Interview with His Holiness Partha Sarathi Dasa Goswami

Partha Sarathi Dasa Goswami, originally from England, is a much loved devotee in South Africa. Maybe that's because he is the only devotee since the initial days of ISKCON in South Africa who has braved the storms and never left. Or maybe it’s because of his forty-one years of bringing many souls to Lord Krsna. Whatever it is, he is still active in contributing to the country’s spiritual heritage through Krsna consciousness. He now has disciples in South Africa, the Ukraine, and other parts of the world.

As a pioneer of Krsna consciousness in South Africa, what were some of your initial impressions and experiences?

I was quite naive. I thought South Africa would be like the jungle described in Tarzan movies, and I was expecting hot weather, wild animals, and trees. So when I arrived in Johannesburg, which turned out to be a concrete jungle in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, I was disappointed.

The people were generally reserved, and there were no friendly dealings among the races. It had a lot to do with government policy. Anything not “normal” was treated with suspicion. And we were young white boys in saffron “bed sheets,” bald heads, and chanting a mantra. So we were most “un-normal.” Even when I first went out on book distribution the devotees warned me not to talk to nonwhites too much. It wasn’t even acceptable to share a car with them. I had to be vigilant because at that time the secret police were everywhere and they were quick to act on anything they believed to be a threat to the government.

In 1975 we were convinced that spies came to the Sunday program in the Johannesburg temple to find out if we were breaking any laws. And we believed the temple room was bugged, so whenever we discussed sensitive issues like traveling and visa requirements, we would talk in the garden. In other words, we were paranoid, and for good reason, because we were under surveillance by the secret police.

The Indians, however, were enthusiastic to meet and interact with us. They were living in a country that believed and taught that the Indians' culture and beliefs were inferior. And we were white people embracing the Vedic culture. So they looked at us in awe. As Srila Prabhupada had said of his Western "boys and girls" in India–they were his dancing white elephants that all the Indians wanted to see. It was like that here too.

What were some of the struggles you encountered in a racist apartheid South Africa? Do you recall any incidents?

I had numerous brushes with the law while staying illegally in the Indian areas, but one incident stands out. As I didn't have a valid visa and passport, and had already been arrested for distributing books in central Durban, it was only a matter of time before the police would come looking for me. I knew that.

I was doing the tent campaign in the suburb of Phoenix. In 1978, Phoenix had a population of over a quarter of a million Indians, and they loved the campaign. The simple program of kirtana, talk, film, drama, and raw peanuts for prasada attracted over a thousand Indians every night. The marquee was over forty meters long in an open field. We borrowed electricity from the surrounding houses.

Three Indian devotees and I lived in the tent and would ask families to kindly allow us to bathe in their homes. But there were the odd few who didn't like us, or maybe feared us, or were suspicious of a white man talking about Indian culture. I heard rumors that some people thought I was a spy working for the apartheid regime, while others thought I was CIA–a rumor which started in India and filtered down to South Africa.

I clearly recall the day I heard the sirens. It was quiet, and I was chanting my japa when the jarring and offensive sound of the siren echoed through the marquee. I could see the police van pull up, and I froze for an instant. Krsna in my heart allowed me quick thinking. In an open field there was nowhere to run, so I hid under the stage. It was made from scaffoldings and was a meter and a half high and ten meters long. Fortunately we had quite a bit of stuff under there, so it was a good camouflage, and I was slight of frame.

I saw two police officers emerge from their van. One was an Afrikaans man, and the other an Indian. They confronted the timid devotees about my whereabouts in raised, angry voices and aggressive hand gestures. The devotees acknowledged that I was living there but had gone out for the moment. The policemen were suspicious and walked around to inspect the place. I had to bite my lip to not cry out in agony lying under the stage with the red ants biting me and the hard scaffolding pinching into my flesh, my heart thumping as the Afrikaans officer slowly and deliberately approached the stage. As if distracted by something, he walked by and announced that they would return.

We anticipated them coming the next day, and when they did, I hid in a nearby house. The family that kept me took an enormous risk, as they would have also been implicated.

The Afrikaans officer was the station commander, Captain Bezuidenhout, and his right-hand man, the Indian officer, was Constable Jagannath. They had received complaints that a white man was living in the area and holding religious gatherings, and they had every intention of arresting me.

How do I know this? Thirty years later ISKCON had built a large temple in the center of Phoenix. A gentleman and his family had started visiting our temple. They would often come to me for spiritual guidance and to ask questions. In due course they became committed devotees and asked if I would initiate them. At the time of initiation, after Krsna Lila Dasa received his new name and beads, he begged forgiveness for hunting me and trying to arrest me–he was that Constable Jagannath.

How do you see ISKCON's role now in South Africa, a democratic country facing new challenges?

ISKCON’s role is always the same irrespective of the political climate, whether it is democracy, republicanism, monarchy, aristocracy, dictatorship, or apartheid. Krsna consciousness is a nonsectarian, nonracial, nonsexist philosophy and therefore for everyone. Apartheid did not stop the flow of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, and a democratic country simply means that anyone can go to any area and share Krsna consciousness with others. We now have less resistance in bringing Krsna’s message to the people, and since the dissolution of apartheid we have communities of devotees in areas like Soweto and Stellenbosch, which were previously reserved for only black or only white people.

South Africa has one of the best constitutions in the world, and freedom of religion is our right. But South Africans still suffer from the effects of apartheid, and the only way we can have true equality is to understand we are not the material body. Therefore we are not English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sepedi, Xhosa, Venda, Tswana, Southern Sotho, Zulu, Swazi, SiSwati, Tsonga, Tamil, Hindi, or Gujarati. Rather we are spirit souls and the eternal servants of God, Lord Krsna.

Vrindavan Spreads to South Africa

Srila Prabhupada was so encouraged by the devotees’ efforts and perseverance in South Africa that he wrote in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.13.60):

Translation: Vrndavana is the transcendental abode of the Lord, where there is no hunger, anger, or thirst. Though naturally inimical, both human beings and fierce animals live there together in transcendental friendship.

Purport: In the material world one may collect funds all over the world in order to distribute food freely, yet those to whom the food is given may not even feel appreciative. The value of Krsna consciousness, however, will gradually be very much appreciated. For instance, in an article about the temple of the Hare Krsna movement in Durban, South Africa, the Durban Post reported, "All the devotees here are very active in the service of Lord Krsna, and the results are obvious to see: happiness, good health, peace of mind, and the development of all good qualities." This is the nature of Vrndavana. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gua: without Krsna consciousness, happiness is impossible; one may struggle, but one cannot have happiness. We are therefore trying to give human society the opportunity for a life of happiness, good health, peace of mind, and all good qualities through God consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada would often express that the Vrindavan mood would pervade the world through the spreading of God consciousness. Wherever there are centers broadcasting Krsna’s glories, Vrindavan, the spiritual world, will be present.

In South Africa, over the past forty-three years Krsna’s message has been gradually received and appreciated, culminating in fifteen centers and temples in Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Lenasia, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Stellenbosch, Midrand, Sandton, Soweto, Mpumalanga, Ladysmith, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, and Phoenix.

The Phoenix temple, located on the outskirts of Durban, is the second-largest temple in South Africa. It sprouted from the Sri Sri Radha-Radhanatha temple, with many devotees having their roots there. It is named New Jagannatha Puri, and the presiding deities are Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi.

The centers throughout South Africa host numerous colorful festivals, university and outreach programs, street chanting, prasada and book distribution, workshops and seminars on the Vedic perspective, and an array of other devotional activities. The number of attendees to the various programs is on the rise, making Srila Prabhupada’s words stand true.

Srila Prabhupada envisioned a Rainbow Nation for South Africa way back then. Recently, Brahmananda Dasa, the earliest pioneer of Krsna consciousness in Africa, told of Srila Prabhupada's final instructions to him about his efforts in Africa.

"Srila Prabhupada said, 'This is what I want in Africa.' And he said, 'In South Africa, I want the Europeans, Indians, and Africans dancing together.' That's all he said. I mean, can you imagine? [Brahmananda starts to cry.] This is Prabhupada."

The author offers thanks to Svarupa Damodara Dasa (former temple president), who gave advice and ideas for the articles, to his wife Sukumari Devi Dasi, who transcribed the interview, and to all those who submitted photos and information. Thanks to Riddha Dasa for his book Mission in Service to His Divine Grace, which provided the historical timeline and some of the initial historical information. A special thanks to Rasa-sthali Devi Dasi for her encouragement and support. She edited the interview, coordinated photos, and helped in gathering information and communicating with devotees.