HIs DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPĀDA
1896-1977
Founder-ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and the ISKCON School of Art.
Srila Prabhupāda labored incessantly to guide his disciples on Thoris artel ach ortencommen comprise singular school of art. This school encompasses not just painting but the path back to Godhead by rigorously, but lovingly, fostering in sculpture, architecture, drama, music, dance, photography, and them a deep appreciation for the themes and personalities depicted various other arts. Some have called this school the Vedic or Neo- in the Vedic literature, ancient India's vast storehouse of scriptural Vedic school of art because its goal is the search for Vedic Truth as wisdom. The disciples of Srila Prabhupāda, who have rendered the defined by the spiritual master of the movement, A.C. paintings throughout this book, take as a fact of life Kṛṣṇa's divine Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. It has been called the Vaiṣṇava artistry. Their moment-to-moment meditations and personal International School, because art glorifying Kṛṣṇa has never been lifestyles serve to enhance their love for the subject matter and so widely disseminated. It has been called the ISKCON School their inner awareness of its absolute content. By Srila Prabhupāda's because it was the art that developed along with ISKCON, the grace, they were allowed a glimpse into eternity, and this is International Society for Krishna Consciousness. reflected on every beautiful page of this volume.
The beginnings of this art are synonomous with the beginnings More importantly, mental speculation does not enter into the of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in America. A.C. Bhaktivedanta transcendental artist's mode of creative expression. Spiritual truth Swami, or Srila Prabhupāda, as his disciples later came to call him, is passed down in disciplic succession, and by this method, adherents was a firm believer in the power of art. His mission, as imparted to avoid the unsavory crime of idolatry, or the depiction of concocted him by his own spiritual teacher, was to publish books in English "gods" created by fertile but limited imaginations. Since the to the Western world. Srila Prabhupāda wanted to publish authentic Supreme Absolute Truth-the subject of these paintings—-origi- annotated translations of the Vaiṣṇava classics and he wanted nates before time itself, it must be revealed by a representative of them beautifully illustrated. The illustrations were to be not only that truth who, likewise, transcends time. Srila Prabhupāda is such a further explication of the text, but also instruments of devotion a representative, for he is the twenty-third teacher in the Brahmā- or worship. The primary inspiration for the painters was the chance Madhva-Gaudiya sampradāya, an esoteric chain of perfected masters to have one of their paintings published in Srila Prabhupāda's who have preserved and transmitted the original Absolute Reality books. Although these artists were quite different they had a as illustrated in the following pages. This fidelity to an unchanging common spiritual goal: To serve God by painting. tradition ensures that no imaginary, anthropomorphic conceptions
will play a role in the execution of the pieces seen throughout this Srila Prabhupāda explained that on the spiritual platform both work. They are bona-fide and totally authentic. This fact is self- the painting of a person and the person himself are real, whereas on evident, for the unique spirituality of these paintings can be the material platform both the person and the painting are illusory. perceived even by those without spiritual training. Experts and For Absolute beauty to be properly conveyed, one must actually be laymen alike can sense the great devotion andspiritual underpinings in touch with the source of this beauty: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme of the art you are about to behold. It has been called history in the Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, He is the original artist. Srila making. The paintings speak for themselves. Prabhupāda elaborates on Kṛṣṇa's unique position as the premier artist: "Suppose you are an artist. To paint a picture of a very nice "So the greatest art," Srila Prabhupāda explained, "is to un- rose, you have to take your brush, mix your colors on the palate, and derstand Kṛṣṇa. That is the greatest art. If we actually want to be tax your brain to make the picture beautiful. But in a garden you can an artist, we should try to understand, or try to be intimately see not only one rose but many thousands of roses blooming. They associated with, the greatest artist, Krona. For this purpose we have have been very artistically painted by nature....Anyone who per- established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. forms his work for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, who knows his The members of this society are trained to see in everything the relationship with Kṛṣṇa, is a true artist, and he can depict genuine, display of Kṛṣṇa's artistic sense. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness-to absolute beauty as it exists in the spiritual world. For he is seeing the see the artistic hand of Kṛṣṇa everywhere."