Sannyasa ceremony – 1979
The Early Years
I had the great fortune to know and associate with H.H. Indradyumna Swami during the early days of his preaching in the late 70’s. Even when I was 16 years old, in 1973, I used to loiter in the streets of Paris and often see him lead the chanting party through the flea market or at the Eiffel tower. Following the request of Srila Prabhupada to preach in France, H.H. Indradyumna Swami spent his years on traveling sankirtana, at preaching programs, training new devotees and engaging in hours of chanting and dancing.
Many of us remember him in those days as the tall, emaciated householder, Sriman Indradyumna dasa Adhikari. He was based at the New Mayapura farm in France, where his wife Krpamayi devi-dasi and son Gaura Sakti resided. I recall seeing him racing in and out of the farm on the weekends, getting back on the roads to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. He was always an outstanding preacher and respected senior Vaisnava in our yatra. His enthusiasm in leading the street harinamas and the Sunday Feast kirtanas was contagious. His sankirtana spirit kept all of us enlivened for a long time. We all knew that he would one day become a great sannyasi. And that day came to pass.
Sannyasa in Sri Mayapura-dhama, Gaura Purnima 1979
Indradyumna dasa was getting ready for this important step in his life. He would sacrifice a young devoted wife and growing child, for the purpose of spreading Krsna consciousness far and wide. He was already living like a sannyasi, austerely and purely. This time however, the formality in the change of asrama would turn into a life time dedication.
Each year, Indradyumna Prabhu attended the Gaura Purnima festival at Sridhama Mayapura (India). But that year, 1979, he would pronounce his sannyasa vows. This event took place shortly after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance from our material vision and a new wave of sannyasis flooded our movement to push on the sankirtana worldwide. At this initiation ceremony, Indradyumna Prabhu would not be alone sitting at the yajna to receive his sannyasa danda. Sivarama dasa, Prabhavisnu dasa, and other famous devotees would also pronounce their sannyasa vows.
Hundreds of devotees gathered in the Mayapura Candrodoya Mandira temple room to look on as the newly initiated sannyasis threw their grains into the fire, chanting, “Svaha! Svaha! Svaha!” Indradyumna Prabhu was now known as His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja. 1979 was indeed marked by this special Gaura Purnima festival.
These young newly initiated sannyasis represented the sprouting bud of an ever-growing flower that would spread its transcendental fragrance to all corners of the world, delivering the message of Krsna consciousness to millions of conditioned souls. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya glorified Lord Caitanya in the following manner:
“Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach us knowledge, His devotional service and detachment from whatever does not foster Krsna consciousness. He has descended because He is an ocean of transcendental mercy.”
This is what His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja would exemplify and practice for the rest of his life.
France Greets Its New Sannyasi
Once the Gaura Purnima festival was over, H.H Indradyumna Swami returned to his preaching field in France, where many new plans were to unfold. He arrived at the Paris airport and was picked up by two excited devotees. The rest of us stayed back at the temple to prepare a small reception for this auspicious occasion.
Indradyumna Swami arrived at the Paris temple, 4 Rue Lesueur, at the time of the afternoon arati (4.30pm). Sri Sri Radha Parisisvara and Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, were resplendently dressed in Their gold and purple outfit. We had set a large white armchair next to Srila Prabhupada’s vyasasana to greet the new swami with foot bathing.
As soon as Indradyumna Maharaja entered the temple room in his fresh saffron dress, he took darsana of the Deities and began to dance and spin ecstatically around the temple room carrying his danda. The kirtana was getting sweeter and louder. It was an amazing sight to see our Indradyumna Swami, as if he had a new life in a new body.
We sat him down with great difficulty, almost by force, as he refused to receive any reception. It was our duty to honor his new asrama, but Indradyumna Maharaja adamantly refused. Finally he relented and allowed us to bathe his feet. Unfortunately, in our enthusiasm to honor the Maharaja properly we had prepared a jug of over-heated water. As we poured the scented ‘hot’ water over his feet, his face showed signs of pain, but he accepted the torture as his purification. Everyone felt sorry for this mistake.
Maharaja delivered a few words of address and a feast was served to all the rejoicing devotees. We had arranged on the coming weekend a program at the American Center in Paris for Maharaja to speak at for the first time as a sannyasi. I recall his speech being very forceful and uplifting, addressing the urgency to become Krsna conscious and take part in the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya. Many distinguished guests and devotees attended.
Free to Preach
Now that Indradyumna Swami was back in France as a young sannyasi, it was clear to him and everyone else that the preaching field was wide open and the long road waiting. We all wanted to see Indradyumna Maharaja in action and he did not disappoint anyone. Not wasting another day, he found and purchased a large old bus that a bramacari later refurbished. He installed Sri Sri Nitai Gaura Nataraja, who took residence in the bus as his traveling Deities and prepared for his first summer festival in the South of France at the cultural city of Avignon.
Many devotees were made, tons of delicious prasadam was distributed, the kirtanas went on every day until very late at night and life was as sweet as it could be for a young sannyasi. It was a complete success.
Indradyumna Swami’s first adventure took place in South India where he traveled to the spot where Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu. It was after this journey that he fervently began to worship Lord Nrsimhadeva in His Deity form.
Deeply impregnated in our memory are also the unforgettable Christmas marathons (1977-1986) that Indradyumna Swami took part in and headed up. Being with him during those days was a true and enriching experience. And that experience is still readily available today, 20 years later.
The Ideal Tridandi Sannyasi
His Holiness Indradyumna Swami has exhibited a high level of dedication over the past 20 years in the sannyasa order, which is very commendable. He took responsibility for the New Mayapura farm project as the Temple President, and traveled all over France to push book distribution and street harinama. He ventured to the Amazon jungle to spread the holy name among the natives. He established a strong preaching field in South Africa, Russia and especially Poland, where each year he has a successful 2 months traveling festival with over 200 participating devotees.
He is a sold-out preacher and a tireless tridandi sannyasi whom our Krsna consciousness movement is honored and proud to carry on its head like a crown jewel. His wonderful disciples all reflect his unique taste for the chanting of the holy name and his energy to preach. Indradyumna Swami is a very ideal sannyasi on many levels. He is fearless, detached, simple and strict. He is dedicated, focused on his preaching goals, extremely kind and merciful towards all the conditioned souls. He is fixed in his worship of the Supreme Lord, and above all, very attached to the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.
The 20 year Sannyasa Anniversary of H.H. Indradyumna Swami is a great source of inspiration for the entire Gaudiya Vaisnava community, including his own disciples, followers, friends and well-wishers. It is a reassuring sign that with sannyasis of such caliber, the desires of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the disciplic succession, to see the whole world become Krsna conscious, are becoming an obvious reality.
Your servant,
Radha Carana dasa
As appeared on April 26th, 1999,
at pamho.net conference
for the disciples and friends of
Indradyumna Swami