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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Spiritual Master(s):
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

About the Author:
Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India, as A.C. De. He first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, 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. A.C. De became his student and, in 1933, his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati requested Swamito broadcast Vedic knowledge in English. In the years that followed, A.C. De wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, and, in 1944, started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine. Single-handedly, A.C. De edited it, typed the manuscripts, checked the galley proofs, and even distributed the individual copies. The magazine is now being continued by his disciples in the West.

In 1950 A.C. De retired from married life, adopting the vanaprastha (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 (sanyasa) in 1959 and was named Bhaktivedanta Swami. At Radha-Damodara, Bhaktivedanta Swami began work on his life's work: 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, Bhaktivedanta Swami came to the United States, in September 1965, to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. Subsequently, Bhaktivedanta Swami wrote more than fifty volumes of authoritative commentated translations and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.

When he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Bhaktivedanta Swami was practically penniless. Only after almost a year of great difficulty did he establish the International Society for Krishna 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 Bhaktivedanta Swami 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. This is still going on in spite of child molestions and other crimes.

Bhaktivedanta Swami 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-Balarama Temple and International Guest house, gurukula school, and Bhaktivedanta Swami 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.

Bhaktivedanta Swami'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 his works, has thus become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.

In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, Bhaktivedanta Swami circled the globe fourteen 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.

In 1977 Bhaktivedanta Swami left this material world in holy Sri Vrindavan (India).

Courtesy of http://www.agt-gems.com/AGTbook/bsp.html