Satsvarupa das Goswami (, Devanagari: ) (born Stephen Guarino on December 6, 1939) is a senior disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami, who founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), better known in the West as the Hare Krishna movement. Serving as a writer, poet, and artist, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami is the author of Bhaktivedanta Swami's authorized biography, Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. After Prabhupada's death, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was one of the eleven disciples selected to initiate future disciples. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, (Sanskrit: ), is one of the first few Westerners ordained by Bhaktivedanta Swami in September 1966. He is a Vaishnava writer, poet, and lecturer, who published over a hundred books including poems, memoirs, essays, novels, and studies based on the Vaishnava scriptures.
Honorifics
His Holiness
Srila Gurupada
Paramahamsa
Maharaja
Early years
He was born Stephen Guarino, the elder of two children, to Italian Roman Catholic parents in Staten Island, New York and attended Brooklyn College.
In July 1966 he met A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami who registered the ISKCON a month later. Bhaktivedanta Swami soon began assigning him typing tasks which Satsvarupa understood "to be yoga". On September 23, 1966 he was ordained in the new Gaudiya Vaishnava movement.
After Swami Bhaktivedanta died, he was one of eleven disciples selected to become an initiating guru in ISKCON.
Writings
His writings were translated to over forty languages by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and Gita Nagari Press. He was also asked by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust to complete a number of works, started by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. In his writings, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami advocates a lacto-vegetarian diet.
Works
His books include Srila Prabhupada-Lilamrta, a biography of Prabhupada., He Lives Forever (1978) (lectures on the significance of Bhaktivedanta Swami) and five volumes of Prabhupada Nectar (1983–86) and a number of other titles. His memoir With Srila Prabhupada in the Early Days (1991) covers the early years of 1966–1969, his book Life With the Perfect Master (1983) describes the seven-month period in 1974, when he served as Bhaktivedanta's personal servant.
Status in ISKCON
He became the most senior member of the movement. He was appointed as a ritvik (representative) by his preceptor. He was also one of the original members appointed as (GBC) Governing Body Commission created by Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1970 to gradually take over the management of ISKCON and was a trustee in the will Bhaktivedanta for the management of ISKCON.
History in ISKCON
Early days
After ISKCON's incorporation in July 1966 at 26 Second Avenue, Satsvarupa dasa was engaged as A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's personal typist and ISKCON secretary for the first year. He was one of the few devotees who maintained outside jobs to support the ISKCON temple at the beginning. Later he managed ISKCON Boston, and ISKCON Press which was later registered as Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. After assuming duties of a GBC (Governing Body Commissioner) in 1970, Satsvarupa was asked by Bhaktivedanta Swami to accept the order of sannyasa in 1972. He accepted sannyasa along with other GBC members, all of whom were originally married men, such as Tamala Krishna Goswami and Hridayananda dasa Goswami. At the time A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami awarded him and other followers the title "Goswami" with the single line instruction: "Preach, preach, preach!" He has been listed among active promoters of ahimsa and vegetarianism among other Eastern religious teachers.
Preaching and traveling
Main preaching activities by the means of traveling sankirtana parties were centered in United States. BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) Library Party headed by him in the mid-1970s was active in establishing distribution network mainly to the Universities of the United States, with some members of the team such as Bhakti Tirtha Swami and Suhotra Dasa traveling as far as Eastern Europe.
In 1974, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was requested by Bhaktivedanta Swami to join him as traveling GBC servant, replacing previous servant Srutakirti Dasa and travelled as a menial servant around the globe.
Managing BTG
From the early days of ISKCON, the Back to Godhead was project required a lot of both contribution and supervision. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami was editor in chief and one of the main contributors to this magazine till 1991, when assisted editor Jayadvaita Swami took over as the editor in chief.
