By Madhava Smullen, ISKCON News Weekly

Photo during lecture at Ricardo Palma University. Right to left: Professor Dora Bazan de Devoto, Professor Resnick, Doctor Ruben Devoto, Hanumatpresaka Swami.

During a recent visit to Peru from September 23rd to 26th, ISKCON Guru Hridayananda Dasa Goswami was invited to speak at two of the country’s premier universities.

Known in the academic world as Dr. Howard Resnick, Hridayananda Goswami is a noted teacher of Sanskrit and Indian studies. He has taught at UCLA and the University of Florida, published articles with Harvard and Columbia, and lectured at leading universities throughout the United States, Europe, India and South America.

During this, his first visit to Peru in over ten years, he lectured at Ricardo Palma University on the philosophical and religious roots of our current ecological catastrophe. He also spoke at Allas Peruanas, on the topic of reestablishing traditional culture in Peru and the rest of the world. Senior faculty, generals from the Peruvian army and other scholars attended both talks and asked precise questions.

At Ricardo Palma, Goswami was made an official Professor of the University, while at Allas Peruanas he was lauded with an intricate statue of the University's symbol—the ancient Pre-Inca eagle.

The local devotee academic community V.E.D.A.S. were also honored at the event, with Allas Peruanas inviting V.E.D.A.S members to present their Light of the Bhagavata symposium at all 28 of their campuses nationwide—totaling an audience of over 70,000 students.

During his stay Hridayananda Goswami, who served as ISKCON’s Governing Body Commissioner in Latin America from 1974, also served the Peruvian ISKCON community with traditional classes and individual discussions.