Bhakti Ananda Goswami's Sankirtan Adventures

[Guest guest]

HH BHAKTI ANANDA GOSWAMI'S - ARDUOUS SANKIRTAN ADVENTURES 1982 WORLD TOUR 1982

Nepalese Royal Press Core photos

[some of Bhakti Ananda Goswami's previous names are used below] Devadeva dasa

(David Sherman, also known to some as Damodara dasa) being greeted at the Vedic

College in Kathmandu Nepal, by the Queen Sister, Prime Minister, Chief Justice

and others. The Former Prime Minister, the Rt. Honorable Nagendra Prasad Rijal,

(on left in light striped suit) invited David to come to Nepal and meet the King

and Queen, after hearing David speak on his research at the World Hindu

Conference in Sri Lanka. David attended the Sri Lankan Conference as the

Mainland USA Delegate, and a guest of the Government's Prime Minister and

Minister of Religion. Having been invited to sit on the Executive Committee of

the World Hindu Organization, under the Patronage of HM King Birendra, David

was honored on this occasion to plant a commemorative tree in a ceremony on the

grounds of the Kathmandu Vedic College in the district of the world famous

Saivite Pasupatinath Temple.

David (Bhakti Ananda Goswami) addressed the Executive Committee of the World

Hindu Organization in the Old Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal. Beside making a

presentation on his research, he also spoke on the need for a unity of bhakti

traditions against the threat of militant communist atheism and other forces

hostile to salvific incarnational devotional (bhakti) traditions. Subsequently

he was asked to assist the Executive Committee in drafting an official statement

on their anti-nuclear proliferation position, and International Zone of Peace

proposal for the United Nations membership of Non Governmental Organizations.

After this particular address, he was approached and embraced by the venerable

Vaishnava Leaders, Dr. Rup Lal Batra, and Dr. Acharya Prabhakar Mishra ( Srila

Prabhupada's first Disciple and co-Founder of the League of Devotees), who

expressed their great appreciation for his interfaith research and courageous

devotion to the cause of Sri Caitanya's NON-SECTARIAN Sankirtan Movement. That

same day they took David to stay with them, and formally anointed his head with

holy oil, blessing him to carry on the mission of uniting all of the devotees

of the Lord, in Srila Prabhupada's League of Devotees. Bhakti Ananda Goswami

has always considered this unsought anointing and blessing by these two great

Vaishnavas in the line of Srila Prabhupada, to be Srila Prabhupada's direct

validation of his service. Despite all physical hardship and fanatical

sectarian opposition, Bhakti Ananda Goswami has continued to try to carry on

the non sectarian inter-bhakti mission of the League of Devotees, as requested

by his Guru, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, through his faithful

servants, the venerable Doctor Yugacharya Prabhakar Mishra and Dharmachavaspati

Doctor Rup Lal Batra. The completion of this amazing trip was even more amazing,

because before leaving the USA, Devadeva dasa had been bedridden for a year with

post polio syndrome, congestive heart failure and other related severe medical

problems, including an inability to sleep due to loss of his central nervous

system respiratory drive. Polio at age 5 had damaged his brain stem, leaving

him with a rare inability to sleep due to lack of breathing. Consequently, he

had stayed awake all night studying and praying for many years, while working

and raising his children in the daytime. The apparently healthy young man in

these pictures was in fact barely able to stand or walk unaided when he left

with a donated round-the-world plane ticket, and no money, to attend the World

Hindu Conference in Sri Lanka, and to make a pilgrimage to Bhakti Tradition

Holy Places, fulfilling an ambitious Marylhurst College Independent Studies

Course research contract along the way. When given the opportunity to speak on

his discoveries as an independent (not university affiliated) scholar at the

World Hindu Conference, he reasoned that if Krishna wanted him to do it, it

could be done. So despite having a very ill body and being penniless, he was

determined to go and to serve as many ways as possible on the trip. The trip

was physically extremely arduous and painful for him, and he was several times

at the door of death during it. Never the less, he perservered, and had many

astounding adventures in his devotional service on this around the world

pilgrimage, which took him from Portland Oregon in the USA to Japan, Hong

Kong, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Greece, New York and

San Francisco back to Oregon. Having successfully fulfilled his Marylhurst

University Independent Studies Course Contract, he was awarded graduate level

college credit for his inter-bhakti research, human rights and social justice

activism on this tour. PROSECUTING THE NON SECTARIAN GLOBAL SANKIRTAN MISSION

OF SRI SRI GURU AND GAURANGA KI JAYA !

Attachment: (image/jpeg) MeetingDig.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) WorldHinduConf.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/gif) back2.gif [not stored]