A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Lore & Background

Born Abhay Charan De in Calcutta into a Bengali Hindu Suvarna Banik family, he was raised as a Gaudiya Vaishnava. At age six, he organized a scaled-down Ratha-yatra festival. He studied at Scottish Church College, graduating in English, philosophy, and economics in 1920, but refused to receive his diploma in protest of British rule. In 1922, he met Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, who instructed him to spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's message in English; Abhay accepted him as his spiritual master in his heart. He received formal initiation in 1933 and was given the name Abhay Charanaravinda. In 1939, elders honored him with the title 'Bhaktivedanta'.

Reader's Guide

Prabhupada's significance lies in his role as a pioneering transmitter of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to the West. At age 69, he traveled from Kolkata to New York City on a cargo ship with little more than books, knowing no one. He chanted Hare Krishna in a park, gave classes, and in 1966 founded ISKCON, which now has centers worldwide. He taught that the Absolute is ultimately personal, contrasting with earlier impersonalist teachers. He wrote over eighty books, including translations and commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Chaitanya Charitamrita, making these texts available in English for the first time. His legacy is complex: ISKCON was labeled a destructive cult in the late 1970s and 1980s, though scholars and courts later recognized it as an authentic Hindu branch. Some of his views have been perceived as racist, caste-discriminatory, or misogynistic. Nonetheless, decades after his death, his teachings and ISKCON remain influential, with some scholars and Indian political leaders calling him one of the most successful propagators of Hinduism abroad.

Did You Know?

• An astrologer predicted at his birth that at age seventy he would cross the ocean, become a famous religious teacher, and open 108 temples worldwide.
• He refused to accept his college diploma in 1920 as a sign of opposition to British rule.
• He received the title 'Bhaktivedanta' from elders in the Gaudiya community in 1939.
• He required initiated students to refrain from non-vegetarian food, gambling, intoxicants (including coffee, tea, and cigarettes), and extramarital sex.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"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." — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada "On Black people. The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant." — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada "Shudras does not require any training. Shudra means no training. Ordinary worker class. Otherwise other three, especially two, namely the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, they require very magnificent training." — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada "On Shudra caste. The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant." — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada