A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the founder-preceptor of the global movement called the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Profile
AbhayCharanaravindaBhaktivedanta Swami (A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) was born on September 1st 1896 as AbhayCharan De in Kolkata. He graduated from the Scottish Church College in Kolkata. He ran a small pharmaceutical business for some time and was married with children. In 1959 at the age of 54 he decided to give up his duties to family and took up vanaprashtha, a stage in life which all men and women ought to move to, according to the sanatana dharma now known as Hinduism. In 1959 he became a renunciate (sanyasi). Swami is also known as SrilaPrabhupada even after his death (Samadhi) which was on November 14th 1977.
Philosophy Propounded
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada believed in the Bhakti, devotion, to Lord Krishna. Vaishnavism is a philosophy which believed in the supreme head of Lord Vishnu only, one of three main deities of Hinduism. GaudiyaVaishnavism also known as Bengali Vaishnavism believes in the supreme head of Lord Krishna, an avatar, incarnation, of Lord Vishnu. They propound the Bhagavad Gita and BhagavadaPurana. The preceptor of Gaudiya Vaishnavism was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who lived in the 15 -16 century. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada propounded this philosophy, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose followers were completely devoted to Krishna and Radha, the lover of Krishna.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded ISKCON in 1966, where thousands are initiated into the Hare Krishna cult. He was an influential preacher and was able to spread the Gaudiya Vaishnavism philosophy to the West as well. Today there are many thousands of followers of SrilaPrabhupada and ISKCON has spread all over the world. They have built magnificent temples and do a lot humanity services, their pilot project being Akshaya Patra, feeding thousands, especially children in different places across the country.
