Srila Prabhupada

a_c_bhaktivedanta_swami_prabhupada_by_avatarbuddha_df73uoj.jpg

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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.

A Brief Biography of Srila Prabhupada

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.

Accomplishments of Srila Prabhupada

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 arrived in the US during the decade of discontent; there was widespread dissatisfaction with America’s war with Vietnam. The American youth created their counter-culture popularly known as hippie culture. They were trying to break away from the status quo, searching for an alternative. Srila Prabhupada presented this alternative.

Srila Prabhupada brought the Hare Krishna Movement to the

public eye by

chanting in the parks,
distributing the Back to Godhea
Magazine,conducting love feasts,

delivering lectures from the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad

Bhagavatam in a rented store-front.

Thus, he attracted many youngsters, who gradually became his disciples. Srila Prabhupada trained his disciples in the tradition of Deity Worship, to help them advance spiritually. The Supreme Lord appears in the form of Deities to give us an opportunity to serve Him; and by rendering services to the Deities with utmost care one can advance spiritually. When we are attracted to the beautiful form of the Deities, we will forget our attraction to material things; and by serving the Deities we will develop pure love of God and thus our lives will be successful.

To revive the Krishna conscious tradition, he envisioned God-centered self-sufficient farm communities based on the principles of Simple Living, High Thinking. In 1972, he started a gurukul in Dallas, Texas – an educational institution set up according to the traditional Vedic model. He established more than 108 temples and instructed his disciples that no one should go hungry within a 10 mile radius of an ISKCON temple.

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.

Srila Prabhupada and His Books
Catalog of Srila Prabhupada’s Books
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.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami