His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhu-
pada appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He
first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder
of sixty-four Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this
educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life
to teaching Vedic knowledge. Srila Prabhupada became his
student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad he be-
came his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupida to broadcast
Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the
years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary
on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gaudiya Matha in its work
and, in 1944, without assistance, started an English
fortnightly magazine, edited it, typed the manuscripts and
checked the galley proofs. He even distributed the in-
dividual copies freely and struggled to maintain the
publication. Once begun, the magazine never stopped; it is
now being continued by his disciples in the West.

Recognizing Srila Prabhupada’s philosophical learning
and devotion, the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society honored him
in 1947 with the title “Bhaktivedanta.” In 1950, at the age
of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupada retired from married life,
and four years later he adopted the vanaprastha (retired)

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