namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

From the Blog's About Page:

Mukunda Charan das was born on the shore of the Indian Ocean in Durban, South Africa on 18 July 1971. He is a disciple of His Holiness Radhanath Maharaja. He loves the sea and has practiced and taught bhakti-yoga in Cape Town, Mumbai and California.

Mukunda Charan entered the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) law school in February 1990. He arrived by train in Cape Town on the 11th of February 1990 - the same day Nelson Mandela was freed from Pollsmoor Prison.

Driven by a deep sense of compassion and a genuine desire to understand the truth, Mukunda discontinued his legal studies and immersed himself in studies on African-American Civil Rights, slavery, the abolition of slavery and the abolition of the slave trade in southern Africa. The culmination of his researches resulted in his being awarded the degree of Master of Arts in June 1997. During this time he completed his major in English and was offered a scholarship by the University for the English honours programme. His thesis on the abolition of the slave trade in southern Africa was later sent to Cambridge University.

His study of slavery aroused within him an interest in ethics, ancient civilizations and western philosophy. He was particularly intrigued by the writings and ideas of Carlo Ginzburg, Michel Foucault, Diogenes and Ludwig Wittgenstein. His search for answers and meaning in life, however, led him to the simple truths of spiritual philosophy. He was increasingly drawn towards the arcane teachings of Christ, Mohamet and Buddha. The various teachings and philosophies of these traditions seemed to be concisely contained in the simple, yet profound, teachings of the Bhagavad-gita.

He recalls his first meeting with the Hare Krishnas in February 1997, ‘I knew it was the right thing. It was as if a door had opened, and all I had to do was step inside…’ He considered dropping out of the Master’s programme to live the life of an ascetic in India. Fortunately, he met the devotees in the quiet suburb of Rondebosch, near UCT. He feels most indebted to the Movement’s founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, for the gift he has received.

Since then he has made several television appearances, cooked for the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela during the 1999 World Parliament of Religions, helped produce a documentary on Mayapur that was screened on South African national television, visited India on a regular basis, distributed Krishna conscious literatures all over the world and played a major role in organizing spiritual festivals in Cape Town. His main focus, however, is the spiritual welfare of Africa.