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When overseas Indians attend a religious discourse of
Swami Tirtha Maharaj in Britain, the United Sates or Europe,
they cannot imagine that this saffron clad Swami was earlier
a smartly dressed Corporate Executive in gray trousers, a
blue shirt, a red tie and a tweed jacket. The high flying
Padmanabhan or ‘Paddy’ as he was then known, became a
Swami dressed in saffron coloured cotton. The turning point
came in 1986 when he was about to start a new job with
higher salary in the Gulf Region.
If he had continued as a Corporate Executive, he would
probably become the Managing Director of a corporation in
the ensuing 20+ years. Today, billionaire real estate
developers, senior police officers, top level bureaucrats,
judges and political leaders. On his travels to Britain, he
has met Prime Ministers, ministers, members of the House of
Lords, and other celebrities seek his blessings; and has
delivered discourses at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
During his regular visits to the United States, he has been
received by Senators, met mayors and delivered discourses in
top American universities.
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BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR LORD KRISHNA: Swami B S Tirtha Maharaj offered the first copy of his first book ACTUALLY THERE’S NO PROBLEM to Lord Krishna on
Janamasthmi, the Lord’s birthday, during a major Kahna Megh Utsav Festival at Bhagvat Dham in Navi Mumbai attended by tens of thousands of devotees. The book became an instant bestseller during this festival |
Swamiji travels the world most of the year on his spiritual
mission to spiritually guide diverse communities of overseas
Indians or NRIs (Non Resident Indians) in Britain, the
United States and Europe. When he advises top NRIs business
executives and owners to face their corporate problems,
little do they know that Swamiji himself has encountered and
successfully overcome the same challenges and turned them
into opportunities. When he consuls top professionals about
their career choices, they have no idea that he has also
faced similar crises in his professional career for two
decades. When he gives his discourses in English, Hindi,
Tamil or Bengali, the listeners know little of his diverse
experiences, deep knowledge of the scriptures with a
thorough understanding of Sanskrit. When he talks to the
youth of all races and nationalities, they have no inkling
of his extensive exploits for building his knowledge and
career. And now he has put his core message in his first
book, ‘Actually There’s No Problem’ to enable the
youth to tackle their problems. It was launched on Lord
Krishna’s birthday celebrations attended by thousands of
devotees to become an instant success.
A life long celibate, he was born in a Vadagil Iyengar
Brahmin family in 1942. At a very early age, he learnt
Sanskrit from his grandfather as he could recite up to 100
verses from a Sanskrit scripture. He passed high school and
in 1960 was employed for about six years as a machine
operator in Indian Telephone Industries Ltd, Bangalore. He
wanted to become an engineer.
Not Happy
But, he was not happy. So, instead of becoming an engineer,
he learned stenography and went to Bombay (now Mumbai) and
got a job as a typist with Blowplast (P) Ltd in 1967 and
soon became the Personal Assistant (PA) to the Chairman of
the company. Sitting next to the Chairman, he easily learnt
all management techniques because he was a participant in
all activities. He could clearly see the so-called highly
educated, qualified executives trembling while talking to
the Chairman. He was amazed to see their deficiencies in
spite of their high academic qualifications. He was promoted
on his merit, although he had studied up to Matric or high
school. He gradually rose in the organization, from a Depot
Manager to a Branch Manager, to a Zonal Manager, then All
India Sales Manager handling sales all over the country and
managing many branches from 1967 to 1979.
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AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Swami B S Tirtha Maharaj attended the special State Arrival Ceremony for the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted by US President Barack
Obama. He is seen here with Ratan Tata (second from left) and Sam Pitroda (right) |
Finally, as an Export Manager, he moved to Dubai to cover
the West Asia Region between 1979 and 1983. Every month,
within a period of 18 days, he had to visit six countries.
In 1983, during a recession in Middle East; he wound up his
operation., according to the management directive from
India. Mr Manu Chabria, the owner of the well-known Jumbo
Electronics in Dubai, offered him a job from 1984 to 1986.
Well Dressed Smart Executive
As ‘Paddy’—the well dressed, smart executive—he
enjoyed ‘the good life’ as any other sales executive.
Taking his clients to five-star hotels, entertaining them,
organizing dealers’ conferences, regional sales
conferences, all India sales conferences, assigning sales
and collection targets to the branch managers and the field
sales offices, and all those other activities that go with a
typical sales executive. In 1986, he went to India on a
visit and got a job offer from a company in Oman at a much
higher salary and benefits. So he applied for a visa to go
to Muscat.
Swami Tirtha Maharaj describes the fateful day in his own
words: “One afternoon, after a hearty lunch in the Flora
Fountain area in Mumbai, I was walking down to take a
suburban train back home. At that time I saw ISKCON devotees
selling Bhagavad Gita, so I picked up one copy, came home
and finished the entire book of 700 verses of Gita in less
than four hours. It made me sit up. “When I read the Gita,
especially the second chapter, Krishna was stressing the
point that you are not the body. I felt as if somebody
hammered me a few times that you are not the body, then why
am I running around? Then I understood that if I am not the
body, then I should stop the bodily activities like my work
on the material platform,” he remembers.
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WESTIMINISTER, LONDON: Swami B S Tirtha Maharaj celebrated Diwali at the House of Commons in 2007 when the former Prime Minister Gordon brown attended this event with a number of ministers and VIPs |
I Was a Spirit Soul
“But as I also knew that I was a spirit soul, I was
wondering what constitutes a spiritual function within this
mundane world. This is explained in the end of Gita in
Chapter 18. Its two verses very clearly explain the
spiritual function:
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For one who explains this
supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service
is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.
(18.68)
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There is no servant in
this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever
be one more dear. (18.69)
Swami Tirtha recalls, “After reading these two verses,
I was convinced that this is the function of a spirit soul
in the human form of life. So, when I understood this, I had
formed a definite conviction and decided that this is the
job I must take up from now on. From then onwards, I really
thought I was wasting my time and I had wasted my time all
my life up to that moment. I could imagine myself travelling
six countries a month was just like a dog jumping from one
place to another. So, I stopped this jumping business and
took to spreading Krishna Consciousness.
India’s Topmost Artistes
From 1986 to 1996, he studied the scriptures in depth and
contemplated on their deeper meanings and relevance to
current situations and lifestyles. In 1997, he founded the
Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (GVA) in Kolkata and a year
later shifted its headquarters to Mumbai. In 1999, he was
invited to Johannesburg, South Africa, to address the
Parliament of World Religions. He launched GVA publications
at the beginning of the new century and his regular tours to
the West also started. In 2005, he moved the GVA
headquarters to Parsik Hill, Navi Mumbai and soon after
envisioned Bhagavat Dham Temple Complex atop this
hill.
Under his direction, GVA created history in Navi Mumbai by
organising the first Kahna Megh Utsav lasting 40 days with
India’s topmost artistes in devotion to Lord Krishna. In
2007, he laid the foundation for Bhagavat Dham complex and
within a year, the temple took shape so that in 2009, GVA
moved to this location on completion of its first phase to
become a major landmark for Navi Mumbai.
With No Regrets
Does he ever regret taking this major step moving from an
executive to a swami? Swami Tirtha is very clear, “Since I
was convinced thoroughly and I had a definite conviction
that Krishna is God, He is the Supreme Person, there is a
Spiritual world and we are basically spiritual entities not
these physical bodies. It was also clear to me that in a
human form, life offers an opportunity to get back to God to
serve Him with love in His abode. Due to this conviction, I
never, never, ever regretted. I had even stopped
recollecting the fact that I was once a Corporate Executive.
Those memories got completely obliterated without leaving a
trace. I am now forced to revive my memory because of your
question.”
“I can confidently say that this path can be tried by any
mundane worker today. One should not waste one’s time, but
start on the spiritual task of spreading Krishna
Consciousness all over the world and wake up the sleeping
souls,” concludes Swami Tirtha, “This will also enable
one to gain eternal abode in the transcendental realm of
Gokula Vrindavan for rendering loving service to the Supreme
Divine Couple, Radha-Krishna. Hare Krishna!”
—The author specialises in writing on NRI
(Non Resident Indians) affairs. His website is www.kulbhushan.net
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