His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The extraordinary life of Srila Prabhupada — who at 70 years old crossed the ocean alone to fulfill his spiritual master's request, and in just twelve years gave the world Krishna consciousness.

2 min read•Updated 11 August 2026

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which he started in New York City in 1966. By the time he passed away on 14 November 1977, his mission had grown from a single storefront into a worldwide confederation of more than one hundred temples, farm communities, and schools.

Early Life and Meeting His Spiritual Master

Born Abhay Charan De on 1 September 1896 in Calcutta, he first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami, in 1922. Recognizing him as an educated young man, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati requested him to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. This instruction shaped the rest of his life.

A Voyage of Faith

In 1965, at the age of 69, Srila Prabhupada boarded the cargo ship Jaladuta bound for America, carrying only a trunk of his Bhagavatam volumes, an umbrella, and forty rupees. He suffered two heart attacks during the difficult voyage but never wavered from his mission.

Founding ISKCON

Arriving in New York with almost nothing, Srila Prabhupada began chanting Hare Krishna in a small storefront in the Lower East Side. Within a few years, this humble beginning blossomed into a global spiritual movement, as he tirelessly traveled, lectured, and wrote.

Literary Legacy

Over the course of his life, Srila Prabhupada authored more than eighty volumes of translation and commentary on India's most important sacred texts, including Bhagavad-Gita As It Is and the multi-volume Srimad-Bhagavatam — now translated into dozens of languages and read by millions worldwide.

His Teaching

Srila Prabhupada's message was simple and profound: chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, study Krishna consciousness through the Vedic scriptures, and dedicate one's life to loving devotional service.

"Unless you change the society, how can you make social welfare?"