Tamal Krishna Goswami (; 1946–2002), born Thomas G. Herzig in New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States, served on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness's Governing Body Commission since its inception in 1970. He completed a bachelor's degree in religious studies at Southern Methodist University.Biography on ISKCON.COM

Honorifics

* His Holiness * Srila Gurudev * Maharaj

Biography

Born in Harlem, New York, he began associating with the Hare Krishna movement in 1968, and was accepted as a disciple by

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna (mantra), Hare Krishna movement". Members ...

Prabhupāda soon thereafter. From 1975 until 1979, Tamal Krishna Goswami headed the "Radha-Damodara Party". The party consisted of hundreds of Bhaktivedanta Swami's disciples, who traveled around the USA on buses, distributing Bhaktivedanta Swami's books. The Governing Body Commission (GBC) is the managerial authority of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. ISKCON's founder, Bhaktivedanta Swami, created the GBC in 1972 and since that time it has met on an annual basis. Tamal Krishna Goswami was a member of this body since its beginning. Tamal Krishna Goswami died in a vehicular accident on 15 March 2002 at Phuliya in West Bengal, India. His samadhi (tomb) is placed beside Bhaktivedanta Swami's samadhi in ISKCON Sri Mayapur Dhama, West Bengal, India.

Literary contributions

''The Mysterious Pastimes of Mohini-murti''

''The Mysterious Pastimes of Mohini-murti is'' a 20th-century

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

commentary by Tamal Krishna Goswami on the

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

Mohini Mohini (Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a ''femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them t ...

. This commentary on the

was produced by Tamal Krishna Goswami in the Fall of 1993. Mohini-lila plays an important role on the periphery of Vaishnavism. There are two popular

lilas Lilas ( fa, ليلاس, also Romanized as Līlās, Lailās, and Leylās; also known as Līlān and Leylān) is a village in Solgi Rural District, Khezel District, Nahavand County, Hamadan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic ...

of Mohini which can be found in Canto Eight (chapters 9 and 12) of the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

. Mohini also plays a prominent role in the popular Hindu story known as "the churning of the ocean of milk," and her role in this story is mentioned in numerous Hindu texts, such as the two Epics, most of the

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

, and numerous vernacular literature. ''The Mysterious Pastimes of Mohini-murti'' is covered in two chapters of Bhaktivedanta Swami's translation and commentary on the Eight Canto of the

, Chapter 9, ''The Lord Incarnates as Mohini-murti'' and Chapter 12, ''The Mohini-murti Incarnation Bewilders Lord Shiva''. In this commentary, Bhaktivedanta Swami's discussions of Mohini-lila especially as they relate to gender roles in verse 8.9.9 are analyzed and considered. This includes the notable passage from Bhaktivedanta Swami's commentary. This commentary was released as a vinyl album in 1993. On the cover of the vinyl album, there is an artistic rendering of an episode of Mohini-lila from the

. This depiction on the

album cover An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-r ...

, is used to illustrate the puranic mythology under discussion. The audio files are available online.

''Happiness is a Science''

''Happiness is a Science - Aditi's Vow'' is a 20th-century

theological commentary made in 1993 by Tamal Krishna Goswami in regards to the

Aditi as detailed in the eighth canto of the

. This commentary discusses Aditi's vow,

Payovrata According to ''Bhāgavata Purāṇa'', Payovrata is the ''vrata'' ("penance") observed by goddess Aditi (अदिति) to propitiate Lord Vishnu. Ritual It is usually observed for 12 days, and during that time the devotee subsists on a diet o ...

, which she undertakes for the benefit of her children the Adityas. In the narrative, Mahabali Maharaja, king of the demons, had conquered the heavenly

planets A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young ...

and driven out their rulers, the Adityas - Aditi's children. The commentary by Tamal Krishna Goswami centers on Aditi's sacrifice in which she undertook a vow of importance (the vow which is referenced is

) and discusses why Aditi undertook this

vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedd ...

or vrata in order to bring her children back to the heavenly planets. This commentary was released as a vinyl album in 1993. The audio files are available online.Audio Lectures for Happiness is a Science - Aditi's Vow
/ref>

Books

* * : Audiocassettes plus book. * * : Published as
Yoga for the 21st Century
' in 1994 and ''Yoga for the New Millennium'' in 2000 (). * * * *

Footnotes

External links

Official Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami WebsiteTamal Krishna Goswami Tape MinistryISKCON WebsiteKrishna.com
;Papers and books by Tamal Krishna Goswami
Books by Tamal Krishna Gosvami
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goswami, Tamal Krishna Tamal Krishna Goswami Tamal Krishna Goswami Converts to Hinduism from Judaism 1946 births 2002 deaths Tamal Krishna Goswami 20th-century American Jews Southern Methodist University alumni Alumni of Clare Hall, Cambridge