Introductory editorial content; doctrinal review is required before public publication.
Abhay Charan De was born in Calcutta in 1896. In 1922 he met Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, a teacher in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava lineage who encouraged him to share Krishna’s teachings with English-speaking audiences.
In 1965 he travelled to New York aboard the Jaladuta. In July 1966 he founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), combining lectures, congregational chanting, community building and book publishing.
His best-known publications include Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. He died on 14 November 1977.
This overview distinguishes documented biographical events from the devotional regard in which ISKCON members hold its founder-ācārya.