We follow the beliefs and practices of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition according to the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as presented in disciplic succession in the writings of His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the teachings of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja and those of our beloved Gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. Vaisnavas such as these are very rare in this world. They are not forced to take birth in the material world due to the force of karma like ordinary living beings. They appear here out of compassion and the need to facilitate the Lord’s mercy upon the fallen conditioned souls.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
An incarnation of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, appeared as a devotee of Krishna in Mayapur, West Bengal, India in the late fifteenth century (1486-1534). He introduced sankirtan, widespread congregational chanting of the Supreme Person’s names, as the most effective means by which anyone can achieve spiritual perfection. He taught that the holy name of the God is the sound incarnation of God. By His influence, many of India’s leading religious scholars and their followers became devotees of Krishna themselves.
Sri Caitanya himself left only eight written verses, the Siksastaka, in which he teaches that chanting God’s names is the most simple and sublime spiritual practice for everyone, everywhere. He also showed such extraordinary symptoms of love of God that great scholars among His devotees, including the Six Goswamis, have cited considerable scriptural evidence indicating that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself appearing as His own devotee to teach by example how to be a devotee in this modern fallen age of Kali.
His Divine Grace Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(1896-1977)
Brought Krishna Consciousness out of India to the Western countries, for which we are eternally grateful. He is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent exponent of the teachings and practices of bhakti-yoga to the Western world. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s books are considered to be among his most significant contributions for the spiritual upliftment of the world in the modern age. Srila Prabhupada, as he’s known to his followers, translated and commented on over eighty volumes of the Vedas’ most important sacred bhakti texts, including the Bhagavad-gita—a concise handbook for understanding the purpose and goal of human life—and the multi-volume Srimad Bhagavatam—an epic biography of Krishna, Krishna’s avatars, and His many devotees throughout the history of the universe. Srila Prabhupada is also the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
(1929-1996)
A leading sannyasa disciple of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who is widely respected as a scholar and teacher of Gaudiya Vaisnavism.
He spent 10 years traveling the world. With his dynamic presentation of the philosophy of Krsna consciousness, Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja would leave audiences spellbound in his recitation and elaboration of Srila Prabhupada’s books, quoting from and singing the songs of the past great Vaishnava acarayas. There was no question that he could not answer, and hearing from His Divine Grace on a regular basis would melt even the hardest of hearts.
Under the order of Srila Prabhupada, he constructed the glorious temples of Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama, Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha in Bhubaneswar and the Sri Sri Radha-Gopala Jiu temple in Gadai Giri.
Srila Gour Govinda Swami never deviated from the Vedic principles whereby he set the example and taught devotees philosophically and practically by his own exemplary personality.
His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
(1921-2010)
Our beloved spiritual teacher, is a disciple of Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, who was the sannyasa guru of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He had a close and intimate friendship and relationship with Srila Prabhupada and considered him his siksa-guru, for which he was asked to perform the seva to look after and further educate the disciples of Srila Prabhupada after his departure.
He is widely recognized as an authority on the philosophy, culture, and practices of bhakti-yoga in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He founded a global movement dedicated to bhakti-yoga known as the International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society and propagated bhakti-yoga through published writings and public lectures around the world. From 1996 to 2010, Srila Narayana Maharaja circled the globe over thirty times and introduced his teachings on a global scale.
As his followers grew in number, more than one hundred of his written works were translated into all the world’s major languages. He is regarded by adherents of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as one of the foremost teachers of bhakti-yoga in the modern age. He received numerous honors and recognition from secular and religious leaders for propagating a message of tolerance, peace, and love, including the World Peace Flame in 2001