In Hinduism, many gods are known, the most important of which are Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Adherents of Hinduism believe that one of the many incarnations of the god Vishnu is Krishna. The cult of Krishna in the 20th century spread far beyond India and laid the foundation for the international Krishna movement.
Hare Krishna teachings and traditions
The Hare Krishnas spread the teaching that all people are part of the universal consciousness, which is God. Like most adherents of Hindu cults, followers of Krishna are convinced that there are numerous reincarnations of a person, which successively replace each other.
Krishnaites consider Krishna to be the same God as Jews, Christians and Muslims recognize him. Salvation for people comes through the divine consciousness of Krishna. To join this consciousness, the adherents of this teaching traditionally chant the name of Krishna. It is believed that this ritual serves as a touch to Krishna and a kind of sacrifice to him.
The appearance of the Hare Krishnas is immediately striking: they wear bright clothes with Indian motives. Men traditionally shave their heads, sometimes leaving only a pigtail. Proper nutrition is of particular importance in the life of a Hare Krishna. As a rule, true Hare Krishnas are vegetarians. Each meal has a ritual significance, since it is viewed as a union with the deity.
Features of Krishnaism
Hare Krishnas can often be found in crowded places. Gathering in groups, they sing their songs, sell flowers and religious literature, and sometimes just collect donations. The Hare Krishna movement is very common in North America, where they constitute one of the many Hindu groups.
Since the beginning of the 70s of the last century, subdivisions of the so-called "International Society for Krishna Consciousness" began to operate in the Soviet Union, and then in modern Russia. The adherents of this sect declare their adherence to the traditions of Hinduism, but experts consider the teachings of the present Hare Krishnas pagan.
The most ardent adherents of the Krishna society are convinced that salvation is guaranteed only to those who devote their whole life to Krishna, strictly observe the daily routine and strict dietary rules. The worship of the deity is also expressed in the countless repetition of mantras, which often leads the Hare Krishnas into a state of ecstasy and can lead to complete unconsciousness.
The Orthodox Church condemns the cult and traditions of the Hare Krishnas, believing that this teaching brings out the dark and demonic forces hidden in a person. Adherents of the Christian doctrine, not without reason, believe that the Krishna organization is just one of the many destructive sects, the purpose of which is to suppress the personality and control the consciousness of a person.