Srila Prabhupada
(Founder – Acharya of Worldwide Hare Krishna Movement)
It all started with Govardhan Puja, a big mountain of rice was piled up to feed many people in the form of prasadam. The people were fed prasadam on leaf plates which were discarded behind the building. At that time, Srila Prabhupada who was living on the second floor heard dog barks and children shouting. Srila Prabhupada walked out to the veranda and looked over to witness a big pile of discarded plates with scraps of leftovers. Those poor hungry children were fending off the dogs trying to get the scraps of food.
Looking at the starved Children trying to fight off the stray dogs to get the scraps of food that people threw away, tears swelled in Srila Prabhupada’s eyes and said “WE HAVE TO SEE THAT NOBODY GOES HUNGRY WITHIN A 10-MILE RADIUS. THE TEMPLE IS THE HOUSE OF GOD. GOD IS EVERYONE’S FATHER, SO IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER THE SON DOESN’T GO HUNGRY. SO WE HAVE TO MAKE AN ARRANGEMENT THAT PEOPLE GET FED.”
The above instruction of Srila Prabhupada inspired the birth of the HARE KRISHNA CHARITIES. Hare Krishna Charities have been involved in charitable activities since 2011 across the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Srila Prabhupada – At various times people have called him a scholar, a philosopher, a cultural ambassador, a prolific author, a religious leader, a spiritual teacher, a social critic, and a holy man. In truth, he was all these things and more.
Srila Prabhupada was born Abhay Charan De on September 1, 1896 to a pious Vaishnava family in Calcutta. As a youth growing up in British – controlled India, Abhay became involved with Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement to secure independence for his nation. It was, however, a meeting in 1922 with a prominent scholar and religious leader, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, which proved most influential on Abhay’s future calling. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was a leader in the Gaudiya Vaishnava denomination, a monotheistic tradition within the broad Hindu culture, and asked Abhay to bring the teachings of Lord Krishna to the English-speaking world. Abhay, later known by the honorific A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, spent the next 32 years preparing for his journey to the west.
In 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, Srila Prabhupada travelled to New York City aboard a cargo ship. Arriving in the United States with just seven dollars in Indian rupees and his translations of sacred Sanskrit texts, Srila Prabhupada began to share the timeless vedic wisdom of India. His message of peace and goodwill resonated with many young people, some of whom came forward to become serious students of the Krishna tradition.
In the eleven years that followed, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times on lecture tours, meeting eminent educationalists, social leaders, scientists, philosophers and youth, impressing up on the them with what Indian Vedic wisdom could offer to the world. Men and women from all backgrounds and walks of life came forward to accept his message, and with their help, Srila Prabhupada established Hare Krishna Movement centers and projects throughout the world. Under his inspiration, his followers established temples, rural communities, educational institutions, and started what would become the world’s largest vegetarian food relief program.
Srila Prabhupada has made a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of youth, scientists, professionals and families across the globe and inspired them to take up to the principles of simple living and high thinking and live the life of self-service based on the principles enunciated in the timeless Vedic wisdom of India.
To know more about the Vision, Mission and Objectives of the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation propelled by the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Click Here.
