SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

ISKCON was incorporated in New York in 1966. However, it is not a new religion. Its founder, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, represented a tradition going back to Shri Chaitanya in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. And Chaitanya Himself appeared in a preceptorial succession dating back thousands of years. This lineage, called the Brahma-Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya, is one of the four principle traditions of Vaishnavas, or worshippers of Vishnu.

Vaishnavism is one of the main theological schools within the tradition broadly defined by the word Hinduism. However, the terms "Hindu" and "Hinduism" are not found in any of the Indian scriptures. They were coined by the Persian and Greek invaders to refer to the religion and culture of the people beyond the River Sindhu (now called the Indus in modern Pakistan). Hinduism has been used to refer to the totality of India's religious culture, apart from those faiths originating outside of India (such as Christianity); it includes those which arose within this context but have since defined themselves as distinctive traditions (such as Buddhism and Sikhism).

Many adherents to the tradition do not like the terms "Hindu" and "Hinduism" because of their sectarian and nationalistic connotations. They prefer the term sanatana-dharma, which is also used in the Vedic writings. This terms means the eternal function of the living being, understood as service to God. It implies that genuine religion is above temporary designations of faith, gender, colour, nationality, and species. The principles of sanatan-dharma are enunciated in the sacred texts called the Vedas and its corollaries.
Great emphasis is placed on preserving the integrity of the Vedic wisdom, and it is therefore transmitted by authorised disciplic successions called sampradayas The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition embodies one such sacred lineage and the prominent teachers are described briefly here.

Lord Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all knowledge and the head of all genuine disciplic successions. Though eternally residing in His spiritual realm, He manifested Himself in Vrindavan, India, five thousand years ago.
Lord Brahma is the first created being and the engineer of the universe. He has administrative control over the cosmos. Because of his severe austerities prior to creation, the Lord revealed spiritual wisdom from within Brahma's heart.

Vyasa is the compiler of all Vedic wisdom. He received enlightenment from Narada, the son and disciple of Brahma.

Shrila Madhvacharya (1239-1319) was initiated by Vyasa at Badarikashram and dedicated himself to combating the monistic philosophy of Shankara (788-820). More emphatically than Ramanuja (1017-1137) before him, he stressed the difference between God and the individual soul.

Sri Chaitanya, considered nondifferent from Lord Krishna, Lord Chaitanya made His appearance in Bengal in 1486. A brilliant scholar in His youth, He later fervently dedicated Himself to the worship of Radha and Krishna. He renounced householder life at the age of twenty-four to preach the benefits of bhakti (devotional service). He taught the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra while travelling for six years throughout the sub-continent of India, and He spent His final eighteen years in Jagannatha-puri. There He displayed the sublime emotions of one absorbed in love of God. He also opposed the hereditary caste system and preached the ultimate unity of all living beings in service to God. His philosophy represents the culmination of Vaishnava theological development. His spiritual master, Ishvara Puri, was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri, who came in the line of Madhva.

The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan

Sri Chaitanya's immediate followers, the Six Goswamis (Rupa, Sanatan, Jiva, Gopal Bhatta, Raghunath Bhatta and Raghunath das) drew on Vedic evidence to consolidate and document Lord Chaitanya's teachings.
Shrila Bhaktivinode Thakur (1838-1914) took birth in an India dominated by British rule. He became conversant with eastern and western philosophies, but accepted Chaitanya's theology as the topmost. By that time, though, the reputation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism had declined because of malpractice and misinterpretation. As a magistrate, Bhaktivinode was an influential figure, and he re-established the moral and philosophical integrity of the tradition. As a visionary, he predicted the future success of the Hare Krishna Movement.
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati was the son of Bhaktivinode and took initiation from Gaura Kishor Babaji, an associate of his father. He was a life-long celibate and a brilliant scholar. He established sixty-four mathas (spiritual centres) throughout India, and requested his disciples to spread the message of Chaitanya worldwide in the English language.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in a Vaishnava family and took initiation from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in 1926. As a married man he tried to execute the desire of his spiritual teacher to preach the message of Chaitanya through the English language. He took sannyasa (vows of renunciation) in 1957. Having little success preaching in India, he finally sailed for New York in September 1965, and established ISKCON one year later. In eleven years, he spread Krishna consciousness worldwide.

Copyright © Bhaktivedanta Manor 2008
UK Headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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