A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia
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10. 10. 2019 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhaya Caranāravinda Bhaktivedānta Svāmi (born Abhay His Divine Grace Charan De; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Abhaya Caranāravinda spiritual teacher and the founder-preceptor of the International Society Bhaktivedānta Svāmī for Krishna Consciousness[1] (ISKCON), commonly known as the Prabhupāda "Hare Krishna Movement". Members of the ISKCON movement view Bhaktivedānta Swāmi as a representative and messenger of Krsna Caitanya.[2][3][4][5] Born Abhay Charan De in Calcutta, he was educated at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta.[6] Before adopting the life of a novice renunciate (vanaprastha) in 1950,[7] he was married with children and owned a small pharmaceutical business.[8][9] In 1959 he took a vow of renunciation (sannyasa) and started writing commentaries on Vaishnava scriptures.[10] In his later years, as a traveling Vaishnava monk, he became an influential communicator of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology to India and specifically to the West through his leadership of ISKCON, founded in 1966.[11][12] As the founder of ISKCON, he "emerged as a major figure of the Western counterculture, initiating thousands of young Americans."[13] He received criticism from anti- cult groups, as well as a favorable welcome from religious scholars such Bhaktivedānta Swāmi, 1997 postage as J. Stillson Judah, Harvey Cox, Larry Shinn and Thomas Hopkins, stamp who praised Bhaktivedānta Swāmi's translations and defended the Personal group against distorted media images and misinterpretations.[14] In Born Abhoy Choron De respect to his achievements, religious leaders from other Gaudiya 1 September 1896 Vaishnava movements have also given him credit.[15] Calcutta, Bengal He has been described as a charismatic leader, in the sense used by Presidency, British sociologist Max Weber, as he was successful in acquiring followers in India the United States, Europe, India and elsewhere.[16][17][18] His mission Died 14 November 1977 was to propagate, throughout the world, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a (aged 81) school of Vaishnavite Hinduism that had been taught to him by his Vrindavan, Uttar guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.[11] After his death in 1977, ISKCON, Pradesh, India the society he founded based on a type of Hindu Krishnaism using the Resting place Bhaktivedānta Bhagavata Purana as a central scripture, continued to grow. In Swāmī's Samadhi, February 2014, ISKCON's news agency reported reaching a milestone Vrindavan of distributing over half a billion of his books since 1965. His Religion Hinduism translation of and commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā, titled Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, is considered by adherents of the ISKCON Nationality Indian movement and many Vedic scholars as one of the finest literary works Denomination Vaishnavism [2][3][4][5][19] of Vaishnavism translated into the English Language. Lineage Brahma-Madhva- Gaudiya Sampradaya Sect Gaudiya Vaishnavism Contents Notable Bhagavad-gītā As It Honorifics work(s) Is, Śrīmad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada 1/12 10. 10. 2019 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia Life Bhāgavatam,Caitanya Early life Caritāmṛta Religious journey Monastic name Abhaya Renunciation Mission to the West Caranāravinda Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Books and publishing Within India Temple Gaudiya Math, ISKCON Monuments Bibliography Philosophy Achintya Bheda Translations with commentary Abheda Summary studies Religious career Other works published within Prabhupada's lifetime Bengali writings Teacher Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī See also Based in Vrindavan, India References External links Period in office 1966–1977 Predecessor Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Honorifics Initiation Gaudiya Vaisnava Diksa Swāmījī — original honorific used by American disciples Prabhupāda — bestowed by American disciples, 1968, 1933 popularised by ISKCON by Bhaktisiddhānta Śrīla Prabhupāda — bestowed by American disciples, 1968, Sarasvatī popularised by ISKCON His Divine Grace — title of address bestowed by American Ordination Gaudiya Sannyasa, disciples, popularised by ISKCON 1959, by Svāmī Mahārāj — used in his home denomination Gauḍīya Maṭha Bhaktiprajnāna (where "Prabhupāda" is confined to Bhaktisiddhānta Gosvāmī) Keśava Gosvāmī Śrīla Bhaktivedānta — used in Chaitanya Mission / Science of Identity (where "Prabhupad" is confined to Chris Butler) Post Guru, Acārya Website Official Website of Life ISKCON (http://iskco n.org/) Official Website of Early life Prabhupada (http://w Born on 1 September 1896, the day after Janmastami, one of the most ww.prabhupada.net) important Hindu festivals, in a humble house in the Tollygunge suburb of Calcutta in a Bengali Suvarna Banik family,[20] he was named Abhay Charan, "one who is fearless, having taken shelter at Lord Krishna's feet." Since he was born on the day of Nandotsava ("the celebration of Nanda," Krishna's father, a traditional festival in honor of Krishna's birth) he was also called Nandulāl. His parents, "Sriman" Gour Mohan De and "Srimati" Rajani De, were devout Vaishnavas (devotees of Vishnu). In accordance with Bengali tradition, his mother had gone to the home of her parents for the delivery, and only a few days later Abhay returned with parents to his home at 6 Sitakanta Banerjee Lane, Kolkata 700005.[21] He received a European-led education in the Scottish Church College, which was well reputed among Bengalis; many Vaishnava families sent their sons there. The professors, most of whom were Europeans, were known as sober, moral men, and it is believed that the students received a good education. The college was located in north Calcutta, near the De's family home on Harrison Road. During his years in the college, Abhay Charan De (অভয়চরণ দ) was a member of the English Society as well as that of the Sanskrit Society, and it has been suggested that his education provided him a foundation for his future leadership.[8][21] He graduated in 1920 with majors in English, philosophy and economics.[22] He rejected his diploma in response to Gandhi's independence movement.[23] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada 2/12 10. 10. 2019 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia At 22 years of age he married Radharani Devi, who was then 11 years old, in a marriage arranged by their parents. At 14, she gave birth to Abhay's first son.[24] Religious journey In 1922, when he first met his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he was requested to spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the English language.[25] In 1933 he became a formally initiated disciple of Bhaktisiddhānta. In 1944, (from his front room at Sita Kanta Banerjee, Calcutta), he started the publication called Back to Godhead,[26][27] for which he acted as writer, designer, publisher, editor, copy editor and distributor. He personally designed the logo, an effulgent figure of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the upper left corner, with the motto: "Godhead is Light, Nescience is darkness" greeting the readers.[28] In his first magazine he wrote: Under the circumstances since 1936 up to now, I was simply speculating whether I shall venture this difficult task and that without Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura any means and capacity; but as none have discouraged me, I have now taken courage to take up the work. — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Back to Godhead magazine (Vol. 1, 1–4, 1944)[28] In 1947, the Gaudiya Vaishnava Society recognised his scholarship with the title Bhaktivedanta, (bhakti-vedānta) meaning "one who has realised that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the end of all knowledge"[29] (with the words Bhakti, indicating devotion and Vedanta indicating conclusive knowledge).[30] His later well known name, Prabhupāda, is a Sanskrit title, literally meaning "he who has taken the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord" where prabhu denotes "Lord", and pāda means "taking shelter."[31] Also, "at whose feet masters sit".[8] This name was used as a respectful form of address by his disciples from late 1967 early 1968 onwards. Previous to this, as with his early disciples, followers used to call him "Swamiji".[32] From 1950 onwards, he lived at the medieval Radha-Damodar mandir in the holy town of Vrindavan, where he began his commentary and translation work of the Sanskrit work Bhagavata Purana.[33] Of all notable Vrindavana's temples, the Radha-Damodara mandir had at the time the largest collection of various copies of the original writings of the Six Gosvamis and their followers – more than two thousand separate manuscripts, many of them three hundred, some even four hundred years old.[34][35] His guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, had always encouraged him to print books, and beholding his spiritual master, Abhay felt the words deeply enter his own life – "If you ever get money, print books." [36] referring to the need of literary presentation of the Vaishnava culture.[9] Renunciation The Gaudiya Matha at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh was where he lived, wrote and studied, edited the Gauḍīya Patrikā magazine and where he donated the idol (murti) of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which stands on the altar beside those of Radha Krishna (named Śrī Śrī Rādhā Vinodavihārījī). During his visit in September 1959 he entered the doors of this matha dressed in white, as Abhoy Babu, but would be leaving dressed in saffron, a Vaishnava renunciate (sannyasi).[10] He took his renunciate vows from his friend and godbrother Bhakti Prajnana Keshava. On becoming a sannyasa he also took the prenominal Swami (वामी Svāmī). He single-handedly published the first three volumes covering seventeen chapters of the first book of Bhagavata Purana, filling three volumes of four hundred pages, each with a detailed commentary. The introduction to the first volume was a biographical sketch of Caitanya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada 3/12 10. 10. 2019 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Wikipedia Mahāprabhu.[35] He then left India, obtaining free passage on a freighter called the Jaladuta, with the aim and a hope of fulfilling his spiritual master's instruction to spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu around the world.