International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as 'the Hare Krishna' was founded in 1966 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. While some classified the sect as a new religious movement, its core philosophy is based on scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, both of which date back thousands of years. The distinctive appearance of the movement and its culture come from the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition, which has had adherents in India ever since the late 1400s. ISKCON forms the largest brnch of this belief system. ISKCON is one of the most identifiable religious movements to develop in the past century, often frequenting city streets and airports in North America throughout the 1970's and 80's. The popular nickname of "Hare Krishnas" for devotees of this movement comes from the mantra that devotees sing aloud. Members have also been highly identifiable by way of their standard shaved heads and orange safron robes
ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of 'Bhakti Yoga' (The Yoga of Devotion); wherein aspirant devotees (Bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna (seen as nondifferent from God).
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabuphada
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) the founder of ISKCON, was born in Calcutta under the given Abhay Charan De. After receiving formal Vaisnava education as a youth under the tutelage of a family priest, and later attended Scottish Church College in Calcutta. Until his full initiation in Guadiya Math (an organization with the perogative of spreading Gaudiya Vaishnavism throughout India) in 1933, Prabhupada made a living as a moderately successful pharmaceutical salesperson. Young Prabhupadawas largely inspired by his spiritual master Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati, founder of the Guadiya Math whose teaching lineage Bhaktivedanta would carry on. Upon initiation, Prabhupada began publishing prolifically on the topic of Vaishnavism. In 1959 he was given sanyassin (renunciate) status and began planning for a journey to America in order to spread Chaitanya's teachings. He arrived on the shores of New York City in 1965 at the age of 69, founding his first ISKCON center there in the summer of the following year. So began the widespread promulgation of Prabhupada's translations and other publications, as well as the development of ISKCON temples in other major cities throughout North America and Europe. After gaining a large following throughout the remainder of the 1960's, Prabhupada returned to India in 1970 with a troupe of disciples from the west in tow, and established further ISKCON temples in major Indian centers such as Bombay and Vrindavan, as well as an international headquarters in Mayapura. He died due to mounting illness on November 14, 1977.
Theological roots
ISKCON represents the transplantation of Vaishnavism, a major Hindu devotional school which worships Vishnu and his incarnations as supreme divinity, to the world beyond India. Four Vaishnava lineages were formed by Hindu thinkers Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha and Caitanya. Hare Krishna devotees specifically follow a disciplic line of Caitanya, a tradition which has been historically known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Gaudiya Vaisnavism has had a continuous following in India, especially West Bengal and Orissa for the past five hundred years. Srila Prabhupada popularized Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology in the Western world through extensive writings and translations, most importantly the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) and Chaitanya Charitamrita and other scriptures. These works are now available in more than sixty languages and serve as the canon for ISKCON.
In concordance with Vaishnava theology, Hare Krishna's identify the deity Krishna as the supreme lord of the universe. They honor Krishna as the highest form of God, and often refer to him as "the Supreme Personality of Godhead" in writing, which was a phrase coined by Srila Prabhupada in his books on the subject. Krishna is seen as the ultimate source of all manifestations of the divine, and also as a descendant of Krishna in human form. While typical Hindu theology identifies Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu, the god responsible for the operation of the universe (see Trimurti) Hare Krishna devotees believe that Krishna himself is the origin of Lord Vishnu rather than being limited to the avatar form. While this conception of Krishna does subsume aspects of formlessness and ineffability like the traditional Hindu conception of Brahman, Krishna's supreme form is his personal one. An important aspect of the Gaudiya and ISKCON philosophy is the belief that the individual soul is an eternal personal identity which does not ultimately merge into any formless light or void as suggested by the monistic (advaita) schools of Hinduism.
Doctrines
The seven purposes of ISKCON
When Srila Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:
- To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
- To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is connected to the Godhead (Krishna).
- To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement (see below), congregational chanting of the holy names of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
- To erect for the members, and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
- To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
- With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.
The four regulative principles
Srila Prabhupada prescribed four regulative principles that all devotees must follow as the basis of the spiritual life. These comprise four behaviours which are seen as the definitive acts of karmis (or materialists who are ignorant of Krishna) and therefore are to be avoided:
- No eating of meat, fish or eggs
- No illicit sex (that is, no sex which is carried out for non-procreative ends).
- No gambling
- No intoxication (including alcohol, caffeine and tobacco).
The 'Maha Mantra'
The popular nickname of "Hare Krishnas" bestowed upon ISKCON members comes from the mantra they sing, often in public places which made them highly identifiable. This mantra, known as the Maha Mantra, involves the repitition of the names of God: 'Hare', 'Krishna' and 'Rama'. This mantra is held by ISKCON followers to be the same one uttered by Caitanya at his initiation to Vaishnavism at Gaya, which was seen to be the single means of deliverance in the Kali Yuga. The chant proceeds as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
These names connect both the practioner and the listener to transcendental spiritual energy, as the sound vibrations created by their repitition gradually induces pure God-consciousness, or "Krishna consciousness." Hare Krishnas place emphasis on the loud, boisterous chanting of the mantra as opposed to muttering of the chant at a lower volume, since Caitanya is said to have espoused the former method due to its efficacy at inspiring both listener and chanter. It is commonly accepted in the Hare Krishna fold that one does not need to understand the langugae being used within the mantra, as it is not efficacious in the intellectual realm but in the spiritual one. Thus, anyone, whether initiated as a Hare Krishna or not, can benefit from the public performance of the mantra, as the sound itself is sacred. Personal advancement through chanting is evident through a gradual disappearance of such vices as lust, greed and anger, leading to an eventual eschewal of all material desire.
Chanting of the mantra is said to be the most important duty of ISKCON followers, and it's recitation is required of all initiates into the ISKCON fold. Furthermore, it is the optimum means by which to acheive and maintain devotional bliss to Lord Krishna. Further, all disciples were required to complete perform a certain quota of chants on there own. Hare Krishnas practice private chants, meditating upon rosary-like beads, called japa mala which resemble rosary beads. In addition, they take part in congregational chanting, referred to as kirtana. Commonly, this chant is set to music for performance in temples and public settings. The thrice weekly evening and daily morning classes held at ISKCON centres were marked in large part by congregational chanting.
Bhakti
Following in the Gaudiya tradition, Prabuphada was greatly opposed to previous Hindu doctrines of impersonalism. These include teachings such as those of Shankara which claim that all forms (including gods such as Krishna), are illusory when considered in relation to the ultimate principle Brahman. Prabuphada claimed that this rejection of the reality of the world, and ultimately the rejection of Krishna, is an irreconcilable spiritual offense. As an alternative, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada upheld Chaitanya's personalistic vision of the divine, claiming that each human being or jiva (possessing limited power and will) represents a fleck of consciousness derived from the Absolute. Although the physical world appears to be a multiplicity of jivas, there is actual no division in the context of Krishna, the monistic essence for the entire universe. Thus, all jivas are by nature pure. However, as jivas attempt to enjoy the physical world, they became slaves to the power of maya (illusion) and grow away from realization of god. In the tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Prabhupada held that the primary means to attaining true union with Krishna is through personal devotion, or bhakti. Here, genuine faith is cultivated through intimate experience of Krishna (the goal of all chanting and worship), eventually resulting in pure, unmitigated love.
Sadhana
ISKCON's strong roots in the bhakti tradition of devotion have rendered devotional activities particularly important in the tradition. During his lifetime, Prapuphada insisted that members of the group adhere to the practice of sadhana, or the provision service to three-dimensional images of Krishna based on Caitanya's earlier prescriptions. Prabhpada emphasized two devotional activities: recitation of the maha mantra and regular reading of the Bhagavata Purana. Worship is not isolated to the temple, and ultimately, the better part of Hare Krishna worship takes place within the home. Often, during their initiations ISKCON members are instructed by their guru as to the correct practices concerning deity worship when they are in their home. Due to this fact, a significant amount of revenue for ISKCON has been generated through the sale of images of Krishna in temple shops for this variation of worship. ISKCON has recently published a worship manual outlining archanam procedures in order to aid members in carrying out rituals. They have also utilized the internet to make these procedures easily accessible, with numerous sites featuring daily postings dealing with questions and concerns related to deity worship.
The Guru
In a number of Prabhupada's works, he emphasizes the absolute and virtually superhuman qualities of the guru, or spiritual master. A person without a guru, he explains, cannot truly know god. In the Bhagavad Gita As It Is he writes: "For one who does not take personal training under the guide of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Krishna." As could be expected, then, gurus in the ISKCON tradition are subject to intense spiritual standards, and in order to be considered bona fide, they had to be situated in the succession of disciples, or guru parampara. For A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the list of disciplic succession for gurus in the Gaudiya succession (given in his translation of the Bhagavad Gita) begins with Krishna and ends with himself. Following the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Bhaktivedanta established that the spiritual masters must exist for purposes of both initiating and instructing members of the ISKCON community. The guru must be an educator, heading the gurukula boarding schools (house of the guru), as well as an family advisor concerning spiritual matters, overseeing initiations, and advising men about proper relations with women.
Following the precepts of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Prabhupada stressed the importance of surrender to a genuine guru. An important part of this process the gurv-ashtaka, eight verses concerning the spiritual master which for years formed an indispensible element of daily morning programs at ISKCON establishments. Unquestioning obedience to the guru is held to be of utmost importance, with negative terms such as guru-tyagi ("renouncer of the guru") attached to all those who did not follow the guru's commands. Further, rejection of the spiritual master after accepting his instruction and authority is considered a serious offense worthy of expulsion from the sect.
Sankirtana
Unlike many other branches of Hinduism, Chaitanya held that one does not need to be born in a Hindu family to take up the practice of Vaishnavism, therefore, ISKCON is actively evangelistic. In 1968, Prabuphada instituted the practice dubbed Hare Nama, a process which had devotees venturne into public places such as shopping malls and airports in order to chant and preach with a goal of soliciting donations in exchange for Prabuphada's translations. ISKCON members refer to this distribution of their books as sankirtana. Sankirtana peaked in 1976, when devotees passed out as many as 6000 publications per week, then declined gradually until 1979, when it dropped off drastically. These activities were absolutely indispensible in bringing members to the sect, as study's such as Rochford's (1980) attest, reporting that 42 percent of ISKCON devotees in the United States were recruited in public places.
Not only did these activities help to spread the teachings of Prabuphada, but they also aided the Hare Krishna movement finacially. During the peak years of sankirtana, the average donation solicited was between four and five dollars, hence, ISKCON was able to make significant profits for each book it distrubuted, leading to prosperity within the movement during this time period. However, as the urge to maximize profit increased among members, public opinion toward ISKCON soured. As a result, ISKCON members began to used deceptive strategies in order to regain the public's respect, often wearing wigs and civilian clothes in order to disguise their traditional appearances. As well, devotees would often disguise themselves as seasons dictated; for example, some members solicited donations at Christmas by dressing as Santa Claus. Eventually, efforts became completely for feduciary purposes as devotees developed a practice called "picking", where members sold nonreligious products to people at shopping centres, rock concerts and other public locations. This came to be the most favoured form of sankirtana by the 1980's, although ISKCON literature came to no longer be distributed with the other items sold. Because of disfavour among the public with these practices , ISKCON eventually pulled back on its sankirtana efforts. Their tactics such as picking came under particular criticism, as they suggested to the public that ISKCON as a whole was more concerned with financial ends rather than religious ones. Because of this, ISKCON lost First Amendment privledges, members of the general public began to avoid devotees, and airport managers lobbied to have them removed entirely. As a result, Sankirtana was officially discontinued in the late 1980's.
ISKCON after Srila Prabhupada's death
Srila Prabhupada spent much of the last decade of his life setting up the institution of ISKCON. As a charismatic leader, Srila Prabhupada's personality and management were responsible for much of the growth of ISKCON and the reach of his mission.
Upon Prabhupada's death on November 14, 1977, eleven of his disciples became initiating gurus for ISKCON. Those chosen were Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami [2], Jayapataka Swami [3], Hrdayananda Gosvami, Tamala Krishna Gosvami, Bhavananda Gosvami, Hamsaduta Swami, Ramesvara Swami, Harikesa Swami, Bhagavan dasa Adhikari, Kirtanananda Swami, and Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari. Of these eleven individuals, the first three are still actively preaching within ISKCON, as was Tamal Krishna Goswami until his death in a car accident in March 2002.
ISKCON is managed by the Governing Body Commission created by Srila Prabhupada to handle affairs in his absence. The authority and mission of this body has evolved since the time of Prabhupada's demise in 1977.
Controversy arose as to who would be the correct successor in Prabuphada's disciplic lineage. Prabuphada instructed that his godbrother Shridhara Goswami be approached by disciples for clarification in spiritual matters after his death. This mandate was largely rejected, and Goswami was eventually vilified by many leaders in the movement. At first, ISKCON leaders were generally pleased with Goswami. However, controversy stirred when some ISKCON leaders suggested that Goswami should be made accountable for internal problems which had developed since Prabuphada's death. Specifically, the zonal guru system which was developed in the year following Prabuphada's death, in which devotees were instructed to accept intiation from the guru who had responsible over their geographic region rather than the guru of their choice was of concern, even though Goswami opposed it from the beginning. ISKCON leaders went on to ignore Gosvami's advice and implement the system, which was largely unpopular among devotees and caused considerable dissension within the movement due to the fact that the new gurus assumed superior status to nonguru devotees. Rather than admitting their faults, these ISKCON leaders blamed Goswami for the contoversy caused by their own decisions. From then on, Goswami was consulted on certain issues but was largely ignored. With mounting concern with issues caused by the indulgences of the gurus in sex and intoxication, ISKCON leaders shirked Goswami's attempts to mitigate the infighting and in 1982 declared him an official enemy of their organization, expelling him. Many members of ISKCON had come to support Goswami's dictates rather than those of the new gurus, and as such, his expulsion lead to a significant loss of devotees who continued to follow Goswami. Others who stayed in ISKCON while continuing to understand Goswami's teachings as harmonious with Prabuphada were forcibly removed from the tradition, as well.
Points of philosophical contention
After Srila Prabhupada died, a number of theological controversies arose.
The origin of the soul
Srila Prabhupada explains that the soul falls from the spiritual world to this material world and the supreme objective of the human life is to become Krishna conscious to be able to return "Back to Godhead" (this is also the title of the official ISKCON magazine). However Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaisnavas teach that the soul apparently has never been in the spiritual world. More information is available in the book 'Our Original Position' published by GBC Press and the article 'Where Do the Fallen Souls Fall From?'[11]
Devotees were largely unsatisfied with the society's position on the origin of souls, which held that souls fall from Vaikuntha rather than always existing in the material realm, which seemed inconsistent to many considering other parts of Gaudiya philosophy. For several years leading up to 1994, this question was a priority of the GBC's Philosophical Committee. Controversy was evoked when Satyaranya and Kundali Das took the position that no one falls from the spiritual realm, and that souls were always a part of samsara, the cycle of rebirth. This was met with much resisitance among ISKCON leaders, who claimed that this was contrary to Prabuphada's teachings. Satyaranya and Kundali Das eventually produced a book, In Vaikuntha, Not Even the Leaves Fall, which compiled evidence in Prabuphada's teachings where he had espoused 1) the opinion that souls have fallen and must return, 2) the contrary view that no falls, and 3) the fact that dwelling on such a question is irrelevant. Thus, Satyaranya and Kundali Das reformulated the debate as one of epistemology, claiming that the Gaudiya tradition, Prabuphada included, allowed for the use of human reason in order to evaluate scripture, therefore defending their standpoint. Regardlesss, a nine-member subcommittee of the GBC voted to ban the book, and held to the belief that souls do fall which was defended in the book Our Original Position and the article 'Where Do the Fallen Souls Fall From?'
The Guru and the Parampara
Passing of knowledge is named Parampara, or disciplic succession. Some Gaudiya Vaisnavas claim that one needs to learn only from Srila Prabhupada and there should be no other gurus. Just before his physical departure, Srila Prabhupada set up a system of initiation employing the use of ritviks (ceremonial priests) who would continue to initiate on his behalf, without the need for his physical involvement (as, during this time, he was unable to travel). Based on Srila Prabhupada's statements in letters, most agree that it was right that the system stopped upon Prabhupada's passing. Thus, the proxy-initiation ritvik system was put aside in 1977, on the basis of Prabhupada's instructions in letters and tapes. A minority, named ISKCON Revival Movement, say it was a permanent order meant to continue even after Prabhupada died. More information about the proxy-initiation ritvik position is offered in "The Final Order," the main position paper of the IRM.
Scandal and Controversies
Child Abuse
ISKCON has been involved in a number of scandals and controversies. In 1998, ISKCON Communications Journal[4], the society's official publication, ran an article that detailed the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children in India and the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s[5]. The group received praise for its candor but later was sued by 95 people who had attended the boarding schools.
Facing the fiscal drain likely to ensue from this legal action, the ISKCON centers involved declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This allowed them to work out a settlement of US$9.5 million, meant to compensate not only the former students who had brought the suit but also any others who had undergone abuse but not sued.[6] About 430 such people responded to newspaper advertisements seeking to identify them. Individual victims are expected to receive between $6,000 and $50,000, depending on the nature and duration of their abuse.
To guard against further abuses, ISKCON has established a child protection office with teams worldwide, meant to screen out actual or potential abusers, educate children and adults on child abuse, and encourage due vigilance.[7] A petition circulating (as of July 2006) among ISKCON members calls for "zero tolerance" for past offenders.[8]
Numerous former gurukulis (students of the gurukala) have reported instances of abuse and neglect, including: humiliations in front of peers, monitoring of conversations with parents by teachers, punishment when for fabricated offenses or questioning of rules or procedures, as well as more serious sexual and physical violations.
Criminal Activity
In 1990, US Courts pronounced Kirtanananda Swami, the leader of the 'New Vrindavan' religious community (which was expelled from ISKCON for ten years between 1988-1998) [1] guilty on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to murder for his role in the death of two devotees who had threatened his control of the community. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the racketeering charge, but was released in June 2004 for health reasons. Another notable case, involving a woman named Robin George and her parents, went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. [9]
In response to the need to establish transparency and accountability among its members, ISKCON encouraged the establishment of an ombudsman organization, "ISKCONResolve."[10] The Integrated Conflict Management System (ICMS) also provides facilitators, arbitrators, and conflict analysis experts. The organisation says that ICMS is designed to give all members of ISKCON a voice and to bring the ISKCON leadership to higher levels of transparency and accountability. Generally, ISKCON higher-ups have made a considerable effort in order to rectify the acts of abuse that took place. However, some of the abused have considered these efforts to be disingenuous, performed more for purposes of damage control than veracious remorse, and have criticized some ISKCON leaders who have remained largely complacent and skeptical in regards to the child abuse allegations.
Treatment of Women
Women have also been exposed on occassion to mistreatment in ISKCON organizations. Women have reported sexual assaults and beatings at the hands of male superiors during their membership in the Hare Krishna monastic orders, as well as second class status in general relative to males. Statistical analyses of seminal Hare Krishna texts have revealed a decidedly negative sentiment towards women. Ekkehard Lorenz reports that 80 percent of all statements made by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada about women in his six most important works are negative: 56% portray women as objects pertaining mainly to sex. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada frequently characterizes women as unintelligent and materialist, implicating their bodies in the corruption of men's minds, claiming "woman is a stumbling block for self-realization." Eight percent concern women's lower class status, 9% discuss the necessity for restrictions upon women's freedoms, and 7% generally refer to women's qualities as negative. In addition, the majority of good qualities bestowed upon women in these works are presented as they relate to goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, whom women are expected to pattern their own actions after, thereby insinuating that earthly females have no positive qualities of their own.
Contemporary Developments
Membership in ISKCON has largely declined in recent years. While exact figures are not known, the Boston Pheonix identifies the number of ISKCON members in the United States as low as 800. Declines have been due largely to the schism; before these events ISCKON had more than 5000 members worldwide, but promptly lost 500 after the schism. As a result, many temples were closed, and the majority of ISKCON temples which remain worldwide are understaffed. Another corollary of the schism is the development of an alternative form of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the west, composed of those who accepted the teaching of Shridhara Goswami. Goswami's disciples created their own printing press in 1982 in order to spread their teachings, and have established numerous temples and religious centres in a variety of nations worldwide. ISKCON currently faces overwhelming challenges based on controversies and flagging membership, which has created a widespread climate of dissatisfaction within the movement.
Since the discontinuation of sankirtana, which provided a major source of revenue for ISKCON, the movement has been forced to do away with its sectarian structure and has become largely congregational. Members have moved out of monastries and taken up jobs in the mainstream labour force and set up households outside the community. In order to maintain some communal contact with other members, many householders formed enclave-like communities within proximity to temples. Due to the sexual abuse contoversies, has lead children to be raised at home within nuclear families rather than with other children at the gurukala. Conventional society now plays a considerably larger role in the life of ISKCON members.
See also
- Bhakti
- Vaishnava Theology
- Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology
- Bhagavad Gita As It Is
- ISKCON Devotee Profiles
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Beck, Guy L. "Hare Krishna Mahamantra: Gaudiya Vaishnava Practice and the Hindu Tradition of Sacred Sound." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Bryant, Edwin F. & Ekstrand, M., eds. The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant." New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
- Brzezinski, Jan. "Charistmatic Renewal and Institutionalization in the History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Gaudiya Math." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Joseph, Conrad. "Doctrinal Controversy and the Group Dynamic." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Rochford Jr., E. Burke. "Airports, Conflict, and Change in the Hare Krishna Movement." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Rochford, Burke E. Jr. and Bailey, Kendra. "Almost Heaven: Leadership, Decline and the Transformation of New Vrindaban in Nova Religio." The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions" Vol. 9 nr. 3, 2006. 10-13.
- Sherbow, Paul H. "Bhaktivedanta Swami's Preaching in the Context of Gaudiya Vaishnvaism." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Vishnu, Swami Bhakti Bhavana. "The Gaurdian of Devotion: Dissappearance and Rejection of the Spiritual Master in ISKCON after 1977." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
- Wolf, David. "Child Abuse and the Hare Krishnas: History and Response." In Bryant and Eckstrand, eds.
External links
Official sites
ISKCON:
- ISKCON Worldwide
- Krishna.com - The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
- ISKCON UK website
- ISKCON Ireland website
- Srila Prabhupada Archives
- ISKCON Communications Journal
- VEDA - Vedas and Vedic Knowledge Online
Unofficial sites
- Academic:
- News
- Books
- Theology
- Madhva followers criticizing ISKCON.
- Defense of ISKCON's theological beliefs against attacks by Madhva followers.
- Child Abuse Problems
- Personal account of child abuse in ISKCON
- A Timeline of the child abuse lawsuit case
- The original plaintiffs' court papers (PDF file)
- Women in ISKCON
- Women in ISKCON in Prabhupada's time
- Women in a Patriarchal religion
- Haan, Wim Krishna's Women: Old Wine in New Bottles
- Succession Issues
- Iskcon Revival Movement The 'ritvik' argument
- Srila Prabhupada: The Prominent Link
- 'About Unusual Doctrines' In support of the traditional approach to succession
- Miscellaneous Links
- Global photo gallery
- A collection of critical articles
- The Hare Krishna Movement and Hinduism
- Can it Be That the Hare Krishnas Are Not Hindu? Article from Hinduism Today - October 1998
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