His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Early Life
Abhay Charan De was born on September 1, 1896, in Calcutta, India, on the day after Janmashtami — the appearance day of Lord Krishna. From his earliest years, his father, Gour Mohan De, raised him to be a devotee of the Lord, teaching him to worship the family Deity and organizing kirtan gatherings in their home.
As a young man, Abhay Charan was educated at the Scottish Churches' College in Calcutta, where he distinguished himself as a thoughtful and principled student. In 1922, he met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who instructed him to spread the teachings of Lord Chaitanya in the English language. That meeting would set the course of his entire life.
Journey to the West
In August 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, Srila Prabhupada boarded the cargo ship Jaladuta, bound for New York City. He carried with him a trunk of his translations of the Srimad Bhagavatam, forty Indian rupees, and the unwavering conviction that the message of Godhead must reach every town and village in the world.
The thirty-five-day voyage across the Atlantic was perilous. Prabhupada suffered two heart attacks at sea. Yet he persevered, writing in his diary and composing prayers to Lord Krishna. Upon arriving in Boston Harbor on September 17, 1965, he was alone in a foreign land — without friends, without money, without any certainty except his faith.
That faith would move mountains. Within a year of his arrival, Prabhupada had gathered a small group of followers in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The seeds of a worldwide spiritual revolution had been planted.
Founding of ISKCON
On July 13, 1966, in a small storefront at 26 Second Avenue in New York City, Srila Prabhupada formally incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The founding was modest — a handful of young seekers who had been drawn to the gentle, elderly swami who chanted beneath a tree in Tompkins Square Park.
From that humble beginning, Prabhupada built an extraordinary global movement. He traveled the world fourteen times, established 108 temples, initiated thousands of disciples, and oversaw the creation of self-sufficient farm communities, schools, and cultural centers. His energy, at an age when most people have long retired, was nothing short of transcendental.
Global Impact
Books Translated and Distributed
Over 70 volumes of transcendental literature, including the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the multi-volume Srimad Bhagavatam, translated into more than 80 languages and distributed by the hundreds of millions worldwide.
Temples Established
108 temples opened on six continents during his lifetime, with hundreds more established by his followers in the decades since. Each temple serves as a spiritual embassy — a place where anyone can come to learn about God.
A Worldwide Movement
From New York to Nairobi, from Moscow to Mumbai, ISKCON today comprises thousands of temples, communities, and outreach programs. Millions of people chant Hare Krishna, honor prasadam, and study Prabhupada's books every day.
His gift was the Holy Name.
Srila Prabhupada did not bring wealth or political power to the West. He brought something far greater — the transcendental vibration of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Through the simple act of chanting, he opened a door to the spiritual world that had been closed for centuries. Every devotee who chants today is a living testament to the boundless mercy of the Founder-Acharya.