As most of us know, Gaur Gopal Das is a 48 years old Indian monk, or we should say a “modern monk.” Yes, a monk who cracks jokes, who travels in public transport just as we do, a monk who uses social media. Sounds contradictory, right? How can a monk use social media? It sounds like something against the laws.
Hold your breath! because Gaur Gopal Das’s life story will shock you even more!
Well, he is not someone whom we should call a traditional monk. He has given monkery a new meaning. This new meaning is the reason behind thousands of youths are on the spiritual path and heading towards a more balanced life.
Gaur Gopal Das decided to dedicate his life to people at a very young age. Helping people brought him immense pleasure, but the path was not as easy as it appears to be. He went through some authoritarian practices of self-discipline & and some rituals to find his true self.
These practices include meditation, daily chores, and of course, some preachings. He still maintains the lifestyle he used to live in the monastery. Waking up before sunrise, starting the day with 1-2 hours of meditation leading to daily chores and talking to people, spiritual practices, etc.
Early Life and Education
No one is born a monk, right? It starts somewhere & Guru Gaur Gopal Das is no exception. So, where did it begin? What made him give up on everything and live a monk’s life? We all have a particular moment of self-realization that changed our lives, isn’t it?
Guru Gaur Gopal Das was born on 24 December 1973 in a middle-class family in Pune. He used to live with both his parents and younger sister.
Before being a monk, he was an engineer who got his electrical engineering degree from the College of Engineering, Pune. After that, he worked as an engineer at HP for only eight months.
It was the time of self-realization. He realized that he didn’t want to do anything with electrical engineering and be the fixer of machines. Instead, he wanted to become Swami Gaur Gopal Das, the fixer of souls.
He quit his job and joined the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and took the guidance of Guru Radhanath Swami in 1996. Since then, he has been serving as monk Gopal Das and “making a difference” in people’s life.
Just like any other family, his family also got stressed at his decision to be a monk but seeing thousands of lives being thankful to him convinced them.
Swami Gaur Gopal Das’s book “Life’s Amazing Secrets” is what made the busy youth take some time out and look into their souls. It is a plethora of his journey at the International Society of Krishna Consciousness that enabled him to think beyond the ordinary.
Gaur Gopal Das: What Sets Him Apart
One striking thing is why he is so popular; why couldn’t other monks be that much impactful? How does he attract the youth to spirituality? How has he become one of the most popular monks in India?
The answer lies in his approach. He is not someone who gives advice for you to follow to be happy in life. What sets him apart is that he is a storyteller.
As we told before, he cracks jokes, makes fun of his life, teaches complicated life lessons, or gives solutions to our problems. Giving logical reasons for several philosophies is what he does for people to understand and follow.
Gaur Gopal Das has been invited to give lectures in various reputed organizations such as Infosys, Ford, Bank of America, Google, etc. Through these events, he has been redefining several concepts that were wrong and were blindly followed. He is also the author of the bestseller book “Life’s Amazing Secrets,” which is still being appreciated by people irrespective of their age.
The fixer of souls
“Gaur Gopal Das, the fixer of souls” – is a name that people gave him. It is the impact that he thought of making. The same answer lies in his style. The reason he chose monkery is to make a difference in people’s lives, and the very first step of making a difference in people’s lives is to reach out to them.
He knew that organizing sabhas or religious gatherings was not something that would help him. Then how would he reach out to people? Social media! Home of thousands of people.
Social media is a place where people share their moments; it could be sad, happy, proud, kind, basically a tornado of emotions. You can stalk someone’s activity on social media and predict what mental state they are in, especially the younger generation.
He took the help of modern technology to reach out to people and gradually started to have an impact on their lives. He succeeded in doing so as well.
Talking Guru Gopal Das’s social media, he has 7.1 million followers on his Instagram page and 5.2 million followers on his Instagram account. The fixer of souls does not fix your soul. Yes, he discovers the power and potential that you have to fix yourself and be a better version of yourself.
He helps you find your potential to overcome every single problem that comes your way that you thought you were not capable of. He does not consider himself a “guru” but a friend.
His Net Worth
Have you ever wondered how much Swami Gaur Gopal Das’s net worth is? Well, a monk cannot have something huge. Das always says that he is less worried because he has less. Recent reports say that his net worth is around 11.21 Crore Rupees.
No matter how big Gaur Gopal Das’s net worth is, the love he gets is much bigger and more valuable than the money.
Popular Philosophies of Gaur Gopal Das
You must have heard about many philosophies; everybody has their own perception of life. But Monk Gopal Das has redefined the most popular philosophies of life.
Giving Importance to Your Feelings As Much As It is Needed
Here, Gaur Gopal Das means that most of us mourn over things that aren’t in our control and celebrate certain things which does not need that much attention. It is not wrong to celebrate your achievements, or it is not wrong to feel sad whenever something goes wrong.
But there is always a parameter. Whenever we try to think about the things that aren’t in our control and feel bad for them, the situation worsens. It leads to more frustration and more sadness and whenever we celebrate too much for smaller things, its loss leads to more pain than usual. As he always says, it should be in balance.
Be Ambitious
When we talk about ambitions most of the time; it is looked upon as a selfish act. In some cases, it can be selfish, but in the end, it all depends on you how you use your ambitions. It is okay to lead a luxurious life, own a Ferrari, and have many possessions. But if your money and possessions aren’t helping those who need them, it is indeed selfish.
Gaur Gopal Das says that when you think of ambitions, include people in it too. Because living alone with all your possessions is of no use. The greatest satisfaction we can get is by impacting the lives of those in need. When you share happiness, it becomes double.
Practice Forgiveness
He says that the most prominent reason behind most of our problems is that we can’t let go of things. We always store all the mistakes that others have made to us, which harm us more than their misdeeds.
If we can let go of things and start forgiving others & ourselves for the mistakes, and start afresh, the whole scenario can change. Because none of us are perfect, we commit mistakes and are much more than our mistakes or flaws.
Build Relationships
As human beings, the most cherished thing is nothing but memories. He says when you will be on your deathbed, and your whole life will be flashed in front of your eyes, it will be the moments you shared with your loved ones, not the money you have in your bank account. So, don’t take your loved ones for granted, value them, and cherish them.
Philosophy of Wisdom
He portrayed wisdom as an alarm. There are four types of people responding to an alarm. The first are those who do not respond and keep on sleeping. We call them sleepers.
The second are the ones who keep on pressing the snooze button. We call them snoozers. The third are those who get up, shut the alarm off, and fall asleep again. We call them fallers. The last are those who wake up with the alarm and start with their activities.
Similarly, humans respond to wisdom or opportunities in the ways mentioned above. The ones who do not respond & let the opportunity go. The ones who always put it on the next day, those who always procrastinate and the ones who respond at the right time. Your respond to the wisdom or the opportunity that comes your way, decide the quality of your life.
Tackling worries
He gave us a great point of view of looking at our worries. He says that if you have problems in your life and have solutions to them, you should not worry because you will overcome them. But if you have issues and don’t have solutions, you should not worry. Because if you know that you don’t have any control over the situation, you should not waste your time.
You make your own destiny.
We have often heard that everything is predestined; we have control over nothing. If we become successful, it is pre-destined, and if we don’t, it is also pre-destined. But Swami Gaur Gopal Das sees it in this way.
According to him, the challenges that come our way at various points of our lives are undoubtedly pre-destined; we don’t have control over them. But there is one thing that is entirely in our control, and perhaps it is the most powerful thing a human being can possess. It is the ability to act upon something.
Problems will occur, but it does not define your future. The way you react to your problems is gonna define your future. If you consider your problems as your disability, then success is not your thing, but if you can treat your problems as challenges and learn from them, you write your destiny which is bright.
Note:
Nowadays, spiritual gurus are everywhere, saying to be afraid of God, life, actions, etc. This is not how life is supposed to be lived. Gaur Gopal Das says that life is to explore and make the most out of it. There is nothing wrong with being spontaneous, but at the same time, we should also be far-sighted because our actions have an impact on our lives related to us.
It is always up to you whether you want guidance or spirituality in your life, but including it in your life doesn’t harm you. It is not necessary to agree with him in all aspects, but try to implement it if you relate to even a single aspect.
We have seen thousands of people benefitting from just listening to him; it is not a boring life lesson lecture that our professors used to do in our college days. You just need 10 minutes to practice spirituality.
Readers can read Guru Gaur Gopal Das’s motivational quotes that contain some amazing secrets and ways of looking at our lives that will amaze you. As he always says, the way of looking into things or situations can change the entire meaning of it.
Conclusion
As we conclude, we would like you to give yourself a chance to experience spirituality in your way through Gaur Gopal Das. A person who has come a long way from electrical engineering to monkery. it does not matter if you are a student, a working professional, or a retired person; spirituality is for all.
Furthermore, whenever we listen to spiritual gurus one thing that we always follow is whether they imply their philosophies in their own lives or not. That being said, let us know about the father-daughter relationship of Sadhguru and Radhe Jaggi through this article –Radhe Jaggi: Age, Bio, Career, Father & More.