Disciplic Succession

Gaudiya Vaishnav Sampradaya

1. Krsna
2. Brahma
3. Narada
4. Vyasa
5. Madhva
6. Padmanabha
7. Nrhari
8. Madhava
9. Aksobhya
10. Jaya Tirtha
11. Jnanasindhu
12. Dayanidhi
13. Vidyanidhi
14. Rajendra
15. Jayadharma
16. Purusottama
17. Brahmanya Tirtha
18. Vyasa Tirtha
19. Laksmipati
20. Madhavendra Puri
21. Isvara Puri, (Nityananda,Advaita)
22. Lord Caitanya
23. Rupa, (Svarupa, Sanatana)
24. Raghunatha, Jiva
25. Krsnadasa
26. Narottama
27. Visvanatha
28. (Baladeva) Jagannatha
29. Bhaktivinoda
30. Gaurakisora
31. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
32. His Divine Grace A..Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada
33. His Divine Grace Kirtanananda
Swami Bhaktipada

Srila Bhaktipada was born on September 6, 1937, the son of a Southern Baptist minister. He imbibed his father's missionary spirit and attempted to convert classmates to his family's faith. Despite an acute case of poliomyelitis which he contracted around his 17th birthday, he graduated with honors from Peekskill, New York, high school in 1955. In high school and college he excelled at debate.

Maharaja received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee on May 20, 1959 and graduated magna cum laude, first in his class of 117. He then received a Woodrow Wilson fellowship to study American history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he remained for three years.

Kirtanananda was among the first of Srila Prabhupadai's western disciples to shave his head , don dhoti and kurta, and move into the temple. During March 1967, on the order of Prabhupada, Kirtanananda established the Montreal ISKCON temple.

On August 28, 1967, while travelling with Prabhupada in India, Kirtanananda das became Prabhupada's first disciple to be initiated into the Vaishnava order of renunciation, (sannyasa: a lifelong vow of celibacy in mind, word and body), and received the name Kirtanananda Swami.

In 1968, Kirtanananda Swami founded the New Vrindaban community in West Virginia. Over the following years, a Palace of Gold, Radha Vrindaban Candra temple and large guest house manifested. New Vrindaban became the most visited temple in America with many thousands of visitors a year. Bhaktipada attracted millions of people, toured and taught non-stop and authored the best selling Christ and Krishna along with over a dozen other books.

Kirtanananda, was the first of those devotees Prabhupada named to be his representative for initiation and to continue to be his ritvij until he disappeared, and then to act as regular spiritual master. 

Srila Bhakitpada returned home to the spiritual world on October 24, 2011.   He will continue to bless us with his instructions, books, lectures and many nice disciples.  

New books will soon be published as the work of Srila Bhaktipada is carried on.  Plans are in the works to open new centers in India and begin a network of home preaching centers in the USA. Srila Bhaktipada is one of those rare souls who has no material desire