Our Philosophy

What is the ‘Hare Krishna’ movement?

The ‘Hare Krishna’ movement is the informal name of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and has its roots in the ancient teachings of the ‘Vedas’, which are historical philosophical treatises dating back to over 5,000 years. The Vedas are also the source of many eastern religions and traditions including the popular doctrine of yoga.

The followers of the Hare Krishna movement, popularly known as the ‘Hare Krishnas’ follow a specific form of yoga called ‘bhakti yoga’, or the yoga of love and devotion towards the divine personality of God, famously known as Krishna. The movement was brought to the western world in 1965 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, known lovingly by the followers of the movement as ‘Srila Prabhupada’.

What is ‘Bhakti Yoga’?

Yoga is more than just a physical exercise. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj‘ which means to link up with, or combine. Bhakti is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘bhaj‘, which means – loving service. Bhakti-yoga means to connect to the Supreme by means of loving devotional service.

Today, some yoga practitioners consider the physical benefits of yoga to be the end in themselves. But according to the traditional yoga systems, physical exercises are just one step on path of God realisation. The Bhagavad Gita, the core spiritual text for ISKCON, ultimately prescribes Bhakti-yoga (the path of dedication and love) as the culmination of all other yoga practices. Bhakti-yoga focuses on developing our dedication, service and love for the Divinity, Lord Krishna.

The path of bhakti-yoga is developed through a variety of activities. These include mantra meditation, or the chanting of the names of God. The chanting is done either individually on beads (japa) or in community by chanting mantras accompanied by music (kirtan). The study of sacred texts such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, associating with like-minded spiritual aspirants, eating sanctified vegetarian food, and living in a way that upholds the principles of truthfulness, mercy, austerity, and cleanliness, are all core practices for a life of follower of bhakti.

We all have love or Bhakti within our self. However, it is in a dormant state. There is a simple way to awaken this dormant loving service to the supreme personality of Godhead. This process is laid down by Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahabrabhu, the incarnation of Lord Krishna in this present age has mercifully made this process very simple and enjoyable. Srila prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON has made this process famous all over the world.