Lokanath Swami

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Lokanath Swami
Lokanath Swami Vrindavan 2009.jpg
Personal
Born
Raghunath Patil

6 July 1949
Aravade, Tasgaon (now Maharashtra), India
ReligionGaudiya Vaishnavism
Senior posting
InitiationDiksa–1972, Sannyasa–1975
PostISKCON Guru, Sannyasi
Websitelokanathswami.com

Lokanath Swami (IAST: Loka-nātha Svāmī; born 1949 in Aravade, Tasgaon, Maharashtra) is an ISKCON guru from India. Lokanath Swami (born Raghunath Patil) always had the ambition to dedicate his life to serving people, his country and humanity. Bereft of resources, he did not know where to begin. It was while studying Chemistry in Bombay that his life was irrevocably changed. He daily attended the first 10 day Cross Maidan Pandal Festival in 1971 organized by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and his Western disciples.

Although Lokanath Swami did not personally meet Srila Prabhupada at this festival, His Divine Grace’s spiritually elevating discourses and the energetic kirtan by the devotees stole his heart. He could not afford much but managed to buy some small Srimad-Bhagavatam booklets and several, "Back to Godhead" magazines. These purchases were what kept him connected to Srila Prabhupada and the devotees during the time that he could not locate them. It seemed that this extraordinary group of people had miraculously appeared and disappeared. It was at the 1972 Hare Krishna Festival that he finally decided to forsake his studies, permanently join ISKCON and move into the temple in Bombay. When his family was unable to locate him, they feared the worst. He had once before left home to join an ashrama. On the pretext that his mother was gravely ill, he was asked to come back home to Aravade. After a month of unsuccessful dissuasion to leave ISKCON, he returned to Bombay.

It was in Vrndavan on Gopasatami 1972 that he became an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. He received the sannyasa order from His Divine Grace in December 1975, at the age of 26 years. Lokanath Dasa officially became Lokanath Swami.

One of the most important instructions he received from Srila Prabhupada was to preach Lord Caitanya’s message by organizing Padayatra (a walking festival) worldwide in order to realize Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s declaration – “the holy are of Krsna will be preached in every town and village on this earth.” The first leg of the journey was from Vrndavana to Mayapur.

In the course of his Padayatra service, he traveled on foot to many of the major tirthas and sacred sites of India. Today Lokanath Swami travels regularly throughout India, preaching mostly in Maharashtra. For the past forty years, he has traveled and preached in the major cities and towns and remotest villages of Maharashtra guiding their development and spiritual upliftment. He regularly travels to Europe, Africa, and Asia sharing the teachings of Bhakti-yoga.

Lokanath Swami has worked on establishing many temples – ISKCON Aravade, ISKCON Nagpur, ISKCON Amravati, ISKCON Noida, ISKCON Pandharpur, ISKCON Solapur, to name a few.

He is also the author of many books ranging from the lessons learned from his personal conversations with his spiritual master (My Prabhupada, In Conversation With Srila Prabhupada) to taking his readers on a visual and spiritual pilgrimage through Vrndavana (Vraja-mandala Darsana). He is one of the initiating Gurus in ISKCON and has initiated disciples all over the world. He is presently working on several books and various building projects.

Bibliography[]

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In English

  • Bombay Is My Office: Lokanath Swami – Noida: Padayātrā Press, 2018
  • Vraja Mandala Darsana: Lokanath Swami
  • Lokanāth Swami in Conversation with Srila Prabhupada: Context and Compilations – Noida: Padayātrā Press, 2014. — 153p. — Print ISBN 978-0-620-58488-3 — E-book ISBN 978-0-620-58489-0
  • Lokanāth Swami Festivals: Śrīla Prabhupāda at the Māyāpur-Vr̥ndāvana festivals. — Noida: Padayātrā Press, 2001. — 244 p. — ISBN 81-901132-1-6
  • Lokanāth Swami Kumbha: Festival of Immortality. — Noida: Padayātrā Press, 2001. — 136 p.
  • Lokanāth Swami My Prabhupāda. — Noida: Padayātrā Press, 2007. — 159 p.
  • Lokanāth Swami Back to Home (A collection of Back to Godhead magazine articles)
  • Lokanāth Swami Samskrtoccaranam (A complete guide to Sanskrit pronunciation)

In Hindi

  • Lokanāth Swami Mere Prabhupada
  • Lokanāth Swami Bhuvaikuntha Pandharpur
  • Lokanāth Swami Kumbha

In Marathi

  • Lokanāth Swami Bhuvaikuntha Pandharpur
  • Sukhi Jivanacha Marg (Collection of Lectures in Marathi)

In Gujarati

  • Lokanāth Swami Kumbha

In Russian

  • Локанатха Свами Обратно к Богу. — М.: Философская книга, 2003. — 96 с. — ISBN 5-8205-0022-9
  • Локанатха Свами Кумбха-мела. Праздник бессмертия / Пер. с англ.: Анируддха дас. — М.: Философская книга, 2003. — 144 с.
  • Локанатха Свами Фестивали. — М.: Ведабук, 2007. — 350 с. — ISBN 978-5-902399-14-8
  • Локанатха Свами Мой Прабхупада. — М.: Философская книга, 2008. — 240 с.

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External links[]

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