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yajvan
12 April 2007, 07:25 AM
Hare Krishna (ISKCON) - ISKCON is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This organization was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prahupada. Obviously Sri Krishna ( some write Krsna) is at the core of their devotion for this group. The practice and beliefs are part of the Vaishnava ( Vishnu) tradition, or Vishnu as the Supreme. Sri Krishna, an avatar ( incarnation) of Vishnu plays a key role. Not just as the avatata, but as the Supreme fountainhead of all manifest and unmanifest creation. He is viewed as the Fountainhead of all that was, is and will be, both in Absolute and relative fields of creation. He is the Supreme Self.

Discussion: The best authority on Sri Krsna is the Bhagavad-Gita. This is the central doctrine of ISKCON. This book of wisdom is 700 verses ( some think 701) of the 'song of the Lord' and is part of the Mahabharata. Many call the Bhagavad gita the cream of the Veda's , as everything thing one would care to know and achieve is within this 700 verse offering from Sri Krishna to his friend and devotee Arjuna.

Another key individual of ISKCON is the venerable Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (caitanya mahāprabhu) of the 16th century.
He is a key Vaishnava, and considered another avatar of Krishna. It is by his works that the ISKCON movement rests.
He brought Gaudiya Vaishnavism or the devotional worship of Radha and Krishna, and their many divine incarnations as the supreme forms of God as a way of advancing one's spiritual aspirations and achievement.

Chanting of the Maha Mantra - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalisa%E1%B9%87%E1%B9%AD%C4%81ra%E1%B9%87opani%E1%B9%A3ad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalisa%E1%B9%87%E1%B9%AD%C4%81ra%E1%B9%87opani%E1%B9%A3ad)
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

References Used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Krishna#The_.22Hare_Krishna.22_movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Krishna#The_.22Hare_Krishna.22_movement)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaitanya_Mahaprabhu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaitanya_Mahaprabhu)