The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) popularly known as Hare Krishna Movement is a spiritual society that was officially established on 13 th July, 1966 in New York, America by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. ISKCON is a worldwide association of devotees of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Today ISKCON comprises of more than 600 temples across six continents, 40 rural communities, over 100 vegetarian restaurants and over 50 Vedic schools. It also conducts special projects throughout the world, such as “Food for Life”, the only free vegetarian relief program in the world. One of the main objectives of ISKCON is to promote the well-being of society by teaching the science of Krishna consciousness according to Bhagavad-Gita and other timeless Vedic scriptures.
When Srila Prabhupada first incorporated ISKCON in 1966, he gave it seven purposes:
1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people 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.
2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy names of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
5. To erect for the members, and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.
7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.
The four regulative principles:
Its Founder Acharya, Bhaktivedanta Swami prescribed four regulative principles, in relation to the four legs of dharma (Mercy, Austerity, Truthfulness and Cleanliness of body and mind), as the basis of the spiritual life: