The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a spiritual movement that is commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, also known as Srila Prabhupada, is the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON.
ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture. Philosophically it is based on the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. These are the historic texts of the devotional bhakti-yoga tradition, which teach that the ultimate goal for all living beings is to reawaken their love for God, or Lord Krishna, the “all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
In the 15th century Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, revived the bhakti-yoga tradition throughout India through the chanting of Lord Krishna’s names. ISKCON is a continuation of the movement Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu established. Followers of ISKCON chant God’s names in the form of the maha-mantra, or the great prayer for deliverance: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Since ISKCON was established by Srila Prabhupada in New York City in 1966 it has expanded widely. It now includes more than eight hundred temples, centers and rural communities, more than one hundred affiliated vegetarian restaurants, thousands of namahattas or local meeting groups, a wide variety of community projects, and millions of congregational members worldwide.
Members of ISKCON practice bhakti-yoga in their homes and also worship in temples. They also promote bhakti-yoga, or Krishna consciousness, through festivals, the performing arts, yoga seminars, public chanting, and the distribution of the society’s literatures. ISKCON members have also opened hospitals, schools, colleges, eco-villages, free food distribution projects, and other institutions as a practical application of the path of devotional yoga.
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