Prabhupāda’s mood and mission

1. Introduction

With his Preface dated May 12, 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedānta
Swami Prabhupāda, the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
(ISKCON), humbly introduces the publication of his original manuscript that he named
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, that is later translated into approximately 60 languages worldwide. He
dedicates this work to the celebrated Vaishnava ācārya Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa.
Prabhupāda’s humble and submissive mood is further expressed by his statement that the
original father of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement that he started in America, is Lord Kṛṣṇa
Himself (at least 120,400,000 years ago; BG 4:1 Purport). Śrīla Prabhupāda directs all credit to
his guru in disciplic succession, Srimad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, for presenting
Bhagavad-gītā in the English language with its original meaning. He thus reveals his mission to
present Kṛṣṇa’s will to a large audience.
One may ask: how may the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement take advantage of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
method for presenting Kṛṣṇa’s will?

2. Method

a. Scholarly

Śrīla Prabhupāda (“one who is always found at the Lotus Feet of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Master1)
describes his writing system as authentic and scholarly, because of the original display of the
Sanskrit verses, the English transliteration, word-for-word equivalents, translations and purports.
This approach removes speculations: “We do not interpret.”2.
The scholarly presentation is an essential element of his mission and apparent instruction to his
followers to guide people to become devotees. “Nobody can understand Bhagavad-gītā unless
he’s a devotee of Kṛṣṇa”3.
We may declare that Śrīla Prabhupāda lived up to the title Bhaktivedānta which he was granted
in 1947 by his guru’s Gaudiya Vaishnava Society for his scholarly approach of the Vedic
teachings, especially to counteract impersonalistic interpretations by Māyāvādis. ISKCON

1 https://back2godhead.com/Prabhupāda-2/
2 Cornerstone Laying, Bombay, January 23, 1975.
3 BG 18.67-69, Ahmedabad, Dec 9, 1972.

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devotees honor him daily with the Praṇati for delivering the Western countries, which are filled
with impersonalism and voidism (nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe).
b. Authorized

With the words “as it is” Prabhupāda marks this issue of the Gītā as comprising only the original
will of Kṛṣṇa. In the Purports he presents the “full parampara explanation”, “to establish the
Krsna consciousness movement more soundly and progressively”. Because the system of
reception of knowledge through the guru parampara is authorized by the Lord Himself (BG 4:2
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam), this explanation gives Prabhupāda’s followers a solid and pure basis
for future development.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statement that our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is transcendental due to its
being based on Bhagavad-gītā As It Is - and thereby authorized - is affirmed by the second
purpose of ISKCON4: “To propagate a consciousness of Kṛṣṇa (God), as it is revealed in the
great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

3. Movement

In the Preface Prabhupāda mentions “the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement”. The name for his
ISKCON was translated from the Sanskrit5 kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta-saṅgha, the association of
persons who are simply satisfied in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. Such persons pray to the Lord “for the
benediction of being able to spread His glories all over the world”6.
Prabhupāda thus committed ISKCON to his mission to deliver pure love of God to suffering
humanity everywhere. He inherited an acute feeling for human suffering from his guru.7
Prabhupāda described the vision of bhakti-vedāntas: “that the people in general are wasting time
in false sensuous things. Their business is to get the ignorant mass of people to reestablish their
lost relationship with the Personality of Godhead.”8.

This is paraphrased in the Preface: “A living entity is happily the part and parcel of the Lord, and
thus his natural function is to render immediate service to the Lord”. One who engages his senses
in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa (bhakti-yoga), is immediately elevated from the circle of birth and

4 https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/seven-purposes-of-iskcon.
5 Śrīla Prabhupāda, The Founder-Ācārya of ISKCON, ISKCON GBC PRESS, 2014, p. 63-64.
6 SB 9.9.45 Purport.
7 Founder-Acarya, p. 96.
8 SB 1.5.24 Purport.

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death to the platform of liberation9. He becomes free from all dualities and anxieties and is
established in the self10.

ISKCON’s first purpose, to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and
to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values
in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world, connects this movement to Prabhupāda’s
scholarly and authorized efforts for the souls.

Through the words “all people” again the bhaktivedānta speaks, who is equal to all living
entities, in the Lord’s words “ paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ”11

4. Conclusion

Prabhupāda’s humble, scholarly and authorized approach invites large audiences to a verifiable
understanding of the Lord’s message. Thus, the audience is informed of the soul’s highest
destination, the spiritual world.
Devotees of ISKCON may take advantage of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s method for presenting Kṛṣṇa’s
message to give relief to suffering mankind and guide people to become devotees. By thorough
study of Prabhupada’s teachings and jointly spreading these, the followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda
may comply with Kṛṣṇa’s instruction to engage their minds always in thinking of Him and be the
great est yogis (BG 6:47).

9 BG 14:26 Purport.
10BG 2:45 Purport.
11 BG5:18.

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