His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
SRILA PRABHUPADA
Founder & Acharya of Worldwide Krishna Consciousness Movement
Sole Diksha Guru for every one here at
Krishna Consciousness Society
Who is Srila Prabhupada ?
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda is the foremost scholar of modern and recent times, and he astonished religious scholars worldwide with his deeply insightful translations of the topmost Vedic scriptures of India. Śrīla Prabhupāda was the true representative of Indian culture and history as he glorified India's spiritual heritage with millions of followers and millions of books distributed in dozens of languages in every country of the world. He was the greatest advocate of the best that India has to offer humanity. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), wrote and translated with extensive commentary more than 80 volumes presenting devotional classics such as Bhagavad-Gita, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta in the English language. He is an authentic spiritual master revered by tens of millions of sincere souls around the world for the invaluable gift of spiritual life, in whom he continues to cultivate Krishna or God consciousness even after his physical departure.
He appeared in Calcutta, India, 1896. His spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktsiddanta Sarasvati Thakura, a prominent religious scholar and founder of 64 Gaudiya Mathas, liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to preaching in the West. Śrīla Prabhupāda became his student and his formally initiated disciple 11 years later. At their first meeting, Śrīla Bhaktsiddanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Śrīla Prabhupāda to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In years that followed, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote a Bhagavad-gita commentary, assisted the Gaudiya Matha's work, and in 1944 started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine. Recognizing Śrīla Prabhupāda's learning and devotion, the Gaudiya Vaishnava Society honored him in 1947 with the title "Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, aged 54, Śrīla Prabhupāda retired from married life, adopting the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Śrīla Prabhupāda moved to the holy town of Vrindavana, living humbly in the medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There He engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He took the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Śrīla Prabhupāda began work on his life's. masterpiece: a multi-volume translation of and commentary on the 18,000 verse Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. After publishing three volumes of the Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the United States in 1965 to fulfill the mission of His guru.
Subsequently, he wrote more than 80 volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India. In 1965 He ventured outside India. During His voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. In 1965, when He first arrived in New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda had the equivalent of seven dollars. After almost a year of great difficulty, he founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness with a small group of disciples. This marked the only time in history that a Krishna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaishnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America's hedonistic counterculture movement. Coming to America at the age of 69, in only 12 years from 1965 to 1977, he ignited the Hare Krishna explosion, a spiritual revolution in the hearts and minds of thousands of people. Before Śrīla Prabhupāda's arrival in the West, the Vaishnava tradition of Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu was practically unknown outside of India. Circling the globe a dozen times, Śrīla Prabhupāda tirelessly taught the sublime message of Godhead, visiting and inspiring devotees and receptive audiences in countless cities, homes, temples and events.
In 1970 Śrīla Prabhupāda created a Governing Body Commission from the ranks of His disciples to oversee the spiritual growth of the Hare Krishna movement. Entrusting His senior disciples with the details of management, Śrīla Prabhupāda focused on translating the ancient Vedic scriptures and writing His purports to further enable our meager understanding of the message of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Contact with Śrīla Prabhupāda was to catch a glimpse of the spiritual world. By His writing, words, and glance He fought the forces of darkness in a realm where lost souls had forgotten their true identity. Śrīla Prabhupāda departed from this world on November 14, 1977, while at Vrindavan. Until moments before his passing, he was dictating commentaries on the tenth canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. His name Prabhupāda, is a Sanskrit title, literally meaning “He who has taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord”. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust which publishes the works of His Divine Grace is today the world’s largest publisher of books on Indian religion and philosophy. It is because of the unrelenting and selfless efforts of Srila Prabhupada that millions today know about Lord Krishna and his teachings, and find peace and answers by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
If you are interested in knowing more you can read the book Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita – As it is. This book is compiled from the lectures, conversations and correspondence of Srila Prabhupada. You may also download the following e-books from our site:
Srila Prabhupada – A Brief Life Sketch
The Jaladuta Diary of Srila Prabhupada
A Historical Time Line of major events in the life of Srila Prabhupada is also available for your quick reference.Click to download the Timeline Infographic.
Srila Prabhupada’s attempts to propagate Krishna Consciousness were not received well by the people in India. At the age of 69 (in the year 1965) he went to the United States of America and incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). In the next 11 years, he circled the globe fourteen times inspiring his followers, delivering lectures, and discussing the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness with all interested persons.
Srila Prabhupada brought the Hare Krishna Movement to the
public eye by
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chanting in the parks,
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distributing the Back to Godhea
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Magazine,conducting love feasts,
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delivering lectures from the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad
Bhagavatam in a rented store-front.
A self-realised spiritual master of the calibre of Srila Prabhupada engages fearlessly in presenting sublime truths. The fearlessness referred to here is not a reckless and careless pursuit of action with disregard to consequences. On the contrary, Srila Prabhupada was quite convinced of the success of the instructions of his predecessor teachers and Lord Krishna; he had unflinching trust in the Supreme Lord.
Srila Prabhupada and His Books
Of all his contributions, Srila Prabhupada considered his books to be of utmost importance. These books present the timeless wisdom of Vedic scriptures in modern English with startling clarity and a convincing, simple eloquence that proves the relevance of the science of self-realization to our modern world and our own lives. These books have changed the lives of millions.
We have more resources here for your consumption.
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Srila Prabhupada and His Books
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Catalog of Srila Prabhupada’s Books
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Scholars appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s Books
Teachings of Srila Prabhupada
Srila Prabhupada is the spiritual ambassador who visited our planet to give us the message of Godhead and invite us to come back home – back to Godhead. We publish various articles on our blog on different aspects of his teachings. However, we realize our limitation in capturing all the teachings of Srila Prabhupada in a few pages of a website.
According to Srila Prabhupada, Krishna Consciousness is not an arm-chair philosophy or a part-time religion; it is a way of life. He presented the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness very extensively in his books and we request you to make it a habit to read Srila Prabhupada’s books and be benefited by them.
Srila Prabhupada sankirtan / Bhajans
Srila Prabhupada was an expert at everything: cooking, preaching, Deity worship, public relations, sankirtan, construction, and all else that it took to run a temple. Here we present a few of his well-known bhajans. These recordings are sure to evoke devotion and are guaranteed to melt the heart of the listener.
Gaurangera_Duti_Pada_Savarana_Sri_Gaura_Mahima
Nitai Pada Kammala
Hare Krishna Mahamantram
Vande Ham MangalaCarana
Samsara_Davanala_Lidha_Loka_Sri_Sri_Gurvastakam
Srila_Prabhupada_Teaches_Mridunga_
