Hayagriva Swami

Hayagriva Swami (September 2 1940–August 31 1989) author, poet, editor, English professor, and co-founder of the New Vrindaban Hare Krishna Community—was born Howard Morton Wheeler on September 2, 1940, in Pensacola, Florida, and was raised in Palm Beach, Florida. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1958-1961), The New York School for Social Research (B.A., 1963), and New York University (M.A., 1964). He taught English at Ohio State University from 1964 to 1965, and from 1968 to 1970. [Hayagriva Das, "The Hare Krishna Explosion: The Birth of Krishna Consciousness in America—1966-1969" (Palace Press: 1985), 369.] He also taught English at Luzerne County Community College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1968. [Hayagriva Das, Ibid., 226.]

Joining the Hare Krishnas

During the early 1960s in New York City, Wheeler experimented with the mind-altering drug LSD and became interested in American Transcendentalism. He studied the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Hart Crane. During October 1965, he traveled to India with his college friend Keith Gordon Ham in search of a guru. Unsuccessful in their quest, they returned to New York after six months. [Hayagriva Das, Ibid.]

While living as a beatnik in Manhattan's Lower East Side during the summer of 1966, Wheeler met the Bengali Gaudiya-Vaishnava guru A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and became one of his first disciples. [Hayagriva told the story of his first meeting with Prabhupada in "Hare Krishna Explosion" (see http://www.hansadutta.com/EXPLOSION/hkex1.html).] He was initiated into the sampradaya on Janmastami (September 9) 1966 [Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, "Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, Volume 2: Planting the Seed--New York City, 1965-1966" (The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles: 1980)] at Swamiji's 26th Second Avenue temple and received the Sanskrit name Hayagriva Das (the servant of the God of knowledge and wisdom, the avatar of Vishnu with a human body and a horse's head who rescued the Vedas, brilliant white in color, with white garments and seated on a white lotus). Soon after, Hayagriva became Swamiji's principle editor, and worked on Back to Godhead magazine, Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is, The Nectar of Devotion, Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita. During this time he set a high standard for all ISKCON Press and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publications.

Hayagriva was a gifted writer and editor; he wrote 42 articles and poems for "Back to Godhead" magazine, beginning with the first issue in 1966: Volume 1, Number 1. His last article published in BTG was in 1980. [Henry Doktorski, "Eulogy in Hayagriva's memory."] "Hayagriva Das was Prabhupada's first professor-disciple. Prabhupada used to call him 'Professor Howard Wheeler' even after Hayagriva received his spiritual name." [Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, cited in Hayagriva, op. cit., ix.] In 1966, Hayagriva met and became friends with the beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who also chanted Hare Krishna and contributed toward the temple. [Hayagriva, op. cit., 26-28.]

The New Vrindaban community

In 1968, Hayagriva served as co-founder of the New Vrindaban Community in Marshall County, West Virginia—along with his friend Keith Ham (who was initiated as Kirtanananda Das Brahmachari in 1966, and a year later as Kirtanananda Swami). On Christmas day 1968, Hayagriva was married by Prabhupada to Shyama Dasi (Cheryl Ann) in Los Angeles. [See Vedabase: Lecture by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Los Angeles (December 25, 1968).] In January, the newly married couple moved to New Vrindaban. Hayagriva established the ISKCON temple in Columbus, Ohio in 1969, where their first child, Samba, was born in 1970. Hayagriva simultaneously served as the New Vrindaban Temple President until 1972.

In June 1970, Swami Prabhupada appointed Hayagriva as one of the twelve founding members of the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC). [He was also the first to resign, in May 1972.] During August 1970, Hayagriva was the principle defender of Prabhupada's movement during the great ISKCON crisis during the New Vrindaban Janmastami festival. "Hayagriva showed his true colors when he defended Prabhupada during the Great ISKCON Crisis during the New Vrindaban Janmastami Festival of 1970. Four newly-initiated ISKCON sannyasis began spouting mayavadi philosophy and confusing the devotees, but only Hayagriva, who had done the editing for Prabhupada's books, understood Vaishnava philosophy clearly enough to see the errors in the sanyasis' arguments, and he courageously attempted to defeat them by scripture and logic." [Henry Doktorski, Ibid.]

One eyewitness reported: "The GBC kept meeting and discussing and trying to figure out what was going on. Because it felt really weird, really off, but nobody knew the philosophy well enough, except Hayagriva, who had done all the editing of the books. Rupanuga was baffled. Hayagriva was the only one who had them pegged. He was unequivocal." [Satyabhama Devi Dasi, cited by Vaiyasaki Das, "Radha-Damodar Vilasa" (Sravanam-Kirtanam Press, Silver Spring, Maryland: 1999), 309.]

Service for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

During the early 1970s, Hayagriva traveled with Prabhupada in America, Europe and India, and recorded hundreds of Prabhupada's lectures, which he compiled into small paperback books: "The Perfection of Yoga, Beyond Birth and Death, On the Way to Krishna, The Path of Perfection", and others, which were published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT). During the month of Kartik (October-November) 1972, he lived with Prabhupada at the Radha-Damodar Temple in Vrindaban, India. [See Hayagriva Swami, "Vrindaban Days: Memories of an Indian Holy Town" (Palace Publishing: 1990)]

In 1976, in Hawaii and Los Angeles, his conversations with Prabhupada were recorded and later formed the basis of a major work in comparative philosophy: "Dialectic Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy" (Prabhupada Books: 1985). In 1985, Hayagriva's first book was published: "The Hare Krishna Explosion: The Birth of Krishna Consciousness in America—1966-1969" (Palace Press: 1985), based on his personal diaries.

In 1988, during the New Vrindaban "City of God" interfaith era, he wrote a poetic translation in English of the eight verses of the "gurvastakam" prayers by the 17th century Gaudiya-Vaishnava author and acharya Visvanatha Chakravarti, which was set to music and performed by choir, orchestra and congregation during more than 2,000 morning services at the New Vrindaban temple (until 1994). He also composed other poems which were set to music and sung by the Krishna Chorale.

In 1979, Hayagriva's wife Shyama filed for divorce, and later he was married to Purnamasi Dasi with whom he had a son and a daughter.

Last days

In March 1989, Hayagriva was diagnosed with cancer of the spine. Shortly before his death on August 31, 1989, he accepted the Vaishnava order of sannyasa from Kirtanananda Swami, and became known as Hayagriva Swami, although he would have preferred the title "babaji" instead of "swami," as at this time he was becoming more introspective than extroverted. His tomb is at the New Vrindaban Community. His last major work: "Vrindaban Days: Memories of an Indian Holy Town", was based on his personal diaries from his 1972 month-long visit with Prabhupada at the Radha-Damodar Temple in Vrindaban, India. This book was published posthumously (Palace Publishing: 1990).

On his deathbed, Hayagriva Swami humbly acknowledged that "I was touched by the hand of God!" [Dhanurdhara Swami, Offering in "Prabhupada Sri Vyasa Puja", 1997]

Satyaraja Prabhu always appreciated the writings of Hayagriva Prabhu, especially his poems written in the early "Back to Godheads". Over the years he had developed a friendship with Hayagriva and went to visit him in New Vrindaban when Hayagriva was dying of cancer. By the time Satyaraja visited him he was in a very painful condition. Due to cancer his spine had become almost like eggshells. Any movement was extremely painful. Hayagriva happily acknowledged Satyaraja's presence. To view his guest he slowly turned his head upward and to his right. With tears in his eyes, Hayagriva spoke slowly, with a voice filled with appreciation for his great fortune: "A seventy-year old aristocratic Bengali gentleman arrives in New York with a mission to print books in English, and who is the first person he meets? An English professor." Overwhelmed with the realization that he had been the object of inconceivable mercy, Hayagriva paused, and then, with a sense of drama and also with sincere conviction and deep emotion, expressed his heart: "I was touched by the hand of God!"

Bibliography

Books, Hayagriva as author:

"The Hare Krishna Explosion: The Birth of Krishna Consciousness in America—1966-1969" (Palace Press: 1985)

"Vrindaban Days: Memories of an Indian Holy Town" (Palace Publishing: 1990)

Books by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hayagriva as editor:

"Bhagavad-gita As It Is" (Macmillan Publishers: 1968)
"The Nectar of Devotion" (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust: 1970)
"Srimad Bhagavatam" (BBT)
"Chaitanya Charitamrita" (BBT)
"Dialectic Spiritualism: A Vedic View of Western Philosophy" (Prabhupada Books: 1985)

Books by Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, Hayagriva as editor:

"The Song of God: A Summary Study of Bhagavad-gita As It Is" (Bhaktipada Books: 1984)
"Christ and Krishna: The Path of Pure Devotion" (Bhaktipada Books: 1985)
"Eternal Love: Conversations with the Lord in the Heart" (Bhaktipada Books: 1985)
"A Devotee's Journey to the City of God: A Retelling of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress" (Palace Publishing: 1988)
"The Illustrated Ramayana: Rama, The Supreme Personality of Godhead" (Palace Publishing: 1989)
"Heart of the Gita: Always Think of Me" (Palace Publishing: 1990)

Articles and Poems in Back to Godhead: [ See "60 Years of Back to Godhead magazine: Complete 1944-2004." ]

1966 Vol 01, No 01: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna-Krishna Krishna-Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama-Rama Rama-Hare Hare
1966 Vol 01, No 01: Flip Out and Stay
1966 Vol 01, No 02: Krishna: the Divine Lover
1966 Vol 01, No 04: The Process of Surrender in God Realization
1967 Vol 01, No 05: Krishna: The End of Knowledge
1967 Vol 01, No 06: Some Questions to Lord Krishna (Questions probably not conducive to enlightenment)

1967 Vol 01, No 07: Psychedelic Drugs and Krishna Consciousness

1967 Vol 01, No 07: Doubt, Thy Name is Bondage

1967 Vol 01, No 08: Second Avenue Samadhi

1967 Vol 01, No 09: The Spiritualization of Energy

1967 Vol 01, No 10: Krishna Consciousness in American Poetry—Part I: Emerson
1967 Vol 01, No 11: Night Shower Sutra
1967 Vol 01, No 11: Krishna Consciousness in American Poetry—Part II: Thoreau and Dickinson
1967 Vol 01, No 12: Krishna Consciousness in American Poetry—Part III: Walt Whitman's Song of Myself
1967 Vol 01, No 12: Poem to Walt Whitman

1969 Vol 01, No 23: New Vrindaban: A spiritual concept of community life

1969 Vol 01, No 24: Krishna The Chariot Driver—What are the purposes, the practices—and the fruits—of spiritual surrender?

1969 Vol 01, No 26: The Hare Krishna Explosion—The joyful history of a dynamic transcendental movement

1969 Vol 01, No 29: States and Attributes of the Creation 01—Part 1 (Continued in Issue No. 31)
1969 Vol 01, No 31: States and Attributes of the Creation 02—Part 2 (Continued from Issue No. 29)

1970 Vol 01, No 32: Krsna lila: The Divine Forms and Pastimes

1970 Vol 01, No 33: The Opulences of Krsna

1970 Vol 01, No 34: The Guru: Via Media to God

1970 Vol 01, No 35: The Hidden God—The Guise of Maya

1970 Vol 01, No 36: Chant (Part 1)
1970 Vol 01, No 37: Sankirtana in the Bible—Any Name of God

1970 Vol 01, No 38: The Spiritual Master: Emissary of the Supreme Person—The Ultimate Truth

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 39: On the Constitution of the Soul—Eternally Individual

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 40: The Great Watering of the Soul—Love Given Freely

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 40: Authorized Purports on Sripada Sankaracarya’s - Meditation on the On the Bhagavad-gita
1970-1973 Vol 01, No 42: Govinda—The Primal Cause (Analysis of the First Verse of Brahma-samhita)
1970-1973 Vol 01, No 41: New Vrndavana—The West's First Krsna Conscious Community—The Perfect Society

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 45: Journey to the Real Self—Gross Body Defined
1970-1973 Vol 01, No 46: Sleepers Awake! New York: Summer 1966

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 47: Sleepers Awake! New York: Summer 1966

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 48: Liberation of the Cave Dwellers

1970-1973 Vol 01, No 50: Satan, Witches and homemade Gods

1973 Vol 01, No 51: The First Initiation, Prabhupada Opens the DoorFrom the book the Hare Krsna Explosion, a reminiscence of the early days of the Hare Krsna Movement.
1973 Vol 01, No 52: Bright Day of the Soul—A dialogue

1973 Vol 01, No 53: With Prabhupada in Vrndavana

1977 Vol 12, No 0304: Matchless Gifts—Early Morning Meetings

1980 Vol 15, No 12: Global 2000—Kali-yuga Report to the President. Is the end near? Probably not, but we may be wishing it were.

"'Articles and Poems in "Brijabasi Spirit–Journal of the New Vrindaban Community":

1981, April, Vol. 7, No. 1, “New Vrindaban Diary,” 17.
1981, May, Vol. 7, No. 2, “The Potency of Sound,” 17.
1981, November, Vol. 7, No. 9, “Chant,” 18.
1982, August, Vol. 9, No. 4, “Paramahansa in the Hills,” 12.
1982, September, Vol. 9, No. 5, “Paramahansa in the Hills, Part 2,” 22.
1982, October, Vol. 9, No. 6, “Paramahansa in the Hills, Part 3” 18.
1982, December, Vol. 9, No. 7, “Paramahansa in the Hills, Part 4” 12.
1983, April, Vol. 10, No. 2, “Paramahansa in the Hills, Part 5” 18.
1985, Summer, “Seven Temples on Seven Hills,” 28.

Article in Mother Earth News:

1972, July/August, Issue No. 16, “New Vrindaban: The Making of a Village.” [(see http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/1972-07-01/New-Vrindaban-The-Making-Of-A-Village.aspx)]

Poems, set to music and sung at New Vrindaban temple services:

"Gurudev", English setting of Vishvanath Chakravarti's "gurvastakam" prayers (1988)
"Hare Krishna über Alles" (1988)
"Holy Father, Holy Mother", with a refrain by Kirtanananda Swami (1989)

References