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{{short description|Book by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Praphupada}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Italic title}}
[[Image:KrishnaBook.png|thumb|right|216px|New front cover. Copyright [[Bhaktivedanta Book Trust|BBT]]]]
'''''{{IAST|Kṛṣṇa}}, the Supreme Personality of Godhead''''', also known as the '''''KRSNA Book''''', is a summary and commentary on the Tenth Canto of the ''[[Bhagavata Purana|Śrīmad Bhāgavatam]]'' by [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]],<ref name=Prabhupada1993>{{cite book
| author = Prabhupada, A.C.B.S.
| year = 1993
| title = Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
| publisher = The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
| location = Los Angeles
| isbn =
}}</ref> founder-[[acharya]] of the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] (ISKCON). It was published in 1970 by the [[Bhaktivedanta Book Trust]]. The publication was financed through a contribution of $19,000 from ex-Beatle, [[George Harrison]], who also wrote the book's foreword.

==Background and publication==
In 1967, [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]] had experienced a severe heart attack and wondered whether he would live to present the world with a translated version of the "[[lila (divine play)|divine pastimes]]" of [[Krishna]] on earth. Prabhupada had translated the Second Canto of the ''[[Bhagavata Purana|Śrīmad Bhāgavatam]]'', but knew that many years of work remained before he would reach the Tenth Canto, where these accounts of Krishna are contained. He therefore decided to write ''Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead'', also known as ''KRSNA Book'', before undertaking the remaining cantos.

Once Prabhupada had completed the manuscript, he requested that Shyamsundar Das, one of the founding devotees of the [[Radha Krishna Temple]] in London, ask [[George Harrison]] of [[the Beatles]] if he would finance its publication.<ref name="Tillery p 72">Tillery, p. 72.</ref> The sum required was $19,000 for an initial print run of 5000 copies.<ref>Greene, p. 158.</ref>

Harrison's support for the Hare Krishna movement had been crucial to the establishment of ISKCON's UK operation in 1969,<ref>Clayson, pp. 268–69, 439.</ref> and his production of the London devotees' hit single "[[Hare Krishna Mantra (song)|Hare Krishna Mantra]]" had promoted ISKCON<ref>Lavezzoli, p. 195.</ref> and the 5000-year-old [[Maha Mantra]] worldwide.<ref>Dwyer & Cole, p. 31.</ref><ref>Tillery, pp. 151–52.</ref> Shyamsundar was loath to impose further on Harrison, but Prabhupada insisted, saying: "You will see. Krishna will help you to say it."<ref>Greene, pp. 158–59.</ref> The [[acharya]] also emphasised the importance of the book since, although Krishna's name was now being heard throughout the West, people had no knowledge of the deity's life or his physical appearance.<ref>Greene, p. 159.</ref>

Shyamsundar passed on Prabhupada's request during dinner at the house of the London sculptor [[David Wynne (sculptor)|David Wynne]], who had just helped Harrison choose a marble slab for an altar he was donating to the new temple.<ref name="Tillery p 72" /> The devotee recalls that a [[thunderstorm]] raged outside that evening, and Harrison's reaction became "grimmer and grimmer" as it became clear that he was being asked to provide further financial assistance.<ref>Tillery, pp. 72–73.</ref> In Shyamsundar's account, there was then a flash of lightning outside, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder, and all the lights in the house went out.<ref>Tillery, p. 73.</ref> When the power had been restored, Harrison said, "Well, there's no arguing with ''that'', is there?" and agreed to finance the publication.<ref name="Greene p 160" />

Harrison authorised the printing in March 1970.<ref>Tillery, p. 161.</ref> The book was printed in Japan by the company [[Dai Nippon Printing|Dai Nippon]], with advance copies arriving in England by May that year.<ref name="Greene p 160" />

==Contents==
The Tenth Canto of the Bhāgavatam details the activities and pastimes of Krishna at [[Vrindavan]].<ref name=Mahony1987>{{cite journal
| author = Mahony, W.K.
| year = 1987
| title = Perspectives on Krsna's Various Personalities
| journal = History of Religions
| volume = 26
| issue = 3
| pages = 333–335
| jstor=1062381
| doi=10.1086/463085
| s2cid = 164194548
}}</ref> Within this book, Swami Prabhupada describes the historical events that occurred approximately 5000 years ago.<ref>{{cite video
| people = Dr Pandit, M (director), Rao P.V.R.N (Script advisory)
| title = Krishna: History or myth
| url = http://www.saraswatifilms.org/movies.php
}}</ref>

The book included 54 pages of colour illustrations, with a painting on the front cover that depicted Krishna with his consort [[Radha]].<ref>Greene, pp. 158, 160.</ref> Author Joshua Greene writes of this first edition: "It was massive – a foot tall, weighing two pounds, and running [to] almost four hundred pages … The book was mysterious and beautiful."<ref name="Greene p 160">Greene, p. 160.</ref>

Prabhupada invited Harrison to supply the [[foreword]], which begins: "Everybody is looking for Krishna. Some don't realize that they are, but they are."<ref>Greene, pp. 161–62.</ref> According to Greene, since 1970, ''KRSNA Book'' has been translated into twenty languages and has sold over 5 million copies.<ref>Greene, p. 163.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Acintya Bheda Abheda]]
*[[Bhagavata]]
*[[Gopala Tapani Upanishad]]
*[[Hare Krishna (mantra)]]
*[[Krishna]]
*[[Krishnology]]
*[[Para Brahman]]
*[[Narayana]]
*[[Radha]]
*[[Svayam Bhagavan]]
*[[Vasudeva]]
*[[Vedanta]]
*[[Vishnu]]

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last=Clayson|first=Alan|title=George Harrison|publisher=Sanctuary|location=London|year=2003|isbn=1-86074-489-3}}
* {{cite book|last1= Dwyer |first1=Graham |last2=Cole |first2=Richard J. |title=The Hare Krishna Movement: Forty Years of Chant and Change|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=New York, NY|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84511-407-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Greene|first=Joshua M.|title=Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Hoboken, NJ|year=2006|isbn=978-0-470-12780-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Lavezzoli|first=Peter|title=The Dawn of Indian Music in the West|publisher=Continuum|location=New York, NY|year=2006|isbn=0-8264-2819-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Muster|first=Nori J.|title=Betrayal of the Spirit: My Life Behind the Headlines of the Hare Krishna Movement|year=2001|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Champaign, IL|isbn=0-252-06566-2}}
*{{cite book |title= {{IAST|Kṛṣṇa}}, the Supreme Personality of Godhead|last= [[Prabhupada]] |first= [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami]] |year= 1970|publisher= [[Bhaktivedanta Book Trust]]|location= }}
* {{cite book|last=Tillery|first=Gary|title=Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison|publisher=Quest Books|location=Wheaton, IL|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8356-0900-5}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Krishna}}
*[http://vedabase.com/en/kb Read ''{{IAST|Kṛṣṇa}}'' book online]
*[http://krishnastore.com/krsna-the-supreme-personaly-of-godhead-1970-first-edition-h-krishna-401.html Original 1970 edition of ''Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140909033336/http://store.krishna.com/Detail.bok?no=5715&bar=_shp_bbt ''{{IAST|Kṛṣṇa}}'' book (current BBT revised edition)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna, The Supreme Personality Of Godhead}}
[[Category:1970 books]]
[[Category:Books by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]]
[[Category:International Society for Krishna Consciousness texts]]

Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead - Revision history

>Citation bot: Add: s2cid. | You can use this bot yourself. Report bugs here. | Suggested by Abductive | Category:EngvarB from June 2015 | via #UCB_Category 138/454