By Govinda Hari Dasa
From Tech To Temple
Gopa Vrindesha Dasa’s journey at ISKCON Melbourne began with a quiet but defining decision. On the day he received his Ph.D. in Wireless Technology from the University of Melbourne, he turned away from a promising corporate future to embrace the life of a brahmachari monk, devoted to Sri Krishna.
For the past 16 years, Gopa Vrindesha Dasa has served in many capacities, from washing dishes at the temple’s Crossways restaurant and performing priestly duties at the temple to leading book distribution on the streets of Melbourne, guiding the men’s ashram, serving on the temple’s board of examination, and spearheading Western outreach.
Prayers In Poetry
Yet, this lesser-known devotee’s most unique contribution lies in his gift of devotional Sanskrit poetry. For the past four years, Gopa Vrindesha has written original songs annually, glorifying ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada.
A childhood familiarity with the beauty of Sanskrit fostered Gopa Vrindesha Dasa’s meditations on Srila Prabhupada, eventually manifesting as Sanskrit poetry in his mind.
One day in 2021, after sharing a couple of these verses privately with a friend, he was informed that it was the 125th year of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance in this world and that ISKCON was planning a major global celebration to mark that momentous occasion. When his friend requested that he write more verses for this special event, Gopa’s poetic inspiration flourished, leading to the creation of his first song, Srila Prabhupada Daya Dashakam.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/songs-of-gratitude-poetic-tributes-to-srila-prabhupada/
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