Krishnaism is a conditional group of Hindu Vaishnavism, whose adherents worship the main hypostasis of Vishnu, God Krishna. It is the only Hindu religion widespread in the West.
What is the essence of Krishnaism
Krishnaites consider themselves pure Hindus and preach the attainment of salvation through personal devotion to Krishna, who is considered by them to be the true god, in his purest form. All other gods of Hinduism are considered by the Hare Krishnas only as avatars of Krishna or his creations. It is believed that Krishna appeared five thousand years ago before the beginning of the so-called Kali-yuga, the era of darkness, in order to revive the true religion in the world, destroy demons and protect virtuous people. Krishnaites honor all Hindu books, but especially highlight the Bhagavata Purana and the Gospel of Hinduism Bhagavad Gita - the philosophical dialogue between Krishna himself and his cousin Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. Krishna is described as a young man with a black body but Aryan features. He plays the flute, fights demons and evil people. Krishnaism is known all over the world for the activities of the Gaudiya Vaishnava guru Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who arrived in the United States in the seventies and founded the Society for Krishna Consciousness there.
Srila Prabhubada crossed the ocean in a ship at the age of seventy and suffered two heart attacks during the voyage. All his property consisted of two boxes of books.
The Society grew rapidly to become an imposing international organization with millions of adherents around the world and a large budget. The attitude of ordinary people and governments towards the organization is ambiguous. So, in Russia, Krishnaism is classified as a totalitarian sect. And although the cult is not prohibited by law, the attitude towards it is wary. Some social movements are trying to obstruct the missionary activities of the Hare Krishnas and are persecuting them according to the law.
What is the Bhagavad Gita about
The main principles of Krishnaism are written in the main sacred book Bhagavad Gita. It describes the philosophical dialogue between Krishna and his cousin Arjuna before the epic battle on the Kurukshetra field between the closely related clans of the Pandavas and Kauravas.
The Beatles, especially George Harrison, who became an adherent of this cult, played a large role in popularizing Krishnaism.
Arjuna doubted whether he should go against his brothers, but Krishna strengthened him in this and taught him a philosophical teaching. Krishna explained that the physical body dies, but the soul is immortal and is born again in the material world, unless one succeeds in attaining salvation. Krishna calls a quick way to achieve liberation through the incessant chanting of the mantra "Hare Krishna - Hare Rama" and personal devotion to him as the creator of everything.