A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian teacher of spirituality, philosophy, and religion who brought the Hare Krishna mantra and the principles of "Krishna consciousness" to a global audience. Born Abhay Charan De, he later adopted the legal name Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami, and is commonly called Bhaktivedanta Swami, Srila Prabhupada, or simply Prabhupada.

Acting on a directive from his spiritual teacher given in his youth—to spread Krishna consciousness in English—he left Kolkata for New York City in 1965 at age 69. Traveling on a cargo ship with little more than trunks of books, he arrived knowing no one. He chanted Hare Krishna in a New York park, held classes, and in 1966, with early students, founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which now has centers worldwide.

His teachings focus on realizing oneself as an eternal spiritual being distinct from the temporary material body, and reawakening a dormant relationship with the supreme living being, called Krishna in Sanskrit. Practitioners achieve this through hearing about Krishna from authoritative texts, chanting mantras with Krishna’s names, and living a life of devotional service. Prabhupada required initiated students to avoid non-vegetarian food (meat, fish, eggs), gambling, intoxicants (including coffee, tea, and cigarettes), and extramarital sex. Unlike earlier Indian teachers who promoted an impersonal ultimate truth in the West, he taught that the Absolute is ultimately personal.

He believed a guru’s duty was to pass on Krishna’s message exactly as found in core spiritual texts. To that end, he wrote and published *Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is* with translation and commentary. He also produced translations and commentaries for texts celebrated in India but little known elsewhere, such as the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* and the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, making them available in English for the first time. In total, he authored over eighty books.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, ISKCON was labeled a destructive cult by critics in America and some European countries. Although scholars and courts rejected claims of cultic brainwashing and recognized ISKCON as an authentic branch of Hinduism, the "cult" label and image have persisted in some places. Some of Prabhupada’s views or statements have been seen as racist toward Black people, discriminatory against lower castes, or misogynistic. 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.

**Early life (1896–1922)**

Abhay Charan De was born into a Bengali Hindu Kayastha family in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, on 1 September 1896, the day after Janmashtami (Krishna’s birth anniversary). His parents, Gour Mohan De and Rajani De, named him Abhay Charan, meaning "one who is fearless, having taken shelter of Lord Krishna's lotus feet." Following tradition, his father consulted an astrologer, who predicted that at age seventy, Abhay would cross the ocean, become a famous religious teacher, and open 108 temples worldwide.

Abhay was raised in a religious family. His parents were Gaudiya Vaishnavas, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who taught that Krishna is the Supreme Personality and that pure love for Krishna is the highest goal. Gour Mohan, a middle-income merchant with a fabric and clothing store, was related to the wealthy Mullik mercantile family, who had traded in gold and salt for centuries. Opposite the De house stood a Radha-Krishna temple supported by the Mullik family for 150 years. Young Abhay attended temple services daily with his parents or servants.

At age six, Abhay organized a version of the Ratha-yatra, an annual Vaishnava chariot festival in Puri, Odisha. He persuaded his father to get him a scaled-down copy of the massive chariot used for Jagannatha (Krishna as "Lord of the universe") in Puri. Decades later, after moving to America, he would bring Ratha-yatra festivals to the West.

Although his mother wanted him to study law in London, his father refused, fearing Western society would negatively influence him. In 1916, Abhay began studies at Scottish Church College, a prestigious Calcutta school founded by Christian missionary Alexander Duff. In 1918, while in college, he married Radharani Datta, also from an aristocratic family, in an arrangement made by his father. They had five children. After graduation, he worked in pharmaceuticals and later started his own pharmaceutical company in Allahabad.

Growing up under British rule, Abhay, like many young people, was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. In 1920, he graduated with a specialization in English, philosophy, and economics. He passed his final exams but, as a protest against British rule, refused to attend the graduation ceremony or accept his diploma.

**Midlife (1922–1965)**

In 1922, while still in his mid-twenties, Abhay met his spiritual teacher, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, in Kolkata. This meeting set the course for his later mission.