Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the West

(Hardback)

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Discover the man behind the movement in this intimate biography of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

In 1965, a seventy-year-old mansoon to be known as Prabhupadaset sail from India to America with a few books in his bag, pennies in his pockets, and a message of love in his heart. He landed in New York at the peak of the revolutionary counterculture movement of the 60s, and went on to spark a global spiritual renaissance that led to the creation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,which has changed millions of lives.

Through the depiction of Prabhupada as both an enlightened luminary and a personable, funny, and conscientious individual,Swami in a Strange Landshows why cultural icons such as George Harrison and Allen Ginsberg incorporated Prabhupadas teachings into their lives, and why millions more around the globe embarked upon the path of bhakti yoga in his footsteps.

Carefully researched, skillfully crafted, and extraordinarily intimate, this narrative follows Prabhupada as he rises from an anonymous monk to a world-renowned spiritual leader. Set in locations as far ranging as remote Himalayan caves and the gilded corridors of Pariss City Hall,Swami in a Strange Landtraces the rise of Eastern spirituality in the Westand in particular, the rise of yoga culture and vegetarianism and the concepts of karma and reincarnation.

A remarkable journey into the deepest dimensions of the human experience,Swami in a Strange Landshows how one man with a dream can change the world.

Reviews

"When The Beatles sang All You Need Is Love on a live satellite broadcast in June 1967, the worldwide transmission reached more than 500 million television viewers. Now, barely two years later, George Harrison was reaching an even larger audience with the Hare Krishna mantra, and in doing so he was helping to fulfill a prophecy dating from the sixteenth century. 'One day,'Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had predicted, 'the chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna will be heard in every town and village of the world.'And so they were."

Yoga Journal

Author Bio

Joshua M. Greene has produced films for PBS and Disney, has served as vice president for New Yorks largest PR firm, and was appointed director of strategic planning for the United Nations Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. He was also an adjunct professor at Hofstra University in New York. His previous works include the best-sellingHere Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison;Justice at Dachau: The Trials of an American Prosecutor; Witness: Voices from the Holocaust; andGita Wisdom: An Introduction to Indias Essential Yoga Text. In 1970, he was initiated as Yogesvara Das by Bhakivedanta Swami Prabhupada and served for thirteen years in Prabhupadas society as director of French-language publications.