HH Subhag Swami
His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj was born on December 21, 1940, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, which is also Srila Prabhupada’s hometown. He spent most of his early life in Kolkata and completed his education at Calcutta Scottish Church College, the same institution where, in 1916, Srila Prabhupada had studied English, Sanskrit, Economics, and Philosophy. In 1965, Srila Prabhupada left for the USA, and His Holiness left India to study in London. While studying there, he was introduced to Krishna Consciousness and soon became involved with the Radha Londonisvara temple in its early days.
In 1970, Maharaj met His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He was formally initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1971.
Maharaj had the rare opportunity to receive personal guidance from Srila Prabhupada, which deepened his understanding of Krishna Consciousness philosophy and Vedic culture. Srila Prabhupada entrusted him with the important task of translating his English books into Bengali and instructed him to spread Krishna Consciousness globally. Specifically, under the direct instruction of Srila Prabhupada, Maharaj translated various scriptures from Sanskrit and Bengali into English, as well as Srila Prabhupada’s books from English into Bengali. Some of these works include Chaitanya Mangal, Anand Vrindavan Campu, Advaita Prakash, and others.
After accepting the renounced order of life, His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj began traveling extensively, preaching and sharing Krishna Consciousness across the world.