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Revision as of 09:20, 5 March 2005

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly called Hare Krishna, is a new religious movement based on Bengali, or more specifically Gaudiya, Vaishnavism founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, referred to by followers as "His Divine Grace," in New York in 1966. ISKCON is a society formed for practitioners of bhakti yoga or the yoga of devotion. The bhakta's devotion is specifically directed towards the Hindu God Krishna, along with Radha his divine consort.

An overview

Hare Krishna devotees are known for their singing and dancing with drums and cymbals in streets of cities round the world; the ladies in colourful saris, the men in white dhotis and the celibate monks in saffron robes.

The great mantra

The popular nickname "Hare Krishnas" for devotees of this movement comes from the maha-mantra (great chant) they recite, which is written in Kali-santarana Upanisad and other Vedic scriptures, and promoted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared in Mayapur, India in 1486 CE. In the West the mantra is linked inextricably to ISKCON but in India it is chanted independent of any particular movement. The sound vibration created by repeating these names of God is said to gradually induce pure God-consciousness. It is as follows:

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Frequently other mantras will be creatively appended to this, as in the background vocals to "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison. See maha mantra for an audio recording of the chant, link courtesy of ISKCON United Kingdom.

Philosophy and history

Hare Krishna devotees understand Krishna to be non-different from Vishnu, and the highest form of God, or "the Supreme Personality of Godhead", and Radha to be his female counterpart, the embodiment of love. The teachings of bhakti yoga date back to the Vedic era and were revived by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in West Bengal in the mid 1500s. Thus Hare Krishna devotees specifically follow a disciplic line of Gaudiya, or Bengali, Vaisnavas.

Historically Gaudiya Vaisnavism has had a strong and continuous following in India, especially West Bengal and Orissa. An important aspect of Gaudiya Vaisnavism is the understanding that the individual soul is an eternal personal identity which does not ultimately merge into any formless light or void. They oppose monistic interpretations of Hinduism and the Bhagavad Gita.

The teachings were popularised in the Western world by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who incorporated ISKCON and published English translations of the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrta and numerous other scriptures, which were then translated to over sixty languages and serve as the canon of the sect. Many of these books are now available online here.

The Seven Purposes of ISKCON

When Srila Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON, in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:

To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy names of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
To erect for the members, and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

ISKCON and Hinduism

While ISKCON is widely considered to be a Hindu sect, it differs from all mainstream Hindu sects in that it reveres the Bhagavad Gita, rather than the Vedas, as the supreme scriptural authority. They consider their version of the Bhagavad Gita, called the Bhagavad Gita As It Is the only acceptable one.

Thus, there is some controversy as to whether ISKCON is a part of mainstream Hinduism. At one point Srila Prabhupada considered the movement not to be apart from Hinduism.

Spreading the word

ISKCON is actively evangelical. Members try to spread "Krishna consciousness" by, for example, going on the streets to chant their mantra or to sell their books. According to the doctrine of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu one does not need to be born in a Hindu family to take up the practice of Vaishnavism. This openness places ISKCON in strong contrast to many other branches of Hinduism, which may place strong or exclusive stress on hereditary lineage and are non-missionary by nature. Thus there are ISKCON communities around the world with schools, restaurants and farms. Many ISKCON temples also have programs to provide meals for the needy. ISKCON has assimilated Western cultural contexts as it maintains mandirs (temples) in many countries of the world, but still the ISKCON members vow to follow Gaudiya Vaisnava principles, including vegetarianism, and abstinence from gambling, alcohol, sex outside marriage, and intoxication. In the early days of ISKCON many members lived in temples, but nowadays most believers live in their own homes.

Scandal and controversy

The organization was a major target of anti-cult activists. One of the reasons for this was that ISKCON's ascetic form of Hinduism was unknown to the West. Another reason was the fact that ISKCON, especially in its early days, encouraged its members to live in a temple and to abandon professional education. Besides, some of its leaders have isolated members from their family.

In their book Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness and the Hari Krishnas (ISBN 0451401875) about an American Hare Krishna community called New Vrindaban, authors John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson, wrote of members that were involved in drug smuggling, gun running and possibly even murder.

Following Prabuhpada's death, the U.S. branch of the organization went through years of turmoil and controversy. In 1998 ISKCON Communications Journal, the group's official publication, ran an article that detailed the widespread physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children at ISKCON boarding schools in India and the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s.

More recently it has acquired a degree of respectability as an authentic Hindu sect, celebrating Vaishnava festivals and taking out big chariot processions in various towns, and stability in membership.

External links

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