A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (IAST: Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhakti-vedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Hindu spiritual teacher who was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Followers of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as a representative and messenger of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami | |
|---|---|
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in Germany, 1974 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Abhay Charan De 1 September 1896 |
| Died | 14 November 1977 (aged 81) Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Resting place | Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi Mandir, ISKCON Vrindavan 27.57196°N 77.67729°E |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Denomination | Vaishnavism |
| Sect | Gaudiya Vaishnavism |
| Notable work(s) | Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (translation), Caitanya Caritāmṛta (trans.) |
| Alma mater | Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta |
| Monastic name | Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhakti-vedānta Svāmī |
| Temple | Gaudiya Math, ISKCON |
| Philosophy | Bhakti yoga |
| Religious career | |
| Period in office | 1966–1977 |
| Initiation | Diksha, 1933 (by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati) Sannyasa, 1959 (by Bhakti Prajnan Keshava) |
| Post | Founder-Acharya of ISKCON |
| Website | prabhupada |
Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a Suvarna Banik family, he was educated at the Scottish Church College. While working at a small pharmaceutical business, he met and became a follower of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In 1959, after his retirement, he left his family to become a sannyasi and started writing commentaries on Vaishnava scriptures. As a travelling Vaishnava monk, he became an influential communicator of Gaudiya Vaishnavite theology across India and the Western world through his leadership of ISKCON, founded in 1966. He was well regarded by a number of American religious scholars but was criticised by anti-cult groups.
He has been subject to criticism over his racist views against black people, discrimination against lower castes, anti-Semitism, negative views on women, and advocacy of crimes of Adolf Hitler.