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SECTION - 1A.C.BHAKTI VEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADAAND THE HARE KRISHNA MOVEMENTBorn in 1896 in Calcutta, India, BhaktiVedanta Prabhupada met his Guru SriBhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvamiin 1922. His Guru had founded 64 GaudiyaMaths. Srila Prabhupada became his studentand was initiated in 1933 for whole-timework of propagating Vedic knowledge. Hewrote a commentary on the Gita in 1937 andstarted an English journal in 1944. This isnow printed in the west by Prabhupada’sdisciples. It is published in 19 languages ofthe world.1950 saw Prabhupada, now given thehonorary title of Bhakti Vedanta, going tothe Holy Vrindavana and begining a life ofausterities. He renounced the worldly life in1959. He wrote a sixty-volume commentary,his master piece, on Srimad Bhagavatam.In 1965, Prabhupada came to U.S. to fulfilthe mission of his Master – to propagate theVedic knowledge in English. He wroteanother set of sixty volumes of authoritativetranslations, commentaries and summarystudies of the philosophical and religiousclassics of India.In 1965, Prabhupada came to the US as apenniless pilgrim. After almost a year ofgreat difficulties, he established theInternational Society for KrishnaConsciousness in July of 1966. Before hispassing away on 14-11-1977, he guided thesociety and saw it grow to a world-wideconfederation of more than one hundredasramas, schools, temples, institutes andfarm communities.In 1968 Prabhupada created New Vrindaban,an experimental Vedic community in the hillsof West Virginia US. It was a success. Nowseveral similar communities have beenstarted in India and abroad.In 1972, Prabhupada, started the Gurukulaschools in the West-Dt. Dallas-Texas. Tensuch Gurukula schools have been startedsince.Large International Cultural Centres,planned Spiritual cities and temples, inVrindavana, Bombay and elsewhere, havebeen constructed.Sri Prabhupada’s most significantcontribution is his books. Highly respectedSAMARTHA BHARATA 26