ball, thus making the ball red. This
assumption leads him to characterize
error as akhyati(“nondiscrimination”),
the inability to make sharp distinctions.
For example, a person mistakes the sil-
very flash of sea shell for a piece of silver.
To Prabhakara, the person errs by
uncritically connecting two simple judg-
ments: “that object is silvery” and “silver
is silvery.” By themselves, both of these
statements are true, what is false is their
combination into the complex judg-
ment “that object is silver.” Kumarila is
closer to the bhedabhada(“identity-
and-difference”) philosophical position,
which holds that all things both identify
with and differ from all other things.
Kumarila explains error as viparitakhyati,
the mistaken pairing of the similarities
between two things, rather than the
failure to note their differences.
Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta
(b. Abhay Charan De, 1896–1977)
Devotee (bhakta) of the godKrishna
and founder of ISKCON (International
Society for Krishna Consciousness),
more popularly known as the Hare
Krishnas. ISKCONhas its roots in the
Gaudiya Vaishnavareligious community
founded by the Bengali saint Chaitanya,
in which the primary religious action
was the repeated recitation of Krishna’s
name, often in public settings.
Prabhupada was initiated into Krishna
devotion in his university years, at
which time his gurucommanded him to
bring the worshipof Krishna to the
West. At the age of 58, after a successful
career as a pharmacist, he boarded a
steamer for the United States, arriving
with a few books, a typewriter, and eight
dollars in his pocket. His timing was
exquisite—or, as he put it, reflected
Krishna’s grace—for he came during
the countercultural movement in the
second half of the 1960s; by the time of
his death he had thousands of followers.
In his later years he focused on translat-
ing and commenting on important
Vaishnava texts, particularly the
Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata
Purana, and this emphasis on publish-
ing has continued after his death.
For an insider’s perspective on his life,
see Satsvarupdas Dasa Goswami,
Prabhupada, 1983; and Robert D. Baird,
“Swami Bhaktivedanta and Ultimacy,”
in Robert D. Baird (ed.), Religion in
Modern India, 1998.Prabodhachandrodaya
(“Rising of the moon of wisdom”)
Sanskrit drama written by Krishna-
mishra, probably in the latter half of
the eleventh century. Clearlyallegori-
cal, the play celebrates the triumph of
Vaishnavapiety, that is, of the devotees
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu. The play is
particularly notable for its third act, in
which representatives for four non-
Vaishnava sects appear: a materialist, a
Jain monk, a Buddhist monk, and a
Kapalika(a member of an asceticcom-
munity that worshiped the god Shiva).
The last is portrayed as thoroughly
depraved, indulging in meat, wine, and
sexual gratification, and having a pen-
chant for violence. In the play, all four
heretical characters plot to capture
another character, named Faith, for
their king, named Passion. However,
they discover that Faith is a devotee of
Vishnu and is outside their powers. In
the end Faith is reunited with her son
Tranquillity and a character named
Compassion. Although the reader may
safely assume that this play is written
from a biased perspective, it is instruc-
tive in the attitudes it reveals toward
ascetics and all other non-Vaishnava
religious groups.Pracharak
(“director”) In the Rashtriya Svayam-
sevak Sangh(RSS), a conservative Hindu
organization whose express purpose is
to provide the leadership cadre for a
revitalized Hindu India, the pracharaks
are the full-time RSSworkers who pro-
vide the link between the local units,
known as shakhas(“branches”), and the
RSShigher authorities. The RSSis a highlyPrabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta