# A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

> Indian spiritual teacher and founder of the ISKCON

**Wikidata**: [Q234898](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q234898)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada

## Summary
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was an Indian spiritual teacher, writer, translator, and philosopher best known as the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He is the translator of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is (under the name Abhay Charan De) and the initiator of institutional publishing and organizational structures for the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, including the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

## Biography
- Nationality: India
- Known for: Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON); translator of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
- Employer(s): International Society for Krishna Consciousness (founded 1967-07-13); Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (inception 1972); ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan (inception 1975)
- Field(s): Spiritual teacher, writer, translator, philosopher; engaged with philosophy and the culture of India
- Website: https://www.prabhupada.net

## Contributions
- Founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a religious organisation formally established on 1967-07-13. This organization is directly associated with his role as founder and primary leader.
- Translated and published Bhagavad-gītā As It Is under the name Abhay Charan De. This translation is identified in the source as a work by that name and author identity.
- Established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (inception 1972), which manages copyrights of all texts published by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and dedicates its publications to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
- Associated with the establishment of ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan (inception 1975), an ISKCON temple connected to the movement he founded.
- Created a body of authored and translated works and institutional publishing efforts that are archived and promoted via his personal website (https://www.prabhupada.net) and associated organizational channels.

## FAQs
Q: Who was A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada?
A: He was an Indian spiritual teacher, writer, translator, and philosopher best known as the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and as the translator of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Q: What major organization did he found?
A: He founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a religious organisation established on 1967-07-13.

Q: What are his notable published works or translations?
A: He is credited with the translation Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, published under the name Abhay Charan De.

Q: What publishing or copyright institutions did he create?
A: He established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in 1972, which manages copyrights for texts published by him and dedicates publications to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

Q: What temples or physical institutions are associated with his movement?
A: ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan (inception 1975) is an ISKCON temple associated with the movement he founded.

Q: Under what other names was he known?
A: He used aliases including Abhay Charan De, Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami, and Srila Prabhupada.

Q: Where can I find more information online about him?
A: His official website is https://www.prabhupada.net and his principal encyclopedia entry appears under the title "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada."

## Why They Matter
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada matters because he institutionalized and published a contemporary, organized form of Gaudiya Vaishnava practice through concrete organizations and texts. By founding ISKCON (1967) he created a formal religious organisation that serves as the principal institutional vehicle for his teachings. His translation, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, provided a widely circulated English rendering attributed to his name (Abhay Charan De), and the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (1972) centralized legal and publishing infrastructure for those writings. These combined efforts created lasting institutions — religious, literary, and legal — that continue to preserve and distribute his teachings and the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Without these institutional and publishing foundations, the specific organizational and copyrighted corpus associated with his name would not exist in the form identified in the source material.

## Notable For
- Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), inception 1967-07-13.
- Translator of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, credited to Abhay Charan De.
- Founder/initiator of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (inception 1972), the copyright-managing body for his publications, dedicated to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
- Association with ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan (inception 1975).
- Multiple aliases: Abhay Charan De; Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami; Srila Prabhupada.
- Maintains an official web presence at https://www.prabhupada.net.
- Identified in data sources with the wikipedia title "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada" and the Wikidata description "Indian spiritual teacher and founder of the ISKCON."
- Recorded sitelink_count: 76.

## Body

### Identity and Names
- Primary name in sources: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
- Known aliases: Abhay Charan De; Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami; Srila Prabhupada.
- Online and catalog identifiers include a wikipedia title "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada," a Wikidata description "Indian spiritual teacher and founder of the ISKCON," and a recorded sitelink_count of 76.
- Official website: https://www.prabhupada.net.

### Nationality and Cultural Context
- Nationality: India.
- His work is situated within the culture of India and the philosophical tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, as reflected by the dedication of his publishing trust to that tradition.
- Related geopolitical and historical items included in source materials: India (country in South Asia; inception 1947-08-15), the British Raj (British colonial rule on the Indian subcontinent, 1858–1947), and the Dominion of India (period 1947–1950). These items are provided in the source as related contextual entities.

### Founding and Organizational Work
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
  - He is identified as founder of ISKCON.
  - ISKCON is described as a religious organisation with an inception date of 1967-07-13.
  - ISKCON is a primary institutional expression of his teaching and leadership role.
- Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
  - The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was established with an inception year of 1972.
  - The Trust manages copyrights of all texts (books, magazines, manuscripts) published by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
  - All publications of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are dedicated to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
- ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan
  - Listed in the source with an inception of 1975 and identified as an ISKCON temple in Vrindavan.
  - This temple is part of the physical institutional network associated with ISKCON.

### Publications and Literary Work
- Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
  - The source identifies Bhagavad-gītā As It Is as a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Abhay Charan De, an alias of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
  - This work is explicitly linked to his role as a translator and author.
- The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is the organizational entity that manages copyrights for these and other published works attributable to him.

### Roles and Fields of Activity
- Occupations and roles attributed in source materials include spiritual teacher, writer, translator, and philosopher.
- Areas of engagement: philosophy, translation, authorship, religious organisation leadership, and contributions to the culture of India.

### Institutional Legacy and Legal/Publishing Infrastructure
- The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust centralizes copyright control for his textual corpus.
- The combination of ISKCON as a religious organisation and the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust as a publishing/copyright entity constitutes a paired organizational legacy: one for religious institutional activity and one for literary and legal stewardship of his works.

### Reference and Catalog Data
- The subject is listed with the wikipedia_title "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada."
- Wikidata description: "Indian spiritual teacher and founder of the ISKCON."
- Sitelink_count associated in the source material: 76.

### Connection to Traditions and Movements
- His publications and the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are explicitly dedicated to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
- ISKCON, the organisation he founded, is categorized as a religious organisation in the source.

### Summary of Dates and Institutional Inceptions (from source)
- ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness): inception 1967-07-13.
- Bhaktivedanta Book Trust: inception 1972.
- ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan: inception 1975.
- India (related country entry in source): inception 1947-08-15.
- British Raj (related historical entity): 1858–1947.
- Dominion of India (related historical entity): 1947–1950.

### Closing Notes
- All factual statements in this entry are drawn directly from the supplied source material. No dates, events, or relationships not present in those materials have been added.

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. Hindi Wikipedia
3. [Hindi Wikipedia](https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinreligio0000unse/page/531/mode/1up)
4. CiNii Research
5. [Source](https://lingualibre.org/wiki//Q344720)
6. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
7. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
8. Virtual International Authority File
9. Quora
10. LIBRIS. 2012
11. YouTube API
12. Catalogo of the National Library of India