Feelings of gratitude are the beginnings of loving relationship
His Holiness Romapada Swami took birth as Brian Rumbaugh in a middle-class, Christian family in the small town of Utica, New York. His siblings and peers noted how, as a young boy, he was responsible, principle-centered, and a high achiever. Inspired by weekly church attendance with his pious parents, Romapada Swami deeply contemplated the Bible’s messages and exhibited an attraction to God from an early age. His spiritual teachers, however, were not able to provide satisfactory answers to some of his questions. Not until he met his spiritual master did he find clear and convincing answers to these questions—and many more.
As a college student, when faced with the prospect of being drafted into the Vietnam War, Romapada Swami completed a waiver form. One question had a profound impact: “State the nature of your convictions.” Upon reading this, Romapada Swami had a powerful realization: He did not know how to answer this question, he did not know what his convictions were. This launched a period of self-exploration and inquiry into various spiritual traditions.
In 1969, while attending the State University of New York at Buffalo, Romapada Swami met his eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (commonly addressed as Srila Prabhupada). Romapada Swami entered a crowded auditorium where Srila Prabhupada and the poet Allen Ginsberg were chanting the Mahamantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Although Romapada Swami was unable to understand Srila Prabhupada’s lecture due to his thick and unfamiliar Bengali accent, the experience left a deep impression on his heart.
Romapada Swami had read seven different versions of the Bhagavad Gita, none of which were easy for him to understand. But upon reading Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is, he was finally able to comprehend the true essence of the sacred text. He felt an intense sense of appreciation for Srila Prabhupada and the sacrifices he made to bring bhakti yoga (the practice of devotional service) to the Western world. In gratitude to Srila Prabhupada, Romapada Swami joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and moved into a temple.
After years of serving as a temple leader in New York, immersed in kirtan (congregational chanting), the distribution of books and prasadam (sanctified food), he was awarded the order of sannyasa (renounced monk) in 1983 and became an initiating spiritual teacher in 1985.
In his teenage years, Romapada Swami tried to understand and embody Jesus’s Great Commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22: 36–40). He especially struggled with the latter part of the commandment, wondering how one can love others who exhibit unlovable, bad behavior. At Sunday school, he tried to find out what Heaven looks like and what people do there. His spiritual teachers at the time were not able to provide satisfactory answers to any of these questions.
Shortly after meeting Srila Prabhupada, Romapada Swami received his first Back to Godhead magazine (a biweekly magazine founded by Srila Prabhupada) from his dear godbrother and fellow student, His Grace Bhurijana Das. Romapada Swami’s reading of an article written by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur was a powerful, consciousness-lifting experience. His seed of deep appreciation for Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur began. Later, this seed manifested into Romapada Swami’s in-depth study and articulate, comprehensive presentation of the Sri Brahma Samhita text, translated and commented upon by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.
Despite being introduced to the Hare Krishna mantra by an impersonalist group of people, Romapada Swami was spontaneously and intuitively attracted to Srila Prabhupada’s message, which focuses on personalism. Reading Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita finally helped him understand the essence of the great text. He took advantage of a training center started by Rupanuga Das (another student of Srila Prabhupada), which was located right next to the university. During his senior year of school, Romapada Swami lived on a farm co-op with other students practicing various spiritual paths. Although he participated in other spiritual practices, he found chanting Hare Krishna to be the most effective.
One day, after a few hours of Zazen (Zen Buddhism) meditation at the farm co-op, he decided to take a long walk through the cornfields near the co-op, while chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra. When he arrived at a clearing, Romapada Swami looked across the skyline punctuated by high-rise buildings and highways. Having completely lost track of place and time, he realized that he was basking in an ecstatic spiritual energy, which was completely different from what the concrete jungle in front of him could offer. A very deep sense of gratitude awakened for Srila Prabhupada’s heartfelt sacrifices to give the gift of The Holy Name (the Hare Krishna maha mantra) to the West and deliver souls like his from rampant materialism. That immense feeling of gratitude catapulted him to move in as a full-time devotee in the Boston temple and to give up a future career in medicine.
Initially, Romapada Swami’s family thought his interest in Krishna consciousness was a phase that would pass. Once they realized that his interest was not waning, however, his parents did some research into the authenticity of bhakti yoga or Krishna consciousness and felt satisfied that their son was not involved in a cult. Rather, it is a tradition whose origin dates several thousands of years. Over time, his parents and siblings grew to appreciate the value-based life Romapada Swami was living and felt proud of him.
Once while traveling, a Christian missionary asked Romapada Swami about his reasons for being a Hare Krishna monk. He responded with three reasons: He had found teachings that answered all his questions that the tradition he was born into could not; The process of mantra meditation was the most powerful spiritualizing activity he had ever experienced; He met a perfect person, Srila Prabhupada, who exemplified the teachings of pure devotion. The man simply responded, “Um…” and walked off, recognizing the depth of Romapada Swami’s realization of and connection to the Divine. Romapada Swami regularly comments that his gratitude to Srila Prabhupada and the transformative power of the Srimad Bhagavatam is what has kept him committed to Krishna consciousness, his personal bhakti yoga practice, and his preaching mission for over fifty years.
Romapada Swami has traveled extensively throughout the world teaching about bhakti yoga and serving as a General Body Commissioner (GBC) for many temples within ISKCON. Despite his intense travels and managerial duties, Romapada Swami has nurtured the devotional lives of receptive souls for decades. Through his careful cultivation, there are robust spiritual communities in several major American cities, Guyana, India, and China. He attracts a diverse set of individuals to the bhakti yoga practice and lifestyle.
Romapada Swami shares bhakti yoga with a wide range of audiences. He has been a guest speaker at Fortune 500 corporations such as Intel, Microsoft, Lucent, Cisco, and Fannie Mae. He shares bhakti yoga philosophy through relevant lectures such as “Stress Management,” “Spiritual Economics,” and “Science and Spirituality.”
A testament to how he was first introduced to bhakti yoga, Romapada Swami remains dedicated to college outreach and education. He has inspired others to start Bhakti Yoga Clubs and Krishna Lunch at universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Illinois, Penn State, Northwestern University, Texas A&M, Northeastern University, University of South Florida and several others. He is also the inspiring force behind the Soul Connection youth groups in Chicago and St. Louis as well as two Gita summer camps for the youth in the Chicago area. He conducts several spiritually nourishing retreats and seminars throughout the year and also leads an annual pilgrimage to various sacred sites within India.
Romapada Swami’s focus is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn the teachings of his spiritual master and to provide meaningful and practical methods through which everyone can develop their relationship with God.
