His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupāda

At the age of 69, when most people are retired, Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta — a small, weather-beaten cargo ship bound for New York City. He carried with him just forty rupees and a trunk full of his translations of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. He suffered two heart attacks on the thirty-five-day journey, yet his determination remained unshaken.

Upon arriving in America in September 1965, he struggled alone for nearly a year. Sleeping in doorways, depending on the kindness of strangers, he never lost faith. Gradually, a few young people — seekers disillusioned with material pursuits — began to gather around him, drawn by his profound scholarship, his uncompromising purity, and his deep, fatherly compassion.

In July 1966, in a tiny storefront at 26 Second Avenue in New York's Lower East Side, he formally registered the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. From this humble beginning, a worldwide spiritual movement was born.

In just twelve years, despite his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. He established over 100 temples, farm communities, and gurukulas. Most remarkably, he authored over 80 volumes of authoritative translations and commentaries on India's classic spiritual texts — including the celebrated Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta.