His Life
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.
Mission
In 1950 Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, adopting the vanaprasta (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 the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara,
Srila Prabhupada began work on his life's masterpiece: a multi-volume 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.
Teachings
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 Krsna 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-Balarām 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.
Books
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.
Accomplishments
In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 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.