A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896–November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. He studied at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta, which was then administered by the British. 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 founding of the' International Society for Krishna Consciousness' in 1966.

Married Life

Prior to 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 sanyassa (renunciation) vow in 1959.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

Upon Prabhupada's first meeting with his spiritual master in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, requested that he preach the message of Lord Caitanya in the English language. In 1933 Prabhupada became a formally initiated disciple. In 1937 Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura passed away. Beginning in 1944 Prabhupada started Back to Godhead, an English language fortnightly for which he acted as publisher, editor and copy editor. In 1947 the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society recognised Prabhupada's scholarship with the honorific Bhaktisiddhanta (Sanskrit: One who has both devotion and knowledge. Later that same year his title was changed to Bhaktivedanta, having the same meaning. See Bhakti and 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 Divine Grace,

Sannyassa

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 and the commentary on it. He then left India to fulfill his master's spiritual mission. 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

Prabhupada sailed to New York City in 1965. By July of 1966, he 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 truly 'practiced what he preached', 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. By the time of his death in Vrindavan eleven years later (1977), ISKCON was a widely known expression of Hinduism in the West.

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 New Vrindavan
• authored sixty books (many available online ) 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 Caitanya Mahaprabhu and introduced bhakti yoga to a Western audience. He is the author of the

As It Is">Bhagavad Gita

'Books are the Basis'

Srila Prabhupada's most significant contribution, is often said to be his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into over fifty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.

Reactions to Prabhupada's Passing

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

Upon the passing away of Prabhupada on November 14, 1977, eleven of his disciples became initiating gurus for ISKCON. Those chosen were: Tamala Krishna Gosvami, Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami, Jayapataka Swami , Hrdayananda Gosvami, Bhavananda Gosvami, Hamsaduta Swami, Ramesvara Swami, Harikesa Swami, Bhagavan dasa Adhikari, Kirtanananda Swami, and Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari. Of these eleven individuals, only the first four have stayed within ISKCON.

Presently ISKCON is managed by the Governing Body Commission. Srila Prabhupada created this body to handle affairs in his absence concerning the daily management and spiritual standards for the organization and its members. The authority and mission of this body has evolved since the time of Prabhupada's passing in 1977.

Prabhupada's respect for the World Religions

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

Prabhupada's Impact on Indians

It is notable that over the years, ISKCON has been able to maintain an impressive standard of Vedic deity worship and book publishing. In India, ISKCON has become a very respected organization and its temples are always filled with thousands of pilgrims on a daily basis. Many Indian people have been inspired by Prabhupada and ISKCON to practice a serious and dedicated approach to their own Hindu traditions. Thus, despite all of ISKCON's controversies, one of Prabhupada's main goals of re-inspiring Indians about their own culture has been achieved.

See also

• Gaudiya Vaishnava
• Vaishnava
• Bhagavad Gita
• Hare Krishna
• ISKCON
• Krishnology

Srīla Prabhupāda A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupáda A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Praphupada Bhaktivedanta Swami Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada