ISKCON Founder

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the founder Acharya of ISKCON. Today we can see ISKCON temples in every country almost in all big cities and practically in every city of India. All this was done by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Now ISKCON is the only place where the ancient Vedic teachings are explained in a very scientific way without any dogmatic belief system.

Srila Prabhupada was born in a Hindu family on September 1, 1896 in the British-ruled India. While he was studying in the Scotish church college, he joined the civil non-cooperation movement started by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1922, he met Shri Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and his life got completely changed after that. The influence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s philosophy proved to be a milestone in Abhay Charan’s life. He told Abhay Charan to introduce the philosophies of Lord Krishna in the west. In 1933, he got intiated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta.
 

At the age of 70, he boarded the boatship named Jaladuta. As the ship passed through Red Sea, he suffered with sea-sickness and was no able to eat anything. In two days he suffered 2 heart-attacks and he thought that if another heart-attack was to come he would certainly die. But he was fearless. On the night of second night, he had a dream - Lord Krishna, in many forms was rowing a boat, and Krishna said to Srila Prabhupada that he should not fear for anything and come along with Him. On 17th September 1965, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada entered the port of the New York City. After that whatever he did revolutionised the whole world. 

He began his mission humbly, giving classes on the Bhagavad-gita in lofts in the Bowery (New York’s infamous skid row), and leading kirtan (traditional devotional chants) in Tompkins Square Park. His message of peace and goodwill resonated strongly with the hippie community and younger generation, some of whom came forward to become serious students of the Bhakti-yoga (loving devotion to God) tradition. With the help of these people, he rented a small piece of land and registered his organization officially. On 11th July 1966, he formally established the ISKCON or International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

In the next 11 years, he circled the entire world around 14 times. He conveyed the teaching of Lord Krishna to countless people in 6 different continents. A huge number of men and women from different backgrounds moved to him. With the help of his followers, he established several centers and projects of ISKCON in the different corners of the world. Under the shadow of his motivation, followers of Lord Krishna established various rural communities, temples, educational institutes and started the biggest relief program on vegetarian food. With the wish to cultivate better roots of Lord Krishna in India, Srila Prabhupada came back to India. Here, he opened numerous temples. He opened the largest centers of ISKCON in the holy towns of Mayapur and Vrindavana.

His achievements are inconceivable, innumerable, and extraordinary. To name a few:

• He wrote more than 70 volumes of books. He dictated total of 22,000 pages of text. Reading 1 book per month will take you 2040 to complete if you start now
  A Vaikuntha Man - He traveled to 24 countries, 14 times around the globe
• He initiated over 5000 disciples from all over the world
• Wrote 7000 letters in correspondence with his disciples
• Established BBT in 1972, for publishing his books
• A Bold Preacher - His lectures and conversations have been recorded and numbered more than 2200
• His Bhagavad Gita As It Is has sold over 58 million copies in over 90 languages
• ISKCON has over 700 big temples, around 1,00,000 initiated disciples, 66 Ecological Farms and 110 Veg Restaurants and millions of people worshipping
  And all he did in ONLY 9 years besides establishing 108 temples all over the world!!! In the age between 70-80 !!!