A world tour of the Temples, Farms, Restaurants and preaching activities of the Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON) in 1981.
This is a very interesting film, showing the worldwide preaching activities of ISKCON just a few years after the departure of the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Krishna, the Supreme God, Lord of the Universe. Many names praising Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Rama, Bhagavan. Infinite are His forms and pastimes.
Fifty centuries ago, He spoke to His disciple Arjuna in the midst of battle. His immortal words: Bhagavad-Gita, the Song of God. Five hundred years ago, Krishna appeared again as Lord Caitanya and propagated the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Lord Caitanya predicted that the chanting of God's holy names would spread throughout the world.
This science of Krishna consciousness has been passed from master to disciple down to the present day. In 1896, Bhaktivinoda Thakur first introduced these teachings to the West through his treatise on Lord Caitanya. He predicted that a great personality would soon appear to spread Krishna consciousness throughout the world. Bhaktivinoda Thakur's son, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, a great scholar and devotee, followed in the tradition. His disciple, Abhay Charan Dey, was destined to fulfill the prophecies. Prepared by a lifetime of devotion, Abhay Charan, now known as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, sailed from Calcutta to New York in 1965. He was 70 years old and had neither money nor supporters, but he was bringing a priceless gift: spiritual life, love of Krishna.
"We are receiving the transcendental knowledge through guru-parampara succession. So we have to simply take instruction from guru, and if we execute that to our heart and soul, that is success. That is practical. I have no personal qualification, but I simply try to satisfy my guru. That's all.
"My Guru Maharaja asked me that if you get some money, you print books. Therefore, I am stressing on this point. So kindly help me. This is my request.
"Print as many books in as many languages and distribute throughout the whole world. Then Krishna consciousness movement will automatically increase." [A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]
Morning and night. Srila Prabhupada translated the Vedic scriptures from Sanskrit and Bengali into English and wrote elaborate commentaries. These timeless books form the philosophical basis of the Hare Krishna movement. Today, at Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publishing houses around the world, these literatures continue to be composed, laid out, and illustrated by devotees.
From 1965 to his passing in 1977, Srila Prabhupada wrote over 70 books. 100 million have been distributed in 35 languages. Dr. Stilson Judah, Professor Emeritus in the History of Religions, comments on this contribution: "The Hare Krishna movement, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is a bona fide movement. It is a movement which is actually older than that of Christianity. The worship of Krishna is one which is extremely popular in India. It is one of the great religions of India at the present time, as it has been throughout all of the years of history. The founder of the Hare Krishna movement, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was commissioned by his spiritual master to come to America to spread the teachings of Chaitanya. This he has accomplished very well, and during the period of his life, Prabhupada has made a great impression upon the people here in the United States, not only through his great scholarship, but because of the great spiritual qualities of the man himself. Prabhupada is known throughout the world as a great scholar and has published vast numbers of books which he has translated and have introduced many of them for the first time here to the people in the Western world. His works are remarkable because not only are they beautiful in the way that they have been translated, but I think they express the real spiritual quality of the Hare Krishna movement. And just for this reason, that his works are now found in the various universities and libraries, not only in the United States, but also throughout the world."
The teachings are simple: every living being is essentially spiritual, a servant of God. Designations based on race, sex, religion, and nationality are all temporary. To realize one's eternal nature, one need only chant the names of God. This is the essence of Krishna consciousness, and it goes on throughout the world. From Paris to Hong Kong, from Bombay to Nairobi, from Rio to New York, devotees chant Hare Krishna, just as Lord Caitanya predicted.
Rukmini explains why she joined the Hare Krishna movement: "I first met Srila Prabhupada in Montreal in 1968, and I remember I was deeply moved by his singing. I was also struck by the fact that he didn't reject other religions. He explained that real religion is any religion that teaches one how to love God. Over the years, I found that I can apply Krishna consciousness to every aspect of my life. Now I have a family, and part of my day is spent working as a proofreader with our book publishing house. For me, the existence of God is no longer a subject for argument or debate, but a joy that I can directly perceive each day."