Forty-one-year-old Krishna Dasa was already feeling elated as he stood in the crowd waiting to catch a glimpse of Srila Prabhupada. It was July 7, 1973. On the order of his spiritual master, Srila Trilocanadeva Maharaja, Krishna Dasa had come to England from India in 1966 to propagate sanatana-dharma, the eternal religion of the soul’s relationship of loving devotion with the Supreme Lord. He had felt alone in his quest to follow the order of his guru. A foreign culture had required a different kind of austerity than had his simple village life in Punjab. He had spoken about sanatana-dharma on radio shows and to the Indian community in various venues in London. Now he wondered how the culture and philosophy he had been trying to propagate had miraculously taken form in the dazzling chariot parade before him. He watched from a distance as the chariots maneuvered through Hyde Park towards Trafalgar Square, surrounded by curious Londoners and dancing devotees of Lord Jagannatha.

Krishna Dasa had met these disciples of Srila Prabhupada seven months before. How could he forget the knock on his door in November 1972 that had brought him bliss and the hope that sanatana-dharma would be reestablished in the world? It was hard to believe that the young orange-robed Vaishnava monk who had come to his door was an Englishman and that there were many more like him. Krishna Dasa had heard about how Srila Prabhupada, the person he was anxiously waiting to see, had brought Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message to the West, how he had opened temples of Lord Krishna in America and other parts of the world, how he had spread the glories of the Bhagavad-gita and other Vaishnava scriptures without discrimination, and how he had won the hearts of these young English boys and girls who had left everything to help him spread his mission.

Krishna Dasa saw Srila Prabhupada emerge like a golden light from the crowd. Prabhupada’s jubilant dancing throughout the parade captivated him. How was it that there were no signs of fatigue in Srila Prabhupada’s frail, sick body? The young devotees could not even keep up with him. Krishna Dasa was then convinced that Srila Prabhupada could not be ordinary.

Feeling dejected and heartbroken, Krishna Dasa wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada telling him how he had come to meet the devotees, how he had been giving classes at the Bury Place temple, how he had seen Srila Prabhupada dance at Rathayatra, and how since he had read the Guardian’s front-page headlines “Challenge to Nelson,” which glorified the Rathayatra festival, his desire to meet Srila Prabhupada was increasing.

Srila Prabhupada wrote back and humbly apologized for his disciples’ behavior, welcoming him to visit him at any time. Krishna Dasa eagerly returned to Srila Prabhupada’s door only to again be confronted by guards. This time Srila Prabhupada himself intervened and invited him into his room.

Prabhupada was silent and then said, “Join this movement and preach!”

Srila Prabhupada’s penetrating gaze and serious expression caused Krishna Dasa’s heart to leap. He had come only to offer his respects and to congratulate Srila Prabhupada for his achievements, but now he felt challenged.

“But I am already initiated and preaching,” Krishna Dasa replied. “I have been brought up as a missionary of sanatana-dharma, so how can I join you and give that up?”

“We are both preaching sanatana-dharma,” Srila Prabhupada answered, “and we both belong to the Brahma sampradaya, so why are we doing this separately? Here you will have all facility to preach. You simply come and join us.”

“But how can I give up my Guru Maharaja?” Krishna Dasa exclaimed.

“When did I ask you to do that? Can a Vaishnava ask another Vaishnava to give up his Vaishnava guru? I only asked you to please join me in spreading sanatana-dharma, which you are already doing.”

Krishna Dasa was drawn to this dynamic personality. He surrendered to Srila Prabhupada’s request.

A serious discussion followed, and eventually Srila Prabhupada suggested that Krishna Dasa leave his family and other responsibilities, and in time he would give him sannyasa initiation.

As Krishna Dasa was leaving, he said to Srila Prabhupada, “I accept you as my sannyasa guru.”

“I accept you as my sannyasa disciple,” Srila Prabhupada replied.

Krishna Dasa reminded Srila Prabhupada that he would need to seek permission from his diksha guru. Srila Prabhupada agreed and asked him to write to his guru straight away.

Krishna Dasa felt that he had come as a householder with a different intention but was leaving as a sannyasi ready to give his life to his new guru.

He later recalled, “In 1966, one year after Prabhupada left for the United States, I left for the UK as a missionary of sanatana-dharma and did not know about Srila Prabhupada’s activities.”

He said that he marveled at how the Lord wonderfully makes arrangements to fulfill His desire. He knew that his meeting with Srila Prabhupada was not by chance; it was part of a divine plan.

Vicitravirya Dasa, the temple president, would tell us how Krishna Dasa would sometimes preach very strongly to the Indian people around London and insist they become life members and donors. I saw him in action during festivals at Bhaktivedanta Manor. He was like a transcendental lion, roaring at the people and powerfully arousing their sense of responsibility as people from Indian backgrounds. He glorified Srila Prabhupada very nicely, sometimes referring to him as the thirteenth mahajana, and would tell the people that Prabhupada was the real representative of their culture and tradition. . . .

His older family members in Punjab were deeply disturbed that he had left his family and joined ISKCON full time, and Krishna Dasa was to meet them and try to make amends and pacify them. Vicitravirya went with him, and later told us that it had been a hair-raising experience. The family had tried to force Krishna Dasa to go back to his wife and children in London, but Krishna Dasa would not hear of it at all. They then wanted to physically attack Krishna Dasa, but somehow he and Vicitravirya managed to escape.

This greatly impressed us. We were all from hippie-type backgrounds, and leaving our families had been no problem for us, but here we saw someone from a completely different social environment, a cultured person who had been brought up as a devotee. And when he had been put under severe pressure to give up his dedication to Lord Krishna, he had adamantly refused. His resolve in Krishna consciousness struck us deeply.

When Krishna Dasa joined, it was a huge thing for us to have a senior Indian devotee living with us who had the skill of rhetoric and oration, the depth of knowledge, and the absolute fire for preaching. It must have been very hard for him living among Westerners who didn’t share the same background and culture of Vaishnava behavior, manners, and tendencies. But I never saw any sort of frustration or disappointment in him. He was always encouraging and supportive and established us in a way that the rest of our preaching efforts could never have done.

Krishna Dasa Swami was extraordinary; he was a “Prabhupada man.” He bravely left everything to follow Srila Prabhupada’s request, often preaching in austere circumstances.

He was learned in many aspects of shastra and philosophy and knew the life and philosophy of prominent spiritual leaders and saints. Once he related to me the entire life and philosophy of Shankaracharya and recalled how when he was only six years old, he had learned Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam prayers while hearing his grandfather reciting them during his bath.

Srila Prabhupada’s Punjabi Tiger

After Maharaja’s initial adventures in England, he traveled to various continents, spreading Krishna’s message. Thousands of people were attracted to his dynamic presentation of eternal truths and were inspired by his uncompromising standards of spiritual discipline and practice. Many came forward to take his shelter and guidance, and in 1987 he became an initiating spiritual master. Giriraja Swami, the GBC for Mauritius and South Africa then, saw a need for a spiritual figure of Maharaja’s stature to grace the African continent and stabilize the Mauritian and South African centers during a turbulent time. Sure enough, Krishna Dasa Swami succeeded in winning the hearts of many people who later became his disciples.

Poor health and a quadruple bypass heart surgery did not discourage Krishna Dasa Swami’s efforts. He continued to travel and speak strongly against the hypocrisies and sins of Kali-yuga, many times singling out treacherous leaders and politicians.

B. B. Govinda Swami affectionately called him “Srila Prabhupada’s Punjabi Tiger” because he was impressed by Maharaja’s powerful preaching spirit, staunch spiritual ideals, and ability to instill God consciousness in people from all parts of the world. Maharaja inspired the opening of temples in South Africa and Botswana. He persuaded the local city councilors in Mauritius to rename streets Vrindavan Road and Hare Krishna Road. The rural village of Beau Bois became Vrindavan.

Back in England, he visited the mosque of the Ahmaddiya Muslim community and addressed the members with familiar Urdu phrases, presenting Krishna consciousness with parallels from the Koran. They were impressed with his knowledge of other world religions and languages. Wherever he went, he struck people with his fearlessness and straightforwardness. He wouldn’t compromise just to please. But his words exuded compassion – and that was how people grew to love him.