Amogh Leela Das is an Indian monk, lifestyle coach, motivational speaker and engineer. He is known for his engaging and informative speeches, often laced with light humor. Das serves as the vice president of the ISKCON temple in Dwarka, Delhi.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Amogh Leela Das also known as Amogh Leela Prabhu was born as Ashish Arora on Wednesday, 2 July 1980 (age 43 years; as in 2023) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Cancer. Due to his father’s transferable job, Das spent part of his childhood in Northeast India. His spiritual quest led him to leave home during his 12th grade, although he later returned. Das then obtained a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science at Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University).
Family
Amogh Leela Das belongs to a Punjabi family.
parents and siblings
His father is a retired government official; However, there is not much information about his mother.
Amogh Leela Das with his father
Amogh Leela Das with his mother
Das has a sister, who works in a multinational corporation.
Amogh Leela Das with his sister
Wife
He is celibate.
religion and sect
Amogha Leela Das follows Vaishnavism (Gaudiya Vaishnavism), one of the major Hindu sects.
livelihood
Engineer turned monk
In an interview, Das shared the interesting journey that led him to become a monk. After leaving home in 12th grade, he went to the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, also known as the Birla Temple, in Delhi, where he met a group of Marwaris who invited him to visit Jaipur. However, he chose to explore Hyderabad, Telangana by traveling in trains, avoiding ticket checking due to lack of funds. Later, he considered visiting Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. In Haridwar, Das met Ankur Vaidya, a spiritual aspirant who had left his technical job. Das also met a group of international Krishna devotees. Intensive philosophical discussions with him led Das to consider monastic life. To pursue this, he visited the East of Kailash ISKCON temple in Delhi and requested to join them as a monk. Initially, the monks asked Das to demonstrate his commitment by visiting the temple regularly. Undaunted, Das insisted on joining immediately or vowed to remain at the temple door. As a result, they allowed him to stay in the temple. In 2000, after a few months at the ISKCON temple, Das returned home at the insistence of his parents. He started preparing for engineering entrance exams and in 2004 he graduated from Delhi College of Engineering. He then worked in a software company and got the opportunity to visit the United States, where he interacted with more devotees. This experience strengthened his resolve to become a monk after a few more years of work. In 2010, during the Janmashtami festival, Das finally joined the ISKCON temple east of Kailash as a monk. Fifteen days later, on Radhashtami, he wore saffron clothes. After three years, he was transferred to the ISKCON temple in Dwarka, Delhi, where he was later appointed vice president.
Controversy
Expelled from ISKCON due to controversial comments
In July 2023, Amogh Leela Das courted controversy due to his derogatory remarks about Swami Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna Paramahansa during one of his sermons. As a result, he was banned from the ISKCON organization for a month. Das criticized Swami Vivekananda for allegedly eating fish, implying that good persons would avoid harming animals.
ISKCON punished monk Amogha Leela Das by banning him for a month for making derogatory and derogatory remarks against Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. Monk Amogh Das will stay in the hills of Govardhan for a month and completely isolate himself from public life… pic.twitter.com/hLx1AvPvqg
– Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) 11 July 2023
ISKCON officials responded to Das’s comments by making it mandatory for him to undergo a month’s penance in the Govardhan Hills. In an interview, ISKCON officials addressed the issue and said,
Keeping in mind this serious mistake committed by him, ISKCON has decided to ban him for 1 month. We have told them our decision. Amogh Leela Das has apologized for her comments, and realizes the great injustice she has done. He has pledged to go on ‘prayashchit’ (atonement) for 1 month in the Govardhan hills and will completely isolate himself from public life with immediate effect.
A press release by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Facts/General Knowledge
- In an interview, Das reflected on the childhood introspection that inspired his spiritual quest. He described satisfaction with his achievements and the guilt of taking God’s blessings for granted, feeling that he had given nothing in return. This tug-of-war of emotions led him to seek a deeper relationship with God.
- According to Das, he was surprised by a verse from the Bhagavad Gita, which he saw in his 7th class NCERT Sanskrit textbook. This poem, which discussed the nature of the human mind, appealed to him deeply. Talking about this in an interview, he said that he had asked his teacher how a book could express his inner thoughts so accurately. In response, the teacher informed him that this verse was just one of the 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita. This revelation surprised Das, prompting him to delve deeper into the Bhagavad Gita, believing that the remaining verses would provide further introspective insights.
- Amogh Leela Das has spoken on various programs including Josh Talks.
Amogh Leela Das at Josh Talks program in New Delhi
- He has served as adjunct faculty at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn