Planting the seed of Hare Krishna consciousness in Kenya: The beliefs and activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kenya

Abstract

: The world is the birthplace of many faiths and has accommodated and nourished multiple religions. The intricate mosaic of diverse faiths, beliefs, traditions and languages in many countries is indeed amazing. The central aim of this study is to examine the activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kisumu County. This is a transnational religious movement with its roots in Chaitanya Vaishnavism, a Hindu tradition originating in India. The central argument of this research is that Hare Krishna’s in Kenya are generally viewed in several restricted ways, notwithstanding their material or financial assistance to victims of calamities for philanthropic purposes. This study is an attempt to isolate one of the many Hindu socio-religious groups in Kenya - the Hare Krisha also referred to as ISKCON, and trace its entry into Kenya and outline its doctrinal principles and practices. There are very low levels of religious literacy and lack of knowledge among Kenyans on the Hare Krishna movement. To many Kenyans, the ISKCON movement exists below the radar and often out of the public eye and largely unfamiliar and unknown to most Kenyans. The lack of public knowledge of Hare Krishna has been a major source of misrepresentation, stigmatization, and demonization of the movement which underscores the importance of disseminating accurate facts about Hare Krishna as one of the New Religious Movements in Kenya. This study established that ISKCON came into Kenya through Mombasa and spread to Nairobi in 1970 and was facilitated by local Indian businessmen who extended this consciousness to Kisumu. Its core beliefs are based on traditional Hindu scriptures. It systematically propagates spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. The study demonstrates that “conversion” in the ISKCON context is marked by a process of gradual “drifting” into ISKCON’s fold, not a sudden change and conversion to ISKCON’s belief system is facilitated by the adoption of the ritual practices central to ISKCON.