ISKCON members practice a distinct form of monotheistic Hinduism, grounded in Hindu scriptures and especially guided by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's commentary and translation of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana.

[9] Key to the spread of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology in the Western world were Prabhupada's writings and translations,[10] including the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), Chaitanya Charitamrita, and other scriptures.

[12] Registered members worship Krishna as the highest form of God, svayam bhagavan, and often refer to him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in their published writing, which was a phrase coined by Prabhupada in his books on the subject.

For its devotees, Radha represents Krishna's divine female counterpart, the original spiritual potency, and the embodiment of devotional love.

The individual soul has an eternal spiritual identity which does not ultimately merge into the non-dual consciousness (Brahman) as believed by the monistic (Advaita) schools of Hinduism.

Prabhupada most frequently offers Sanatana-dharma and Varnashrama dharma as more accurate names for the religious system which accepts Vedic authority.

[13] Pious believers both teach and claim that Krishna is greater and far magnanimous than the traditionalist Hindu Trimurti of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma and all its conceived emanations.

Devotees gather in public, in streets and parks, to sing the mantra accompanied by instruments like the mridanga, hand cymbals, and the harmonium.

Prabhupada established a standard for initiated devotees to chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra on a Japamala containing 108 beads, daily.

During arati, devotees offer water, incense, a fire lamp, and flowers to a murti, a sacred statue or image of Krishna.

[15] Besides weekly gatherings, devotees within the ISKCON movement celebrate a diverse array of Hindu festivals, including Janmashtami, Radhastami, Diwali, Gaura Purnima, Ekadasi, Holi, Rama Navami, and Gita Jayanti.

[26] The letter outlined the purposes of the commission: improving the standard of temple management, the spread of Krishna consciousness, the distribution of books and literature, the opening of new centers and the education of the devotees.

[26][29] Shortly after establishing the GBC, Prabhupada asked his newly appointed leaders to renounce the everyday world and become sannyasis (renunciate monks), indicating that those who set policy would not be involved with financial dealings.

Some of these scandals involved GBC members Hans Kary (Hansadutta) and James Immel (Jayatirtha), as well as one of the leaders of the New Vrindaban community, Keith Ham (Kirtanananda), who surrounded himself with opulence and declared himself the only true successor to Prabhupada.

[39] In 1998, ISKCON published an exposé of widespread physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children in the group's boarding schools in the United States and India in the 1970s and 1980s.

Kirtan sessions are also held outside of temple settings, including at a local university "Bhakti Clubs", mantra lounges, and at a yoga and wellness festivals.

The backing vocalists also sing the phrase in Ringo Starr's 1971 hit "It Don't Come Easy", written with the help of Harrison, although the words were mixed low on the released version.

[67] ISKCON has experienced a number of significant internal problems, the majority of which occurred from the late 1970s onwards, and especially within the decade following Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's death.

[108][109] The next year, in 2007, the Kazakhstan government authorities demolished 25 homes belonging to the ISKCON members in Sri Vrindavan Dham commune in Almaty, on the grounds that they were illegal constructions.

[123][124][125] In November 2024, Osman Ali, a local trader in Hazari Lane, Chittagong, allegedly labeled ISKCON a "terrorist group" in a controversial Facebook post.

[128] In response, joint police and military forces conducted operations in the region, resulting in the arrest of nearly 100 suspects involved in the violence.

[130] India has the highest density of ISKCON centers in the world, with over 800 temples, 12 state-recognized educational institutions, 25 affiliated and non-affiliated restaurants, and a number of tourist and pilgrimage hotels.

[132] Set to be completed in 2024, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, Mayapur in West Bengal is built in the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of the Gaudiya-Vaishnava lineage of Hinduism.

The complex is home to a guesthouse, a museum, gift shops, a restaurant, a bakery, a broadcast studio as well as a marble temple hall.

The ISKCON movement in Europe is home to a number of rural and farming communities, including Nueva Vrajamandala in Spain,[152] La Nouvelle Mayapura in France, and Villa Vrindavan[153] in Italy.

The Radhadesh temple in Durbuy, Belgium, is home to Bhaktivedanta College, which opened in 2002 to provide ministerial and spiritual education for students, offering degrees and certificates online and on-campus in Vaishnava theology externally validated by the University of Chester.

[163] Hare Krishna-affiliated full-time communities include New Vrindaban in West Virginia,[164] and Gita Nagari Eco Farm and Sanctuary in Pennsylvania.

[166] The ISKCON Dallas temple is affiliated with the nearby TKG Academy,[167] which provides private school academic education with additional Vedic-based courses.

[169][170] Most notable is the eco-village "Nova Gokula" at Pindamonhangaba in the Brazil state of São Paulo, founded in 1978, with two temples planning as traditional Hindu architecture.

[178] Apart from the BBT's work in publishing, it helps finance the construction and renovation of Krishna temples in the Gaudiya Vaishnava holy places like Vrindavan and Mayapur.