A. C. Bhaktivedanta

A. C. Bhaktivedanta, also called Swami Prabhupāda, (born Sept. 1, 1896, Calcutta—died Nov. 14, 1977, Vrindāvan, Uttar Pradesh, India), Indian religious leader and author who in 1965 founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement.

In 1920 Bhaktivedanta completed his B.A. in chemistry at the Scottish Churches’ College in Calcutta; by that time, his family had arranged a marriage for him, and he later established a pharmacy business. In 1922 his guru, a spiritual leader of the Vaiṣṇava Hindu sect, urged him to preach the teachings of Krishna throughout the Western world. Thereafter Bhaktivedanta devoted much time as lecturer, writer, editor, and translator for the Vaiṣṇava and in 1933 was formally initiated as a disciple at Allahābād.

Because his family did not share his religious interests, Bhaktivedanta turned over his business to a son and renounced all family ties in 1954 to devote his full time to religious work. He received the title of swami in 1959 and in 1965 sailed for Boston, Mass., U.S. Several months later he moved to New York City, where he established the headquarters of the Hare Krishna movement on the Lower East Side. From a storefront, he taught classes on Vedic culture, which he claimed could affect the consciousness of a world afflicted with rampant materialism. The movement became especially popular among young people, and many of the swami’s books began to be studied on college and university campuses.

Despite his failing health, Bhaktivedanta by the time of his death had written and published more than 50 books on ancient Vedic culture and had opened more than 100 centres throughout the world.