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Prahlad Nrsimha Das Adhikari Was born in Cuenca, Ecuador on the 14th of May 1959. At the age of 5 he saw a picture of a monk, burning himself alive while sitting in meditation and this picture sparked his inquiries on subjects such as reincarnation and meditation. In 1973 Amarananda Swami (Ananda Marga), was visiting Ecuador. Prahlad Nrsimha (Pedro Napoleon Velez, at the time) at the age if 14 lived in his ashram in the Andes Mountains. Anarananda swami had seen Srila Prabhupad in New York Ratha Yatra and liked the chanting and dancing of the devotees so he taught Pedro how to dance the Swami step with the Maha Mantra. The Amarananda Swami always glorified the mystical power if the himalyas. (Much later in 1987 Prahlad Nrsimha Das was able to experience them, by living as an acetic there for half a year.) However he was in search of something more. Not a year later while still only 14, he received his first book by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Which was 'Easy Journey to Other Planets'. He met with the devotees of ISKCON at the age of 17 and immediately felt the calling of his heart and soon after joined in Bogota, 1979, under the guidance of Dina Bandu Prabhu who was temple president there at the time. He stayed in Bogota for a long while doing traveling Sankirtan and book distribution in the crowded busses of downtown Bogota. He got initiated in 1981 by H.H. Panchadravida Swami as 'Prahlad Maharaja Das Brahmacari’ and became personal servant to his Gurumaharaj. He took re-initiation right after Maharaja left ISKCON in 1983/4 by H.H Jayapataka Swami Maharaj who slightly changed his name to Prahlad Nrsimha Das. In 1982 He spent the winter in New Vrndavana polishing the Nrsimhadeva deity by hand before the installation, working together with Soma Prabhu, ACBSP. Then he came back to Ecuador and opened and lead the Quito temple and restaurant in late eighties. Then opened the Guayaquil temple in early nineties. And opened the Cuenca Temple and restaurant in mid nineties. In the spring of 1989 in New Orleans temple, while serving there in charge of the university preaching on Tulane and LSU in Baton Rouge, he met Manorupa Devi Dasi the head pujari in the temple at the time (who he later married). He was also NOLA temple president until 1990 In 1990 with his wife he moved back to Ecuador and opened the Cuenca city temple and bought and donated a beautiful farm to ISKCON known to this day as: Giridhari desh. After having two children, They moved to USA in 1999. He was establishing Bhakti Vriksha groups along the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi who’s members continue to seek his guidance to this day. In 2001 they moved to Mayapur He and his wife served as Ashrama teachers for the little boys ashrama of the Prabhupad Village Gurukul. Since 2002 he has been annually assisting Indradyumna Swami on his traveling festival tours in Poland. In 2002-3 he was the chairman of the JPS Office in Mayapur. He is also a professor of Classical Philosophies of India. Since the Gaura Purnima Festival of 2014 he has been appointed Regional Secretary for Ecuador, Peru and Chile, in charge of preaching and devotee care. Apart from these services he is well known for his knowledge of shastra especially jyotish and is a world recognized astrologer and councilor. As well as maintaining his own preaching activities in Germany, Poland, USA, Ecuador, Bali, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and others. |
