|
|
| The Meaning of Shrila Prabhupada's Name: The "A.C." stands for "Abhay Charanaravinda", the name given to him at initiation by his spiritual master. It means "one who is fearless at the lotus feet of Krishna." The title "Bhaktivedanta" was awarded to him later to denote his devotion (bhakti) and his deep understanding of the conclusion of spiritual knowledge (vedanta). He received the title "Swami" (which means controller of the senses') in 1959 when he accepted the traditional order of renunciation. The title "Prabhupada" is a term of high honor that means "one who serves at the feet of God." For brevity, scholars sometimes refer to him as "Bhaktivedanta Swami", and both scholars and devotees refer to him as "Shrila Prabhupada," the term "Shrila" being an honorific title that means "eminent". |
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, informally known as Srila Prabhupada, comes in direct succession from Lord Krishna and Lord Chaitanya.
Shrila Prabhupada comes in the direct succession from Lord Krishna and Lord Chaitanya. In 1922, he was instructed by his spiritual master to take the message of Sanatana Dharma to the Western world. At the age of 69, after a lifetime of preparation, Shrila Prabhupada received a free passage on board a steamship bound for America.
He arrived in New York City in 1965 with a mere 40 rupees and a trunk load of his published works; yet within him, he had a desire to share the treasure of India's spiritual heritage.
After a year of hardship, Shrila Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. His early disciples were trained in all aspects of Vedic culture and were sent to open centres throughout America, and later to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Despite his advanced age, Shrila Prabhupada travelled tirelessly throughout the world, circling the globe 14 times and opening 108 temples in 12 years. He initiated many projects: schools and restaurants, farm communities, temples, and write over 70 books as translations and commentaries on the Vedic literature, including Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam. It is no wonder that in 1996, the Prime Minister of India declared him to be "India's greatest spiritual and philosophical ambassador to the world".
Shrila Prabhupada passed from this world in November 1977, but the work he began continues to grow. It is said of the spiritual master:
"He lives forever by his instructions and his followers live with him".
(Copyright BBT-International)
| INTERESTING FACTS: Between 1965 and 1977, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times In 1996, Srila Prabhupada was declared "India's greatest spiritual ambassador" by the Indian Prime Minister |
| Read and Listen to some of Shrila Prabhupada's lectures Listen to Shrila Prabhupada sing |
|
UPCOMING FESTIVALS 2008 21ST
MARCH 23RD
MARCH 13TH
APRIL 24TH
AND 25TH AUGUS 12TH
OCTOBER 29TH
OCTOBER 28TH
OCTOBER 2ND
NOVEMBER
|
Copyright
© Bhaktivedanta Manor 2008
UK Headquarters of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
back to homepage