International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Hare Krishnas; ISKON

I. Profile Report

1. Name: International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Hare Krishnas; ISKON
2. Founder: Abhay Charan ("One who fearlessly takes shelter at the feet of the Lord") Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
3. Dates of Birth and Death: 1896-1977
4. Birth Place: Calcutta, India
5. Year Founded: 1966, New York City
6. How/Why?: Prabhupada, born at the height of British rule, attended school until 1920 when he became a manager for a pharmaceutical company. A disinterested businessman, Prabhupada would begin to dedicate more and more time to Krishna Consciousness. He had been initiated by his guru, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in 1932. When the guru died in 1936, Prabhupada was told to spread Krishna Consciousness in the West. It would be another three decades before he did. In 1959, he took the vows of sannyasin, Hindu renunciation. This was done so that he could devote his life to Krishna, without the hindrances of family and work. In 1965 he arrived in the United States and began publishing his magazine Back to Godhead. In 1967 he had centers in San Francisco and New York City. Membership started to increase quickly. By the 1970s Prabhupada had centers opening up all over the world.
7. Sacred Text: Vedic scriptures and Prabhupada's writings
8. Cult or Sect: The group is a sect of Hinduism in India and a cult in the United States.
9. Beliefs: The group uses bhakti (or devotional) yoga in worship. They chant the mantra
   Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Hare Krishna Krishna Hare Rama Hare Rama Hare Hare Rama Rama
   . Chanting is the process for receiving the pure consciousness of God and dispelling the illusion of samsara, or everyday reality. Other duties involves tending to the temple statues and grounds, distributing vegetarian food (there are weekly feasts sponsored by the group in many centers), and proselytizing.
10. Size of Group: There are over 1,250,000 members (including monks, lay priests and ordinary members).
11. Remarks: In the 1980s ISKON experienced internal upheaval as a number of gurus who succeeded Prabhupada after his death were involved with illicit sexual relations and illegal drug use. Reforms were called for, and many gurus at the various temples were expelled. Another pressing issue was at hand during the reform meetings: that of guru puja, or guru worship. Some of ISKON's leaders wished to do away with guru puja that placed current gurus on the level of Prabhupada. Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada, one of the older members vehemently opposed this measure. He wished to keep things as they were when Prabhupada was alive. When the internal conflicts became public, Kirtanananda was expelled. He returned to his temple, a palacial building dedicated to Prabhupada and a major tourist attraction in West Virginia, and founded a splinter group: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of West Virginia. The group continues to function.

III. Selected References

Mehta, Uday, 1993.

Modern Godmen in India: A Sociological Appraisal. Bombay: Popular Prakashan.

Rochford, E. Burke. 1985.

Hare Krishnas in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Rosen, Steven. 1989.

Krishna Consciousness in the West. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press.

Shinn, Larry D. 1992.

The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America.

Rochford, E. Burke. 1995.

"Family Structure, Commitment, and Involvement in the Hare Krishna Movement." Sociology of Religion 56, 2, summer, 153-275.

Weiss, Arnold S. and Richard H. Mendoza. 1990.

"Effects of Acculturation into the Hare Krishna Movement on Mental Health and Personality." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 29 (June): 173-184.