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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Religion	Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Other Names:	Born as Abhay Charan De (A.C)
Senior posting
Based in	Vrindavan, India
Title	Founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Period in office	1966 - 1977
Predecessor	Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Successor	The Governing Body Commission
Religious career
Previous post	Guru
Website	ISKCON Worldwide
Personal
Date of birth	September 1, 1896
Place of birth	- Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Date of death	November 14, 1977 (aged 81)
Place of death	Vrindavan, India

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."	”
	— Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti [1]

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.^[2][3]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura 1.2 Sannyasa 1.3 Mission to the West 2 'Books are the basis' 3 Views on other religious traditions 4 Within India 5 Bibliography 5.1 Translations with commentary 5.2 Summary studies 5.3 Other works published within Prabhupada's lifetime 5.4 Bengali writings 5.5 Published posthumously 6 Footnotes 7 See also 8 External links

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^[4]. Later in 1932 Prabhupada became a formally initiated disciple^[5] of Bhaktisiddhanta and in 1944 started the publication Back to Godhead, an English language fortnightly, for which he acted as publisher, editor, copy editor and distributor.

In 1947 the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society recognised Prabhupada's scholarship with the honorific title Bhaktivedanta, meaning "one who has realised that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the end of all knowledge"^[6] (with Bhakti, indicating devotion and Vedanta indicating conclusive knowledge). His later name of Prabhupada, literally meaning "he who has taken the position of the Lord" ^[7] (i.e one who is representing Krishna) was given later on by Prabhupada's disciples in America after he had been promoting Krishna Consciousness there for some time.

From 1950 onwards Prabhupada 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.^[8]

He took sannyasa (renunciant) vows in 1959 from his godbrother 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.

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. 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.

After a group of devotees and temple had been established in New York another center was started in San Francisco. From here Prabhupada travelled throughout America with his disciples, popularising the movement through street chanting, book distribution (Sankirtana) and public speeches.

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, which claims to be the world's largest publisher of ancient and classical Vaishnava religious texts.^[9]
• 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.^[10]

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"^[11]

Prabhupada's most significant contribution, it has been said, are his books.^[12] 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.^[13] His writings have been translated into seventy languages.^[14] The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was established in 1972 to publish his works.

Prabhupada considered Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed to be empowered representatives of God, describing them within his writings as 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)

In line with traditional Vaishnava theology (which focuses largely on dualism), Prabhupada was critical of the monist philosophies of Hinduism, calling the adherents of unadulterated monism "rascals". Although the Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy he followed is neither fully dualistic or monist (Achintya Bheda Abheda), as a devotional path Gaudiya Vaishnavism has much more in common with the Dvaita, as opposed to the Advaita schools.

Initially, Srila Prabhupada began his public preaching mission in India. He founded the League of Devotees in Jhansi in 1953^[15].

Following the establishment of temples and centres in the United States and Europe, Srila Prabhupada returned to India in 1971, holding many public programs which were well attended. From 1971 onwards, the movement became more popular and spread throughout the country, with large temples being established in Mumbai, Mayapur and Vrindavan especially.

In 1996 the Government of India recognized Srila Prabhupada's accomplishments by issuing a commemorative stamp in his honor.^[16]

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."^[17]

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

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

1. Beyond Illusion and Doubt (1967)
2. Search for Liberation (1969)
3. Easy Journey to Other Planets (1970)
4. Krishņa Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System (1970)
5. Beyond Birth and Death (1972)
6. The Perfection of Yoga (1972)
7. On The Way to Krishnņa (1973)
8. Rāja-vidyā: The King of Knowledge (1973)
9. Elevation to Krishnņa Consciousness (1973)
10. Krishņa Consciousness: The Matchless Gift (1974)
11. Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers (1977)
12. Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūtī (1977)
13. The Science of Self-Realization (1977)
14. Back to Godhead magazine (founder)

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

1. Light of the Bhāgavata (1977?)
2. Teachings of Queen Kuntī (1978)
3. Life Comes From Life (1978)
4. Krishņa, 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)

• Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• International Society for Krishna Consciousness
• Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
• Hare Krishna
• Bhakti Yoga
• Krishnology

• 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
• Extract: Conversation between Srila Prabhupada, George Harrision, John Lennon and Yoko Ono

v • d • e Modern Dharmic writers (1875 to date)
Buddhist	B. R. Ambedkar · Lokesh Chandra · Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche · Edward Conze · Alexandra David-Néel · Kelsang Gyatso · Dalai Lama · Thrangu Rinpoche  · Walpola Rahula · C.A.F. Rhys Davids · T.W. Rhys Davids · Seongcheol · Sogyal Rinpoche · Robert Thurman · Richard Gombrich · Chah Subhatto · Thanissaro Bhikkhu  · Bhikkhu Bodhi  · Nyanaponika Thera  · Jack Kornfield · Gil Fronsdal · Seongcheol · Seung Sahn · Kitaro Nishida · Scott Shaw · D.T. Suzuki · Paul Reps · Alan Watts · Thich Nhat Hanh · Yin Shun · Shunryu Suzuki · Taizan Maezumi
Hindu	Aurobindo · A. Coomaraswamy · Bankim · Alain Daniélou · Dayananda · Sita Ram Goel · The Mother · Prabhupada · Sivananda · Ram Swarup · Tilak · Vivekananda · Yogananda
Jain	Satish Kumar · Claudia Pastorino · Yashodev Suri · Jayantsain Suri
Sikh	Bhai Vir Singh · Harjot Oberoi · G.S. Talib · Khushwant Singh
Syncretic and others	Gurumaa · Annie Besant · Ram Dass · Eknath Easwaran · Sathya Sai Baba · Georg Feuerstein · Benjamin Hoff · H.S. Olcott · Meher Baba · Osho · Ken Wilber · Nirmala Srivastava