His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

He came with the message
of the Absolute World

Srila Prabhupada’s Journey

One candle may light many other candles, yet each candle has the same intensity as the first. Yet the first still remains the original candle.

In the same way the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands himself in unlimited forms. He yet remains the cause of all causes.

In the Vedic scriptures the supreme original cause is known as Krsna because he posses unlimited transcendental qualities which attracts all living beings.

Five hundred years ago that same supreme cause Lord Sri Krsna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and declared that the chanting of the Lords holy names of;

is the only way of liberation in this age. He also declared that these names would be spread beyond India to every town and village in the world.

After hundreds of years, the faithful followers of Lord Caitanya endeavoured to expand his mission. All of the time they were wondering how Lord Caitanya’s prediction of every town and village would come true.

On August 13th 1965 days before his sixty ninth birthday A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, philosopher, scholar, saint and Swami, set out for America to see what could be done. With a free passage from a local steamship company, he travelled as the only passenger on board a small weathered cargo ship, named Jaladuta. In possession he had an umbrella, a supply of dry cereal about seven dollars worth of Indian rupees, and several boxes of books.

When the Jaladuta arrived in New York thirty-seven years later Swami Bhaktivedanta was totally alone. He had come to America knowing no one, with any clear means of support; he carried on boards the ship only a handful of possessions. He had no friends, money, followers and not his youthful age and good health. He didn’t even have a clear idea of how he could accomplish his mission – to present the spiritual knowledge of the Vedas to the western world and in turn to the entire world.

Bhaktivedanta Swami expressed the faith he had in his spiritual master and Krsna, in a Bengali poem he wrote shortly after his arrival:

"My dear Lord Krsna…How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own…I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life…"

This poem is dated 18th September 1965. Twelve years later, on 14th November 1977, Swami Bhaktivedanta passed away in Vridavana, India at the age of eighty-one. In twelve years Swami Bhaktivedanta had amazingly accomplished his huge mission.

The Society He Created

After arriving in New York City in September 1965, Srila Prabhupada struggled alone to establish his God consciousness movement. He lived simply and talked and lectured about Krsna whenever and wherever he got the opportunity to do so and gradually there was some small interest in what he was teaching.

In July of 1966, while still working alone from an obscure storefront in the Lower East Side of New York City, Srila Prabhupada founded the society intended for the entire world’s participation. He named it the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY for KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS or ISKCON for short.

At the time of the creation of his society, Srila Prabhupada had not even got one committed follower. Undeterred he enlisted volunteers from some of the regular attendees at his evenings lectures to act as ISKCON’s first trustees. That was during the very begging of ISKCON history. Today the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has more than 300 temples, farms, schools and special projects through out the world and has a strong congregation numbering in millions.

The Purpose of ISKCON

Krsna consciousness is more than another sectarian faith. It is a technical science of spiritual values that is described and recommended in the ancient Vedic scriptures from ancient India. The aim of the Krsna consciousness movement is to reveal to the people of the world, the principles of God and in turn Self- realization so that they may derive the highest benefits of spiritual understanding, unity and peace.

The Vedas recommend that in the present age the most effective means of achieving self-realization is to constantly hear about, glorify and remember the all-good supreme Lord, who is known by numerous names. The most important names in this age ‘Krsna’, which means ‘he who is all attractive’, another is ‘Rama’ which means ‘He who is the reservoir of all pleasure’, and ‘Hare’ indicates the inconceivable energy of the Lord.

The members of ISKCON follow the recommendation in the Vedic scriptures and are seen constantly seen chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This sublime chanting puts us in direct contact with the Supreme Lord through the transcendental sound vibration, of his holy names and gradually awakens us to our original and eternal relationship with God.

The primary mission of ISKCON is to encourage all of the members of the human society, to devote at least some portion of their time and energies to this process of hearing and chanting about God. In this way they will eventually come to the realization that all living beings are spirit souls, eternally related to the Supreme Lord in service and in Love.

The Distribution of Spiritual Food

Along with teaching the Vedic knowledge and spreading the Lords holy names, ISKCON also very freely distributes spiritual food through out the world. In the same way that the philosophy and canting is done for Krsna, Vegetarian food has first been offered to the Lord, this purifies the heart and the mind.

This helps us in the gradual process of uncovering one’s original awareness of God. ISKCON’s distribution of spirtualized food (Prasadam) though out the world is therefore known as

‘Food for Life’, which is beneficial for the body as well the soul of each and every recipient.

The Teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada considered his books to be the most valuable contribution he had made in spreading the Vedic knowledge through out the world. Actually Srila Prabhupada would say that translating and explaining the ancient Vedic scriptures was his very life and soul. IN the year of 1970, Srila Prabhupada founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and now it has become the largest publisher of Vedic literature. Over the last twenty-five years, millions of people have read at least one of Srila Prabhupada’s books, and have genuinely felt their lives enriched.

Scholarly Appreciation of Srila Prabhupada’s Teachings

Srila Prabhupada noted often that, although universities and colleges of the modern day had many departments for understanding may things, there was no department that taught scientific knowledge of the self and God. By presenting the original Vedic science of God realization through his valuable books, Srila Prabhupada filled this large gap and met this vital educational need. Over the years, scholars who had met Srila Prabhupada or had read his works, have expressed their appreciation for both his personal quality ands the contribution his teachings have made to humanity.

Harvey Cox one such world renowned professor of religion at Harvard University, tells us how he recognized the value of Srila Prabhupada’s works ands what a contribution he had made:

‘When I first met the Hare Krishna’s, I can remember thinking how surprised I was, and I wondered what this meant. The costumes, the chanting, and the shaved heads appeared a little strange to me. But as I came to know the movement, I came to find that there was a striking similarity in the essence of what they were teaching and in the original core of Christianity-that is, living simply, not trying to accumulate worldly goods, living with compassion towards all creatures, sharing, loving, and living joyfully. I am impressed with how much the teachings of one man and the spiritual tradition he brought impacted themselves into the lives of so many people. In my view Srila Prabhupada’s contribution is a very important one and will be a lasting one.’

The Temples He Built

Srila Prabhupada built 108 temples before leaving for the spiritual world in 1977.

Now ISKCON has well over three hundred temples, farms, schools and special projects and weekly gatherings through out the world. At each center members give classes, perform chanting and ceremonies, and provide valuable instruction on the science of Krsna consciousness. Each center holds a weekly festival and vegetarian feast, as well as festive occasions throughout the year. All programs are open to the public.

For more information on Srila Prabhupada and Krishna consciousness please contact your nearest centre or just e-mail us by clicking the e-mail image link below.

Srila Prabhupada chants the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra    [download]
Srila Prabhupada explains the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra    [download]
Srila Prabhupada explains the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra in Hindi (Bombay)    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants one round of Hare Krishna Japa    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Vande Ham' and Hare Krishna (Bombay)    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Gurvastakam Prayers' (Bombay)    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Jaya Radha Madhava' (Bombay)    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Govinda Jaya Jaya' (Bombay)    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants the 'Sri Sri Sad-gosvami-astaka' 1    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Sri Sad-gosvami-astaka' 2    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Gaura Pahou'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu' 1    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu' 2    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Jaya Radhe Jaya Krishna'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Yasomati Nandana'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Brahma Samhita'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada speaks his purport to the 'Brahma Samhita'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants the 'Hare Krishna Mantra'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada speaks his purport to the 'Hare Krishna Mantra'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants the 'Sri Guru-astaka Prayers'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Jaya Radha Madhava'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Nama-sankirtana'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Jiv Jago'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Gay Gaura Madhu Sware'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada delivers his purport to 'Gay Gaura Madhu Sware'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Narada Muni Bhajaya Vina'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada delivers his purport to 'Narada Muni Bhajaya Vina'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Brahma Samhita'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Hari Hari Bifale'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Sri Dasavatara Stotra'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Hare Krishna Kirtan'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Manasa Deha Geha'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada delivers his purport to 'Manasa Deha Geha'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada chants 'Bhaja Hu Re Mana'    [download]
Srila Prabhupada delivers his purport to  'Bhaja Hu Re Mana'    [download]
Vibhavari Sesa    [download]
Purport to Vibhavari Sesa    [download]
Anadi Karama Phale    [download]
Purport to  Anadi Karama Phale    [download]
Sri Dasavatara Stotra    [download]
Purport to  Sri Dasavatara Stotra    [download]
Amara Jivana    [download]
Purport to  Amara Jivana    [download]
Gaurangera Duti Pada    [download]
Parama Karuna    [download]
Sri Brahma Samhita    [download]
Nitai Pada Kamala    [download]
Jaya Radhe Jaya Krishna    [download]
Sri Sri Guruvastakam    [download]
Bhaja Hu Re Mana    [download]
Parama Karuna    [download]
Bhoga Arati    [download]
Sri Brahma Samhita    [download]
Govinda Jaya Jaya    [download]
Sri Sri Siksastakam    [download]
Nama Sankirtana    [download]
Vande Ham    [download]
Hare Krishna Maha Mantra    [download]
Hare Krishna Maha Mantra 2    [download]
Sri Sri Siksastakam 2    [download]
Gauranga Duti Pada    [download]
Purport to Gauranga Duti Pada    [download]
Gaura Pahu    [download]
Purport to Gaura Pahu    [download]
Nitai Pada Kamala    [download]
Purport to Nitai Pada Kamala    [download]
Bhaja Hu Re Mana    [download]
Purport to Bhaja Hu Re Mana    [download]
Prayers to King Kulasekhara    [download]
All songs of Srila Prabhupada (1) as above  

A Manifesto of Krishna Consciousness at a Los Angeles press conference on 22.12.1968 and a speech to the members of the London ISKCON temple on 23.12.1968 in Los Angeles    [download]

The following is a link to the world famous BTG (Back To Godhead) Magazine, which Srila Prabhupada inaugurated before he came to the West. The link has been suggested by Mother Mallika d.d., who is maintaining the BTG website in the States and who is its Circulation Director.

Poems for Srila Prabhupada on the 'Unlimited Resources' Website. A worth-while resource to visit.