Govardhana Dasa was born in Durban, South Africa, and first met the devotees in 1982. Although attracted by their harinamas, he was reluctant to take a copy of The Science of Self-Realization from them, but after reading the first sixty pages, he instantly became a vegetarian and started chanting Hare Krishna. Saved by Srila Prabhupada’s books, Govardhana Dasa remains connected to them to this day: he began by distributing them and now serves as a trustee of BBT Africa and as a global BBT trustee. Serving as the chairman of the BTG board, he is also responsible for Back to Godhead magazine. And as an active ISKCON member, he has served as co-temple president, regional secretary and national secretary. He also served as a global duty officer with a focus on ISKCON’s economy. He was initiated in 1994 by HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami.
In his youth, Govardhana Dasa wasn’t allowed to join the temple, so he practiced Krishna consciousness at home while pursuing his university studies. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, a master’s and a doctoral degree in Business Administration, and has subsequently held positions ranging from business manager to director of several South African government and private companies.
Keenly interested in ISKCON’s governance and financial sustainability, Govardhana Dasa makes good use of his secular expertise in finance and economics by strengthening and enhancing the operational efficiency of the Global Property Office to which he was recently appointed. Furthermore, as an academic teacher, he is affiliated with the Alfred Ford School of Management (MBA program) in Radhadesh, Belgium.
During the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the GBC body in Sridham Mayapur, Govardhana Dasa was unanimously appointed as a Governing Body Commissioner.