A Brief History of ISKCON
In discussing Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is no question of ancient or modern since these teachings are eternal. Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness is eternal it is impossible to trace an origin. This means that there never was a time when Kṛṣṇa consciousness did not exist, so it can be said that there is no point at which Kṛṣṇa consciousness has come into being from not being. For this reason, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is said to be beginningless, which does not mean that it does not yet exist, but that it has always existed, so a point of "beginning" cannot be traced.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, one of the principal scriptures, it is stated that Lord Kṛṣṇa (God) transmitted this teaching to Vivasvān, the god of the sun, many millions of years ago. Vivasvān passed the teachings on to Manu, the progenitor of all mankind, and Manu transmitted it to the royal sage, Iksvāku. In this manner the teaching of Kṛṣṇa consciousness was passed down by a process known as disciplic succession. The validity of the process of disciplic succession depends on the qualified master transmitting the teaching to the sincere student, without adding any personally motivated interpretations. The teaching must be presented to the student exactly as it was previously presented to the teacher. In this way the teaching is preserved intact and unadulterated. It may be compared to the job of the mailman who delivers the letter, but does not add to it or subtract from it. In the course of time, however, the disciplic succession was broken. In order to re-establish this disciplic succession, Kṛṣṇa again personally transmitted this teaching to the great devotee, Arjuna, 5,000 years ago in India. This transmission is recorded in the Bhagavad-gītā.
At the time of the creation of this present universe, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally gave this knowledge to Brahmā, the builder of the universe. Upon hearing the sound of Kṛṣṇa playing the flute, Brahmā awoke to eternal knowledge. Brahmā transmitted the knowledge to the sage Nārada, and Nārada, in turn, gave the knowledge to Vyāsa, who is the compiler of the Vedic scriptures. This disciplic succession was passed down through many great teachers and eventually to Lord Krṣṇa Caitanya in the fifteenth century. Actually Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Lord Himself, but He appeared as a devotee of the Lord. Because He appeared as a devotee, He accepted a spiritual master in this line of disciplic succession known as the Brahma-sampradāya because it has been handed down from Lord Brahmā. Lord Caitanya travelled through India teaching the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century Śrīla Ṭhākur Bhaktivinode, a great devotee in Brahma-sampradāya, began the work of making this knowledge available to the English-speaking world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, the son of Śrīla Ṭhākur Bhaktivinode, continued the work of making this knowledge available to the English-speaking world. In 1918 he established the Gauḍīya Math Institute for teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He established sixty-four missions.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Gosvāmī, a disciple of Śrī Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, came to the United States in 1965 to continue the work of his spiritual master. In 1966 the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was established in New York City. As of May, 1970, there are thirty centers around the world.
The teaching being propagated in America and Europe today by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and his disciples is exactly the same as that given by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Vivasvān, Arjuna and Brahmā. It is not a question of modifying ancient teachings to fit a modern world. The relevance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is eternal and perfect for all people, regardless of culture, place or time. The advice given by Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna five thousand years ago in India is accepted without modification by modern Americans and Europeans.