A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly known as the 'Hare Krishna Movement'. He was born on September 1, 1896 to Gaur Mohan De and Rajni in Kolkata and received his education at the city's Scottish Church College. Prabhupada's real name was Abhay Charan De before he became the disciple of the Krishna devotee Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj who lived in the beginning of the 20th century. Prabhupada was married and had children.
In 1959 he took a vow of renunciation (sannyasa) and started writing commentaries on Vaishnava scriptures. At the age of 69, Prabhupada left India for the US to proselytize, and founded ISKCON. In the following twelve years, Prabhupada traveled extensively across the six continents in order to spread Krishna's message of love and peace.
In just twelve short years he initiated tens of thousands of disciples, established temples in every major city in the world, and travelled extensively twelve times around the world in as many years. He established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which is now one of the biggest book publishing houses in the world, which distributes transcendental literatures at a rate unparalleled. In every university, library, school, and many millions of houses there are now to be found the transcendental time bombs of Vedic wisdom – Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Shri Isopanisad, Bhaktirasamrta Sindhu (Nectar of Devotion), Shrimad Bhagavatam, Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, and hundreds of small books and booklets on spiritual life.
Prabhupada ended his past time on Monday November 14, 1977, and left behind a body of valuable spiritual works. Prominent among over eighty books that he authored on Vedantic philosophy, religion, literature and culture, The Song of God or Bhagavad Gita As-It-Is, The History of God and His Devotees (Bhagavata Purana), and The Life and Teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Chaitanya Charitamrita).