international society for krishna consciousness international society for krishna consciousness the international society for krishna consciousness (iskcon), known colloquially as the hare krishna movement or hare krishnas, is a gaudiya vaishnava hindu religious organization. iskcon was founded in 1966 in new york city by a. c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada. international society for krishna consciousnessiskcon official logoiskcon temple in vrindavan, uttar pradesh, indiaabbreviationiskconformation13 july 1966 (1966-07-13) new york city, united statesfoundera. c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupadatypereligious organisationlegal statusfoundationheadquartersmayapur, nabadwip, nadia, west bengal, indialocation800+ temples and centrescoordinates23.4248°n 88.3889°e﻿ / 23.4248; 88.3889area served worldwidemain organgoverning body commissionaffiliationsgaudiya vaishnavism (hinduism)websiteiskcon.org part of a series onvaishnavism supreme deity vishnu / krishna / rama important deities dashavatara matsya kurma varaha narasimha vamana parasurama rama balarama krishna buddha kalki other forms dhanvantari guruvayurappan hayagriva jagannath mohini nara-narayana prithu shrinathji venkateshvara vithoba consorts lakshmi bhūmi sita radha rukmini alamelu related garuda hanuman shesha shasta holy scriptures vedas upanishads agamas brahma sutras bhagavad gita mahabharata ramayana harivamsa divya prabandha gita govinda puranas vishnu bhagavata naradiya garuda padma agni sampradayas sri (vishishtadvaita) rudra (shuddhadvaita) kumara (dvaitadvaita) brahma (tattvavada or (dvaita)), acintyabhedabheda) others ekasarana dharma mahanubhava pranami radha vallabha ramsnehi sant mat swaminarayan vaishnava-sahajiya warkari teachers—acharyas chaitanya chakradhara dadu dayal harivansh jayatirtha jiva goswami jñāneśvara kabir madhavdev madhvacharya manavala mamunigal namadeva nammalvar nathamuni nimbarka padmanabha tirtha pillai lokacharya purandara dasa raghuttama tirtha raghavendra tirtha ram charan ramananda ramanuja ravidas satyanatha tirtha satyabhinava tirtha satyabodha tirtha satyadharma tirtha satyadhyana tirtha samarth ramdas sankardev swaminarayan sripadaraja tukaram tulsidas vallabha vedanta desika vidyapati vishnuswami vyasatirtha vadiraja tirtha yamunacharya related traditions bhagavatism vaikhanasas pancharatra tenkalai vadakalai munitraya krishnaism jagannathism haridasa sahajiya baul pushtimarg gaudiya iskcon ramanandi kapadi balmiki kabir panth dadu panth mahanam its core beliefs are based on hindu scriptures, particularly the bhagavad gita and the bhagavata purana. iskcon is "the largest and, arguably, most important branch" of gaudiya vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in india since the early 16th century and american and european devotees since the early 1900s. iskcon was formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga, the practice of love of god in which those involved (bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing krishna, whom they consider the supreme lord. its most rapid expansion in membership have been within india and (after the collapse of the soviet union) in russia and other formerly soviet-aligned states of eastern europe. history and belief pancha-tattva deities: chaitanya mahaprabhu, nityananda, advaita acharya, gadadhara and srivasa, installed in a gaudiya vaishnava temple iskcon's bhajan during navratri golu at coimbatore, tamil nadu, india iskcon devotees follow a disciplic line of gaudiya vaishnavas and are the largest branch of gaudiya vaishnavism. vaishnavism means 'worship of vishnu', and gauḍa refers to the area where this particular branch of vaishnavism originated, in the gauda region of west bengal and bangladesh. gaudiya vaishnavism has had a following in india, especially west bengal and odisha, for the past five hundred years. gaudiya vaishnavism was founded by chaitanya mahaprabhu a hidden avatar of the lord who rapidly spread his form of ecstatic bhakti (devotion) throughout bengal. he established sankirtan, the practice of publicly expressing devotion to krishna, the supreme god, through dance and song. this form of communal worship responded to rigid caste structures by engaging all people in worship regardless of caste and creed. sri chaitanya mahaprabhu emphasized chanting the hare krishna mahamantra (the 'great mantra'). he is considered by gaudiya vaishnavas to be an incarnation of krishna himself. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada, believed to have direct lineage with chaitanya mahaprabhu, brought chaitanya's gaudiya vaishnavism to the west in 1965. at 70 years old, he landed in new york without any money (40 rupees of indian currency). instead of preaching to new york's elite, he tapped into the 1960s countercultural spirit by preaching and chanting in public parks and attracting hippies and the youth. his movement, then known as the "hare krishna movement", grew even larger when he relocated to san francisco a year later. when it spread to england, it gained publicity and financial backing from the beatles' george harrison. he recorded several tracks with the hare krishnas and included the mahamantra in his hit track "my sweet lord". the first hare krishna commune, new vrindavan (west virginia), was established by prabhupada in 1968. since then, iskcon has established more than 800 centers all over the world and has millions of followers. key to the spread of gaudiya vaishnava theology in the western world were prabhupada's writings and translations, including 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 the scriptures of iskcon. iskcon describes krishna as the source of all the avatars of god. thus iskcon devotees worship krishna as the highest form of god, svayam bhagavan, and often refer to him as the supreme personality of godhead in writing, which was a phrase coined by prabhupada in his books on the subject. to devotees, radha represents krishna's divine female counterpart, the original spiritual potency, and the embodiment of divine love. the individual soul is an eternal personal identity which does not ultimately merge into a non-dual consciousness (brahman) as believed by the monistic (advaita) schools of hinduism. prabhupada most frequently offers sanatana-dharma and varnashrama dharma as more accurate names for the religious system which accepts vedic authority. it is a monotheistic tradition which has its roots in the theistic vedanta traditions. practices statue of prabhupada, the founder of iskcon. hare krishna ratha-yatra through the streets of boston, massachusetts. the most famous and publicly recognizable iskcon practice is kirtan, a congregational chanting or singing of the hare krishna mantra. kirtan is both a way to express devotion to god and a way to attract newcomers to the movement. devotees gather in public, in streets and parks, to sing the mantra accompanied by instruments like the mridanga, hand cymbals, and the harmonium. during the 1970s, iskcon entered the public eye because of this practice. devotees would sing, distribute books, and proselytize in airports and other public areas, often obtrusively. sankirtan continues throughout the world today, but in a less confrontational manner. other important religious practice within iskcon and gaudiya vaishnavism is japa, or the meditative practice of repeatedly chanting the names of krishna on a set of prayer beads (similar to a rosary). it is considered the only way for salvation for people in the current age. prabhupada established a standard for initiated devotees to chant sixteen rounds of the hare krishna a day. each round requires chanting the mahamantra 108 times on prayer beads, with sixteen rounds being 1728 repetitions and taking around two hours. another important practice in iskcon is arati (also called puja). in arati, devotees offer water, incense, a fire lamp, and flowers to a murti, a sacred statue or image of krishna. this is accompanied by prayers and devotional songs called bhajans. practitioners may perform arati at their own home or congregate at a temple to join in the ceremony. along with this worship, devotees will bathe the murti, dress it, offer it food, and even put it to sleep. by doing arati and serving the murti, devotees aim to deepen their relationship with krishna. iskcon devotees meet regularly (typically on sunday at a program known as the sunday feast) to worship deities, listen to discourses by senior devotees, participate in kirtan and eat sanctified offered food. devotees place great emphasis on listening to spiritual discourses, believing them to be a key role in spiritual advancement. four regulative principles during initiation (diksha) iskcon devotees vow to follow four basic rules and regulations. they are as follows: to follow a lacto-vegetarian diet to not consume any intoxicants (alcohol, cigarettes or drugs) to not gamble to not engage in 'illicit sex' festivals hare krishna street show in the old town of tallinn, estonia besides weekly gatherings, devotees within the iskcon movement celebrate a diverse array of hindu festivals, including janmashtami, radhastami, diwali, gaura purnima, ekadasi, holi, rama navami, and gita jayanti. the ratha yatra festival of chariots is an annual parade whereby devotees chant and dance on the street, pulling a chariot with the deities of jagannatha, baladeva, and subhadra behind them. this public procession is typically followed by performances and free vegetarian food. preaching iskcon advocates preaching. members try to spread krishna consciousness primarily by singing the hare krishna mantra in public places and by selling books written by the founder. a study conducted by e. burke rochford jr. at the university of california found that there are four types of contact between those in iskcon and prospective members: individually motivated contact, contact made with members in public areas, contact made through personal connections, and contact with sympathizers of the movement who strongly encourage people to join. according to the doctrine of chaitanya mahaprabhu, one does not need to be born in a hindu family to take up the practice. management structure photo of gbc commissioners during a conference in prabhupadadesh, italy, 2003. prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of iskcon. the governing body commission (or gbc) is the managerial authority of iskcon. created by bhaktivedanta in 1970 it meets annually. in a document direction of management written on 28 july 1970 prabhupada appointed twelve members to the commission, all of them non-sannyasi, including satsvarupa dasa goswami, hansadutta swami, and tamala krishna goswami. the letter outlined the purposes of the commission: improving the standard of temple management, the spread of krishna consciousness, the distribution of books and literature, the opening of new centers and the education of the devotees. gbc has since grown in size to include 48 senior members from the movement who make decisions based on consensus of opinion. shortly after establishing the gbc, prabhupada asked his newly appointed leaders to renounce the everyday world and become sannyasis (renunciate monks), indicating that those who set policy would not be involved with financial dealings. however, after prabhupada's death some gbc members adopted lavish lifestyles. a number of schisms tested the notion of the supreme authority of the gbc. some of these scandals involved gbc members hans kary (hansadutta) and james immel (jayatirtha), as well as one of the leaders of the new vrindaban community, keith ham (kirtanananda), who surrounded himself with opulence and declared himself the only true successor to prabhupada. in 1982, the gbc began the slow process of adding new gurus to the original eleven. in 1983 the gbc was announced to be the highest ecclesiastical authority of iskcon. in 1985 the decision was made to lower the standard of living for iskcon leadership. after much heated discussion, the gbc decided to "relieve" a number of leaders and new leaders were selected. the young leaders of the gbc sought the advice of one of prabhupada's gaudiya math godbrothers, and endeavored to become more integrated in the broader hindu community. after years of discussion and reforms, a general consensus emerged to accept women as leaders in iskcon, overriding the former gbc supposition that "unprotected, 'women leaders become subject to various forms of mistreatment and abuse'". in 1998 malati devi dasi became the first woman appointed to the gbc. the second woman leader, dina sharana, was selected in 2009. succession of teachings chanting beads, normally of tulsi wood given by an iskcon guru at the initiation to an iskcon devotee prabhupada claimed to belong to the traditional system of paramparā, or disciplic succession, in which teachings upheld by scriptures are handed down from master to disciple, generation after generation. women's role women's roles are a controversial issue within iskcon, and its members have strongly divergent opinions regarding the interpretation of prabhupada's teachings on gender roles. while some of its leaders advocate that women should take public leadership roles, other leaders disagree, and maintain that "traditional" roles for women are more appropriate. they fear an undesirable influence of secular feminism within iskcon. prabhupada in his original writings encouraged the complete equality of women in the eye of krishna based on the teachings of bhagavad gita that soul does not have any gender and everybody is eligible for spiritual liberation. since mother is the most respected position in vedic culture, women within the hare krishna community are all viewed as mothers, especially by celibate male members brahmacharis. "mother