• Who is Krishna? How do you define God?
• Who am I?
• Why do you call Him Krishna?
• How do I know God exists?
• If God is so powerful why are there so many people suffering?
• What is Karma?
• What about so many voices out there saying they're the ones? How do I know your religion is the one true path?

• What is ISKCON?
• Who started your movement?
• What are the goals of your movement?
• How does your movement plan to achieve these goals?
• Are there any specific rules or restrictions in your movement?
• How are people recruited in your movement?
• How do I become a Hare Krishna devotee?
• Do you accept just anyone in your movement?
• Where do you get the money from to support your movement?

• Are you vegetarian? Why is this?
• What is prasadam? Why are you so famous for your food?
• Can I practice Krishna Consciousness at home? How do I do this?
• Why do you dress the way you do, shave your heads and what is that mark on your forehead?
• Why do devotees chant 'Hare Krishna'?

Lord Krishna is God, the one and only most powerful person, the creator of everything we can and can't see. For more information please click here.

Who am I?

Good question! And the first one that needs to be answered before we can begin to understand who God is. You are an eternal, indestructible, individual person that is only temporarily in this body because of your desires when you left your last body. You cannot die or be hurt in any way. The body you are in may be hurt or die, but is actually only like clothing for the soul - its not you. If you have ever seen a dead body, maybe that of a loved one, it will strike you how they are still physically the same. What's different? Why is the body suddenly lifeless? Quite simply because the soul has left it. So fear not, death is not the end, only another step. What direction that step is in depends on your actions in this life. For more information please click here.

Why do you call Him Krishna?

Krishna is an ancient Sanskrit word which means 'one who is all-attractive'. A person is attractive if they are wealthy, powerful, famous, beautiful, wise, or renounced. Lord Krishna is the personification of all of these qualities so therefore the name Krishna is very fitting. For more information please click here.

How do I know God exists?

We can know that God exists just like we know that a government, made of people, exists when we see traffic lights and just like we know an artist exists when we see a painting. We know that this God must be intelligent beyond our imagination, and that this God must be a person, because only a person has intelligence. For more information please click here.

If God is so powerful, why are there so many people suffering?

What about so many voices out there saying they're the ones? How do I know your religion is the one true path?

There are many positive aspects to other religions too and this is demonstrated by the fact that many of our members came from different faiths as a result of their getting serious about their religious beliefs but finding a limited amount of scriptural knowledge and answers to their questions. Krishna Consciousness encourages the constant asking of questions in a genuine manner and doesn't leave you relying on 'faith' alone. For more information please click here.

Although the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also known as the Hare Krishna movement, is relatively new in the West, its roots date back to ancient India, to the most advanced civilization the world has ever known - the Vedic civilisation. ISKCON, founded in 1966 in New York by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is the contemporary representative of the ancient science of Krishna consciousness. It is a cultural and religious movement that offers humanity facilities to acquire, study and practice Vedic knowledge. For more information please click here.

Who started your movement?

ISKCON was started by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, born 1896 in Calcutta, India. He was always a strong devotee of Lord Krishna and worked hard publishing periodicals and translating the principal scriptures into English. At the age of seventy, on the order of His spiritual master, he left India on the cargo carrier 'Jaladuta' bound for New York. 35 painful days and two heart attacks later he arrived in New York City with only a few dollars in his pocket and a trunk full of his books.

Srila Prabhupada passed away from this world in 1977. After preaching for 11 years in the West, he had created 108 centres worldwide, written 51 volumes of transcendental literature, travelled around the world eight times and initiated 5,000 disciples. He had created the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the world's largest publisher of Vedic literature, a scientific preaching academy - The Bhaktivedanta Institute and many other trusts to insure the continuity of ISKCON. For more information please click here.

What are the goals of your movement?

To educate and make everyone aware of the ancient philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, the practice of which leads to love of God - Lord Krishna, the symptoms of which are happiness, contentment and success in life. For more information please click here.

How does your movement plan to achieve these goals?

By distributing our spiritual literature, holding public and temple programs, congregational development, practical non-violence such as vegetarianism, charitable activities and the utilisation of more modern methods such as the media, internet and music and film industries. For more information please click here.

Are there any specific rules or restrictions in your movement?

Nobody likes to be restricted in any way. It would seem that freedom is what most people are searching for nowadays. Krishna Consciousness delivers just that. Pure freedom. From the anxieties and uncertainties of every-day life and beyond. However we follow four principles to help guide us in the right direction. These are not as much restrictions as they are common sense and their practice leads to a clean, happy and confident life.

For more information please click here.

The other alternative is to move into a temple and become one of the monks there. Instead of working normal jobs, these people dedicate their time to spreading information about the movement by distributing books and talking to interested people.

Besides that, many of our projects, like Food For Life Emergency Relief and the establishment of cultural centres, are government sponsored all over the world.

We believe very strongly in non-violence. How can we ever claim to be non-violent as a society when we mercilessly slaughter more than 25 billion animals and a much bigger amount of aquatics for food yearly? While they may not have the same level of intelligence as us, that is what puts the onus on us to care for all of God's creatures. After all are they not almost the same as us in most ways? For this reason we eat no meat, fish or eggs. Add to this the severe health risks that eating meat promotes. For instance, research and comparative studies over the past twenty-five years show that a meat-based diet is the number one cause of heart disease and cancer. When you see for yourself how more sumptuous and delicious vegetarian food is and how more socially economic and healthier a vegetarian lifestyle is, you're unlikely to need further convincing. For more information please click here.

What is prasadam? Why are you so famous for your food?

Prasadam is a Sanskrit word which literally translates to 'mercy'. We only eat pure vegetarian food prepared with the highest care. Before eating or tasting any food we prepare, we offer it to a picture or deity of Lord Krishna with some prayers asking Him to please enjoy it. After this the food is called prasadam and considered blessed. We understand that eating it is of spiritual benefit to us, much as Christians believe in the sacrament of holy communion.

Therefore this food, or prasadam, is a very important part of our organisation. We initially became particularly famous for our restaurants, food relief programs and temple meal programs because a few decades ago we were one of the few people you could trust for pure vegetarian food. Back in those days if a vegetarian alternative was served it was usually prepared alongside or cooked in the same oil or stock as meat.

Can I practice Krishna Consciousness at home? How do I do this?

Yes. Certainly in Ireland, the majority of people practicing Krishna Consciousness are regular people living in homes like yours. Some live in apartments or semi-detached homes in the city, others in homes in the country. The best way to learn how to practice Krishna Consciousness at home is to contact your nearest temple, attend one of our programs or read our books. Once you meet people like you who have started doing it you will see how easy it is and how much your life can be improved. For more information please click here.

Why do you dress the way you do, shave your heads and what is that mark on your forehead?

ISKCON devotees dress in a variety of ways, sometimes devotionally and sometimes in the contemporary dress of ladies and gentlemen. The devotional dress is traditional and is the accepted dress of the Vaisnava culture (the spiritual mainstream of the Vedic culture of India).

The shaven head you see many devotees with is more accustomed to the monks that live in a temple and is a sign of renunciation to the service of Lord Krishna. There are many devotees, especially the congregation who live around a temple who wouldn't often shave their head.

The mark you may see on the forehead and upper nose of Hare Krishna devotees is call tilak. It is refined mud from the sacred River Ganges in India and is in the shape of a V to symbolise the word Vaisnava. The part on the nose is the shape of a Tulasi leaf, considered to be a highly sacred tree that grows naturally in India.

The wooden beads we were around our neck are made out of wood from the above mentioned Tulasi tree. Tulasi is understood to have the power of protecting those who wear It from harm.

Above all, dressing in this way demonstrates our ancient culture and is more interesting and appealing than walking down the street in jeans. For more information please click here.

Why do devotees chant 'Hare Krishna'?

Although "Hare Krishna" has become a household word, practically nobody knows what it means. We understand that Krishna is all powerful. This includes the power of omnipotence, meaning He is all powerful in all ways. Therefore saying Krishna's name is non-different than seeing or hearing Him in person. He is one with his name. By chanting 'hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare, hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare' your karma will be destroyed and you will learn to love Lord Krishna, which is the goal of this otherwise miserable life. For more information please click here.