On the 23rd of May, 1974, at the "Leonardo da Vinci" airport in Fiumicino, Rome landed the most genuine representative of Krishna, the pure devotee, the Founder-Acharya...

Srila Prabhupada in Rome. From left: unidentified devotee, Bhagavan, Somaka, unidentified devotee, Prabhupada, unidentified devotee, Nitai Das, Indradyumna Das

The Hare Krishna Movement in Italy: A Transcendental Bliss

1974: Rome, the "Caput Mundi", the head of the world, the city of great emperors, of great wars, of the Colosseum, in short the conqueror of the whole ancient western world, is going to be conquered silently, without anybody knowing, by an "indian master", the leader of a movement born from just 9 years in the Western world. The one who is going to enter in the city as a pin in order to leave as a trident is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and the movement which he is going to bring in Rome is the Hare Krishna Movement, started 500 years before by the Lord himself, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

A few months before his arrival Srila Prabhupada wrote:

"My dear Dhananjaya,
Please accept my blessings. Karandhara has informed me of the receipt of the letter from you reporting the establishment of an ISKCON Center in Rome, Italy. The transcendental bliss I have derived from hearing the news is not measurable within the three dimensions."

Dhananjaya Prabhu and Bala Gopala Mataji were the first devotees interested in opening an Hare Krishna center in Rome, and in September of 1973, with the blessings of the local GBC of that time, the expert Bhagavan Prabhu, they joined a couple of Italian devotees, Somaka Prabhu and Mrida Mataji, and from Paris they went to Rome.

Srila Prabhupada on the Vyasasan, Dhananjaya Prabhu with microphone, Satsvarupa Maharaj with Danda on the far left, Ali Krishna Mataji is translating with microphone, Bhagavan Das on the far right. (Hotel Praco de'Principi, Conference)

In a short period of time, from October to May, with the help of also some others devotees, like Karandhara Prabhu, Guru Gauranga Prabhu, Ali Krishna Mataji, etc., they opened the first ISKCON center in Rome, in the historic "Via Mistretta" (the sole Italian Thirta), and they registered officially the Movement. New devotees are joining, from Navadvipa the first Gaura-Nitai murtis are arriving to bless the Italian soil, and in short, all is ready to welcome Srila Prabhupada.

On the 23rd of May, 1974, at the "Leonardo da Vinci" airport in Fiumicino, Rome landed the most genuine representative of Krishna, the pure devotee, the Founder-Acharya, and with him some other Vaishnavas—Satsvarupa Das Goswami, Nitai Das, Atreya Rsi Das, Yogesvara Das, Indradyumna Das and Bhagavan Das.

On the road to the temple, Srila Prabhupada was looking at the grape plantations. "Wine? According to the Ayur Veda a glass of wine after the meal helps digestion," he said, but Dhananjaya, amused, told him that "the Italians drink wine as we drink water!" "This is not good, is very sinful," said Prabhupada. "it means they eat a lot of meat, and drink a lot of wine to digest". (In Italy today, on € 1000 of a medium wage per month, at least € 150 are spent for meat, and € 50 for wine...).

Prabhupada arrived in Italy in a fired social and political climate: divorce is just from few days legal (in the country of the Pope and of the Catholicism), and continuous is the fight between Communist and Fascist militants. Italy is experiencing the so-called "lead years", which will culminate with the kidnapping and murdering of Aldo Moro, leader of the "Christian Democracy"(the major party in Italy at that time), committed by the "Red Brigade" (Communists).

The temple, a building situated in Piazza Lodi, a very busy square, was just until a few days before engaged from some of the aforesaid Communist militants, who drew on the walls many hammers and sickles, and which caused a lot of disorder in the neighbourhood. But devotees succesfully were able to conquer the neighbour's hearts (especially with Prasadam). Gradually the neighbours started to bring flowers, fruit, vegetables, gifts etc., and even their dogs became so quiet after their daily ration of Prasadam that a neighbour protested, "My dog is becoming so docile eating your food that it doesn't bark any more!" Another neighbour was so attached to the morning program that when suddenly one morning he didn't hear any sounds, he went out in the dark street in pajamas and ruffled hair to see what was happening.

In the days following his arrival in Rome, Srila Prabhupada met different personalities, like the Irish poet Desmond O'Grady ("You Irish people,You are never tired to fight?", he said, laughing during the conversation); Richard Webster, the President of the Filosofic Italian Society, and two emissaries of the Pope Paul the VI (at that time sick), Cardinal Pignedoli and Monsignor Verrazzano, who met in the decorated halls of the Vatican Museum.

Top: In front of Colosseum. From left to right: Bhagavan, Prabhupada, Nitai, Indradyumna. Above: Via dei Fori Imperiali. From left to right: Prabhupada, Nitai with microphone, Indradyumna listening.

Besides giving morning lessons (mainly on the 1st canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam), Srila Prabhupada made some beautiful morning walks in the pictoresque Roman scenery, through the ruins of the old Urbe (city). Near the Colosseum, he said the big kings and the emperors of the ancient Roman Empire, so proud of their buildings and power, were now the cats who were living inside of it. He said the fights of the Gladiators existed since Krishna's pastimes, 3000 years before the Roman Empire; he said the Roman Architecture, with it's aqueduct and buildings, took origin from the Vedic World, and the Vedic system of life gave the origin also to the Roman one, composed of Senators (Bramhana), Soldiers (Kshatriya), Merchants (Vaishya), and Slaves and Labors (Shudras).

On the following days he explained the Vedic concept of "living simply and locally" in spiritual communities established on agriculture, in which the inhabitants, Krishna's Bhaktas, could meet the body's needs (eating, sleeping, mating and defending) in a 100% Krishna conscious way. In a famous conversation with Bhagavan Prabhu, he discussed how to provide for the problems of the future: he mentioned use of oxen carts and use of cotton and grass to produce paper. He spoke about two important facts at that time: the economic crisis due to the dependence on oil (just like today), and the explosion of the first nuclear bomb in India happened a dozen days before. In the famous EUR zone in Rome he saw a 30-meters-tall building. When the local devotees told him it was a panoramic restaurant, he said, shocked, "Human civilization is becoming less intelligent than the animals. A dog can eat in the street, and the so-called civilized man has to build a useless building just to eat!"

The most important public event held in Rome was the conference at the "Parco de' Principi"Hotel, in which the attendance was 1000 participants into an hall suitable for 700. Some of those participants were going to be initiated disciples and full time devotees later.

In the temple, Srila Prabhupada for 3 nights didn't touch his bed but translated countinuously, and taught to the inexpert devotees some efficacious methods to cook, introduced for the first time in the western world the morning song "Sri Guru Vandana", and tasted some of the traditional Italian dishes, enjoying a lot the famous Gnocchi.

Srila Prabhupada left Rome the 30th of May, direct to Geneva, and greeted the touched disciples with the humble words, "Thank you, and forgive me for any nuisance."

Thus A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami left Rome. On the little fire the few devotees had lit a few months before, Srila Prabhupada threw, in a few days with his personal example, tons and tons of transcendental fuel. The Hare Krishna Movement, a transcendental bliss, began to increase. END of Part 1

Muralidhara das, 20, lives in a devotee community near Rome, Italy. He is the son of ISKCON devotees, born in a Vaishnava family. He has great respect for everybody who loves Srila Prabhupada, and wants to share the history of the movement in Italy for all devotees. [back to top]