Udupi: ISKCON has a large number of devoted overseas disciples of Sri Prabhupada, a Vaishnava sage who founded a religious institution worldwide and inspired building huge temples of Krishna consciousness in India and abroad. Gadadhara Dasa, a Russian, joined this International body, enchanted by Indian philosophy of divine love of Lord Krishna.

Dasa later wrote 5 books on Hinduism and Udupi Krisshna’s romances. Dasa was an ISKCON devotee even in teens, and now for 2 decades he has continued his contacts with the Lord as devotee or Dasa.

He was a soldier before he arrived in Brindavan to seek Krishna. He studied Sanskrit works, Gita, Bhagwatha, and translated Madhwacharyas “12 sthotras” in English and Russian. He did so many other Sanskrit works of Vadiraja and Narayana Pandita.

His missionary zeal as a Hindu ascetic has made him an author of 18 Puranas in Russian and English languages, with Ganapathi in them. Gadadhara was in Mangalore ISKCON for sometime but has gone back to Russia.

He is married to Krishnapirya, a blind healer. Laxmivara T, Sirur Paryaa Swamiji released Gadadhara’s book on Ganapathi in Udupi on Dec 13.