A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1 1896–November 14 1977) was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (popularly known as the "Hare Krishnas"). Born as Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He studied at the Scottish Churches College, Calcutta, which was then administered by the British. Before adopting the life of a vanaprastha, or pious renunciant, in 1950, he was married with children and owned a small pharmaceutical business. He later took sannyasa (a vow of renunciation) in 1959.

In his later years, as a Vaishnava sadhu, he became an influential communicator of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology to India and specifically to the West through his leadership of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), founded in 1966. In respects to this achievement, religious leaders from other Gaudiya Vaishnava movements have given the praise:

Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja surprised the entire world as well as his godbrothers with his outstanding achievements. He single handedly fulfilled the prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: "The Holy Names of Krishna will be sung in every town and village in the world."

He has been described as a charismatic leader (in the sense used by sociologist Max Weber), and was successful in acquiring followers in the United States, Europe, India and elsewhere.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

In 1922, when Prabhupada first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (1874–1937), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta requested that Prabhupada spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the English language. In 1933 Prabhupada became a formally initiated disciple. In 1944 Prabhupada started the publication Back to Godhead, an English language fortnightly, for which he acted as publisher, editor, copy editor and distributer. In 1947 the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society recognised Prabhupada's scholarship with the honorific title Bhaktivedanta, indicating devotion (Bhakti) and conclusive knowledge (Vedanta).

Beginning in 1950 he lived at the medieval temple of Radha-Damodara in the holy city of Vrindavan, where he began his translation work on the Sanskrit epic Srimad Bhagavatam. His guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had always encouraged Prabhupada, "If you have any money, print books!", referring to Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Charitamrita, and other fundamental works.

Sannyasa

He took sannyasa (renunciant) vows in 1959 from his godbrother Sri Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Maharaja at Mathura, following which he singlehandedly published the first three volumes of his thirty-volume translation of the 18,000-verse Bhagavata Purana with detailed commentary. He then left India, obtaining free passage on a freight ship called the Jaladuta, with the aim of fulfilling his spiritual master's instruction to spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu around the world. In his possession were a suitcase, an umbrella, a supply of dry cereal, about seven dollars worth of Indian currency, and several boxes of books.

Mission to the West

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Srila Prabhupada in the West

Prabhupada sailed to New York City in 1965. By July 1966 he had brought Hare Krishna to the West, founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York City. Srila Prabhupada became well known as one who practiced what he preached and leading by example he expanded the movement from a small group of people in New York in 1966, to an international movement incorporating many thousands of people.

After a group of devotees and temple had been established in New York another center was started in San Franciso. From here Prabhupada travelled throughout America with his disciples, popularising the movement through street chanting, book distribution (Sankirtana) and public speaches. Once ISKCON was more established in America a small number of devotees from the San Francisco temple were sent to London, England. After a short time of being in London they came into contact with The Beatles, of whom George Harrison took the greatest interest, spending a significant time speaking with Prabhupada and producing a record with members of the later London Radha Krsna Temple. Over the following years Prabhupada's continuing leadership role took him around the world some several times setting up temples and communities in all of the major continents. By the time of his death in Vrindavan eleven years later (1977), ISKCON was a widely known expression of Vaishnavism on an international basis.

In the twelve years from his arrival in New York until his final days he:

• circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents.
• introduced Vedic gurukul education to a Western audience.
• directed the founding of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the world's largest publisher in the field of Vedic religious texts and commentary.
• founded the religious colony New Vrindavan in West Virginia
• authored sixty books (many available online here) on Vedantic philosophy, religion, literature and culture (including four in Bengali)
• watched ISKCON grow to a confederation of more than 100 schools, temples, institutes, farm communities, and ashrams.

Through his mission, Prabhupada followed and communicated the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and introduced bhakti yoga to an international audience. Within Gaudiya Vaishnavism this was viewed as the fulfillment of a long time mission to introduce Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings to the world.

In his discussion with historian Arnold Toynbee in London Prabhupada is quoted as saying: "I have started this Krishna Conscious Movement among the Indians and Americans and for the next ten thousand years it will increase"

'Books are the basis'

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Srila Prabhupada's literary contribution.

Prabhupada's most significant contribution, it has been said, are his books. Within the final twenty years of his life Prabhupada translated over sixty volumes of classic Vedic scriptures (such as Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam) into the English language. For their authority, depth, and clarity, his books have won praise from professors at colleges and universities like Harvard, Oxford, Cornell, Columbia, Syracuse, Oberlin, and Edinburgh. His writings have been translated into seventy languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was established in 1972 to publish his works.

Reactions to Prabhupada's death

Prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of ISKCON. Since he was the Society's leader, his personality and management were responsible for much of ISKCON's growth and the reach of his mission.

Upon Prabhupada's death on November 14, 1977, eleven of his disciples became initiating gurus for ISKCON. Those chosen were Tamal Krishna Goswami, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Jayapataka Swami, Hridayananda Goswami, Bhavananda Goswami, Hamsaduta Swami, Ramesvara Swami, Harikesa Swami, Bhagavan dasa Adhikari, Kirtanananda Swami, and Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari. Of these eleven, only the first four have stayed within ISKCON.

Srila Prabhupada had created a body known as the Governing Body Commission to handle affairs in his absence concerning the daily management and spiritual standards for the organization and its members. This body, made up of senior ISKCON members has managed the movement ever since.

Views on other religious traditions

Prabhupada considered Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed to be empowered representatives of God. He considered them pioneers of the same essential message of dedication to God with love and devotion.

• "Actually, it doesn't matter – Krishna or Christ – the name is the same. The main point is to follow the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures that recommend chanting the name of God in this age." (from The Science of Self-Realization, ISBN 91-7149-447-2)

Respect in India

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The ISKCON temple, in New Delhi, India

ISKCON has become a respected organization within India. Srila Prabhupada has been honored by the Government and praised by the highest leaders of the country.

In 1996 the Government of India recognized Srila Prabhupada's accomplishments by issuing a commemorative stamp in his honor.

Speaking at the inauguration of ISKCON's cultural center in New Delhi in 1998, Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee, then India's prime minister, said:

"If the Bhagavad Gita, the holy text of the Hindu traditions, is printed in millions of copies and scores of languages and distributed in all nooks and corners of the world, the credit for this great sacred service goes chiefly to ISKCON. For this accomplishment alone, Indians should be eternally grateful to the devoted spiritual army of Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, and to his followers. . . .

"The arrival of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the United States in 1965 and the particular popularity his movement gained in a very short span of twelve years must be regarded as one of the greatest spiritual events of the century."

Bibliography

Translations with commentary

1. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is (1968)
2. Śrī Īśopaniṣad (1969)
3. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1972-77) (multiple volumes)
4. Caitanya-caritāmṛta (1974) (multiple volumes)
5. The Nectar of Instruction (1975)

Summary studies

1. Teachings of Lord Caitanya (1969)
2. Kṛṣņa: The Supreme Personality of Godhead (1970)
3. The Nectar of Devotion (1970)

Other works published within Prabhupada's lifetime

1. Beyond Illusion and Doubt (1967)
2. Easy Journey to Other Planets (1970)
3. Kṛṣņa Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System (1970)
4. Beyond Birth and Death (1972)
5. The Perfection of Yoga (1972)
6. On The Way to Kṛṣņa (1973)
7. Rāja-vidyā: The King of Knowledge (1973)
8. Elevation to Kṛṣņa Consciousness (1973)
9. Kṛṣņa Consciousness: The Matchless Gift (1974)
10. Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers (1977)
11. Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūtī (1977)
12. The Science of Self-Realization (1977)
13. Back to Godhead magazine (founder)

Bengali writings

1. Geetār-gan
2. Vairāgya-vidyā
3. Buddhi-yoga
4. Bhakti-ratna-boli

Published posthumously

1. Light of the Bhāgavata (1977?)
2. Teachings of Queen Kuntī (1978)
3. Life Comes From Life (1978)
4. Kṛṣņa, The Reservoir of Pleasure (1979?)
5. Chant and Be Happy (1982)
6. Coming Back (1983?)
7. Nārada-bhakti-sūtra (1989?)
8. Path of Perfection (1989?)
9. Mukunda-mālā-stotra (1989)
10. A Second Chance (1991)
11. Journey of Self Discovery (1991)
12. Laws of Nature: An Infallible Justice (1991)
13. Renunciation Through Wisdom (1992)
14. Quest for Enlightenment (1993?)
15. The Path of Yoga (1995)
16. Message of Godhead (1996?)
17. Civilization and Transcendence (1998)
18. Dharma: The Way of Transcendence (1998)
19. Introduction to Bhagavad-gītā (2005)

See also

• Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• International Society for Krishna Consciousness
• The Mysterious Pastimes of Mohini-murti
• Bhagavad Gita As It Is
• Hare Krishna
• Bhakti Yoga
• Krishnology

External links

• ISKCON - About Srila Prabhupada
• The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
• Krishna.com - Online Book Library (PDF and HTML)
• Bhaktivedanta Archives
• Lectures by Srila Prabhupada
• Letters by Srila Prabhupada
• Srila Prabhupada's books online (HTML)
• Photos of Srila Prabhupada
• BBTI Company Site

Videos

• God is a Person - YOU