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 His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami
Prabhupada appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first
met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in
Calcutta
in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent religious scholar and
the founder of sixty-four Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes) in India,
liked this
educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching
Vedic knowledge. Srila Prabhupada became his student and, in 1933, his
formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati requested Srila
Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge in English. In the years that
followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita,
assisted the Gaudiya Matha in its work, and, in 1944, started Back to
Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine. Single-handedly, Srila
Prabhupada edited it, typed the manuscripts, checked the galley proofs,
and even distributed the individual copies. The magazine is now being
continued by his disciples in the West.
In 1950 Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, adopting the vanaprastha
(retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. He traveled
to the holy city of Vrndavana, where he lived in humble
circumstances in the historic temple of Radha- Damodara. There he engaged
for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted therenounced
order of life (sanyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada
began work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume commentated translation
of the eighteen-thousand-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana).
He also wrote Easy Journey to
Other Planets.
After publishing three volumes of the
Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States, in September
1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Subsequently,
His Divine Grace wrote more than fifty volumes of authoritative commentated
translations and summary studies of the philosophical and religious
classics of India.
When he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Srila Prabhupada
was practically penniless. Only after almost a year of great difficulty
did he
establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, in July
of 1966. Before he passed away on November 14, 1977, he had guided the
Society and seen it grow to a worldwide confederation of more than one
hundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities.
In 1972 His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and
secondary education in the West by founding the gurukula school in Dallas,
Texas. Since then his disciples have established similar schools throughout
the United States and the rest of the world.
Srila Prabhupada also inspired the construction of several large international
cultural centers in India. The center at Sridhama Mayapur is the site
for a planned spiritual city, an ambitious project for which
construction will extend over many years to come. In Vrndavana are the
magnificent Krsna-Balarama Temple and International Guesthouse, gurukula
school, and Srila Prabhupada Memorial and Museum. There is also a major
cultural and educational center in Bombay. Major centers are planned
in Delhi and in a dozen other important locations on the Indian
subcontinent.
Srila Prabhupada's most significant contribution, however, is his books.
Highly respected by scholars for their authority, depth, and clarity,
they are used as textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings
have been translated into over fifty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book
Trust,
established in 1972 to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus
become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian
religion
and philosophy.
In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled
the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents.
Yet this vigorous schedule did not slow
his prolific literary output. His writings constitute a veritable library
of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature, and culture.
Srila
Prabhupada's Teachings
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada
https://prabhupada.krishna.com
https://www.iskcon.org/main/twohk/prabhu.htm
https://prabhupada.krishna.org
https://www.iskcon.net/prabhupada
https://www.salagram.net/SP-page.htm
https://gauranga.org/prabhupada.htm
The Prabhupada Connection
https://www.prabhupadaconnect.com
Srila Prabhupada's Lectures
https://prabhupadavani.org
AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada Network: Bhagavad-gita lectures, Ekadashi &other spiritual
content
https://www.acbspn.com
Prabhupada Letters
https://sangalog.blogspot.com
Hare Krishna
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