A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

[Guest guest]

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in Calcutta,

India, in 1896, where he was raised in a loving Vaishnava family and learned

to worship Krishna from an early age. He attended Scottish Churches college

and went on to run a pharmaceutical business during his household years. He

later met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, who

instructed him to print books in English and spread the message of Krishna

consciousness, love of God, to the western world.

 

In 1944, taking the instructions of his guru to heart, Srila Prabhupada

singlehandedly started Back to Godhead magazine, which is continued to this

day by his disciples. In 1950, he moved to Vrindavan, India, the birth place

of Lord Krishna, and devoted several years to studies and writing. It is

there that he began on a multi-volume translation with commentary of the

Srimad-Bhagavatam, along with many other books. He accepted the renounced

order of sannyasa in 1959 and not long thereafter, set out on a cargo ship

to the West to fulfill the order of his guru.

 

In July 1966, after a year of hardships alone in a poor neighborhood of New

York City and still without a single dedicated follower, Srila Prabhupada

incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

On his business card at the time he had printed "centers around the world."

Before his passing in 1977, only 11 years later, Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON

had grown to a following of some 10,000 disciples, and a worldwide

confederation of 108 ashrams, schools, temples, and farm communities.

 

Despite his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times

on lecture tours, and without fail, would rise early each morning and

continue translating and commenting on Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya

Charitamrita.

 

Srila Prabhupada has left behind a veritable library of Vedic philosophy and

culture for our benefit. Highly respected by scholars for their authority,

depth, and clarity, his books are used at colleges and universities around

the world. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publishes his works in over 50

languages.

 

 

 

Prabhupada: His Journey

"When I first arrived in your New York harbor, I did not know whether to

turn left or right."

Although one candle kindles unlimited numbers of other candles, each with

the same intensity as the first, there yet remains the original candle.

Similarly, although the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself in

unlimited forms, He yet remains the original cause of all causes. In the

Vedas, that supreme original cause is known by the name Krishna because He

possesses unlimited transcendental qualities, which can attract all living

beings.

Five hundred years ago, that same supreme cause, Lord Sri Krishna, appeared

as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and declared that the chanting of His holy names

-- Hare Krishna, Hare Rama -- would spread beyond the shores of India to

every town and village in the world. Hundreds of years then passed as Lord

Caitanya's faithful followers endeavored to expand His mission. Still they

remained wondering just how and when the Lord's bold prediction would come

true.

 

Then, on August 13, 1965, just a few days before his sixty-ninth birthday,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami -- philosopher, scholar, and saint -- set out for

America to see what could be done. Begging passage from a local steamship

company, he traveled as the only passenger on board a small weathered cargo

ship named the Jaladuta. 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.

 

When the Jaladuta arrived in New York harbor thirty-seven days later,

Bhaktivedanta Swami was utterly alone. He had come to America knowing no

one, with absolutely no visible means of support, and with only the meager

handful of possessions he had carried on board the ship. He had no money, no

friends, no followers, not his youth, good health or even a clear idea of

how he would accomplish his far-reaching objective -- to present the

spiritual knowledge of the Vedas to the entire Western society.

 

In a poem written in Bengali just after his arrival, Bhaktivedanta Swami

expressed his humble faith in Lord Sri Krishna and the special instruction

of his own spiritual master, who had intended him to spread the teachings of

Krishna consciousness throughout the English-speaking world:

 

"My dear Lord Krishna.... How will I make them understand this message of

Krishna 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 was written on September 17, 1965. Just twelve years later, on

November 14, 1977, Bhaktivedanta Swami passed away in India at the age of

81. What happened in those twelve years? What was Bhaktivedanta Swami able

to accomplish during this brief period, having begun with nothing, and at an

age when most are ready to retire? The list of accomplishments is striking

by any standard.

In short, between the years 1965 and 1977, His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami, or Srila Prabhupada, as his followers affectionately

came to know him, had spread the teachings of Krishna consciousness to every

major city in the world, and had formed an international society comprising

thousands of dedicated members. He had established 108 temples, with

magnificent estates spread across six continents, and had circled the globe

twelve times to personally guide the membership of his broadening mission.

 

As if this were not enough accomplishment for a person proceeding from his

70th to his 82nd year, Srila Prabhupada had also translated, written, and

published 51 volumes of books in 28 different languages, tens of millions of

which had been distributed throughout the world. He had delivered thousands

of lectures, written thousands of letters, and taken part in thousands of

conversations with followers, admirers, and critics alike. And he had won

the esteem of hundreds of prominent scholars and social figures, who had

genuine appreciation for Srila Prabhupada's contributions to religion,

philosophy, and culture.

 

The astonishing story of how Srila Prabhupada achieved such a marvelous

result in twelve short years is far beyond the scope of this pamphlet. But

the remaining pages will provide you with a glimpse into his remarkable

teachings and achievements.

 

"Now I can see that it is a miracle. Otherwise, how could one old man, with

only a few books to sell for barely getting food, introduce a God conscious

movement in a materialistic society?"

 

 

Prabhupada: His Teachings

"Human life is simply awarded to a living entity so that he can realize his

spiritual identity and his permanent source of happiness."

Of all his various contributions, Srila Prabhupada considered his books most

important. In fact, he would often describe his work of translating and

explaining the ancient Vedic texts as his very life and soul. In 1970, Srila

Prabhupada founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, now the world's largest

publisher of Vedic literature. Through its work over the last quarter

century, millions of people have read at least one of Srila Prabhupada's

books and have felt their lives genuinely enriched. Here is a brief

introduction to the spiritual knowledge you will find within those books.