FOREWARD
– by Sivarama Swami
INDRADYUMNA SWAMI is one of the most successful Vaisnava preachers today. His preaching centers on taking Krsna Consciousness to the nondevotee world, especially in the form of Krsna’s holy names. Although his preaching base is Poland, he travels throughout the former USSR, the USA, South Africa, and Australasia. Wherever he goes, his message – Srila Prabhupada’s message is the same: chant Hare Krsna and be happy.
This Swami is not an armchair prophet, sitting in a cozy office issuing dictums to preachers in the field. At fifty-five he lives the life of an itinerant, sleeps on the floor, eats what his assistants eat (or less), and is always on the front lines leading the charge of a battalion of Lord Caitanya’s army. Whether on Harinama in the street, on a festival stage before thousands, or in a remote village of Siberia, Maharaja is the undisputed inspiration and example for the hundreds of dedicated souls who chant, preach, and serve with him.
Leading the charge has its perils, and its blessings. Maharaja knows the fatigue of age, the disrespect of drunks and punks, and the persecution from established churches – and he also knows the miracles of preaching, the taste of the holy name, and the blessings of guru and Gauranga.
In his Diary of a Traveling Preacher series he recounts his preaching adventures, both internal and external, thus revealing the work and the heart of one fully dedicated to the mission of Lord Caitanya. I read Maharaja’s exploits as he sends them to me, and I’m always awed and inspired by his unique dedication to a service Srila Prabhupada emphasized above all others. By reading Maharaja’s lucid narration of his traveling exploits, I feel I am there with him – or rather that I should be there with him.
Diary of a Traveling Preacher stirs the hearts of those touched by one of Prabhupada’s most famous statements: “If you feel at all indebted to me, then you should preach vigorously like me.” I hope this volume inspires its readers to follow Maharaja’s sterling example. We need to be reminded of the miracles preaching has produced in the lives of those who have taken Lord Caitanya’s message to heart and preach widely.
If ISKCON had one hundred devotees as active as Indradyumna Swami, it would be leading the spiritual revolution Srila Prabhupada envisaged for the world. If you are not among the hundred, drop what you’re doing and join in. If you can’t embark upon this challenging nectar-ocean of preaching, make your home a preaching base and support Indradyumna Swami in his efforts. That will certainly give you a place in the history of Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement, a history that is being narrated, in part, in Diary of a Traveling Preacher.
– Sivarama Swami