Hare Krishnas begins in the US
The Hare Krishna movement, formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), originated in the United States in the mid-1960s, led by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He arrived in New York City in 1965, promoting the teachings of the sixteenth-century Bengali saint Sri Krishna Caitanya, which focus on devotion to the Hindu god Krishna through chanting, singing, and dancing. The movement quickly attracted many young individuals, particularly from the counterculture, who sought spiritual alternatives to traditional organized religions during a time of cultural upheaval.
Within a year of Prabhupada's arrival, ISKCON was established, leading to the formation of temples and communities across the country. Devotees adhered to a strict lifestyle that included abstaining from alcohol, gambling, and meat, as well as participating in daily worship and public chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. The movement gained significant popularity, with thousands of members by the late 1970s, but faced challenges in the following decades, including financial struggles and internal conflicts. Despite these challenges, the Hare Krishna movement remains a notable expression of spiritual and cultural engagement within the broader landscape of American religious life.
Hare Krishnas begins in the US
Members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), who believe salvation is attained by chanting the praises of the Hindu god Krishna. The Hare Krishna movement spread consciousness of Krishna through bhakti yoga, or self-sacrificing devotion.
Origins and History
The spiritual movement of the Hare Krishnas is rooted in the sixteenth century teachings of Bengali religious ascetic Sri Krishna Caitanya, who devoted his entire life to the Hindu god Krishna. The recognized founder of the movement in the United States is A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, born in Calcutta in 1896 and initiated as a disciple of guru Bhaktisiddhanta.
Swami Prabhupada arrived in New York City in 1965 and began to teach people to become conscious of Krishna through devotional chanting, singing, and dancing. The appeal of transcending the mundane world and escaping maya (the illusory world) through devotion led many young people, especially those who identified with the counterculture, to join the Hare Krishnas. Within one year of his arrival, Swami Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The organization focused its efforts on recruitment, disseminating information, and establishing Krishna temples. By the late 1960’s, it had moved its headquarters to San Francisco, then to Los Angeles.
Reflecting basic Hindu religious practices, Hare Krishnas followed a daily schedule of discipline to attain the ultimate union with Krishna. To free the self of all material pleasures and purify the soul, devotees did not drink alcoholic beverages, gamble, engage in premarital sex, or eat meat, fish, or eggs. They regularly worshiped in temples, offering spiritual food to Krishna. Devotees wore distinctive Indian-style clothing, saffron-colored dhotis for men and saris for women. Disciples shaved their heads except for a tuft of hair, marked their bodies in thirteen places with wet clay, and wore sacred prayer beads. Their practice of chanting the Hare Krishna, Hare Ram mantra in public places was their means of preaching Krishna consciousness, enlisting members, and raising funds.
Impact
During the 1960’s, the Hare Krishna movement had its greatest impact on the growing number of young, urban middle-class white Americans who were dissatisfied with traditional organized religions and frustrated by the changing cultural values. These young people, attracted by the theosophical teachings of Indian religion, chose the alternative path of spiritualism that ISKCON offered. Their joining the Hare Krishna movement, which usually resulted in a drastic alteration in their appearance and activities, appeared to be a form of cult indoctrination to critics of counterculture religions.
Subsequent Events
Before Swami Prabhupada’s death in 1977, the Hare Krishna movement grew to include five thousand members in the United States and ten thousand worldwide, thirty ISKCON communities and preaching centers, and several publishing houses distributing millions of copies of writings on the Vedic scriptures. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, ISKCON began to suffer from dwindling funds, decreasing membership, a series of conflicts in the governing body commission, anticult pressures, and unfavorable press coverage.
Additional Information
A thorough look at the growth and development of the Hare Krishna movement in the United States is found in E. Burke Rochford’s Hare Krishna in America (1991). A dated but worthwhile examination of the religion appears in J. Stillson Judah’s Hare Krishna and the Counterculture (1974).