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 (popularly called "Hare Krishna") in 1966. 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, and elsewhere.[1][2]
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 sanyasa (a vow of renunciation) in 1959.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Upon Prabhupada's first meeting with his spiritual master in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (1874–1937), requested that he preach the message of Lord Caitanya in the English language. In 1933 Prabhupada became a formally initiated disciple. 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, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura had always encouraged Prabhupada, "If you have any money, print the books!", referring to Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Caritamrta, and other fundamental works.
Sannyasa
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 1966 he had 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 the religious colony New Vrindaban 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 Caitanya Mahaprabhu and introduced bhakti yoga to a Western audience. He is the author of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is.
Books are the basis
Prabhupada's most significant contribution is often said to be his books. 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. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth, and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses.[3] His writings have been translated into over fifty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish his works has thus become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.[4]
Reactions to Prabhupada's death
Prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of ISKCON. As the Society's leader, Prabhupada, by his personality and management, was responsible for much of the growth of ISKCON and the reach of his mission.
Upon the death 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 [2], 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.
Since Prabhupada's death ISKCON has been 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 death in 1977.
Views on other religious traditions
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.
- "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-Realisaton, ISBN 9171494472)
Prabhupada's impact on Indians
It is notable that ISKCON over the years 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 daily. 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.
Notes
- ^ "Unrecognized charisma? A study and comparison of four charismatic leaders: Charles Taze Russell, Joseph Smith, L Ron Hubbard, Swami Prabhupada" by George D. Chryssides. Paper presented at the 2001 International Conference The Spiritual Supermarket: Religious Pluralism in the 21st Century, organised by INFORM and CESNUR (London, April 2001)
- ^ Knot, Kim "Insider and Outsider Perceptions of Prabhupada" in ISKCON Communications Journal Vol. 5, No 1, June 1997: "In an evaluation of the nature of the guru, Larry Shinn, a scholar of religions, utilised Max Weber's analysis of charisma in order to understand Prabhupada and the issue of leadership in ISKCON. He noted that 'Prabhupada profited from two intertwined sources of authority' (1987:40), the traditional authority of the disciplic lineage, parampara, inherited from his own guru, and his own charismatic authority, derived from his spiritual attainment and presence, and that Prabhupada's guru-successors had been able to adopt 'his traditional role as initiating acarya but not [...] his status as charismatic leader'.(49) Shinn offered an analysis based on sociological rather than spiritual (Vaishnava) authority in order to make sense of the role of guru in ISKCON and the unique qualities of Prabhupada." See also Larry D. Shinn (1987), The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America. Philadelphia: The Westview Press.avavailable online
- ^ Both of these statements are made by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Bhagavad Gita As-It-Is in the "About the author" section. This section is also repeated in a number of other publications. For details of comments from the academic community see [1].
- ^ This statement is made by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Bhagavad Gita As-It-Is in the "About the author" section. This section is also repeated in a number of other publications.
See also
- Gaudiya Vaishnavism
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness
- Bhagavad Gita As It Is
- Hare Krishna
- Krishnology
External links
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness
- Books by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
- Bhaktivedanta Archives
- Lectures by Srila Prabhupada
- Prabhupada Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's translation of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
- Original Pre-1979 Publications
- Towards Varnasrama Dharma: A Constitution for ISKCON
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