, they may purchase one
of our books. Only if they chant with
us, that will help them.”
Over the years, Srila Prabhupada
sometimes referred back to this experience: “I saw in Amsterdam, simply full of hippies, lying down on the
street, lying down in the park; no
food, no shelter. It is going on. . . .
They must be wanting something.
They are in need of something.
. . . You may be in need of food, I
may be in need of some woman,
he may be in need of some money.
. . . In this way everyone is needy.
Therefore, ultimately one should
search after God. Then every need
will be fulfilled.”
Prithu dasa: “Early one morning, we
were strolling with Srila Prabhupada
through Vondelpark, where most of
the hippies had spent the summer
night in sleeping bags. My attention
was drawn to a couple lying under a
tree. They were not asleep anymore,
but were already pretty busy with
each other. I was curious to see how
Prabhupada would react, so I ob-
served him from the corners of my
eyes. But Prabhupada had been observing me, and when our eyes met,
he shook his head in disapproval,
as if to say, ‘No, no, we don’t look!
A devotee doesn’t watch people engaged in lusty affairs.’”
Revatinandana dasa: “When we
passed the hippie couple, Srila
Prabhupada remarked, ‘Just see! In
the material world, it does not matter
whether one is rich or poor, there will
always be some facility for sex life.’”
Astaratha dasa: “We reached Amster­
dam in the early morning on the
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But its initial ideals were rapidly degrading to hedonism and cynicism,
as he witnessed in Amsterdam. The
next day, he wrote to Hrdayananda
Maharaja, who was lecturing on
American university campuses:
day of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival. As
soon as we entered the temple, an
ishta-gosthi was held to explain to
everyone what to do. Preparations
were still underway. Prabhupada’s
reception at the airport had to be
organized, the newly constructed
wooden arches in the temple room
had to be painted light blue and
pink, and clothes for Jagannatha,
Baladeva, and Subhadra had to be
sewn. When the question arose,
Who knows how to sew?, one of the
Hamburg devotees, for whom I had
once made a beadbag, pointed to me
and said, ‘He knows.’ Although I had
only a little experience, upon seeing
the situation I thought, ‘Well, I have
never made clothes, but somehow or
other I will manage to come up with
something.’ So I agreed.
“At noon on that Friday, we all assembled in front of the temple to
greet Srila Prabhupada. Kishori was
struggling with her children. Her
little daughter had been crying all
morning and did not respond to
any attempt to calm her down. And
there was no way to tell Kishori to
take her daughter and leave. She insisted on being there with her kids
to receive Prabhupada. As soon
as Prabhupada stepped out of the
car and saw the screaming child
in Kishori’s arms, he went up to
Kishori, patted her daughter’s head,
and said: ‘Everything is all right.’
Immediately the child became quiet.
I was amazed.
“The temple consisted of a fairly
large temple room, a kitchen, an office, and another small room for the
female devotees; the brahmacaris
stayed in the attic. We divided the
women’s ashrama with a curtain,
and in the front part I sat down with
the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva,
and Subhadra and cloth. The sewing machine was broken, so I had
to sew everything by hand. And
because the installation was in two
days, I had to work throughout the
nights. My only companions those
two nights were a few mice who ran
all over the place.
“I pictured in my mind our
Jagannatha Deities in Hamburg and
tried to create similar outfits. The
turbans were the most difficult part,
and it was only by Krishna’s mercy
that I managed to make something
that resembled turbans, after numerous unsuccessful attempts at
wrapping. On Sunday morning I
finished the last details, and being
completely wiped out, I went to
take rest in our VW bus, because
the installation was scheduled for
the afternoon.”
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Srila Prabhupada at a press conference at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam. (July 1972)
Vedavyasa dasa: “On the morning of
the installation I was asked to string
garlands. Kishori dasi was in charge
of the decorations and flowers, and
she provided me with a needle and
thread and buckets full of white,
pink, and red carnations. This was
the first time I had made a garland,
and Kishori was too frazzled to give
me detailed instructions or supervise my service. Aksaya dasa, the
temple president, had dumped all
responsibility for the preparations
on her head, because he was busy
preparing for his sannyasa initiation, to be held that same afternoon,
right after the Deity installation.
Kishori was sincerely trying to arrange everything, but the task was
over her head. Disorder and confusion reigned.
“How do you string a garland of carnations? I did not know, and it did
not occur to me to do it lengthwise,
by opening the flower petals and
pushing the hard green part firmly
into the previous flower so that at
the end only petals would be visible.
I pushed the needle through sideways and twisted the flowers so that
the petals pointed in different directions. As long as the garlands were
lying on a cloth on the floor, they
looked all right.
“The awakening came when, as a
reward for my efforts, I was allowed
to garland Prabhupada. I felt proud
and satisfied that His Divine Grace
was wearing one of my garlands, visible to everybody present. Shortly,
however, my artistic arrangement
of carnations began to disintegrate.
Obeying gravity, one flower after
another turned its head downward.
Besides being an unpleasant sight,
the hard green parts must have
pricked Srila Prabhupada, but he
seemed undisturbed. He was not
concerned with his own comfort.
He was more concerned with the
preparations for the ceremony, because not only wasn’t his garland up
to standard, but many ingredients
were missing.”
Astaratha dasa: “I woke up at 3:30
p.m., anxious about the Deity clothes,
and after a quick shower I entered
the temple room and made my way
to the altar. That was not easy, because the temple was packed with
people. There were so many guests
that a lot of them had to stand on the
sidewalk. There was just no room
inside. I peeped into the ladies’ ashrama and felt relief that the clothes
and the Deities were still there. But
then I realized that hardly anything
was prepared for the installation. Not
that I knew exactly what was needed
for the ceremony, but I had heard
that the Deities were bathed with
milk and yogurt and that afterward
a fire sacrifice was held. But I did not
see any indication that these things
were being prepared. I asked some
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Srila Prabhupada delivering a lecture at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)
devotees, but they did not even pay
attention to what I said; they were
busy talking to guests and taking
care of the press and the TV crew.
So I thought, ‘What to do? I have to
phone Srila Prabhupada. Something
has to be done.’
“Nanda-kumara, Prabhupada’s servant, answered the phone. ‘I am
not in charge here,’ I said, ‘but from
what I can see, nothing is being prepared for the installation.’ He could
not believe his ears. Quickly, he gave
me several instructions, especially
that the Deities had to be wrapped
in white cloth and that we needed
big containers for the bathing. So we
got a bed sheet from the neighbors,
which we tore into three parts, and
we got some big pots from a nearby
hotel. Bit by bit some arrangements
came together, but on the whole,
they were less than paltry.”
Revatinandana dasa: “When we ar-
rived with Srila Prabhupada at the
temple, we were greeted by an ecstatic kirtana, and hundreds of curious onlookers were wondering what
was going on. Prabhupada smiled at
the enthusiasm of his disciples, but
his demeanor changed after he entered the temple room and looked
around. ‘What is this? No fruits? No
flowers? What are these pots that
you want to bathe the Deities in?’
The anger in his voice made everyone freeze. ‘I cannot bring the Lord
of the Universe here. This is a farce!
How can you think that, with so
little preparation, Lord Jagannatha
will live in this place?’ But after deliberating for a few seconds, he relented: ‘All right, go ahead. But I do
not think this is very nice.’
Vedavyasa dasa: “One new bhakta
had been living in the temple for a
couple of weeks, and whenever he
had gotten disturbed, the devotees
had always instructed him to just
chant Hare Krshna. So when he saw
Prabhupada upset, he remarked to
him, ‘Why don’t you just chant Hare
Krishna?’ Without a word, Srila
Prabhupada took his beadbag and
began chanting japa. He continued
on and off until the devotees had
gathered the necessary paraphernalia and were ready to begin the
ceremony.”
Astaratha dasa: “Srila Prabhupada
was frightening. When he saw the
mess, he turned to his leaders and
demanded: ‘Who is responsible for
this? Who is the pujari?’ Aksaya
summoned up all his courage and
said, ‘I told Kishori . . .’
“‘A woman?’ Prabhupada said, cutting him off and looking at him
sternly, incredulousness in his
voice. Icy silence. The atmosphere
was tense. I felt like disappearing.
Such an embarrassing situation!
My only thought was, ‘I hope that
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Srila Prabhupada arriving at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)
The altar at the
Herengracht temple
“Eventually, Kishori came in with
fruits, a huge plate of fruit salad, and
was promptly sent back to the kitchen. Some unbroken fruits, which
were actually required, were quickly
brought, and Nanda-kumara began
bathing the Deities. When he finished, he brought Their Lordships
behind the curtains to be dressed.
Kishori was supposed to do it, but
she was a nervous wreck. So the
first thing Nanda-kumara did was
to tell her she was not needed. I was
standing nearby, ready to jump in if
necessary, and he called me to help
dress the Deities.”
Nikunjavasini dasai: “My eldest
brother was living near Bethaniën­
straat, and he visited the temple regularly to take prasadam.
Sometimes he would even accompany the devotees on harinama.
He was the first person to put me
in touch with Krishna consciousness. Unfortunately, he later got involved with Guru Maharaji; there
he did not have to follow any principles. But my second brother, Anga
dasa, became very serious about
Krishna consciousness. When Srila
Prabhupada came to Amsterdam,
Anga invited my parents and me to
the temple to meet him. My brother
told us, ‘This is a pure devotee, and
even if you don’t understand anything, whatever he says is pure sound
vibration and has a beneficial effect.’
I was impressed, and thought, ‘Oh,
this is very special. I am going to see
this holy man, a very spiritual person.’ So I was really eager to go. We
went to the installation ceremony. A
television crew was there, and it was
packed with people. The preparations for the installation were so deficient that Prabhupada was angry.
He was shouting, and the devotees
were timidly running around trying
to follow his directions. Even before
ever seeing Prabhupada, I was in
a respectful mood, but I never expected him to be like this. Because
of my oldest brother’s involvement
with Guru Maharaji, I had a certain concept of a guru. I had always
seen pictures of Guru Maharaji with
a big smile on his face, which was
fatty and glowing, but now I saw
Prabhupada, and he was so angry. I
thought, ‘Wow, this is serious business; this needs surrender. This is
real spiritual life.’ I suddenly realized that the other things were all
simply an external show, whereas
this was real. But I thought, ‘I am
not ready for this.’ I had respect
for the devotees because they took
Prabhupada’s chastisement so seriously. They were in anxiety, trying to rectify the mess. Of course,
I did not understand what it was
all about. There were some statues
covered with cloth, and there was
this area in the middle for fire, and
Prabhupada was yelling, and the
devotees were running around, and
it was all being filmed while we just
stood there watching.
“Another thing that amazed me
was that Prabhupada did not seem
to care at all for the TV cameras or
guests. He was doing the needful for
a proper installation ceremony, and
this really impressed me. He did not
care about making a good impression on the TV people by glossing
over the whole affair. His only interest was to make the proper arrangements for Krishna’s service.”
Vaidyanatha dasa: “I was surprised
that such an elevated person, the
leader of the Hare Krishna movement, became angry. In my mind, a
transcendentalist always remained
equipoised and serene. I did not
know yet that a devotee could even
show anger in Krishna’s service. I
had been living with the devotees
for less than a week. During the lecture, I was leaning against the wall,
with my knees under my chin and
my arms around them, the typical
way you are not supposed to sit in
front of the Deities. Prabhupada
must have noticed me, because suddenly he pulled his legs up and sat
on the vyasasana in exactly the same
way I was sitting and said, ‘It is an
offense to sit in front of the Deities
like this. Sit properly!’ This is the
only personal instruction I ever
received from Srila Prabhupada,
and I have been trying to apply it
in its broadest sense: not only to sit
properly in the temple but also to
be always properly situated in devotional service.”
Revatinandana dasa: “Prabhupada
asked me to perform the fire sacrifice. While chanting the mantras, I
had difficulty separating the compound words properly, and each
time I made a mistake, Prabhupada
corrected me. I became so nervous
that at the end I forgot to chant namo
maha-vadanyaya. Prabhupada interrupted me: ‘You do not chant namo
maha-vadanyaya? I will do it!’
“When it was time to light the fire, I
picked up the ladle for the ghee with
my left hand, being left-handed,
and the wood with my right hand.
When I realized what I was doing,
I tried to switch the two quickly
without anyone noticing it, but Srila
Prabhupada had already looked at
janmashtami | 83
at least the outfits will be all right.’
Then Syamasundara, Prabhupada’s
secretary, lowered his head and
asked shyly, ‘Shall we get some
fruits?’ ‘Don’t tell me what to do!’
Prabhupada thundered.
me disapprovingly, as if to say, ‘My
disciples: just see!’
“The only time I saw Prabhupada
smile that afternoon was when he
handed Aksaya his sannyasa staff and
made him Aksayananda Swami.”
janmashtami | 84
Astaratha dasa: “While all this was
going on, Nanda-kumara and I were
busy dressing the Deities behind the
curtain of the altar room. When we
finally put Their Lordships on the
altar, we realized that the canopy
was too small, or rather, that the
columns supporting it stood just in
front of Jagannatha and Baladeva.
Nanda-kumara thought for a second and said, ‘We have to take it
off.’ So we lifted the canopy off the
altar. But where to put it? There was
no room. We had to take it out, and
there was no other way than to carry
it through the packed temple room
over the heads of everyone. Srila
Prabhupada, who was lecturing,
looked on with surprise.
“But now the Deity room looked
pretty empty. There was only the
altar and a bare wall in the back.
On one side, a large painting of
the Panca-tattva leaned against the
wall, and while looking at it, I had
an idea. ‘Why don’t we put that behind the altar?’ I suggested. ‘Great
idea,’ Nanda-kumara said. But there
was nothing to support the painting, because the altar did not reach
back to the wall. The only solution
was to put something on the floor.
So Nanda-kumara shouted, ‘Bring
books!’ Heads turned in surprise.
Because quite a few books were
needed, a human chain had to be
formed to pass the books to the altar.
“When the curtains finally opened,
the arrangement looked quite ac-
ceptable, and Nanda-kumara performed the first arati for the Deities.
The atmosphere was then relaxed
and became festive, with a tremendous kirtana shaking the whole
building. After arati, huge quantities
of halava and Simply Wonderfuls
were served to everyone.”
Revatinandana dasa: “After the ceremony, Prabhupada was about to
get into the car when he asked his
servant, ‘You brought some prasadam?’ Nanda-kumara looked at
him with surprise. ‘I thought you
would take your usual, simple meal
instead of the feast,’ he said. ‘No,’
Srila Prabhupada replied, ‘this is
a Deity installation. I want to take
maha-prasadam. Please go and get
me a plate.’ So Nanda- kumara went
back into the temple and came back
with a big plate of prasadam. The
Amsterdam traffic made for a rough
ride; several times the car stopped
abruptly. When the driver had to
brake again, the plate of prasadam
slipped onto the floor. Nanda-kumara was in total anxiety. He hoped
Prabhupada would forget about the
plate. But as soon as we arrived at
the apartment, Prabhupada asked,
‘Where is the prasadam?’ His servant explained what had happened,
but Prabhupada told him, ‘Bring it.’
And he ate everything, just to show
us how important prasadam is.
“Prabhupada’s anger had left a deep
impression on the Amsterdam
devotees, and they really felt sorry that their inexperience had
evoked Prabhupada displeasure. So
Aksayananda Swami came to apologize, but Srila Prabhupada’s mood
had already changed. I was surprised that he had shown such anger and now was as cool and calm as
a lotus flower. I asked him about it,
and Prabhupada said, ‘It’s for your
education, not for my sake. A devotee does not become angry when
offended, but when he sees that the
Lord or another devotee is offended,
he shows anger.’ Then Prabhupada
laid down on a couch to rest for a
while. Lying on his back, he clasped
his knees with his hands and slowly
rocked back and forth while softly
chanting, ‘Haribol! Haribol!’”
Parividha and Jaya Gopal dancing in the temple at the Herengracht in Amsterdam.
35 Years of ISKCON in
the BeneluX (continued)
Little Govinda dasa at the entrance of
the Herengracht temple.
Below and next page: harinama in
Amsterdam.
cause it had a big door like you see
on garages and on this door was a
smaller door.”
At that time there was no book distribution going on nor paraphernalia sales. Tulsi dasa first became the
treasurer and strengthened things
financially. The main public activities had been harinama and the
Sunday feasts, and Tulsi dasa got the
book distribution going. He bought
a Ford Transit van and equipped it
for traveling, and soon afterwards
the “Sri Isopanisad” was printed.
After that Jagadeva dasa, who was
the temple president, became more
and more interested in translation, so
Tulsi dasa took up the management
janmashtami | 85
In the spring of 1973, Tulsi dasa was
in London and met Hare Krsna dasa
from Amsterdam, who presented
to him a wonderful picture of the
Amsterdam temple and persuaded
him that he could become the next
temple president. But upon arriving
at the temple in Amsterdam, Tulsi
dasa thought, “It looked like a garage
where you got your car repaired, be-
of the temple. The book distribution
became very strong. There were two
groups traveling, with four to five
devotees in each group. They traveled all over Holland wearing devotee clothing and distributing books.
At that time Hare Krishna dasa began looking for a better place in
Amsterdam. He found a place on
the Herengracht, which became the
temple for several years. After Tulsi
dasa returned to America, Prithu
dasa was appointed president by
Hansadutta dasa.
janmashtami | 86
In 1975, Bhagavan dasa became the
Governing Body Commissioner
for the Benelux, and he asked
Locanananda dasa to become the
temple president of Amsterdam.
Those were called the Golden Days
of Amsterdam, because there were
over seventy-five devotees in the
temple, and a lot of book distribution
and harinama took place. In 1980,
when most of the devotees moved
to Radhadesh with the Deities, the
temple in Amsterdam shifted to a
smaller building on Keizersgracht
owned by devotees and located in
central Amsterdam. There a temple
and a restaurant functioned until
the property was sold, around 1987.
The temple then moved to a rented
building on Ruysdaelkade, where
there was a large building. But after
a couple of years it became very difficult to maintain. Many devotees
went to Radhadesh. Jaya Gopal , as
the president, helped the remaining devotees push on. The present
temple on Van Hilligaertstraat was
started by Ananda Svarupa dasa in
1991.
Radhadesh (1980–2005)
The main activities in the early years, under the able presidency
of Jaya Gopal dasa, were Deity worship, self-sufficiency, and
renovations. Book distributors would visit and hold festivals.
Tourists started coming. The turning point in the visitors program was 1989, when devotees got hundreds of tour buses to
come, and international seminars started. The Deities have always been faithfully served by Prema Siddhi Ananda dasa and
Nikunjavasani dasi. To describe all the phases, challenges, obstacles, and achievements would take a booklet, and Hrdaya
Caitanya dasa would be the one to write it, because he has been
in Radhadesh since the beginning, and the temple president
for almost the last twenty years.
janmashtami | 87
In 1979, the devotees from the Amsterdam temple began looking for property outside the city, to develop a community. They
searched all over Holland and Northern Belgium but found
nothing in their price range convenient for a temple and a community. They decided to start looking in the rest of Belgium, and
that is how they came to the French part of Belgium and found
Radhadesh. The main devotee in the search was Vimuktasanga
dasa. In the beginning of 1980, devotees began repairing the
Radhadesh castle, and they have not stopped since.
janmashtami | 88
Devotees in front of the Brussels center (early 1980s).
Right: Books decorate the altar during a book distribution marathon
in Brussels. Below: Lord Jagannatha at the center of Brussels.
Brussels Center (1977–2005)
At that time the French equivalent of ISKCON was started, called
Association Internationale pour la
Conscience de Krishna, headed by
Klesapha dasa. In that center there
was a group of devotees distributing
books, mostly in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, and the sankirtana leader was Mahavidya dasa.
The center stayed open approximately two years. Later, around
1985, a new center was opened
in Brussels called the Brussels
Cultural Center, conveniently located on Rue Marche aux
Poulets, in the center of Brussels.
Headed by Gaura Gadadhara dasa
and his wife, Bhaja Radhe dasi, it
was a base for devotees who distributed books and paraphernalia.
Still later, it included a small restaurant
and a nice temple room, where Sunday
programs were held. Rasa Prema dasa,
Damodara dasa and his wife, Gaura
Lila dasi, were in charge of the center
then. Rasananda dasa, from France,
operated a Lunch Club for some time.
In 1990, however, the center closed because of a shortage of devotees.
In 2004, Lilasuka dasa opened a
small center in Brussels, where
Saturday programs were held weekly. Two families from Kasaksthan
were attracted, among others,
and a young married doctor from
Kasaksthan accepted initiation. In
August 2005, Lilasuka relocated to
a larger place on Rue Royale.
janmashtami | 89
The first Center to open in Brussels
was at 28 Rue de Neufchatel, in the
neighborhood of Saint Gilles.
Harinam at Place de la Monnaie in Brussels. (early 80’s)
The Antwerp Temple (1980–2005)
janmashtami | 90
In 1968, Srila Prabhupada sent
some of his disciples to Europe.
From England, a few devotees came to Amsterdam and
opened a center, and from there
books came to be distributed in
Belgium. The book distribution
peaked in the 1980s, when books
were distributed from rented
houses in Brussels, Mariaburg
(Kapellen), Braine le Château,
and Antwerp. Thus, around 1980,
the first preaching center opened
in Antwerp at Katelijnevest 25.
Mrigapati dasa, an English devotee, and his wife, Sanatan-dharma
dasi, took charge of this new but
temporary center.
Later, a Flanders nama-hatta blossomed when another book distribution center opened in a house
at Amerikalei 184 in Antwerp, in
April 1986. During its first years
the building was used as a center
for book distribution organized
from Radhadesh. Later, it grew
into an independent preaching
center.
From Antwerp, other nama-hattas
were opened and maintained, such
as those in Gent and Brugge. These
branches made new devotees, who
continued the mission of Krishna
consciousness in Flanders. Thus
gradually, in this way, a congregation of devotees built up: people
who studied or worked and tried
to put into practice the principles
of varnasrama-dharma.
Devotees in front of the Antwerp center on Amerikalei.
First center in
Antwerpen at
the Katelijnvest.
(early 80’s)
Temple room in the Antwerp center on Amerikalei.
In 2001, ISKCON Antwerp organized the
first vegetarian exhibition, which attracted
three thousand people. This was followed
up by organizing a Flemish vegetarian society called Ethisch Vegetarisch Alternatief
(EVA).
In 2006, ISKCON Antwerp will have been
on the Amerikalei for twenty years. Purna
Tattva dasa and Tarunyamrta dasi, who now
run the center there, will celebrate this anniversary along with a silver jubilee marking
ISKCON’s twenty-fifth year Antwerp.
(Top row, left to right): Rati Manjari dasi, Anandini dasi, Bhaktin Maria, Surya Kanya dasi, Sarasvati dasi, Sravana; (bottom
row, left to right): Yadurani dasi, Mrdani dasi, Kamala Manjari
dasi, Jadurani dasi, Vrndavana Tulasi dasi, Kalindi dasi, Haraprana dasi, and Bhaktin Claudette
janmashtami | 91
Some activities of the Antwerp preaching
center are its daily morning programs, distributing Vedic literature, annual Rathayatra festivals and Festivals of India, taking
part in festivals organized by other groups,
school programs, harinamas, seminars and
courses, maintaining relationships with people in the Indian community, a dinner club
called Govinda’s, and interfaith dialogues.
Devotees demonstrating in front of the Russian embassy in The Hague. Below: Book distributors meet in a park.
janmashtami | 92
Preaching in the Benelux (1970–2005)
After the preaching began in
Amsterdam, in 1968, with Sivananda
dasa’s visit, it soon spread to other
Dutch and Belgian cities in the
form of harinamas, cultural programs, and, later, book distribution
and festivals. When devotees began
traveling and distributing books and
magazines, groups of both ladies and
men went out all over the Benelux,
first in Holland, then in Belgium.
The book distributors would sleep
in their vans or at camping sites and
sometimes in rented houses. Some
of the famous sankirtana houses
were in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Braine
le Château, and Gent. Some of the
most famous book distributors in
the Benelux were Mahavidya dasa,
Mrgapati dasa, Jaya Gopal dasa,
Mathura dasa, Guru Padma dasa,
Akhiladara dasa, Purusottama
dasa, Purna Tattva dasa, Gauranga
Prema dasa, Gaura Gadadhara dasa,
Paramesvara dasa, Damodar dasa,
Ekacakra Grama dasa, Stoka Krsna
dasa, Marutvati dasi, Aharada dasi,
Ramaniya dasi, Vinod Manjari dasi,
Yamuna Jivan dasi, Mathura Lila
dasi, Vedasmrti dasi, Vrndavan
Tulasi dasi, Gokula Vrndavan dasi,
Bhaja Radhe dasi, Pandita dasi, Hara
Prana dasi, Surya Kanya dasi, and
many, many more.
In recent years
ISKCON’s preaching
to the Hindu community in Holland
has met with success.
Many thousands of
Hindus who came
from Surinam are
now friends of Lord
Krishna and members of the Nama-
Hattas of Den Haag and Rotterdam,
which
organize
Ratha-yatras.
Another achievement for ISKCON in
the Benelux has been the publication
of a bi-monthly magazine in Dutch
(first called Krishna Bulletin and now
titled Krishna Bhakti). It has come
out steadily since the early eighties,
and now several hundred families receive it every two months.
Book Production
The first devotees to translate Srila Prabhupada’s books into Dutch were Ranadhurmada dasa and Jagadeva dasa.
The first books translated and published, in 1973, were “The Transcendental Teachings of Prahlada Maharaja” and
“Sri Isopanisad”. In 1974, “Easy Journey to Other Planets” was printed, which sparked off the book distribution in
Holland. Through the years, many devotees contributed to the translation, editing, production, and management of
Srila Prabhupada’s books: Hayeshvara dasa, Aharada dasi, Iravati dasi, Peter Kreuze, Vrndavan Tulasi dasi, Sarasvati
dasi, Gangadhara dasa, Varnadi dasa, Antwardipa dasa, Kalindi dasi, Bhakta Ivar, and others. Rupa Sanatana dasa
now heads the translation department.
janmashtami | 93
Dutch publishing has depended on the following BBT trustees: Hansadutta dasa, Bhagavan dasa, Harikesa dasa,
and Madhusevita dasa (the current BBT trustee). Through the years over a million copies of Dutch books have been
distributed, and many thousands of French books have gone out in parts of Belgium.
Books Printed in Dutch
1973: De transcendentale leringen van Prahlad Maharaja
1973, 1975, 1985, 1997: Sri Isopanisad
1974: Reis naar andere planeten (Easy Journey to Other Planets)
1977, 1979, 1981: Het Krishna boek
1981: Bhagavad-gita (First Edition)
1981: Op weg naar Krishna
1981, 1982, 1983: Wetenschap der Zelfrealisatie (first translation)
1983–1999: Srimad-Bhagavatam (First Canto through Tenth Canto, Part One)
1983: Nektarzee van zuivere liefde (The Nectar of Devotion)
1983, 1988, 2000: Heengaan en terugkomen
1986: Prabhupada (abridged biography)
1988, 2000: Volmaakte vragen, volmaakte antwoorden
1988, 1997, 2000: Een hogere smaak
1992: Het pad naar perfectie
1993: Leven komt voort uit leven
1994: Vedische kookkunst (Adiraja)
1995: Aan een zijden draad
1997 : Wetenschap der Zelfrealisatie (second translation)
janmashtami | 94
2003: Bhagavad-gita (second translation)
35 Years of ISKCON in the Benelux: Facts and Figures
1) Shyamasundara dasa
1970–72
2) Hansadutta dasa
1972–75
3) Bhagavan dasa
1975–87
4) H.H. Danavir Swami (Holland)
1987–88
5) H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami (Belgium) 1987–88
6) H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami
1988–90
7) Suhotra dasa
1991–2002
8) Madhusevita dasa
1991–
Temple Presidents in Amsterdam
1) Dhananjaya dasa
1970–72
2) Akhoyananda dasa
1972
3) Jagadeva dasa
1972–73
4) Tulsi dasa
1973–74
5) Prithu dasa
1974–75
6) Hari Krishna dasa and Puranjana dasa 1975
7) Locanananda dasa
1975–77
8) Vimuktasanga dasa
1978–80
9) Hayesvara dasa
1980–81
10) Hare Krsna dasa
1981–84
11) Prema Rupa dasa
1985
12) Radha-Madhanmohan dasa
1985–86
13) Danavir dasa
1986–88
14) Brahma Rata dasa
1988–90
15) Jaya Gopal dasa
1990
16) Ananda Svarupa dasa
1991–93
17) Nanda Kumar dasa
1993–95
18) Jagadananda dasa
1995-97
19) Mahaprabhu dasa
1997-2000
20) Gauranga Premananda dasa
2000-2003
21) Vasudeva dasa
2003-2004
22) Hamsa Avatara dasa
2004-
Temple Presidents in Radhadesh
1) Vimuktasanga dasa
2) Jnanaraja dasa
3) Jaya Gopal dasa
4) Hrdaya Caitanya dasa
1980–82
1982
1982–86
1986–
Partial List of Devotees Who Have
Served in the Benelux
(Apologies to anyone whose name has been
overlooked. —Mahaprabhu dasa)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)
31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
40)
41)
42)
43)
Acyuta Gotra dasa
Advaita Sutra dasa
Agni Pana dasa
Aharada dasi
Akhiladara dasa
Akhoyananda dasa
Akrura dasa
Aksoya dasa
Alakananda dasi
Amita Chara dasa
Ananda Lakshmi dasi
Ananda Svarupa dasa
Anandini dasi
Ananta Acarya dasa
Ananta Rama dasa
Anga dasa
Antwardipa dasa
Anumanta dasi
Aprameya dasa
Archa Seva dasa
Ardra dasi
Asoka dasi
Astasakhi dasi
Atitagamana dasi
Atmananda dasa
Bala Gopal dasi
Basyakara dasa
Batu Gopal dasa
Benkatesh dasa
Bhadranga dasa
Bhagavan dasa
Bhaja Radhe dasi
Bhakta Alfredo
Bhakta Andre
Bhakta Bryan
Bhakta Christian
Bhakta Hub
Bhakta Ivar
Bhakta Jean Pierre
Bhakta Johan
Bhakta John
Bhakta Josef
Bhakta Joop
janmashtami | 95
GBC Secretaries for the Benelux
janmashtami | 96
44)
45)
46)
47)
48)
49)
50)
51)
52)
53)
54)
55)
56)
57)
58)
59)
60)
61)
62)
63)
64)
65)
66)
67)
68)
69)
70)
71)
72)
73)
74)
75)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
81)
82)
83)
84)
85)
86)
87)
88)
89)
90)
91)
92)
Bhakta Jos Hooiybergs
Bhakta Peter
Bhakta Peter Kreuze
Bhakta Rabin
Bhakta Stefan
Bhaktapriya dasa
Bhaktapriya dasi
Bhaktaseva dasa
Bhaktin Ana de Vocht
Bhaktin Lenka
Bhaktin Teha
Bhaktin Vera
Bhaktin Yvette
Bhavani dasi
Bhima dasa
Bhudara dasa
Bhumadeva dasa
Brahma Muhurta dasa
Brahma Rata dasa
Brahma Sutra dasa
Brahmananda dasa
Candra Laxmi dasi
Cintamani dasi
Damodar dasa
Damodar Pandita dasa
Dayal Nitai dasa
Devaprastha dasa
Dhananjaya dasa
Dhira Krsna dasa
Divya Singh dasa
Ekacakra Grama dasa
Ekanatha dasa
Ekatma dasa
Ekaya dasa
Gabhiratna dasa
Gandharvika dasi
Gangadhara dasa
Gatikari dasa
Gaura Gadadhara dasa
Gaura Lila dasi
Gauranga dasa
Gauranga Premananda dasa
Gokula Vrndavan dasi
Gopali dasi
Gopanandini dasi
Gour Mohan dasa
Govinda dasa
Govinda dasi
Guru Bhakta dasi
93) Guru Padma dasa
94) His Holiness
B.B. Govinda Swami
95) His Holiness
Bhakti Caru Swami
96) His Holiness Danavir Swami
97) His Holiness
Kadamba Kanana Swami
98) His Holiness
Prahladananda Swami
99) Hara Prana dasi
100) Hare Krsna dasa
101) Hari Krpa dasa
102) Hari Sakti dasa
103) Haribolananda dasa
104) Harkripa dasa
105) Harsarani dasi
106) Hayagriva dasa
107) Hayesvara dasa
108) Hema Sarira dasa
109) Hrdaya Caitanya dasa
110) Iravati dasi
111) Isani dasi
112) Isvara dasa
113) Isvarachandra dasa
114) Jagadananda dasa
115) Jagadeva dasa
116) Jagadisha dasa
117) Jagannatha Krsna dasa
118) Jagannatha Tirtha dasa
119) Jagatpati dasa
120) Janardana dasa
121) Jaya Bhadra dasi
122) Jaya Gopal dasa
123) Jayadeva dasa
124) Jnanaraja dasa
125) Jyestha dasi
126) Jyotirmayi dasi
127) Kalindi dasi
128) Kancanavali dasi
129) Kapila dasa
130) Kausalya dasi
131) Keshava Priya dasi
132) Kisori dasi
133) Klesapha dasa
134) Kripa Siddha dasa
135) Krsna Charan dasi
136) Krsna dasa
137) Krsna Ksetra dasa
138) Krsna Premavati dasi
139) Krsna Seva Saranya dasi
140) Krsna Vamsa dasa
141) Krsna Vani dasi
142) Kulakshekhar dasa
143) Kundalata dasi
144) Kunti dasi
145) Labanga dasa
146) Lalasamayi dasi
147) Lalita Kunda dasi
148) Lilasukha dasa
149) Locanananda dasa
150) Lokamangala dasi
151) Lokamata dasi
152) Madan Gopal dasa
153) Madhava dasa
154) Madhu Pandita dasa
155) Madhumangala dasa
156) Madhusevita dasa
157) Maha Vidya dasa
158) Mahananda dasa
159) Mahaprabhu dasa
160) Mahendra dasa
161) Maitreya Rsi dasa
162) Malati dasi
163) Mandira dasi
164) Mani Manjari dasi
165) Manjari dasi
166) Marutvati dasi
167) Matanga dasa
168) Mathura dasa
169) Mathura Lila dasi
170) Meda dasi
171) Mitravinda dasi
172) Mrdani dasi
173) Mrgapati dasa
174) Mukunda Mala dasa
175) Mukunda Datta dasa
176) Nadia Bihari dasa
177) Nama Krsna dasi
178) Nanda Kumar dasa
179) Nandi Rupaka dasi
180) Navasvati dasi
181) Nikhilananda dasa
182) Nikunja Vasini dasi
183) Nirahankara dasa
184) Niramaya dasa
185) Nitai Charan dasa
186) Nitya Manjari dasi
221) Rasa Lila dasi
222) Rasa Parayana dasa
223) Rasa Prema dasa
224) Rasacarya dasa
225) Rasananda dasa
226) Rati Manjari dasi
227) Rati Rasamrta Sindu dasi
228) Ratnavali dasi
229) Renuka dasi
230) Rohini Suta dasa
231) Rudradeva dasa
232) Rukmini dasi
233) Rukmini Priya dasa
234) Rupa Manjari dasi
235) Rupa Sanatana dasa
236) Saci Suta dasa
237) Sadhana Bhakti dasi
238) Sadhyasrestha dasa
239) Salendriya dasi
240)Sanatana Dhama dasa
241) Sankararanya dasa
242) Sarasvati dasi
243) Saumya dasi
244)Shyamalika dasi
245) Sravana dasa
246)Sri Hari dasa
247) Sri Radhika dasi
248) Srila dasa
249)Srivatsa dasa
250) Stoka Krsna dasa
251) Subhadra dasi
252) Subhuddi Raya dasa
253) Sudarshan dasa
254) Suhotra dasa
255) Surya Kanya dasi
256) Surya Kund dasa
257) Sushila dasi
258) Tamal Vrksa dasa
259) Tarunyamrta dasi
260)Tattvavit dasa
261) Tirtha sadaka dasa
262) Tribangananda dasa
263) Trilokanatha dasa
264)Tulsi dasa
265) Ugrasena dasi
266)Urukruma dasa
267) Vallabhi dasi
268) Vasudeva dasa
269)Vasuttama dasa
270) Vedasmriti dasi
271) Vidanka dasa
272) Vijaye Sakhe dasa
273) Vimuktasanga dasa
274) Vinod Manjari dasi
275) Virabhadra dasa
276) Virachandra dasa
277) Visesa dasi
278) Visnu dasa
279) Visnu Murti dasa
280)Visva Karma dasa
281) Vrajaraja dasa
282) Vrnda dasi
283) Vrndavan Krsna dasi
284) Vrndavan Tulasi dasi
285) Yadunandana dasa
286) Yadurani dasi
287) Yamuna Jivan dasi
288) Yasoda Vatsala dasa
janmashtami | 97
187) Nramaya dasa
188) Nrtya Kisori dasi
189) Pandita dasi
190) Pandu Vijay dasa
191) Parama Siddhi dasa
192) Paramesvara dasa
193) Pariksit dasa
194) Parividha dasa
195) Paurnamasi dasi
196) Pranavallabha dasa
197) Premarnava dasa
198) Prithu dasa
199) Prtha dasi
200)Pundarika dasa
201) Puranjana dasa
202) Purna Tattva dasa
203) Purusottama dasa
204)Puspanjali dasi
205) Radha Kunda dasa
206)Radha Madhan Mohan dasa
207) Radha Ramana dasa
208)Radhika dasi
209)Raja Gopal dasa
210) Raja Laxmi dasi
211) Raja Vidya dasa
212) Ram Gopal dasa
213) Rama Gati dasa
214) Rama Raghava dasa
215) Ramadevi dasi
216) Raman Reti dasa
217) Ramananda Raya dasa
218) Ramaniya dasi
219) Ramaniyangam dasa
220)Ranadurmada dasa
Conclusion
Obviously, more research needs to be done to do justice to the history of ISKCON
in this part of Europe, and the many services performed by the devotees.
It is also important on this occasion to reflect upon ISKCON’s achieve­­ments,
obstacles, and challenges.
Achievements
(1)Many people in the Benelux
have had opportunities to hear
and chant the holy name of Sri
Krishna.
(2)Millions have come in contact
with Srila Prabhupada through his
books.
(3)Radhadesh has finally established
itself as a place of inspiration for
all the devotees in the Benelux and
as a popular place to visit by the
general public. Around 750.000
guests have visited Radhadesh in
its first twenty-five years.
(4)Devotees are becoming more
mature in Krishna consciousness.
Obstacles and Challenges
(1)A poor understanding of ISKCON
by the French-speaking
politicians, media, and so on.
(2)A lack of qualified, steady
managers to maintain the centers
in the Benelux.
(3)Learning from the past mistakes,
not repeating them, and healing.
(4)Training and educating future
generations of devotees, managers,
and preachers.
I would like to thank the following devotees who helped in giving information about ISKCON in the Benelux: Tulsi
dasa, Jaya Gopal dasa, Hari Krsna dasa, Locananda dasa, Vimuktasanga dasa, Dananjaya dasa, Vedavyasa dasa,
Marutvati dasi, Nikunjavasini dasi, Rajavidya dasa, Radha Raman dasa, Premasidhi Ananda dasa, Hrdaya Caitanya
dasa, Purnatattva dasa, Tarunyamrita dasi, and many, many more.
janmashtami | 98
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare