Who Started ISKCON

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, also called Srila Prabhupada, is the founder-acharya of ISKCON. He is regarded as the most prominent Vaishnava philosopher of the 20th century. Born on September 1, 1896 in Calcutta, India, he was raised in a family of rich Bengali Vaishnava culture.

In 1922, he met his future spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja, and was later initiated by him in 1933. At the age of 69 in 1965, he traveled by boat to the United States, carrying with him little more than his translations of the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In 1966, he founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York City. Over the following 11 years, he established more than 108 temples worldwide and initiated more than 10,000 disciples. He translated and wrote commentary on more than 80 volumes of Vedic scripture.

Srila Prabhupada departed from this world on November 14, 1977, in Vrindavana, India. His legacy lives on through his books, temples, and the millions of devotees who follow in his footsteps.