'', the Supreme Personality of Godhead'', also known as the ''KRSNA Book'', is a summary and commentary on the Tenth Canto of the ''

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one o ...

'' by

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...

, founder-

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness 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 ...

(ISKCON). It was published in 1970 by the

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust 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 ...

. The publication was financed through a contribution of $19,000 from Beatle,

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, who also wrote the book's foreword.

Background and publication

In 1967,

had experienced a severe heart attack and wondered whether he would live to present the world with a translated version of the " divine pastimes" of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

on earth. Prabhupada had translated the Second Canto of the ''

'', but knew that many years of work remained before he would reach the Tenth Canto, where these accounts of Krishna are contained. He therefore decided to write ''Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead'', also known as ''KRSNA Book'', before undertaking the remaining cantos. Once Prabhupada had completed the manuscript, he requested that Shyamsundar Das, one of the founding devotees of the

Radha Krishna Temple The Radha-Krishna Temple (also Radha-Krsna Temple) is the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. It was founded in Bury Place, Bloomsbury, by six devotees from ...

in London, ask

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

if he would finance its publication.Tillery, p. 72. The sum required was $19,000 for an initial print run of 5000 copies. Harrison's support for the Hare Krishna movement had been crucial to the establishment of ISKCON's UK operation in 1969, and his production of the London devotees' hit single "

Hare Krishna Mantra The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the (), is a 16-word Vaishnava mantra mentioned in the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad. In the 15th century, it rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the teachings of ...

" had promoted ISKCON and the 5000-year-old Maha Mantra worldwide. Shyamsundar was loath to impose further on Harrison, but Prabhupada insisted, saying: "You will see. Krishna will help you to say it." The

also emphasised the importance of the book since, although Krishna's name was now being heard throughout the West, people had no knowledge of the deity's life or his physical appearance. Shyamsundar passed on Prabhupada's request during dinner at the house of the London sculptor David Wynne, who had just helped Harrison choose a marble slab for an altar he was donating to the new temple. The devotee recalls that a

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

raged outside that evening, and Harrison's reaction became "grimmer and grimmer" as it became clear that he was being asked to provide further financial assistance. In Shyamsundar's account, there was then a flash of lightning outside, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder, and all the lights in the house went out. When the power had been restored, Harrison said, "Well, there's no arguing with ''that'', is there?" and agreed to finance the publication. Harrison authorised the printing in March 1970. The book was printed in Japan by the company Dai Nippon, with advance copies arriving in England by May that year.

The Tenth Canto of the Bhāgavatam details the activities and pastimes of Krishna at

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

. Within this book, Swami Prabhupada describes the historical events that occurred approximately 5000 years ago. The book included 54 pages of colour illustrations, with a painting on the front cover that depicted Krishna with his consort

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

. Author Joshua Greene writes of this first edition: "It was massive – a foot tall, weighing two pounds, and running oalmost four hundred pages … The book was mysterious and beautiful."Greene, p. 160. Prabhupada invited Harrison to supply the

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...

, which begins: "Everybody is looking for Krishna. Some don't realize that they are, but they are." According to Greene, since 1970, ''KRSNA Book'' has been translated into twenty languages and has sold over 5 million copies.Greene, p. 163.

Citations

Sources

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External links

Read book online
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140909033336/http://store.krishna.com/Detail.bok?no=5715&bar=_shp_bbt book (current BBT revised edition) {{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna, The Supreme Personality Of Godhead 1970 books Books by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada International Society for Krishna Consciousness texts

Background and publication

Contents

See also

Citations

Sources

External links