About Srila Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,

known to his early followers as “Swamiji” and later as “Śrīla Prabhupāda,” was born in Calcutta, India, on September 1, 1896. He was given the name Abhay Caran by his father, which means “one who is fearless, having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord.” It was prophesied by a qualified astrologer at that time that he would eventually cross the ocean and open 108 temples in honor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. Śrīla Prabhupāda was born with a mission, and every step of his life was in preparation to fulfill it.

In 1965 at age 69, Srila Prabhupada crossed the Atlantic ocean by cargo ship and in 1966 formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York. What he was offering became very popular, and he gradually opened branches throughout the Western world. He continued to preach and traveled around the globe 12 times, visiting every major country to introduce the science of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, and the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra.

His Divine Grace’s mood was always humble. He admitted that his mission had not been easy, and he always gave all credit to his spiritual master and to the Lord Himself, exhibiting the most elevated mood of devotional service. He never took any credit for himself, but acted as a faithful servant of his spiritual predecessors. He presented, without adulteration, the message he received from his spiritual master.

Śrīla Prabhupāda translated into English, and provided authorized commentary upon, over 80 volumes of the most sacred Vedic texts. His books are appreciated by widespread audiences and continue to be used as textbooks in many major universities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission spread quickly, as it is based on purity, simplicity, compassion and perfect transmission of timeless wisdom through an authorized lineage of teachers. There was an amazing growth of spiritual book production and distribution over a period of only ten years. Thousands of seekers found themselves through his teachings. It was an exciting time.