“Not many are aware of the fact that the ancient kings of Indonesia, in particular that of the Majapahit Kingdom, were devotees of Lord Vishnu. A tradition is that royal warriors or ksatriyas would be celebrated just as much as Sri Krishna or Sri Rama. And the role of a ksatriya is to carry out the teachings of Lord Vishnu in their function of protection and sustenance of the general public” started his inaugural speech the senator of the Legislative Council of Indonesia, Dr. Shri Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna Mahendradatta Wedasteraputra Suyasa III, who attended the Festival of the Chariots of Sri Jagannatha, which was held at the Bajra Sandhi Monument, in Denpasar, Bali on 19^th of July, 2015.

Then he continued: “In the history of Bali, there was once a famed king, Raja Sri Aji Kresna Kepakisan, sent forth by the Eastern Javanese kingdom of Majapahit. So much so was he proud of his Vaisnavite teachings that he obtained the title ‘Kresna’ in his name.

I kindly request the Hare Krishna Movement to keep on spreading knowledge to the Hindus of Bali. I have deep respect for a Balinese who takes up the study of Vedanta and Bhagavad-gita. The Balinese culture dictates the study of philosophy, not only the blind following of the rituals. Therefore I pray that this Hare Krishna Movement will become the largest in Bali, to bring the local Hindus closer to the Vedic and vegetarian culture.”

The Senator, who is a descendant of the Majapahit Kingdom, and a self-proclaimed devotee of Krishna, but who also doubles as a rector for the University of Mahendradatta, also praised ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, Srila Prabhupada, who is undoubtedly one of the personalities of Sanatana Dharma who brought Hinduism to the global stage:

“I have to admit, that the teachings of Hinduism could only be accepted by Americans and Europeans due to the grace of Srila Prabhupada. He is a great personality that we have to respect. At the time when Hinduism in Indonesia was starting to spur after Indonesia’s independence, his movement was already worldwide. So I hope that the young Balinese will know this history.

Intelligent people are broad-minded people. And I will always support the Hare Krishna Movement in Indonesia. Spread and make all our Hindus know the Vedas and find a synergy with the local Balinese culture” Dr. Wedakarna requested.