by
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
[Text from Book Cover Flap]
“I have not manufactured or concocted anything. I am simply presenting the message of Kṛṣṇa as it is.”—His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
One of the world’s greatest spiritual texts, the Bhagavad-gītā contains the essence of Vedic knowledge. Bhagavad-gītā is a sacred “song” in the form of a battlefield dialogue between the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, His friend and disciple. Kṛṣṇa, acting as Arjuna’s adviser, instructs him in the science of self-realization, teaching him how to live as a devotee of the Lord and to thus reach the eternal spiritual world while continuing to perform his earthly duties.
In India, the teachings embodied in this sacred text have remained vital for generations; today, the rapid spread of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the West bears witness to the continued viability and universal appeal of Kṛṣṇa's message.
HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPĀDA, the leading exponent of the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West and the world’s most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought, is the author of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa and many other English versions of Vedic literature. Śrīla Prabhupāda has little interest in dry philosophical interpretations; his only purpose is to present the message of Kṛṣṇa as he received it from his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, whom he first met in Calcutta in 1922.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta instilled in his disciple the idea of preaching the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world and specifically in the English language. As a step toward this goal, His Divine Grace started Back to Godhead magazine, which is now circulated around the world in ten languages. In 1965, at the age of seventy, he sailed to the United States to further his spiritual master’s mission, bringing with him only $7, some books and a pair of hand cymbals. Shortly afterward, he began classes on Bhagavad-gītā in a small storefront in New York City and gradually attracted more and more students. Now, several years later, his International Society for Krishna Consciousness has centers in major cities throughout the world.
Śrīla Prabhupāda has committed all his time and energy to spreading Vedic knowledge in its purest possible form. “The spiritual verses of Bhagavad-gītā are as clear as the sun,” he writes. “They do not require lamplight from foolish commentators.” Śrīla Prabhupāda is a transparent medium through which the immortal light of Bhagavad-gītā shines forth.