ISKCON

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The organization's spiritual and administrative headquarters is located in Mayapur, West Bengal, India, and it claims a global membership of around one million people.

ISKCON teaches a form of panentheistic Hinduism rooted in the Bhagavad Gita, the ''Bhagavata Purana'', and other scriptures, interpreted through the commentaries of its founder. Although commonly regarded as monotheistic by the general public, ISKCON theology emphasizes that the Supreme Being, Krishna, manifests in multiple forms while remaining the singular, ultimate reality. The movement is described as the largest and most influential branch of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which originated in India in the early 16th century and expanded internationally during the late 20th century.

ISKCON promotes bhakti yoga—the path of devotional service to Krishna—as the central spiritual practice of its members, who are often referred to as "bhaktas." The movement also encourages lacto vegetarianism, regular chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, and strict ethical and devotional disciplines as part of its teachings on spiritual progress.

History and beliefs

ISKCON devotees follow a disciplic line of Gaudiya Vaishnavas and are the largest branch of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. ''Vaishnavism'' means 'worship of Vishnu', and '' Gauḍa'' refers to the area where this particular branch of Vaishnavism originated, in the Gauda region of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Gaudiya Vaishnavism has had a following in India, especially West Bengal and Odisha, for the past five hundred years. Gaudiya Vaishnavism was founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who rapidly spread his form of ecstatic ''bhakti'' (devotion) throughout Bengal. He established Sankirtan, the practice of publicly expressing devotion to Krishna, the Supreme God, through dance and song. This form of worship responded to rigid caste structures by engaging all people in worship regardless of caste and creed. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu emphasized chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra (the 'great mantra'). He is considered by Gaudiya Vaishnavas to be an incarnation of Krishna himself.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, believed to have direct lineage with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, brought Chaitanya's Gaudiya Vaishnavism to the West in 1965. At 70 years old, he landed in New York with only 40 rupees of Indian currency. Instead of preaching to New York's elite, he tapped into the 1960s countercultural spirit by preaching and chanting in public parks and attracting hippies and the youth. His movement, then known as the "Hare Krishna Movement", grew even larger when he relocated to San Francisco a year later. When it spread to England, it gained publicity and financial backing from the Beatles' George Harrison. He recorded several tracks with the Hare Krishnas and included the Mahamantra in his hit track "My Sweet Lord". The first Hare Krishna commune, New Vrindavan (West Virginia), was established by Prabhupada in 1968. Since then, ISKCON has established more than 800 centers all over the world and has millions of followers.

Key to the spread of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology in the Western world were Prabhupada's writings and translations, including the '' Bhagavad Gita As It Is'', '' Srimad Bhagavatam'' (''Bhagavata Purana''), ''Chaitanya Charitamrita'', and other scriptures. These works are now available in more than seventy languages and serve as the scriptures of ISKCON.

In the last several decades, ISKCON has gone through Hinduization. Prabhupada considered Kr̥ṣṇa consciousness to be separate from and greater than Hinduism; however in recent decades the sect has self-identified as Hindu particularly in interactions with non-members. Scholars cite three factors for this: participation of diasporic Indian Hindus in the sect, ISKCON devotees having academic careers in which they studied Hindu texts, and increased participation in global interreligious dialogues in which ISKCON often stands as the representative for Hinduism.

Worship of Krishna

ISKCON describes Krishna as the original source of all the avatars of the Almighty God. Registered members worship Krishna as the highest form of God, '' svayam bhagavan'', and often refer to him as ''the Supreme Personality of Godhead'' in their published writing, which was a phrase coined by Prabhupada in his books on the subject, based on the phrase "purushottama" found in Bhagavad-gita.

For its devotees, Radha represents Krishna's divine female counterpart, the original spiritual potency, and the embodiment of devotional love. The individual soul has an eternal spiritual identity which does not ultimately merge into the non-dual consciousness (Brahman) as believed by the monistic ( Advaita) schools of Hinduism. Prabhupada most frequently offers '' Sanatana-dharma'' and '' Varnashrama dharma'' as more accurate names for the religious system which accepts Vedic authority.

Pious believers both teach and claim that Krishna is greater and far magnanimous than the traditionalist Hindu Trimurti of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma and all its conceived emanations. While some say it is a monotheistic tradition, a deeper study reveals it is a Panentheistic tradition which has its roots in the theistic Vedanta traditions.

Religious practices

Kirtan

The most famous and publicly recognizable ISKCON practice is kirtan, a congregational chanting or singing of the Hare Krishna mantra. Kirtan is both a way to express devotion to God and a way to attract newcomers to the movement. Devotees gather in public, in streets and parks, to sing the mantra accompanied by instruments like the mridanga

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