1: A Brief History of ISKCON

In discussing Krsna consciousness there is no question of ancient or modern since these teachings are eternal. Because Krsna consciousness is eternal it is impossible to trace an origin. This means that there never was a time when Krsna consciousness did not exist, so it can be said that there is no point at which Krsna consciousness has come into being from not being. For this reason, Krsna consciousness is said to be beginningless, which does not mean that it does not yet exist, but that it has always existed, so a point of "beginning" cannot be traced.

In the Bhagavad-gita, one of the principal scriptures, it is stated that Lord Krsna (God) transmitted this teaching to Vivasvan, the god of the sun, many millions of years ago. Vivasvan passed the teachings on to Manu, the progenitor of all mankind, and Manu transmitted it to the royal sage, Iksvaku. In this manner the teaching of Krsna consciousness was passed down by a process known as disciplic succession. The validity of the process of disciplic succession depends on the qualified master transmitting the teaching to the sincere student, without adding any personally motivated interpretations. The teaching must be presented to the student exactly as it was previously presented to the teacher. In this way the teaching is preserved intact and unadulterated. It may be compared to the job of the mailman who delivers the letter, but does not add to it or subtract from it. In the course of time, however, the disciplic succession was broken. In order to re-establish this disciplic succession, Krsna again personally transmitted this teaching to the great devotee, Arjuna, 5,000 years ago in India. This transmission is recorded in the Bhagavad-gita.

At the time of the creation of this present universe, Lord Krsna personally gave this knowledge to Brahma, the builder of the universe. Upon hearing the sound of Krsna playing the flute, Brahma awoke to eternal knowledge. Brahma transmitted the knowledge to the sage Narada, and Narada, in turn, gave the knowledge to Vyasa, who is the compiler of the Vedic scriptures. This disciplic succession was passed down through many great teachers and eventually to Lord Krsna Caitanya in the fifteenth century. Actually Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Lord Himself, but He appeared as a devotee of the Lord. Because He appeared as a devotee, He accepted a spiritual master in this line of disciplic succession known as the Brahma-sampradaya because it has been handed down from Lord Brahma. Lord Caitanya travelled through India teaching the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode, a great devotee in Brahma-sampradaya, began the work of making this knowledge available to the English-speaking world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, the son of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode, continued the work of making this knowledge available to the English-speaking world. In 1918 he established the Gauḍiya Math Institute for teaching Krsna consciousness. He established sixty-four missions.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Gosvami, a disciple of Sri Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, came to the United States in 1965 to continue the work of his spiritual master. In 1966 the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was established in New York City. As of May, 1970, there are thirty centers around the world.

The teaching being propagated in America and Europe today by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and his disciples is exactly the same as that given by Lord Krsna to Vivasvan, Arjuna and Brahma. It is not a question of modifying ancient teachings to fit a modern world. The relevance of Krsna consciousness is eternal and perfect for all people, regardless of culture, place or time. The advice given by Sri Krsna to Arjuna five thousand years ago in India is accepted without modification by modern Americans and Europeans.