PM Modi releases special Rs 125 commemorative coin on ISKCON founder’s 125th birth anniversary

Special Rs 125 commemorative coin: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 1, 2021, released a special Rs 125 commemorative coin minted by the Alipore Mint in Kolkata to mark the 125^th birth anniversary of ISKCON founder Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada through video conferencing. Prabhupada was commonly known as the ‘Hare Krishna Movement'. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy along with ISKCON members, dignitaries, and people across more than 60 countries took part in this historic event.

While releasing the special Rs 125 coin, PM Narendra Modi praised the work of ISKCON on spreading the Indian culture across the world. He said ISKCON has played a significant role during natural disasters in the country.

आज हम श्रील प्रभुपाद जी की 125वीं जन्मजयंती मना रहे हैं। ये ऐसा है जैसे साधना का सुख और संतोष एक साथ मिल जाए। इसी भाव को आज पूरी दुनिया में श्रील प्रभुपाद स्वामी के लाखों करोड़ों अनुयाई और लाखों करोड़ों कृष्ण भक्त अनुभव कर रहे हैं: PM मोदी https://t.co/M8FKpQyCtS pic.twitter.com/DXHMXxDaql

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) September 1, 2021

Who was Swami Prabhupada?

Swami Prabhupada was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the ‘Hare Krishna Movement'. He also wrote several books on the teachings of the path of Bhakti Yoga and established over a hundred temples.

Born on September 1, 1896, Prabhupada was an Indian spiritual leader. In 1959, he took a vow of renunciation (sannyasa). Over the years, he began traveling as a Vaishnava monk and became an influential communicator of Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya’s theology to India and the West through ISKCON which he had founded ISKCON in 1966.

After his death in 1977, ISKCON continued to use the Bhagavata Purana to grow. BY 2014, ISKCON had reached a milestone of distributing over half a billion of his books since 1965. The translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita titled Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Prabhupada are considered as the most authentic translation of Vaishnava literary works.

ISKCON has played an instrumental role in the dissemination of Vedic literature across the world. It has translated Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic literature into 89 languages.

Commemorative Coins in India

Commemorative coins in India are issued on the birth or death anniversary of famous personalities, or to commemorate special government programs, sports events, anniversaries of government organizations, historical events, etc. They have a unique design with reference to the occasion for which they have been issued. Mostly, commemorative coins are for collector’s purposes, some countries allow their use as regular coins.