Gurus & Saints of India
Sant Keshavadas
Sant Keshavadas was born on 22 July 1934 in the small village of Bhadragiri, Karnataka, India to a Hindu Vaishnava family, and was an initiated disciple of Shrimat Sudhindra Tirtha Swamiji of Kashi Mutt, Madhwacharya Sampradaya. At the age of 11 years old at a dilapidated temple in Bhadragiri, Lord Krishna commanded him in a vision to "sing my name, sing my praises". Although this singular event marked the beginning of a dedicated life of spirituality as a Haridasa, it is important to note that he followed in the tradition of the singing saints by leading the life of a householder and maintaining a family. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in 1956 and a Law degree from Udipi Law College in 1958. At the 1966 Kumbha Mela in India, he was said to have met the famed yogi, Mahavatar Babaji. Soon after his experience with Babaji, he relocated to the West where he set about on a path of teaching Bhakti yoga in the Vaishnava tradition, along with many other eastern spiritual disciplines. He also authored a number of books, initiated disciples and formed several spiritual centers.
Although The disciples of Sant Keshavadas can be found all over the world and in all walks of life, they are primarily in the western U.S., Trinidad, Nepal and southern India. Some of his noted American disciples include Thomas Ashley-Farrand (Namadeva), author of Sanskrit Mantras and Spiritual Power; Roshi Vernon Kitabu Turner, African American martial artist and author of the highly acclaimed, Soul Sword: The Way and Mind of a Zen Warrior; Michael Allan Makowsky (Mukunda Dasa), co-author with Randall Collins, of the classic sociology text, The Discovery of Society; and David Karp (Jagannath Das) producer of the documentary, Call of the Flute: A spiritual Journey to India and Nepal.