Prayagraj: A 32-year-old chartered accountant (CA)-turned-ascetic Swami Gopalacharya made heads turn at the ongoing Magh Mela not only for his spirituality but also for his high level of education.
Gopalacharya has expertise in five languages – Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Brij and Garhwali – and claimed to have delivered over 280 Shrimad Bhagwat Katha and Shri Ram Katha discourses across the country in past seven years.
His rise to fame is similar to that of former aerospace engineer from IIT Bombay Abhey Singh (36), popularly known as "IITian Baba," who made headlines by renouncing a corporate career for a spiritual life at the 2025 Maha Kumbh.
Hailing from Sisoli in Mathura district, Swami Gopalacharya has two brothers. As Gopal was a bright student from childhood, he completed his schooling up to the 12th grade from the CBSE board and then pursued his chartered accountancy studies in Delhi. However, a Bhagwat Katha discourse by Jagadguru Swami Krishnacharya Maharaj in the Brij region attracted him towards spiritualism.
During the discourse, when Swami Krishnacharya Maharaj said: "People of Brij, recognize the power within yourselves."
This immediately struck a chord with him, and he felt drawn to the spiritual path. Although his family tried to dissuade him, his heart had already changed, and his mind was set on path of asceticism.
Following this, Gopal received initiation from Jagadguru Swami Krishnacharya Maharaj and entered the spiritual realm. He then became Swami Gopalacharya Ji Maharaj.
After embracing asceticism, Gopalacharya studied Acharya in Ayodhya, Shastri in Haridwar and the Vedas under Jagadguru Swami Vidhyabhaskar Maharaj. He then began delivering Shrimad Bhagwat Katha and Shri Ram Katha discourses in 2019.
Gopalacharya said in seven years, he delivered over 280 Shrimad Bhagwat Katha and Shri Ram Katha discourses in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and other states.
"Now, I feel good, experiences peace, and have plenty of time to think. Now, I intend to dedicate my life to working for Sanatan Dharma and connecting youths with Indian cultre and tradition," he said adding that while the discourses provide peace, he is also getting ample time to work in the fields of religion and language.
Devotees attending the religious discourse are fond of Swami ji simple life and high thinking.
He writes on crime, traffic, health, administration , politics an...
Read MoreHe writes on crime, traffic, health, administration , politics and off beat stories from Prayagraj. Have extensively covered Maha Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh and Magh Melas and state assembly as well as parliamentary polls from 2002 to 2025. My hobbies include reading, writing and meeting people with diverse interests.
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