Delivering truckloads of vegetarian meals to impoverished Zulus in South Africa; journeying to the ancient Temple of Fire in Azerbaijan; leading kirtan with gypsies in sub-zero Siberia; chanting the Holy Names of the Lord at the massive Polish Woodstock; discussing philosophy with Amazonian village leaders; returning to his home in the sacred, mystical village of Vrindavan, India.
These are just a sampling of the adventures of Indradyumna Swami—spiritual leader, traveling monk, Kirtan leader, public speaker, writer, and photographer.
Born in 1949 in Palo Alto, California, Indradyumna Swami put aside his university studies at an early age and set off on a search for spiritual knowledge. He had seen the dark underbelly of life, having served briefly as a Marine during the Vietnam War.
A disenchanted soldier, his search for something higher continued more fervently after he was discharged as a conscientious objector. He found what he was looking for at the young age of 22, when he became a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Acarya who brought Bhakti Yoga to the western world in 1965.
Humbly following in his spiritual teacher’s footsteps, Indradyumna Swami entered the renounced order of life in 1979 and with even more vigor, set off on his world-wide travels, teaching people about the rich philosophy of Bhakti Yoga, as presented in the Bhagavad-gita and other sacred Vedic texts.
Indradyumna Swami regularly interfaces with many spiritual and political leaders, including the Dalai Lama, the King of the Zulu Nation, and the late Nelson Mandela. Since 1990, he has also coordinated large-scale festival programs which feature lively kirtan meditation, theatrical presentations of Vedic texts, and vegetarian food distribution.
The immensely popular festivals unfold on the Baltic Coast of Poland every Summer, but have since made a vibrant and successful debut in the United States as the “Discover India” tour. Indradyumna Swami documents his travels and adventures in preaching in countries like Russia, China, Poland, Africa, and Australia in his Diary of a Traveling Monk series.
