Srila Prabhupada

FUNDADOR ACARYA DE LA SOCIEDAD INTERNACIONAL PARA LA CONCIENCIA DE KRISHNA

Durante milenios, las enseñanzas y la rica cultura del bhakti-yoga, o Conciencia de Krishna, estuvieron ocultas dentro de las fronteras de la India. Hoy, millones de personas en todo el mundo expresan su gratitud a Srila Prabhupada por revelar la sabiduría eterna del bhakti a todos.

Nacido como Abhay Charan De el 1 de septiembre del año 1896 en Calcuta, de joven se unió al movimiento de desobediencia civil de Mahatma Gandhi. En el año 1922, una reunión con el destacado erudito y líder espiritual, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, resultó ser muy influyente en el futuro del joven Abhay.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta fue un líder en la comunidad Gaudiya Vaishnava, que es la tradición monoteísta más amplia dentro de la cultura hindú. En su primera reunión, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta le pidió a Abhay que lleve las enseñanzas del Señor Krishna al mundo de habla inglesa. Profundamente conmovido por su devoción y sabiduría, Abhay se convirtió en discípulo de Srila Bhaktisiddhanta en 1933, y resolvió llevar a cabo la petición de su mentor. Abhay, más tarde conocido por el título de A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, pasó los siguientes 32 años preparándose para su viaje hacia el oeste.

In 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, Srila Prabhupada begged a free passage and boarded a cargo ship, the Jaladhuta, to New York. The journey proved to be treacherous and he suffered two heart attacks aboard. After 35 days at sea, he first arrived at a lonely Brooklyn pier with just seven dollars in Indian rupees and a crate of his translations of sacred Sanskrit texts.

In New York, he faced great hardships and began his mission humbly by giving classes on the Bhagavad-gita in lofts on the Bowery and leading kirtan (traditional devotional chants) in Tompkins Square Park. His message of peace and goodwill resonated with many young people, some of whom came forward to become serious students of the Krishna-bhakti tradition. With the help of these students, Bhaktivedanta Swami rented a small storefront on New York’s Lower East Side to use as a temple.

In July of 1966, Bhaktivedanta Swami established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) for the purpose he stated of “checking the imbalance of values in the world and working for real unity and peace”.

In the eleven years that followed, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times on lecture tours spreading the teachings of Lord Krishna. Men and women from all backgrounds and walks of life came forward to accept his message. With their help, Srila Prabhupada established temples, farm communities, a publishing house, and educational institutions around the world. And, he began what has now become the world’s largest vegetarian food relief program, Hare Krishna Food for Life.

With the desire to nourish the roots of Krishna consciousness in its home, Srila Prabhupada returned to India several times, where he sparked a revival in the Vaishnava tradition. In India, he opened dozens of temples, including large centers in the holy towns of Vrindavana and Mayapura.

Srila Prabhupada’s most significant contributions, perhaps, are his books. He authored over 70 volumes on the Krishna tradition, which are highly respected by scholars for their authority, depth, fidelity to the tradition, and clarity. Several of his works are used as textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into 76 languages. His most prominent works include: Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the 30-volume Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the 17-volume Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada passed away on November 14, 1977, in the holy town of Vrindavana, surrounded by his loving disciples who carry on his mission today.