Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
This temple was established in 1975 by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, and is situated in Ramaṇa-reti on the Vṛndāvana– Chaṭṭīkarā road. The presiding deities in this temple are Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma in the middle chamber, Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara with Lalitā and Viśākhā in the chamber on the right and Śrī Gaura-Nitāī in the chamber on the left. At the side is a deity of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja. The samādhi of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja is also here. In his last years, Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja asked the author to place him in samādhi, and this ceremony took place during Kartika (November) in 1977. Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja used to call Bombay his office, Māyāpura his place of sādhana, and Vṛndāvana his nitya- siddha abode, his home.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This temple was established in the year 1975, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the illustrious founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The temple was meant primarily for the benefit of Shrila Prabhupada’s thousands of disciples from around the world, who when visiting Vrindavana on pilgrimage, would have their own temple in the holy Dhama where they could stay and take advantage of the unique spiritual atmosphere of Lord Krishna’s sacred abode. The Krishna Balarama Mandira now attracts more visitors than any other temple in Vrindavana and is famous throughout India for the exceedingly high standards of Deity worship practiced here in strict accordance with the pancharatrika Vedic rites. The temple is also well known for its pristine cleanliness and very peaceful atmosphere as well as the kirtans and bhajans performed by the Western devotees, which is much appreciated by all those who visit the temple.
One of the most important acharyas in the history of Indian religion, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, became the first ever ‘world teacher’ of India’s Vedic religion and he single-handedly spread the message of Lord Chaitanya and the chanting of Krishna’s holy names to every town and village on the face of the earth. By his efforts ‘Hare Krishna’ became a regular household word and he himself became world-famous as the founder of the ‘Hare Krishna Movement’. Even though advanced in age, he circled the globe fifteen times on lecture tours and initiated thousands of disciples into Krishna consciousness and the practice of bhakti-yoga. In his own lifetime, he established over one hundred temples of Radha and Krishna in almost every major city of the world. He is credited with having ushered in a spiritual revolution that not only changed the lives of millions around the world, but is still continuing to change the lives of millions more, through his innumerable translations and commentaries on the ancient Vedic scriptures that explain the science of devotional service to Lord Krishna.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the most recent in an unbroken line of Vaishnava acharyas or empowered spiritual masters, stretching back thousands of years that include such great personalities like the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Shripada Madhavacharya, Sukadeva Goswami, Veda-Vyasadeva, and Narada Muni. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the foremost disciple of Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami, who, as the previous acharya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, gave Shrila Prabhupada the order to take the message of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to the Western world, in order to give those living outside India the chance to experience the sublime process of Krishna consciousness. Shrila Prabhupada was a highly renowned Vaishnava scholar and his translations of the Vedic classics earned him praise from scholars, theologians, academicians, and religious leaders the world over. His translations of the Vedas are presently used as standard texts in numerous colleges and universities world-wide. His unique translation of the Bhagavad-gita became the best-selling edition in the world, and his books have been translated into more than seventy of the world’s major languages with millions of copies of his books having been printed to date; thus Shrila Prabhupada is now recognized as the most prolific author of Vedic religion, culture, and philosophy that has ever lived. In the holy month of Kartik in the year 1977, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada entered into maha-samadhi at the Krishna Balarama Mandira in Vrindavana and His sacred body was entombed in a very beautiful white marble Samadhi Mandira built by his disciples in the temple grounds.
