ISKCON Benelux History

35 Years of ISKCON in the Benelux

by Mahaprabhu dasa

Introduction The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was established by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in New York City in July 1966. By 1970, the year that it was incorporated in Holland, the Hare Krishna movement had twenty-five centers in North America, two in Europe, and one in Asia.

The first devotee to visit Holland was Sivananda dasa, who arrived in 1968 from Canada. He had wanted to visit the UK, but was denied entry, so he went to the nearest European destination: Amsterdam.

Sivanananda dasa: “Holland had been one of the more liberal countries in Europe, and Amsterdam in particular had become a kind of Mecca for the blossoming hippie culture. I had no trouble going

through the customs, and I soon found myself chanting Hare Krishna on Dam Square, the meeting point of the youth. My out-of-this-world appearance caused quite a stir, and soon a reporter took photographs and asked questions. The next day, one of the major newspapers in Amsterdam carried an article about Krishna consciousness and my preaching activity, and I happily sent it to Srila Prabhupada.

In my report I mentioned that a boy from Finland had shown interest in our philosophy and was helping me in some ways. From conversations with him, I got the impression that people here were not too well off and it would be difficult to find a permanent place for a temple. Therefore I thought about other places I could go, and finally I decided that West Berlin would be a good place.”

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On this occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Radhadesh, I pray to Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha to empower me to write something worthy about ISKCON’s thirty-five years of development in the Benelux. I am unqualified and lack time to write a thorough essay, but I will describe some of the history of our movement in this area of Europe. This is an auspicious occasion to reflect upon not only ISKCON’s achievements, but the challenges and shortcomings the Hare Krishna movement must face.

It is an opportunity to appreciate the valuable services devotees performed to establish, preserve, or help spread Krishna consciousness. On this auspicious occasion, Radhadesh is hosting a reunion of devotees who rendered innumerable services in the Benelux, and the theme of this reunion is “appreciation, cooperation, and unity in diversity.”

Srila Prabhupada soon replied to Sivananda’s report, in a letter dated August 27, 1968: “I am so glad to receive your letter dated August 21, 1968, and I declare herewith that Krishna desired you to go to Amsterdam, and therefore, you were not admitted in England. I have seen also the description of your little activities in Amsterdam, but I could not understand the language. But one thing I observed in that article, there was publication of my name, Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta. So this indicates that your tour in Europe is going to be very successful . . .”

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In 1969, the Dutch public had an encounter with the Hare Krishna movement in connection with a hit record made with the help of George Harrison for the Radha-Krishna Temple in London. While the Hare Krishna maha-mantra was on top of the charts in Europe, a Dutch TV company invited Srila Prabhupada’s London disciples to Amsterdam, all expenses paid, to do a five-minute show. Srila Prabhupada was in London at the time, and he agreed to appear on the show to present Vaishnava philosophy.

The studio arranged for a minibus to pick up the devotees at Tittenhurst (John Lennon’s estate) and bring them to Heathrow for their flight to Schiphol airport. The devotees traveling with Srila Prabhupada were Mukunda dasa, Janaki dasi, Gurudasa, Yamuna dasi, Malati dasi, Dhananjaya dasa, Digvijay dasa, Pritha dasi, Radha Raman dasa, and Visakha dasi.

After they sang the maha-mantra for a few minutes, the cameras focused on Srila Prabhupada, who ad-

dressed the Dutch TV audience for reacted to him pleasantly. He actutwo minutes. Srila Prabhupada said, ally was able to control the whole “We have been chanting this Hare situation.”

Krishna mantra. This is a transcendental sound vibration, nondiffer- The main singers were Yamuna dasi ent from the Lord. The Lord’ s name and Shyamasundara dasa, assisted and His form are the same. Please by Radha Raman dasa, Mukunda chant this sublime sound, and your dasa, Kulasekhar dasa, and others. life will become perfect. You will At the end everyone was dancing become happy, and you will real- and felt very happy, and a crisis was ize your true nature—that you are avoided. an eternal servant of God, Krishna. Srila Prabhudapada and his disciples leaving This process is called bhakti-yoga, a TV studio in Amsterdam. (1969) and we request everyone to take to this chanting. Thank you very much.”

The London devotees went to Amsterdam a second time in January 1970. Terry King, the manager of the devotee singers on the popular Radha-Krishna Temple album, organized a program in the prestigious Concertgebouw on the Leidseplein. Twelve devotees from London traveled by van across the Channel. They arrived in Amsterdam a few hours early, to chant on the Leidseplein before the concert. The public proved very receptive. The advertisement for the show contained George Harrison’s name in very big letters.

Dhananjaya dasa said, “When we went onstage, the first thing that people noticed was that George Harrison was not with us, so the mood turned very dark. The hippies thought they were being cheated, and they shouted out, ‘Why is George Harrison not here? We came to hear George Harrison!’ It could have turned nasty, but Simon Vinkenoog, a famous figure well known to the hippies, was standing in the wings, and he came onstage and took the microphone. He started to quiet them down, and they

Srila Prabhupada leaving the Bethanienstraat temple in Amsterdam. Below: Delivering a lecture at Vondel Park. (July 1972)

The Amsterdam Temple (1970–2005)

Historically, Holland was a haven for persons fleeing religious persecution throughout Europe. In the 1960s and 70s, it became a haven for people dissatisfied with the establishment and seeking an alternative to mainstream life. It closely resembled hippy havens like Haight Ashbury in San Francisco

and Greenwich Village in New York City, where the Hare Krishna movement was attracting followers from the counterculture. Amsterdam was also a melting pot of people of different nationalities. So it seemed to be the right time and place to start a center. Dutch television had also done several interviews about the Hare Krishna movement in New York and London, further demonstrating the Dutch media’s openness to this new religious movement.

Dhananjaya rented a two-bedroom apartment and would chant every day by himself in the streets of Amsterdam. Soon a Welshman named Philip Garner met him on the street and joined him in spreading Krishna consciousness. They would distribute invitations to the Sunday program in their apartment. They also held programs in the Cosmos, a famous gathering place for the counterculture.

Soon some other people joined and later became initiated: Kisori dasai and Bhakti Kirtan, and then Akhoyananda dasa. A few months later, in early 1971, the first Dutch devotee joined them. He was initiated with the name Sudarshan dasa.

Next Viranchandra dasa joined.

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In 1970, Srila Prabhupada asked Gurudasa, who was the temple president of the ISKCON center at Bury Place in London, to go to India, and he asked Dhananjaya to become the next temple president. Shortly after that, Murari dasa and his wife, Lilavati dasai, and their daughter arrived in London from the United States. Before long, Murari told Dhananjaya that he would now become the London temple president, being senior to Dhananjaya, and that Dhananjaya could go to Amsterdam to open a center.

Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk at Vondel Park with his disciples.

Below: The installation of Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. (July 1972)

legalized.

Dhananjaya looked in an advertisement paper for a new place and found a factory on Bethaniënstraat for around 400 gulden a month.

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In 1971, Bhumadeva dasa, Atma­ nanda dasa, Venkatesh dasa, and Hare Krsna dasa joined.

The Sunday feasts became quite popular, so the devotees rented a hall and had feasts there. Then the Cosmos offered the devotees their place in Amsterdam and other meditation centers under the care of Cosmos throughout Holland (in Breda, Den Haag, and Utrecht).

ISKCON was incorporated in Holland as a “stichting,” or foundation, called the Internationale Gemeenschap voor Krishna-bewustzijn, and book distribution and harinama were

The Sunday feast attendance had begun averaging three hundred guests. The standing rule was that all guests had to wash their feet before entering.

The temple, being near the red-light district, was visited by prostitutes who become friendly toward the devotees, so much so that once . . .

Dhananjaya: “On a Friday night, at 11 o’clock, we were sleeping, and we were woken up by some banging. I looked out from the ashram and saw

four prostitutes dragging the frame of a big brass bed to the front door.

I went down and asked, ‘So what is happening?’ ‘Well,’ they said, ‘we heard that you sleep on the floor, and we found this bed and thought you could use it.”

The Dutch public responded positively. Dhanajaya had arrived in Amsterdam in October 1970, and by the time he left, in December 1971, there were twenty-five devotees. Akhoyananda dasa became the next temple president, followed by Jagadeva dasa, until 1973.

In August 1972, Srila Prabhupada visited Amsterdam for the second time, to install deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. This visit is described by Vedavyasa dasa in his book “Srila Prabhupada and His Disciples in Germany,” in the chapter entitled The Amsterdam Mess.

“The Amsterdam Mess”

by Vedavyasa dasa

After a week in Paris, Srila Prabhupada visited Amsterdam, where the Dutch devotees received him in their small temple on Bethaniënstraat for the first time.

Although the center was new and none of the devotees were experienced, they had asked Prabhupada to install the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra.

The devotees from Germany wanted to be with their spiritual master for some days more, and because Amsterdam was only a few hours drive from Paris, they all got into their vans and headed north.

Cakravarti dasa: “We greeted Prabhu­ pada at the Amsterdam airport with an enthusiastic kirtana and escorted him to the VIP lounge. After accepting a few pieces of cut fruit from a big plate of prasadam, he settled down behind a huge conference table in front of a crowd of reporters. The room had no air conditioning, and it was a very hot August day. The devotees had not brought any fans. So after I watched the pearls of perspiration running down Srila Prabhupada’s face, I finally grabbed a magazine and provided some cooling air. The next day one of the major newspapers published a photo of me standing behind Prabhupada, and the caption said that one of the Swami’s young disciples was serving his spiritual master by fanning him with a magazine.”

Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk at Vondel Park with his disciples. (July 1972)

Prithu dasa: “To attract people to Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, Hamsaduta and Revatinandana Swami led a huge harinama through the center of Amsterdam and around Dam Square, and when they arrived at the hall, an immense crowd of hippies was following them. The kirtana continued onstage for a good while, until Prabhupada came and sat on the vyasa­

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For Friday evening and Saturday evening, the devotees had rented a hall in the Krasnapolski Hotel, near the Dam, the central square in Amsterdam.

Srila Prabhupada giving sannyasa initiation to Akhoyananda dasa. (July 1972)

Hamsaduta told us that Srila Prabhupada had said these people were useless. Best was just to have kirtana and give them prasadam; there was no use discussing philosophy, because they were all intoxicated. So we had a festival program with nonstop kirtana and distributed hundreds of plates of prasadam.”

Cakravarti dasa: “One of my duties was to keep order. Four or five young men, that nowadays we would call punks, started to smoke. So I had them put out their cigarettes.

During Prabhupada’s kirtana, one of them began to mock the devotees dancing. We just ignored him, and the rest of the evening passed without incident.”

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Revatinandana dasa: “On Saturday, we had a program in Vondelpark the whole day. Prabhupada told us, ‘Just have kirtana, because these people are very degraded. Don’t speak much, because if you say the wrong thing, they might become agitated and even violent.’ I told him that I had experience with these kinds of people and that after ten or fifteen minutes they would often become restless. ‘Yes,’ Prabhupada said, ‘ten, fifteen minutes maximum, and no questions.’

“In the morning, I began the program with kirtanas and short talks.

Srila Prabhupada stayed in a nearby apartment and his front window faced the park. His servant later told me that Prabhupada, hearing our program going on, came out on the balcony and stayed there a good while. He obviously enjoyed hearing

us preach by chanting and lecturing.

One devotee had picked up a chant in India: he krishna, govinda, hari, murari/ he natha, narayana, vasudeva. When Prabhupada heard it, he called us into his room and said, ‘This is not a Vedic mantra; this is a cinema song. An intelligent disciple just takes whatever his spiritual master provides for him, considering that to be sufficient. There are many names of God you can chant, but it’s best to take what comes in disciplic succession and what the spiritual master introduces.’”

Cakravarti dasa: “So many hippies lived in that park that there must have been at least four or five thousand people present when Prabhupada got on the vyasasana and began to speak. I was again a member of the security crew, and suddenly the same group of punks approached the stage. When Pradyumna, Prabhupada’s Sanskrit editor, spotted them, he found me and advised me how to deal with the guy who had been mocking our dancing: ‘If he does any nonsense, do something!’ I had been a devotee less than a year, and the words of one of Prabhupada’s personal staff were like the Absolute Truth for me. From that moment on I kept an eye on this guy, and I even warned him that if he dared to cause a disturbance, I would take action. Wherever he went, I followed him like a shadow.

He ended up right in front of the stage staring at Srila Prabhupada, who was speaking to a huge crowd of young people. Then this fool dared to make a nose at Prabhupada. I was onstage, so I jumped on him like a tiger, and he lost his balance, and we both fell to the ground. Three or four other devotees rushed to help me, and a crowd of people gathered around us. Angry voices could be

heard. Suddenly we heard the sound of cymbals. Srila Prabhupada had begun to chant Hare Krishna. As the transcendental vibration of his voice filled the air, the tension diminished, and somehow or other the situation calmed down. After the program, Prabhupada called us in and reprimanded us for our foolish action.

He was disturbed and said that only the chanting of the holy name had prevented a disaster: five thousand hippies fighting with a hundred of us. He said that it was one of our Western diseases to become easily angered and start a fight over a trifle.

The next day this guy I had attacked came to the temple and apologized.

To my amazement, he admitted being impressed by the decisive action taken against him. And he stayed and became a devotee.”

The incident made Srila Prabhupada thoughtful. On several occasions he had mentioned that the hippies were the best candidates for spiritual life because they had voluntarily rejected the materialistic life of their parents to search for a better life. In fact, most of Prabhupada’s disciples had come from the counterculture.

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sana. He took karatalas and chanted Jaya Radha-Madhava, but after the pranama prayers he called over Hamsaduta, exchanged a few words with him, and got up and left.

Installation of Sri Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra by Srila Prabhupada.

Below: Srila Prabhupada lecturing at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)

“. . . we are observing here in Europe that many, many hippies have become disgusted with material life, but they are also now so much degraded that they will not hear our philosophy, simply mocking. So our devotees may become very much learned to remove their doubts and become very much fixed up in Krishna consciousness, but so far preaching to the general public, especially the hippie class, it is better not to preach very much philosophy.

Just somehow or other get them to chant Hare Krishna mantra, and if some of them are curious to learn something, they may purchase one of our books. Only if they chant with us, that will help them.”

Over the years, Srila Prabhupada sometimes referred back to this experience: “I saw in Amsterdam, simply full of hippies, lying down on the street, lying down in the park; no food, no shelter. It is going on. . . .

They must be wanting something.

They are in need of something. . . . You may be in need of food, I may be in need of some woman, he may be in need of some money. . . . In this way everyone is needy.

Therefore, ultimately one should search after God. Then every need will be fulfilled.”

Prithu dasa: “Early one morning, we were strolling with Srila Prabhupada through Vondelpark, where most of the hippies had spent the summer night in sleeping bags. My attention was drawn to a couple lying under a tree. They were not asleep anymore, but were already pretty busy with each other. I was curious to see how Prabhupada would react, so I ob-

served him from the corners of my eyes. But Prabhupada had been observing me, and when our eyes met, he shook his head in disapproval, as if to say, ‘No, no, we don’t look!

A devotee doesn’t watch people engaged in lusty affairs.’”

Revatinandana dasa: “When we passed the hippie couple, Srila Prabhupada remarked, ‘Just see! In the material world, it does not matter whether one is rich or poor, there will always be some facility for sex life.’”

Astaratha dasa: “We reached Amster­ dam in the early morning on the

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But its initial ideals were rapidly degrading to hedonism and cynicism, as he witnessed in Amsterdam. The next day, he wrote to Hrdayananda Maharaja, who was lecturing on American university campuses:

day of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival. As soon as we entered the temple, an ishta-gosthi was held to explain to everyone what to do. Preparations were still underway. Prabhupada’s reception at the airport had to be organized, the newly constructed wooden arches in the temple room had to be painted light blue and pink, and clothes for Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra had to be sewn. When the question arose, Who knows how to sew?, one of the Hamburg devotees, for whom I had once made a beadbag, pointed to me and said, ‘He knows.’ Although I had only a little experience, upon seeing the situation I thought, ‘Well, I have never made clothes, but somehow or other I will manage to come up with something.’ So I agreed.

“At noon on that Friday, we all assembled in front of the temple to

greet Srila Prabhupada. Kishori was struggling with her children. Her little daughter had been crying all morning and did not respond to any attempt to calm her down. And there was no way to tell Kishori to take her daughter and leave. She insisted on being there with her kids to receive Prabhupada. As soon as Prabhupada stepped out of the car and saw the screaming child in Kishori’s arms, he went up to Kishori, patted her daughter’s head, and said: ‘Everything is all right.’

Immediately the child became quiet.

I was amazed.

“The temple consisted of a fairly large temple room, a kitchen, an office, and another small room for the female devotees; the brahmacaris stayed in the attic. We divided the women’s ashrama with a curtain, and in the front part I sat down with

the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra and cloth. The sewing machine was broken, so I had to sew everything by hand. And because the installation was in two days, I had to work throughout the nights. My only companions those two nights were a few mice who ran all over the place.

“I pictured in my mind our Jagannatha Deities in Hamburg and tried to create similar outfits. The turbans were the most difficult part, and it was only by Krishna’s mercy that I managed to make something that resembled turbans, after numerous unsuccessful attempts at wrapping. On Sunday morning I finished the last details, and being completely wiped out, I went to take rest in our VW bus, because the installation was scheduled for the afternoon.”

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Srila Prabhupada at a press conference at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam. (July 1972)

Vedavyasa dasa: “On the morning of the installation I was asked to string garlands. Kishori dasi was in charge of the decorations and flowers, and she provided me with a needle and thread and buckets full of white, pink, and red carnations. This was the first time I had made a garland, and Kishori was too frazzled to give me detailed instructions or supervise my service. Aksaya dasa, the temple president, had dumped all responsibility for the preparations on her head, because he was busy preparing for his sannyasa initiation, to be held that same afternoon, right after the Deity installation.

Kishori was sincerely trying to arrange everything, but the task was over her head. Disorder and confusion reigned.

“How do you string a garland of carnations? I did not know, and it did not occur to me to do it lengthwise, by opening the flower petals and

pushing the hard green part firmly into the previous flower so that at the end only petals would be visible.

I pushed the needle through sideways and twisted the flowers so that the petals pointed in different directions. As long as the garlands were lying on a cloth on the floor, they looked all right.

“The awakening came when, as a reward for my efforts, I was allowed to garland Prabhupada. I felt proud and satisfied that His Divine Grace was wearing one of my garlands, visible to everybody present. Shortly, however, my artistic arrangement of carnations began to disintegrate.

Obeying gravity, one flower after another turned its head downward.

Besides being an unpleasant sight, the hard green parts must have pricked Srila Prabhupada, but he seemed undisturbed. He was not concerned with his own comfort.

He was more concerned with the

preparations for the ceremony, because not only wasn’t his garland up to standard, but many ingredients were missing.”

Astaratha dasa: “I woke up at 3:30 p.m., anxious about the Deity clothes, and after a quick shower I entered the temple room and made my way to the altar. That was not easy, because the temple was packed with people. There were so many guests that a lot of them had to stand on the sidewalk. There was just no room inside. I peeped into the ladies’ ashrama and felt relief that the clothes and the Deities were still there. But then I realized that hardly anything was prepared for the installation. Not that I knew exactly what was needed for the ceremony, but I had heard that the Deities were bathed with milk and yogurt and that afterward a fire sacrifice was held. But I did not see any indication that these things were being prepared. I asked some

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Srila Prabhupada delivering a lecture at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)

devotees, but they did not even pay attention to what I said; they were busy talking to guests and taking care of the press and the TV crew.

So I thought, ‘What to do? I have to phone Srila Prabhupada. Something has to be done.’

“Nanda-kumara, Prabhupada’s servant, answered the phone. ‘I am not in charge here,’ I said, ‘but from what I can see, nothing is being prepared for the installation.’ He could not believe his ears. Quickly, he gave me several instructions, especially that the Deities had to be wrapped in white cloth and that we needed big containers for the bathing. So we got a bed sheet from the neighbors, which we tore into three parts, and we got some big pots from a nearby hotel. Bit by bit some arrangements came together, but on the whole, they were less than paltry.”

Revatinandana dasa: “When we ar-

rived with Srila Prabhupada at the temple, we were greeted by an ecstatic kirtana, and hundreds of curious onlookers were wondering what was going on. Prabhupada smiled at the enthusiasm of his disciples, but his demeanor changed after he entered the temple room and looked around. ‘What is this? No fruits? No flowers? What are these pots that you want to bathe the Deities in?’

The anger in his voice made everyone freeze. ‘I cannot bring the Lord of the Universe here. This is a farce!

How can you think that, with so little preparation, Lord Jagannatha will live in this place?’ But after deliberating for a few seconds, he relented: ‘All right, go ahead. But I do not think this is very nice.’

Vedavyasa dasa: “One new bhakta had been living in the temple for a couple of weeks, and whenever he had gotten disturbed, the devotees had always instructed him to just

chant Hare Krshna. So when he saw Prabhupada upset, he remarked to him, ‘Why don’t you just chant Hare Krishna?’ Without a word, Srila Prabhupada took his beadbag and began chanting japa. He continued on and off until the devotees had gathered the necessary paraphernalia and were ready to begin the ceremony.”

Astaratha dasa: “Srila Prabhupada was frightening. When he saw the mess, he turned to his leaders and demanded: ‘Who is responsible for this? Who is the pujari?’ Aksaya summoned up all his courage and said, ‘I told Kishori . . .’ “‘A woman?’ Prabhupada said, cutting him off and looking at him sternly, incredulousness in his voice. Icy silence. The atmosphere was tense. I felt like disappearing.

Such an embarrassing situation!

My only thought was, ‘I hope that

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Srila Prabhupada arriving at the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam. (July 1972)

The altar at the Herengracht temple

“Eventually, Kishori came in with fruits, a huge plate of fruit salad, and was promptly sent back to the kitchen. Some unbroken fruits, which were actually required, were quickly brought, and Nanda-kumara began bathing the Deities. When he finished, he brought Their Lordships behind the curtains to be dressed.

Kishori was supposed to do it, but she was a nervous wreck. So the first thing Nanda-kumara did was to tell her she was not needed. I was standing nearby, ready to jump in if necessary, and he called me to help dress the Deities.”

Nikunjavasini dasai: “My eldest brother was living near Bethaniën­ straat, and he visited the temple regularly to take prasadam.

Sometimes he would even accompany the devotees on harinama.

He was the first person to put me in touch with Krishna consciousness. Unfortunately, he later got involved with Guru Maharaji; there he did not have to follow any principles. But my second brother, Anga dasa, became very serious about Krishna consciousness. When Srila Prabhupada came to Amsterdam, Anga invited my parents and me to the temple to meet him. My brother told us, ‘This is a pure devotee, and even if you don’t understand anything, whatever he says is pure sound vibration and has a beneficial effect.’

I was impressed, and thought, ‘Oh, this is very special. I am going to see this holy man, a very spiritual person.’ So I was really eager to go. We

went to the installation ceremony. A television crew was there, and it was packed with people. The preparations for the installation were so deficient that Prabhupada was angry.

He was shouting, and the devotees were timidly running around trying to follow his directions. Even before ever seeing Prabhupada, I was in a respectful mood, but I never expected him to be like this. Because of my oldest brother’s involvement with Guru Maharaji, I had a certain concept of a guru. I had always seen pictures of Guru Maharaji with a big smile on his face, which was fatty and glowing, but now I saw Prabhupada, and he was so angry. I thought, ‘Wow, this is serious business; this needs surrender. This is real spiritual life.’ I suddenly realized that the other things were all simply an external show, whereas this was real. But I thought, ‘I am not ready for this.’ I had respect for the devotees because they took Prabhupada’s chastisement so seriously. They were in anxiety, trying to rectify the mess. Of course, I did not understand what it was all about. There were some statues covered with cloth, and there was this area in the middle for fire, and Prabhupada was yelling, and the devotees were running around, and it was all being filmed while we just stood there watching.

“Another thing that amazed me was that Prabhupada did not seem to care at all for the TV cameras or guests. He was doing the needful for a proper installation ceremony, and this really impressed me. He did not care about making a good impression on the TV people by glossing over the whole affair. His only interest was to make the proper arrangements for Krishna’s service.”

Vaidyanatha dasa: “I was surprised that such an elevated person, the leader of the Hare Krishna movement, became angry. In my mind, a transcendentalist always remained equipoised and serene. I did not know yet that a devotee could even show anger in Krishna’s service. I had been living with the devotees for less than a week. During the lecture, I was leaning against the wall, with my knees under my chin and my arms around them, the typical way you are not supposed to sit in front of the Deities. Prabhupada must have noticed me, because suddenly he pulled his legs up and sat on the vyasasana in exactly the same way I was sitting and said, ‘It is an offense to sit in front of the Deities like this. Sit properly!’ This is the only personal instruction I ever received from Srila Prabhupada, and I have been trying to apply it in its broadest sense: not only to sit properly in the temple but also to be always properly situated in devotional service.”

Revatinandana dasa: “Prabhupada asked me to perform the fire sacrifice. While chanting the mantras, I had difficulty separating the compound words properly, and each time I made a mistake, Prabhupada corrected me. I became so nervous that at the end I forgot to chant namo maha-vadanyaya. Prabhupada interrupted me: ‘You do not chant namo maha-vadanyaya? I will do it!’

“When it was time to light the fire, I picked up the ladle for the ghee with my left hand, being left-handed, and the wood with my right hand.

When I realized what I was doing, I tried to switch the two quickly without anyone noticing it, but Srila Prabhupada had already looked at

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at least the outfits will be all right.’

Then Syamasundara, Prabhupada’s secretary, lowered his head and asked shyly, ‘Shall we get some fruits?’ ‘Don’t tell me what to do!’

Prabhupada thundered.

me disapprovingly, as if to say, ‘My disciples: just see!’

“The only time I saw Prabhupada smile that afternoon was when he handed Aksaya his sannyasa staff and made him Aksayananda Swami.”

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Astaratha dasa: “While all this was going on, Nanda-kumara and I were busy dressing the Deities behind the curtain of the altar room. When we finally put Their Lordships on the altar, we realized that the canopy was too small, or rather, that the columns supporting it stood just in front of Jagannatha and Baladeva.

Nanda-kumara thought for a second and said, ‘We have to take it off.’ So we lifted the canopy off the altar. But where to put it? There was no room. We had to take it out, and there was no other way than to carry it through the packed temple room over the heads of everyone. Srila Prabhupada, who was lecturing, looked on with surprise.

“But now the Deity room looked pretty empty. There was only the altar and a bare wall in the back.

On one side, a large painting of the Panca-tattva leaned against the wall, and while looking at it, I had an idea. ‘Why don’t we put that behind the altar?’ I suggested. ‘Great idea,’ Nanda-kumara said. But there was nothing to support the painting, because the altar did not reach back to the wall. The only solution was to put something on the floor.

So Nanda-kumara shouted, ‘Bring books!’ Heads turned in surprise.

Because quite a few books were needed, a human chain had to be formed to pass the books to the altar.

“When the curtains finally opened, the arrangement looked quite ac-

ceptable, and Nanda-kumara performed the first arati for the Deities.

The atmosphere was then relaxed and became festive, with a tremendous kirtana shaking the whole building. After arati, huge quantities of halava and Simply Wonderfuls were served to everyone.”

Revatinandana dasa: “After the ceremony, Prabhupada was about to get into the car when he asked his servant, ‘You brought some prasadam?’ Nanda-kumara looked at him with surprise. ‘I thought you would take your usual, simple meal instead of the feast,’ he said. ‘No,’ Srila Prabhupada replied, ‘this is a Deity installation. I want to take maha-prasadam. Please go and get me a plate.’ So Nanda- kumara went back into the temple and came back with a big plate of prasadam. The Amsterdam traffic made for a rough ride; several times the car stopped abruptly. When the driver had to brake again, the plate of prasadam slipped onto the floor. Nanda-kumara was in total anxiety. He hoped Prabhupada would forget about the

plate. But as soon as we arrived at the apartment, Prabhupada asked, ‘Where is the prasadam?’ His servant explained what had happened, but Prabhupada told him, ‘Bring it.’

And he ate everything, just to show us how important prasadam is.

“Prabhupada’s anger had left a deep impression on the Amsterdam devotees, and they really felt sorry that their inexperience had evoked Prabhupada displeasure. So Aksayananda Swami came to apologize, but Srila Prabhupada’s mood had already changed. I was surprised that he had shown such anger and now was as cool and calm as a lotus flower. I asked him about it, and Prabhupada said, ‘It’s for your education, not for my sake. A devotee does not become angry when offended, but when he sees that the Lord or another devotee is offended, he shows anger.’ Then Prabhupada laid down on a couch to rest for a while. Lying on his back, he clasped his knees with his hands and slowly rocked back and forth while softly chanting, ‘Haribol! Haribol!’”

Parividha and Jaya Gopal dancing in the temple at the Herengracht in Amsterdam.

35 Years of ISKCON in the BeneluX (continued)

Little Govinda dasa at the entrance of the Herengracht temple.

Below and next page: harinama in Amsterdam.

cause it had a big door like you see on garages and on this door was a smaller door.”

At that time there was no book distribution going on nor paraphernalia sales. Tulsi dasa first became the treasurer and strengthened things financially. The main public activities had been harinama and the

Sunday feasts, and Tulsi dasa got the book distribution going. He bought a Ford Transit van and equipped it for traveling, and soon afterwards the “Sri Isopanisad” was printed.

After that Jagadeva dasa, who was the temple president, became more and more interested in translation, so Tulsi dasa took up the management

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In the spring of 1973, Tulsi dasa was in London and met Hare Krsna dasa from Amsterdam, who presented to him a wonderful picture of the Amsterdam temple and persuaded him that he could become the next temple president. But upon arriving at the temple in Amsterdam, Tulsi dasa thought, “It looked like a garage where you got your car repaired, be-

of the temple. The book distribution became very strong. There were two groups traveling, with four to five devotees in each group. They traveled all over Holland wearing devotee clothing and distributing books.

At that time Hare Krishna dasa began looking for a better place in Amsterdam. He found a place on the Herengracht, which became the temple for several years. After Tulsi dasa returned to America, Prithu dasa was appointed president by Hansadutta dasa.

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In 1975, Bhagavan dasa became the Governing Body Commissioner for the Benelux, and he asked Locanananda dasa to become the temple president of Amsterdam.

Those were called the Golden Days of Amsterdam, because there were over seventy-five devotees in the temple, and a lot of book distribution and harinama took place. In 1980, when most of the devotees moved

to Radhadesh with the Deities, the temple in Amsterdam shifted to a smaller building on Keizersgracht owned by devotees and located in central Amsterdam. There a temple and a restaurant functioned until the property was sold, around 1987.

The temple then moved to a rented building on Ruysdaelkade, where

there was a large building. But after a couple of years it became very difficult to maintain. Many devotees went to Radhadesh. Jaya Gopal , as the president, helped the remaining devotees push on. The present temple on Van Hilligaertstraat was started by Ananda Svarupa dasa in 1991.

Radhadesh (1980–2005)

The main activities in the early years, under the able presidency of Jaya Gopal dasa, were Deity worship, self-sufficiency, and renovations. Book distributors would visit and hold festivals.

Tourists started coming. The turning point in the visitors program was 1989, when devotees got hundreds of tour buses to come, and international seminars started. The Deities have always been faithfully served by Prema Siddhi Ananda dasa and Nikunjavasani dasi. To describe all the phases, challenges, obstacles, and achievements would take a booklet, and Hrdaya Caitanya dasa would be the one to write it, because he has been in Radhadesh since the beginning, and the temple president for almost the last twenty years.

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In 1979, the devotees from the Amsterdam temple began looking for property outside the city, to develop a community. They searched all over Holland and Northern Belgium but found nothing in their price range convenient for a temple and a community. They decided to start looking in the rest of Belgium, and that is how they came to the French part of Belgium and found Radhadesh. The main devotee in the search was Vimuktasanga dasa. In the beginning of 1980, devotees began repairing the Radhadesh castle, and they have not stopped since.

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Devotees in front of the Brussels center (early 1980s).

Right: Books decorate the altar during a book distribution marathon in Brussels. Below: Lord Jagannatha at the center of Brussels.

Brussels Center (1977–2005)

At that time the French equivalent of ISKCON was started, called Association Internationale pour la Conscience de Krishna, headed by Klesapha dasa. In that center there was a group of devotees distributing books, mostly in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, and the sankirtana leader was Mahavidya dasa.

The center stayed open approximately two years. Later, around

1985, a new center was opened in Brussels called the Brussels Cultural Center, conveniently located on Rue Marche aux Poulets, in the center of Brussels.

Headed by Gaura Gadadhara dasa and his wife, Bhaja Radhe dasi, it was a base for devotees who distributed books and paraphernalia.

Still later, it included a small restaurant and a nice temple room, where Sunday programs were held. Rasa Prema dasa, Damodara dasa and his wife, Gaura Lila dasi, were in charge of the center

then. Rasananda dasa, from France, operated a Lunch Club for some time.

In 1990, however, the center closed because of a shortage of devotees.

In 2004, Lilasuka dasa opened a small center in Brussels, where Saturday programs were held weekly. Two families from Kasaksthan were attracted, among others, and a young married doctor from Kasaksthan accepted initiation. In August 2005, Lilasuka relocated to a larger place on Rue Royale.

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The first Center to open in Brussels was at 28 Rue de Neufchatel, in the neighborhood of Saint Gilles.

Harinam at Place de la Monnaie in Brussels. (early 80’s)

The Antwerp Temple (1980–2005)

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In 1968, Srila Prabhupada sent some of his disciples to Europe.

From England, a few devotees came to Amsterdam and opened a center, and from there books came to be distributed in Belgium. The book distribution peaked in the 1980s, when books were distributed from rented houses in Brussels, Mariaburg (Kapellen), Braine le Château, and Antwerp. Thus, around 1980, the first preaching center opened in Antwerp at Katelijnevest 25.

Mrigapati dasa, an English devotee, and his wife, Sanatan-dharma dasi, took charge of this new but temporary center.

Later, a Flanders nama-hatta blossomed when another book distribution center opened in a house at Amerikalei 184 in Antwerp, in April 1986. During its first years the building was used as a center for book distribution organized from Radhadesh. Later, it grew into an independent preaching center.

From Antwerp, other nama-hattas were opened and maintained, such as those in Gent and Brugge. These branches made new devotees, who continued the mission of Krishna consciousness in Flanders. Thus gradually, in this way, a congregation of devotees built up: people who studied or worked and tried to put into practice the principles of varnasrama-dharma.

Devotees in front of the Antwerp center on Amerikalei.

First center in Antwerpen at the Katelijnvest. (early 80’s)

Temple room in the Antwerp center on Amerikalei.

In 2001, ISKCON Antwerp organized the first vegetarian exhibition, which attracted three thousand people. This was followed up by organizing a Flemish vegetarian society called Ethisch Vegetarisch Alternatief (EVA).

In 2006, ISKCON Antwerp will have been on the Amerikalei for twenty years. Purna Tattva dasa and Tarunyamrta dasi, who now run the center there, will celebrate this anniversary along with a silver jubilee marking ISKCON’s twenty-fifth year Antwerp.

(Top row, left to right): Rati Manjari dasi, Anandini dasi, Bhaktin Maria, Surya Kanya dasi, Sarasvati dasi, Sravana; (bottom row, left to right): Yadurani dasi, Mrdani dasi, Kamala Manjari dasi, Jadurani dasi, Vrndavana Tulasi dasi, Kalindi dasi, Haraprana dasi, and Bhaktin Claudette

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Some activities of the Antwerp preaching center are its daily morning programs, distributing Vedic literature, annual Rathayatra festivals and Festivals of India, taking part in festivals organized by other groups, school programs, harinamas, seminars and courses, maintaining relationships with people in the Indian community, a dinner club called Govinda’s, and interfaith dialogues.

Devotees demonstrating in front of the Russian embassy in The Hague. Below: Book distributors meet in a park.

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Preaching in the Benelux (1970–2005) After the preaching began in Amsterdam, in 1968, with Sivananda dasa’s visit, it soon spread to other Dutch and Belgian cities in the form of harinamas, cultural programs, and, later, book distribution and festivals. When devotees began traveling and distributing books and magazines, groups of both ladies and men went out all over the Benelux, first in Holland, then in Belgium.

The book distributors would sleep in their vans or at camping sites and sometimes in rented houses. Some of the famous sankirtana houses were in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Braine le Château, and Gent. Some of the most famous book distributors in the Benelux were Mahavidya dasa, Mrgapati dasa, Jaya Gopal dasa, Mathura dasa, Guru Padma dasa, Akhiladara dasa, Purusottama dasa, Purna Tattva dasa, Gauranga

Prema dasa, Gaura Gadadhara dasa, Paramesvara dasa, Damodar dasa, Ekacakra Grama dasa, Stoka Krsna dasa, Marutvati dasi, Aharada dasi, Ramaniya dasi, Vinod Manjari dasi, Yamuna Jivan dasi, Mathura Lila dasi, Vedasmrti dasi, Vrndavan Tulasi dasi, Gokula Vrndavan dasi, Bhaja Radhe dasi, Pandita dasi, Hara Prana dasi, Surya Kanya dasi, and many, many more.

In recent years ISKCON’s preaching to the Hindu community in Holland has met with success.

Many thousands of Hindus who came from Surinam are now friends of Lord Krishna and members of the Nama-

Hattas of Den Haag and Rotterdam, which organize Ratha-yatras.

Another achievement for ISKCON in the Benelux has been the publication of a bi-monthly magazine in Dutch (first called Krishna Bulletin and now titled Krishna Bhakti). It has come out steadily since the early eighties, and now several hundred families receive it every two months.

Book Production The first devotees to translate Srila Prabhupada’s books into Dutch were Ranadhurmada dasa and Jagadeva dasa.

The first books translated and published, in 1973, were “The Transcendental Teachings of Prahlada Maharaja” and “Sri Isopanisad”. In 1974, “Easy Journey to Other Planets” was printed, which sparked off the book distribution in Holland. Through the years, many devotees contributed to the translation, editing, production, and management of Srila Prabhupada’s books: Hayeshvara dasa, Aharada dasi, Iravati dasi, Peter Kreuze, Vrndavan Tulasi dasi, Sarasvati dasi, Gangadhara dasa, Varnadi dasa, Antwardipa dasa, Kalindi dasi, Bhakta Ivar, and others. Rupa Sanatana dasa now heads the translation department.

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Dutch publishing has depended on the following BBT trustees: Hansadutta dasa, Bhagavan dasa, Harikesa dasa, and Madhusevita dasa (the current BBT trustee). Through the years over a million copies of Dutch books have been distributed, and many thousands of French books have gone out in parts of Belgium.

Books Printed in Dutch 1973: De transcendentale leringen van Prahlad Maharaja 1973, 1975, 1985, 1997: Sri Isopanisad 1974: Reis naar andere planeten (Easy Journey to Other Planets) 1977, 1979, 1981: Het Krishna boek 1981: Bhagavad-gita (First Edition) 1981: Op weg naar Krishna 1981, 1982, 1983: Wetenschap der Zelfrealisatie (first translation) 1983–1999: Srimad-Bhagavatam (First Canto through Tenth Canto, Part One) 1983: Nektarzee van zuivere liefde (The Nectar of Devotion) 1983, 1988, 2000: Heengaan en terugkomen 1986: Prabhupada (abridged biography) 1988, 2000: Volmaakte vragen, volmaakte antwoorden 1988, 1997, 2000: Een hogere smaak 1992: Het pad naar perfectie 1993: Leven komt voort uit leven 1994: Vedische kookkunst (Adiraja) 1995: Aan een zijden draad 1997 : Wetenschap der Zelfrealisatie (second translation)

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2003: Bhagavad-gita (second translation)

35 Years of ISKCON in the Benelux: Facts and Figures

1) Shyamasundara dasa 1970–72 2) Hansadutta dasa 1972–75 3) Bhagavan dasa 1975–87 4) H.H. Danavir Swami (Holland) 1987–88 5) H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami (Belgium) 1987–88 6) H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami 1988–90 7) Suhotra dasa 1991–2002 8) Madhusevita dasa 1991–

Temple Presidents in Amsterdam 1) Dhananjaya dasa 1970–72 2) Akhoyananda dasa 1972 3) Jagadeva dasa 1972–73 4) Tulsi dasa 1973–74 5) Prithu dasa 1974–75 6) Hari Krishna dasa and Puranjana dasa 1975 7) Locanananda dasa 1975–77 8) Vimuktasanga dasa 1978–80 9) Hayesvara dasa 1980–81 10) Hare Krsna dasa 1981–84 11) Prema Rupa dasa 1985 12) Radha-Madhanmohan dasa 1985–86 13) Danavir dasa 1986–88 14) Brahma Rata dasa 1988–90 15) Jaya Gopal dasa 1990 16) Ananda Svarupa dasa 1991–93 17) Nanda Kumar dasa 1993–95 18) Jagadananda dasa 1995-97 19) Mahaprabhu dasa 1997-2000 20) Gauranga Premananda dasa 2000-2003 21) Vasudeva dasa 2003-2004 22) Hamsa Avatara dasa 2004-

Temple Presidents in Radhadesh 1) Vimuktasanga dasa 2) Jnanaraja dasa 3) Jaya Gopal dasa 4) Hrdaya Caitanya dasa

1980–82 1982 1982–86 1986–

Partial List of Devotees Who Have Served in the Benelux (Apologies to anyone whose name has been overlooked. —Mahaprabhu dasa) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 31) 32) 33) 34) 35) 36) 37) 38) 39) 40) 41) 42) 43)

Acyuta Gotra dasa Advaita Sutra dasa Agni Pana dasa Aharada dasi Akhiladara dasa Akhoyananda dasa Akrura dasa Aksoya dasa Alakananda dasi Amita Chara dasa Ananda Lakshmi dasi Ananda Svarupa dasa Anandini dasi Ananta Acarya dasa Ananta Rama dasa Anga dasa Antwardipa dasa Anumanta dasi Aprameya dasa Archa Seva dasa Ardra dasi Asoka dasi Astasakhi dasi Atitagamana dasi Atmananda dasa Bala Gopal dasi Basyakara dasa Batu Gopal dasa Benkatesh dasa Bhadranga dasa Bhagavan dasa Bhaja Radhe dasi Bhakta Alfredo Bhakta Andre Bhakta Bryan Bhakta Christian Bhakta Hub Bhakta Ivar Bhakta Jean Pierre Bhakta Johan Bhakta John Bhakta Josef Bhakta Joop

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GBC Secretaries for the Benelux

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44) 45) 46) 47) 48) 49) 50) 51) 52) 53) 54) 55) 56) 57) 58) 59) 60) 61) 62) 63) 64) 65) 66) 67) 68) 69) 70) 71) 72) 73) 74) 75) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92)

Bhakta Jos Hooiybergs Bhakta Peter Bhakta Peter Kreuze Bhakta Rabin Bhakta Stefan Bhaktapriya dasa Bhaktapriya dasi Bhaktaseva dasa Bhaktin Ana de Vocht Bhaktin Lenka Bhaktin Teha Bhaktin Vera Bhaktin Yvette Bhavani dasi Bhima dasa Bhudara dasa Bhumadeva dasa Brahma Muhurta dasa Brahma Rata dasa Brahma Sutra dasa Brahmananda dasa Candra Laxmi dasi Cintamani dasi Damodar dasa Damodar Pandita dasa Dayal Nitai dasa Devaprastha dasa Dhananjaya dasa Dhira Krsna dasa Divya Singh dasa Ekacakra Grama dasa Ekanatha dasa Ekatma dasa Ekaya dasa Gabhiratna dasa Gandharvika dasi Gangadhara dasa Gatikari dasa Gaura Gadadhara dasa Gaura Lila dasi Gauranga dasa Gauranga Premananda dasa Gokula Vrndavan dasi Gopali dasi Gopanandini dasi Gour Mohan dasa Govinda dasa Govinda dasi Guru Bhakta dasi

93) Guru Padma dasa 94) His Holiness

B.B. Govinda Swami 95) His Holiness

Bhakti Caru Swami 96) His Holiness Danavir Swami 97) His Holiness

Kadamba Kanana Swami 98) His Holiness

Prahladananda Swami 99) Hara Prana dasi 100) Hare Krsna dasa 101) Hari Krpa dasa 102) Hari Sakti dasa 103) Haribolananda dasa 104) Harkripa dasa 105) Harsarani dasi 106) Hayagriva dasa 107) Hayesvara dasa 108) Hema Sarira dasa 109) Hrdaya Caitanya dasa 110) Iravati dasi 111) Isani dasi 112) Isvara dasa 113) Isvarachandra dasa 114) Jagadananda dasa 115) Jagadeva dasa 116) Jagadisha dasa 117) Jagannatha Krsna dasa 118) Jagannatha Tirtha dasa 119) Jagatpati dasa 120) Janardana dasa 121) Jaya Bhadra dasi 122) Jaya Gopal dasa 123) Jayadeva dasa 124) Jnanaraja dasa 125) Jyestha dasi 126) Jyotirmayi dasi 127) Kalindi dasi 128) Kancanavali dasi 129) Kapila dasa 130) Kausalya dasi 131) Keshava Priya dasi 132) Kisori dasi 133) Klesapha dasa 134) Kripa Siddha dasa 135) Krsna Charan dasi 136) Krsna dasa 137) Krsna Ksetra dasa

138) Krsna Premavati dasi 139) Krsna Seva Saranya dasi 140) Krsna Vamsa dasa 141) Krsna Vani dasi 142) Kulakshekhar dasa 143) Kundalata dasi 144) Kunti dasi 145) Labanga dasa 146) Lalasamayi dasi 147) Lalita Kunda dasi 148) Lilasukha dasa 149) Locanananda dasa 150) Lokamangala dasi 151) Lokamata dasi 152) Madan Gopal dasa 153) Madhava dasa 154) Madhu Pandita dasa 155) Madhumangala dasa 156) Madhusevita dasa 157) Maha Vidya dasa 158) Mahananda dasa 159) Mahaprabhu dasa 160) Mahendra dasa 161) Maitreya Rsi dasa 162) Malati dasi 163) Mandira dasi 164) Mani Manjari dasi 165) Manjari dasi 166) Marutvati dasi 167) Matanga dasa 168) Mathura dasa 169) Mathura Lila dasi 170) Meda dasi 171) Mitravinda dasi 172) Mrdani dasi 173) Mrgapati dasa 174) Mukunda Mala dasa 175) Mukunda Datta dasa 176) Nadia Bihari dasa 177) Nama Krsna dasi 178) Nanda Kumar dasa 179) Nandi Rupaka dasi 180) Navasvati dasi 181) Nikhilananda dasa 182) Nikunja Vasini dasi 183) Nirahankara dasa 184) Niramaya dasa 185) Nitai Charan dasa 186) Nitya Manjari dasi

221) Rasa Lila dasi 222) Rasa Parayana dasa 223) Rasa Prema dasa 224) Rasacarya dasa 225) Rasananda dasa 226) Rati Manjari dasi 227) Rati Rasamrta Sindu dasi 228) Ratnavali dasi 229) Renuka dasi 230) Rohini Suta dasa 231) Rudradeva dasa 232) Rukmini dasi 233) Rukmini Priya dasa 234) Rupa Manjari dasi 235) Rupa Sanatana dasa 236) Saci Suta dasa 237) Sadhana Bhakti dasi 238) Sadhyasrestha dasa 239) Salendriya dasi 240) Sanatana Dhama dasa 241) Sankararanya dasa 242) Sarasvati dasi 243) Saumya dasi 244) Shyamalika dasi 245) Sravana dasa 246) Sri Hari dasa 247) Sri Radhika dasi 248) Srila dasa 249) Srivatsa dasa 250) Stoka Krsna dasa 251) Subhadra dasi 252) Subhuddi Raya dasa 253) Sudarshan dasa 254) Suhotra dasa

255) Surya Kanya dasi 256) Surya Kund dasa 257) Sushila dasi 258) Tamal Vrksa dasa 259) Tarunyamrta dasi 260) Tattvavit dasa 261) Tirtha sadaka dasa 262) Tribangananda dasa 263) Trilokanatha dasa 264) Tulsi dasa 265) Ugrasena dasi 266) Urukruma dasa 267) Vallabhi dasi 268) Vasudeva dasa 269) Vasuttama dasa 270) Vedasmriti dasi 271) Vidanka dasa 272) Vijaye Sakhe dasa 273) Vimuktasanga dasa 274) Vinod Manjari dasi 275) Virabhadra dasa 276) Virachandra dasa 277) Visesa dasi 278) Visnu dasa 279) Visnu Murti dasa 280) Visva Karma dasa 281) Vrajaraja dasa 282) Vrnda dasi 283) Vrndavan Krsna dasi 284) Vrndavan Tulasi dasi 285) Yadunandana dasa 286) Yadurani dasi 287) Yamuna Jivan dasi 288) Yasoda Vatsala dasa

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187) Nramaya dasa 188) Nrtya Kisori dasi 189) Pandita dasi 190) Pandu Vijay dasa 191) Parama Siddhi dasa 192) Paramesvara dasa 193) Pariksit dasa 194) Parividha dasa 195) Paurnamasi dasi 196) Pranavallabha dasa 197) Premarnava dasa 198) Prithu dasa 199) Prtha dasi 200) Pundarika dasa 201) Puranjana dasa 202) Purna Tattva dasa 203) Purusottama dasa 204) Puspanjali dasi 205) Radha Kunda dasa 206) Radha Madhan Mohan dasa 207) Radha Ramana dasa 208) Radhika dasi 209) Raja Gopal dasa 210) Raja Laxmi dasi 211) Raja Vidya dasa 212) Ram Gopal dasa 213) Rama Gati dasa 214) Rama Raghava dasa 215) Ramadevi dasi 216) Raman Reti dasa 217) Ramananda Raya dasa 218) Ramaniya dasi 219) Ramaniyangam dasa 220) Ranadurmada dasa

Conclusion

Obviously, more research needs to be done to do justice to the history of ISKCON in this part of Europe, and the many services performed by the devotees.

It is also important on this occasion to reflect upon ISKCON’s achieve­­ments, obstacles, and challenges.

Achievements

(1) Many people in the Benelux have had opportunities to hear and chant the holy name of Sri Krishna.

(2) Millions have come in contact with Srila Prabhupada through his books.

(3) Radhadesh has finally established itself as a place of inspiration for all the devotees in the Benelux and as a popular place to visit by the general public. Around 750.000 guests have visited Radhadesh in its first twenty-five years.

(4) Devotees are becoming more mature in Krishna consciousness.

Obstacles and Challenges

(1) A poor understanding of ISKCON by the French-speaking politicians, media, and so on.

(2) A lack of qualified, steady managers to maintain the centers in the Benelux.

(3) Learning from the past mistakes, not repeating them, and healing.

(4) Training and educating future generations of devotees, managers, and preachers.

I would like to thank the following devotees who helped in giving information about ISKCON in the Benelux: Tulsi dasa, Jaya Gopal dasa, Hari Krsna dasa, Locananda dasa, Vimuktasanga dasa, Dananjaya dasa, Vedavyasa dasa, Marutvati dasi, Nikunjavasini dasi, Rajavidya dasa, Radha Raman dasa, Premasidhi Ananda dasa, Hrdaya Caitanya dasa, Purnatattva dasa, Tarunyamrita dasi, and many, many more.

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Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare