ISKCON: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Better known in North America as the Hare Krishna movement, ISKCON derives its religious philosophy from the teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896-1977), a follower of the sixteenth-century Hindu reformer and mystic Sri Chaitnaya Mahaprabhu.
Chaitnaya’s disciples regarded him as a divine avatar, and his particular form of Hinduism stressed devotion to the god Krishna, through whom all peoples, regardless of caste or origin, could achieve spiritual fulfillment. Bhaktivedanta (referred to as Prahhupada by his closest followers) brought this message to the West in 1965 when he sought to establish a center for the study of Chaitnayan devotional practices in New York. Two years later, Prabhupada was drawn to San Francisco and its emergent counterculture, where he developed a communalistic movement dedicated to both Krishna worship and an austere code of conduct. Since then, Prabhupada’s disciples have established ISKCON centers in more than 300 communities worldwide, and the movement appears to have survived the death of its founder in 1977.At the heart of the ISKCON philosophy is the belief that Krishna is the sole, supreme deity in the universe and that the highest goal of human life is to achieve “Krishna consciousness,” through which the soul can return to its Creator. One of the central rituals of the movement, through which the attainment of Krishna consciousness is facilitated, is the repetitive chanting of one particular mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Hare Hare—accompanied by the rosaiy-like counting of prayer beads, sixteen times each day. To serve Krishna, Prabhupada taught, one must adopt a strictly vegetarian diet and abstain from violence, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Sexual relations outside of marriage are forbidden, and even within marriage, sexual relations are intended for procreation alone. During the early stages of the movement, ISKCON members committed themselves to selling translations of Prabhupada’s commentaries on the Vedas, and the presence of Hare Krishnas (as they were called) at airports and other public locales became a familiar sight during the 1970s.
Prabhupada’s death in 1977 occasioned a crisis within the movement, as the eleven gurus he had chosen to lead ISKCON proved too inexperienced (or, in some cases, corrupt), and widespread criticism of the institution of the guru was voiced, both within and outside the movement. There are now approximately 100 ISKCON gurus throughout the world, and though their activities are supposed to be monitored by a governing body, the organizational structure within the movement is fairly loose. Increasingly, local ISKCON temples are independent of policies established by the main Indian congregation in Mayapur (Bengal). Nevertheless, ISKCON continues to maintain a missionary outlook and thinks of itself as an international religious movement.