THE RISE OF HINDUISM IN THE WEST

THE RISE OF HINDUISM IN THE WEST

ISKCON has zealously spread Krishna-worship and the Vedic Dharma across the world. This is because it has western protagonists in its fold who are traditionally used to Christian proselytising. That in altered cultural terms applied to the Krishna movement has successfully propagated the message of Hinduism across the world. The propagators have been principally the western adherents of the movement themselves. 

Despite a movement's unavoidable aberrations and imperfections, I do not know of any other movement that has done so much in modern times to propagate Hinduism, if even of a limited, sectarian nature. Because it is sectarian, ISKCON has caught the imagination of the western masses which other deeper and broader philosophical movements have failed to do. The common man can appreciate limited ideas and ISKCON, by limiting itself to the Krishna cult of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition propounded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, has successfully influenced the western common man.

Srila Prabhupada, its founder, has done a seminal service to Hinduism by initiating this movement which has made Hinduism a household name in the West. The movement has gone global, though, long back and is the only Hindu movement that dares to propagate Hinduism in its spiritual, social and cultural context without apology, without shame, proudly and triumphantly. Jai Shree Krishna!

Written by Sugata Bose

Photo : courtesy, Christian Jansen