THE SWAMI WHO STARTED IT ALL
Within the final twenty years of his life Srila Prabhupada translated over sixty volumes of classic Vedic scriptures (such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam) into the English language. For their authority, depth, and clarity, his books have won praise from professors at universities like Harvard and Oxford, and his Bhagavad-Gita As It Is was published by Macmillan Publishers in 1968 and the unabridged edition in 1972, and is now available in over sixty languages around the world. Other books by Srila Prabhupada are available in over eighty different languages. Over 500 million books of his have been distributed to date.
Srila Prabhupada established The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in 1972 to publish his works. The BBT has also published his multi-volume biography, Srila Prabhupada-Lilamrta, that, according to acclaimed scholar of religion Larry Shinn, will “certainly be one of the most complete records of the life and work of any modern religious figure.” Srila Prabhupada reminded his devotees before his passing that he would live forever in his books, and through them would remain present as a spiritual master or guru. He had instilled in his followers an understanding of the importance of writing and publishing—not only his own works but also their own initiatives, whether to bachelorarbeit schreiben lassen or to spread spiritual knowledge.
WORLDWIDE CONTRIBUTIONS
RATH YATRAS
The pulling of Rath cart during the Rath yatra procession by the devotees symbolizes the attempt of the residents of Vrindavan, especially the cowherd boys and girls, to bring Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra back to Vrindavan, the holy dhama near Mathura, UP from Kurushetra.The first Rath yatra outside India was initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 9, 1967 in San Francisco. The Lord of the Universe (Lord Jagannath) now parade in major cities all over the world such as London, Paris, New York, Durban, Rome, etc. Thousands throng the streets to pull the giant chariots, chant and dance and enjoy tasty prasad.
THE MAHAMANTRA
Five hundred years ago Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the most recent incarnation of Krishna, taught by His own example that one can live the essence of Bhagavad-gita by chanting Krishna’s holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Srila Prabhupada and his disciples popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in the 1960s and 1970s, and it spread to countries around the globe. Though the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is the legal name for the movement Prabhupada started, most people know it as the Hare Krishna movement.
TEMPLES
If one hears from devotees, the way of transcendental experience quickly opens, and gradually one attains firm faith that in due course develops into attraction and devotion.’ If the devotee feels that, “I can be Krishna Conscious without the association of devotees.” it is very dangerous situation. More we separate from devotees, more we bounded by the attacks of Maya. The material world is designed to struggle to exist. So, Srila Prabhupada made the situation minimum by having Krishna conscious temples, communities and farm projects, so devotees can live in association with devotees.
SPIRITUAL CULTURE
Spiritual culture is Krsna’s perfect and sublime system in order to give us stability and harmony in this material world, so we can wholeheartedly develop our forgotten relationship with Him. Our disease however is, that we consider Krsna’s system to be outdated, and we think our system to be better than Krsna’s system. And thus we get chaos, instability, neglect and suffering. All social problems we are facing in these modern days, even things like child abuse, violence towards women, rape etc are global reactions to the fact that we have lost and forgotten Krsna’s system.
DIETY WORSHIP
Members and guests are drawn by the authenticity, punctuality, and vibrancy of ISKCON Deity worship services. Krishna theology teaches that all the senses should be engaged in the glorification of God. Thus, upon entering an ISKCON worship service, a visitor’s eyes feast on an elaborately decorated altar; his/her ears are entreated by melodious chanting; his/her nose embraces fragrant flowers and incense; and his/her mouth savors sanctified delicious vegetarian food.
BACK TO GODHEAD
The motto is ‘Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience.’ Despite lack of funds and facilities, Srila Prabhupada continued to produce since 1944 as a small black and white publication on the real purpose of life, since he felt it contained an essential message the world needed to hear. It includes lectures by Srila Prabhupada, tours of Indian holy places, interviews with Hare Krishna devotees. Krishna conscious perspectives on issues of the day, excerpts from Vedic scriptures, and tips on practicing spiritual life in the modern age.