Krishnaists

Aka the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), this is a branch of Gaudiya-Vaishnavism, a monotheistic tradition within Hinduism that originated in ancient India and is devoted to Lord Krishna. ISKCON claims a 5,000-year unbroken chain of spiritual teaching from Lord Krishna Himself. It was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace AC Bhativedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977) and has 500 major centres (including temples) and ‘millions’ of congregational members worldwide (iskcon.org). Its main following (including Western followers) is within India. Hare Krishna gained a lot of followers during the 1960s in the West, where it still has a strong presence. The Beatle George Harrison (1943–2001) was one of its celebrity followers, and recorded his devotional hit ‘My Sweet Lord’ with fellow followers. Its main scripture is the ancient text the Bhagavad Gita, originally written in Sanskrit. A core teaching is that the ultimate goal for all beings is to reawaken their love for Lord Krishna (who goes by many names and is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). Devotees worship in temples and promote Krishna Consciousness throughout their communities. Yoga and meditation practices (including devotional service, conscious action, philosophical study, chanting and a set of movement and breathing exercises) are fundamental practices of this faith. Meetings for communal worship and physical and spiritual nourishment are regular and usually fall on Sundays. Devotees abstain from eating meat, fish and eggs and from consuming intoxicants. Gambling is forbidden and sex is restricted to procreation within marriage. The cow is considered sacred and is regarded as ‘one of the seven mothers’, because she supplies the milk that nourishes us. In every major city in the world where there is a presence, ISKCON celebrates the Hindu festivals Janmastami, Rath Yatra, Diwali and Holi. The dates vary from year to year as they are determined by the lunar calendar.