Bhaktipada

Bhaktipada (born September 6, 1937, Peekskill, New York, U.S.—died October 24, 2011, Thane, India) was an American religious leader who was one of the leaders of the American branches of the Hare Krishna movement before a criminal investigation resulted in his expulsion and subsequent imprisonment.

Ham was raised a Baptist. He earned a B.A. (1959) from Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, but he failed to complete a graduate degree from Columbia University, New York City. In 1966 he joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON; popularly known as the Hare Krishnas) soon after meeting its founder, A.C. Bhaktivedanta (Swami Prabhupada). The following year Ham was initiated as Kirtanananda Swami. He later assumed the name Bhaktipada.

In 1968 he, along with his friend and fellow devotee Hayagriva (Howard Wheeler), leased land in West Virginia and founded New Vrindaban, a lavish temple complex and “spiritual theme park.” Bhaktipada was later reprimanded by ISKCON for having made liturgical innovations in order to appeal to an American audience. He introduced into prayer services Western-style music and instrumentation and used English in place of Sanskrit. Allegations of sexual molestation and a federal investigation for mail fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy to murder two devotees resulted in his expulsion from ISKCON in 1987. In 1996 Bhaktipada accepted a plea deal on federal racketeering charges; he ultimately served eight years in prison.