A. C. Bhaktivedanta

A. C. Bhaktivedanta

Founder of ISKCON and proponent of Hare Krishna.

A renowned spiritual leader and philosopher who established a global mission to promote the chanting of Hare Krishna and the teachings of ancient Indian scriptures. He emphasized a life centered on devotion, humility, and service, advocating bhakti-yoga as a universal path to spiritual realization. Through his translations and commentaries on texts like the Bhagavad Gita, he made the wisdom of Krishna consciousness accessible to people worldwide, inspiring a movement rooted in the practice of Hare Krishna devotion.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Quotes about Life

  • In spiritual life, one must conduct one's whole life under the guidance of the guru. Only one who executes his spiritual life under the direction of the spiritual master can achieve the mercy of Krishna.
  • In the last stage of the spiritual master's life, the devotees of the spiritual master should take preaching activities into their own hands. In this way the spiritual master can sit down in a solitary place and render nirjana-bhajana.
  • Therefore a person fully absorbed in the bodily concept of life is surely killing himself by not making spiritual progress. Such a person is called pasu-ghna. Especially excluded from spiritual life are the animal hunters, who are not interested in hearing and chanting the holy name of the Lord. Such hunters are always unhappy, both in this life and in the next. It is therefore said that a hunter should neither die nor live because for such persons both living and dying are troublesome.
  • First birth is from your parents, but real birth, real life, begins when one accepts a bona fide spiritual master and renders service unto him. Then the path is open for going back to home, back to Godhead, to live eternally in full knowledge and full bliss and in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Lord Krishna.