About
Mahamandaleshwar Mahant Śrī Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami

Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami appeared in a family of enlightened Gauḍa-Brāhmana Vaiṣṇava who scrutinize the Yajurveda, one of the four highly recognized ancient Vedas. He appeared in Śrī Vrindaban Dhāma, the most holy place in India on July 1, 1956. His birth dynasty dates directly to Kaśyapa Munī (one of the seven mentally conceived sons of the first created being in this universe, Lord Brahmā). Swami's birth dynasty is famous as Khajiri (connected to a date tree) because his forefathers would bless the kings. Once the king was not available so the Brahmana blessed a dried date tree which was standing outside the king's palace. By the potency of Brahmana's blessings the dried date tree came alive. Since then this dynasty is known as Khajiri. As an ancient statement goes:

KHAJIRI CITKITI PANDA PANI GRAHI KHEMUNDAYAH

"There are five categories of Brāhmaṇa in this world who are known as Khajiri, Citkitipanda, Pani, Grahi and Khemundas or others."

His birth place was in the shadow of an ancient Kṛṣṇa Balaram temple in Nandagrama, the principle village of Vrindāban and the place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself performed His transcendental childhood pastimes some five thousand years ago.

Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami acquired the necessary spiritual guidance from his childhood from his father, Śrī Hare Krishna Pāṇḍeya who himself is one of the renowned Sanskrit scholars, astrologer and spiritual master of thousands of householders in the Vrindāban area. Father of Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami did not want him to be influenced by the materialism in the public schools, so he personally tutored him at home, giving special attention to teaching him in the memorization of Sanskrit verses from the Amara-kosha dictionary that dealt with the many schools of Indian Vedic philosophy.

When Mahant Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami turned eight, his father enrolled him in Vrindāban’s renowned Nimbārka Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, where he became fluent in Sanskrit and later transferred to the English college. After receiving initiation from his spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupada, who also comes in the unbroken chain of spiritual masters from the Supreme Lord, Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami began his illustrious career as one of India’s greatest proponents of spirituality. As a Sanyāsīi or renounced person in the spiritual order, Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami has written many books in English and Sanskrit on the topic of ancient Vedic philosophy.

Recognized as an unparalleled authority on Vedic knowledge the title of Mahant or High Priest was bestowed upon him in 1991 by all four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas or schools of Vaiṣṇavism. It should be known that Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami and the society he founded in 1990: Bhāgavat Dharma Samāj is the only recognized and authentic Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya outside of India offering unchanged and authentic spiritual knowledge and teachings.

The ancient scriptures glorify the Vrajavāsīs or those who are born and raised in the Vrindāban area. One of the Vedic authorities Śrīla Visvanatha Chakravarti Ṭhākura categorises the Vrajavāsī thus:

VRJE JANMA PRAUDHAT, VRNDABANE GURU PADASRYAT, ANYADESE JANMITO'PI NIRANTARA VASACCA.
(Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu-vindu)

"There are three categories of Vrajavāsī: those who take birth and grow up in the Vrindāban area, those take initiation there from a Vṛjavāsī and those who, although born outside, live there the rest of their life. Among which the first category is the best."

As A Vṛjavāsī and Brāhmana born Vaiṣṇava, Mahant Sri Kṛṣṇa Balaram Swami is the only authentic and vedicly qualified spiritual master disciple of his Guru Śrīla Prabhupada. As one of the very favorite devotee’s of Lord Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhū, Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Ṭhākura states the following about the value of Vrajavāsī in his writing, Sri Vrindaban Mahimamrtam:

VARNANAM BRAHMANO GURUH BRAHMANANAM GURU SANYASI SANYASINAM GURUH AVINASI AVINASINAM GURUH VRJAVASI

"The Brahmin is the Gurū of all the sections of the society, the Sanyāsī is the Gurū of Brahmanas, the perfected being is the Gurū of the Sanyāsīs and the Vrajavāsī is the Gurū of the perfected beings."

Therefore in short, it is incumbent for every intelligent person in this world to search for the best and the most qualified spiritual master in order to receive guaranteed and swift spiritual elevation. Connection with authentic and scripturally qualified spiritual master is the secret of success in spiritual life.