What is ISKCON? | ISKCON Trinidad & Tobago

The Hare Krishna Movement

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), otherwise known as the Hare Krishna movement, includes five hundred major centers, temples and rural communities, nearly one hundred affiliated vegetarian restaurants, thousands of namahattas or local meeting groups, a wide variety of community projects, and millions of congregational members worldwide.

Although less than fifty years on the global stage, ISKCON has expanded widely since its founding by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in New York City in 1966.

Our Philosophy

ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradāya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture. Philosophically it is based on the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gītā and the Bhagavat Purana, or Srimad Bhagavatam. These are the historic texts of the devotional bhakti yoga tradition, which teaches that the ultimate goal for all living beings is to reawaken their love for God, or Lord Krishna, the "all-attractive one".

God is known across the world by many names including Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Rama, etc. ISKCON devotees chant God's names in the form of the maha-mantra, or the great prayer for deliverance: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Academic Recognition

Many leading academics have highlighted ISKCON's authenticity. Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University, describes the movement as "a tradition that commands a respected place in the religious life of humankind."

In the 1980s Dr. A. L. Basham, one of the world's authorities on Indian history and culture, wrote of ISKCON that, "It arose out of next to nothing in less than twenty years and has become known all over the West. This, I feel, is a sign of the times and an important fact in the history of the Western world."

Practices & Activities

Members of ISKCON practice bhakti-yoga in their homes and also worship in temples. They also promote bhakti-yoga, or Krishna Consciousness, through festivals, the performing arts, yoga seminars, public chanting, and the distribution of the society's literatures.

ISKCON members have also opened hospitals, schools, colleges, eco-villages, free food distribution projects, and other institutions as a practical application of the path of devotional yoga.

Festivals & Kirtan

Celebrating Krishna consciousness through music and festivals

Education

Schools, colleges, and spiritual education programs

Food Relief

Free food distribution and prasadam programs

Eco-Villages

Sustainable living and cow protection projects

Experience Krishna Consciousness

Join us at ISKCON Trinidad & Tobago and discover the joy of bhakti-yoga in your daily life.

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