Janmashtami is believed to be the birth date of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna has been worshipped for over 5000 years by the Hindus as of now.
While Krishna is a Hindu God and has been restricted to being worshiped only by Hindu people, a religious organization has made his worship widely global and secular.
It was the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas which made Krishna reach the entire world.
ISCKON is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization that spreads Bhakti Yoga taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya prevailed back in the 15th century and stood apart from the year-old rituals of Hindu worship. He introduced devotion in the form of Kirtan, praising the Lord through music and dance. His philosophy also preached the inclusion of all Jati and Varna which forms the very basis of ISCKON.
Prabhupada and the formation of ISCKON
ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Born as Abhay Charan De, as a young man he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement. In 1922, a meeting with the prominent scholar and spiritual leader, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, changed his life forever.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was a leader in the Gaudiya Vaishnava community. At their very first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta asked Abhay to take the teachings of Lord Krishna to the entire world. Deeply moved by his devotion and wisdom, Abhay became a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta in 1933 and resolved to carry out his mentor’s request. Abhay, later known by the name of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, spent the next 32 years preparing for his journey west.
In 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, Prabhupada took a free passage and boarded a cargo ship named the Jaladhuta, bound to New York. After 35 days at sea and two life-threatening heart attacks, he first arrived at a lonely Brooklyn pier with just seven dollars in Indian rupees and a crate of his translations of sacred Sanskrit texts.
The city initially made him face extraordinary hardships. Yet, he stayed calm and began his mission humbly by giving classes on the Bhagavad Gita in lofts on the Bowery and leading kirtan (traditional devotional chants) in Tompkins Square Park. Gradually his message of peace and goodwill resonated with many young people, some of whom came forward to become serious students of the Krishna-bhakti tradition. With the help of these students, Prabhupada rented a small storefront on New York’s Lower East Side to use as a temple.
Finally, in the month of July 1966, Bhaktivedanta Swami established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Spreading Krishna Consciousness
In the next eleven years, Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times on lecture tours spreading the teachings of Lord Krishna. People from all backgrounds and walks of life came forward to accept his message.
He recorded several tracks with the Hare Krishnas and included the Mahamantra in his hit track “My Sweet Lord” to convey the philosophy. The spread of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology in the Western world was Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s extensive writings and translations, such as the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), Chaitanya Charitamrita, and other scriptures. These works are now available in more than seventy languages and serve as scriptures of ISKCON.
With the help of the followers, Prabhupada established temples, farm communities, a publishing house, and educational institutions around the world. The first Hare Krishna commune, New Vrindavan (West Virginia), was established in 1968. And, he initiated what has now become the world’s largest vegetarian food relief program, Hare Krishna Food for Life.
Since then, ISKCON has established more than 600 centers all over the world with millions of followers.
Festivals in ISKCON
The ISKCON temples hold daily worship and kirtans across the year. They also celebrate a diverse array of Hindu festivals, including Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Diwali, Gaura Purnima, Ekadasi, Holi, Rama Navami, and Gita Jayanti. The Ratha Yatra Festival of Chariots is also celebrated by ISKCON.
Corona has indeed halted many activities in the organization. Devotees are not allowed to congregate physically. Yet if one is still willing to pray to the Lord, the temples have arranged for LIVE Darshan on their respective sites.
Please visit the ISKCON site to watch the Janmashtami celebrations.