The Most Blessed Event
September 8, 2023
The Appearance Day of Our Beloved Spiritual Master
His Divine Grace Om Viṣṇupāda Paramahamsa Parivrājakāc ārya Aṣṭottara-śata
Śrī Śrīmad
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Introduction, 1
e Meaning of Vyāsa-pūjā, 3 e Universal Teacher, 7
Homages from the GBC, 13
Acyutātmā D āsa, 14; Anuttama D āsa, 14; Badrinārāyaṇa Swami, 16; Bhakti Caitanya Swami, 18; Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami, 20; Bhaktivaibhava Swami, 20; Bhaktimārga Swami, 21; Bīr Kṛṣṇa D āsa Goswami, 23; Candraśekhara Ācārya D āsa, 24; Devakīnandana D āsa, 26; Devāmṛta Swami, 27; Gaurāṅga D āsa, 28; Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, 32; Govardhana D āsa, 34; Guru Prasāda Swami, 35; Hṛdaya Caitanya D āsa, 36; Jayapatākā Swami, 37; Kavicandra Swami, 40; Madhusevita D āsa, 41; Mālatī Devī D āsī, 43; Nirañjana Swami, 43; Prahlādānanda Swami, 46; Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa D āsa, 48; Rādhānāth Swami, 49; Rāmāi Swami, 50; Revatī Ramaṇa D āsa, 52; Tapana Miśra D āsa, 53; Vīrabāhu D āsa, 54
Homages from GBC Emereti, 57
Bhūrijana D āsa, 58; Girirāja Swami, 60; Hridayānanda dās Goswami, 62; Mukunda Goswami, 63; Praghoṣa D āsa, 64; Ravīndra Svarūpa D āsa, 65; Tamohara D āsa, 65
Homages from Non-GBC Sannyāsīs, 67
Bhakti Anugraha Janārdana Swami, 68; Bhakti Cārudeṣṇa Swami, 69; Bhakti Dhīra D āmodara
Swami, 70; Bhakti Gauravāṇī Goswami, 71; Bhakti Karuṇāmayī Vanamālī Swami, 77; Bhakti
Prabhāva Swami, 79; Bhakti Prabhupāda-vrata D āmodara Swami, 83; Bhakti Prema Swami, 83; Bhakti Rāghava Swami, 84; Bhakti Ratnākara Ambarīṣa Swami, 85; Bhakti Vāsudeva Swami, 86; Bhakti Vighna Vināśa Narasim˙ha Swami, 87; Bhakti Vilāsa Gauracandra Swami, 88; Bhakti Vinoda Swami, 89; Candramauli Swami, 90; Candraśekhara Swami, 93; D ānavīra Goswami, 95; Gaṇapati Swami, 97; Janānanda Goswami, 98; Kṛṣṇa Kṣetra Swami, 102; Lokanātha Swami, 103; Mahādyuti Swami, 106; Nava Yogendra Swami, 107; Rāma Govinda Swami, 108; Romapāda Swami, 111; Śacīnandana Swami, 113; Satsvarūpa D āsa Goswami, 114; Siddhārtha Swami, 115; Śivarāma Swami, 116; Śukadeva Swami, 118; Svayam˙ Bhagavān Keśava Swami, 120; Swami Bhakti
Abhaya Āśrama, 122; Varṣāṇā Swami, 123; Yadunandana Swami, 125
Homages from ISKCON Centers, 127
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 128; Adelaide, Australia, 129; Agra, India, 130; Alibag, India, 130; Amravati, India, 132; Antwerp, Belgium, 133; Aravade, India, 134; Athens, USA, 135; Attapur, India, 136; Ayampe, Ecuador, 137; Bali, Indonesia, 138; Bali (Klungkung), Indonesia, 139; Bali (Singaraja), Indonesia, 142; Baltimore, USA, 143; Bangkok, ailand, 144; Baramati, India, 146; Barcelona, Spain, 147; Barrie, Canada, 147; Beed, India, 148; Benin, 149; Bergamo, Italy, 150; Bergen, Norway, 151; Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK, 152; Bhiwandi, India, 154; Bhopal, India, 154; Bologna, Italy, 155; Brahmapur, India, 156; Brampton, Canada, 157; Brunei, 159; Budapest, Hungary, 160; Buenos Aires, Argentina, 163; Burlington, Canada, 164; Calgary, Canada, 165; Caracas, Venezuela, 167; Centre County, USA, 167; Chandigarh, India, 169; Chile, 170; Chinese
Yātrā, 172; Cologne, Germany, 173; Córdoba, Argentina, 175; Croatia, 176; Dahod, India, 177; Delhi, India, 178; Detroit, USA, 181; Dhanbad, India, 182; Edmonton, Canada, 184; Eger, Hungary, 185; El Salvador, 186; Enugu, Nigeria, 187; Fiji, 188; Fredericton, Canada, 188; Gītānāgarī, USA, 190; Glastonbury, USA, 191; Goloka Dham, Germany, 193; Gopināth Dhāma, Australia, 194; Govardhan Ecovillage, India, 195; Govardhan Farm, Argentina, 197; Govinda Valley, Australia, 199; Guyana, 200; Habibpur, India, 201; Halifax, Canada, 202; Hare Kṛṣṇa Valley, Australia, 203; Hawaii, USA, 204; Hong Kong SAR, 206; Ibadan, Nigeria, 206; Iceland, 208; Ichalkaranji, India, 209; Indore, India, 209; Ireland, 210; Jos, Nigeria, 211; Kanhaiyādeśa, Kuwait, 212; Kanpur, India, 213; Kanyakumari, India, 215; Khargar, India, 216; Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa, Qatar, 217; Kṛṣṇa’s Castle, UK, 218; Kukatpally, India, 219; Kumasi, Ghana, 219; Lagos, Nigeria, 220; Laguna Beach, USA, 221; Ljubljana, Slovenia, 222; Luzce, Czech Republic, 224; Madikeri, India, 227; Malaga, Spain, 228; Malawi, 229; Mangalore, India, 229; Manila, Philippines, 230; Manitoba, Canada, 231; Mauritius, 233; Mayapur, India, 235; Melbourne, Australia, 237; Mendoza, Argentina, 239; Miami, USA, 240; Milton, Canada, 242; Monterrey, Mexico, 245; Montreal, Canada, 246; Moscow, Russia, 246; Mumbai (Chowpatty), India, 248; Mumbai (Juhu), India, 249; Mumbai (Mira Road), India, 251; Muskoka, Canada, 254; Nagpur, India, 254; Nava Vraja Dhāma, Hungary, 256; New Dvārakā, USA, 257; New Gokula, Australia, 258; New Goloka, USA, 259; New Govardhana Hill, USA, 260; New Māyāpur, France, 262; New Orleans, USA, 264; New Ramaṇa Reti, USA, 264; New Tālavana, USA, 266; New Varṣāṇā, New Zealand, 268; New Vrindaban, USA, 270; New York, USA, 274; New Vrajamaṇḍala, Spain, 275; Newcastle, UK, 275; Niagara, Canada, 276; Nicaragua, 277; Noida, India, 277; North Florida, USA, 280; Nuremberg, Germany, 282; Oakville, Canada, 283; Okinawa, Japan, 284; Osaka, Japan, 285; Osijek, Croatia, 285; Ottawa, Canada, 288; Pachora, India, 291; Panama, 291; Pandharpur, India, 292; Panihati, India, 294; Perth, Australia, 295; Philadelphia, USA, 296; Phoenix, USA, 300; Prabhupāda Village, USA, 301; Prayagraj, India, 302; Pune (Camp), India, 306; Pune (Ravet), India, 306; Punjabi Bagh, India, 307; Puri, India, 309; Radhadesh, Belgium, 310; Red Deer, Canada, 311; Regina, Canada, 312; Richmond, USA, 312; Romania, 314; Rome, Italy, 315; Saltillo, Mexico, 315; San Diego, USA, 316; San Juan, Argentina, 318; Sandton, South Africa, 318; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 319; Śaraṇāgati Village, Canada, 320; Saskatoon, Canada, 321; Scarborough, Canada, 321; Seattle, USA, 322; Silicon Valley, USA, 324; Solapur, India, 327; Split, Croatia, 328; Srinagar, India, 329; Srirangam, India, 330; Suriname, 331; Taichung, Taiwan, 333; Taipei, Tawain, 334; Tartu, Estonia, 335; Teluk Intan, Malaysia, 336; Tenerife, Spain, 337; under Bay, Canada, 337; Togo, 339; Tokyo, Japan, 339; Toronto, Canada, 340; Toronto, Canada, 342; Tres Arroyos, Argentina, 342; Trinidad, 343; Tucson, USA, 344; Udhampur, India, 346; Ujjain, India, 346; Vadodara, India, 348; Vallabhvidhyanagar, India, 353; Vancouver, Canada, 354; Varanasi, India, 356; Visakhapatnam, India, 360; Vita Rama, Bulgaria, 362; Vṛndāvana, India, 363; Warangal, India, 365; Washington, D.C., USA, 366; Wiesbaden, Germany, 367; Yamunanagar, India, 370; Zambia, 370
Back to Godhead Magazine, 374; Bhaktivedanta Archives, 374; e Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (North America), 375; e Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (Northern Europe), 377; Bhaktivedanta College, Hungary, 378; Child Protection O ce, 379; ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, 380; Festival of India, 382; Food for Life, Argentina, 383; Food for Life, Hungary, 384; GBC College for Leadership Development, 386; ISKCON Germany Austria Liechtenstein National Council, 387; ISKCON Resolve, 390; ISKCON Resolve (Brazil), 391; Kīrtana Ministry, 392; Ministry of Cow Protection & Agriculture, 393; Ministry of Justice, 396; North America Regional Governing Body, 398; International Society for Cow Protection, 398; ISKCON Pāda-yātrā
Ministry, 401; Pāda-yātrā Press, 402; All India Pāda-yātrā, 405; Maharashtra Pāda-yātrā, 406; Pune Congregation, 406; Radio Kṛṣṇa Centrale, 407; Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, 414; Vaiṣṇavī Ministry, 416
Our Obeisances to You for Your Transcendental Instructions, 419
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! And all glories to all generations of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s sincere followers. is Vyāsa-pūjā book is the 53rd edition o ered to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. e rst book was published in 1969, with homages from seventeen ISKCON temples. e 2022 version contained homages from 155 temples and ISKCON leaders. is year we’re happy to announce that 288 have submitted, but even that number does not re ect the full number of ISKCON centers worldwide.
No doubt, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has rapidly expanded to all corners of the globe in line with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s desire and prediction. is is all due to the grace and endeavors of Śrīla Prabhupāda and his dedication to the orders of his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. It has been 36 years since Śrīla Prabhupāda enacted his disappearance pastimes, but perhaps his greatest achievement is still unfolding before our eyes: that his disciples, granddisciples, and great-granddisciples have wholeheartedly imbibed his missionary spirit and dedication to spread the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to every town and village.
e pages of this book will display this as devotees from Bergen to Benin, Bhopal to Brunei, Buenos Aires to Brampton, and so many more, o er forth their hearts and services for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s pleasure.
In this regard, we are beholden to mention the dedication of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciple Draviḍa D āsa, who for decades has been the rock upon which the annual Vyāsa-pūjā book has been constructed. is year he has graciously passed on this responsibility to a new team of granddisciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda while still being available to guide us through this service. Draviḍa Prabhu has written this introduction for nearly 20 years, and this year has graced us by writing e Meaning of Vyāsa-pūjā.
For all of us on the new team, it is a profoundly moving and fortifying experience to be the receptacle of the outpouring of gratitude to Śrīla Prabhupāda from devotees worldwide, as evidenced in these pages. at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy is still owing strongly is plainly evident. e vast majority of writers had no personal association with Śrīla Prabhupāda, but their gratitude for his gifts – especially his books – their love for him, their amazement at his sacri ces, dedication, etc., is what keeps them – what keeps all of us – inspired in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. is love for Śrīla Prabhupāda and keeping his example and teachings as the center of ISKCON is of paramount importance as the years pass and more of his disciples leave this realm to join him. Śrīla Prabhupāda is and must always remain in the center of ISKCON to preserve our unity and stay true to the paramparā.
Dear Readers, please dive deeply into the pages of this Vyāsa-pūjā book, for to remember a Vaiṣṇava, what to speak of a paramahaṁsa Vaiṣṇava like Śrīla Prabhupāda, is no less purifying than remembering the supreme pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. e below verse, as quoted in Cc., Madhya 20.61, is a good reminder of the power of coming in contact with a pure devotee of the Lord:
jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi su-durlabhā bhāgavatā hi loke
My dear Vaiṣṇava, seeing a person like you is the perfection of one’s eyesight, touching your lotus feet is the perfection of the sense of touch, and glorifying your good qualities is the tongue’s real activity, for in the material world, it is very di cult to nd a pure devotee of the Lord.
Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jai!
Your servants on the new Vyāsa-pūjā book team, Ānanda Tīrtha D āsa
Mukhyā Devī D āsī
Praghoṣa D āsa
Satyamedhā Gaurāṅga D āsa
Understanding the meaning of Vyāsa-pūjā begins with understanding the full import of the wellknown verse Śrīla Prabhupāda chose to begin his Introduction to Bhagavad-gītā As It Is:
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I o er my respectful obeisances unto him.” at “torch of knowledge” which Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledged his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, had enlightened him with, and which Śrīla Prabhupāda in turn enlightened his disciples with, is the same transcendental knowledge Nārada Muni imparted to his disciple Śrīla Vyāsadeva, who in turn bestowed it upon his disciples and embodied in the voluminous Vedic library he wrote, culminating with Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Śrīla Prabhupāda would often describe the bona de spiritual master as a “transparent medium,” through which the transcendental knowledge could ow down from Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself through the paramparā, unimpeded and undistorted, to the submissive disciples eager to hear.
So Vyāsa-pūjā is the formal o ering of glori cation, worship, and expressions of heartfelt gratitude to Śrīla Prabhupāda on his appearance day because he is the genuine representative of Vyāsadeva. Śrīla Prabhupāda embodies not only the essence of Vedic knowledge Vyāsadeva taught but also his mood of compassion, exempli ed by his writing down the Vedas, which had previously been taught and received aurally, to make the knowledge accessible to the benighted people of Kali-yuga, whose minds would be too disturbed for them to simply hear and remember the words of wisdom.
At the urging of his beloved guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda courageously undertook the herculean task of traveling alone and virtually penniless to the West at an advanced age, founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, managing the latter while circling the world fourteen times and writing commentated English translations of the essential bhakti- śāstras – the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and (in the form of a summary study) the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu – and setting up the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust to publish his books, translate them into all the languages of the world, and provide them to his growing legions of disciples so they could study them and distribute them by the millions.
Just as attending maṅgala-ārati and singing the Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka should awaken a deep sense of gratitude in the hearts of all devotees present, whether Śrīla Prabhupāda’s direct disciples or his grand- or great-granddisciples, every member of ISKCON who participates in the festivities of Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā should feel that their real treasure is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s boundless mercy, which impelled him to wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of para-duḥkha-duḥkhī and bestow upon all of us the many ways we can nourish our Kṛṣṇa consciousness in ISKCON. In this vein I’ve written the following poem, e Śrīla Prabhupāda Kṛpāṣṭaka:
Trapped within saṁsāra’s all-devouring, blazing re, We had no hope of rescue till your guru’s strong desire Inspired and empowered you to boldly cross the sea And teach the truths of bhakti so some souls would be set free.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
2
Patiently you taught us how to chant the holy name, And how to dance, and how to sing, and what was life’s true aim. And thus you gave us Lord Caitanya’s teachings unalloyed, And saved us from the all-devouring Māyāvādī void.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
3
When kṛṣṇa-bhakti spread and you had centers here and there, You introduced the worship of the Deities so fair. And soon throughout the world eir Lordships smiled upon your crew And nourished strong devotion to emselves, and unto you.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
4
Prasādam was your special weapon, no one could resist; Once the Sunday Feast had started, no one could desist. Halavā, sweet rice, crisp pakorās, subjīs, purīs, rice –With these and other preps you did our tongues and hearts entice.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
5
e books you showered down upon the masses and on us
Taught scripture’s sacred essence: bhakti pure and nectarous. And while you wrote you relished Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s name And form and pastimes, qualities, and everlasting fame.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
While managing your ISKCON, with the whole world as your stage, Meeting, preaching, trav’ling like a person half your age, You served eir Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in your heart, Arranging for eir pastimes in Vṛndāvana’s secret part.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
7
“ e guru is as good as God,” you said, and some were shocked. But you had simply quoted scripture: you did not concoct. And sure enough, for those who worship you as they would God, e path of bhakti opens wide and joyfully is trod.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
8
If you bestow your mercy, then Śrī Kṛṣṇa gives His too; But if your mercy’s lacking, then there’s nothing we can do. So every day we should re ect upon your life sublime And vow to serve you always with our body, words, and mind.
O Prabhupāda, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
9
I pray that my small hymn, though lacking literary worth, Presented to remind us of your pastimes on this earth, May nd some favor both with you and with your devotees, Who hover ’round your lovely lotus feet like maddened bees.
O Prabhupāda, I pray that you bestow your mercy now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.
e following speech was given by Abhay Charanaravinda D āsa (His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda) before the members of the Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha in Bombay, in February 1936, on the occasion of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s Vyāsa-pūjā celebration.
sākṣād-dharitvena samasta- śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
“In the revealed scriptures it is declared that the spiritual master should be worshiped like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this injunction is obeyed by pure devotees of the Lord. e spiritual master is the most con dential servant of the Lord. us let us o er our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master.”
Gentlemen, on behalf of the members of the Bombay branch of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, let me welcome you all because you have so kindly joined us tonight in our congregational o erings of homage to the lotus feet of the world teacher, Ācāryadeva, who is the founder of this Gauḍīya Mission and the president-ācārya of Śrī Śrī Viśva-vaiṣṇava Rāja-sabhā—I mean my eternal divine master, Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja.
Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the Ācāryadeva made his appearance by the call of Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda at Śrī-kṣetra, Jagannātha-dhāma, at Purī.
Gentlemen, the o ering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the Ācāryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of gurudeva, or ācāryadeva, we speak of something that is of universal application. ere does not arise any question of discriminating my guru from yours or anyone else’s. ere is only one guru, who appears in an in nity of forms to teach you, me, and all others.
e guru, or ācāryadeva, as we learn from the bona de scriptures, delivers the message of the absolute world, the transcendental abode of the Absolute Truth. We have heard so many times: mahā-jano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (“Traverse the trail which your previous ācārya has passed”), but we have hardly tried to understand the real purport of this śloka. If we scrutinizingly study this proposition, we can understand that the mahā-jana is one and the royal road to the transcendental world is also one. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad [1 2 12] it is said:
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
“In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona de spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is xed in the Absolute Truth.” us it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru. erefore, if the Absolute Truth is one, about which we think there is no di erence of opinion, the guru also cannot be two. e Ācāryadeva to whom we have assembled tonight to o er our humble homage is not the guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many di ering exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the Jagad-guru, the guru of all of us; the only di erence is that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly.
In the Bhāgavatam [11.17.27] it is said:
“One should understand the spiritual master to be as good as I am,” said the Blessed Lord. “Nobody should be jealous of the spiritual master or think of him as an ordinary man, because the spiritual master is the sum total of all the demigods.” at is, the ācārya has been identi ed with God Himself. He has nothing to do with the a airs of this mundane world. He does not descend here to meddle with the a airs of temporary necessities but to deliver the fallen, conditioned souls—the souls, or entities, who have come here to the material world with a motive of enjoyment by the mind and ve organs of sense perception. He appears before us to reveal the light of the Vedas and to bestow upon us the blessings of full- edged freedom, after which we should hanker at every step of our life’s journey.
e transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was rst uttered by God to Brahmā, the creator of this particular universe. From Brahmā the knowledge descended to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsadeva, and from Vyāsadeva to Madhva, and in this process of disciplic succession the transcendental knowledge was transmitted by one disciple to another till it reached Lord Gaurāṅga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who posed as the disciple and successor of Śrī Īśvara Purī. e present
Ācāryadeva is the tenth disciplic representative from Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, the original representative of Lord Caitanya who preached this transcendental tradition in its fullness. e knowledge that we receive from our Gurudeva is not di erent from that imparted by God Himself and the succession of the ācāryas in the preceptorial line of Brahmā. We adore this auspicious day as Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā-tithi because the ācārya is the living representative of Vyāsadeva, the divine compiler of the Vedas, Purāṇas, Bhagavad-gītā, Mahābhārata, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
One who interprets the divine sound, or śabda-brahma, by his imperfect sense perception cannot be a real spiritual guru, because in the absence of proper disciplinary training under the bona de ācārya, the interpreter is sure to di er from Vyāsadeva (as the Māyāvādīs do). Śrīla Vyāsadeva is the prime authority of Vedic revelation, and therefore such an irrelevant interpreter cannot be accepted as the guru, or ācārya, howsoever equipped he may be with all the acquirements of material knowledge. As it is said in the Padma Purāṇa, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ: “Unless you are initiated by a bona de spiritual master in the disciplic succession, the mantra that you might have received is without any e ect.”
On the other hand, one who has received the transcendental knowledge by aural reception from the bona de preceptor in the disciplic chain, and who has sincere regard for the real ācārya, must needs be enlightened with the revealed knowledge of the Vedas. But this knowledge is permanently sealed to the cognitive approach of the empiricists. As it is said in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [6 23]:
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
“Only unto those great souls who simultaneously have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”
Gentlemen, our knowledge is so poor, our senses are so imperfect, and our sources are so limited that it is not possible for us to have even the slightest knowledge of the absolute region without surrendering ourselves at the louts feet of Śrī Vyāsadeva or his bona de representative. Every moment we are being deceived by the knowledge of our direct perception. It is all the creation or concoction of the mind, which is always deceiving, changing, and ickering. We cannot know anything of the transcendental region by our limited, perverted method of observation and experiment. But all of us can lend our eager ears for the aural reception of the transcendental sound
transmitted from that region to this through the unadulterated medium of Śrī Gurudeva or Śrī Vyāsadeva. erefore, gentlemen, we should surrender ourselves today at the feet of the representative of Śrī Vyāsadeva for the elimination of all our di erences bred by our unsubmissive attitude. It is accordingly said in Śrī Gītā [4 34]:
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekśyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just approach the wise and bona de spiritual master. Surrender unto him rst and try to understand him by inquiries and service. Such a wise spiritual master will enlighten you with transcendental knowledge, for he has already known the Absolute Truth.”
To receive the transcendental knowledge we must completely surrender ourselves to the real ācārya in a spirit of ardent inquiry and service. Actual performance of service to the Absolute under the guidance of the ācārya is the only vehicle by which we can assimilate the transcendental knowledge. Today’s meeting for o ering our humble services and homage to the feet of the Ācāryadeva will enable us to be favored with the capacity of assimilating the transcendental knowledge so kindly transmitted by him to all persons without distinction.
Gentlemen, we are all more or less proud of our past Indian civilization, but we actually do not know the real nature of that civilization. We cannot be proud of our past material civilization, which is now a thousand times greater than in days gone by. It is said that we are passing through the age of darkness, the Kali-yuga. What is this darkness? e darkness cannot be due to backwardness in material knowledge, because we now have more of it than formerly. If not we ourselves, our neighbors at any rate have plenty of it. erefore, we must conclude that the darkness of the present age is not due to a lack of material advancement, but that we have lost the clue to our spiritual advancement, which is the prime necessity of human life and the criterion of the highest type of human civilization. rowing bombs from airplanes is no advancement of civilization from the primitive, uncivilized practice of dropping big stones on the heads of enemies from the tops of hills. Improvement in the art of killing our neighbors by means of machine guns and poisonous gases is certainly no advancement from primitive barbarism, which prided itself on its art of killing by bows and arrows. Nor does the development of a sense of pampered sel shness prove anything more than intellectual animalism. True human civilization is very di erent from all these states, and therefore in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad [1.3.14] there is the emphatic call:
uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti
“Please wake up and try to understand the boon which you now have in this human form of life. e path of spiritual realization is very di cult; it is sharp like a razor’s edge. at is the opinion of learned, transcendental scholars.”
us, while others were yet in the womb of historical oblivion, the sages of India had developed a di erent kind of civilization, which enabled them to know themselves. ey had discovered that we are not at all material entities, but that we are all spiritual, permanent, and indestructible servants of the Absolute. But because we have, against our better judgment, chosen to completely identify ourselves with this present material existence, our su erings have multiplied according to the inexorable law of birth and death, with its consequent diseases and anxieties. ese su erings cannot be really mitigated by any provision of material happiness, because matter and spirit are completely di erent elements. It is just as if you took an aquatic animal out of water and put it on the land, supplying all manner of happiness possible on land. e deadly
su erings of the animal are not capable of being relieved at all until it is taken out of its foreign environment. Spirit and matter are completely contradictory things. All of us are spiritual entities. We cannot have perfect happiness, which is our birthright, however much we may meddle with the a airs of the mundane things. Perfect happiness can by ours only when we are restored to our natural state of spiritual existence. is is the distinctive message of our ancient Indian civilization, this is the message of the Gītā, this is the message of the Vedas and the Purāṇas, and this is the message of all the real ācāryas, including our present Ācāryadeva, in the line of Lord Caitanya.
Gentlemen, although it is imperfectly that we have been enabled, by his grace, to understand the sublime messages of our Ācāryadeva, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we must admit that we have realized denitely that the divine message from his holy lips is the congenial thing for su ering humanity. All of us should hear him patiently. If we listen to the transcendental sound without unnecessary opposition, he will surely have mercy upon us. e ācārya’s message is to take us back to our original home, back to God. Let me repeat, therefore, that we should hear him patiently, follow him in the measure of our conviction, and bow down at his lotus feet for releasing us from our present causeless unwillingness for serving the Absolute and all souls.
From the Gītā we learn that even after the destruction of the body, the ātmā, or the soul, is not destroyed; he is always the same, always new and fresh. Fire cannot burn him, water cannot dissolve him, the air cannot dry him up, and the sword cannot kill him. He is everlasting and eternal, and this is also con rmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [10.84.13]:
yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhiḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
“Anyone who accepts this bodily bag of three elements [bile, mucus, and air] as his self, who has an a nity for an intimate relationship with his wife and children, who considers his land as worshipable, who takes bath in the waters of the holy places of pilgrimage but never takes advantage of those persons who are in actual knowledge—he is no better than an ass or a cow.”
Unfortunately, in these days we have all been turned foolish by neglecting our real comfort and identifying the material cage with ourselves. We have concentrated all our energies for the meaningless upkeep of the material cage for its own sake, completely neglecting the captive soul within. e cage is meant for the undoing of the bird; the bird is not meant for the welfare of the cage. Let us, therefore, deeply ponder this. All our activities are now turned toward the upkeep of the cage, and the most we do is try to give some food to the mind by art and literature. But we do not know that this mind is also material in a more subtle form. is is stated in the Gītā [7.4]:
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
“Earth, water, re, air, sky, intelligence, mind, and ego are all My separated energies.”
We have scarcely tried to give any food to the soul, which is distinct from the body and mind; therefore we are all committing suicide in the proper sense of the term. e message of the Ācāryadeva is to give us a warning to halt such wrong activities. Let us therefore bow down at his lotus feet for the unalloyed mercy and kindness he has bestowed upon us.
Gentlemen, do not for a moment think that my Gurudeva wants to put a complete brake on the modern civilization—an impossible feat. But let us learn from him the art of making the best use of a bad bargain, and let us understand the importance of this human life, which is t for the
highest development of true consciousness. e best use of this rare human life should not be neglected. As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [11 9 29]:
labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte mānuṣyam arthadam anityam apīha dhīraḥ
tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anumṛtyu yāvan niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt
“Human life is obtained after many, many births, and though it is temporary, it o ers the highest bene ts. us a sober and intelligent man should immediately try to ful ll his mission and attain the highest pro t in life before another death occurs. He should avoid sense grati cation, which is available in all circumstances.”
Let us not misuse this human life in the vain pursuit of material enjoyment, or, in other words, for the sake of only eating, sleeping, fearing, and sensuous activities. e Ācāryadeva’s message is conveyed by the words of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī:
anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate
“One is said to be situated in the fully renounced order of life if he lives in accordance with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He should be without attachment for sense grati cation and should accept only what is necessary for the upkeep of the body. On the other hand, one who renounces things which could be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa, under the pretext that such things are material, does not practice complete renunciation.”
e purport of these ślokas can only be realized by fully developing the rational portion of our life, not the animal portion. Sitting at the feet of the Ācāryadeva, let us try to understand from this transcendental source of knowledge what we are, what is this universe, what is God, and what is our relationship with Him. e message of Lord Caitanya is the message for the living entities and the message of the living world. Lord Caitanya did not bother Himself for the upliftment of this dead world, which is suitably named Martyaloka, the world where everything is destined to die. He appeared before us four hundred fty years ago to tell us something of the transcendental universe, where everything is permanent and everything is for the service of the Absolute. But recently Lord Caitanya has been misrepresented by some unscrupulous persons, and the highest philosophy of the Lord has been misinterpreted to be the cult of the lowest type of society. We are glad to announce tonight that our Ācāryadeva, with his unusual kindness, saved us from this horrible type of degradation, and therefore we bow down at his lotus feet with all humility.
Gentlemen, it has been a mania of the cultured (or uncultured) society of the present day to accredit the Personality of Godhead with merely impersonal features and to stultify Him by claiming that He has no senses, no form, no activity, no head, no legs, and no enjoyment. is has also been the pleasure of the modern scholars due to their sheer lack of proper guidance and true introspection in the spiritual realm. All these empiricists think alike: all the enjoyable things should be monopolized by the human society, or by a particular class only, and the impersonal God should be a mere order supplier for their whimsical feats. We are happy that we have been relieved of this horrible type of malady by the mercy of His Divine Grace Paramahaṁsa Pari-
He is our eye-opener, our eternal
father, our eternal preceptor, and our eternal guide. Let us therefore bow down at his lotus feet on this auspicious day.
Gentlemen, although we are like ignorant children in the knowledge of the Transcendence, still His Divine Grace, my Gurudeva, has kindled a small re within us to dissipate the invincible darkness of empirical knowledge. We are now so much on the safe side that no amount of philosophical argument by the empiric schools of thought can deviate us an inch from the position of our eternal dependence on the lotus feet of His Divine Grace. Furthermore, we are prepared to challenge the most erudite scholars of the Māyāvāda school and prove that the personality of Godhead and His transcendental sports in Goloka alone constitute the sublime information of the Vedas. ere are explicit indications of this in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [8.13.1]: śyāmāc chavalaṁ prapadye śavalāc chyāmaṁ prapadye. “For receiving the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, I surrender unto His energy [Rādhā], and for receiving the mercy of His energy, I surrender unto Kṛṣṇa.” Also, in the Ṛg Veda [1.2.22.20]: tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayo divīva cakṣur ātataṁ … viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padam. “ e lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu are the supreme objective of all the demigods. ese lotus feet of the Lord are as enlightening as the sun in the sky.”
e plain truth so vividly explained in the Gītā, which is the central lesson of the Vedas, is not understood or even suspected by the most powerful scholars of the empiric schools. Herein lies the secret of Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā. When we meditate on the transcendental pastimes of the Absolute Godhead, we are proud to feel that we are His eternal servitors, and we become jubilant and dance with joy. All glory to my divine master, for it is he who has out of his unceasing ow of mercy stirred up within us such a movement of eternal existence. Let us bow down at his louts feet.
Gentlemen, had he not appeared before us to deliver us from the thralldom of this gross worldly delusion, surely we should have remained for lives and ages in the darkness of helpless captivity. Had he not appeared before us, we would not have been able to understand the eternal truth of the sublime teaching of Lord Caitanya. Had he not appeared before us, we could not have been able to know the signi cance of the rst śloka of Brahma-saṁhitā:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
“Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all, He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.” Personally, I have no hope for any direct service for the coming crores of births of the sojourn of my life, but I am con dent that some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. erefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to su er the lot for which I am destined due to my past misdoings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, realized through the un inching mercy of my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus feet with all the humility at my command.
ABHAY CHARAN DAS
For Members, Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Bombay
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my obeisances.
I am indebted to you forever. In your purport on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1 7 7, you point out that “simply by hearing the Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one can have direct connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thereby one can attain the highest perfection of life by transcending worldly miseries, illusion and fearfulness.”
bhaktir utpadyate puṁsaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahā
ank you for the unique opportunity to dive into the nectar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Every morning I have a unique opportunity to listen to your lectures and instructions, which give me spiritual strength and support my desire to serve your mission.
Last year, the Moscow saṅkīrtana devotees gave me your beautiful metal mūrti. It was made using coins that people donated on saṅkīrtana.
Knowing that you were going to visit Moscow, the devotees suggested that you go to Hawaii during the mango season. But you answered that “preaching in the snows of Russia is sweeter than mango.”
Your words and your love enter deep into my heart.
In the year of the 50th anniversary of your arrival in Russia, we held a special book distribution marathon, and devotees from the countries of the former USSR distributed more than 1 million books in a year. All the devotees tried to please you.
May I continue to be useful in service to the mission of Lord Caitanya.
An insigni cant servant of your servants, Acyutātmā D āsa
Dear
Just recently, a spacious new ISKCON temple was inaugurated in Naperville, Illinois, in suburban Chicago, and beautiful marble Deities of Ś
masundara were installed during a gorgeous three-day festival. With the assistance of a cadre of highly trained ISKCON
priests from both India and the United States, participants observed three days of elaborate vaiṣṇava-yajñas, rituals, and mantra chanting. ISKCON sannyāsīs, GBC members, gurus, temple presidents, and other senior devotees were there to honor the event and share words of wisdom. Youthful devotees (and some not so youthful!) led the thousands of attendees in hours of profoundly inspiring kīrtana. Members of the US Congress, the Illinois House of Representatives, the County Commissioner’s O ce, and the City Council came in person to share their appreciation for ISKCON and to give their support to this community and the new place of worship established in their state, county, and city.
Later this year, another large and beautiful temple building will be inaugurated by ISKCON’s community in the Washington, D.C. area, the nation’s capital – one of the most important cities in the world. Here too, devotees of Kṛṣṇa will welcome this new place of worship with vaiṣṇavayajñas, kīrtana, feasting, pūjā, the presence of senior ISKCON leaders, and dignitaries from the government, academia, and other religious communities.
New temples are also underway in other parts of the United States, including Columbus, Ohio, and Parsippany, New Jersey. And, of course, other ISKCON initiatives like book distribution, Ratha-yātrā, Kṛṣṇa House, Vaiṣṇava Care, Hare Kṛṣṇa Food Relief/Food for Life, and more, continue to ourish, and plant and grow the seeds of bhakti across the country.
All of this growth, enthusiasm, and expansion is due to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It was you who had the vision to come to America. It was you who saw t to engage half-crazed American youth as your pioneer missionaries. It was you who reached out to the Indian diaspora (and those still in India), asking them to take up and carry forward the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It was you who envisioned (and built) beautiful temples in the lands of the mlecchas, who engaged the downtrodden, who puri ed the forgetful, and who gave hope to the hopeless.
Now, as your disciples and granddisciples, it is our duty to remain faithful followers of your mission, your teaching, your mood, and especially your example. Please bless us to know that our connection to you goes deepest when we hanker and strive to understand your unending compassion, your commitment to the order of your Guru Mahārāja, and your willingness to sacri ce for others’ well-being.
is brief memory of you below is an eye-opening one. (Recalled by Prabhaviṣṇu D āsa in the Prabhupāda Memories series by Siddhānta D āsa.)
Once I went into Prabhupāda’s room when he was sitting in the corner with his head in his hand. He sat there for a few minutes with a pained expression on his face. en he looked up at me and said, “ is Bombay project is such a headache. It is such a headache.”
He paused and then said, “But it is for Kṛṣṇa, so it is all right.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes ISKCON devotees assume that everything you did to establish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement came easily for you. e insight above, and others like it, give us a more mature understanding. You bore many burdens, you tolerated many distressful and painful conditions, and you made many personal sacri ces, all for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa and your Guru Mahārāja, and to alleviate the su ering of the forgetful souls of this world.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless me, bless us, bless every member of ISKCON (so-called big or small) to set aside our personal agendas, our argumentative natures, our petty bickering, our seeds of sectarianism, and our unwillingness to sacri ce for the sake of cooperation so that we may better manifest as that transcendental army of mercy you envisioned. We want to help you carry your burdens for the Lord. We want to willingly and lovingly bear the headaches of awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness, pure love of God, across the globe. We, too, want to learn to carry these hardships as you showed us: “But, it is for Kṛṣṇa, so it is all right.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us to become mature sons and daughters, and grandsons and granddaughters, so that together – despite our di erences in generations and in cultures – we will cooperatively carry forward your mission. Please bless us to always remain a united, strong, loving, and exemplary International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Your servant, Anuttama D āsa GBC Member and Minister of Communications“Essential truth spoken concisely is true eloquence.” (Cc., Ādi 1.106)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, due to his being on the highest level of spiritual realization, could present Kṛṣṇa consciousness concisely and with great power and impact. is is the potency of an empowered ācārya. Mukunda Mahārāja relates how the London devotees were invited to chant on a Dutch radio show, but the radio station would only give Śrīla Prabhupāda a few minutes to speak. When informed of this, Śrīla Prabhupāda replied: “I can explain the whole philosophy in ve minutes.”
Before the publishing of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, there were dozens of versions of the Gītā in English. However, these had not made one single genuine devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Yet when Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Bhagavad-gītā As It Is began to circulate, it created hundreds and thousands of dedicated devotees all over the world.
Kṛṣṇa explains the reason why:
at very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science. (Bg. 4.3)
In 1974, I was on the campus of the University of Michigan with Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja. We met a professor who was the chair of the Religious Studies department. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja asked him if he had read the Gītā. He replied: “Of course I have.” Mahārāja followed up: “Did you understand it?” e professor was a little mi ed and replied: “Of course I did.” Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja then asked the professor: “So what are you going to do now?” We watched as a look of bewilderment washed over the professor’s face. e idea that the Gītā was a call to action, that its message demanded serious changes on the part of the reader, had never entered the professor’s mind.
Hari Śauri Prabhu relates how once, when Śrīla Prabhupāda was having his massage, his secretary read a letter from a professor reviewing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. e professor wrote: “ e books from e Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are beautifully produced. e only problem is that the author only stresses kṛṣṇa-bhakti.” Śrīla Prabhupāda slapped his hand on the massage mat and said: “ at is my success. I have written these books in such a way that no one can squeeze any other meaning out of them but devotional service.”
As the conclusion of their dialogue, Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna: “O son of Pṛthā, O conqueror of wealth, have you heard this with an attentive mind? And are your ignorance and illusions now dispelled?” (Bg. 18.72) Arjuna replies: “My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now rm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.” (Bg. 18.73) What is the essence of those instructions by Kṛṣṇa? “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and o er your homage unto Me” and “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” (Bg. 18 65–66)
As we said at the beginning, one who has understood the message of the Gītā can then explain it to others. Like an expert surgeon, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words, infused with the deepest realizations, can enter the heart of the reader and accomplish the goal of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And what is that goal?
at literature which is full with descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form, and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization.
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1 5 11)
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu orders:
Distribute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. Let people eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death. (Cc., Ādi 9 39)
In a darśana in Detroit in 1975, Śrīla Prabhupāda said: “My ‘disease’ is that I cannot think small.” Śrīla Prabhupāda set as his goal nothing less than to change the downward trajectory of the world and to open wide the oodgates of the Golden Age of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Shortly before leaving for America on the Jaladuta, Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Śāntipur to pray for the mercy of Śrī Advaita Ācārya. e mahānta of the temple narrated how he saw Śrīla Prabhupāda quietly chanting on his beads and crying. As he knew Śrīla Prabhupāda, he inquired: “Why are you crying?” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied: “My spiritual master has given me an impossible mission, but I must try for it.” Years later, the mahānta was shown a copy of Back to Godhead magazine by some visiting ISKCON devotees. Looking through it and seeing photos of ISKCON devotees and temples around the world, the mahānta began to exclaim in amazement: “He did it! He actually did it!”
Mahātmā Prabhu relates how in July of 1970, when Śrīla Prabhupāda visited San Francisco for the Ratha-yātrā festival, he came to the little ISKCON storefront on Fredrick Street. It had a small temple room which was packed full of devotees from all over the West Coast and beyond. When Śrīla Prabhupāda arrived, he hesitated at the front door before entering. en, when sitting on the vyāsāsana, instead of singing Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava, he sang the Gurv-aṣṭakam prayers. Later in the day, devotees asked Śrīla Prabhupāda why he paused before entering and if there was a speci c reason why he sang the prayers to the spiritual masters. Śrīla Prabhupāda replied: “I was inviting my spiritual master and the previous ācāryas to come and see the scene.”
e fact is that Śrīla Prabhupāda’s bold and “against-all-odds” desire to ful ll the will of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is still unfolding before our eyes. e international GBC has a weekly Zoom call, and before wading into the agenda, each week there is a report by a di erent GBC member about the activities in their area of responsibility for the last year. ese short reports are wonderful. Dedicated devotees are producing impressive and innovative results around the world. Hearing of these is like hearing of the churning of the ocean of milk and all the mystical items that came out of it.
e Lord brought the desire tree of devotional service to this earth and became its gardener. He sowed the seed and sprinkled upon it the water of His will. (Cc., Ādi 9 9)
e branches of the Caitanya tree formed a cluster or society, with great branches covering all the universe. (Cc., Ādi 9.11)
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport on verse 11: “Our International Society for Krishna Consciousness is one of the branches of the Caitanya tree.”
ISKCON’s continuing success depends on the degree to which the “branch” of ISKCON stays connected to the “tree” of Lord Caitanya’s will. at connection of empowerment is maintained to the degree that we present Śrīla Prabhupāda’s message, standards, and practices without modi cation or dilution. Śrīla Prabhupāda said in a darśana in Detroit (June of 1976): “I have given you the structure, just go and decorate it. Actually, I have even given you the decorations. Just go and hang them.”
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please let me close with a prayer for your mercy. May we in ISKCON always hold tight to your bold and determined spirit. May we be infused with your faith in the power of the holy name. As you were convinced of the potency of your spiritual master’s order, may we have the same con dence in the potency of your orders. May we share your conviction in the guaranteed success of Lord Caitanya’s mission. May we always stay under the shelter of your lotus feet.
Your insigni cant servant, Badrin
Swami
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, the savior of the world and of me. Time passes by. It seems like not long ago that I moved into the temple in London at 7 Bury Place, near the British Museum and not far from Oxford St, the main street. Actually, it was 50 years ago, on January 7th this year.
You saved me from a fate worse than death. Locked into a way of life full of degradation and unhappiness, I didn’t know which way to turn, and all the ways I tried turning were dead ends, full of su ering and confusion.
I was frustrated with materialistic life, and as far as I was concerned, I was now retired, albeit at the early age of 21 years. But it just didn’t seem worth it to persevere in working life, so I was trying to nd an alternative path, but it was so elusive.
Within about two weeks of moving into the temple I felt my life had become revolutionized. My anxieties dissolved, and I felt a sense of positiveness I had not known before. As you said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in your Vyāsa-pūjā o ering to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī in 1935:
ou has brought.
As Caitanya wrought. Unknown to all It’s full of brace. at’s your gift
Your Divine Grace.
Where would I be if you had not entered my life, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I hate to think, but there’s no doubt it would be far worse than where I am now. Where would the world be if you had not come? Actually, the world is in a disastrous condition, and it just shows what can go wrong if people do not follow your instructions. But even so, if you had not come, it would be far worse than it is.
So now I have to try to follow you and make your mission my mission in life. People can respond when Kṛṣṇa consciousness is presented to them, and many have. We just have to keep on giving it to them and praying for the potency to become worthy instruments in your hands.
By your mercy, so much in my life has changed in these 50 years, but much more has to change. I pray at your divine lotus feet to help me remain in your service until this body drops.
Your lowly servant, Bhakti
Caitanya SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
On the event of your appearance day celebration, I am going to remember some of your glories by which I can be puri ed. You are very special, and your appearance in this material world has brought so much auspiciousness. One of your godbrothers had said that Your Divine Grace is a śaktyāveśa-avatāra. In scripture, it has been mentioned that, “Brahmāṇḍa tārite śakti dhare jane jane. One person being empowered by the Lord can deliver the whole universe.”
Your Divine Grace is a perfect example of this scriptural verdict. No one in previous days has done what you have done by bringing Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the globe. No previous ācāryas have done it. But being empowered by them, you have been able to do this. at’s why it is con rmed that Your Divine Grace is a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.
A Purāṇa has mentioned that once Bhakti Devī had told Nārada Muni that she would leave Vṛndāvana and go to foreign countries. Your Divine Grace lived in Vṛndāvana for 12 years, then carrying Bhakti Devī within your heart, traveled to foreign countries, ful lling the desire of Bhakti Devī to go to foreign countries.
Now Bhakti Devī has reached each country of this world. In recent days many religious leaders and spiritualists are recognizing your greatness and glorifying Your Divine Grace in public during their lectures. e ācāryas of other Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas are feeling proud of Your Divine Grace, who has spread the holy name all over the world.
ank you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving me shelter at your lotus feet.
Your humble servant, Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
I am sitting here in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma to write my annual o ering to His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. As we are getting older now and our health is deteriorating, Śrīla Prabhupāda, at the time at a similar age and fragile health condition, set o to the Western world to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness far and wide. is is simply inconceivable. What austerities he had to accept due to lacking any facilities compared to today’s well-established ISKCON temples and congregation communities.
On his rst visit to Hamburg, Germany, in 1969, the small temple had only a few devotees, who
greeted Śrīla Prabhupāda at the airport. ey were sitting on a rug in the airport’s arrival hall and holding kīrtana. When Śrīla Prabhupāda passed by the sitting devotees, they didn’t know whether they should continue chanting or to get up and follow him. ey were inexperienced and somewhat confused. No preaching engagements were arranged, except for with one Indology professor from Hamburg University, who came to talk to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda tolerated. He wanted to inspire the few newcomers in their practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In a small living room, he sat on his bed with a harmonium and sang the ārati prayers while pūjā was being o ered to his small Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities.
On his morning walks, only one devotee or sometimes a few accompanied Śrīla Prabhupāda. One time, when he was accompanied by only one devotee, that devotee, in the middle of the walk, paid his obeisances and said that he had to go to work. When Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Hamburg, it was pretty chilly in the early hours. One morning, after returning from the morning walk, we were waiting for the elevator, and Śivānanda was rubbing his hands together because of the cold.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “Are you cold?” and touched Śivānanda’s hands. “Feel my hand,” he said. Śivānanda was surprised by how warm they were. en Prabhupāda put his hands on Śivānanda’s chest and said, “If you keep this part of the body warm, then the rest will be automatically warm.”
Prabhupāda was so kind and a ectionate to his disciples. At the same time, he could be heavy when it was necessary to train his disciples not to become slack and inattentive in their practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We greatly miss Śrīla Prabhupāda, and we pray to him for his mercy and blessings to be able to properly continue with our spiritual life and serve his wonderful International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
It does occasionally come to mind at if you were to drop by at any time
Would you be pleased with what you see? Is the house in order as it should be?
I’m sure you would witness some growth e standing in queue for many taking their oath
Numbers have always been important to you Whether people, land, schools, books, buildings anew
You may be informed many people have come and gone At the same time, so many have just stayed on Apostasy is a reality that would stir in you a reaction For you are so thoroughly a person of compassion You taught us to always take note of gures Because it means we duly re ect on our mirrors
Deserving our count are sacred wisdom, food, and sound ese items identify our three stakes in the ground
Another gauge that would indicate we are moving In our expansion, that māyā is so disapproving
Are the happy faces that destroy duress Happy servants are a clear indicator of success
Conversely, you would not be proud of us when we ght When the tyranny of “either/or” declares “I am right”
You made it known that bhakti is cooperation A harmony of honey-coated hearts in collaboration
Frankly, it is odd to think you are not already here Your laser perception breaks barriers, keeping you near Our love for you is shown through our surrender When we drop the tendency to be a big self-defender
We love you because you are the emblem of acceptance Prabhupāda, in your equal vision, you make all of us dance
“
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
I often tell the devotees that if they want to understand pure devotional service, they need to study your qualities and pastimes so that they can appreciate your care for others, your determination in all circumstances, your dedication to the pleasure of your beloved spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, your loving relationship with your godbrothers, your attachment to the holy names, your love for the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and bhakti scriptures, your transcendental humor, and your tolerance. I am certainly not capable of listing all of your qualities.
Daily I delve into the nectar of connecting with you. Daily I deepen my understanding and appreciation of you. Daily I endeavor to follow your example.
I regularly watch the Śrīla Prabhupāda memory videos in which your other disciples reveal their hearts and minds in relation to you by recalling their interactions with Your Divine Grace. is soothes my troubled heart and enables me to come closer to you. My appreciation for you increases exponentially by hearing these memories. I pray that I can serve you by always acting devotionally with others as you have done.
Daily I listen to the recordings of your classes, morning walks, and conversations. In this way, I learn how to present Kṛṣṇa consciousness properly according to time, place, and circumstance. I can see that you were always conscious of the mission that you descended to this world to perform. Your focus on your mission helps me understand the Gītā’s verse 2.41:
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu- śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
ose who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.”
By reading your books regularly, I appreciate more and more your deep understanding and realization of Lord Caitanya’s teachings. Your ability to concisely present the ācāryas’ commentaries in a way that is understandable to us is amazing. Kṛṣṇa has empowered you to present the highest spiritual truths to the world in a way that the common man can understand. is is amazing, considering that you are on the highest level of devotional service, yet out of your compassion for us, you are taking us by the hand and leading us to the highest realizations.
I often marvel at nursery school teachers who can patiently teach at the level that 4-year-olds can understand. Your reaching out to us is comparable to these teachers. We were infants yet, you patiently, lovingly guided us and empowered us in many ways.
Gurudeva, give to this servant just one drop of mercy. I am lower than a blade of grass. Give me all help. Give me strength. Let me be as you are, without desires or aspirations. I o er you all respects, for thus I may have the energy to know you correctly. en, by chanting the holy name in great ecstasy, all my o enses will cease. When will such mercy fall to this one who is weak and devoid of intelligence? Allow me to be with you.
If you examine me, you will nd no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of.
If you are not merciful unto me, I can only weep, and I will not be able to maintain my life.
(Gurudeva! kṛpā-bindu-diyā, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura)
I pray that somehow or other I can obtain that determination to able to please you as you have pleased your spiritual master. You have often told us that this is the secret of success. I know that all my spiritual advancement is contingent upon my pleasing you.
Your servant, Bīr Kṛṣṇa D āsa Goswami
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace, all glories to your ISKCON Society, and all glories to your followers.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
One of my favorite prayers, among the many wonderful prayers written by generations of great Vaiṣṇavas, is the prayer written by Your Divine Grace upon your arrival in America on September 17th, 1965, entitled Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma or “Preaching Bhāgavata-dharma in America.”
So as not to make this o ering too long, I summarize your prayer below.
My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have
brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me. But I guess You have some business here; otherwise, why would You bring me to this terrible place? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message. I am very unfortunate, unquali ed, and the most fallen. erefore, I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own. O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like, You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding. O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like. I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can ful ll the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.
On the day of your appearance, we endeavor to better remember you, your qualities, character, and mood in ful lling the mission given to you by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. As your followers, we aim and pray to be able to imbibe this mood in our own small e orts to assist you in ful lling the instructions of your spiritual master.
Among your numerous wonderful qualities, this prayer reveals some of them, your humility, determination, faith in the message of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the holy name, dependence on Lord Kṛṣṇa, as well as your compassionate heart. It is because of all these qualities that we had, and many in the future will continue to have, the opportunity to come into contact with Lord Caitanya’s mercy and teachings.
Another favorite prayer is Ohe! Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. I include verses 3 and 4 in this o ering.
I do not nd the strength to carry on alone the saṅkīrtana of the holy name of Hari. Please bless me by giving me just one drop of faith with which to obtain the great treasure of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. I am simply your servant running behind you shouting, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!”
In this di cult material world and the more di cult Kali-yuga, we can be reminded of and take shelter in these words. Without your blessings and strength, we are unable to do anything meaningful. I thus pray to you to continue to bless and empower all your followers, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that I/we can better represent you, your example, qualities, and mood, and continue to assist you, in whatever small way possible, in ful lling the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Your unworthy servant, Candraśekhara Ācārya D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
On the occasion of your blessed Vyāsa-pūjā, I recall a powerful verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that suitably describes your transcendental qualities. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11 14 16, Lord Kṛṣṇa declares to Uddhava as follows:
nirapekṣaṁ muniṁ śāntaṁ nirvairaṁ sama-darśanam anuvrajāmy ahaṁ nityaṁ pūyeyety aṅghri-reṇubhiḥ
With the dust of My devotees’ lotus feet I desire to purify the material worlds, which are situated within Me. us, I always follow the footsteps of My pure devotees, who are free from all personal desire, rapt in thought of My pastimes, peaceful, without any feelings of enmity, and of equal disposition everywhere.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you displayed all the above qualities when you traversed the world spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement far and wide. You were nirapekṣam – free of all material desires. Your only desire was to establish Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and invoke the love of God in the hearts of the living entities. You never demanded anything for yourself, but were prepared to perform any service so that Kṛṣṇa consciousness could advance. is was because, all that while, you were munim – always thinking of assisting Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes. You tolerated all other personal considerations and bodily di culties; you tolerated all the challenges the movement faced, both externally and internally, just so you could serve the Lord and your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. And because you were absorbed in serving the Supreme Lord, you remained śāntam – peaceful – in all situations. No matter how pressing matters were in ISKCON, whether it was the challenging legal situation in Juhu, Mumbai, or the insidious attempts to minimize your position as ISKCON’s founder-ācārya, you continued your devotional service and programs wherever you went, teaching us that devotional service to the Lord must continue uninterrupted and unmotivated in the midst of all material challenges.
Even when you were as heavy as a thunderbolt with your disciples or others who challenged Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you had no enmity toward them, only compassion for the fallen souls who had become misguided in Kali-yuga and veered away from their constitutional position as eternal
servants of the Lord. While you had to wear the hat of discrimination to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you often showed us that, deep inside, you possessed an equal disposition – sama-darśanam –to everyone, only as a pure devotee – uttama-adhikārī – can. Anyone who had the fortune of meeting you felt touched by your purity, your humility, and your genuine concern, care, and compassion for them – the hallmarks of a pure devotee of the Lord.
As Kṛṣṇa explains to Uddhava, because of all these qualities that you displayed, Kṛṣṇa Himself followed your hallowed footsteps to purify the material world, and He no doubt continues to bless this movement you so carefully and with great e ort started.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your actions are ours to follow. e symptoms of Kali-yuga deepen and worsen every day, and sometimes they threaten the society you carefully nurtured and built. Despite these challenges, I remain con dent that, with your blessings, the Supreme Lord will look favorably on us as your followers to continue to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with one and all in the mood of love and compassion that you established in our hearts.
I can never repay you for granting me an opportunity to serve the Lord in my current service, and I pray to the Lord that I stay forever under the shelter of your lotus feet and always remain engaged in the sublime service of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.
Your servant,
Devakīnandana D āsa (MVG) SingaporeDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet, my only shelter in the unremitting storm known as material existence.
When I contemplate the utter wreckage of my life before encountering your mercy, I shudder and shake.
During BP – the appalling years before Prabhupāda – I super cially thrived as a Manhattan enjoyer, externally living a privileged, educated life of elitist bene ts. Internally, however, I was a desert, an existential wasteland.
Society goaded and pressured me, reassuring: “You’ve scaled the mountain to the pinnacle –now breathe the rari ed atmosphere and delight.” Nevertheless, the thought terri ed me: “Is this all that be – the one who dies with the most toys and acclaim wins?”
e overpowering cosmic reality seemed “nothingness is.” A nihilistic pseudo-siddhānta reigned supreme: “On this crazy planet, devise your own truth, make your own light, as your brief life fades in and out of the vast darkness, coldness, and indi erence of the universe.”
e paribhāsa śūtra guiding whatever Kali-yuga eeting relationships: “Don’t try to lead me, don’t try to follow me; just walk together with me through the chaos.”
Dispelling the spiritual and material deadliness of such massive inner devastation, you brought me back to the in nitely attractive Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, especially as ey combine as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not only did you give us the consciousness of em, but also you lavished upon us knowledge of eir pure devotional service, the most precious gem.
Among the six characteristics of pure devotional service that Rūpa Gosvāmī describes, the trait of rareness is stunning. Knowing this, how can we ever dare to think we deserve the opportunity to render even neophyte bhakti – what to speak of a possibility to serve in spotless devotion?
Our material quali cations and achievements cannot even interest Kṛṣṇa, to say nothing of attracting Him to us. Consequently, I seem trapped in a paradox, a spiritual cul-de-sac, no through road ahead.
e standard of pure devotion is so atypical and anomalous it sounds beyond supernatural. Yet nothing else can attract Kṛṣṇa. What to do?
Only your eternal status as a pure devotee can resolve my dilemma. Nothing else will su ce.
If I sel essly serve your lotus feet, the impossible attainment of śuddha-bhakti becomes within reach. Because of you, Kṛṣṇa can agree to notice me and my juvenile attempts at pleasing Him.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura declares the reality of your place in my life: “Kṛṣṇa is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, ‘Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!’ ” Please establish this fallen soul in your service, which will allow Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Pañca-tattva to shine eir grace upon me.
Your hopeful servant, Devāmṛta Swami
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Most respected Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Gurudeva! All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga!
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be writing this Vyāsa-pūjā o ering, and I request you to please accept it at your lotus feet. I see this as an opportunity to learn from your pastimes, seek inspiration, and share some of those, learning to cleanse my heart.
Your earthly pastimes are a lesson on how to embrace diversity and inculcate unity in the populace in a world rampant with con ict and chaos. It’s indeed a miracle to read the story of a 70-year-old person boarding a cargo ship to New York to successfully start a movement that would stand the test of time and constantly expand across geographies, ethnicities and races, di erent lifestyles, and across multiple language-speaking communities. I am blessed to receive a droplet of your mercy as I got to serve you in the mission.
In material parlance, for someone to achieve such a scale of success at that phase of life is unprecedented. Steve Jobs, a bene ciary of your movement, once remarked, “we are here to put a dent in the universe.” No one created as deep and as wide a dent as you did, Śrīla Prabhupāda; you have transformed the hearts of thousands of people, who in turn transformed the hearts of millions of people. You set in motion a chain reaction that would last through the Golden Age of this Kali-yuga, as predicted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Today, there is a lot of talk about remote work, hybrid work, proximity bias, etc., and what it takes to run a large organization using people-centric AI technologies. You are a pioneer here, too, as you remotely managed an organization as global as ISKCON in the 1960s–70s, running tens of temples, preaching centers, and farm communities through letters, which would reach
innumerable recipients after many days and years. ere were no emails or messenger apps for instant communication in those days. Yet, the devotees felt listened to, connected, and felt a sense of belonging to a community that spread worldwide. What made this happen (sometimes seen as a miracle) was your personal purity, your un inching faith in Kṛṣṇa, and your submissiveness to the instructions of your Guru Mahārāja.
To run a global organization of the scale of ISKCON requires intent and leadership to establish unity in diversity. While there are many instances, let me quote just one letter of yours (and deep-mine the richness within it,) that clearly demonstrates your broadmindedness and leadership to inspire unity in diverse communities. With this analysis and dissection, I humbly attempt to share my learning, inspiration, and appreciation for you, which will contribute to my puri cation. e following are some excerpts from your letter to Satsvarūpa D āsa Goswami, dated November 2, 1973.
With regard to Dallas Mohanananda has now come to Bombay, and because our Giriraj is returning to the U.S.A. on account of his health. Mohanananda is advised to act as acting president. If you have no objection, he may stay for at least three months.
Your words “If you have no objection …” show your deep respect for the devotees and the servant leadership you have demonstrated before your disciples, ensuring everybody feels listened to and that every voice matters. As the leader of the movement, you could have just instructed, but you wanted to factor in the convenience of the other person. In such a diversely cultured society, respectfulness is the fulcrum, and you have demonstrated this time and again. One such example is the above.
Regarding the black lady in Cleveland, if she is actually serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, give her a little freedom. Just behave with her a little gently, so she may be encouraged to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness amongst the blacks. Actually, if she preaches the importance of this movement amongst the blacks, it will be more e ective. is racial color distinction may continue, but when a devotee is actually advanced, these things will disappear. As your President Lincoln gave the blacks equal rights, let us cooperate with them.
Black Lives Matter protests are the order of the day even today, nearly six decades after the civil rights movement in the United States between 1945–1968. e George Floyd protests of July 2020 sowed seeds for #Blacklivesmatter, but the discrimination against this community has been a topic of deep concern for centuries now. Amidst all that happened, before your appearance, during your earthly pastimes, and today, after your disappearance, to read this excerpt of your letter is heartwarming. How forward-looking you were, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
ere is a lot that we can learn from this excerpt. is shows your compassion for the lady belonging to a discriminated community when you request for a little freedom to be given. In fact, the theme for 2023’s International Women’s Day was #EmbraceEquity. You practiced this way back in 1973, fully aware of the social challenges women in that community faced. When you asked for a little freedom to be given in that “equity,” you were willing to contextualize it appropriately. Besides, quoting Lincoln showed your willingness to align with the political order of the day then, which was extremely important for preaching programs to achieve groundswell support among the masses.
Last but not least, you demonstrated practicality in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness when you suggested that the lady preaches only to the Blacks – a well-demonstrated instance of the chain reaction you set in motion.
Regarding the rascal Bharati, yes, capture this rascal and defeat him in debating, and prove him as a rascal Number one.
In total contrast to the tone of the rst two excerpts is in the third one above, where you show absolutely no compromise in presenting philosophy; you show no mercy to bogus philosophers, and you always urge your followers to expose them so that the common public is not cheated, but rather saved from Māyāvādīs. is shows your conviction in the philosophy and your leadership to ensure followers walk the path right without deviation, and you lead by example on all fronts.
As I read of many such instances in the Līlāmṛta, I sometimes wonder how I wish I had had the physical association of my grand–spiritual master. Having said that, let me recall your words of instruction on this matter, and I shall follow this to the tee and seek guidance accordingly.
Just as a devoted wife becomes a icted at the passing away of her husband, when a spiritual master passes away, the disciple becomes similarly bereaved. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.50, purport)
However, the disciple and the spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple strictly follows the instructions of the spiritual master. is is called the association of vāṇī (words). Physical presence is called vapuḥ. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4 28 47, purport)
In the Śīkṣāṣṭakam prayers, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu calls out,
ayi nanda-tanūja kiṅkaraṁ patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkajasthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya
O son of Mahārāja Nanda (Kṛṣṇa), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.
I seek your blessings, Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this auspicious day of your divine appearance so that one day, by your mercy, I can reach the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa as one of the atoms there. Having said this, I am also aware of the prized position I am already in by getting the opportunity to serve you in this eternal mission.
As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.3):
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
I consider myself very fortunate to be in the association of exalted Vaiṣṇavas in your mission, and I seek your blessings to guide me in my service.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Daṇḍavat praṇāmas unto your lotus feet, Gurudeva!
Your ever-humble servant, Gaurāṅga D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. is year we are celebrating your 127th appearance anniversary. With the passage of each day, your fame is increasing in every corner of the globe. Leaders around the world are appreciating your contribution to humanity.
After Rūpa Gosvāmī resigned from his government service, Lord Caitanya instructed him to go to Vṛndāvana and write books on devotional service, identify places where the Lord performed transcendental pastimes, and construct temples. You also gave similar instructions to your disciples. Currently, we have nine temples under construction in North India. By your mercy, all these temples have unique architectural designs. In March and April, we opened two more temples. One was in Gurgaon, the other the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple and gurukula. e Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh appreciated the society’s work in spreading Vedic culture, including taking care of cows.
e important instructions you gave are:
1) Always stay in ISKCON and never leave ISKCON.
2) Chant 16 rounds every day and read your books.
3) Distribute your books.
4) Keep our temples neat and clean.
5) Worship our temple Deities opulently.
6) Distribute kṛṣṇa-prasāda. You wanted everybody who came to our temple to be served prasāda – as they do in gurudwaras and Tirupati temples.
7) Follow the GBC – “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate with one another.”
Everything you wanted us to do is there in your books, in your dialogues while preaching to devotees and friends. Recently we celebrated the silver jubilee of your Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi temple and the golden jubilee of Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi’s installation. e Deities were installed by you in Delhi 50 years ago. Your Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi temple opened in 1998 is temple, now known as the mother temple, has given birth to temples in Punjabi Bagh, Noida, Rohini, Bahadurgarh, Dwarka, Faridabad, 2 in Ghaziabad, two temples in Ludhiana, and Chippiwada, your o ce before you sailed to America.
e honorable Prime Minister of India sent a powerful message to your ISKCON. He said:
It is heartening to learn about the Silver Jubilee celebrations of ISKCON Delhi.
Greetings and best wishes to everyone associated with ISKCON Delhi, as well as the innumerable devotees of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa not just in Delhi but across the nation and the world over.
For the last two-and-half decades, ISKCON Delhi has bound together the fraternity of devotees of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the strand of Bhakti. Guided by His divine inspiration, it continues to work with a collective spirit.
e sel ess e orts of ISKCON Delhi to render service to humanity through community service are commendable. ISKCON temples are spiritual and social hubs, upholding the highest traditions of service and devotion.
e moving force behind the establishment of ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life and teachings, continue to resonate across the world. His endeavor to further spread the divine message of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is truly inspiring.
A beacon of hope for every individual and society, the essence of Bhagavad Gītā continues to guide humanity the world over. Drawing strength from this scripture, the ISKCON family has made innumerable e orts to promote compassion, harmony and brotherhood.
During my visit to ISKCON Delhi, I was deeply impressed by the manner in which the temple has become a symbol of ‘Bhāratiyata’.
e President of India’s message was also encouraging. In her address, she stated:
I am delighted to know that ISKCON New Delhi is celebrating its Silver Jubilee on April 5, 2023
ISKCON has been at the vanguard of a global spiritual revival, especially by establishing Sanātana Dharma as the way of life. ISKCON’s temples across the world act as centers of spiritual learning, nurturing values, peace and prosperity through invoking love of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Every temple is a ‘spiritual shelter’ built to liberate us from fears and ignorance through knowledge and lift our spirits. ISKCON is now a world-famous destination for visitors and tourists to learn more about Hindu culture and the great teachings of the Vedas and the Bhagavad-gītā as well as the chanting of ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you were a true Vaiṣṇava who appeared to save the su ering humanity. Your followers are trying their best to take your message to every corner – including tribal and village preaching. On this auspicious day, I beg you for your mercy so that I may continue to serve you. I do have some health issues, but by your causeless mercy, it seems to be in control. May I become a servant of all the Vaiṣṇavas and continue to serve in your ISKCON movement, which is non-di erent from your body. You often stated that ISKCON was your body and book distribution was your heart. You will be pleased to hear that in Pakistan, your BBT and ISKCON are legally registered. ey are working actively to publish your books in the Urdu language. All over the world, your books are being appreciated.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, since I rst met you in Montreal on June 1st, 1968, you have always been very compassionate toward a fallen soul like myself. I want to beg that you may continue to be merciful to a fool like myself. May your fame and preaching continue to spread in every corner of the globe. May you be recognized as the most compassionate preacher who appeared to propagate Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement.
Your eternal servant, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to your ISKCON. All glories to your BBT. All glories to all your devotees.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I come before you again, as I have done over the last decades, on the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā celebration, to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude. You wrote in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.10, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ – that man is most unfortunate; they have short lives, are misguided, and most of all, they are upadrutāḥ, always disturbed. Yet out of your love and compassion you set out to reverse this pitiful situation.
Somehow, I have met Your Divine Grace through the pages of your books. You saved me from pursuing a misdirected life. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the greatest ambassador of benevolence. You carried in your heart the evangelistic spirit and determination to share the most valuable knowledge of devotional service with the world. is desire – to share, give and save – permeates our Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya
At the time of creation Lord Brahmā, the rst citizen of this material universe, held in his hands a book and japa beads. Śrīla Vyāsadeva, in his deep samādhi, foresaw the devastating e ects of Kali-yuga and gave the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. en the Six Gosvāmīs wrote over one hundred books on the science of devotion. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī, at an advanced age, wrote the Caitanyacaritāmṛta. Noting that a version of the Rāmāyaṇa, written in Bengali, was greatly appreciated in West Bengal, he wrote the Caitanya-caritāmṛta in the Bengali language, although he was a great Sanskrit scholar. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sent the rst book on Lord Caitanya to the West, and he taught his son Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura about paper and the printing press and he, in turn, ordered you to preach in the English language.
In essence, your mood and mission were informed by the previous ācāryas. Your love and compassion for humanity ow through the pages of your books. You wanted to give the most unfortunate the most valuable gift. And so, you gave the galitaṁ phalam – the ripened fruit of the Vedic knowledge in the form of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You translated and commented on the emperor of all scriptures until your last breath. You started Back to Godhead magazine in 1944. Today over a million copies a month are distributed. In 1972, you formed e Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and directed that it should “print as many books in as many languages …” Since then, someone on the planet has received one of your books every three seconds. Anxious to give us the Tenth Canto, you paused your translation and gave us the Kṛṣṇa book. Anxious to give us the Caitanyacaritāmṛta, you paused your translation of the ird Canto and gave us the Caitanya-caritāmṛta
All the while, you gave us 2,200 recorded lectures, 1,300 recorded conversations, and you penned over 6,000 letters. You also gave us prasāda, chanting of the holy names, a global home to live in, and the association of wonderful Vaiṣṇavas. Devotees of every nationality are all united in their diversity due to their intense love for you. ere is no record of anyone giving as much as you did, and for this, the world remains indebted. Just as the beauty of a mountain cannot be appreciated when we are in close proximity to it, its towering beauty and prowess become more distinct to us as we go further away from it. In a similar way, the world will fully grasp your glorious contribution with the passing of time.
While your movement is institutionally an infant, it is destined to redirect the course of history. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you will be celebrated as the transmitter of the highest truth. You had so little facility, but your conviction was great. You were able to multiply that faith capital, and today we
have a worldwide community of dedicated Vaiṣṇavas working tirelessly to ful ll your order. Your inspirational and navigational leadership will continue to inspire your followers to share this most valuable gift for generations to come. You were an inspirational leader who empowered your followers to do the impossible. And for you, they would carry a mountain on their back. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you in uenced art, literature, Vedic ecology, diet, and lifestyle.
You were so aware of the state of the free-spirited world that you expertly framed your purports and messages, keeping intact the doctrinal integrity and message spoken at the time of creation.
e same message is being delivered to the most disquali ed hedonistic society.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are a genius in the way you have conceived and developed your movement. By divine dispensation, your movement continues to grow and strengthen. In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9 15 15, you proclaim that ISKCON is the sound incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Your movement is a safe house in this age.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I thank you again and again for everything you have done and for everything you have given us. Please forgive me for my unlimited o enses, and I pray that I will one day become a useful instrument in your service.
All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā
Your struggling grandson, Govardhana D āsa
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
My o ering to you this year is from the perspective of my present service as a GBC member, as well as a member of the Executive Committee. I have found that in these services I vicariously experience the rewards and di culties that occur during our devotional service by seeing it re ected in others.
Your life, which I consider has been orchestrated by the divine energy Yogamāyā to give an example of how to conduct every aspect of a Vaiṣṇava’s life and behavior, is the sterling and ideal standard for all devotees in ISKCON. At every stage of your manifested external pastime, you created a precedent for the world to follow.
Apart from all your glorious preaching, the perfect example of strictly following the process of bhakti and your unwavering determination to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the world, your life was fraught with di culties. We see the same in the lives of our paramparā and those of all great Vaiṣṇava devotees. Such di culties also manifest in the lives of every progressing devotee. You have given us the solution to accepting the transcendental knowledge coming from your books, lectures, and writings. However, your example, at least in my case, has been the source
of fortitude and determination to continue una ected by the external circumstances. It is very easy in an atmosphere of so many challenges that we are facing at this present moment to simply go o on one’s own, seeing the di erences between ISKCON when you were present and the multifarious trials and tribulations that we are facing today. Di culties will always be there, but as Queen Kuntī expresses, we can envision them as opportunities to become more attached and dependent on Kṛṣṇa and your guidance:
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat tatra tatra jagad-guro bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād apunar bhava-darśanam
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.25)
We cannot expect those a ected by the results of errors and misjudgments by our leadership throughout the years to accept it and go on as if nothing has happened. I can’t presume that those of us in leadership positions will come up with viable solutions so that ISKCON can go on and accomplish what you desired it to do. erefore, I see your life and examples as the beacon and the anchor that allow us to act in such a way that to be inspirational for the present devotees and future generations. I can only beg you to help me develop the sensitivity to properly apply your instructions and examples in such a way that devotees will see how ISKCON is the very best, and for the major part of the world population, the only opportunity to go back home back to Godhead. Certainly, everything you have written and spoken is su cient in itself. Nevertheless, only by deep prayer, introspection, and increasing our dependence on your teachings can I hope to achieve to be part of an outcome that will be pleasing to you.
Your insigni cant servant, Guru Prasāda Swami
Dear most Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you on your auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā day.
I am very con dent that you, as my spiritual grandfather, are the direct representative of Śrīla Vyāsadeva because you are distributing the nectar churned out of the ocean of the Vedas by Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
e Vedas state that the spiritual master is the most important representative because he reveals the ultimate objective of the Vedas, namely to reveal the identity of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
By your blessings, that revelation can become manifest in the heart of the conditioned souls because you have become empowered by the Lord to bestow that mercy.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the most quali ed to decide what are the best books for us to study. You de ned Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta as the primary, secondary,
and postgraduate study to help us in the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the ultimate aim to develop love of Godhead.
You gave us the holy name and the beautiful process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the spiritual morning and evening programs, and the vows to enhance and protect our sādhana
You gave us the nine processes of devotional service, which invite us to be fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service in a variety of ways.
You taught your followers the importance of cooking for Kṛṣṇa, and serving and honoring prasāda.
You explained the importance and bene ts of living in the association of devotees. e Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is sitting in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul, waiting for the living entity to turn toward Him and recognize Him as his dearest friend.
Your mission is ful lled if you see that your disciples, granddisciples, and further generations of devotees come to the point of realizing that this material world is a place of misery, that we are not this body, and that we are eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, and we ultimately develop genuine and spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa.
When you were asked about the di erence between mind and soul, you explained that the mind is not spiritual; it’s a subtle material form, while the spirit soul, the jīva, is superior energy.
You further explained that when the soul becomes captivated and enjoys in the material world instead of rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, that’s the beginning of his falldown, his false ego.
e mind and senses become repositories of lust, and the next step is that the intelligence, the immediate next-door neighbor of the spirit soul, becomes the capital of such lustful propensities. is then results in the spirit soul becoming addicted to enjoying the material senses and mistaking this as true happiness.
I pray to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this auspicious day that I may realize your teachings and become free of this polluted intelligence, because it is a great obstacle and diametrically opposed to what we want to achieve in our spiritual life.
Your servant,
Hṛdaya Caitanya D āsa
My dear spiritual father,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
You have brought the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura around the world. Lord Caitanya told Lord Nityānanda that “We have descended from the spiritual world with the express promise and purpose of delivering the foolish, the fallen, the lowborn, and the distressed.” I quali ed in all
four aspects before becoming a devotee. You have made good fortune for all devotees around the world by giving them the divine glance of Lord Nityānanda.
I saw how tirelessly you woke up at midnight, every night, and for 3–4 hours, you were writing your translations and purports for the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and di erent kinds of literature. is was a great sacri ce you made, and you chose your words very carefully while writing these books. So in your presence, you held the Bhakti- śāstrī exam, which I took, and by your mercy, I could pass and receive my Bhakti- śāstrī degree. I noticed that you wanted everyone who takes second initiation to have the Bhakti- śāstrī degree. For sannyāsa, they should have Bhakti-vaibhava, and even in some letters you said that to be a guru to give initiation, a person should have the Bhaktivedānta degree, and you were hoping that everyone, men and women, would read your books and would take these degrees.
Actually, in 1969, the de nition of a Bhakti-vedānta was someone who had studied the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam plus Teachings of Lord Caitanya. And now Bhakti-Sārvabhauma would mean Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. You wanted that people should read your books, and they prove they are reading your books by having these exams. I have been trying to ful ll your desire, I have a Bhakti-vaibhava degree, and I am studying now for my Bhakti-vedānta degree. Although I have read your books many times, you told us that to get the rst initiation, we had to read the Bhagavad-gītā ten times. You were very insistent that we should know the philosophy and should read your books, and I see this as a very important milestone that we should implement in ISKCON. I am praying that by your mercy, we can make your vision come true, that everyone in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement reads your books and gets their degrees. Sometimes devotees are very proud that they have not read your books and they don’t have any degree. Maybe this is not as important for the disciples who knew you personally. But as the generations go on, the only way they can realize they can associate with you is mainly through your books. So, I do hope that reading your books becomes a preoccupation with everybody. I remember how you were explaining that if someone asks a book distributor what is in the book, and the distributor says, “I don’t know, I just sell the books” – you did not want that. ey should know what is in the book; they should believe, they should preach it, they should give it out – how can we achieve that? Your vision was that we have degrees. So I want to see that your vision is implemented. Our present Minister of Education also wants to encourage everyone to read your books. I think this is very enthusiastic and encouraging. And I pray for your mercy that we can base our growing society on your Kṛṣṇa conscious teachings. Everyone has some di erent aspect or di erent idea based on the same scriptures.
e scripture is Kṛṣṇa Himself, which is absolute. But di erent scriptures say di erent things in di erent situations. So we need a judge to understand how to apply the scriptures. You are the judge – you are the person who tells us how to understand the scriptures and how to apply this transcendental knowledge. I want your glories to be understood by all the generations.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to your sincere followers.
Your servant of the servant, Jayapat
ākā Swaminama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Devotees ask about my experiences with you. I have to say that for intimate vapuḥ, almost none. I was blessed to attend many classes and to follow along on a few morning walks. We were told not to write to you so you could translate and compose your Bhaktivedanta purports. You kindly gave unlimited access to your vāṇī with your books and made sure that your lectures were recorded. Also, we were able to hear about you from those who did serve you personally. No one tires of hearing your glories.
So I have to answer that my association with you is the same as what is available to anyone: vāṇī and service. In the early days, it was mostly reading your books and distributing your books. e recordings came later.
Recently we were reading about Lord Śiva drinking the ocean of poison:
ereafter, Lord Śiva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it. (SB 8.7.42)
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary su ering because of the su ering of people in general. is is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart. (SB 8 7 44)
Immediately I thought of you. e purport makes it clear why:
Here is an explanation of how those engaged in activities for the welfare of others are very quickly recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. e Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.68–69), ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati … na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: “One who preaches the message of Bhagavadgītā to My devotees is most dear to Me. No one can excel him in satisfying Me by worship.” ere are di erent kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You risked everything crossing the ocean to remove the “impersonal calamity” that was spreading widely, nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe. You saved us who were foolishly trying to imitate Lord Śiva.
Devotees ask me how I have kept going for so many years. Just remembering what you did for us is enough. You were named Abhay, “fearless,” by your father. Like Lord Śiva, you were not afraid.
Recently it was Rāma-navamī, so we heard much about the glories of Hanumān. I also remembered your qualities and how you are like Hanumān. You fearlessly crossed the ocean for the pleasure of your Lord. You faced and conquered many obstacles along the way, notably two heart
attacks. You were surprised at how many joined you. Hanumān also was not fully aware of his own power.
You are fully loyal to your Guru Mahārāja, considering yourself to be his servant. Hanumān told Rāvaṇa that he was simply a servant of Lord Rāma. You gave all credit to your Guru Mahārāja. Like Hanumān, you are a great scholar, a perfect gentleman, and undefeatable.
I remember the day after Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s installation in Vṛndāvana. On the walk you were so blissful; you said, “So now Balarāma is here. When you are feeling weak you can pray to Balarāma, He will help you.” I am also weak, although too often I think that I am strong. I pray that I can do as you advise. You repeated that three times on a morning walk in 1968:
So the processes recommended, they’re very valuable, but it is not possible to follow them all in the present age because everything is reducing. So our method is to pray to Kṛṣṇa to give us the necessary strength. at’s all. Otherwise, by regular practice, for this age is very di cult. Unfavorable. First thing is memory is very short. We cannot remember. Life is very short.
erefore, this one practice – chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and hearing – that is very nice. And praying to Kṛṣṇa, “Please give me strength.” Hare, “O Energy of Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa, I am fallen; I have no strength. Please accept me.” at’s all. “I have no quali cation. I am frail. I am trying, but I am failing.” All these appeals should be made. And Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful; He can do anything. Even … we do not perform, trying our best, if we fail, Kṛṣṇa will help us. Just like a child tries his best, but he falls down. e mother takes up and “All right. Come on. Walk.” Like that. Yes?
e best thing is to pray Kṛṣṇa, “Please pick me up very soon and let me go back to Your place.” If you have to come back again, oh, you do not know how much miseries we have to undergo. (Morning walk – Stowe Lake, San Francisco, March 23, 1968)
Please allow me to always associate with your serious followers, continue trying to serve you, and follow in your footsteps.
Your aspiring servant,
Kavicandra SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to your divine appearance day. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10 3 22, purport, you wrote:
As Kaṁsa was not expected to kill the beautiful child of Devakī and Vasudeva, the uncivilized society, although unhappy about the advancement of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, cannot be expected to stop it. Yet we must face many di culties in many di erent ways. Although Kṛṣṇa cannot be killed, Vasudeva, as the father of Kṛṣṇa, was trembling because, in a ection, he thought that Kaṁsa would immediately come and kill
his son. Similarly, although the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and Kṛṣṇa are not di erent and no asuras can check it, we are afraid that at any moment, the asuras can stop this movement in any part of the world.
is statement always gave me full con dence that even though the external situation may have become unbearable, our ISKCON family ultimately could not be harmed.
But elsewhere, you said: “Our movement can only be destroyed from within.” In a naive way, I thought that this could never happen as “destroyed from within” meant by us, by the devotees.
How could that ever be?
We were not going to change your impeccable instructions and instead do away with the GBC body as the Gauḍīya Maṭha did, or twist the way we initiate and nurture devotees, or identify with our gender, with our country of birth, or, worse, exploit other devotees out of depraved, mean desires …
Unfortunately, by underestimating the impact that your ISKCON could have had on the society, we underestimated the potency of Kali’s counterattack.
You mention in a purport to the third chapter of Bhagavad-gītā: “ e enemy has captured di erent strategic positions in the body of the conditioned soul.” is is true in the body of ISKCON as well. In Kali-yuga the devotee and the demon live in the same body.
Some of our members, in their e orts, couldn’t go beyond good intentions, and therefore they paved their way to hell by acting as demons; our movement is deeply su ering for that.
Stupidity has no particular āśrama, varṇa, nationality, gender, age, seniority, or level of popularity. Since a cancer is the same in the body of a devotee as in that of an innocent person or in that of an envious one, so the cure must be the same for all of them. e cancer of attachment to bodily designations, in some cases down to monstrous manifestations like those we have witnessed in some of our schools, has to be cut o from the body of ISKCON.
A limb of the body that has become cancerous has to be cut o , never mind how dear it might have been when it was really or apparently properly functioning.
My prayer to your lotus feet on this auspicious day is that the “ ght on account of diversities,” being on the material platform, may stop for the sake of the unity of your movement and that we, especially your deputed agents, will have the courage to cut o the anomalous limbs of ISKCON, thereby preventing Kali from in ltrating further.
Please protect us from ourselves, Śrīla Prabhupāda, because like never before we are now realizing how we depend on you.
Your humble servant,
Madhusevita D āsanama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
As explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda:
According to the Vedic literature, the moon is regarded as a star. e scientists say that the stars are all suns, but according to Bhagavad-gītā the stars are of the same nature as the moon. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.21) Lord Kṛṣṇa says, nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī: “Of stars I am the moon.” us the moon is just like the many stars. What is the nature of the moon? It is bright because it re ects light from the sun. erefore, although the scientists say that the stars are many suns, we do not agree. According to the Vedic calculation, there are innumerable suns, but in every universe there is only one.
You, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are our only sun. Around you, many moons appeared, and many moons are also disappearing from our vision these days, but you will forever be that only shining sun guiding ISKCON, giving credence to those moons who faithfully re ect your teachings and mercy. We know that there are other ācāryas, and we honor them and their contributions, but you are our sunshine, our only sunshine, without whom our lives would wither away. I cannot profess to know who you are, but I do know that my life has no meaning without you.
Once, a former disciple criticized that ISKCON members are too focused on you; it was intended as criticism, but I felt it was and is a glorious fact. I am surrounded by your grace in all directions, your bigger mṛdaṅga books, and your vāṇī deeply embedded in my heart. I will never stop running after the dust of your lotus feet; there is nothing more for me to aspire for.
A fallen servant, Mālatī Devī D āsī
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
I’m writing this Vyāsa-pūjā o ering to you a few days before the 126th anniversary of your divine appearance in this world.
e year is 2022, and certain events of this year have created an unprecedented disturbance in the lives of thousands of your servants, many of whom have had their faith shaken from all that
you both taught us and perfectly demonstrated to us about every living entity’s eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your faith in Kṛṣṇa, your purity, your conviction in the order of your Guru Mahārāja, your example as an ideal Vaiṣṇava, and especially your instructions have formed the bedrock of the movement you began in 1965.
“Back to Godhead” was the goal you personally set for everyone who would take shelter in your movement. You then left this movement here in this material world in the hands and hearts of your followers when you returned to your eternal service in the spiritual world.
However, I have observed that it has become very di cult for some of your followers, including myself, to prepare ourselves for all the warnings you also gave us about calamities yet to come within this world. You consistently reminded us not only about the temporary and miserable nature of the material world, but about the inevitability of hardships human civilization would face due to sinful activity and exploitation of this planet’s resources simply for economic development and sense grati cation.
e following is only one such short example:
Similarly, this world … Nobody wants war, nobody wants famine, nobody wants earthquake, nobody wants disease, nobody wants death, but these things happening. It will happen. Even if you do not want, you cannot, I mean to say, combat all these, I mean to say, attacks of the material nature. at is the way of material nature. (Lecture at Brandeis University, Boston, April 29, 1969)
But because the material world is a place of forgetfulness, we tend to forget that there can never be any real shelter here in this material world. We tend to think, “Oh, the calamities about which Śrīla Prabhupāda was talking were about some distant future events and certainly not something that will happen in my lifetime.” We also tend to think that “Back to Godhead” is to be thought about at the end of this lifetime.
Devotees recently asked me, “Why does Kṛṣṇa make it so di cult here in the material world?”
I believe I could give and have already given answers to this question philosophically. But on such auspicious days as the anniversary of your divine appearance in this material world, I prefer to respond to this question with another question: Why has Kṛṣṇa made me so fortunate to have come into contact with Śrīla Prabhupāda in this lifetime, here in this material world?
Our good fortune is incalculable. Not only have you given us all the tools required to handle events yet to come, but you have given us the instructions and hope to achieve the shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet in this life.
is one Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.31) verse and your purport says it all, Śrīla Prabhupāda:
svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavan
Translation: O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to ful ll the desire of Your devotee, and therefore You are known as a desire tree [vāñchā-kalpataru].
When ācāryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the erce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.
Purport: is statement reveals how the merciful ācāryas and the merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead together help the serious devotee who wants to return home, back to Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His teachings to Rūpa Gosvāmī, said:
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (Cc., Madhya 19 151)
One can achieve the seed of bhakti-latā, devotional service, by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. e duty of the guru is to nd the means, according to the time, the circumstances and the candidate, by which one can be induced to render devotional service, which Kṛṣṇa accepts from a candidate who wants to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead. After wandering throughout the universe, a fortunate person within this material world seeks shelter of such a guru, or ācārya, who trains the devotee in the suitable ways to render service according to the circumstances so that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the service. is makes it easier for the candidate to reach the ultimate destination. e ācārya’s duty, therefore, is to nd the means by which devotees may render service according to references from śāstra. Rūpa Gosvāmī, for example, in order to help subsequent devotees, published such devotional books as Bhakti-rasāmṛtasindhu. us it is the duty of the ācārya to publish books that will help future candidates take up the method of service and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, this same path is being prescribed and followed. us the devotees have been advised to refrain from four sinful activities – illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling – and to chant sixteen rounds a day. ese are bona de instructions. Because in the Western countries constant chanting is not possible, one should not arti cially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura but should follow this method. Kṛṣṇa will accept a devotee who strictly follows the regulative principles and the method prescribed in the various books and literatures published by the authorities. e ācārya gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed, the followers will ultimately reach the destination, by the grace of the Lord. is method is called ācārya-sampradāya. It is therefore said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ (Padma Purāṇa). e ācārya-sampradāya is strictly bona de. erefore one must accept the ācārya-sampradāya; otherwise one’s endeavor will be futile. Śrīla Narottama D āsa Ṭhākura therefore sings:
tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta sane vāsa janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
One must worship the lotus feet of the ācārya and live within the society of devotees. en one’s endeavor to cross over nescience will surely be successful.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all that you have done for us.
Your eternal servant, follower, and debtor, Nirañjana
Swamiere are three stages of developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness: believing, belonging, and becoming. Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us plenty of books, numerous instructions, and copious examples to help convince us that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that we are all His eternal servants. Prabhupāda has given us the association of devotees in ISKCON so we can belong to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s family. He’s given us service in Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission so we can become pure devotees.
Advancement in devotional service cannot be judged only by what we know – it has to be measured by how we act. Many devotees quickly obtain a theoretical understanding of what devotional service and Kṛṣṇa consciousness are, but only through consistent practice and determination can a devotee gradually experience what life on the spiritual platform really is.
Lord Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself as the Supreme when a devotee becomes a pure devotee. A pure devotee has the highest devotional character and spiritual qualities. By cultivating pure devotional service, gaining experience in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and receiving the Lord’s mercy in our hearts, we develop such character and qualities, which culminate in the awakening of transcendental knowledge, perspective, conviction, and skill.
Transcendental knowledge “refers to understanding what is spirit and what is matter. Ordinary knowledge obtained by a university education pertains only to matter, and it is not accepted here as knowledge. Knowledge means knowing the distinction between spirit and matter. In modern education, there is no knowledge about spirit; they are simply taking care of the material elements and bodily needs. erefore academic knowledge is not complete.” (Bhagavad-gītā 10.4–5, purport) Perspective is the ability to understand Lord Kṛṣṇa and His various energies and to see their comparative importance. is means seeing everything from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s point of view. Perspective deals with understanding, wisdom, and discrimination. It is one thing to study what happened in the lives of the Pāṇḍavas; it’s another to understand why these things happened.
As Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.47, purport) about Ambarīṣa Mahārāja:
Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6 17 28). A pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa is never afraid of any material danger. ere are many examples of devotees, such as Prahlāda Mahārāja, who was tortured by his father but was not at all afraid, although he was only a ve-year-old boy. erefore, following the examples of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and Prahlāda Mahārāja, a devotee should learn how to tolerate all such awkward positions in this world. Devotees are often tortured by nondevotees, yet the pure devotee, depending fully on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is never disturbed by such inimical activities.
Conviction includes values, commitments, and motivation. It is said that a belief is something you will argue about; a conviction is something you will die for. We may know what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective), and how to do it (skill), but nothing will be done unless we have the conviction to do it.
Especially in Kali-yuga, our values are blurred, our priorities are jumbled, and our commitments are di used. People without conviction often just follow the crowd. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life was absorbed in a deep conviction about his purpose in life. He was completely convinced that he had no other purpose in life than to serve his spiritual master, who desired that he spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world. Śrīla Prabhupāda was not distracted by other agendas. Members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must burn with the conviction that there is no greater
accomplishment in this world than becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious through pure devotional service. It is in the association of experienced, convinced devotees that others also easily become convinced.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.8, purport), Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “A Kṛṣṇa conscious person has realized knowledge, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, because he is satis ed with pure devotional service. By realized knowledge, one becomes perfect. By transcendental knowledge, one can remain steady in his convictions, but by mere academic knowledge, one can be easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions. It is the realized soul who is actually self-controlled because he is surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. He is transcendental because he has nothing to do with mundane scholarship.”
Skill is the ability to do something with ease and accuracy. is is developed by practice and experience. Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he can conquer his mind if he performs yoga with suitable practice and detachment from material distractions. Knowledge and perspective relate to knowing; conviction and character concern being, and skills are related to doing.
Many devotees constantly hear about the importance of studying but are not taught how to study. Whenever there is an encouragement to do something, there should also be instructions on how to do it. Without skill in studying, serving, loving exchanges, and time management, we cannot be completely e ective in developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness or pure devotional service.
Only when we have a clear understanding of what Lord Kṛṣṇa does and doesn’t want us to do can we decide to act with conviction to serve His instructions and not be deviated by the allurements of the illusionary energy. Only then can Lord Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master see our sincerity of purpose and give us – by revelation – a true insight into the meaning of pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And only then can we develop skills in our services and relationships with Lord Kṛṣṇa, His devotees, the innocent, and those opposed to Lord Kṛṣṇa to actually be situated on the spiritual platform of existence.
e character cannot be developed by hearing a lecture. In a lecture, we can hear the theory of who are pure devotees and how we can develop their qualities. However, Kṛṣṇa can manifest pure character in His devotees when they apply themselves with sincerity to pure devotional service. As Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.4–5, purport):
All these qualities are manifest throughout the universe in human society and in the society of the demigods. ere are many forms of humanity on other planets, and these qualities are there. Now, for one who wants to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa creates all these qualities, but the person develops them himself from within. One who engages in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord develops all the good qualities, as arranged by the Supreme Lord.
When we understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa puts us into di erent circumstances in life to develop our character, then we can learn how to respond correctly to situations that can build our character. Whenever we respond to our circumstances the way Lord Kṛṣṇa would expect of us instead of following the demands of our mind and senses, we develop character. It is easy to love people who are lovable, but actual love can fully develop when we have to love people who appear unlovable. Lord Kṛṣṇa teaches us how to attain peace within ourselves by placing us in the midst of chaos.
We can see that the actual character of pure devotees like the Pāṇḍavas or Prahlāda Mahārāja was revealed when they faced what seemed unfavorable external circumstances. When they used those seemingly adverse circumstances to develop their spiritual character, those circumstances turned out to be favorable for their advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
We should see every circumstance as another opportunity to show Śrīla Prabhupāda and Lord Kṛṣṇa our sincerity of purpose. erefore, we should welcome whatever they arrange for us in life as another opportunity to advance spiritually and thus go back to Lord Kṛṣṇa and His spiritual kingdom.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my respectful obeisances! All glories to Your Divine Grace!
2022 was an intense year, to say the least. We barely got out of COVID, the Russia-Ukraine war started, refugee crises during the whole year, census and governmental elections in Hungary, three of my close devotee friends left their bodies, and on top of all these, I got diagnosed with cancer in February. I got into the usual protocol: changing of diet, coping with stress, trying to nd the cause, surgery, isotope treatment, in and out of hospitals for checkups and treatment.
I can say that I’ve been tested. My faith, my dedication, my determination, my preaching, my inspiration, my knowledge, my life.
Having said this, I can say that it was one of the most impactful, and yes, I can say, good, experiences in my life. I was surrounded by caring, loving, and inspirational devotees starting with my wife, my children, my mother, my spiritual masters, and my friends.
So much happened during this year, but I’d like to speak about my second stay in the hospital and the isolation for three weeks afterward, because it clearly tells me the importance of your teachings and the power of your own examples. I was in the hospital in a room with a gentleman named Bela. We were there for ve days in complete isolation because we were admitted to
radiation capsules that could be harmful to others if they got close. Bela and I spoke a lot about our lives, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, religion, duties, and responsibilities in our respective areas of work. He is a highly trained economist who was working for religious organizations in restructuring and reviving their activities and making management and leadership more e ective.
It was interesting that he was reading a lot while we were there. I asked the devotees who brought lunch for me to bring some books I could give away. So I gave Bela a Science of SelfRealization. He immediately started reading it, and then that was the basis of our discussions. I had the opportunity to talk about you every day – how you lived, how you were following your spiritual master, how you lived a simple life although you had much more opportunities. I explained how your daily routine inspires me and why it is so important to have a structure in our life, and that we have to consciously work on ourselves to become better human beings. He almost nished the whole book within two days. He started to appreciate what we do more and more. We became friends, we stayed in touch, and we talked to each other regularly.
After I got released from the hospital, I still had to stay in quarantine for another three weeks so that I did not cause any problems to others while still being highly radioactive. I could spend that time at the Budapest temple, in Śivarāma Mahārāja’s quarters. I am ever grateful to the devotees in Budapest for taking such good care of me. Just imagine, I had three weeks to myself when I had no possible personal interaction with anyone, just through the phone or the computer. I used that time to continue what I had been doing in the hospital – reading, writing, studying, chanting, and taking rest. I tried to read more about you and studied śāstra; I was listening to your ’77 talks and lectures. It was like a Prabhupāda retreat that was organized by Rādhe-Śyāma for me.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you for everything you gave me. You gave me faith and inspiration, but I realized that above everything else, you gave the most valuable gift to me: peace and calmness of mind – peace and calmness that I’m on the right path, and if I stay true to the path and the practices of it, then no matter what happens in life, Rādhe-Śyāma will arrange the best possible circumstances for spiritual development so that at the end of my life I have the best opportunity to go back home back to Godhead.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your servant,
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my unworthy life in the service of your servants.
Our life’s essence is in the opportunity to express gratitude to you with sincere surrender and devotion. I pray for the humility to recognize that pleasing you in the service of the Lord is our highest purpose, above all the inconceivable transformations in the world around us.
In the sea of material existence, we are sometimes charmed by tranquil sunsets. Sometimes we are tormented by turbulent storms. ey are both distractions unless we seek shelter in Kṛṣṇa’s names with gratitude and devotion.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your life and teachings are our compass leading to the shore of the Godhead. I believe that your voyage on the Jaladuta is like a metaphor for life. As our revered and beloved ācārya, you taught us how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa with love and remain devoted to the will of the spiritual master through the apparently insurmountable changes in the sea of life.
In these times, we are surrounded by almost continuous waves of despair, including wars, quarrelsome divisions, diseases, and the loss of loved ones. More than ever, we need each other to share strength and wisdom to seek shelter in hari-kīrtana, hari-kathā, vaiṣṇava-sevā, and jīva-dayā
It is possible if we earnestly seek shelter in Your Divine Grace as our highest aspiration.
Striving to be a servant of your servants, Rādhānāth Swami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Śrīla Prabhupāda, one time in Melbourne, you told us that for the general mass of people, there should be kīrtana and prasāda distribution. ose who are more serious will understand the philosophy by reading our books.
In a letter to a disciple, you wrote:
Yes, kirtana and prasada will appeal to even the uneducated. We have means to preach to both the educated and uneducated, the sinful and the pious - dhiradhira-jana-priyau.
(Letter to Dvārakeśa D āsa, Vṛndāvana, September 29, 1976)
In a Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4 24 10) purport, you wrote:
e Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has started performing saṅkīrtana-yajña in di erent places, and it has been experienced that wherever saṅkīrtana-yajña is performed, many thousands of people gather and take part in it. Imperceptible auspiciousness achieved in this connection should be continued all over the world.
We are certainly seeing the results of performing saṅkīrtana-yajña. So many have taken up the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, at this year’s Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival in Māyāpur, tens of thousands came to dance and chant in ecstasy. However, much more needs to be done. Today, there are billions of people still su ering from disease, mental distress, natural disturbances, and war. We must always plan to increase our e orts.
One time a disciple said: “Śrīla Prabhupāda, I always want to sit by your holy lotus feet!” You replied: “ at will be very di cult because I am always moving.”
at should be our attitude, Śrīla Prabhupāda, always moving, spreading Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement.
Around the world, he made his way To lands that were under Māyā’s sway His guru instructed him once before To distribute the divine honey store
Lord Caitanya, he wanted to please But he knew it would not be with ease
Anything was possible by the Lord’s mercy Even if it caused some controversy
Still, Śrīla Prabhupāda tried his best And all along, his attempt was blessed
At the beginning, just a few persons came And were fortunate to receive the holy name After a while, the gatherings increased Especially when he served a sumptuous feast
Rice, dal, subjī, and chapatis they relished oughts of the next serving they cherished It became apparent the movement would spread Because they had Śrīla Prabhupāda at the head
On and on to every village and town A transcendental ood of rain came down.
Everyone was amazed to see the e ect Lord Caitanya’s desire could not be checked
One man’s e ort would not go in vain
To transfer all to the spiritual domain
What is the duty of a disciple who is faithful He must show that he is always grateful
To his guru, who gave him a precious jewel Follow in his footsteps; that’s the golden rule
We should never imitate the powerful ācārya Otherwise we will be captured by māyā
Nevertheless, we should try our very best
To forward the mission so that he’ll be impressed
Satisfying him is our desire and success
e more we do it, the more we progress
For what is advancement in spiritual life
If not to please the guru who frees us from strife
I pray to always remain at his holy feet. at one day, I may again directly meet e wonderful person who guided me well To the abode where I may eternally dwell
guru-pādāśrayas tasmāt kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi- śikṣaṇam viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā sādhu-vartmānuvartanam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.74)
e rst and foremost limbs of sādhana-bhakti are taking shelter of Śrī Guru, accepting dīkṣā, receiving śīkṣā, serving Śrī Guru with intimacy and a ection, and following the path of the previous ācārya under his guidance.
Your insigni cant disciple, Rāmāi Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. I was a very hard-core materialist wandering in this world, hoping con dently to become a successful materialist. e whole materialistic society fanned me to achieve that end in order to become happy in this world. I thought I got the formula to be happy and peaceful in this world. In this way, I was uselessly investing all my time and energy in that direction. My actual life did not start when I was born, but when your books and teachings came into my life. at was my real birth and real life.
When I read your books, I found that they were lled with pearls of wisdom. For the rst time ever in my life, I found that your books and lectures have all the answers to all my questions. e answers were convincing, lled with logic. e more I read your books, the more I heard your lectures, the more I read about you, the more my love for you kept on increasing.
Now, Your Divine Grace has given me, this insigni cant servant to serve as Chairman of the GBC. With all my intelligence, I will not be able to serve the best in a way that pleases Your Divine Grace and your followers. So I sincerely seek your sincere blessings that you may use me as an instrument in ful lling all your desires and the way you want all the GBCs to function as the topmost managerial body.
Please bless me with the right intelligence to be just in my decision-making and to have spiritual wisdom to establish appropriate strategies, policies, guidelines, procedures, and measures in line with your vision and mission for the successful running of the institution ahead with more dynamics and accuracy.
You revealed to me that I belong to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is my father, my mother, my friend, my best well-wisher. You told me that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord; He is the Supreme Truth.
You also revealed to me the spiritual world and told me that I belong to the spiritual world, which is eternal and full of bliss. is temporary material world is not my original home, but the spiritual world is my original eternal home. So you are everything to me. Please use me in whatever way you want; I’m a sold-out servant of your lotus feet. Please grant me pure devotional service and always engage the best in me to serve your glorious movement, ISKCON.
Your eternal insigni cant servant, Revatī Ramaṇa D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
On your glorious appearance day, it is my good fortune to re ect on the ways in which Your Divine Grace has guided me every step of the way on my spiritual journey.
When I rst came in touch with devotees, I came to realize the tremendous impact your preaching has had on thousands of people all over the world. I heard many senior devotees glorify you, and I would sometimes lament that I was born the year after you left this planet. At that time, I was taught the importance of vāṇī-sevā and indeed felt connected to you through your books and lectures. But perhaps I never felt the connection as deeply as I have over the past few years, and the reason is simple – that I have been taking shelter in your books with renewed enthusiasm.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said, “If you want to know me, read my books.” Whenever I read your books, it is as though I am having a one-on-one conversation with you, and just by your pure divine association, I get respite from the greatest of challenges that life presents, and I feel all my doubts and distress dissolving.
Just as Lord Viṣṇu is the maintainer of the whole world, your books are the maintainer of the devotees who have taken shelter in ISKCON. You sustain us through your example, through your disciples, and most powerfully through your books. If it were not for you, we would not even know ABCD of spiritual knowledge, and here you are – freely handing over to us the great treasure house of the complete science of knowing God and achieving him. Any sincere practitioner of spirituality is encouraged by the words, “Seek and you shall nd.” We can understand that we don’t have to seek far and wide; you have condensed the essence of all scriptures and handed it to us on a silver platter through your Bhaktivedanta purports.
When asked how the devotees will manage when you leave, you declared that you will never leave; you will live forever in your books. I feel this vividly because these books are lled with precious instructions that guide us about every aspect of our spiritual life. More than one devotee has had the experience that when grappling with a particular problem in their devotional life, they have turned to your books and found the answer. Your ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda, has been facing some challenges in these recent years. I pray at your lotus feet that you please continue to guide us all through your books to rise above the mundane and cooperate with one another to expand ISKCON to every town and village.
I would like to close this o ering by begging forgiveness from Your Divine Grace for any o enses I may have committed in my service to ISKCON. I also pray at your lotus feet that Your Divine Grace will continue to send me help in the form of your sincere followers to guide me on the path of pure devotional service.
Your servant,
Tapana Miśra D āsanama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tā
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Prostrated at your lotus feet, paying my humble obeisances, I have come once again to beg for your mercy and request that you please accept my attempt to chant your glories. On this most blessed occasion, I humbly o er the prologue I wrote to the Spanish version of your Śrī Īśopaniṣad, a book that we subtitled Secrets From Other Times.
We placed our hopes in technology with the belief that its inventions would ll all the gaps. Candidly we entrusted ourselves to the “Space Age” to organize our societies and order our lives. And we were feeling very proud of the rst results: there began a parade of devices and artifacts promising that, unlike other ages, this one was really the age.
You didn’t have to think anymore. “Science knows everything. Science will x everything.” You didn’t have to think anymore. Philosophy … just for leisure … religion … for the elderly … and for the fools. We needn’t take life so seriously anymore … we were just to enjoy the advancements. Ideals, habits, morality … everything changed, and everything became modern: “Down with all prejudices!” We were all feeling so fortunate to have taken birth at this precise moment. e entire human history had been looking for it. It was what man had always been looking for. “And it just happened to be for us” – or so we thought.
Yes, we thought ourselves very di erent from the men of all other times. In our case, the dream had come true: we would have eternal happiness in this world!
But time has taken care of undeceiving us: we’re not happy, and much less eternal. What we called reality was just the last part of the dream – the dream that man has been romanticizing about for thousands of years. e dream is that you can be happy with only the body and matter.
But the dream is over. e age has failed us. What we regarded as knowledge was just our
playing with ignorance. And now we are just left with the ignorance part. We thought of ourselves di erently, but we ended up the same … or worse! ere’s even those who say we are on the threshold of the extinction of man, just one step away from the destruction of the entire planet. “Is it now too late?” we ask.
But fortunately, not everything about the age has been fatal. Something very good it brought us: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, and with him the Vedic scriptures, the oldest known to man. Śrīla Prabhupāda came with the mission to teach the West the essence of those scriptures and how to put this knowledge into practice. Both things he accomplished: he translated into English from Sanskrit and Bengali the fundamental texts, and he established and saw the growth of an international society which would serve as a model and guide for the application of the principles presented in those works.
e importance of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s coming to the West can be found in the Vedic scriptures themselves. According to them, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Being, never leaves His creation adrift. e original Vedas and their supplementary literature say that the world and life do not appear by chance, nor are they maintained or annihilated by chance. Absolutely each and every thing, entity and activity of the world, is subjected to superior laws, and their combined interaction puts together an individual and collective masterplan – all of it under the nal supervision of Kṛṣṇa. We are not, therefore, independent. We cannot act and live as we like if we want to be happy. We have to live in harmony with the higher laws. If not, society faces self-destruction. at is today’s impending danger.
Śrīla Prabhupāda came to mitigate the ills of the age. In his preface to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (also known as “the ripened fruit of Vedic literature”), he made an accurate analysis of the situation:
Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the elds of material comforts, education, and economic development throughout the entire world. But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there are large-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. ere is a need for a clue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship, and prosperity with a common cause. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will ll this need, for it is a cultural presentation for the re-spiritualization of the entire human society.
It was the year 1962. Śrīla Prabhupāda had not yet come to the West, but nevertheless, he understood the situation perfectly. Today, those words are more valid than ever. And what has caused this catastrophic state of a airs?
He adds in the same preface:
Disparity in human society is due to lack of principles in a godless civilization. ere is God, or the almighty one, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained and in whom everything is merged to rest. Material science has tried to nd the ultimate source of creation very insu ciently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimate source of everything that be.
And, we insist, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t leave His creation adrift. Later on, in the same Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.32.38), we nd these clarifying words from Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Once one enters into the continuation of material existence, it is very di cult to get out. erefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes Himself or sends His bona de representative, and He leaves behind scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā and ŚrīmadBhāgavatam, so that the living entities hovering in the darkness of nescience may take
advantage of the instructions, the saintly persons and the spiritual masters and thus be freed. Unless the living entity receives the mercy of the saintly persons, the spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for him to get out of the darkness of material existence; by his own endeavor it is not possible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda proved to be that bona de representative of Kṛṣṇa, and he left with us spiritual masters, saintly persons, and the scriptures. Among the latter, the Śrī Īśopaniṣad, which constitutes part one of the book, stands out. e Upaniṣads are very ancient Vedic texts that form a collection of 108 philosophical dissertations, out of which the Śrī Īśopaniṣad (or Īśa Upaniṣad) is chief. In it, a study of the Absolute is made, and Śrīla Prabhupāda, through his purports, goes on to apply it to our lives and the present world. Upa-ni-ṣad means “to sit near,” and this work certainly enables us to “sit near” the most prominent spiritual master of our times to receive his wise teachings about the Truth that can x our world.
For the second part of the book, we have selected an article by Śrīla Prabhupāda that complements the message of Śrī Īśopaniṣad, a message that intends to give encouragement and bring order and agreement in these turbulent times. It’s not a message that he has manufactured, but instead, one he has brought from other times, times that were unknown to the West but that, of course, were better times.
(End of Prologue)
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona de spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service. (Cc., Madhya 19.151)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please keep me always in the shade of your lotus feet. May I always remain there as one of your innumerable and fortunate servants. Eternally grateful, may I go on incessantly chanting your glories in your service, all of which have made me forever fortunate.
Your lowly servant, V
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mission was vast, so very vast. You insisted that human life is rare and valuable, a gift from Kṛṣṇa, and without the attempt to realize one’s eternal identity, a human is merely a so-called human and is actually no better than a dog or cat running on two legs instead of four. And, how could one expect peace from an institution such as the United Nations, with its halls lled with leaders who identify themselves with their bodies and places of birth and thus possess mentalities that are little di erent from those of dogs and cats?
Your desire, Śrīla Prabhupāda, was to lift the su ocating curtain of illusion and spread throughout the world true knowledge of the soul’s eternal identity, knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, God, and knowledge of how a soul can live practically in such a way that spiritually uplifts, not degrades.
e key to this was the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, reading and hearing your books, eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda, and associating with persons who would act and speak as exemplars of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Toward achieving this goal, you enacted plans to establish temples, to create ideal brāhmaṇas, to publish and distribute your books, to establish varṇāśrama-dharma, to build big temples in Mumbai, Vṛndāvana, and Māyāpur, to set the practical example of cow protection, to undermine the lynchpin of contemporary atheism by preaching through science, to establish self-su cient rural varṇāśrama communities and thus promote a viable, śāstra-based way of simple living and high thinking, to operate Kṛṣṇa-centered primary and secondary schools, to establish varṇāśramacollege training institutions, to run a university, to have your followers write further books, to spread the chanting of the holy names to every town and village in the world through Pāda-yātrās and eets of traveling temple-buses, to establish the spiritual technology of gorgeous Deity worship, to preach and distribute books and prasāda everywhere from colleges to prisons, to renovate holy places, to show that art and culture and science and business and even politics could and should be used in Kṛṣṇa’s service, to hold Ratha-yātrā in the world’s major cities, to o er festival- lled Sunday feasts and powerful Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā classes in all your temples, and to create a post-postmodern standard of true spiritual morality through the personal conduct of your local and international leaders, who would e ectively manage it all!
In truth, you desired in an organized way to create a revolution that would uplift the entire
world to purposeful, Kṛṣṇa-centered living from its deadly, suicidal plunge into nihilistic materialism followed by inevitable destruction.
Such a vast vision gave hope and purpose in life to countless souls who became inspired by your words and actions. ey then desired to please you, as your servant-assistants, by acting to ful ll some aspect of your most noble mission.
But within the vastness of these great services was an irresistible essence that was simple and sweet but also so di cult to obtain. You desired that souls take advantage of the gift of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and develop love for Kṛṣṇa in the mood of the residents of Vṛndāvana. You even said, to conclude your Bhagavad-gītā As It Is preface, that “if even one man becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, we shall consider our attempt a success.”
To Professor O’Connell (in Toronto, 1976), you commented about the Bhāgavatam’s Tenth Canto: “Yes. ere are ninety chapters. All other cantos, at most, thirty chapters. But Tenth Canto is ninety chapters. at is Kṛṣṇa’s face, Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful face. Everyone is attracted by the smiling face of Kṛṣṇa.”
Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mission, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission also, was to expand the natural attraction of humanity to the “smiling face of Kṛṣṇa.”
For the past two years I have been reading and studying the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, a book that you rushed to publication in 1975. It truly is an amazing book, alive with spiritual potency and infused with the all-attractive “smiling face of Kṛṣṇa.” It simultaneously entertains and uplifts my ickering mind with its unlimited depth, sweetness, practical instructions, and the unique and inimitable pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers.
It carefully guides readers to the most esoteric of goals, which Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī dared, as the author of the book, to have Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself speak: “My plenary portions can establish the principles of religion for each age. No one but Me, however, can bestow the kind of loving service performed by the residents of Vraja.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 3.26)
As you explained in your purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3 20: [W]hen the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga to spread the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa – the system of worship recommended in this age – He also distributed the process of devotional service performed on the platform of transcendental spontaneous love. To teach the highest principles of spiritual life, the Lord Himself appeared as a devotee in the form of Lord Caitanya.”
In speaking these and other esoteric truths, Kṛṣṇadāsa said: “All these conclusions are un t to disclose in public. But if they are not disclosed, no one will understand them. erefore, I shall mention them, revealing only their essence so that loving devotees will understand them, but fools will not. Anyone who has captured Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu in his heart will become blissful by hearing all these transcendental conclusions. All these conclusions are like the newly grown twigs of a mango tree; they are always pleasing to the devotees, who, in this way, resemble cuckoo birds. e camellike nondevotees cannot enter into these topics. erefore, there is special jubilation in my heart.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4 231–35)
Dear sublimely quali ed Śrīla Prabhupāda, whom Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally chose to spread His glory, I am humbled that my own camellike qualities reveal my lack of ability to enter into this ultimate, fragrant mystery you are o ering.
Getting a glimpse from a distant place of Mahāprabhu’s gift through the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and thereby the value of your magnanimous toil of devotion in carrying, translating, publishing, and distributing it throughout the world – even to me – I o er my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet and beg to eternally serve you and your sincere servants.
Your servant,
Bhūrijana D āsaMy dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and to your unparalleled service and mercy.
When I joined the Boston temple in 1969, Satsvarūpa D āsa was the temple president and also the editor of BTG, and he always wanted articles for the magazine. So I wrote one, entitled “ e Genuine Spiritual Master,” and by the time the issue with my article reached you in February of 1971, I was with you in Gorakhpur, India.
After reading my article, you called for me. e temple room was dimly lit – only some narrow shafts of light pierced through the slim openings in the wooden shutters along the side. Sitting alone on your raised cushion at the far end of the room, you were the very image of the eternal spiritual master, and your voice resonated with the truth of eternal time. I sat at your feet, eyes and ears wide open.
“I saw your article in Back to Godhead,” you said. “It was very nice. You should write. is is your rst business. Go on writing. We require many, many such articles about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So you should devote yourself to writing.”
“I will try,” I said. “But why are you asking me? I have no special quali cation.”
“We require many to do this work, and we need you also. So, you travel with me, and I will guide you. You come and stay with me.”
I felt thrilled and honored. You had never before given me a direct instruction. In fact, we had hardly ever spoken, and now you were inviting me to stay with you. I felt a little intimidated and wondered how it would work. Also, I had always worked under my authorities. Who would tell them about your proposal? So, I asked, “How will we decide whether I should travel with you or what I should do?”
You replied, “By mutual consultation.” And you instructed me, “See that my books are accepted in the universities, by the scholarly class.” en you asked if I ever thought of getting married.
“No,” I said. “I never think of getting married.” And after a moment, I added, “ e only time I ever thought of getting married was when I saw that all the GBCs were married.”
“You will never be GBC,” you said. And you continued, “It is best to avoid marriage. Sex desire is like an itch. If you have an itch and you scratch it, it just becomes worse. Similarly, sex desire is there, and if you try to satisfy it, it becomes worse. So it is better to tolerate. Not only sex desire – all the demands of the senses – eating and sleeping also. Better to tolerate. So, you remain brahmacārī, and after two or three years I will give you sannyāsa. ”
In a matter of twenty minutes, you had given me my whole life’s program in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
I was always thinking of you then; sometimes, at night, I couldn’t even sleep – I would just be thinking of how wonderful you were. I would stand on the balcony near your room and look out over the surrounding elds at the stars and the bright moon. I was in so much ecstasy that you had read my article and invited me to travel with you, and I experienced an awakening in my heart of a type of a ection I had never felt before.
Over the years, you repeated your instruction for me to write. In a letter to me dated August 12, 1971, you wrote, “In the midst of your heavy duties, go on writing something glorifying the Lord and put our philosophy into words. Writing articles means to express oneself how he is understanding the whole philosophy. So this writing is necessary for everyone.”
In 1973 I sent you my Vyāsa-pūjā o ering, and on August 23, from Bhaktivedanta Manor, you
sent me an encouraging note: “I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and the nice Vyāsa-pūjā o ering you sent. I have sent it to Satsvarūpa Goswami for printing in the BTG. Writing is a very important part of our work, and Satsvarūpa is always anxious to have new material from the devotees for expanding the BTG. You have a nice talent for writing, and practice makes perfect, so continue. It will be appreciated.”
Eventually, BTG published my o ering, in which I described my rst meeting with you and how it – you – had transformed my life:
All glories to you Who have given me light To open my eyes, Which were rmly shut tight. When we rst came to you In the darkness of night e words from your lips Made everything bright.
“What is your goal –Godhead to nd Or God to become? Please make up your mind.
“If you want to become God, You can’t be God now. Can a non-God become God? Please let me know how.
“God is within you, Sitting there in your heart, Just waiting for your Loving service to start.
“But if you insist at you want to be Him, You’re cheating yourself And have nothing to win.
“If the seed of devotion With chanting you sow, en God will give sunlight To help make it grow.
“But if to become God Remains your ambition, Why then should God Help His own competition?
“Kṛṣṇa is God, And God He is always, On Yaśodā’s lap Or in Dvārakā’s hallways.
“Or in Kurukṣetra, He’s God all the same –It’s not that by yoga e Lord He became.
“You are a spark, And God is the re: You can be godly If you truly desire.
“Your qualities match His, But the quantity’s di erent, For God’s nature is in nite, Whereas you’re insigni cant.
“I cannot be God, For I truly am small, But He kindly allows me To serve Him. at’s all.
“ at is His mercy, Transcendent and sweet. Take it! Be happy! at’s all I entreat.”
us Your Divine Grace I was blessed to meet, And thus I was forced To fall at your feet. You poured nectarlike words rough the holes of my ears To clean out my heart And vanquish my fears. Arousing within me My love for the Lord, My actual life as His servant restored. Now I beg to remain An individual soul, Serving the servant Of the one Spirit Whole.
All glories
you Who have given me this: A life that’s eternal, Full of knowledge and bliss.
Taking me from the darkness, Cold and alone, Back to Godhead, Back to home.
In recent years I have edited Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective and written Watering the Seed—With Teachings from His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda; Many Moons: Re ections on Departed Vaishnavas; I’ll Build You a Temple: e Juhu Story; and now Dancing White Elephants: Traveling with Śrīla Prabhupāda in India, August 1970–March 1972.
On this occasion, I pray to you to bless me that I can continue to serve you, the devotees, and the world by writing about Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the right consciousness. As you wrote in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.132, “It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. at was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he speci cally told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mṛdaṅga. Consequently, we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one can become a rūpānuga devotee.”
ank you very much.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your eternal, grateful servant, Girirāja Swami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
My Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I bow to you. Jaya Prabhupāda! All glories to your matchless devotional service to Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. As I progress on my spiritual path, which you mercifully revealed and bestowed on me, I am increasingly in awe of your superhuman spiritual qualities. e clarity, simplicity,
profundity, and power of your teaching and preaching are unmatched. Your words reveal your pure devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Your words and conduct reveal that you are truly a great mahābhāgavata, an exalted pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Once, in the privacy of your darśana room in Los Angeles, you revealed to me that never was there a time when you did not know Lord Kṛṣṇa. Your words con rmed what I had always seen in you. Even at the beginning of my spiritual life, Lord Kṛṣṇa showed me that you are a pure soul who is seeing God face to face.
My consolation is that my debt to you is eternal, and thus I will be serving you always. ank you.
Your servant, Hridayānanda dās Goswami
“Your prime minister has been stoned!” shouted Bob.
Bob Jensen had stormed into your quarters unannounced, and with shoes still on he threw a newspaper onto your desk.
Bob was a sympathizer of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.
A 1967 article in the paper was headlined, “Indira Gandhi stoned.”
You read the article expressionless and remained silent for a few moments. He stood, hand on hips, and waited for your response.
After a brief silence, you smiled and told him, “ e rāja-ṛṣis of yore cared for all the citizens’ needs.” You went on, “ e citizens had plenty of food and rainfall, they weren’t harassed by rogues. ey didn’t even su er from scorching heat or excessive cold, and they were always peaceful. e kings were called rājas and the citizens prajās e prajās were always protected by the rājas. e people were free from anxiety.”
Hundreds of farmers had driven their tractors from the nearby Bihar province to attend the prime minister’s public appearance. From 1964 until 1967, there had been an unforgiving drought in their nearby state, and the local cultivators, most probably throwbacks from earlier days, blamed the prime minister for their misfortune. You knew about the drought, but the newspaper didn’t mention it. e farmers cast rocks at her, one stone causing her nose to bleed, another caused her upper lip to swell. However, she continued to speak and even rebuked the violent hecklers.
After a while, Bob sat down. He had become paci ed, understanding the situation behind the headline and the article. At last, he sat, having calmed down considerably and learned from you an important Vedic truth.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my sincerest obeisances at your lotus feet on this most special and important occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā
You once said: “Keep always in your front that there is death, there is birth, and try to save yourself from this. is is philosophy.” While there are so many things that you spoke which were profoundly meaningful, unforgettable, and far-reaching, these particular words of yours are deeply and forever etched in my memory.
ese days we nd many opinions as a result of, I guess, so much exposure to all things Indian, all things Vedic, all things devotional. However, as a result of all those opinions, I ever increasingly nd your deep, clear, straightforward, pure, and unmotivated presentation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness even more attractive, if that is indeed possible. I personally have zero attraction or less for hearing from the myriad other sources available these days (Mr. Google, take a bow). I simply cannot understand what the appeal is. Rather, my fervent prayer is to somehow hold onto your coattails as death closes in (not just in front of me but all around, too), as the prevailing weather of Kali gets evermore treacherous.
I know we are not meant to live in fear, and rather, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is an ever-increasing ocean of bliss – advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.33). Still, the fact that your words about keeping death in front of us resonate so strongly with me, I just remain so ever grateful that you spoke them. If you hadn’t, and instead just focused on the pleasure groves of Vraja and all the transcendental pastimes between the Lord and His pure devotees, I’m not sure I’d have been able to stick around. Or if I had, I probably would be a bigger pretender than I am today.
Of course, I know that we are meant to advance to the degree that quali es us for such exalted service, where we will experience nothing but susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (Bg. 9.2), but I will remain ever indebted to you that that was not your starting point.
I also know that to be considered a devotee of any worth, I must at least get to the point of being more sel ess than sel sh and to keep pushing that ratio higher and higher to a level where my sel shness no longer exists. Not sure how long that is going to take, but for sure, I have the absolutely 100 percent perfect role model to follow in your good self, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
It never ceases to amaze me, not how, not even why, but simply that you boarded the Jaladuta all those years ago. What “normal” seventy-year-old would do such a crazy thing? ese days people zip around the world with all mod cons and comforts. Now we can have video calls with someone on the other side of the planet while we are 30,000 feet above the earth in a plane traveling at 1,000 kilometers an hour or more. Yet you came to America in a well-used, if not dilapidated, cargo ship! I cannot imagine too many of your devotees opting to do that, and for sure, I would not do so. Of course, that was just the start, and while it would be too long for me to write down all of the challenges you faced, the simple fact is you were not normal, not by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, you were and are one of a kind, completely unique, and no doubt we will never ever see your kind again. Totally pure, totally surrendered, totally committed, totally fearless, and 100 percent sel ess.
You are simply no ordinary guru and no ordinary ācārya!
īla Prabhupāda, on this day of your appearance, can I just say that you are my hero, and while I have too many shortcomings to ever be worthy of your recognition, I just hope and pray
that I can somehow serve you until my dying day. If I achieve that, then hopefully, I will be able to serve you forevermore.
Your yearning servant, Praghoṣa D āsa
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my fallen obeisances.
I am older now than you yourself were when you undertook your journey, solitary and unsupported, to the United States.
Now, at this time, both body and mind give me trouble, and I know from experience that such hardships will only get worse.
No less an authority than the Bhagavad-gītā (13 9) sets this down as one of the items of knowledge: “recognition of the a ictions of birth, death, old age, and disease.”
However, you yourself have vividly demonstrated what can be accomplished, with Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, in spite of these impediments.
And in at least one instance, you o ered a remark that we devotees strive to apply generally: “Discouragement is not allowed.”
So I will continue to do the best I can to please you and your followers (especially by writing) without discouragement.
I beg for your blessings.
Your fallen servant, Ravīndra Svarūpa D āsa
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you were here but a moment –Scantly a decade of earthly time, a icker of light in cosmic eternity. ough brief in time, your impact was mighty, swaying the battle of Kali toward light, toward truth, toward complete transcendence.
And diving deeper, in full spiritual glory, you unveiled that great secret, that rāja-guhyam, of pure loving service to the Lord.
And into each heart, and into my heart, the mantra implanted, the Gītā was sung, and truth was revealed – as a dark blue cowherd boy.
His names are Kṛṣṇa, Gopāla, Govinda, and numberless more. He o ered delight to His mother, joy to his cowherd friends, and sweetness to the young girls of Vṛndāvana.
He plays carefree in Vraja’s forest, yet is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, creator of the worlds, the oldest, and yet an eternal youth.
But how could we understand such truth, schooled in knowledge of only Durgā’s domain? We had merely vague notions of transcendence, an uncertain glimmer of the inner self, and surely nothing of the Personality of Godhead.
Philosophers and theists strive to grasp God, but he is not found through logic or study or austerity or meditation.
Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.2.4) says, “ e Lord reveals his form to whomsoever He chooses.” And who does He choose? In Gītā, Kṛṣṇa states that “only by undivided devotional service can I be known as I am.”
But how to pursue and practice and perfect this esoteric art of bhakti? Pure devotional service seems impossibly elusive, beyond our outstretched grasp. e answer seems simple yet is deep and sublime. Take shelter of the guru, the pure sage, who is tattva-darśinaḥ – he who has seen the truth. Guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. “By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.”
And the Absolute Truth that lives in the heart of the guru, is given to the sincere disciple fully with love. e only price is our faith.
Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed. (Śvetāśvatara
Upaniṣad 6.23)
Faith is increased by association with advanced devotees. And there is no better advanced Vaiṣṇava than His Divine Grace. Association means we feel close to him – through his service, his worship, his words, books, and instructions. e heart becomes puri ed, and faith blossoms.
Implicit faith, total faith, in his words and instructions is an order, not an option, for the devotee. Rather, it is our lifeline to the boat of transcendence over the turbulent dark waters of this material energy.
My prayer is simple – that somehow or other, I may stay on the path of perfection to bhakti-yoga. is is the path of Lord Kṛṣṇa, of Mahāprabhu, the saintly ācāryas, and our beloved guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Let me always follow your instructions, which are the gateway to realization. Let me take up your mission to retrieve the deluded souls, thus inspiring your compassion and the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Let me dive deeply into this eternal philosophy, which you have presented purely but which is easily understood by our meager intelligence. And through this divine knowledge, the curtain is opened toward understanding the Divine Couple, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara. ese prayers and goals seem lofty, but what is our choice? To linger another few lifetimes in this dark world of su ering? In the waning years of our life, let us do more than simply recall past deeds and acts of service. Let us rededicate our lives to you, giving freely our love, our appreciation, and whatever small service we may perform.
Your most fallen servant,
Tamohara D āsa
My dearmost param-guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Please accept my utmost humble obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet on this Vyāsa-pūjā day, the most auspicious 127th anniversary of your appearance.
As a pure representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Your Divine Grace is being duly given unlimited glori cations and praises on this day, for without you, we would still be lost, wandering in illusion in this world.
Without your able guidance and protection, we would not be able to be relieved from the scorching heat of the re which pervades the material forest of existence.
Your greatness is as deep as the unfathomable depth of the deepest ocean and as high as the unlimited sky
e spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord. erefore, a person burning in the ames of material existence may receive the rains of the mercy of the Lord through the transparent medium of the self-realized spiritual master. e spiritual master, by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the su ering person and inject transcendental knowledge, which alone can extinguish the re of material existence. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
1.7.22, purport)
It is by your mercy alone that we can get out of this predicament of being slaves of our senses, which include the mind, by your simple formula of strictly following our agreement at the time of initiation: following the four regulative principles (no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating), chanting the Hare Krsna mahā-mantra, the holy name of the Lord, a minimum of 16 rounds daily without any o enses, reading daily your transcendental translations of the ancient Vedic texts along with your purports, and performing practical devotional service according to our propensity and ability.
Being under the in uence of the modes of material nature, I am still in māyā’s grip of illusion and bewilderment. I am covered up by my false ego, thinking I am an advanced devotee even though I am the most neophyte and degraded fallen soul. I am only trying to imitate your genuine devotees. I am still trying to resist the dictations of the ickering mind and always nding ways to ful ll my desire to enjoy the sense objects with my senses. It is only by your mercy and grace that I will be able to come back to my right senses sooner by following in your footsteps and those of the predecessor ācāryas in our disciplic succession.
Our only business is to cleanse our hearts so that the Lord’s pastimes can re-enter our hearts once they become puri ed by our constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord while avoiding o enses to His devotees.
To attain vraja-bhakti, pure devotional service in Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma, is no cheap thing. In one of your purports, you write:
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura summarizes this growth of love of the Godhead as a gradual process. A person becomes interested in the devotional service of some good fortune. Eventually, he became interested in pure devotional service without material contamination. At that point, a person wants to associate with devotees. As a result of this association, he becomes more and more interested in discharging devotional service and hearing and chanting. e more one is interested in hearing and chanting, the more he is puri ed of material contamination. Liberation from material contamination
is called anartha-nivṛtti, indicating a diminishing of all unwanted things. is is the test of development in devotional service. If one actually develops a devotional attitude, he must be freed from the material contamination of illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. ese are the preliminary symptoms. When one is freed from all material contamination, his rm faith awakens in devotional service. When rm faith develops, a taste arises, and by that taste, one becomes attached to devotional service. When this attachment intensi es, the seed of love of Kṛṣṇa fructi es. is position is called prīti or rati (a ection), or bhāva (emotion). When rati intensi es, it is called the love of Godhead. is love of Godhead is actually life’s highest perfection and the reservoir of all pleasure.
(
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 23.13, purport)
My only wish on this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā is that my mind may become clear of all misgivings and that you kindly purify my heart of all anarthas, for without these blessings, I will consider this human form of life to be incomplete and wasted.
I understand that I cannot be happy in this material world without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is only by understanding the teachings in your books that I will become happy and be transported to the spiritual sky. I pray that someday I will make some progress in my spiritual pursuit and ultimately make you happy and proud to be my spiritual grandfather. ank you for everything that you have given to me. I could not ask for anything more. Still, though I do not deserve them, I am constantly begging for your love and mercy, birth after birth.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your fallen servant, Bhakti Anugraha Janārdana Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. With all admiration, I meditate on the greatness of your personality.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 9.41 states:
bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra
One who has taken birth as a human being in the land of India (Bhārata-varṣa) should make his life successful and work for the bene t of other people.
is verse is an instruction for those who have taken birth in the holy land to be more conscious of their duty to help others spiritually. Similarly, you mentioned in your purport to ŚrīmadBhāgavatam 4.22.23: “ e Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is started for this purpose, so that hundreds of ISKCON centers may give people a chance to hear and chant.”
We can see that you were in the same mood to save people and help them to reconnect to Kṛṣṇa. You didn’t come to preach religiosity.
As an empowered soul, your mission was to empower everyone that comes in contact with you in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to realize their spiritual identity as a servant of Kṛṣṇa. ere is no excuse; everything needed to progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is available in your books and in the way you lived your life. I am so much concerned about this reality that I always feel morose when I see that I am not doing much to push on your precious mission to save mankind.
Although your mercy is available for everyone, I feel that I am still very far from it, but I have the strong hope that one day I will be eligible for it by association with those who love you and have mastered the art of pleasing you by enthusiastically propagating the chanting and hearing of the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
e aspiring servant of your servants, Bhakti Cārudeṣṇa Swami
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances at your divine lotus feet.
I am eternally grateful and thankful to you for so many reasons. You gave me a divine and sweet life in Kṛṣṇa, which I did not have. You gave me a religion that teaches me who God is and how to serve and worship Him. You gave me the most comprehensive scriptures that show me where I belong in the universe, how it functions, how it is controlled and who controls it, and for what purpose it was meant. e duration and varieties of beings with various grades are all described. You gave me my eternal occupation, places to visit, and personalities to associate with. You gave me intelligence, knowledge, devotion for Kṛṣṇa, and full shelter for eternity. You gave me freedom from material life with its su erings and complexities.
You gave me everything, and now I am begging Your Divine Grace to please give me the wisdom, strength, intelligence, mind, and everything necessary for perfecting everything you have given me to your full satisfaction. Please do not allow me to do anything that is not devotional, and please forgive all my unlimited mistakes, o enses, dullness, weaknesses, foolishness, madness, and my other shortcomings.
Please nd some ways to help me become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and may your mercy be my shelter. May you live forever in my heart.
THANK YOU!
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
You once compared the words in Narottama D āsa Ṭhākura’s songs to thunder bursts whose cracking sound is self-evident when resounding in the heart. No need for an elaborate explanation.
Your words act much in the same way. In your books, lectures, and conversations, there is a treasure trove of hundreds of sūtra-like statements, each one of which has the power to act like a powerful burst of thunder, capable of dispersing the dense dark clouds of ignorance and illusion in the heart.
For you and the assembled Vaiṣṇavas’ pleasure, I present a small selection of these pearls of wisdom.
1 “ e cult of bhāgavata-dharma can be spread in all circumstances, among all people and in all countries.” (Cc., Madhya 25.120, purport)
2. “If the in nite reveals Himself, then it is possible to understand the nature of the in nite by the grace of the in nite.” (Bg. 11 4, purport)
3. “ e Lord does no wrong in any circumstance because He is absolute, all-good at all times.”
(SB 1 9 35, purport)
4. “Nothing is created out of nothing, but everything is created from the person of the Lord.”
(SB 2.6.23, purport)
5 “Self-realization is the responsibility of every living entity developed in consciousness.”
(SB 2.9.36, purport)
6 “Human life is especially meant for self-realization – “self” refers to the Superself and the individual self.” (SB 4.22.32, purport)
7 “Self-realization means to become indi erent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and to become serious about the activities of the self.” (SB 1.3.33, purport)
8. “ ere is no stronger obstruction to one’s self-interest than thinking other subject matters to be more pleasing than one’s self-realization.” (SB 4 22 32, purport)
9. “Hearing or associating with devotees is the most important function for self-realization.”
(SB 3 25 27, purport)
10. “ e atmosphere of the subtle body at the time of death is created by the activities of the gross body.” (SB 6.1.54, purport)
11 “ e Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is educating people to enlighten the subtle body.”
(SB 4.29.61, purport)
12 “Liberation means getting out of the clutches of the subtle body.” (SB 4 29 61, purport)
13. “ e real interest of the living entity is to get out of the nescience that causes him to endure repeated birth and death.” (SB 4 29 37, purport)
14. “Voluntary endeavor is the only quali cation for spiritual perfection.” (SB 3.9.38, purport)
15 “Faith is created by association with devotees.” (Bg. 9 3, purport)
16. “In less than even a moment, a perfect devotee can return home, back to Godhead, immediately after giving up his material body.” (SB 6.2.44, purport)
17 “Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater e ect than in any other part of the day.” (SB 3.20.46, purport)
18 “ e highest perfectional work of charity is to give people in general immunity from the anxieties of material existence.” (SB 3.7.41, purport)
19 “ e eternally conditioned soul is eternally conditioned because he is controlled by the mind.” (SB 5.11.12, purport)
20. “ e Lord’s feet act like thunderbolts hurled to shatter the mountain of sin stored in the mind of the meditating devotee.” (SB 3 28 22, purport)
21. “ e mind is naturally restless, going hither and thither, but it can rest in the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa.” (Bg., introduction)
22. “Satisfaction of the mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense enjoyment.” (Bg. 17.16, purport)
23 “Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world.” (SB 7.8.9, purport)
24 “ ere is one easy weapon with which the mind can be conquered – neglect.” (SB 5 11 17, purport)
25 “Mind is the instrument for feeling di erent material experiences, but intelligence is deliberative and can change everything for the better.” (SB 2.10.32, purport)
26. “We should know for certain that the cause of all painful life is sinful action.” (SB 6.1., chapter summary)
27. “Sense grati cation is the root cause of material existence.” (Bg. 4.30, purport)
28 “Unless one conquers the modes of passion and ignorance, and comes to the platform of goodness, there is no chance of one’s becoming a pure devotee.” (SB 6.14.1, purport)
29. “A devotee should never make compromises with nondevotees.” (Cc., Madhya 12.135, purport)
30 “Kṛṣṇa’s hearing the devotee’s words of love in o ering foodstu s is wholly identical with His eating and actually tasting.” (Bg. 9.26, purport)
31 “A devotee should be blameless because any o ense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB 3.16.5, purport)
32. “Simply surrendering at the lotus feet of the Lord is the cause of all a devotee’s enlightenment and awareness.” (SB 7 13 22, purport)
33. “ e curse of a great saint or devotee is not a curse but a benediction.” (SB 8.4.1, purport)
34 “An unalloyed devotee is never disturbed by any kind of trying circumstance.” (SB 6 12 19, purport)
35 “ e Lord is so kind to His devotee that when severely testing him the Lord gives him the necessary strength to be tolerant and continue to remain a glorious devotee.” (SB 8.22.30, purport)
36 “No one is competent to serve the Lord, but even if a devotee is not competent, the merciful Lord accepts the humble attempt of the devotee.” (SB 6.16.25, purport)
37 “All power is obtained from the Lord; therefore each particular power must be utilized to execute the will of the Lord and not otherwise.” (ISO, mantra 4, purport)
38. “ e Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhāva-grāhī janārdana because He takes only the essence of a devotee’s attitude.” (SB 8 23 2, purport)
39. “Everyone has dormant kṛṣṇa-bhakti—love for Kṛṣṇa – and in the association of good devotees, that love is revealed.” (Cc., Madhya 19 151, purport)
40. “ e arguments o ered by pure devotees to their disciples are so convincing that even a dullheaded disciple is immediately enlightened with spiritual knowledge.” (SB 5 13 22, purport)
41. “For spiritual advancement of knowledge a suitable place and atmosphere are de nitely required.” (SB 1.7.2, purport)
42 “When a demon associates with devotees engaged in glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he gradually becomes a pure devotee.” (SB 8.22.36, purport)
43 “Knowledge is meant for distribution.” (SB 10 2 19, purport)
44. “Agriculture and cow protection are the way to become sinless and thus be attracted to devotional service.” (SB 8 6 12, purport)
45. “ ere is a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human physiological conditions for higher achievements.” (SB 1.16.4, purport)
46 “Devotional service begins when the mind, intelligence and ego are completely puri ed.” (Cc., Madhya 6.235, purport)
47 “If we are not attached to devotional service to the Lord, then we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature.” (Bg., introduction)
48. “ ere is no di erence between the kingdom of God and the devotional service of the Lord.” (Bg. 2 72, purport)
49. “ e Lord is always within the heart of the living being, but He becomes manifested by one’s devotional service.” (SB 2 8 5, purport)
50. “Devotional service itself is so powerful that by one’s service attitude, everything is revealed.” (SB 3 25 19, purport)
51. “Mantras and the process of devotional service have special power, provided they are received from the authorized person.” (SB 8.16.24, purport)
52 “One should know for certain that without chanting the holy name of the Lord o enselessly, one cannot be a proper candidate for advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (NOI, text 5, purport)
53. “A sādhu is one who is engaged in devotional service to the Lord without deviation (bhajate mām ananya-bhāk).” (SB 10.10.18, purport)
54 “Endeavor for material opulence is against the principle of devotional service.” (Cc., Madhya 12.135, purport)
55 “One must be satis ed with whatever privileges are given to him by the mercy of the Lord.” (ISO, mantra 1, purport)
56. “Unless one is completely freed of all material desires, which are caused by the dense darkness of ignorance, one cannot fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord.” (SB 5.18.8, purport)
57 “When it is recommended that one be desireless, it is understood that one should not desire things which are destructive to spiritual values.” (SB 3.12.26, purport)
58 “One must ful ll one’s desires by surrendering unto the Supreme Lord, for He knows how to ful ll them.” (SB 7.13.24, purport)
59. “One’s desires and ambitions develop according to the company one keeps.” (NOI, text 4, purport)
60. “ e disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master.” (SB 4.28.47, purport)
61. “A devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master’s mission.” (SB 4 28 50, purport)
62. “To honor the spiritual master means to carry out his instructions word for word.” (SB 3.24.12, purport)
63. “One should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions.” (NOI, text 5, purport)
64. “If a devotee or so-called devotee purposefully commits sinful activities continually in the hope that Kṛṣṇa will give him protection, Kṛṣṇa will not protect him.” (Cc., Antya 9.65, purport)
65. “As Kṛṣṇa never falls, when we revive our spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we never fall again to material existence.” (SB 7 7 54, purport)
66. “ e best friend and benefactor of all people is one who awakens humanity to its original Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (SB 4 22 47, purport)
67. “Even in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, separation and enmity take place due to the prominence of material propensities.” (SB 5.14.37, purport)
68 “One who is not free from the contamination of envy cannot advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (SB 4.19.2, purport)
69 “A living entity is so made by the will of the Almighty that he is most happy when placing himself in a condition of absolute dependence.” (SB 1.9.22, purport)
70. “When one’s instrument of action is broken and cannot function, that is called death; again, when one gets a new instrument for action, that is called birth.” (SB 3 31 46, purport)
71. “Instead of allowing one to forget one’s real position, Kṛṣṇa can revive one’s original identity at the time of one’s death, even though the mind may be ickering.” (SB 10 1 41, purport)
72. “ e duty of a pure Vaiṣṇava devotee is to act for the welfare of others.” (SB 10.8.4, purport)
73 “A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does his duty to the best of his ability and leaves everything to Kṛṣṇa.” (Bg. 4.20, purport)
74. “Our duty is simply to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and let Him take charge, for He knows what is good for us.” (SB 4 20 31, purport)
75. “A person who is in pure bhakti-yoga does not arouse the senses while meeting the demands of the body.” (Bg. 6 23, purport)
76. “Once engaged in the bhakti-yoga process with all sincerity, one will have no chance of falling down.” (SB 4.28.38, purport)
77 “ e time of bereavement is a suitable time for appreciating bhakti-yoga.” (SB 6 5 35, purport)
78. “Just as a father sacri ces many things out of a ection for his son, great saintly persons sacri ce all kinds of bodily comforts for the bene t of human society.” (SB 5 1 26, purport)
79. “Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence.” (Bg., introduction)
80. “Matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality.” (Bg. 4.24, purport)
81. “We should be satis ed with whatever is o ered and supplied by Kṛṣṇa without much personal endeavor.” (SB 3 31 47, purport)
82. “Avidyā, or ignorance, is undoubtedly dangerous, but vidyā, or knowledge, is even more dangerous when mistaken or misguided.” (ISO, mantra 9, purport)
83. “Our hearts are meant for the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB 5.1.38, purport)
84 “ e eternally liberated living beings are in the Vaikuṇṭha jagat, the spiritual world, and they never fall into the material world.” (SB 5.11.12, purport)
85 “ e more we engage in austerities, the more we become powerful by the grace of the Lord.” (SB 6.4.50, purport)
86. “Unless one is meek and humble, to make progress in spiritual life is very di cult.” (SB 7.9.8, purport)
87. “By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Kṛṣṇa.” (Cc., Antya 4.71, purport)
88. “Although every man and woman is actually eager to enjoy life through sexual unity, the result is disunity and distress.” (SB 7 13 26, purport)
89. “ e Supreme Personality of Godhead does not disappoint anyone who takes shelter of His lotus feet.” (SB 8 3 19, purport)
90. “In the material world, all distresses are due to extravagance.” (SB 8.19.17, purport)
91. “ ere is nothing to be lamented when a matter is beyond the control of any human being.” (SB 1 9 15, purport)
92. “Everything can be used to the extent that it can be engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service.” (SB 9.4.27, purport)
93. “Unless one is spiritually advanced he cannot in uence an audience.” (Cc., Ādi 7.105, purport)
94 “It is a completely mistaken idea that one can worship Kṛṣṇa in any form or in any way and still attain the ultimate result of receiving the favor of the Lord.” (Cc., Madhya 8.90, purport)
95. “When one is actually advanced in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa, he does not try to advertise himself.” (Cc., Antya 20 28, purport)
96. “By nature and constitution, every living being – including the Supreme Lord and each of His parts and parcels – is meant for eternal enjoyment.” (ISO, mantra 7, purport)
97. “As long as the living spiritual sparks manipulate the dead lumps of matter, the dead world appears to be a living world.” (ISO, mantra 10, purport)
98 “Without puri cation of heart, sannyāsa is simply a disturbance to the social order.” (Bg. 3 4, purport)
99 “Detachment from matter and attachment to Kṛṣṇa are one and the same.” (Bg. 5 5, purport)
100. “Unless we have a pessimistic view of this material life, considering the distresses of birth, death, old age and disease, there is no impetus for our making advancement in spiritual life.”
(Bg. 13.12, purport)
101. “Avidyā (ignorance) perverts the ability to relish the transcendentally palatable name, quality, form and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.” (NOI, text 7, purport)
102. “As men are made after the form and features of the Supreme Lord, so also the cows are made after the form and features of the surabhi cows in the spiritual kingdom.” (SB 1 17 09, purport)
103. “Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” (SB 6.16.50, purport)
104. “True religion instructs people to be satis ed with the bare necessities of life while cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (NOI, text 2, purport)
105. “Sacri ce means denying the interest of the senses.” (ISO, mantra 17, purport)
106. “On the spiritual platform, one does not unnecessarily care for the body.” (Cc., Antya 6.314, purport)
107. “Every Vaiṣṇava is a spiritual master.” (Cc., Madhya 24.330, purport)
108 “A spiritual master is recognized as an actual guru when it is seen that he has changed the character of his disciples.” (Cc., Antya 3.143, purport)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am forever grateful for your wonderful gift of presenting the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in such clear and concise instructions. Any one of these 108 sūtras, when applied in one’s life, can lead to the highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Begging to remain eternally engaged in your service,
Bhakti Gauravāṇī Goswaminama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
You are the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, you are the eternal śikṣā-guru for all the devotees in ISKCON, and you are the topmost authority for ISKCON.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you appeared in this material world 128 years ago; today, we are happily celebrating your 128th appearance day. In Bhagavad-gītā 4.7 Kṛṣṇa speaks: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
Kṛṣṇa very clearly says that He appears (sṛjāmy aham), manifests Himself or His pure loving devotees, like your great self.
e meaning of aham Kṛṣṇa also gives in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.18):
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṁ gatim
He says jñānī tv ātmaiva, the jñānī is just like His own self. And also to Uddhava in ŚrīmadBhāgavatam it’s written that “ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān,” so Kṛṣṇa comes or sends great devotees like your great self, ācāryas or jñānī-bhaktas or premī-bhaktas, so that the religiosity (dharma) can be reestablished.
What is dharma? Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Sanātana Gosvāmī , “Jīve dayā nāme ruci vaiṣṇava sevana iha chāra dharma nāhi śuna sanātana.”
Dharma means jīva-dayā. O Śrīla Prabhupāda, even though you say, “I have a problem, … very big,” you worked globally, although you also acted locally. His Grace Nara-Nārāyaṇa Prabhu is one of your dear disciples whom you called “the Viśvakarmā” of the Ratha-yātrā chariot. He narrates how the rst time he got a chance to be with you because he had built many rathas, he remembers one pastime when he was in the room alone with you, serving you. You told him to look for an ant on the glass table and said our movement would be successful if we delivered this small ant.
So you not only work globally but also act locally; in this way, you show what jīva-dayā is.
For spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you used everything, and the fastest means of your time was the airplane. You were called “jet-age ācārya.” Śrīla Prabhupāda, if you had been doing your pastimes today, then you would have used digital media, which is the fastest means of spreading the message, and you would have been called the “digital age ācārya. ”
Nāma-ruci: Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is no doubt that you are the chosen one to spread the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra all over the world. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma (CB Antya 4.126). Who at the age of 70–73 would like to sit in a park in New York, leaving Vṛndāvana, India, and chant for two to four hours a day, but you did that for many days unnoticed, and one day many hippies danced, and the rest is history.
Vaiṣṇava-sevā: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are an embodiment of vaiṣṇava-sevā; before becoming a sannyāsī, you took very good care of your godbrother brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs. As a sannyāsī and a guru, you very humbly took care of the devotees who were coming, your great self’s disciples. us you are the chosen ācārya to spread the yuga-dharma and eradicate adharma
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your secret of success is that you followed the instructions of your spiritual master ācārya as they were given.
ese are Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s, your dear spiritual master’s, nal three instructions:
(
1) Do not try to be hero. Simply try to be a speck at the lotus feet of the spiritual master; (2) Take shelter of harināma and hari-kathā; (3) Beware of disunity.
1. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are always in the mood of dāsānudāsa. You never tried to be a hero; whenever achievements came to you, you gave credit to your dear Gurudeva.
2. You always took shelter of harināma and hari-kathā. During your journey on the Jaladuta to the USA, you had Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and japa-mālā.
3. Be careful of disunity.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you always emphasized and quoted, the need of the day is cooperation. As you said in your January 5, 1976 letter to Satsvarūpa Mahārāja, “everything should be done cooperatively. Our and yours are material conceptions and have no have no place in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If the members of our movement are unable to cooperate it will be very di cult to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya.”
e need of the day Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you said, is to work cooperatively, and you mentioned at the end of your pastimes that “your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate with one another.” is is the need of the day, and this is what Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura, your dear spiritual master, instructed in the nal instructions.
Beware of disunity. us you are guiding us and making us alert that we have to be together.
Now in our movement, the rst generation really pleased your great self by serving your great self with full heart and soul, spreading the movement and carrying the legacy. e second generation is also working hard and serving with full heart. Now the third generation is also ready, and the fourth generation is on the verge of coming up.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, today on your 128th Vyāsa-pūjā, I am begging at your lotus feet that please, please help me so that I can render some service cooperatively and spread the message of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda, jīva-dayā will only be possible if there is cooperation among devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Your humble servant, Bhakti Karuṇāmayī Vanamālī Swami
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, I o er my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. e Vedic scriptures see the worship of the Lord’s devotees, and especially the worship of the spiritual master, as the most essential principle for making spiritual advancement:
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6 23)
All ISKCON gurus, whether śikṣā or dīkṣā, are your representatives. eir prime duty is to repeat your teachings and guide disciples to the extent of their realizations. Your Divine Grace established daily guru-pūjā as a standard practice for all ISKCON devotees. By your mercy has Kṛṣṇa consciousness spread all over the entire globe, and by your mercy will the present and future generations ourish in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, provided they apply your teachings and engage in your mission. As you write in the purport to Bhagavad-gītā 2 41:
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satis ed. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Rāmacandra Purī displeased his spiritual master Mādhavendra Purī and became a dry mental speculator, and Prajāpati Dakṣa displeased Lord Śiva and ended up with the head of a goat and later took birth as the son of the Pracetās, followers of Lord Śiva. But Īśvara Purī, who pleased Mādhavendra Purī by taking care of his body in his last days and helping his spiritual master to remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of leaving his body, received pure love for Lord Kṛṣṇa and became the spiritual master of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
You bestow your mercy on everyone who follows your teachings, which you exempli ed by your own example. As such, Your Divine Grace taught us, in the most practical and personal ways, the application of the principle of yukta-vairāgya, as enunciated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhaktirasāmṛta-sindhu, verse 1.2.55:
anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
When one is not attached to anything but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa, one is rightly situated above possessiveness.
In a very personal way, you showed how even anger can be accepted in relation to Kṛṣṇa. When in Amsterdam in 1972 the devotees did not prepare for the installation of Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā properly, you chastised them severely. e anger in your voice made everyone freeze as you said: “What is this? No fruits? No owers? What are these pots that you want to bathe the Deities in?” You did not care for the TV cameras and guests.
On another occasion, His Holiness Nava Yogendra Mahārāja told us that he witnessed you chastising a Bengali security guard in Māyāpur. When you angrily shouted at the guard in Bengali, Nava Yogendra Mahārāja was shivering in fear. After the guard left the room, you became very peaceful again. e anger did not control you, as it does with conditioned souls. You controlled the anger and used it in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service, a perfect practice of yukta-vairāgya. After using anger, you give it up instantly, which indicates your liberated position.
e principle of yukta-vairāgya implies anāsaktasya viṣayān or being unattached. is is a state beyond bewilderment, which is caused by the absorption of our consciousness in the duality of desire and hate (Bg. 7.27). e absence of desire for so-called “good” and avoidance of what is considered “bad” in this world indicates a state of consciousness without material desire. In Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma, prior to getting o the cargo ship Jaladuta to enter the United States, you expressed your desire in your prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa:
I wish that You may deliver them. erefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.
When Śrī Nārada Muni cursed the sons of Kuvera, Nalakuvera and Maṇigrīva, he desired that they be liberated by the Supreme Lord. Lord Kṛṣṇa is eager to ful ll the desires of His pure devotees. erefore, we have faith that Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa will reciprocate with your desire. All your desires, including your wish for our liberation and your desire for engaging us in devotional service, are only for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, Recently, during the VIHE Bhakti-vedānta course, I engaged the students in discussing the pastime of the brāhmaṇa Sudāmā visiting Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā. It appears that Sudāmā’s aversion to sense grati cation was the last snare of illusion in his consciousness. But Lord Kṛṣṇa, by showing the opulence of Dvārakā and giving His darśana to Sudāmā, gave him an expert medicinal dose, removing his pride of being renounced and avoiding sense grati cation. us, Sudāmā, instead of being averse to sense grati cation, became indi erent, and thus his practice of yukta-vairāgya became perfect. Despite this subtle anartha, the elevated consciousness of Sudāmā has no comparison with our contaminated consciousness. Regardless of our being most unqualied, you nonetheless engaged us in pure devotional service, the pure engagement of the spiritual soul, by teaching us how to act on the spiritual platform based on the formula of pure devotional service, as outlined by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu verse 1 2 187:
īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā girā nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate
One who engages in the transcendental service of the Lord in body, mind, and word is to be considered liberated in all conditions of material existence.
e conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā is that we should always think of Lord Kṛṣṇa, become His devotee, worship Him (Bg. 18 65), o er our respects to Him, surrender to Him (Bg. 18 66) and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness (Bg. 18.68). You gave us ISKCON as an instrument to ful ll the Lord’s desire for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engaging us on the liberated platform. When we are sincerely engaged in your mission, then we act spiritually. e Lord explains to Uddhava in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.11.14:
yasya syur vīta-saṅkalpāḥ prāṇendriya-mano-dhiyām
vṛttayaḥ sa vinirmukto deha-stho ’pi hi tad-guṇaiḥ
A person is considered to be completely liberated from the gross and subtle material bodies when all the functions of his vital energy, senses, mind, and intelligence are performed without material desire. Such a person, although situated within the body, is not entangled.
ese are your blessings upon us, which are available not only to us but also to future generations. is is in line with Lord Kṛṣṇa’s purposes in Bhagavad-gītā, and it is the seed of all purposes of ISKCON. is process of yukta-vairāgya, or constantly engaging the body, mind, and words in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is eternally applied by the residents of Dvārakā and Vṛndāvana. You conrm this in Kṛṣṇa book, chapter 82:
e family members of the Yadu dynasty and the cowherds of Vṛndāvana had their minds xed on Kṛṣṇa. at is the symptom of perfect knowledge. And because their minds were always engaged in Kṛṣṇa, they were automatically freed from all material activities. is stage of life is called yukta-vairāgya, as enunciated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
On this day of your appearance, I pray for the bene t of ISKCON and all its leaders to grant us the intelligence and empowerment to ful ll your desire so that we can please Your Divine Grace, which is our only hope for receiving the Lord’s merciful glance. Despite so many adverse conditions, I continue trying to act as your surrendered devotee. Please use me as your instrument.
Your servant,
Bhakti Prabhāva Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, chapter 14, texts 19 and 23, Lord Kṛṣṇa emphasizes the exceptional in uence of the three modes of material nature. And in chapter 3, text 27, we nd His famous statement exposing our foolishness in thinking that we are the doers of activities that are actually carried out by these three modes. Yet the conditioned soul nonetheless remains responsible for his underlying material desires. ese, in turn, impel material nature to set up ongoing bodily situations to ful ll such desires, although usually in ways he hardly expected. rough your books, your lectures, and your ideal example, Your Divine Grace has so clearly and transparently revealed this type of crucial information, along with higher truths. You have indeed “opened our eyes with the torchlight of knowledge.” Under your guidance, we are gradually retuning our vision to see through the eyes of guru, sādhu, and śāstra, to hope against hope that some sweet day we’ll nd our eyes anointed with premāñjana, the essential yet elusive salve of love of God.
Yet … alas! My own plight is to languish in the miserable pool of materialism. I see, but do not see. I possess cognition and knowledge yet fail to recognize and to acknowledge. I want ambrosia yet persist in licking the outside of the bottle. Moreover, struggling for reform, I merely o end. So, what will become of this “Prabhupāda mercy case”?
Meanwhile, the lower modes of material nature, and the concomitant tendencies of lust, greed, and anger, are ever more dangerously rocking today’s world. O Śrīla Prabhupāda, O Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, O all strong Prabhupādānugas, please keep saving the world in its darkest hour! And while you’re at it, please patiently uplift this wretched wannabe Vaiṣṇava.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, despite my lament, kindly allow me to continue to support the glorious saṅkīrtana movement in some tiny way, in whatever measure I can, however stunted, however faltering.
By your great mercy, I shall better concentrate on the holy name. erein lies my hope. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious day!
Your most insigni cant aspiring servant, Bhakti Prabhupāda-vrata D āmodara Swami
Dearmost Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances unto the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your divine appearance day is one of the greatest opportune moments for the whole world. is world is blessed with your most auspicious appearance as a beacon of light and mercy for the entire world. We are very happy to see that the whole world is recognizing your matchless gifts. We are always dependent on your merciful glance for the protection of your merciful gifts.
By your mercy and guidance, your ISKCON is ourishing all over the world under the supervision of your disciples and sincere, loyal followers.
For the last three years (since 2020), I have been studying your books daily in Hindi and Bengali in the association of devotees. It has been a transforming experience for me as my appreciation for your books and your message has grown multifold. I want to continue studying and inspiring others to read your books in the association of devotees.
Also, I am trying to distribute your books, especially Caitanya-caritāmṛta, to ful ll your mission (ghara ghara gaurāṅga). Please bless me so that I can become an instrument in serving your ISKCON society eternally by becoming a humble servant of your servants.
Your servant, Bhakti Prema Swami
I o er my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this 127th appearance anniversary.
Despite the advancement of Kali-yuga, the glories of Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement are being heard and sung by more and more fortunate souls who come in contact with your mission. I remain eternally indebted to you for having given me this opportunity to meet your sweet devotees. Please help me to understand how every single Vaiṣṇava is a rare jewel to be eternally treasured and valued.
It is exactly 50 years this year that in the summer of 1973, I rst stepped into the Ottawa temple at 222 Besserer Street in the capital city of Ottawa. By the end of that year, I would join as a full-time devotee, and on July 21st of the following year, the very birthday of my mother, I would be initiated as Rāghava Paṇḍita D āsa by you, along with some 40 other devotees, mostly from Canada and the USA, at the edging community of New Vrindaban.
ose years that you were physically present with us on the planet were so mystical, so unique, and so amazing. It’s di cult to describe how your very presence, like a powerful magnet,
attracted hundreds of thousands of people, mostly young lost souls seeking real meaning in life. And your magic continues today.
Your two books Nectar of Instruction and Nectar of Devotion both had a powerful impact on me, as did Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I remember attending my rst Sunday feast and hearing the oftenquoted aphorism from the Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā. On that very rst day, I also came to know about the king of all scriptures, grantha-rāja Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. To this day, I continue to marvel at the deep and extensive purports that you so mercifully gifted to the whole world for eternity as you mercifully shared your deep “emotional ecstasies.” ose same ecstasies are also wonderfully displayed in your every lecture.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please help me to continue concentrating on the 50 percent of your unfullled mission, that of assisting in establishing daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma. You were such a visionary that you could understand years ago, even before going to the West, how society could only be saved if we return to be basic principles outlined in our Vedic culture by protecting our three essential mothers, Mother Cow, Mother Nature, and Mother Sarasvatī, knowledge – all three being the basis for reestablishing sanātana-dharma.
As you so wonderfully wrote in your essay on Gītā-nāgarī: “ ere is no other practical solution of the scienti c basis of universal brotherhood or of universal religion without understanding this simple truth of the fatherhood of Godhead, motherhood of Nature, and childhood of all living entities.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless all of us who are endeavoring to ful ll your sacred mission. As stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 7 11) kṛṣṇa- śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana: without being empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot spread the Lord’s mission. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all that you have given and continue to give today. May your glories be ever spread so that more and more conditioned souls take shelter at your divine lotus feet and engage in your devotional service.
Your humble servant, Bhakti R
āghava SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept my humble obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet!
In your class on Bhagavad-gītā 2 7 from August 1973 you are saying:
So this knowledge required, how to nd out real guru and how to surrender unto Him. e guru does not mean that I keep a guru, so, as order-supplier. “My dear guru, I am su ering from this. Can you give me some medicine?” “Yes, yes. Take this medicine.”
“Yes.” Not that guru. If you are su ering from some disease, you go to a physician. It is not guru’s business to give you some medicine. A guru’s business is to give you Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa sei tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāra (Bhajana-Lālasā, Song 7). A Vaiṣṇava is praying, guru: “Sir, you are devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You can give me Kṛṣṇa if you like.” is is the position of śiṣya.
Guru’s business is how to give you Kṛṣṇa, not any material things. For material things,
there are so many institution. But if you want Kṛṣṇa, then guru’s required. Who is, who requires a guru?
tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsu śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upasamāśrayam
(SB 11.3.21)
Who requires a guru? Guru is not a fashion, “Oh, I have got a guru. I shall make a guru.” Guru means one who is serious. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta. One has to seek out a guru. Why? Jijñāsu śreya uttamam. One who is inquisitive of the Supreme. Not guru make a fashion, just like we keep a dog, fashion, similarly, we keep a guru. at is not guru dharma[?]. “Guru will act according to my decision.” Not like that. Guru means one who can give you Kṛṣṇa. at is guru. Kṛṣṇa se tomāra.
We came in contact with ISKCON only by the great fortune created by you. You took the risk to come to Russia in 1971. You inspired the rst person in Russia to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and you sent your disciples to continue the preaching, and now we have thousands of people practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Russia. Book distributors in Russia are very eager to increase saṅkīrtana and try to teach this service to new devotees. Devotees are also using the internet to present your books, and it also helps to increase book distribution.
On this auspicious occasion, we are praying for your mercy to please you more and more by increasing book distribution.
Servant of your servants, B. R. Ambarīṣa Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace, ISKCON’s founder-ācārya.
I hereby present my academic and corporate preaching report for September 2022 to February 2023 on this glorious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
1. Leading change for higher performance in academia and research. Presented at Teerthanker Mahaveer University on 15 February 2023, Moradabad, India.
2 Mind management for sustainable success. Presented at the Indian Institute of Technology on 3 February 2023, Kharagpur, India.
3 Sonic therapeutic intervention for high job performance. Presented at BIOCON (India’s Leader in Bio Pharmacy) on 27 January 2023, Bengaluru, India.
4. Sonic therapeutic intervention for mental health. Presented at Rajarajeshwari Medical College on 28 January 2023, Bengaluru, India.
5. Self-leadership for career growth. Presented at SJB Institute of Technology on 24 January 2023, Bengaluru, India.
6. Sonic therapeutic intervention for preventing nancial fraud: A phenomenological study. Presented at the Indian Institute of Science on January 29, 2023, in Bengaluru, India.
7. Sonic therapeutic intervention for self-leadership. Presented at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), on 28 October 2022, Kharagpur, India.
8 Sonic therapeutic intervention for global peace and harmony. Presented at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) on 15 September 2022, Durgapur, India.
Comments:
At Teerthanker Mahaveer University, the presentation was for professors and Ph.D. research scholars, and 79 participated in the program. e professor who hosted the program has become deeply interested in devotional practice and so attracted to ISKCON that he wants to take dīkṣā in ISKCON.
I had a favorable-outcome meeting with some Kharagpur IIT professors on 26 March 2023 at the Tourism o ce, Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma. ey were part of the audience at my presentations at IIT Kharagpur. ey chant daily and were satis ed with clari cations about devotional service.
One Ph.D. research scholar at IIT Kharagpur, became so enthused about devotional service after attending the 28 October presentation that he contacted me on LinkedIn (social media). He said that he would like to give his life to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
e professor who hosted our presentation at IIT Durgapur, has been chanting japa steadily and observing Ekādaśī after the September 2022 presentation.
Sonic therapeutic intervention (STI) is a scienti c expression used to indicate chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, kindly bless me with sustainable progress in this preaching endeavor of spreading the holy names to the professors and corporate executives.
Your servant of the servants, Bhakti Vāsudeva Swami
My dearmost spiritual master and preceptor for the entire world, I o er my most prostrated obeisances unto your divine lotus feet.
ank you for coming into my life and saving me from the materialistic civilization. I am just another example of your causeless mercy on conditioned souls. Your mercy is unlimited. You kindly traveled far and wide to present the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You saw no di erence between lecturing to Africans in a stadium in Nairobi and lecturing to an auditorium full of Scottish people in Glasgow or sophisticated young people in Los Angeles. You saw the Lord in the hearts of all, and you desired their welfare.
Your mission continues under the empowered disciples and granddisciples of Your Divine Grace. rough their steady commitment to your service, we see the Kṛṣṇa conscious communi-
ties around the world ourishing. With the changing economic policies in India, more temples have been constructed in many cities as well as in holy places. Outside India, there is also some progress, but it can never be compared to the development of the Indian yātrā. Now we also see the Indian yātrā helping to strengthen the preaching overseas. Your books are being studied more diligently than ever before, and more and more come forward to take the Bhakti- śāstrī and Bhakti-vaibhava courses. We see wonderful schools opening with an emphasis on spiritual education. ere are farming projects with herds of dairy cows. We nd saṅkīrtana parties across the globe, so no one can say they have never heard of Hare Kṛṣṇa. is is all your glory Śrīla Prabhupāda.
You did the real work and got the movement rolling. We o er all at your lotus feet. ank you for everything Śrīla Prabhupāda. May I always bathe in the dust of your lotus feet.
Your insigni cant disciple,
Bhakti Vighna Vināśa Narasiṁha
SwamiWhen the re is ablaze in the hearts of people unable to discriminate between good and evil, when the whole world loses its lasting peace and prosperity, when the custom and practice of religion in a country becomes damaged, only then does a dedicated noble soul like Śrīla Prabhupāda appear to extinguish the a iction and scorched hearts by establishing the spiritual message from the Supreme Planet. You appeared to introduce the summum bonum as a senāpati-bhakta throughout the universe. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you changed the contaminated consciousness of human beings and transformed each person with your external association as a messenger of Vaikuṇṭha.
On the auspicious occasion of your 127th appearance day, I wish to o er my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet and imploringly pray for your causeless mercy.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are so merciful toward people irrespective of caste and creed that you have explicitly expressed the teachings and conclusions of the previous ācāryas in your transcendental books in such an easy and lucid way to understand, like infants’ food. So people in general can grasp the idea, which paves them the way to go back home back to Godhead. As a result, with the help of śāstric knowledge, they are relishing and realizing the Personality of Godhead. at is why your anticipation that your society will continue for 10,000 years is right.
We often see that your disciple His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami, in his lectures, stresses and inspires us to complete śāstric courses like Bhakti- śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, etc., only to increase the foundation of our spiritual knowledge. Another extension of your power of mercy is that even most ordinary people throughout the world who are not experts in knowledge and devotion are still scrutinizingly studying and relishing your philosophical transcendental books. Such a day will come when everyone, with the help of your weaponlike knowledge, will easily tear up the hard knot of uncivilized heart attachment for men and women and will go back to Godhead.
Also, hearing your various teachings from my Guru Mahārāja has made me blissful, and additionally made me attached to serving you properly under the ISKCON umbrella.
Your last message was, “Don’t leave ISKCON,” and all the devotees with their cooperative and sympathetic mood between one another, will propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness for ISKCON. I will
learn and abide by the GBC body that you have formed as a nal authority. Please bless me so that I can abide by these three teachings throughout my life, and I can help my Guru Mahārāja to continue your transcendental preaching in a submissive way.
Your eternal servant of servants, Bhakti
Vilāsa Gauracandra SwamiISKCON Nāmahaṭṭa, Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to your amazing devotional service to this world of fools and rascals, to the paramparā, to your dear spiritual master, to Lord Gaurāṅga and the Pañca-tattva, and to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality, the Absolute Truth.
As time goes by and as I hear and read your lectures and books, I am able to see the depth of your message more and more clearly. My appreciation for your clarity, your purity, and humility simply increases every day. In a Bhagavad-gītā purport about the austerity of the mind, you mention thinking of doing good for others as an austerity of the mind. For you, it was not an austerity like it is for a sādhaka like me. You loved the people of this world naturally due to your love for Kṛṣṇa, and hence wanted to do good to them. You gave them your best. Your love is so genuine, pure, and strong. e power of love and what it can do to humanity can be seen in your sel ess service and the legacy that you left behind for posterity. You wanted your followers to take the credit for spreading the mission of Lord Caitanya from the branch of ISKCON of the Caitanya tree. at comes at a cost, though; it’s called cooperation. If humanity, or particularly your followers, want to show their love to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, they must learn to cooperate genuinely, feelingly, with love for you and Kṛṣṇa as the basis.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, our love for you is challenged time and again because we understand your instructions in di erent ways. While it’s natural that each one of us is di erent and individualistic, it is having its repercussions on the mass of devotees and their faith while also eating at our vitality at times. Issues about guru-tattva, guruship, and its latently mystical concepts evade our understanding. I know that for me personally this is due to a paucity of purity and bhakti ere seems to be a lack of leadership, like you would have provided, to decisively direct the course of the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement at this critical time. is is expected. We pray that by the strength of mercy from Your Divine Grace, we will tide over these times and come out more mature and pure to carry forward the precious gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Faith in your words, written and spoken, as they are, is the key.
Faith springs eternal in the human breast. At the present moment, the age-old debate of faith vs. reason is surfacing, as technology, in the guise of science, takes center stage, aunting success with robots and AI while thumbing its nose at religion and pointing at our “unreasonable” faithbased conclusions. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us both. Faith is fundamental to reason. e faith-reason combo is at the foundation of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your books are the basis of our reasoning in Kṛṣṇa conscious faith. We in ISKCON are not merely faith-based organizations
(FBO) but lled with reason, science, and the best of logic, as well as your mercy. It behooves us to bring this contribution of yours to the fore of today’s science, philosophy, and governance. Everything is in your books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you humbly stated. We need to read them scrutinizingly again, as you said.
We at the BBT in Kerala have endeavored to bring out all your books in the Malayalam language. e Caitanya-caritāmṛta was released during a grand festival where over 1000 devotees joined together to dedicate it to Your Divine Grace, along with ministers and other VIPS. His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami, who was present at the release, mentioned that it would create a revolution in Kerala while His Grace Rāmeśvara Prabhu, who learned that in your mission the impossible is possible, gave us his story of the production of the rst Caitanya-caritāmṛta volumes. We are working on a few remaining titles to complete the entire range of your works in this language. I seek your blessings on all these devotees who are determined to make you feel like “an emperor who has conquered” with every production.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, as my grand–spiritual father and as the founding spiritual master of ISKCON and its followers for all times to come, your teachings and life story are a powerful inspiration to me, and I always feel enthused to share it with everyone I meet. I seek your blessings to be able to present your teaching “as it is” with a full understanding of your purports for the welfare of humanity.
Many projects that have been planned for this purpose are yet to be completed, and it is by your mercy and that of your true followers, coupled with our sincere e ort, that it will be completed. We beg for your blessings for the speedy completion and expansion of the outreach in my assigned areas.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for your association, your books, your temples, devotees, the holy names, and the whole reality of life with opportunities for devotional service. May your glories be sung everywhere!
On this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, please bless me to be a humble instrument in your vast machinery for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Your servant, Bhakti
Vinoda SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, My prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to our paramparā line, of which you are the ower that has spread the sweet fragrance of Lord Caitanya’s cloudlike mercy around the globe.
With your mercy, what is the use of others? And without your mercy, what is the use of others? Your mercy is your guidance and instructions for us, your disciples, to practice and eventually spread that mercy to everyone. For that, I am extremely grateful to have this rare opportunity to attempt to act as one of your aṅgas in assisting you in your mission of compassion. Although unquali ed, I understand that success is to fully take shelter of your lotuslike instructions and your designed programs for uplifting the miserable living entities.
In these troubled times, your words are proving prophetic:
Civilization will collapse very soon all over the world. It will collapse. Either you may bring this ism or that ism; this civilization will collapse. People will become mad, being harassed in so many ways. When one is harassed by so many problems, he commits suicide. So that position is coming. (Morning walk, Delhi, November 29, 1975)
Over the last couple of years we have been witnessing the gradual deterioration of Western civilization, as you predicted 50 years ago. As I travel around, I see that devotees are thereby bettering their awareness and understanding of how important it is to emphasize your vision for the future of ISKCON and the world by developing daivi-varṇāśrama centered around Kṛṣṇa conscious farm communities. We are attempting to achieve this by placing more attention, time, and energy to help unfold Kṛṣṇa’s way of life, a simple life of cow protection, brahminical culture, chanting the holy names and worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As you said:
Krishna is the Farm Acarya. Baladeva is holding a plow and Krishna is holding the calf. (Letter to Hari Śauri, Vṛndāvana, August 10, 1977)
Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self-su cient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible. ey should be developed as an ideal society depending on natural products not industry. Industry has simply created godlessness, because they think they can manufacture everything that they need. Our Bhagavad-gita philosophy explains that men and animals must have food in order to maintain their bodies. And the production of food is dependent on the rain and the rain of course is dependent on chanting Hare Krsna. erefore let everyone chant Hare Krsna, eat nicely and keep their bodies t and healthy. is is ideal life style. (Letter to Rūpānuga, Bombay, December 18, 1974)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mercy is pushing me along despite the increased di culties that come with maintaining the body in this time of advanced age. By your mercy alone, which inspires others to become your mercy-givers, we are trying to serve in this way to please you.
Your servant, Candramauli Swami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, ere, I just read it again! (below)
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all. (Bg. 2.29)
“Amazing,” – what an interesting word to use. (above)
All of this is clearly described, and if we properly utilize the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, then our whole life will become puri ed, and ultimately we will be able to reach the destination which is beyond this material sky … (yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama). (Bg., introduction)
“Beyond this Material Sky.” ere is something beyond our Material World! (above)
What, then, is the ultimate truth? e answer is that nondual knowledge is the ultimate truth. It is devoid of the contamination of material qualities. It gives us liberation. It is the one without a second, all-pervading and beyond imagination. (SB 5 12 11)
We hear about the “ultimate truth,” about “nondual knowledge.” We hear that it is “one without a second, all-pervading”; we hear that it is “beyond imagination!” (above) en … (below)
e rst realization of that knowledge is Brahman. en Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is realized by the yogīs who try to see Him without grievance. is is the second stage of realization. Finally, full realization of the same supreme knowledge is realized in the Supreme Person. All learned scholars describe the Supreme Person as Vāsudeva, the cause of Brahman, Paramātmā and others. (SB 5 12 11)
Now we hear details of the Supreme’s ontological nature. Who could imagine? (above)
Beyond the region of ignorance [the material cosmic manifestation] lies the realm of Siddhaloka. e Siddhas reside there, absorbed in the bliss of Brahman. Demons killed by the Lord also attain that realm. (Cc., Ādi 5.39)
We are told about a world “beyond the region of ignorance.” (above) en even a higher realm (below)
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the rst progenitor who is tending the cows,
yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and a ection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs. (BS 5.29)
Here is a description of this Spiritual World! Everything about this world is strangely familiar yet, at the same time, not like any that we experience or can remember. (above)
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His ute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock’s feather, with the gure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids. (BS 5 30)
More about the Supreme – an actual description! (above)
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogīs who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration; or by the jñānīs who try to nd out the nondi erentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years. (BS 5 34)
Now we hear about the desirability of the Supreme and the di culty in achieving audience. (above)
at happiness increases endlessly. It is limitless and supremely great. In contrast, the happiness of Brahman found in liberation never increases, because it is limited. (
ta 2 2 193)
Happiness that increases endlessly – now, that is something! (above)
roughout the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the other literature of the Vaiṣṇavas are all these superlatives, unabashed dual word compounds and hyperbolic adjectives. “Spiritual world,” “spiritual food,” “ānanda – (transcendental bliss),” “śuddha-bhakti – (pure devotion).”
IS THERE NOTHING ORDINARY? Yes, the material world seen through material consciousness is ordinary … actually worse than ordinary.
ese majestic, owery, melodramatic, and apparently overblown-sounding phrases, adjectives, and descriptive passages can leave us with the impression that we have just left Earth’s atmosphere and are in circular ight around a di erent orb, possibly in another solar system or even another galaxy.
Maybe like me, some of you readers have just become calloused or inured to all these fantastical prose passages. And it would indeed be a glaring weak point of our philosophy if this were the status – that there is nothing behind these outsized eulogies and incredible absolutes.
Yet maybe, also like me, you catch glimpses of that world, only to, a few moments later, be yanked back, again having your carriage turned back into a pumpkin, your horses back into white mice.
Sometimes, yes, sometimes, I read and know that these amazing literatures are not concocting colorful passages to galvanize our imagination or faith, but instead, I feel the painful lack of depth in my connection with that 4-D world, that very real spiritual world which they represent.
But, I say, “I have seen a few sparkles of it.” “I have heard that strange music.” So I continue in my worn-out shoes. I will try not to put on airs, because for all I know, you may already be an internal resident of that internal mysterious place.
ese words are my constant reminder that I have a long, long way to go. e journey from ādau śraddhā to premābhyudañcati is a hike up the mountain. You, Śrīla Prabhupāda, have made it possible. ank you … that is all I have to say: thank you. Without you, I would have lost out, and what is more, I would not have even had the slightest inkling that I had SO MUCH lost out!
Your servant,
Candraśekhara SwamiTo His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-t
Your Divine Grace traveled all over the world, conquering all kinds of opposing forces. For Kṛṣṇa, Your Divine Grace defeated atheism, impersonalism, voidism, pseudoscience, pseudoreligions, and every possible opposing element that the material world has to o er. Like the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, Your Divine Grace is highly respected throughout the three worlds, tri-bhuvane mānyau. e great politician and moralist Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said:
vidvatāṁ ca nṛpatyāṁ ca naiva tulyaṁ kadācana sva-deśe pūjyate rājan vidvān sarvatra pūjyate (Pañcatantra 2 58)
It is not possible to compare a wealthy man or a king with a learned person. Because the rich man or king may be respected in his own village, town, nation, or planet, but a learned man, a devotee of God, is honored wherever he goes.
Your Divine Grace exempli ed this śloka by receiving honor from all groups of people around the world. e US Army recognized Your Divine Grace’s movement and deferred devotees from being drafted. Popular musicians and leaders of the youth who were seeking higher knowledge looked up to Your Divine Grace. Your Divine Grace met with many intellectuals and inspired some thoughtful scientists to pursue Your Divine Grace’s mission. Your Divine Grace was respected amongst scholars and yogīs alike for Your Divine Grace’s depth of Vedic knowledge. After considering Your Divine Grace’s books, the Supreme Court of the State of New York recognized Hare Kṛṣṇa as a bona de religion.
As a matter of fact, all of Your Divine Grace’s intelligence, bhakti, śakti, charm, compassion, and so many other transcendental qualities are perfectly preserved in Your Divine Grace’s books.
erefore, wherever Your Divine Grace’s books go, they create the same phenomenon – they
destroy materialism and they bring down the infrastructure of atheism, a Your Divine Grace did in person. rough Your Divine Grace’s books, Your Divine Grace has reached so many, and if they repeat something that they’ve learned from Your Divine Grace or Your Divine Grace’s books and live by it with body, mind, and words, they too become highly respected wherever they go.
I experienced this rsthand the rst time I went to India. Some of us would get our heads shaved by the local barber, who was cutting hair outside in a public area. I was sitting on a rock, and soon some neighborhood boys came and gathered around. ey were having fun at my expense, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying since I didn’t speak Bengali. Looking at the fair-skinned Westerner in devotee dress, they likely thought I was some sort of pretender or something. e barber did not want to take sides. More kids came up, even some teenagers – they were having quite the time! So in the spur of the moment, I started chanting and reciting all of the Sanskrit verses I had memorized. I started with Bhagavad-gītā 1.1:
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya
I continued and exhausted all of my Gītā verses. Silence. is stopped the children’s prodding in their tracks. e barber was pleased and impressed that I knew some Sanskrit ślokas, and he seemed to say, “See, so many verses from the Gītā!?” He chastised them for making fun. is is an example of Your Divine Grace’s mercy and strength being passed to Your Divine Grace’s disciples. If anyone had asked whether I understood what the ślokas meant, I would have said “yes.” is verse means that Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā ve thousand years ago at Kurukṣetra. Kurukṣetra is a real place where sacri ces have been performed for a long time. It is not to be taken allegorically. You can go and visit there today; it is 150 km north of Delhi. is means Bhagavad-gītā is to be taken literally, as a historical record. Bhagavad-gītā 2 12:
na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param
is means that Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and all the kings that were assembled at Kurukṣetra were individual spirit souls in the past, in the present, and in the future, and they will continue to be so. e individual soul never merges and loses his identity. It means that God and the innumerable living entities are all eternal individual spiritual persons.
Perhaps then I can go on serving Your Divine Grace for eternity.
Your insigni cant servant,
D ānavīra Goswaminama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
In practical human terms, Śrīla Prabhupāda was an idealist, a realist, and an optimist. Let me elucidate: idealist: a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc; a visionary realist: a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are; optimist: one who is disposed or tends to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions, and to expect the most favorable outcome
Ś
rīla Prabhupāda never entertained compromise, even if it meant he found only one “moon.” His goal was to make the supreme sādhya of kṛṣṇa-prema available to whomever would accept it in its authentic form:
I don’t make any compromise with these rascals. No words. No, no. I’ll never make that. Even if I don’t get any disciple, I’ll be satis ed. But I cannot make any compromise as these rascals. I cannot make. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tārāḥ sahasraśaḥ. If I create one moon, that is su cient. I don’t want many stars. at was my Guru Mahārāja’s principle, and that is principle. What is the use of having number of fools and rascals? If one man understands rightly, he can deliver the whole world. (Morning walk, Bombay, March 23, 1974)
Yet, Prabhupāda was realistically aware of how challenging his “impossible mission” would be, as he con ded to the pūjārī at Śrī Advaita Ācārya’s Śāntipur house: “Many years ago my Gurudeva gave me an impossible mission. He ordered me to go across the ocean and plant Kṛṣṇa consciousness on foreign soil.” (Our Śrīla Prabhupāda, a Friend to All) Decades later, he reminisced:
So when I was seventy years old I decided, “Now I must do and execute the order of my Guru Mahārāja.” And thus this movement was started in 1965 from New York. And I was not very much hopeful, because it is very di cult task, just opposite the European and Western culture. I came … When I rst came, I had no money. So I got a free passage through some Indian steam navigation company. So I came by ship. So when I was on the ship at Boston port, Commonwealth port, I was thinking that “I have come here. I do not know what is the purpose, because how the people will accept this movement?
ey are di erently educated, and as soon as I’ll say, “So, my dear sir, you have to give up meat-eating and illicit sex and intoxication and gambling,” they will say, “Please go home.” [laughter]
Because that was the experience of one of my godbrother.… So my godbrother proposed, “Yes, we can make anyone brāhmaṇa provided you follow this principle: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling.” So that Lord Zetland immediately
replied, “Impossible.” (Lecture on Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta’s Appearance Day, Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
In spite of that, his innate optimism prevailed:
So I was thinking that “I will propose something which is impossible. Anyway, let me try.” (Lecture on Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta’s Appearance Day, Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
He knew Kṛṣṇa could make even the “impossible” possible:
tabe jadi taba kṛpā hoy ahaitukī sakal-i sambhava hoy tumi se kautukī
But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible because You are the most expert mystic. (Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma 4)
Fortunately, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s transcendental idealism, realism, and optimism has to some degree shed upon me. us, I now aspire for the highest ideal of bhakti-rasa with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Rasarāja; and in spite of it not being realistic for countless lifetimes, I maintain a “hope against hope” that, by his Divine Grace, it may some life come to pass.
Striving to more deeply appreciate my great fortune, I hope to remain his servant eternally,
Ga apati SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
My obeisances again and again in the dust of your feet.
e root of all divine qualities – absolute love. e constitution of the living being. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the personi cation of this love – your every act, thought, and deed – saturated with pure love. You gave and continue to give real love to all – the greatest need of every living being.
ey say, “love makes the world go round.” is is certainly true of the spiritual world. “Love makes ISKCON go round.” You have brought that spiritual love into this world of lust, manifesting in your endless love for the part-and-parcel living entities, fallen into illusion and seeing themselves separate from their eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
e unique nature of Your love is that it is purely constitutional (the nature of the soul connected purely with Kṛṣṇa), unlike the relative love of conditioned souls. By your unconditional love, you are doing the otherwise impossible – awakening love for Kṛṣṇa in the hearts of the mlecchas and yavanas of this world in this Kali-yuga. Miracle done. By the one switch of loving Kṛṣṇa, all is achieved.
e Nectar of Devotion teaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities perfectly by the easy method of loving Kṛṣṇa. If we learn how to love Kṛṣṇa, then it is very easy to immediately and simultaneously love every living being. (NOD, preface)
No separate endeavor is needed. e secret of all secrets.
By giving the process – yuga-dharma harināma saṅkīrtana – you uncover the loving propensity in us all. Just expose ourselves to your association and the holy name and focus on acting and dealing in the way you would be pleased.
As Haridāsa Ṭhākura showered his loving compassion on his perpetrators, you also showered the compassion of love for Kṛṣṇa on the world, showing that all living entities are His parts and parcels. To not love one part is to not love Kṛṣṇa.
Out of love for Kṛṣṇa and His parts and parcels, you fearlessly chastise and hammer to try to get the point in. Even your seeming chastisements are tsunamis of mercy because that is who you are – the living embodiment of mercy in its absolute form – no boundaries. It pains you to see Kṛṣṇa’s parts and parcels trying to defy Kṛṣṇa and denying their own rights.
Your crying is not the sentimental crying of materially frustrated and fearful, traumatized jīvas. Your crying is the manifestation of your love. e perpetual act of the eternal lovers of the Lord in separation. In its various forms, you are always crying. ere is a crying need for pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness more now than ever before in this spiritual wilderness. You cry out the message of Godhead with your every word – “We must not be disappointed that no one is hearing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We will say it to the moon and stars and all directions. We will cry in the wilderness, because Kṛṣṇa is everywhere.”
It’s a crying shame that people do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yes, the word crying has many connotations. An inseparable response of true compassion. You also cry to see Kṛṣṇa’s parts and parcels separated from Kṛṣṇa, not bringing Him pleasure. You cry to see the vehicle meant to carry this message, for which you labored so hard, not being maintained or being misused. You cry when your “army of monkeys” ght with one another and lose the thread. You said it is the Western habit to ght.
You cry when your little helpers fall away (and sometimes your “big guns!”). When Siddhasvarūpa Mahārāja contacted you after separating himself from the movement, you cried, remembering him with loving a ection. When another early and prominent disciple showed such o ensive indi erence, you appealed to him, “What did I do to cause you to become like this?” No response. After he left, you commented what a rascal he has become, “but I still love him.” You loved each and every follower – every little speck of devotion means so much to you.
You cry when temples are not being maintained, when we put our own vision and perceptions
in the center. When we stop the yuga-dharma. When we compromise the path to genuine love that you gave us. When we reduce the Deity standards. When we stop following our vows. When we leave your lotus feet. You cry when we misuse Kṛṣṇa’s energy. I cannot imagine your heart’s feelings seeing so many occupied in fault- nding and spending countless hours on unproductive social media. e whole world has been hijacked. You cried in your last days out of concern for your movement and the risk of its failure.
You cry when you see the state of this world. You cry to see souls lost in the meshes of māyā You cry when you see poor little kids starving. “Make sure no one within 10 miles of an ISKCON property goes hungry.” You cry when you see the mindless butchering of innocent living entities. You cry when you see your spiritual children su er, and literally, when the children of your children are abused. Not only children, but everyone. Who has not been or is not being abused? is is the material world – the world where we abuse Kṛṣṇa’s energy. Are we not the abuser also? Only you are teaching us how to become nonabusers.
Your crying is not only out of your compassion but also from joy. You cry when you stand in front of your beloved Lordships. When you hear the glorious results of the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you see the austerities of surrendered disciples. (We hope our little e orts in France bring some tears of joy to your heart, especially last year, the reprinting of your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in French and the extensive repairs to the buildings and property at New Māyāpur. Decades have passed since you were there, and decades of struggle also bringing tears to your heart seeing the situation of your French chapter).
You cry in remembrance of your Guru Mahārāja. You cry when you sing the songs of the previous ācāryas. You cry in separation from your beloved.
Your life is one of crying to the Lord. ere is no end of causes for crying, but your crying is di erent – it is the cry of genuine love. ey say Jesus Christ su ered for our sins, but you su er for all living beings, whoever they are and whatever they are doing. All living entities are sinful if they have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme.
A vision remains etched in my heart. Sitting at your lotus feet in a London airport. Teeming travelers are running here and there with no real idea where they are going. Tears are rolling down from your eyes as you gaze over the scene. Is it because you are leaving behind your loving followers? Or is it because your heart burns upon seeing the pitiful state of the “happy karmīs.” Maybe both.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, if only I could cry, following in your footsteps. If only I felt genuine repentance, with tears in my eyes and heart at my insincerity, my feelings of envy, my attachments to mundane, so-called pleasures, my poor sādhana – let the list stop there, but it is a long one. I should be crying in regret for my past and present nonsense. I am also guilty, Śrīla Prabhupāda, of making you cry. If only it were for the right reason.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us how to cry for Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, this baby is still crying for the milk of name, fame, recognition, adoration – for the ful llment of its whims.
Oh, how much pain it must give you to see so many divisive subjects, by the hand of Kali, entering our midst, threatening to split the movement. e risk: turning us away from what you have given, love for Kṛṣṇa, the yuga-dharma. Everything from guru-tattva to the de nition of abuse, from eating habits to perceived changes in your writings, from preaching methods to gender issues, from modern-day wokeism to how we dress, from this to that. All passing clouds can occupy our consciousness and can leave a trail of disaster in their wake. Oh, how much you taught us to come together and preach – to chant with all our hearts. Is this not the unity in diversity principle? You cry when you see the diversity overwhelming the unity.
Your tears of love have changed the world and continue to do so.
You taught us how to cry for Kṛṣṇa – thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
When, oh when will we cry like you in love of Kṛṣṇa and all that is related to Him. Your tears of love are the unifying factor of this movement. Let us unitedly cry and cry for the right purpose. Let us cry to spread the holy names.
Remembering you and your causeless love, I fall, crying at your lotus feet. Crying for a little spot in the dust at your lotus feet – my only hope.
Janānanda GoswamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I beg to o er you respects in the form of these words of appreciation and praise, along with my obeisances at your blessed lotuslike feet, at which the masters of loving devotion to the Lord sit.
Recently I was fortunate to spend some days at Govardhana together with a group of devotees visiting (mainly from Europe) Kṛṣṇa’s holy dhāma. We were blessed to circumambulate Govardhana Hill, inspired by the tradition of respecting Girirāja – the King of Mountains – exemplied by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī making his daily walks around this rocky emblem of Kṛṣṇa’s love for the vraja-vāsīs. We remembered your wish – as the nal days of your presence with us approached – to make bullock-cart parikramā of Govardhana, and we prayed for your blessings that we might feel your presence as we made our way with kīrtana along the sandy path in the pleasant February sunlight.
And as we proceeded – now south of Jatipur, now through Rādhā-kuṇḍa town – we encountered and passed by numerous people seeking alms. Some passively sat and patiently waited for a coin or two to drop in their tin bowls as pilgrims passed by; others approached with outstretched hands, spreading an upper garment and urging with a strong voice and persistent pace. One has contrary feelings of wishing there were no beggars to embarrass one with one’s own callousness and simultaneously wishing to give generously to them all if one possibly could, remembering Kṛṣṇa’s order to the vraja-vāsīs to distribute food generously after o ering it to Govardhana in the annakūṭa festival.
I also recalled your words, reporting how you had chided some young Indian students at the University of California in Berkeley:
When I was speaking in Berkeley University sometimes in the year 1966, one Indian student stood up, and he said, “Swamiji, what this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will do? We require now technology.” So I replied, “Yes, you are after technology. So you are a beggar. I am not a beggar. I have come here to give something. at is the di erence. I have come here to give some culture, and you have come to imitate the Western civilization by technology. at is the di erence. You’ll remain a beggar, I shall remain a giver. at is the di erence.” (Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.48, Māyāpur, June 14, 1973)
Of course, we can understand that you have given so much more than just “some culture”; you have given the entire expansive and inclusive culture and exacting practice of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Your desire, as you once expressed to Bhūrijana Prabhu and Jagattāriṇī Prabhvī (as Bhūrijana Prabhu shared with us at Govardhana), was nothing less than to enable everyone in the universe to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Such is your spirit of giving.
And yet, the humble nature of your giving is such that it appears as begging. You beg everyone to listen to and accept Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings, following Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Nityānanda Prabhu as they implored everyone they met to accept their priceless gift of kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
My prayer on this day commemorating your appearance is that you grant me the requisite determination and humility to remain a beggar in your service, to grasp some sense of the expansiveness of your giving spirit. I pray to be able to go beyond my own limited comprehension of your mission and, thus, to at least try to reciprocate your gift in such ways that others will receive and accept the same. en I may be blessed to see the Govardhana residents, pilgrims – beggars and all – as Lord Kṛṣṇa’s blessed associates, and I may be able to share the abundance that is embodied in Govardhana – the giver of unlimited joy to Kṛṣṇa and His devotees – with everyone I meet.
Your aspiring, begging servant, Kṛṣṇa Kṣetra Swami
My Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble, prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, to your sel ess mercy and priceless philosophy. All glories to Your Divine Grace on your auspicious 127th Vyāsa-pūjā.
By initiating 5,000 disciples globally, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had already begun the vision for unity in diversity. ese disciples represent a sweeping diversity of nationalities, races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. rough your books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, people of all races and nationalities around the globe have begun to perform devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness as one united family.
ere is an ancient verse from Mahopaniṣad (6 71–75) that states:
ayaṁ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghucetasām udāracaritānāṁ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam
Only men who think small discriminate, saying that one person is a relative and the other is a stranger. But those people who live magnanimously know that the entire world constitutes their family.
e essential implication of the above statement is that considerations such as “he is mine or another’s” occur only in the low-minded. To the intellectual minds, the entire world is one family. Given the number of continents and countries, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you frequently discussed how
this boundless world became arti cially divided and continues to be super cially maintained by a “disunited” United Nations.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your vision of ISKCON was one of the United Nations of the spiritual world. As I write this dedication, the so-called United Nations, or rather the “Disunited” United Nations, has failed to unite the people of the world. I recall you noting that whenever you passed the United Nations organization’s headquarters in New York, you would say, “Another ag.” After a few months, again, “Another ag.” “Oh! Another ag.” Yet, in spite of the many ags, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said that this was a symbol of disunited nations that were constantly “splitting, splitting, splitting.” e present ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the Israel-Palestine crisis, and the many other con icts around the world, are evidence of this disunity, this splitting, and this breach of espoused unity.
e Vedic point of view that you propagated is that everybody on this planet is certainly part of our family – vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam. is is clearly evident in your 14 travels around the globe, during which you nurtured and guided “the world tendency of going toward one state or one human society.” You knew there was a need to instill a kinship that engendered world human brotherhood, wherein the world would be united as one family.
In the preface of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you wrote: “We must know the present need of human society which is no longer bounded by geographical limits to particular countries or communities. It is broader than in the middle ages, and the world’s tendency is toward one state or one human society. e ideals of spiritual communism, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire energy of living beings.” ose who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are broadminded people. ey could accommodate the whole world in their heart, and accept everybody, as part of their family.
In the early 1960s there was a war between India and China. However, India, being friendly and broadminded, encouraged its school children to chant this slogan – “Hindi Chini bhāi bhāi.” I was from a village, so what I understood was Hindi is a language and chini is sugar. I was left wondering how language and sugar could possibly be brothers. When I was older, I realized that the people of Hindustan (India) are called Hindi, and Chinese people are called Chini. It dawned on me that this slogan, hindi-chini bhāi bhāi was a call for a brotherhood alliance between the Hindustanis and the Chinese. Without a common father, children cannot be brothers. I further wondered about the common father, which you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, clari ed for me. In your Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, I nally learned the underlying truth and fully understood the meaning of hindi-chini bhāi bhāi. I nally comprehended how the people of India and China are all brothers. It is because Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (14.4): ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: “I am the seed-giving father.” Kṛṣṇa is the seed-giving father, not the government heads around the world. e Supreme Personality of Godhead is the common and Supreme Father of humanity and all creatures who inhabit this world. You advocated that we are one world, one family having one father.
e concept of vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam, which you instilled as one of the foundational principles of our movement, has seen the devotees of war-torn countries helping and supporting one another. ese two nations are quarreling and killing each other daily, exchanging bullets and missiles, yet ISKCON devotees are exchanging gifts and obeisances and exhibiting a “Ukraine Russian Bhāi Bhāi” ethos in spite of the raging war. is, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is the result of your philosophy of the interconnectedness of mankind through true knowledge.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have made us to understand that Kṛṣṇa is our common father and head of the family.
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
e humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] (Bg. 5 18)
e true meaning of equal vision extends to all living entities, which reminds me of a song written by St. Francis of Assisi, who refers to Brother Sun, Sister Moon and the stars, Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water, Brother Fire and Mother Earth, whom he says, “sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with colored owers and herbs.”
In your 1974 lecture, you said the following about St. Francis; “ is is real God consciousness, yes, not that ‘I am God conscious, and I kill the animals.’ at is not God conscious. To accept the trees, plants, lower animals, insigni cant ants even, as brothers … Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. is is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā Samaḥ means equal to all living entities, to see the spirit soul, anyone … It doesn’t matter whether he is man or cat or dog or tree or ant or insect or big man. ey are all parts and parcel of God. ey are simply dressed di erently.”
e Ām Ādmī Party is a political party is India that supposedly cares and ghts for the common man, the ādmī. ere are many political parties like this one worldwide who care only for humans, who vote for them. Sadly, they continue with their atrocities toward other living entities. ey encourage slaughterhouses and consuming meat, which unforgivingly, includes the cow. ey strip the forests, which has led to serious environmental concerns for all those living on this planet. But Śrīla Prabhupāda, your International Society for Krishna Consciousness is the Ām Ātmā Party. It is a party that cares and is concerned for the welfare of all living entities.
ekaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putra-gītam eko devo devakī-putra eva eko mantras tasya nāmāni yāni karmāpy ekaṁ tasya devasya sevā
And that one world, one family has one common scripture – ekaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putragītam – Bhagavad-gītā; we worship one God, eko devo devakī-putra eva – the son of Devakī, Kṛṣṇa; chant one mantra – eko mantras tasya nāmāni yāni – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Universally we all have the one and only occupation – karmāpy ekaṁ tasya devasya sevā – and that is devotional service unto the Supreme worshipable Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
(Bhagavad-gītā-māhātmya 7)
e original world was one village, Bhārata, but marauding invaders came and burnt universities and libraries and tried to annihilate the ancient Vedic culture. Nālanda was an acclaimed fthcentury university in the ancient kingdom of Bihar. e knowledge at this university was so colossal that out of jealousy, in 1200 CE, Sultan Khilji set re to the university’s entire library, burning millions of books. It took more than three months to burn down this priceless house of knowledge. en the British came to India with Governor-General Macaulay, who “wanted to break the very backbone of this nation, which is her heritage and culture.” He minimized the study of Sanskrit and made English the medium of instruction for higher education in India, and shut down all colleges where only Eastern philosophy and subjects were taught. is is how they splintered and shrank the original Bhārata.
Ś
rīla Prabhupāda, when you were asked why you had come to England, you replied, “Your country, England, ruled over India for many generations, and in the span of that time, you took
so much of our wealth to London, but you forgot to take our greatest wealth, our spiritual culture. I have come to give you freely what you forgot to take from us.”
Because of your mercy, even after the burning and the shrinking by the invaders, all members and followers of your Kṛṣṇa conscious movement are united worldwide.
Your Divine Grace made home delivery of Vedic knowledge worldwide. Today all your followers are equipped with the swords of knowledge, your books, uniting the world once again. From the “disunited nations in New York” to the “united spiritual nations in Māyāpur” you have revived that trend and spirit again. e whole world is reading your books and about Vedic culture, and that is a cultural conquest. is worldwide knowledge is available at the Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana Institutes for Higher Education, which have now become sought-after institutions. Apart from designated educational institutions globally, every ISKCON mandir is a vidyā-mandir, where the study of Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā is regularly undertaken. e Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture o ers certi cated courses like Bhakti- śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta, and Bhakti- sārvabhauma. e curriculum is guided by your books and is studied with much enthusiasm globally. is access to knowledge and higher thinking is all we need to inspire this brotherhood, fraternity, and the spirit of cooperation of all nations across the globe.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you built a house in which the whole world can live, a sacred shelter that accommodates all, irrespective of race, language, or nationality. You have advised, “ e material advancement of the Western countries and the spiritual assets of India should combine for the elevation of all human society.”
Your eternal, grateful servant, Lokanātha Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my obeisances. All glories to you!
First of all, I am so grateful for this opportunity to glorify you! One of my greatest pleasures is to glorify you and to hear others glorify you.
Among your innumerable transcendental qualities is your ability to maintain a positive attitude and enthusiasm in spite of what, to most people, would be debilitating disappointments. Here are just a few of them (among dozens):
• In the early years, hardly anyone you encountered in India was interested in your message.
• Your wife and children also weren’t interested; your wife even traded your Bhāgavatam for tea biscuits.
• e Indian government made it di cult for you to get the No Objection Certi cate to leave the country.
• After arriving in America, your pleas for help from your godbrothers went unheeded. A brahmacārī disciple of one of your godbrothers intensely desired to join you, but his guru wouldn’t allow him.
• In the winter of ’65–’66, someone stole your Gītā manuscript and your tape recorder and recorded tapes.
• You awarded sannyāsa to some disciples, but several fell down.
• You got disciples married, but many couldn’t keep their vows or stick with one spouse.
• Sometimes, your trusted but naïve lieutenants squandered money on dodgy business deals; sometimes they embezzled money.
• Some of your closest disciples left Kṛṣṇa consciousness altogether, and some of them even criticized you. I heard that one of them was even so bold as to ask you to surrender to his new guru.
• Mr. Nair tried to swindle you out of the Juhu land.
Yet you always kept going, undaunted by such reversals, like the sparrow who vowed to drink the ocean (mentioned in your purport to Bg. 6.24)! You were, as your dear disciple Jayādvaita Swami once noted, intrepid – which means resolutely fearless and bold. Yes! at’s you, exactly! Nothing stopped or swayed you, like the “lamp in a windless place” (Bg. 6.19).
is is important for us to see, as life for us in this world is replete with disappointment. It must be, of course, because everything here is temporary. Your sterling example inspires us to also keep going in spite of repeatedly devastating setbacks.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for this and innumerable other transcendental examples and instructions, illustrating your total dependence on Kṛṣṇa and your resolve to ful ll the order of your spiritual master. Without this, we would be lost once again in this dangerous, cold, and unforgiving world.
All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda! May I continue to strive to unconditionally serve your lotus feet forever.
Your aspiring servant, Mahādyuti Swami
My Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda. You are the savior of the whole world by spreading sanātana-dharma and the holy name of Supreme Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, all over the world.
Today is your divine appearance day, and yesterday was the appearance day of the Supreme
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who appeared to relieve saintly people and do away with miscreants. But in this age of Kali-yuga, the Lord appeared in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to save everyone irrespective of caste, color, and creed and bestow upon them the love of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which is the ultimate purpose of this human form of life. Your appearance is to ful ll the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu – to take the holy name of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to every town and village of the world. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I sometimes feel like
yadi prabhupāda nā haito, tabe ki haito kemone dharitām de gaura rādhā-kṛṣṇa mahimā, premarasa-sīmā jagate jānāto ke
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you took so much trouble in your lifetime in this world, which no one can repay. e whole world is indebted to you for this eternal highest welfare work that shall remain for ten thousand years to come.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you preserved Vedic knowledge and made it accessible to a fresh new global audience. You demonstrated by your own example. You also established the sacred arcā-vigraha of the Supreme Lord, restoring brahminical practices and aiding in free cow protection.
On this day of your appearance, we pray at your lotus feet for blessing and that you empower us to carry on your mission “as it is.” Without your mercy, I am unquali ed to do anything. Your mercy is the one and only hope for me.
I pledge this day of your divine appearance that by your mercy, I will try my best to become more serious and work more enthusiastically for the ful llment of the goal of this human form of life. A divine way is shown by you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Your humble servant, Nava Yogendra Swami ISKCON
(Udhampur, J&K)Parama Pūjya, Param Gurudeva Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on your auspicious Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā, today.
Param Gurudeva! It is said in Śrī Padma Purāṇa, Śrī Bhāgavata-māhātmyam 2 76:
bhāgyodayena bahujanma samarjitena, satsaṅgamam ca labhate puruṣo yada vai ajñāna hetu kṛta moha-madandhakāra nāsaṁ, vidhaya hi tadoyate vivekaḥ
e accumulated end result of pious activities for many life times that one will come in contact or association of a Vaiṣṇava, satsaṅga, and as a result he will be freed from the reaction of activities committed because of ignorance and false ego, and he will get the wisdom to think of purpose of human form of life.
is is practically experienced in my case. When I rst came in contact with ISKCON devotees on July 4, 1986, in Washington D.C., USA, the devotees blessed me with śrī-kṛṣṇa-prasāda and advised me (as I was supposed to depart that night for New York) to go to the Brooklyn temple, New York, for the Sunday love feast program. At that time, I did not know anything about ISKCON, but somehow I accepted their advice and went to ISKCON Brooklyn on Sunday, July 6, 1986, and attended the Sunday program, which was wonderful. Now I feel that is how I was blessed by those wonderful devotees in Washington so that later, I got the frequent and regular association of devotees in Gaborone, Botswana since 1991. e little association with the devotees changed my way of life gradually. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1 18 13 it is said:
tulayāma lavenāpi na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya martyānāṁ kim utāśiṣaḥ
e value of a moment’s association with the devotees of the Lord cannot even be compared to attainment of heavenly planets or liberation from matter, and what to speak of worldly benedictions in the form of material prosperity, which is for those who are meant for death.
Param Gurudeva! You have given us temples to learn devotional service in theory and practice; association of devotees; spiritual masters; chanting of the holy names of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; kīrtana to glorify the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; prasāda, the mercy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; and services to the Supreme Lord. As you said many times in your purports, those engaged in these devotional activities are transcendentally situated. You have given us all the transcendental knowledge in your purports, which will help us to advance in spiritual life. Understanding the Absolute Truth is not easy, but by reading your purports, engaging in devotional services, and hearing ŚrīmadBhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā from Vaiṣṇavas, one can understand to some extent about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
You have given us the transcendental treasury of bhakti. Bhakti is the best and easiest process in comparison to other processes, like karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-yoga, and aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Lord Brahmā, while o ering prayers to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, says that bhakti is the best process for the realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10 14 4). It is said in the Padma Purāṇa, Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 3.73:
sakala bhuvana madhye nirdhanāstepi dhanya, nivasti hṛdi yeśam śrī harerbhaktir eka harirapi nijalokam sarvathato vihaya, praviśati hṛdi teṣām bhakti sutropanaddaḥ
Even if one is poverty stricken, but if he has bhakti, loving devotional service in his heart, he is the richest person in the whole universe, because even though Supreme Lord Śrī Hari resides in His eternal Abode, Vaikuṇṭha, He comes down to resides in the heart of the devotee who follows the regulative principles of devotional service, bhakti.
Lord Kapila says:
jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā (SB 3 25 33)
Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the living entity without separate e ort, just as re in the stomach digests all that we eat.
Śrīla Prabhupāda! In the purport you said that “for a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. Liberation takes place without separate endeavor. Bhakti, therefore is far better than mukti or the impersonalist position.” As we keep reading your purports, we get more understanding of your instructions and the glories of bhakti-yoga. As the Lord is ananta, in nite, the transcendental knowledge given to us in your purports is also ananta.
You have given us so much that we are eternally indebted to Your Divine Grace. To please Your Divine Grace, we all have to serve ISKCON, your body, with love and in cooperation with all.
Prostrating at your lotus feet, I humbly pray for your blessings so that I can continue to serve your mission.
Your servant of servant,
Rāma Govinda Swami Botswana/South Africaoṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī guruṁ dina-tāraṇam
My dear and most respected spiritual master and eternal father, Please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances in the dust of your most merciful lotus feet! All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Years are passing quickly. Many of your stalwart leaders have already joined you, entering into some form of eternal service unto your lotus feet. In the coming decade, many additional senior disciples and followers will also be joining you – somewhere, also assisting you as your eternal servants. at day is coming for all of us, sooner or later. “Simply a change of service, that’s all” –as Kadamba Kānana Swami remarked.
While re ecting on your gifts given so liberally to this dark world in creating and expanding ISKCON, what was the source of your strength? Un inching faith in guru, Nāma Prabhu, and Śrīmad-Bhagāvatam are three sources of your indomitable spiritual strength that I would like to glorify here.
Whenever you spoke of your Guru Mahārāja, one could easily and palpably feel the strength of your rm dedication to him – displayed abundantly in your life’s work. While fearlessly following his instruction to you to carry the teachings of Mahāprabhu to the English-speaking parts of the world, what was your essential message? From the very beginning, “I have simply come to remind you of that which you have forgotten.” is message was repeated again and again. And yet again.
Your power to awaken conditioned souls to what they have forgotten continues; I experience it nearly every day in worldly individuals of all descriptions who contact your books long after your physical departure!
e disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. is is called the association of vāṇī (words). Physical presence is called vapuḥ. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.
(
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4 28 47, purport)
From my early college days, I became acquainted with your Guru Mahārāja, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, through an article printed in an early Back to Godhead magazine, which was my rst Kṛṣṇa conscious literature. at article elevated me to an experience of consciousness I had never known before in my life. By divine arrangement, events occurred whereby my a nity for him substantially grew over the passage of time. However, when I read a letter you had written to Pradyumna Prabhu on October 17, 1967, I became particularly motivated to deeply study Brahma-saṁhitā and teach its message to others.
Brahma Samhita is the gist of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad gita as well as in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krishna is accepted as Supreme Lord & everything about him is nicely described there, similarly in the Brahma-Samhita everything about Krishna is perfectly described. In the very beginning of the book, Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Lord existing eternally in his transcendental form and is the cause of all causes. One who reads Brahma Samhita very carefully & scrutinizingly can understand everything of Krishna without any fault. I recommend, therefore that all my students read Brahma Samhita very carefully–especially because it was translated personally by my spiritual master Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja.
In the course of acting upon your instruction to “read Brahma-saṁhitā very carefully,” and after painstakingly teaching it several times, a strong urge has arisen in my heart to provide a rendering of this awesome book in easily approachable language for today’s reader. Please empower me to carry out this desire with a proper mood, simply as a tiny assistant within your and Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s greater mission.
Once, in your presence, Akiñcana Kṛṣṇa D āsa Bābājī asked Bon Mahārāja, “You went to the West, and Swami Mahārāja went to the West. You were both vastly learned scholars, gifted writers, and eloquent speakers. You presented the teaching of Lord Caitanya, and he presented the teachings of Lord Caitanya. You did the same things that he did, but he was successful and you could not do anything. What is the reason?” And then Bābājī Mahārāja himself gave the answer: “Because he had full faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.”
In your own words, Śrīla Prabhupāda: “I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I have been designated as Bhaktivedānta, and now, if You like, You can ful ll the real purport of Bhaktivedānta.”
Please grant this one benediction: may I, too, come to the stage of chanting the holy name with full attention and absorption, lled with faith in Nāma Prabhu!
In 1961, when provided with your very rst opportunity to present the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu beyond India to Tokyo, you chose the very theme of Śrīmad-Bhagāvatam itself as your message: “Light of the Bhāgavata.”
Today, Śrīmad-Bhagāvatam has spread widely and in many languages, and is continuing to proliferate worldwide – resting upon your strong faith in its spiritually uplifting value, simply by souls giving submissive oral reception to its message.
Although I am very tiny, I am dedicated to continuing to assist you in this upliftment mission
to my capacity, as I have been doing for decades. As you well know, my life is eternally dedicated to your service in a feeble yet sincere attempt to assist you in your ongoing mission. By serving you, may these three sources of your spiritual strength be transmitted also to me, at least to some degree, so that I may become a better instrument for you to utilize.
Please accept me as your eternal servant. Your humble servant, Romapāda Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. How can I ever express my gratitude to you with my limited words or deeds? You have given me shelter without fear – even though I am still surrounded by kuṇṭha-loka, the world of anxieties. Meeting you was the most important event in my material existence in all the millions of lifetimes I have spent here. In the Bhāgavatam, Pṛthu Mahārāja expresses his gratitude to the four Kumāras for coming into his life when they visited him in his palace. He says:
How can such persons, who have rendered unlimited service by explaining the path of self-realization in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and whose explanations are given for our enlightenment with complete conviction and Vedic evidence, be repaid except by folded palms containing water for their satisfaction? Such great personalities can be satis ed only by their own activities, which are distributed amongst human society out of their unlimited mercy. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.47)
Before that, Pṛthu Mahārāja had actually met Lord Viṣṇu at the completion of his yajña. At that time, Viṣṇu showed him His causeless mercy by indicating that the king would meet the Kumāras in the future.
One might ask, why was it at all necessary for Pṛthu Mahārāja to meet the Kumāras after he had already seen the Lord face to face? Your beloved disciple His Holiness Gaura Govinda Mahārāja explained once how the Lord has given the power to distribute the nectar of Kṛṣṇa consciousness into the hands of His devotee:
If you go to Kṛṣṇa and say, “Oh, You are an ocean of mercy, please give me a drop.” Kṛṣṇa will say, “You are such a fool, rascal. at ocean is not with Me now. My dear devotee has taken that ocean and has gone there to distribute … he is now distributing My mercy.”
But alas, there is an illness in me. It requires treatment, and for that, I am turning today sincerely to you, as only you have the medicine. Being a conditioned soul stuck in a material body and mind, there are inclinations in me that make me lean toward the material side of life – anxieties, limited willpower, illusions, etc. ese material pulls are still present.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura once remarked that the living entity is somewhere between Prahlāda and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Sometimes we show our attraction for devotional service, and then the next moment, we are covered by forgetfulness.
Not so long ago, a dear devotee and friend, His Holiness Kadamba Kānana Mahārāja, left his body in Vṛndāvana. His last word that he managed to force out of his exhausted lips was “Mission.” As I thought about this, I leafed through one of his books and found this hope-giving cure against the illness of material existence: “It is by the desire to serve the Lord that we can control the desire to enjoy the world.” (Letter from Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, December 22, 1927)
Somehow you have instilled in me a desire to serve your mission, and in this way, serve the Lord. By this gift, you have already given me the medicine to give up material life once and for all. When one takes a strong medicine, it might not take e ect the very same day, but surely it will work in one or two days. Actually, I feel it’s working already. And I am con dent that with your continued shower of mercy as well as my uninterrupted service to your mission, the disease will be driven out for good. Please never give up on me.
ank you for all the gifts that I can already see and also for the gifts I am yet to discover. Forever begging for your continued mercy upon me.
Your humble servant,
īnandana SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you. We will be telling it again and again … how our glorious spiritual master came from India to America at age 70, with no nancial or institutional support, in weak health, and how you struggled alone for most of the year with little response. Finally, in the spring of 1966, with the help of a few casual young friends, you opened a storefront at 26 2nd Avenue, NYC. You lectured on Bhagavad-gītā there and gained your rst serious followers. ey were very attracted to your leading them in the melodious chanting of the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. e singing of this “transcendental sound vibration” brought the boys to expanded consciousness, which they compared to their LSD trips and found that the LSD experience did not come up to the bliss and purity of the mantra.
You had come to the USA with 200 copies of the three volumes of the First Canto, which you had completed in India. You proposed to translate and write purports to the entire Bhāgavatam, “a herculean task.” And you were trying to do it singlehandedly, typing on a small manual typewriter, etc. It was an incredible task, not possible for a single man. But Śrīla Prabhupāda, you didn’t like being addressed as “a man”; you referred to Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s prayer, where you describe
the spiritual master as a direct representative of Lord Hari. Despite your translating work, you continued traveling, opening new centers, and initiating new disciples. You engaged your disciples in helping you produce and print your writing. Time passed, and by your encouraging them, your disciples learned by themselves how to distribute your books. ey started by distributing your Back to Godhead magazines and grew to distribute your early cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the oversized, illustrated KṚṢṆA books, etc. You devised a formula by which the pro t of 50 percent of your book sales would be reinvested in printing more books, and the other 50 percent would be spent in building grand temples in India, especially in Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana, and Mumbai.
Your disciples have written many memoirs of their deep reciprocal loving relationship with you. is includes the BBT’s authorized biography Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta in seven volumes. is year work is underway on producing an audiobook of all its volumes. Although di culties arise in managing and keeping the purity of your movement, the majority of your followers, both those in o cial leadership and those who exist as a largely grass-roots movement, are determined to keep ISKCON on the right path.
All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your eternal servant, Satsvarūpa D āsa Goswami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Guru Mahārāja, who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa and is very dear to the Lord on this earth.
Guru Mahārāja is the pioneer of spreading this bhakti movement in pāścātya (Western) countries and uplifting millions of degraded souls. He also showed his causeless mercy to me and uplifted me to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
My life was completely changed by a stroke of luck that occurred in my early days, when I rst connected with ISKCON and began to o er my service. I once prepared the well-known Indian foods pakorā and halavā as part of my cooking service. When it is served to Śrīla Prabhupāda after being o ered to Kṛṣṇa, Prabhupāda instantly begins praising the food and requests to speak with the person who prepared it. Right away, His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami rushed up to me and asked, “Who cooked the prasāda today? Prabhupāda is very eager to meet you!” I initially didn’t take it seriously, but when Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja urged me to meet right away, I realized that Śrīla Prabhupāda was actually the one who wanted to meet me. I went promptly to meet Śrīla Prabhupāda. He admired me and bestowed spiritual benediction, pleasure, and auspiciousness upon me so that I could devote my life to serving Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (Cc., Madhya 19.151)
As a result, by the grace of Guru Mahārāja, I received the bhakti seed of devotion. at is the day, and as of today, around ve decades have passed. I am only able to serve my spiritual master Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions and propagate the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu throughout the world because of his compassion.
It is just because of you, Prabhupāda, that I am still in a position to deliver your transcendental message to the souls who have forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa.
It is just because of your books and your message in numerous forms that we are continuously inspired and able to serve your mission. It is a great fortune for all of us as well as for the entire creation that they have received this transcendental message through your divine literature and discovered this divine path, and by following your footsteps, certainly, all will achieve the ultimate destination of the human form of life.
Your Servant,
Siddhārtha Swami Temple President, ISKCON Raipur, C.G., IndiaDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, and all glories to your divine appearance day.
Some thirty years ago I wrote a Vyāsa-pūjā o ering about a granny in Hungary who, by the in uence of your movement, became a devotee. at story highlighted the transformation you have brought about in the lives of countless people who may live in even the most far- ung parts of the world. Many devotees contacted me about that old lady, and even today, I am occasionally asked about her and how she is.
She has moved on! But her history is not a one-o ; it is one of many.
Since that time, I have seen your movement continue to transform the young and the old. And while every person’s story is unique, they all have one thing in common: you are their savior. is year I would like to narrate another example of how Kṛṣṇa consciousness is saving people day by day and how every story of salvation increases your already endless glories. I will tell the history of Jananī Devī D āsī. However, I emphasize that her nal words are the essence of my narration, the essence of her life, the essence of the marvel of your in uence.
Sometime back in 1991, our book distributors entered a modest ice cream shop in a very remote part of Hungary. e shop owner, Irene, was in her thirties, a mother of three girls, and her husband was a simple Christian who worked in the hospitality sector. Irene purchased whatever Bhāgavatams we had in print, and thereafter, year after year, she purchased every new book that came out, reading them very carefully. In this way, Irene became a devotee.
She chanted sixteen rounds a day, was a vegetarian, made her little girls vegetarians, and raised
ivarāma Swami
them as devotees by telling them stories from Kṛṣṇa book. After some years, the book distributors no longer visited, but Irene continued on with her Kṛṣṇa conscious life, even though she never saw devotees or visited a temple.
Meanwhile, all was not well at home. Irene’s husband was against Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the changes it was bringing into his house. He tried to burn Irene’s Gītā and forbade her practices. But Irene would not stop her Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nor would she stop teaching it to her children. Needless to say, the di erences between the parents became a source of ongoing tension in the household.
Yet Irene remained her serene, sweet, soft-spoken self. A lone devotee in her home, in her greater family, and in her village, she never faltered, but continued year after year, decade after decade, following what she read in your books. Her girls grew up, nished their education, and married, having children of their own.
e middle daughter was named Bea, and she was an economist who worked at a bank as a nancial advisor. As Kṛṣṇa would have it, being a devotee, she used to visit the temple, and in conversing with some ladies, she became inspired to work for the Budapest temple, organizing festival programs. We all knew that Bea was a devotee, but it took some time before we came to know that almost all of her family were devotees, including her mother.
When I heard the story of her elderly, Kṛṣṇa conscious mother, I asked if Irene could come to the temple. How was someone chanting sixteen rounds and following the principles for thirty years not initiated? I rst met Irene in 2017, and we talked at length. She was such a sweet person, such a sweet devotee. We agreed that, in time, she would formalize her relationship with Kṛṣṇa through initiation.
In the spring of 2019, Irene was taken to hospital for what was meant to be a minor colon operation, only to be told that she had stage-four cancer spread throughout her body. e doctors were amazed that she did not complain of any pain, and they gave her only a few months to live. Irene took the news gracefully, peacefully, indeed so much so that the doctors sent her to a psychologist. But there was nothing wrong with Irene; she understood the temporary nature of the body, and she didn’t complain about her fate. She had full faith that everything was as it was supposed to be.
Events moved quickly and predictably. With great di culty, Irene came to see me in August, and we again spoke of initiation, which then took place the next month during the Rādhāṣṭamī festival. Irene received the name Jananī Devī D āsī. She was a real mother. Jananī’s illness swiftly took its toll, and she was no longer able to travel the distance from home to the temple or to Kṛṣṇa Valley.
en came COVID, a period of two years I spent almost exclusively in Kṛṣṇa Valley. It wasn’t a time of travel. And from that time, March 2021, Jananī’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
In May, I began to call Jananī regularly to help prepare her for the nal lesson, her departure from this world. I would speak to her or read to her while her girls took turns nursing her. Bea was with her 24/7, and in that time, she witnessed Jananī’s nonstop, intense Kṛṣṇa consciousness, during which she was either listening to Your Divine Grace or hearing Caitanya-caritāmṛta
Almost up until her passing, Jananī always chanted sixteen rounds and read your books. en the evening before her passing, I called and read Narottama D āsa Ṭhākura’s prayer:
My dear Lord! Please hear me. e day that I give up my body absorbed in thoughts of You, please give me shelter at Your lotus feet. (Prārthanā, song 57)
I encouraged her to pray to Kṛṣṇa so that she may always think of Him, that He kindly take her back to Godhead to be either a gopa or gopī All night your bhajana played as Jananī slept, and in the morning, Bea asked her if she remembered the prayer we had spoken about. She nodded in
a rmation. Bea and her sister Rita bathed and dressed Jananī, and at 9:46 A.M., while the two girls were chanting beside her, Jananī Devī D āsī left this world. It was the 9th of June, 2021
As I said at the beginning, this story is an introduction to its conclusion, which is a summary of Jananī’s words, as related by Bea at the ashes immersion ceremony in Kṛṣṇa Valley. Jananī had said,
From the rst day that I began to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, I accepted everything that he said as truth and followed everything that he instructed. roughout my life, I never doubted Śrīla Prabhupāda for a moment, for I knew that in him and in his teachings, I had found what I was searching for all my life. I do not lament my imminent death, for I know everything is as it should be, and Kṛṣṇa will always be with me. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
rīla Prabhupāda, I was and continue to be amazed at how this meek housewife had such un inching faith in your teachings and how, just by reading your books, she attained such an elevated state of devotion without any devotee association.
Ś
I do not know how many other people in remote parts of the world, unknown to nearby temples or devotees, have been transformed in the same way. It is the wonder of your books and of your teachings. However, I do know that you continue to live and guide sincere souls who, like Jananī, are looking for the truth and want to live by it. ank you for being so wonderful.
Oh yes! One nal thing.
At the conclusion of the ashes ceremony, after having been with his wife all through her illness, after hearing her words of devotion, and after hearing the remembrances at the ceremony, Jananī’s husband approached me with tears in his eyes and extended his hand. As we shook hands, he said in a choked voice, “ ank you! ank you for all that you did for Jananī.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I didn’t do anything. We just distributed your books.
And another thing!
Ironically, Rita, the other daughter, also married a husband who was against Kṛṣṇa consciousness and her devotional practices. While Jananī could still speak, the last instruction that she gave Rita was that she should make her whole family Kṛṣṇa conscious. And she did! Her husband has been chanting sixteen rounds for the past year.
And we didn’t do anything other than distribute your books.
Your servant,
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances prostrated at your divine lotus feet. As we spend more years in ISKCON, year after year, following your instructions of waking up for maṅgalaārati, chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, reading your books, associating with your disciples, distributing your books, celebrating Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā and other
festivals, and doing some service in ISKCON, I begin to realize how little we know about your greatness and what a matchless transcendental feat you have performed. By introducing gaurakathā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with Lord-inspired commentaries of yours to save the world, and the kṛṣṇa-prasāda, you have shown us how anyone, irrespective of any background and his past leanings can envision and experience transcendence.
You have united the world on the real platform of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, as our common father, and all of us, not just human beings but all living entities, are part of one family. You have convinced us scienti cally and have led us practically. Materialistic leaders, out of their vested interests for money, power, or prestige, are spoiling their precious lives and ruining the lives of others wholesale. e saṅkīrtana movement of yours is such a powerful medium, and as we spread it around, it forces others to listen and attain this good fortune. For sure, any iota of participation also opens the door for one’s eternal bene t and pro t. is year, as we took part in ILS 2023, your disciples, we saw them, how loyal they are to Your Divine Grace, and that they are willing to do anything to keep ISKCON together, which was your ultimate instruction. is instruction of yours is so true that without implementing it, the world will simply drown in the ocean of ignorance and chaos. Your words and writings are so convincing and perfect that one is compelled helplessly to attempt devotional service because the process is so practical and so simple. e idea of ILS is great. It showed the real international avor. Everyone, unmindful of nationalities, ethnicities, castes, and other high and low considerations, came together to pool ideas to fast-track your mission. e devotional eye has shown how we are all really one family, with Kṛṣṇa in the center. It has shown us how we can help each other to improve ourselves and improve others.
Human life with Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the greatest fortune and greatest opportunity ever given to a soul in this material world. ere cannot be wealth greater than Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, let me not lose this understanding, let me not become careless, let me come out of my bodily conditioning and begin genuine service to you and Kṛṣṇa. I know it is a long, long way, but the guarantee is there, and one day I will make, it provided I do not leave your mission. ank you, time and again.
Aspiring servant of your servants,
Śukadeva SwamiDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
In my early years of monastic life, people would often suggest I leave the āśrama and get a “proper job.” Sometimes it came from the skeptical and cynical, and other times from well-meaning and kind friends. I guess that’s what “normal” people in this world do. For me, however, that path
never resonated – to work, earn, save, spend, maintain … and then ultimately lose everything anyway. Of course, there are exemplary spiritualists who use it all for a higher purpose and make an incredible contribution to the world. I had (and continue to have) great respect for them, but personally was looking for something di erent.
Ba ed and confused, I often wondered about the future … what possible alternative could there be? After all, you have to do something in life. ankfully, Your Divine Grace miraculously entered my insigni cant existence and ipped it all upside-down. You lent us a di erent vision, an alternative approach, an engagement to keep us busy and absorbed, morning to night. You gifted us a life of devotional service, the opportunity to engage in sel ess sacri ces for the betterment of the world. You showed us how to utilize our abilities and propensities for a higher purpose than just sel sh gain. You taught the world that awakening spiritual love can and should be a full-time a air. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you write:
Once we had the opportunity to meet Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and on rst sight, he requested this humble self to preach his message in the Western countries. ere was no preparation for this, but somehow or other he desired it, and by his grace, we are now engaged in executing his order, which has given us a transcendental occupation and has saved and liberated us from the occupation of material activities. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3 22 5, purport)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you’re my boss, the business of Caitanyadeva has become my occupation, and the salary is the gradual awakening of divine love. My colleagues are the saintly, overtime is a pleasure, holidays are unnecessary, and the retirement plan is out of this world. May I be more determined and driven than the people out there chasing a million bucks. May I be ready to make more sacri ces than the city sharks who’ll “go to hell and back” to conquer the corporate ladder. May I joyfully embrace more risks than those willing to jeopardize everything to realize their greedy ambitions. e words of Śrutidharma Prabhu ring in my heart: “When the alarm clock goes o , get up, dress up, and show up – this is the most important work in the world.”
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura called his triple-sta ed sannyāsīs the “living mṛdaṅgas” of Śrī Caitanya. He reminded them that their daṇḍas should perpetually give forth “music at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru.” He revealed the inner aspiration to become a prema-bhikṣu, a beggar of love. Unquali ed and unworthy as I am, by your divine grace and the unlimited mercy of your followers, I’ve been employed in the transcendental occupation. May I honor the opportunity with body, mind, and words, holding back nothing and rising to any challenge. ank you for allowing us to be alive and active in the greatest movement on earth.
Your small servant,
S. B. Keśava Swaminama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
I o er my respectful obeisances to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. My respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, About ve hundred years ago, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the place of the avatāra for the Age of Kali. Lord Caitanya had two purposes for coming: to experience rst-hand the bliss of serving Kṛṣṇa and to spread pure love for Kṛṣṇa, which is very rare. Writing about Lord Caitanya’s plan for making His mercy widely available, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says, “śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-dayā karaha vicāra/ vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra: If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If you do so, you will nd it to be strikingly wonderful” (Cc., Ādi 8 15).
Almost sixty years ago, you came, on the order of your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, to the United States to continue that mission. In the poems you wrote aboard the Jaladuta, you asserted that your quali cation for doing so was the mercy of the Lord and of your spiritual master. And in 1968, you sent your beloved disciple Gaurasundara D āsa here to Hawaii to do the same. is is an expression of your dedication to your spiritual master’s order and an expression of your mercy. And somehow, through your mercy, you picked me up, accepted me as one of your own, and made me a member of your mission. is, despite my obvious lack of quali cation for participating in this spiritual revolution begun by Lord Caitanya and expanded by you. Ignoring that lack, you took a chance and accepted me anyway, writing that I would be glad to know that you had gladly accepted me. But there was even more mercy waiting for me. When I moved into the Honolulu temple in March of 1970, I was soon given the responsibility of caring for the rst tulasī plants to be grown in the West, and when you accepted me for initiation, you expressed your appreciation for that service, writing that if I follow your instructions, I would make rapid advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī’s mercy.
Over the last 53 years or more, I have found my faith tested and strengthened only by your mercy. Now I nd myself in what I have to admit are probably the last few years of this life. And, again, by your mercy only, the only things I have left are the association of devotees and opportunities to serve them. My service here in Hawaii and my travels elsewhere have shown me how your movement is thriving in so many places. I also have seen how so many sincere devotees’ spiritual lives are ourishing because of the character, instructions, and mercy of your disciples, which is a further extension of your mercy. And every day I do my level best to follow your instructions and share whatever mercy I have received from you with as many souls as I can.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, it’s getting to the point where I can see nothing but your mercy everywhere. So not only am I made entirely of your mercy, but the entire world seems to be constituted
of your mercy. Every day I have to acknowledge that, although I don’t have the capacity to fully understand this, it’s impossible to deny. It seems appropriate, then, on occasions such as this, to adapt Kṛṣṇadāsa’s verse: śrīla-prabhupāda-dayā karaha vicāra/ vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra. Whoever applies logic and reason to your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, must nd it strikingly wonderful.
Your grateful servant,
Swami Bhakti Abhaya ĀśramaDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s vraja-līlā, forever enacted within the heart of His pure devotee, is revealed by the ācārya through his pastimes and precepts. Access to Vṛndāvana is granted to jīvas as they advance their guru-bhakti by serving his vapu while he is present and his vāṇī thereafter. roughout this transition, Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā has revealed your appearance in more tangible dimensions and deeper realms of consciousness with each passing year. Our service to your instructions, vision, and legacy has thereby uncovered a cyclical path to worlds within.
Once, you were questioned about your desire to build new temples when so many already existing ones lay neglected, abandoned, and in disrepair. Your response is illuminating. Just as parents desire to have their own o spring even while so many children are in need of adoption, we too long to have our own temples. And truly, we have experienced so vividly that the temples you have established bear the image of your heart and the mood of your presence.
Initially, our neophyte consciousness viewed your directives to develop New Vrindaban primarily as a practical and terrestrial initiative intended to enrich your teachings. Over time, by delving more fully into your instructions, we have come to understand it as a rich, multifaceted internal mission that o ers an invitation to deepen communion with you. Along this path, you bless us with the realization that all the holy places and divine pastimes already exist in the core of your heart. e extraordinary grace accompanying your instructions empowers your servants to translate the spiritual into the visual, to create earthly expressions of celestial archetypes, bringing forth the sublime theology and subtle cosmology of your vision into earthly manifestation.
Now, at last, for your Vyāsa-pūjā celebration this year, we are pleased to o er the rst of the seven temples as you speci cally disclosed in your primary mandates for New Vrindaban, initially expressed in 1968. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha Mandir, on the sacred banks of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, at the foot of Govardhana Hill, integrates all the elements you mentioned for the development of this community.
Your 1972 letter exhorting us to begin construction immediately on the seven temples catalyzed the entire process. You planted the seed and left us with the privilege of bringing it to fruition.
ere have been fty years of challenge, sacri ce, struggle, lessons, adversity, and ecstasy in ful lling your will since then.
e foundation of this stone temple stands on a solid layer of sandstone. Symbolically, this represents the enduring bedrock of our faith in you – the representative of Lord Nityānanda, whose
expansion, Ananta Śeṣa, o ers additional support from His throne, manifest here as the structure’s cornerstone. Situated at the northeast point, this cornerstone has a fty-year history at New Vrindaban, having been installed at the same time as the one at the Palace of Gold.
e mandir’s entrance arch hosts a doorway fashioned from local timber that frames a vast inner window, embellished with sylvan imagery etched into the glass. On both sides of the entranceway are artistic renderings of kalpa-vṛkṣas. eir branches, like outstretched arms, hold two peacocks, one on each side, who stand as gentle guardians at the portal to the temple’s inner sanctum. ese silent sentinels serve as invitations for quali ed souls to enter within.
Passing through the oral design softens our hearts as we approach the altar where RādhāGopīnātha preside to shower eir blessings upon all. eir darśana bestows eligibility to experience glimpses of eternity unfolding into the in nite wonders awaiting behind the illusory scenes, which our conditioned minds have falsely accepted as truth.
Adjacent to your Palace of Gold – where you remain with us in a state of samādhi – the location of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha’s temple is intentional. With these two structures side by side, a potent synergy unfolds to beautifully integrate your vapu and vāṇī forms, o ering the crowning glory to the holy land. An eager anticipation of your next arrival remains prominent here. Being situated at the foot of Girirāja, the temple grounds o er innumerable opportunities to honor, accommodate, and ful ll one of your last heartfelt desires for a picnic at Govardhana Hill.
How the landscape is adorned and the temple decorated is informed by your visit to the ISKCON printing operations in New York City. After graciously acknowledging the services of devotees working on the printing machines, you then spent the remainder of your time in a room alone with the artists, guiding them to create windows to the spiritual sky. ose paintings now adorn your books, which literally serve as the gateway to Goloka
Contemplating that pastime, I remain here still, like an aspiring artist standing before a vast easel, waiting on the threshold of a spiritual frontier. We are totally dependent on your guidance from within to direct our hands as we fashion the terrain with features reminiscent of Vṛndāvana. Having awakened remembrance of that e ulgent abode within our consciousness, how we long to reveal and share it with others.
Today in the Vyāsa-pūjā kīrtana we feel your presence from a sacred dimension in a most vibrant form, breathing life into this new temple as we join with you in glorifying the Deities’ holy name. Śrī Nāma reverberates from the temple walls, rising from the inner sanctum to resound within the dome, expanding across the landscape, and echoing from seven hills. e song of your soul is broadcast to all. Hearing its melody, pilgrims, guests, and tourists alike contribute their voices to the universal hymn of immortality – śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana.
Feeling reciprocation from Śrī Dhāma and inspiration from seeing your vision come to life, everyone present for this most blessed event experiences a shared connection. How they dance with movements and gestures depicting a journey through various realms of time and space! rough your grace, over the stretch of sevā- lled years, we have touched upon the mysterious sacrament of Gauḍīya theology – the embracing of vāṇī-sevā, discerning your presence within the absence and serving you there by means of love in separation. e union in separation devotees experience with you grants parallel insight into the inconceivable vipralambha-bhāva that the vraja-vāsīs endured during the fty years Kṛṣṇa spent outside Vṛndāvana. Please bless us to continue deepening this subtle, sacred, intimate, and transcendent communion. While certainly ecstatic, it is agonizing as well, for it demands we acknowledge and confront the implications and repercussions of times our motives have been mixed or our understandings shallow.
Guide us, please, so that we may surrender the easier relationship we cherished with you during your presence on this earth in pursuit of the deeper realizations inviting us now. Please support us so that we may assimilate, adjust, and update our earlier beliefs, feelings, and services. We must come to terms with the loneliness following your departure from this world to enter the
subtler dimension. Surprisingly, there is a comfort to be found in mourning our losses, closing preliminary chapters with gratitude, and rejoicing in the new story unfolding before our inner eyes.
Bless us. We pray that our ongoing services pulsate with your heartbeat, convey the ambiance of your presence, and radiate your prema. Let them be nely embellished with the hues of your thoughts, avored with the essence of your feelings, scented with the fragrance of your sweetness, delicate like the gestures of your kindness and care. May your will guide our hands in weaving the tapestry of our lives to depict seasons and cycles in a life of the ripening fruit of devotion, highlighting the central thread of all existence, your sweet Lord of Vṛndāvana. May our lives contribute a tangible expression of your devotion to Him. May we be forever guided by your perfect example of integrating the worship of Kṛṣṇa with compassion upon His lost parts and parcels. May our spiritual lives thus continue and expand into a dynamic experience as we progress on an internal journey of discovery, revealing deeper dimensions of Lord Caitanya’s precepts and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, made accessible by your appearance in this world. May our annual Vyāsa-pūjā o erings be expressed internally by who we have become over what we have achieved in the previous year.
Your servant,
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā celebration, I feel inspired to express my gratitude to you for the wonderful gifts you have given me through your Bhaktivedanta translations and purports and by engaging me in contributing to the preaching mission of spreading the holy names of the Lord to every town and village. I also like to re ect on how masterfully you attracted the younger generations, especially in the West, and on the need for receiving your blessings for attracting the new generations of people to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
One of the services I relish the most is studying your books, especially the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and to assist other devotees in studying your books by serving as a Bhakti-vaibhava and Bhaktivedānta teacher. Your books have given meaning to my life since I started practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and, after forty- ve years, they keep nourishing my heart with transcendental knowledge, remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, and loving feelings for Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. In this regard, you write in one of your Bhaktivedanta purports (1.2.18):
Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the heart, which are considered to be obstacles in the path of self-realization. e remedy is the association of the Bhāgavatas. ere are two types of Bhāgavatas, namely the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. Both the Bhāgavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the
book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas.
us, by studying and sharing with others the study of your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam translations and purports, I’m directly associating with the two Bhāgavatas. I feel your presence very closely, and by your mercy, my inner spiritual strength, conviction, and enthusiasm grow.
Another manifestation of your mercy comes by engaging me in spreading Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, Kṛṣṇa’s teachings, and the association of devotees to as many places as possible. My initiating spiritual master, who is your very dear disciple, Satsvarūpa D āsa Goswami, has given me the instruction to focus my preaching and educational services in Spain as my prabhu-datta-deśa. It is an instruction that really resonates with me and which I also take as your direct instruction. I see it in connection to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mandate of spreading His message to every town and village of the world. As you wrote in commenting on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 4.30.37, purport:
ere are two kinds of devotees: one is called goṣṭhyānandī and the other bhajanānandī. e word bhajanānandī refers to the devotee who does not move but remains in one place. Such a devotee is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He chants the mahā-mantra as taught by many ācāryas and sometimes goes out for preaching work. e goṣṭhyānandī is one who desires to increase the number of devotees all over the world. He travels all over the world just to purify the world and the people residing in it. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted His followers to move all over the world to preach in every town and village. In the Caitanya sampradāya, those who strictly follow the principles of Lord Caitanya must travel all over the world to preach the message of Lord Caitanya, which is the same as preaching the words of Kṛṣṇa – Bhagavad-gītā – and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. e more the devotees preach the principles of kṛṣṇa-kathā, the more people throughout the world will bene t.
e plan we envision on your behalf is that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement becomes present in the 52 provinces of Spain as quickly as possible. As part of this project, we are giving attention to improving New Vraja-maṇḍala, with the aim of making it a wonderful place people from all over Spain would like to come to uplift their spiritual consciousness. In order to do this, we envision building a new temple for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda-Candra, as part of the master plan for New Vraja-maṇḍala. Please bless our endeavors and empower us to succeed in this project in all respects.
One of the main challenges we are nding in our preaching in Spain, which is also presently happening in many Western countries, is that we are not attracting many new devotees among the youth. Since you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, were so successful in attracting the younger generations, whom you sometimes called “the owers of your country,” I humbly pray for your divine intervention so that we nd ways of attracting the younger people to sincerely join your Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
With heartfelt gratitude, Your eternal servant, Yadunandana Swami
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Gratitude is the only sentiment we can express to you for giving us this opportunity to be part of your vision to change the mundane way of seeing and doing things in this modern world. In the Bhagavad-gītā (12.16) Kṛṣṇa says:
anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ sarvārambha-parityāgī yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares … is very dear to Me.
Yes, dear param-guru, your teachings made us realize the importance and the unique privilege of having this human form and to be engaged on the path of devotional service. us we naturally understand the futility of things in this world when they are not connected to Kṛṣṇa. It is simply a waste of time and energy.
Of course, some lacking and inexperience in the services are still there, but we take our inspiration from the Bhagavad-gītā (9 30):
api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.
So the most important thing for us is to beg you and Kṛṣṇa that we can always remain engaged in this transcendental devotional service, which is the safest boat to cross this ocean of material miseries and attain perfection in this human form of life.
We often ask ourselves how the world would have been if you didn’t come. Our debt toward you is huge, and there is no point for us to try to pay it because it is just impossible. We must simply continue to show our gratitude to you and wake up and see things with a spiritual perspective.
ank you again and again, dear param-guru, jagat-guru, ISKCON founder, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your granddisciples, ISKCON Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I o er my respectful obeisances unto him.
tvaṁ naḥ sandarśito dhātrā dustaraṁ nistitīrṣatām kaliṁ sattva-haraṁ puṁsāṁ karṇa-dhāra ivārṇavam
We think that we have met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just so that we may accept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross the di cult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human being. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.22)
On the order of your spiritual master, you began translating and writing Vedic literature in the English language to take the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa to the Western countries. After decades of struggle in India, you went to the West and started the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to propagate the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa so that people all over the world may take advantage of the wisdom and association of a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Establishing the realization that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme conclusion of the Vedas was no easy task. You had no place, no funds, no followers or resources, and had to face many uphill tasks and other struggles, which are all well documented in your Līlāmṛta. However, your resolute determination and strong conviction began to fructify, and soon Hare Kṛṣṇa became a household name throughout the world.
ISKCON Adelaide rst began in 1975, on the upper oor of a small building on Frome Street, in the city. e temple has moved around many times since then, until the year 2000, when by the mercy of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara, our present property at 25 Le Hunte Street, was acquired. However, the small temple room, often bursting at the seams, posed a challenge to cater to the needs of the ever-increasing crowds. We decided to extend the temple and, after discussions with the local council, planners, and builders, we submitted plans to the authorities. e Temple Extension Project has nally been approved, and the construction has now begun. Upon completion of the project, we will have a temple room four times the size of the present one.
We would like to o er this as a gift of love to you. With better facilities, we hope to further disseminate your teachings and draw people’s attention toward Kṛṣṇa and away from māyā. Being inexperienced and devoid of spiritual integrity, we beseech you to bestow your special blessings upon us to unfold this dream. Please continue to be merciful to us.
Your servants at ISKCON Adelaide, Australia
(written by Ādi Puruṣa Kṛṣṇa D āsa)We o er our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities. You taught us to chant the holy name, dance in ecstasy, and sing. My words cannot be enough to glorify and show my gratitude for all the things you have given us. You taught us to serve Kṛṣṇa sel essly; your statements are guiding marks for us.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said, “Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.”
“Religion means to know God and to love Him.”
You also said, “Humility means that you are convinced beyond any doubt that there is nothing in this world, absolutely nothing in this world, not your money, not your family, not your fame, not your gun, not your education, nothing that will save you except the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.”
O Gurudeva, your vāṇī (instructions) continues to spread around the world, and your presence can be felt by us through your books. You gave us harināma with ease. You gave us the real treasure of Śrī Caitanaya Mahāprabhu. You have made a platform across the entire world where in each country, and so many devotees, with so many mṛdaṅgas and karatālas, are singing Hare Kṛṣṇa and haribol.
You gave an endless number of lectures to guide us, a monthly magazine, Back to Godhead, and Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We humbly bow to your lotus feet and pray to you to bless all of us with Kṛṣṇa consciousness and empower us to share whatever we have learned and realized.
On this occasion, it is the best chance for all of us to redeem ourselves from all the di culties and re-energize spiritually to serve the lotus feet of our spiritual master eternally.
Regards, ISKCON Agra
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
My Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga!
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your lotus feet are the abode of devotional service. Without your mercy, I can’t express my thanks to you. Your Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is spread all over the world because of your e orts, dedication, and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s and your guru’s mercy. I am eternally grateful to you for showing us the correct path of doing bhakti. We see in the material world that so many
fraud gurus are there but they don’t serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Your mission is di erent. You are a great follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the founder of the harināma saṅkīrtana movement. Your books are literally the greatest medium to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. ese books help me learn how to serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and our guru. Perfect Questions Perfect Answers is a nice book that shows us the right and perfect path in bhakti as well as in gṛhastha Life.
You are so kind to give us kṛṣṇa-prasāda distribution, which changes the human mind and gives divine results to do bhakti to every person. I know you said in one of your lectures to “Distribute prasāda! Distribute maximum prasāda to each person.” It is really true that you are jagat-guru.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, my desire is that you please give me shelter at your lotus feet and bless us so that we can spread Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s harināma saṅkīrtana movement to every village and city.
Your eternal servant, Girirāja Govardhana D āsa, Manager, Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāmahaṭṭa Center, Alibag
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble and respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All Glories to Your Divine Grace!
All Glories to your divine ISKCON!
All Glories to you on your 127th divine appearance day!
akṣṇoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-darśanaṁ hi tanoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-gātra-saṅgaḥ jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi sudurlabhā bhāgavatā hi loke
O devotee of the Lord, the purpose of the eyes is ful lled simply by seeing you, and to touch your body is the ful llment of the sense of touch. e tongue is meant for glorifying your qualities because in this world it is very di cult to nd a pure devotee of the Lord. (Hari-bhakti- sudhodaya 13 2)
In the words of Lord Kapila, the only way to become free from material bondage is to develop a strong attachment to the lotus feet of pure devotees. And the way to develop that attachment is to read their words, hear their words, and serve their words with un inching devotion.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you once rightly said, “Regarding printing our books and literatures, I may inform you in this connection that I saw one bulletin of Indian Railways in which it was speci cally advised that every railway servant should see to it that the wheels of the carriages or vehicles must be moving always, which means that the railway is going nicely. Similarly, all of us should see that our literature is profusely distributed. at means that our missionary work
is going on nicely. Otherwise, we are simply sleeping and eating.” (Letter to Karandhara D āsa, October 9, 1971)
e whole world has taken a turn for the better and is now becoming more and more spiritually favorable, with an unprecedented increase in the distribution of your books everywhere. is year’s Bhagavad-gītā marathon has broken all previous records. e Indian leadership has also inaugurated two additional marathons for two di erent occasions, i.e., the Caitanya-caritāmṛta marathon during Gaura-Pūrṇimā and Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta marathon during your divine appearance day.
Especially, the world got a serious wakeup call with the huge pandemic in the past few years. More and more people are becoming serious on the path of spirituality. e miseries and anxieties of Kali-yuga have created a colossal demand in people in general for the acceptance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Also, now in ISKCON, the next generation is taking up more and more responsibilities for the mission of Lord Caitanya. is was greatly felt this year during the ILS 2023 at Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma, which took place after a long, 3-year gap due to restrictions implemented during COVID.
So, in essence, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is exploding everywhere like a wild re engul ng everyone. Expansion of preaching also includes the expansion of your divine glories.
Here, at ISKCON Amravati, we are trying our level best to please you by helping your mission to grow. We need your heartfelt blessings so that we can continue to serve you forever.
Now, the team of brahmacārīs and congregation members are also increasing in quantity and quality. e preaching on di erent fronts, whether it is youth, children or congregation, is gradually becoming more organized now. Congregation training programs, Bhakti-vṛkṣa, is becoming well established now. Nāmahaṭṭa preaching in all the major towns nearby has also taken good shape.
After almost a decade, the temple is now renovated and has a completely new look. Śrīla Prabhupāda, a new temple altar for Your Divine Grace has been o ered. e Matchless Gift shop, BBT stall, and Govindas, all with an enchanting new look, are attracting many people now.
Please bless us and empower us so that we not only continue these services but that they grow beyond our wildest expectations.
We humbly beg for strength to serve you more, and no matter what happens, we shouldn’t leave your lotus feet and your ISKCON.
Desiring to serve you with love and trust, Your humble servants, ISKCON Amravati, Maharashtra, India
(written by Anantaśeṣa D āsa)Dear and most respected Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Please accept our obeisances in the dust at your feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
All glories to your International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a far- and wide-stretching
branch of Mahāprabhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya’s magnanimous tree of transcendental knowledge and pure devotional service unto Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha, rmly established by you and now bearing an impressive variety of countless sweet and mature fruits.
It is di cult, or should we say frightening, to imagine what sort of performance we would be delivering within our lifetime were it not that Your Divine Grace mercifully entered and gave meaning and substance, a worthwhile, nay, the highest possible goal, and an unshakeable foundation on which we can build the bridge of our commitment out of the confusing world of selfcenteredness and into the eternally brilliant world of decided devotional service for the pleasure of Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga and the Vaiṣṇavas.
At your ISKCON Antwerp center, Belgium, you will nd an interesting blend of very di erent people who have at least one thing in common: we all admire your unparalleled contribution of tangible hope and bright future to this miserable world.
e yātrā, under the compassionate glance of the charmingly beautiful Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Gaura
Naṭarāja and your śrī mūrti, diligently works together to put on the yearly Ratha-yātrā festival (the 29th this year), always a joyous, colorful, festive occasion.
Over the years increasing importance has been given to harināma-saṅkīrtana outdoors in the city as well as indoors at the temple. Various experienced speakers enlighten from your indispensable books an expanding crowd of mixed backgrounds every Sunday Love Feast, a weekly occasion on which well-prepared prasāda is served. Smaller groups of devotees are meeting in di erent homes on di erent days days to read, hear, and discuss the deep and powerful books you have given us, and to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa both japa and kīrtana and develop friendships.
On this very special day of the anniversary of your glorious appearance in this world, we – all from our di erent levels of growth in surrendering to the loving guidance of Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga – stand before you as beggars in front of a king, with one sole prayer: if you consider us worthy, please somehow or other engage us in your service. Hare Kṛṣṇa. ank you.
Your servants at ISKCON Antwerp, Belgium
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our most humble obeisances unto your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on the auspicious occasion of Your Divine Grace’s 127th Vyāsa-pūjā celebrations.
On this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, please bless us so that we can become tools in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s army and ght against the enemy that has contaminated the whole world with sinful activities.
As the perfect representative of your spiritual master, you showed us how to make the mission of the spiritual master one’s life and soul. From the day you met your Guru Mahārāja, you
dedicated yourself completely to following his instructions and ful lling his desires. You always carried him in your heart, and as a result, you became the recipient of his mercy and helped ful ll
Ś
rī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prediction that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement would spread to every town and village.
On this very auspicious day of your appearance, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your causeless mercy and guidance upon us at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopāla temple, Hare Kṛṣṇa Grām, Aravade, Maharashtra. You have given us mercy beyond our imagination by establishing a marvelous and enchanting temple at Aravade in the southwest coast of Maharashtra. is temple a ords thousands of villagers the opportunity to get a glimpse into a world of Kṛṣṇa treated by you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. ere are festivals for their pleasure of beautiful Lordships, bene t of bhakta-saṅga, kīrtana and hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā. ese activities give us strength and joy at this place.
We have been preaching in more than 15 outpost centers, including 3 extension and one preaching center, distributing prasāda, holding regular harināmas, ḍinḍī pāda-yātrā, distributing your books, and preaching in hundreds of villages, schools, and colleges.
ISKCON Aravade o ers your divine books, beautiful darśana of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopālajī, your darśana, kīrtana, prasāda, a beautiful and peaceful place away from hectic landscape of city and town life.
Please bless us so that we can please you more and more. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we humbly beg that you kindly always keep us under the protection of your lotus feet.
Your insigni cant servants at ISKCON Aravade, Abhirāma Ṭhākura D āsa
Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet, which are the shelter of the Vaiṣṇava devotees.
It is a little known fact that in May of 1969, you graced the town of Athens, Ohio, with your holy presence. e next day, on May 20, 1969, e Post published an article that described how you had held a kīrtana and addressed a group of about 60 people comprised of “students, faculty, and members of the Krishna Consciousness Society.”
After chanting with the audience for 20 minutes, the Swami spoke on the importance of chanting, and what it can do for the human being. With chanting, there is no religious or sectarian movement, only happiness. Happiness, the swami continued, is man’s nature. It is one of man’s inherent qualities.
Since that day, this place has never been the same. You turned Athens, Ohio, into a tīrtha, and Lord Caitanya’s divine in uence has been spreading here ever since, by your grace.
Increasingly, after that visit, your disciples and granddisciples became active in Athens with an aim to water the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that had been planted by Your Divine Grace. In the fall of 1982, a center was established at 89 Mill Street, near the campus of Ohio University, by
Rādhānāth Swami. e center did not remain in that particular building, but the spirit of bhakti continued on in di erent locations over the years. Presently, there is, once again, an Athens Kṛṣṇa House, which opened its doors and began holding regular programs in November of 2021. We, the co-managers of Athens Kṛṣṇa House, wish to o er our e orts for your pleasure and seek your blessings to continue the work that was started by you on your one and only visit here.
Please guide our attempts to serve your mission sincerely and authentically. Please sustain our enthusiasm and energy for this important service. I pray that my life continues to be a testament to the transformative power of your amazing spiritual potency, to the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and to the unconditional love that you extend to us, your disciples and followers.
Please allow me to remain in the re of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, serving you with body, mind, and spirit, to the best of my ability and in a state of complete humility. May I always remember and be inspired by your example of sel ess service in devotion to the Supreme Soul and all His separated parts and parcels.
May the people of Athens, Ohio, become happy by the chanting of the holy name and hearing about Lord Kṛṣṇa. Only by your grace will any of this be possible!
I remain eternally grateful for your having accepted me as your disciple and daughter. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for taking a chance on me and for giving me spiritual shelter within the ISKCON family.
Your humble servant, Rāsa-līlādevī Devī D āsī
Co-manager with Dr. Ashok Gupta and Prema Vilāsa
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. e ISKCON temple at Attapur, Hyderabad, has come up with your special mercy and with the full blessings of the management of ISKCON Juhu, ISKCON Abids, and the devotees and well-wishers of ISKCON Attapur. e temple was completed in a record time of six months and opened on the auspicious day of Śrī Balarāma Pūrṇimā on August 22, 2021.
From day one since the temple opening, the number of visitors coming to the temple was very impressive. e current number of visitors per weekday is 800 people on average, and on weekends at least 1200 people on average.
Janmāṣṭamī 2022 was celebrated with great pomp. Almost 12,000 people visited ISKCON Attapur to take darśana of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, Śrī Śrī JagannāthaBaladeva-Subhadrā and Sudarśana. It was really a great joy to all the devotees here to see such a tremendous response from the people coming to your temple. Everyone received prasāda, and many people purchased your divine books.
e Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā festival 2022 was also celebrated with great joy. ousands of people participated and received the blessings of the Lord. One gentleman gave us use of his function-hall gardens for the festival free of cost.
It is all Your Divine Grace, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You actually planted the seed of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness in Hyderabad in the 1970s, and it fructi ed and spread everywhere over the years. Following your divine instructions, devotees at ISKCON Attapur went out daily and distributed hundreds of your books, like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets, etc. e people in South India, as you said, are very pious and we have personally seen and experienced that.
Prasāda distribution is being done very consistently every day, and we distribute to 1,000 people every day on average and during festivals we increase to at least 3,000 people.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are trying to serve the presiding Deities to our best ability. Recently we made it a standard to cook only in pure coconut oil and also to o er natural organic rice to the Deities, replacing the re ned oil and fertilizer rice. Also, a team of mātājīs make nice garlands for their Lordships every day with dedication. We decorate the full altar and the whole temple hall with varieties of owers during each festival for the pleasure of their Lordships. Kindly bless us to serve and take care of the Deities more and more nicely.
In youth preaching every week we conduct Bhagavad-gītā class on Saturday, and on Sunday we show your divine Abhay Charan series and ask students to give presentations on Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy. Hundreds of youth participate in these weekly sessions. Many started chanting 16 rounds daily and attending morning programs.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, it is only by your special mercy that we could acquire the adjacent properties in the year 2022 is will really help us to expand the current project and facilitate more and more devotees and the distribution of Kṛṣṇa conscious mercy. Kindly bless us to make this second phase project at ISKCON Attapur an ideal preaching place and bene t lakhs of people in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ś
rīla Prabhupāda, kindly please, please, please keep blessing us to make more and more devotees, to distribute your divine books more and more, to do more and more prasāda distribution, to conduct all the Vaiṣṇava festivals with great pomp, joy, and devotion, and spread the glories of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to thousands and lakhs and crores of people.
Finally, we humbly request you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, please save us from the illusory energy of māyā and always keep us at your lotus feet. Please engage us in your mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
ank you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your insigni cant servants at ISKCON Attapur, Hyderabad
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble and respectful obeisances to your lotus feet, All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.
On this occasion we want to glorify your in nite qualities. You were the perfect instrument of Śrī Caitanya Mahaparabhu so that this saṅkīrtana movement is known in every town and village.
Our in nite gratitude, because thanks to your mercy and compassionate gaze we can know about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We want to thank you for always being present through your teachings in all your books and principles. We are fortunate to perceive your latent energy with the
presence of your disciples, who are now our spiritual masters who were so lovingly inspired by you and now guide us through them.
On this day of your appearance, we pray to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to enlighten us and accompany us in our service so we can live based on your principles. Let us achieve a simple life with high thinking.
From your eternal servants from a small town in South America, Devotees of ISKCON Ayampe, Ecuador
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace and all glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!
We o er our humble obeisances to Your Divine Grace, who dedicated his life for the pleasure of Your Guru Mahārāja, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja Prabhupāda, to spread the teachings of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to all over the world, including Indonesia. As you often mentioned, “preaching is the essence,” you keep preaching until your last breath, and at last, you taught us a very important lesson, how to left this body peacefully with full awareness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. e following letter inspires us very much, how you promise to take us back to Godhead if we sincerely preach the glories of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Indonesia. You sent the following letter to Amogha D āsa on December 25, 1971:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 13, 1971, and I am very pleased to note that you are so determined to spread this Krishna Consciousness movement, that you are remaining alone in Djakarta just to seize the wonderful opportunity we have got there for preaching. at is the sign of the rst-class devotee, that he is always willing to sacri ce everything to please Krishna by preaching His glories, even under all sorts of di cult conditions. I am very encouraged by your attitude of sincere Krishna Consciousness. In this way you go on perfecting your life more and more, and very soon, I promise you, you will go back to Home, back to Godhead. Know it for certain.
You are very much pleased by the sincerity of your followers, and we can see it through your disciples, how they are very dedicated, o ering their life to assist you in spreading the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All glories Your Divine Grace and the followers.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this very auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā 2023, we would like to o er our humble report of our programs in Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha Mandir. During covid-19 time is a very di cult time for all people in the whole world, and our devotees in Bali
cannot meet regularly due to restrictions and some problems. However, the daily puja or nityasevā of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha could be performed according to the standard that has been established. is temple is located in the village named Werdi Bhuana, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia. Because we are living in the village, so not much restriction is given.
In this Gaura-Pūrṇimā 2023, the main mandir is completed. Besides, we have two Balinese cows here (another three cows have left their body), which do not produce milk, but the cow dung and cow urine are very helpful for growing our own vegetables and fruits. We have enough land to produce our food and owers to o er. Even though it is not the maximum yet to be used, we are still trying to do our best to grow our own food and owers.
We also have one yajñā- śālā, where the devotees can perform yajña, and this re sacri ce is performed for the purpose of preaching mission, especially the śrāddhā ceremony. Balinese tradition is identical to ritual, so when the devotee performs this kind of sacri ce, it is easier for them to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and of course, we keep chanting the holy name during the yajña ceremony, and at the end, we give class and prasāda. Whenever there is a festival in the temple, we also distribute some books. Some of our devotees even distribute the books online.
Other programs are training our kids in dancing (Indian and local), chanting ślokas from the scriptures, extra kīrtana every Ekādaśī day, bhakta training program for new devotees, training for those who want to take initiation ( rst and second). at is our educational program which is continuing till now.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we cannot do an outside program in Bali now because of some problems. So, what we can do here is to distribute prasāda as much as possible. We distribute prasāda to the local temples, orphanages, jails, markets, and many other places. Furthermore, we do a home program, and if possible, we invite nondevotees to join the program so that we can introduce them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we hope that this humble report on the programs will please you so that you keep inspiring and giving us the intelligence to do more preaching in Bali, Indonesia.
Your insigni cant servant at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha Mandir, Werdi Bhuana, Bali, Indonesia
(Written by Gadādhara Prāṇa D āsa)nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
First of all, please kindly allow us to o er our humble obeisances unto your divine lotus feet, O dear Śrīlā Prabhupāda! Because it is only due to your unlimited and matchless gifts and mercy that we are able to associate with your books, your disciples. It is by your mercy only that we can try our best to serve you and try and learn to render service to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Just like Ananta Śeṣa, who as the expansion of lord Viṣṇu himself, with his unlimited mouths, cannot enough glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; what to say with this
fallen soul, who is trying to glorify a personality who is very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the dear most devotee of him, which is Your Divine Grace. We can only repeat what your disciples have said in glori cation of you, and also read some qualities, pastimes of yours, and then try our best to o er something unto you on this most-auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūja day.
We read from the memories of your disciple in Jakarta, Her Grace Aravindākṣī D āsī that she revealed your beautiful reply after she wrote to you, asking you to come to Jakarta. You said:
My blessings are for you and if you have sincerely invited me, if Kṛṣṇa decides I could stop by for a few days.
How wonderful it is, O Śrīlā Prabhupāda! For us, it is like hope in the middle of an ocean of desperation. How much you care for the fallen souls like us. e only requirements are sincerity and Kṛṣṇa’s blessing. It all started after that letter is sent to you and your wonderful reply. By your causeless mercy and Kṛṣṇa’s sweet will, you came to Indonesia, Jakarta, in 1973, and it ooded the whole country with an ocean of mercy since then. One drop of that mercy now has manifested in Klungkung, southeastern area of Bali Island as a small temple for their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kuñjavihārī and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. It is the place where the devotees in Klungkung regency of Bali took shelter and learned how to worship You and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
We also would like to humbly report to you about our activities here at Klungkung. Since we opened in 2009, we have now acquired another area of land on the western side of our temple, and we are planning to build a better and bigger Deity kitchen there to support our daily sevā for their Lordships. We also have built a new building inside our temple area where the rst store is a sannyāsī room, and then on the second oor, which is still in development, will become a hall served as a functioning meeting hall, and also a library for your books as well as a place for the devotees to study your books and śāstras.
O dear Śrīlā Prabhupāda, regarding the Deity worship, we have established a system where gṛhasthas take turns in doing deity worship for the Deity, it also involves all the family members doing the supporting activities of Deity worship. We are trying our best to raise our standards gradually, O Śrīlā Prabhupāda. We also do some small food for life programs for the surrounding neighborhood by distributing prasāda. One devotee also donated his land as a place for us to cultivate vegetables and fruits for the temple; we are taking turns in maintaining that land and doing the gardening sevā.
Due to some restrictions from local authorities and some problems, we are now unable to do public harināma saṅkīrtana, but somehow or other, by your sweet arrangement and Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu’s unlimited compassion, you have sent some devotees from other countries like Russia and Ukraine, and they arranged some saṅkīrtana programs on the villas where they stayed and we, the local devotees, were invited to join and do harināma saṅkīrtana together outside the temple. O Śrīlā Prabhupāda, we also observe festivals of Candana-yātrā boat festival of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kuñjavihārī, Puṣyābhiṣeka, Ratha-yātrā of Śrī Jagannātha, Jhulan-yātrā, avirbhāva and tirobhāva of Vaiṣṇavas and many other signi cant festivals. ese festivals enable the devotee to be enthusiastic, rejoice, and enlivened by joining these festivals.
O Śrīlā Prabhupāda, O patita-pāvana, O savior of the fallen souls, you have given us the matchless gift of devotional love to Lord Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti). By your mercy, anyone can attain the perfection of spirituality as divine knowledge rises in his heart, giving prema-bhakti and destroying the ignorance. You are the karuṇa-sindhu, an ocean of mercy, a friend of the fallen souls, and you are the guru for everyone and the life of all. O jagat-guru, please give us your mercy and the shelter of your lotus feet. May your glories be sung throughout the three worlds.
O Prabhupāda, on this auspicious day of your appearance we would like to ask you to always shower your mercy upon us here in Klungkung, Bali, so that we can always serve your order and
continue to serve your mission. Please shower mercy to your disciples and our gurus so that they will always give us association and inspiration to strengthen our sādhana-bhakti here, developing more strong faiths toward guru, Kṛṣṇa and the holy name. Please always inspire, help, and guide us in order to try to render sevā to our beloved
r
ank you, Śrīlā Prabhupāda, for all your mercy and for inspiring so many of your disciples to show so much mercy for us here in Klungkung. May the whole world be at peace and can be delivered and get the highest spiritual happiness by chanting the mahā-mantra:
Your servants at ISKCON
rama, Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia
(Written by the temple management team, Bhadra Dharma D āsa, and Giridhārī D āsa)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Only by your causeless mercy did we in Indonesia came to know about Kṛṣṇa and learn this science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Jakarta on March 2, 1973, Your Divine Grace mentioned, “…that cultural movement will be interested for everyone in the world. Even those who were not aware of the Vedic culture, they’re also joining and taking part in this movement.”
Indonesia, especially Bali, was well known for its culture and tradition that is close to Vedic culture. is year, by your blessing, the Rādhā-Vṛndāvana Candra temple that is located in the north side of Bali started to develop into a cultural movement where the society welcomes to accept your teaching.
Vaiṣṇava culture is the ultimate spiritual culture because it is created by Kṛṣṇa to provide support for our spiritual development. Once we understand the universal underlying principles, values and wisdom found in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, and apply those foundational principles in our personal dealings with one another, we can derive tremendous devotional enlivenment and bene t, no matter where we might be living in this world.
Spiritual culture is Kṛṣṇa’s perfect and sublime system to give us stability and harmony in this material world so we can wholeheartedly develop our forgotten relationship with Him. Our disease, however, is that we consider Kṛṣṇa’s system to be outdated, and we think our system to be better than Kṛṣṇa’s system. And thus we get chaos, instability, neglect and su ering. All social problems we are facing in these modern days, even things like child abuse, violence toward women, rape, etc., are global reactions to the fact that we have lost and forgotten Kṛṣṇa’s system. is practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness isn’t dependent on one’s personal belief. Anyone can experience the bene ts of bhakti-yoga by applying Kṛṣṇa conscious principles in their life. ose who do so gradually become more interested in eternal, spiritual life and less attracted to
temporary, material pursuits (with their related anxieties). In time, with proper guidance, anyone can revive their individual relationship with Kṛṣṇa and enjoy genuine, uninterrupted happiness.
Your servant,
Gopa D āsa vana Candra Temple, Singaraja, Bali, IndonesiaDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. At ISKCON of Baltimore, we feel intimately connected to you because we are attempting to follow in your footsteps. In the scriptures, following the footsteps of a Vaiṣṇava ācārya is the most highly recommended process for progressing in devotional service. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
1 2 25, Sūta Gosvāmī tells the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya that those who follow the footsteps of great souls become eligible to achieve the same results as achieved by the great souls. Further, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.18.5 you con rm the “liberation by following” principle. “ is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature.” Repeatedly, you have explained that your own quali cation as an ācārya is that you strictly followed the footsteps of your spiritual master.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, all glories to you, the great ācārya, who not only taught the world that by becoming a humble follower of the great souls one can attain the perfection of life, but who also gave the exact details how to follow them. You established practical ways in which people all over the world follow Lord Caitanya’s teaching by way of following the disciplic succession. We feel that we are the most fortunate because we are following you.
By your in uence Śrīla Prabhupāda, this year devotees at ISKCON of Baltimore have deepened their practice of hearing and chanting, improved the standard of Deity worship, and expanded their various preaching programs. Devotees are developing sense control, spiritual knowledge, and compassion for all living beings, qualities that emerge only in those who are in direct contact with Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. As decades pass by, and our devotees develop careers, and then retire from them, as our babies grow into adults, and some of us leave our bodies, the members of the community simply go on following the course you have given.
Śrīla Prabhupāda this year we invested heavily in prasāda distribution, initiated the monthly saṅkīrtana festival, gave a momentous push to college preaching, scaled new heights in book distribution, and promulgated education of adults and children alike. To contribute to your desire of not letting anyone go hungry, devotees cook and distribute fresh and free prasāda to the needy in the Baltimore area six days a week. Further, to diminish the spiritual hunger of society, we have initiated a monthly saṅkīrtana festival, wherein we chant the holy name, distribute prasāda and introduce your transcendental literature to the society at large. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have been distributing your transcendental literature and prasāda in adjoining university campuses for many years. is year, we systematically introduced classes for students of a couple of these
universities to educate the youth about how to live a balanced and quality life while pursuing professional careers. We are also inching toward our goal of attaining a permanent center (Kṛṣṇa house) where people from diverse backgrounds will practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. e September Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and December Bhagavad-gītā marathons were a big success for our community. Śrīla Prabhupāda, many devotees have taken up systematic reading of your books in regular classes, with a number of devotees pursuing Bhakti- śāstrī and Bhakti-vaibhava degrees. We are also investing in your motto of simple living and high thinking by trying to purchase a farmland, where we will tend to cows for fresh organic ahiṁsā milk for the Deities. We also plan to grow organic fresh vegetables and owers in that farmland.
We thank you for bringing us the fragrance of pure devotional service and pray that you continue to empower us to help you spread it throughout the world. Spiritual poverty is rampant, and we, devotees of ISKCON of Baltimore, under your guidance, will put every e ort to diminish it. On the day of your divine appearance, we pray to remain forever xed in your teachings, and make rapid progress in devotional life.
Your servants at ISKCON of Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Śrīla Prabhupāda (His Divine Grace A. C Bhaktivedanta Swami)
Please accept our humble obeisances.
On this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we would like to make an o ering/report of our ISKCON Center, Ramkamheng 24, Bangkok’s activities along with a liated programs.
Weekly Saturday Program: e resident and congregation devotees organize the weekly Saturday evening program. Around 20–30 people join (festivals are generally more, around 40–50). Our congregation comprises of few local ais and International devotees/well-wishers. We start with kīrtana, then a class/discussion on Bhagavad-gītā verse (di erent initiated devotees take turns), gaura-ārati, and prasāda. Generally, the festivals falling during the week are celebrated along with the Saturday program.
Sunday Park kīrtanas, harināma’s and book distribution: Rājamaṅgala Stadium Park nearby our center. On Sunday late afternoons, devotees gather in the park and sit and chant; interested people generally inquire and take a few books/pamphlets. Sometimes, we go for harināma and book distribution to nearby areas and, at times to nearby cities of Bangkok, as per the availability of the resident/congregation devotees.
Resident devotees: As the vision/mission set by the donors/ ailand GBCs/secretary (His Holiness Bhakti Vighna-vināśa Narasiṁha Swami, His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami, His Holiness Kavicandra Swami and His Grace Rūpeśvara Prabhu), several high-school/University students stay at the center. Yogeśvara Prabhu is a yoga (haṭha) student/instructor; along with his yoga practices, he is successfully reaching out to local ai people via park/studio programs. Bhakta Gopāla is doing his BBA at Abac University; he brings his international/ ai friends to the center, and they relish the prasāda and kīrtana.
Śrīnivāsa Prabhu (son of His Grace Nimāi Prabhu, Chaam) recently moved in; he is studying at a nearby high school – Wat ep Lila, and focusing on IT/Computer. A few other student
devotees are planning to move in from South ailand as well, but appropriate facilities/infrastructures need to be arranged, which we are working on. Around 20–30 students have stayed in the center since the inception of the center, around 15 years back. After acquiring their material and spiritual education/training, they have settled in di erent parts of ailand, India (Māyāpur/ Vṛndāvana), and other parts of the world and are assisting the ISKCON centers/temples in their respective areas. In the last year, Arcanā Mātājī, who did her Bachelors at Ramkamheng University and later taught at an International School, moved to Delhi, India; she is getting married to an initiated devotee (disciple of His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja) in Delhi. Nimāi Śacīsuta Prabhu completed his Master’s studies in IT/Computer from Abac University and moved to Köln, Germany, for work; he regularly visits the temple (ISKCON Köln) and does varieties of services (under the guidance of His Grace Vaidyanātha Prabhu, ACBSP). Similarly, Bhaktin Ruksana completed her Master’s at Mahidol University, BKK, and moved to LA, USA, to continue her Ph.D. studies at the University of Southern California; she regularly visits the ISKCON LA temple and does services there. She recently got initiated as Rādhā-Vraja Praṇa Mātājī by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami during his trip to LA, USA. e current/ex-student devotees help nancially run the center and maintain simple morning/evening programs. e activities of the center can be viewed on Facebook (ISKCON Bangkok, Ramkamheng 24).
Outreach programs:
Bhakti-vṛkṣa (House Programs): Bhaktin. Nippi has been conducting programs (kīrtana, Bhagavad-gītā class/discussion, Narasiṁha prayers, and prasāda) at her apartment in Siam Mansion, Sukumvit 12 (central Bangkok) most Friday evenings for six years. Around 10–20 of her friends/well-wishers join and relish the program. She says organizing the Friday program gives her and her family purpose/happiness in life. She relishes kīrtana and adores the practicality of the Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy. She works at the United Nations (UN) as an IT/Computer Programmer Quality Inspector and has dovetailed her expertise in assisting Māyāpur O ce, the JPS team, and gośālā, by resolving their IT/App-related issues. She regularly comes to the ISKCON Ramkamheng Center and helps in di erent services, and loves to visit Māyāpur Dhāma.
Bhakta. Aakash and Bhaktin. Upasana, who stay in Sathorn, have similarly conducted house programs (kīrtana, Bhagavad-gītā class/discussions, prasāda). ey hold these programs around once a month, mostly on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Around 30 people generally join the program, who are mostly their friends. ey like to host/organize spiritual programs, invite/develop relationships with spiritually inclined people, and are much attached to Lord Kṛṣṇa and kīrtana (Hare Kṛṣṇa).
ese activities can be viewed at: www.facebook.com/BhaktiVriksha.Sukumvit12.Bkk/ University Programs: In the last year, we had two seminars at Abac University: “Addiction Mitigation via Yoga and Mantra Meditation” at Huamark Campus and “Nurturing Relationships via Yoga and Mantra Meditation” at Suvarnabhumi Campus. Around 30–50+ students and lecturers joined the events.
For these seminars, we generally take a social problem and try to tackle it via Yoga and Mantra Meditation; in earlier years, we had seminars on Stress Management, Mind Empowerment, Environmental Pollutions Solutions, etc. e attendees admired the delicious vegetarian food, bene ts of yoga (haṭha) practices, soothing kīrtanas (mantra meditation), and Kṛṣṇa conscious ways of tackling social problems. Students, lecturers, brothers/nuns from Buddhist (as ailand is a Buddhist nation) and Christian (as the University is administered by Brothers of St. Gabriel, Catholic order) background shared their opinions and highlighted how religious groups should try to tackle social problems along with their religious/spiritual practices. Since few of our congregation members/residents are faculty members/students at the University, it is easier to organize such events. Around once/twice a month, we come together and perform kīrtanas and read/discuss spiritual books together.
ese activities can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/au.bhaktiYoga.mantraMeditation/
Trying to serve, Sumadhurī Līlā Devī D āsī and Antaraṅga Gopāla D āsa (On behalf of ISKCON Ramkamheng Center, Bangkok, ailand)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Our sincerest obeisances at your lotus feet All glories to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
You are the perpetual north star for all Vaiṣṇava qualities that a devotee aspires for. It is extremely di cult for anyone to fathom how you could always inspire one and all to change the direction of their lives against the current mainstream civilization. rough your words and personal example, you have always guided not only those around you but all future generations of devotees on how to surrender to the Supreme Lord in turbulent times – both internally and externally.
Today I heard a story that recently, a lady in one European city who had been searching for an ISKCON temple for many years saw you sitting on a bench and then you guided her to the nearest ISKCON temple. When she entered the temple, she saw you in a mūrti form and informed the devotees that it is you who some time back had guided her to the temple. Devotees in the temple were pleasantly shocked to hear that you had once again expanded the net of your mercy to catch another lost soul drowning in the material ocean and place her at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda. at lady also took some time to realize what fortune had dawned upon her. She is truly fortunate to receive your personal audience many years after you have physically left us on this planet.
is incident again has sparked renewed vigor and hope in us Śrīla Prabhupāda. You have mentioned on multiple occasions that you are present in your books. is recent incident has proved that you are always available for any sincere soul, even before that soul reaches your books. We are startled to understand how you could always be in such an extending mood, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Please bless us all so that we also can always learn the art of extending ourselves to increase the spiritual corpus of the material world.
We wish to remain always the servants of your servants.
Aspiring devotees at ISKCON Baramati
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Please accept my humble obeisances at your Lotus Feet.
As time goes by and I see how my body is limited by the years, I cannot help but marvel at your strength and determination in ful lling the mission that your spiritual master gave you at such an advanced age.
I see how many devotees retire; many go to live in Vṛndāvana or Māyāpur to spend their last years. at is what any normal person does, but it is not what you did; at the age of 69, you undertook an epic mission, a daunting task anyone would say impossible if it were not for the fact that you carried it out.
Despite all the limitations, without nancial resources, in your old age, in a totally di erent culture, without support, with an unknown message, and principles that were opposed to the Western culture of that moment, you managed to get thousands of people to follow you and change their lives 180 degrees.
You managed to inspire that spirit of preaching to so many people, thousands made an e ort to follow your example, but when you left, the momentum was losing strength, and today our e orts are a pale memory of your mission. As I said before, many seek comfort in the holy dhāma, the same one that you left to come to the materialistic hell of the West.
At some point, we lost our way, so I beg you to inspire us again, that that spirit of preaching oods us again.
Just as you said that your spiritual master had sent you so many disciples to help you in your mission, I beg you to send us sincere and enthusiastic people in the spiritual life to strengthen your movement, and I pray to Kṛṣṇa to give me intelligence and ability to inspire those people to follow your instructions without deviation so that this movement is a ray of light for this incredulous and confused world.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving me this wonderful life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your worthless servant, Dvārakā D āsa
Dear beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
ank you for coming to this world to save us in spite of the tremendous di culties and obstacles which you had to face alone, depending solely on the mercy of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa and your eternal spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
You are the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead, freely bestowing your causeless mercy upon the unquali ed and ungrateful souls of Kali-yuga. I am amongst the most fallen of living
entities, and yet, by your unlimited compassion, you have given direction to our life through your books. With the help of them, we are able to give direction to our lives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you for creating a family of loving devotees, and somehow or other, you allowed me to join your happy family, and it changed my life forever. You saved us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and I am eternally thankful and indebted to you.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is so much service to be done in executing your blessed mission of delivering the conditioned souls in this world, and therefore we need to establish preaching centers as many as we can. But without your blessings, we can’t even move an inch in this direction. So I humbly pray at your lotus feet that you will so kindly enter our hearts and inspire us to nd the ways and means of ful lling your beautiful transcendental vision of a happy and uni ed world movement under your leadership and direction. Kindly help us to please you in this way. ank you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to your lotus feet.
Your servant, Nimāi Nitāi D āsa Servant Director, ISKCON Barrie,
Ontario, CanadaDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Prabhupāda,
I remember what a big evolution you have made to our life and to the lives of people around the world. e biggest gift you have given to us is doing devotional service of Śrī Śrī RādhāGovinda in the form of daily chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, preaching activities, practical engagement in various services such as Deity worship, harināma-saṅkīrtana, book distribution, etc. We know that we can’t repay this debt of yours, but we are trying to follow the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with a sincere desire.
I hope with your mercy I can serve you and this wonderful organization you have created, ISKCON. With immense pleasure, I would like to share the di erent services done by ISKCON Beed for your pleasure, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. Last year in the month of Gītā marathon, Beed distributed 25 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets, 20 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets and we successfully organized Bhagavad-gītā contests in various schools in which 700 students participated. Also, ISKCON Beed distributed 3000 Bhagavad-gītās around our preaching zone.
Please give us your blessings so we may practice our Kṛṣṇa consciousness nicely, do our
chanting, follow the regulative principles, read your books regularly, always serve, and remain in the association of devotees and develop sincere love for the Lord in our hearts.
On this upcoming auspicious occasion of Vyāsa-pūjā, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, ISKCON Beed is o ering you the newly constructed function hall and prasāda hall of 1000 seating capacity, festival kitchen, 5 room guest house, and renovated temple hall of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govindajī under the guidance and blessings of His Holiness Lokanātha Swami.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on behalf of ISKCON Beed and all Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees, we are praying at your lotus feet to please give us the strength to engage in your service by making us an instrument in your divine mission.
Your insigni cant servant,
Viṭṭhalānanda D āsa President, ISKCON BeedWe in the Republic of Benin in West Africa are so happy to be part of this year’s 2023 celebration of the wonderful and auspicious appearance day of our jagat-guru, Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
We are so grateful to His Divine Grace for bringing us Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this age of discord, quarrels, hypocrisies, strife, and unreasonable con icts, thus a ording us a chance to be part of his wonderful movement called ISKCON.
Dear most Śrīla Prabhupāda, thanks a million times for the encouragement you give us not only to be Kṛṣṇa conscious by coming together in your congregational movement called ISKCON, but also through your books, your lectures and your exemplary spiritual lifestyle, your unfathomable love, kindness, compassion, tolerance etc.… ank you very much, our eternal grandfather and father. Only Kṛṣṇa knows what we might have done to deserve your unlimited and causeless mercy in this way. We nd it di cult to understand. We only implore Your Divine Grace through the via media of our gurus who are your bona de representatives to kindly intercede and plead our case before Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, so that their Lordships can grant us the following favors:
1. Consistency in our desire to serve Vaiṣṇavas
2 Determination and strength to remain in this wonderful movement.
3. Helping us Develop and keep being enthusiastic in the day-to-day practice of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that, to the best of our ability.
4 Be blessed with divine mercy, allowing us to have enough strength to follow in the footsteps of Vaiṣṇava ācāryas like you and also be able to live up to expectation of exemplary life of service and devotion to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.
5. To be blessed so that life after life, we could nd ourselves in opportune and favorable situations to serve at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru and Kṛṣṇa.
While praying and hoping that this humble o ering reaches the current leaders and managers in
good health, sound and unshaken devotion, we, your lowliest amongst humans in the Republic of Benin in West Africa beg to remain servants of the servants of Vaiṣṇavas.
Presented by Candraśekhara D āsa Chairman, Board of Trustees of ISKCON-AICK, Republic of BeninDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
If I look back, in these late hours of my life, to the decades that I have traversed in my spiritual journey, the rst things I see are the innumerable reasons for thanking you and being grateful.
What I owe to you, my dear and divine master, I can only know and express by your mercy and through submission to your holy lotus feet. Actually, the greatest benediction you have bestowed upon me is that you have taught me to surrender to your holy feet and have kept me bound there, not allowing me to move away even in front of my persistent attempts to do so. You have made me aware that this exclusive submission is the only true freedom for the soul. ( e freedom from the pangs of this world, desired by everyone, is a mere secondary result.) Such an act of unconditional surrender generates in us fruits of sublime sweetness like clearing our vision and purifying our heart, thus making us capable of receiving through your mouth the eternal mighty current of transcendental knowledge owing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
Although each year I promise to improve my service and enhance my devotion, my negligence in maintaining this resolution becomes more evident when the day of your auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā is approaching. en comes the time to sum up the work done during the year and to personally thank you for all the benedictions you bestowed upon me. I then inevitably realize that what I gave you is always much less than what I received.
Once you said: “You have gone through millions of lives in this material world, serving innumerable masters and innumerable causes. Now just give one life to Kṛṣṇa! Just one!” is is the instruction I have been trying to follow in the last past decades: to give my life to you, so you can o er it to Kṛṣṇa. Just like a child buys a gift for the father with the money he got from the father, I am trying to return to you, my beloved divine father, the life that you gave me by accepting me as your disciple. Your Divine Grace gave me the gift of a new life enriched with the light of knowledge and devotion, a light that has illuminated every single day of my existence. is very same existence I o er back to you beauti ed with whatever little service I was able to o er.
After all, who can say in all honesty that it is di cult to surrender to your lotus feet? You are the perfect master imparting the perfect teaching and practicing it perfectly. Everything you have done is a hymn to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, an eternal harmonious hymn that makes us dance in joy because it reminds us every second how fortunate we are to be able to serve your mission.
Personally, I do not have the talents or quali cations to o er you. Even the desire that I rmly
keep in my heart to be a worthy recipient of your mercy is the evident manifestation of your compassion toward this insigni cant soul.
Your aspiring servant,
Ali Kṛṣṇa Devī D āsī (ACBSP) Written on behalf of the devotees from Villaggio Hare Kṛṣṇa, Bergamo, ItalyDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you on your most auspicious appearance day.
Your Divine Grace has so mercifully done this service to Kṛṣṇa of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. You came at a time when the whole world was being devoured by atheistic science and the false propaganda of material happiness. It was most needed – the whole world was heading toward destruction. You spread this message when you were here, and you are still doing although you are not physically present. You are directing devotees in your brilliant books with your deep insight and understanding of spirit and matter and your love for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And many devotees report how you appear to them in dreams – compassionately guiding and directing. You are always there with us.
How fortunate we are that you are amongst us. We can relish the nectarean stories of your life that are so nicely recorded and available in di erent books. We can nourish our inquisitive minds by happily absorbing ourselves in your transcendental and vast purports to the Vaiṣṇava literature.
By the mercy of the Lord, last year we were able to buy a 4- oor building of 400 square meters in the center of Bergen city in Norway. It is the rst building to be owned by the o cially registered organization, ISKCON Norway. e rst devotees in Norway came from Bergen, and it is natural that the rst ISKCON-owned temple building should appear here.
We pray that we can work sincerely together in a mood of love and trust so that this temple and āśrama will attract many visitors and new devotees to take shelter of your lotus feet and your servants. And if you so desire, please send us some more saṅkīrtana devotees.
We o er our prostrated obeisances to you in gratitude for all you have given us, and we pray that we may always be sincerely engaged in the service of your servants in spreading this mission.
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. is year at Bhaktivedanta Manor, we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary. We’re deeply grateful to you for installing Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gokulānanda on Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī in 1973. You had the vision of sending your six very loyal devotees to the UK to start a new center; they found the Manor property and introduced you to George Harrison, who wanted to help you with your mission and who agreed to buy the Manor for you. ank you so much because it is due to your vision that we now have a very beautiful temple in a Tudor building.
We’ve had many challenges over the years: keeping the temple open for public worship, achieving nancial stability, and leaders unexpectedly leaving, but the devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor kept strong faith in you and your mission of spreading Lord Caitanya’s message.
e 80s were mainly taken up by ghting the closure of the Manor as a place of worship by locals and the council. Under the leadership of Akhaṇḍadhī Prabhu, we established a Temple Defense Movement, and along with our Pāṇḍava Sena youth army, we vigorously fought the closure. We were determined to buy adjoining land and build an alternate road, and to achieve this; we lobbied Hindu Temples up and down the country for months. Finally, 30 thousand Hindus marched to the House of Parliament to protest the closure of our Manor temple. After many public enquires, we were nally granted permission to remain as a place of public worship, for we had secured more land and built a new access road to the Manor.
e Manor now occupies 80 acres of land, and we’ve embarked on new projects. Under the leadership of Gaurī D āsa, we’ve built a purpose-built gośālā and increased our herd of cows and bulls to ful ll all the Deities’ milk requirements. Since the Manor has been in the media for many years, we’ve been attracting far more pilgrims than we can accommodate in the Manor building, so we require a larger facility. Over a period of eight years, we nally obtained permission to build a 22 thousand-square-foot building, the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Haveli, which was completed in 2019
All the above was possible only because of the Bhaktivedanta Manor Foundation, especially the late Śrutidharma D āsa as well as Prāṇabandhu D āsa, both of whom tirelessly raised funds. Other dedicated teams also served together sel essly for many years to make Bhaktivedanta Manor successful, including the Manor sta , residents, volunteers, congregation, and the Temple and Patron Councils.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your Manor rooms are as you last used them when you visited in 1977, and even today, we strongly feel your presence in those rooms. We are fortunate that your disciples take great pride in maintaining them.
For your pleasure, we have many plans for the next decade. We want to have better facilities for the pūjārīs and a new entrance to the temple; we want to provide assisted living accommodations for our aging devotees; we envision a visitor center at the gośālā, as well as a new bookshop and gift shop. e list is endless. We pray to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that we can ful ll all this for your large and ever-growing family. Please shower your blessing on all of us to achieve this and more for the glori cation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gokulānanda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
On behalf of all the residents, sta , volunteers, congregation and guests of Bhaktivedanta Manor
Respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you.
Your Divine Grace will be happy to know that a new petal was added to the lotus of your ISKCON, which you a ectionately referred to as your body. In November 2021, a new ISKCON temple was inaugurated in the city of Bhiwandi, which is 35 km from Mumbai. is is a preaching center of ISKCON Juhu, home of your beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī. Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, Gaura-Nitāi, and Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā were installed by your disciple His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami.
Over the last 12 months, we have been trying our best to increase the core activities that you propagated in your preaching. Below is an update on the project for your pleasure.
ISKCON Bhiwandi has consistently distributed over 1000 plates of prasāda daily to the underprivileged section of society as part of your Food for Life program. During festivals like Rāmanavamī and Janmāṣṭamī, tens of thousands of plates of prasāda are distributed. Our devotees are distributing over 200 Bhagavad-gītās every day. We are conducting several college preaching programs in the area. On the weekend, hundreds of people come to the temple to attend classes and dance in kīrtana in front of the Deities. We have also established a small Govindas restaurant so that visitors can, as you would say it, get a higher taste.
Also, in the last year, we acquired three adjacent plots and are in the process of acquiring a fourth one. Once that is done, the project size will increase from 630 sq meters to 2500 sq meters. We then plan to build a bigger facility to expand preaching, book distribution and prasāda distribution – the main pillars of your movement, thereby spreading your glories further.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you underwent unimaginable austerities to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. You gave unconditional love to everyone who you met in a bid to make them devotees. Your teachings and the way that you lived your life continue to inspire millions around the world. It is only by your mercy that we have this opportunity to practice and do our bit to spread your teachings via this project. We humbly beg you to continue to bless us and guide us so that we can serve you to the best of our ability.
On behalf of the main temple management consisting of Sīta Rāma D āsa, Kṛṣṇa D āsa, Caitanya Avatāra D āsa and Śrī Sudāmā D āsa Your servant, Narottama Priya D āsa ISKCON Bhiwandi
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace! We are endeavoring to please you by our service of maintaining and expanding your movement here in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. We have just started our center three years ago,
and by your divine mercy, it is growing in all aspects. We need your constant blessings to keep the standard in the right direction.
For your pleasure, Śrīla Prabhupāda, here are the highlights for the past year:
• First time we celebrated Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā on a grand scale, and many thousands of devotees participated.
• Two new Bhaktivedanta Library opened for youth to facilitate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
• Started youth preaching in IISER, NLU, AIIMS, and many other national-level colleges.
• Weekly classes for ISKCON Vaiṣṇavī Forum, ISKCON Girls Forum, and ISKCON Kids Forum has been going on for the last two years. Many new devotees are coming and taking on further responsibilities.
• Monthly programs in the heart of the city for around 200 devotees.
• Weekly programs in many satellite centers.
• We were fortunate to welcome ISKCON Pāda-yātrā to our center for three days.
• Organized South India yātrā for a group of 350 devotees; also organized yātrās to Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā and Haridwar for a group of 100 devotees.
It is our good fortune to be a part of your ISKCON mission, and although we missed the beginning of the Society, we feel that things are still beginning. We have a long way to go to show our gratitude to you. We want to repay you for all the love you have shown us. You desired that the entire world would become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and now it is up to us to ful ll your desire.
Please bless us so that all together, as a team, we can expand your movement and create many centers in nearby places and build a bigger temple and better facilities for all the devotees who come to visit the temple. Your causeless mercy is our only hope.
We pray that we always stay on the path shown by Your Divine Grace.
Your humble servants at ISKCON Bhopal BYC
(Written by Dharmendra Kṛṣṇa D āsa)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
is is your insigni cant disciple who is trying to serve you in some small way. By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, you have sent some very nice devotees here in Bologna to serve your mission. ey are helping in realizing your desires which you expressed in letters you wrote to me.
at [Berkeley] is one of our most important branches, especially because it is located just in a very large university area, well known in your country as a famous seat of learning. So now it will be very important to ood Berkeley city with our books and literature because if we can convince the intelligent class of men of our Kṛṣṇa philosophy, then our success for changing the position of your country and the rest of the world from a very dangerous condition is assured.
en when I was in Boston, you gave me the same instructions in 2 parts.
I understand from Karandhara that you are one of the most staunch supporters and workers for distributing our books, and I assure you that it is the highest service to my Guru Mahārāja. ank you very much.
en you gave me your other instructions.
Recruit some educated men from the colleges, schools in Boston, train them up for preaching mission. In this way, develop the quality of your men to be the most surrendered servants of Kṛṣṇa. at will please Kṛṣṇa, and you will feel yourself becoming more and more happy in perfecting your life.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving me a life of service, and now you have sent so many nice devotees to help realize your desire. I pray to you that we can ful ll your desire to recruit some intelligent men and women from the university and ood the city with your books, as this is the highest service to your Guru Mahārāja.
Your insigni cant servant, Trai D āsa
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
By your mercy, our center is slowly progressing. In the meanwhile, we are facing many types of obstacles, but still, we are trying to adjust ourselves by tolerating and staying patient with di erent types of problems.
At present, we have started the Sunday afternoon program, which is slowly progressing. Our IYF program is also continuing.
Long back, we had purchased a piece of land which we have started to ll with soil now. We
are trying to nish the altar wood carving work. We are planning to start our main gate work too. We celebrated the Gaura-Pūrṇimā and Rāma-navamī festival.
Slowly we are trying our best to ful ll your desire by distributing your books. While managing all these things every moment di erent types of problems/obstacles are coming. Please try to give your mercy so that by tolerating all those problems we will try to develop this project of Yours.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you. We are absolutely insigni cant and unquali ed to glorify you; however, this is our humble attempt to express our gratitude and appreciation for your causeless mercy on fallen souls like us and the entire humanity. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the most muni cent incarnation of the Lord, gave the incomparable divine nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema to anyone and everyone by the most sublime process of harināma chanting and inundated everyone’s heart with ecstatic love of Godhead. We see Mahāprabhu’s instructions in Cc., Madhya 7.128, about spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way, become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.
All the ācāryas of our sampradāya have dedicated their life and soul to this instruction of Mahāprabhu, and your divine self has so exceptionally carried forward the legacy and teachings of Mahāprabhu by dedicating your life for this higher cause of spiritual welfare of the people of Kali-yuga. Your only desire was to ful ll the instructions of your spiritual master to spread the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the English language all over the world, as Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the greatest need of the world and the only solution to all the problems and su erings of mankind. You made this the mission of your life, and with the rm determination of mind and pure devotion and faith in heart, you embarked on the journey to the West. Your conviction and zeal to ful ll the instruction of your spiritual master exemplify and teach us the right attitude, responsibility, and commitment of a disciple toward his/her spiritual master.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you endured the most incredible historical challenges – your life was threatened, you had no money, nobody in India had faith that you could succeed, and your health
deteriorated, but your determination never failed as you had complete faith in the order of your Guru Mahārāja and in the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. Even at the very beginning, when everything seemed hopeless, you saw in nite hope. You are a pure devotee empowered by the Lord. It is extremely inspiring for us to note that you were uncompromising in speaking the highest truth, yet you spoke and lived in such a way and presented the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with such deep real concern and compassion for the welfare of others that you transformed people’s hearts. People who had every disquali cation, your compassion and the philosophy you presented with that compassion created quali cation in them. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have touched and transformed millions of hearts, and within no time, you laid the rst stepping stone of your mission by establishing ISKCON, which has grown into a worldwide confederation of more than 650 temples systematically propagating spiritual knowledge to society at large and creating awareness of Kṛṣṇa consciousness as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have led such an exemplary life of devotion, determination, surrender, humility, tolerance, and compassion. We beg for your divine mercy so that we can imbibe and practice these qualities in our spiritual endeavors.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are always present with us through your instructions in your books and lectures. One of the most signi cant contributions that you have made to mankind is your books. You used to say, “By reading my books and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, your life will become perfect.” While we strive to walk on the path of achieving perfection with our constant endeavors to follow your instructions, we beg for your mercy and blessings so that we may continue to gain spiritual wisdom and transcendental knowledge from your books and attain the supreme goal of life. Book distribution is your dear most service, and it gives us the opportunity to reach out to thousands of people and distribute your books that contain timeless wisdom. With your mercy and with the sincere, dedicated e orts of our saṅkīrtana warriors, we were able to distribute 10,350 books which include 87 Bhāgavatam sets.
You would be pleased to know that this year, 19 devotees graduated in “Bhakti- śāstrī,” from Bhaktivedanta Academy of Education, Canada – established by ISKCON Brampton. With your mercy, our Sunday School students are engaging in various services at the temple. Vaikuṇṭha Yuva group is actively participating in temple a airs and is engaging in book distribution and also conducting congregation kīrtanas. Śrīla Prabhupāda, your words, “ ese are Vaikuṇṭha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them a chance to advance further in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” immensely inspires us to share your teachings and philosophy with the children to keep them Kṛṣṇa conscious. With this goal in our minds and hearts, we have started a Bhakti- śāstrī program for teenagers, which covers all the four books recommended by you. We pray for your special blessings for the children so that they can live a spiritually surcharged life keeping the divine couple in the center of all their activities.
With the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami, we are able to reach out to a large section of society through various preaching and kīrtana programs, and our congregation is growing. During this year’s Ratha-yātrā, 5000 prasāda plates were served, and many people have become part of the congregation and have joined the mentorship program of the temple. More than 3000 devotees participated in Janmāṣṭamī celebrations. With your blessings, 18 devotees from the congregation are initiated this year. To deepen the bonding amongst the devotee community, we organized a Bhakti retreat that included spiritual, fun, and family activities, and 29 families attended this retreat.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, in your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4 9 29, you describe how when Dhruva Mahārāja saw the Supreme Lord face to face, he realized that he had wanted a few particles of broken glass but instead had received many diamonds. Likewise, in our journey and struggle in material existence, we realize how exceptionally fortunate we are to receive the diamonds of your teachings and instructions through your books, your disciples who are the warriors of this
movement, a platform of devotee association wherever we are, because of the extensive network of temples. We were looking for petty and insigni cant broken pieces of glass for our existence, and you gave us the treasure house of diamonds.
We are deeply indebted to you for your compassion and mercy on fallen souls like us. You wanted all your disciples and followers to work together and cooperate, and you would say, “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate with one another.” With this spirit of cooperation in our minds and actions, we strive to work together with each other, irrespective of any di erences we may have, for a higher goal of preaching and spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness in di erent sections of society, which is so very crucial and necessary in this age and time. We beg for your mercy to keep us in your shelter and be our constant well-wisher and guide, as you have always been.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your o erings to Kṛṣṇa and to humanity are like an ocean. We pray at your lotus feet to empower us to be able to follow your footsteps and engage in unalloyed, uninterrupted loving devotional service to the Lord and be an insigni cant instrument of Your Divine Grace to spread the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In the introduction to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 7, chapter 7, you mention that “Devotional service is not dependent on the material activities of austerity, penance, mystic yoga or piety. Even without such assets, one can achieve devotional service through the mercy of a pure devotee.” We are on this path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness only because of your grace and mercy, and our humble submission and request to you are to continue showering your love and blessings on us.
Your insigni cant menial servants, e ISKCON Brampton community, Canada
e nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. I am the most fallen insigni cant entity, the most sinful among the sinners. I have no quali cation whatsoever to pay homage to your most exalted divine self, but I am endeavoring to do this for my own puri cation.
While reading Līlāmṛta, tears welled in my eyes numerous times. Your divine self, at the advanced age of sixty-nine, underwent unimaginable pain and set out to travel to the West on the instructions of your spiritual master to broadcast and spread the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, thus ful lling Mahāprabhu’s prophecy:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
In your own divine words you stated that, “‘As many towns and villages are there on the surface of the globe, everywhere this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or Lord Caitanya’s name, will be celebrated.’ at is being done.” (Lecture, Hyderabad, November 23, 1972).
e International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) you established in 1966, in the most challenging circumstances, has signi cantly in uenced the lives of thousands of people globally for generations to voluntarily take up the path of devotional service. I was most fortunate to connect with ISKCON in 2013 through the mercy of devotees, when we were living outside India. Ever since and in the subsequent years, our lives gradually (my family and mine) have been completely transformed. I am eternally indebted to you as you have showered me your inconceivable causeless mercy of unlimited profound love of Kṛṣṇa and His dear devotees. I am immeasurably fortunate to be part of this glorious, wonderful family of devotees.
I am ever so indebted to you for the most precious gems, i.e., books on Vedic knowledge, in English language in the form of Bhaktivedanta purports you have written with painstaking e ort, unambiguous and crystal-clear instructions, invaluable advice in your lectures, room conversations, etc. ese are priceless instructions that you repeat for the bene t of unintelligent and conditioned souls like me to internalize and thus stay resolute.
We are a diverse group of expat devotees from India and Bangladesh living in Brunei. Expats who have ventured far from their homeland are ripe candidates for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as they are often more receptive to the transformative power of your wisdom than in their native place.
We are humbled and happy to note that even in this tiny, remote (Islamic) country, Kṛṣṇa consciousness as taught by you is spreading slowly where we meet periodically for satsaṅgas, sing kīrtanas, conduct regular Bhagavad-gītā study sessions and chant mahā-mantra.
We beg you for your mercy to give us mercy, strength, and determination to stay steadfast and improve our sādhana especially to chant attentively, to manage our time to systematically study your Bhaktivedanta purports and serve you further by pleasing our spiritual masters in your ISKCON.
Your insigni cant eternal servant, Cakradhārī Kānāi D āsa and devotees of Brunei Yātrā
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
e world today is in a state of ux. War is raging, a global recession looms, a climate meltdown is on the horizon, and violent crime, exploitation, addictions of untold varieties, and mental health illnesses are all out of control. In the 5000 years since Kṛṣṇa and the Pāṇḍavas left the planet, Kali has no doubt taken a grip. On such a troubled planet, discussions are ongoing the world over as to how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness and even how to practice it. How to navigate
such a complex mix? For us here in Budapest, the key question centers around what Your Divine Grace has instructed us to do. More speci cally, we ask ourselves, “What would Śrīla Prabhupāda say were he to walk into this temple? Would he be satis ed with what he saw?” is is the guiding light of our activities because for what else do we live other than to satisfy you, Śrīla Prabhupāda? And after all, we daily recite these immortal words from Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka:
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Kṛṣṇa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. erefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should o er my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
So then the question arises of how best to please you. Svarūpa Prabhu (ACBSP) shares in Memories – Anecdotes of a Modern-day Saint the following:
When the rst wave of devotees went to India, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed them to go to his room at the Rādhā-D āmodara Temple in Vṛndāvana, where he had previously been staying, and clean it out. One of my godbrothers said that he came across a piece of paper while cleaning the room. It was folded up like a memo pad, and on that front page, Prabhupāda had written a to-do list. On the very top, it said, “Save the world from godlessness.”
Sitting in Vṛndāvana, no support, no funding, no manpower, and yet you wanted to “Save the world from godlessness.” Such vision, such depth, such faith. It is unfathomable. It is inspirational. And it is this kind of faith that is the bedrock of your mission Śrīla Prabhupāda, one that allows Kṛṣṇa’s intervention and empowerment in our lives. And this is our inheritance. One we have to imbibe and pass on for eons to come.
But where to begin with such a mammoth task? We have been given a success formula by our spiritual leader here in Hungary, your dear disciple, His Holiness Śivarāma Swami, and it goes as follows:
Do what Prabhupāda said = Success us, for almost 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell, the raison d’être of Budapest Temple has been to spread your glories far and wide through the profuse distribution of your books. Of course, we have, amongst other things, beautiful Deity worship, a University giving out stateaccredited Vaiṣṇava degrees, a Food For Life prasāda Program, multiple Govinda’s restaurants, regular harināma parties, and a Media department that broadcasts our activities to the public in an attractive and digestible way. But all of these projects are driven toward the goal of one day having a full set of your books in every household in Hungary.
Some may argue that our approach is simplistic in that we are over-simplifying what is a rather complex issue, that needs to take into account time, place and circumstance, etc. However, rather than being simplistic, we see the clarifying simplicity in a verse that you often quote:
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6 23)
Let your words always be our guiding light, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Let your faith be our inspiration. By strictly following you, we will be ultimately bene ted, and so many others will have an opportunity for the same. With straw between our teeth and implicit faith in our hearts in you and our worshipful Lordships Śrī Śrī Dayāla Nitāi Vijaya Gaurāṅga and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara, we beg you to please empower us to ful ll your mission here in Hungary.
Your servants at ISKCON Budapest, Hungary
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
During the years that Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Vṛndāvana preparing his journey to the West, he lived simply in a small room at the Rādhā-D āmodara Temple. After vigorously preaching in the West for a few years, Śrīla Prabhupāda had access to a lot of opulence, yet he never claimed anything as his own and used every single penny in Kṛṣṇa’s service.
e highest expression of mercy is to o er everyone the opportunity to develop pure love for God. is is what Śrīla Prabhupāda did by opening over a hundred temples, printing millions of books, and sending his disciples all over the world to teach the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His mercy was distributed naturally as a result of his sincere compassion for the su ering conditioned souls. His mercy was spread all over the world like a pleasant rain on the burning hearts of this age.
Śrīla Prabhupāda never asked for anything in return for himself. He only asked that we refrain from doing sinful activities, that we would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others. In this way, giving himself up in every step, Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly exhibited the magnanimous nature of a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s gifts were full of spiritual values; he gave us a wonderful philosophy to live with, knowledge of our true spiritual self, beautiful Kṛṣṇa Deities for us to worship and decorate, the all auspicious holy name, and delicious kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda also gave us wonderful association with devotees, the opportunity to develop pure love for God, and the blessing of returning back to the spiritual world where we can live a life of eternity, bliss, and knowledge.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for everything you lovingly and kindly gave us. We are indebted to you eternally.
Your humble servants at Buenos Aires, Argentina Yātrā
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our dear most ever well-wisher Śrīla Prabhupāda, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Please accept our prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you on this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā and on your 127th anniversary celebration of your appearance.
‘ācāra’, ‘pracāra’, — nāmera karaha ‘dui’ kārya tumi — sarva-guru, tumi jagatera ārya
You simultaneously perform both duties in relation to the holy name by your personal behavior and by your preaching. erefore, you are the spiritual master of the entire world, for you are the most advanced devotee in the world. (Cc., Antya 4.103)
In your purport to this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you quote Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī as to his denition of a bona de spiritual master. Essentially, he takes the scriptural instructions and applies them in his life, both in his behavior (ācāra) and in his preaching e orts (pracāra). A genuine guru always upholds these principles: “practice what you preach” or “walk it like you talk it.”
Your Divine Grace, on this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we beg you to bless all servants of ISKCON Burlington so that we may never deviate from your instructions in our humble attempt to please you.
Your topmost priority was to spread Lord Caitanya’s mission to the masses, and we pray that we can continue your mission.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, last year one of our top priorities was to locate premises for our center in the Burlington area. By your causeless mercy, we were able to secure rental premises in a local church, in which we hold our weekly saṅgas.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by your grace, since our last Vyāsa-pūjā submission, ISKCON Burlington has grown in various outreach e orts. Your center held its second Ratha-yātrā. e festival was well attended by nearly double the number of attendees from 2021. Over 600 plates of prasāda were distributed, and several books were distributed. Overall, for 2022, over 1080 books (exactly 1091) were distributed and sponsored. With your guidance, we exceeded our December Gītā marathon target by four times the set goal. Further growth occurred in areas of fundraising, in-person and virtual Vedic classes, initiating devotees for the rst time, and our rst purchase of a large order of BBT books from L.A. As well, with your inspiration, now a children’s Vedic fun school runs parallel to the adult classes at the weekly Love feasts.
We humbly pray, with a straw between our teeth, for your blessings so that we can assist you
in ful lling the mission of Lord Caitanya. ank you for the greatest benediction, which is the opportunity to render service to the ISKCON worldwide family.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, our dear Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Insigni cant servants of your servants, ISKCON Burlington, Canada
Hare Kṛṣṇa Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, On behalf of all the Calgary devotees please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you!! Today as we celebrate Your holy appearance day, we all feel so fortunate and blessed to be a part of ISKCON – which is one worldwide family, resolute in purpose by having one aim – to serve Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission under Your divine shelter. You have established the foundation principle – s strong faith that by Kṛṣṇa consciousness one will be elevated to the highest perfection of life. is is called vyavasāyātmikā intelligence. ank You very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for gifting us ISKCON and teaching us how to execute devotional service in the most practical way.
One year has passed since the restriction of corona pandemic has been revoked. Everyone expected the world would be a better place now, but the world has witnessed waves of new problems in form of war and recession. As You rightly explained, our situation is like the “Fish out of water.” No matter how much we try, we cannot be happy here since the world is designed to be “duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam.” You have truly opened our darkened eyes and lled our hearts with transcendental knowledge. We do remember the prayer of Narottama D āsa Ṭhākura:
cakṣudāna dila-yei, janme janme prabhu sei divya-jñāna hṛde prakāśita prema-bhakti yāhā haite avidyā vināśa yāte vede gāya yāṅhāra carita
By carrying out the orders of Your spiritual master, You not only ignited the re of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every town and village but also gave us the strength and ability to be able to practice these sublime teachings of Lord Caitanya. If it were not for your causeless mercy, many devotees would have been rotting in this material world without any goal or purpose for their life. No matter how bad the situation in this material world is, we always have the supreme shelter of Your lotus feet that will protect us from the most dangerous calamities.
Today, in this auspicious moment, ISKCON Calgary would like to make a humble attempt to report its performance over the year.
In Bhagavad-gītā 5 25, You stated – “ e su erings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme enjoyer, the Supreme proprietor, and the Supreme friend. erefore, to act to revive this consciousness within the entire human society is the highest welfare work.”
Accepting Your teaching as our life and soul, we are happy to report that, we have increased our street harināma saṅkīrtana event in summer and book distribution program in di erent parts of Calgary. In continuation of 2021, in 2022, also we have achieved more than a 10 percent increase in distributing Bhagavad-gītā as part of “Live to Give” campaign and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as part of “Save Earth now” campaign. Our youth has really contributed heavily to distributing Your books. Like 2022, we are planning to distribute Bhagavad-gītā in Correction Centre, Hospitals, Libraries, and Motels this year too. We are in discussion with Calgary Central Library to place Your books in all the libraries.
ISKCON Management is happy to announce that after tireless e orts, they have nally decided on a new place for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and Śrīnāthajī. e new place is near the airport in Calgary and has more land to construct a spacious temple with an increased parking facility. e temple will be modern, functional, and environmentally sustainable, accented with elements of Vedic architecture. is new temple will accommodate more devotes to participate in the events and attend Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā classes. We would be able to operate in a grand way to strengthen our preaching activity. We have seen an overwhelming response from many devotees and contributions toward the mission. Building a new temple needs money and hard work. We are con dent that if we all work together as a team, we will be able to ful ll our mission with Your causeless mercy.
Our Calgary Vedic Academy (CVA), an educational initiative of ISKCON Calgary, is really a great success. As you always say – “Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a Science” – this is the basis of our CVA teaching principle. We started with 46 students, and in one year, we reached almost 100 students. Many new kids outside ISKCON are joining to learn the timeless wisdom of our Vedic scripture as presented by You. A new initiative of university preaching started at the University of Calgary, and it is planned to extend to other colleges of Calgary as well. CVA is also planning to start Youth Forum to train the youth in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as youth is the foundation of our future.
Since last year, we have been celebrating all the major festivals in a grand way. We see a huge increase in the number of people attending festivals as well as our regular Sunday feast program. Our Deity worship standards are also improving day by day. e deity department is constantly putting endeavors into improving the Deity worship and decoration standards. We also have regular Bhagavad-gītā classes on Sundays and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam classes on Saturday mornings. Many devotees, including youth, have started attending the complete full morning program on Saturday before Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class. We have also conducted a complete recitation of Rāmacaritamānasa and Bhagavad-gītā verses on the Rāma-navamī and Gītā-jayantī events, respectively. More than 300 plates of prasāda are being served in every Sunday feast program.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, although we are very inspired to propagate the teaching of Lord Caitanya, we feel so incompetent and depend on your mercy. We beg for your blessing so that we can multiply our preaching e orts and attract more and more souls to the path of bhakti.
On this auspicious day, we want to o er our humble prayers that we may all be able to become an instrument in propagating the message of Lord Caitanya. May we be able to put aside our own personal agenda aside and become one in the service of the Lord and His devotees. May we get the strength to say no to the tribulations of this material world, and may our only desire be to render unmotivated and uninterrupted service unto your lotus feet.
Your insigni cant servants of ISKCON Calgary
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda, Dear eternal father, All Glories to the wonderful day of Your appearance.
As thou thyself proclaimed of the appearance day of thy divine spiritual master: A day “more blessed than Heaven, sweeter than May.”
You have come as the commander-in-chief of the army of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu by the order of your divine spiritual master to ful ll the prophecy that the name of the Lord is to be heard in every town and city.
e beautiful Deities of Śrī Śrī Parama-Karuṇa Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi witnessed your irrepressible ecstasy when you chanted His glories.
By your example of tireless dedication, you have shown us the way to serve the spiritual master, by your grace, we will be able to understand more and more how to carry out this movement.
Please grow every day, more and more, in our lives. Please have mercy on these fallen and disquali ed servants. Your instructions are our life and soul. You are our eternal guide to the lotus feet of the Lord. Our eternal aspiration is to be able to serve you birth after birth.
ough disquali ed, by your causeless mercy, you will instruct us in all aspects of devotional service for the pleasure of the Lord. at causeless mercy is the only hope for us; please bathe us with your grace to have the determination to serve you in all circumstances. Without it, we are like boats in the ocean of material miseries.
Grant us the warm shelter of your lotus feet. y glories expand limitlessly in our hearts and in the three worlds.
Your eternal servants of Caracas Mandir
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
On this most auspicious day of the 127th anniversary of your appearance day, we o er our heartfelt Vyāsa-pūjā homage to your lotus feet as an expression of our deepest gratitude and appreciation for Your Divine Grace.
As your granddisciples, we are forever indebted for the immeasurable mercy you have showered upon us, guiding us on the path of devotion and self-realization. Your profound wisdom, loving guidance, and unwavering commitment to spreading the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa have touched countless lives and transformed the hearts of so many all over the world.
Your divine sanctity is beyond ordinary words. In the śāstras, it is stated that pure Vaiṣṇavas, like you, are like touchstones that purify everything that comes in contact with them: “My Lord, saints like your good self are holy places personi ed. Because you carry the Supreme Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn every place into a place of pilgrimage.” (Mahābhārata 2.34 & Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.10)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, through your divine presence on earth, you turned every place you visited with Lord Kṛṣṇa in your heart into a place of pilgrimage and inspired countless souls to turn toward a life of devotion and become Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. Due to the degrading in uence of Kali-yuga, it was not easy to turn mlecchas and yavanas into Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. However, your tireless e orts to spread the love of God worldwide in such a short period of only 12 years have left an indelible mark on humanity. No one in human history has accomplished what you did.
Today, all over the world, in all these places, we celebrate your Vyāsa-pūjā and your service to the mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa’s glories. We want to express our deepest admiration for your noble sacri ce, Śrīla Prabhupāda, your superhuman endeavors, and the burden of trouble you willingly carried on your humble shoulders to deliver humanity the divine gift of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the form of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.
As one among many śāstric statements re ecting your divine identity, in the eleventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11 26 34), we nd Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own statement describing the divine characteristics of His devotees, which perfectly exemplify you:
My devotees bestow divine eyes, whereas the sun allows only external sight, and that only when it is risen in the sky. My devotees are one’s real worshipable deities and real family; they are one’s own self, and ultimately they are nondi erent from Me.
Purport: Foolishness is the wealth of the impious, who place great value on their treasure and rmly make up their minds to remain in the darkness of ignorance. Saintly devotees of the Lord are just like the sun. By the light of their words, the living entities’ eyes of knowledge are opened and the darkness of ignorance is destroyed. us the saintly devotees are one’s real friends and relatives. ey are the proper recipients of service – not the gross material body, which merely clamors for sense grati cation.
With sincere humility, we express our heartfelt gratitude to you, the best well-wisher of all beings, the genuinely reliable, perfect spiritual guide, and a loving, a ectionate spiritual grandpa. We deeply appreciate everything you have done to save humanity from degradation. We are very grateful for the establishment of the magni cent spiritual institution of ISKCON, which provides the opportunity for people worldwide to associate with Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. We are immensely thankful for the books you have provided us and all the individuals in this mortal world, enabling us to learn about Lord Kṛṣṇa, our relationship with Him, and the process of reconnecting with Him. We also express our heartfelt thanks for establishing a spiritual lifestyle that allows us to practice devotional service for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction, make spiritual progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you have previously blessed us to establish an ISKCON temple in Las Vegas, known as the heart of Kali-yuga on earth, we now humbly request your blessings for our newly established ISKCON of Centre County in State College, Pennsylvania. We earnestly pray for its success in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the local people, as per your desire. We also seek your blessings to contribute signi cantly to the second part of your noble mission, which is to establish the varṇāśrama system in Gītā-nagarī farm and build a varṇāśrama college there.
We are diligently working toward ful lling your desire for self-su ciency in our ISKCON society, particularly in the area of natural health care. By your grace and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, we are developing a worldwide natural healthcare organization called Healing Herb Wellness, which is being appreciated and bene ting people in general. We humbly request your blessings to introduce this Kṛṣṇa conscious self-care system in our ISKCON society, so that devotees can have simple, natural, and e ective remedies for their health needs at their homes and temples.
With unwavering faith, we earnestly seek your causeless mercy to continue following the path of bhakti that you have revealed to us, and to wholeheartedly embrace your entire mission for your full satisfaction. Please empower us to constantly shift our attraction from material sense grati cation to gratifying the Divine senses of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa for His sweet satisfaction and pleasure.
We pray that you continue to shower your mercy upon us and empower us to follow the path of bhakti with steadfast dedication and humility. We beg you, please, may we become humble instruments in your mission to spread Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and help others become Kṛṣṇa conscious and engage in His loving devotional service.
We sincerely pray for your blessings to be focused on productive activities in devotional service in your noble mission so that we can faithfully represent you and Kṛṣṇa all over the world.
Your humble and eternally grateful devotees running the Bhakti House as the preaching center of ISKCON of Centre County,
Surapāla D āsa and Kṛṣṇa-mayī Devī D āsī ISKCON of Centre County, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances unto your lotus feet.
It gives us immense pleasure and joy to celebrate your 127th Vyāsa-pūjā Mahotsava this year.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the senāpati-bhakta in the army of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who came to deliver the fallen conditioned souls of Kali-yuga. Under your direction, countless souls have taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. and many will be taking in the future due to your unlimited mercy and well-established organization, ISKCON. e whole world remembers you as a great and stalwart devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who came at the darkest hours of the human civilisation and rescued it from going to hell.
We all are highly indebted and grateful for your sacri ce and sel ess service.
You taught the world how to be the lover of Kṛṣṇa. Your presentation of the science of God is so simple yet very deep, and even a layman can understand it. By your vision, organization, and bold steps, the holy names of the Lord are spreading like wild re. e waves of your mercy have touched Chandigarh also. is year we have seen a lot of positive developments in your temple here by your causeless mercy. A few of them are as follows:
• Ten young boys have joined the temple with the vow of serving your mission for their whole lives.
• Our devotees have distributed nearly 68000 Bhagavad-gītās in the Bhagavad-gītā marathon 2022; and we came rst in the North India region and second in the whole India in the Small Temple category.
• Festivals have seen a great increase in the number of people coming to the temple. Janmāṣṭamī, Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā, Gaura-Pūrṇimā, and all festivals were celebrated with great pomp and grandeur.
• Congregation preaching and youth preaching has increased manifolds.
• Renovation work of Devotee Kitchen, Temple Hall, and Gift Shop is going on in full swing.
• Now we have Govinda’s Snack Bar, where locals are getting lip-smacking snacks that have been rst tasted by our Presiding Deities, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava.
• Panchkula and other outposts are growing nicely.
We have a long way to go in order to ful ll your desire of making everyone a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Please be merciful to us and shower your incessant mercy so that we can become real Prabhupādānugas.
Trying to serve, Your grandchildren at ISKCON Chandigarh and Panchkula
All the Glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda
Accept our humble and respectful obeisances to your lotus feet.
e arrival of a great ācārya is not frequent, but by observing his activities and appreciating his qualities, we can realize that they are those that describe a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, a mahātmā, a great personality adorned with pure bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had to go through many di culties. anks to your tireless desire to please your spiritual master, you were able to give millions of people, we included, the possibility to know and practice this path of bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus give a real and positive meaning to our lives.
By your compassion, talent, and ability, you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, got thousands of people to follow you in faith and serve you fully, and in this act of service and love, you brought about a great change in their lives and hearts.
Even today, thousands of devotees are still inspired by your writings and your purports, which are adorned with bhakti and all have the nal conclusions from the Vedas. e world su ers from a lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; they believe they will be happy, but by being touched by your wise words, they can come out of this illusion and have the opportunity to engage in devotional activities. is is only by your grace.
Jay Śrīla Prabhupāda, we prostrate ourselves again and again at your lotus feet, humbly imploring your grace. Although we are not quali ed, our desire is to remain under your refuge.
Your servants,
Santiago Mandir Temple, ISKCON ChileJagad-guru D āsa, President
Alaṅkṛtī Devī D āsī, Secretary
Janaka Rāja D āsa, Vice-president
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our very humble obeisances, all glories to your lotus feet. ank you for translating and commenting on the vast volume of spiritual books so that the world can be enlightened and perceive the goal and meaning of life. ank you for dispatching His Holiness Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and other spiritual masters to China so that we, Chinese devotees, have a chance to come in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness and nd a new way to be out of the confusion of material civilization.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, through hearing, Chinese devotees have started to perceive your mission and vision, and from surrendering to the Spiritual Masters, we have started to practice your teachings and follow your instructions. rough which, we try all e orts to learn and take action to follow your steps and ful ll your wishes. Here, please allow me, on behalf of Chinese devotees, to report to you our e orts on systematic training.
Years ago, by following my Guru Mahārāja, His Holiness Romapāda Swami’s instruction, I went to India and accepted the training of Bhakti- śāstrī and Bhakti-vaibhava (Canto 1–4). And after came back to China, by the mercy of the GBC and senior devotees, I o cially joined the China Strategic Planning Team and obtained permission to establish the Key Result Area, Education, and Training System for sustainable development. en from scratch, we arranged for a group of sincere Chinese devotees to work on the areas of curriculum design, training material compilation, talent discovery and training, rules and regulations set-up, etc. And after more than four years of unremitting e orts, the training system has made the following phased progress:
1 We established, Bhakti-bindu, Bhakti-sadācāra, Bhakti- śāstrī, “University for the elderly (over 60) and “Special training for devotees,” the Five Ladder Curriculum System, which includes 18 courses and 3 long-term lectures. Only for 2022, there were more than 700 devotees across China joined these training programs.
2. We compiled seven sets of students’ and teachers’ books for Bhakti-sadācāra and Bhakti- śāstrī courses, more than ten of them in total. Considering the current situation in China, all the textbooks are presented in a reproducible way for online training and will be used by the nāmahaṭṭa groups around the country.
3 We sought out and cultivated more than 20 lecturers (who had no teaching experiences on spiritual subjects before); they were all Chinese devotees who could not make it to be trained in the holy dhāma for various reasons.
4. We identi ed and nurtured over ten managers, who all undertake important managerial services in the above-mentioned courses. We also provide opportunities for each participant to practice managerial services from a small team of three. In order to ensure the continuous development of the training system, more than 40 urban training contacts have been selected as the liaisons for conveying training information.
4. We formulated and implemented rules and regulations for the ladder courses of the Education and Training System.
During the past year, the above items were mainly carried out through online platforms due to the pandemic. Starting this year, we hope to establish more o ine training programs and will endeavor to make e orts in the following aspects:
1. To keep improving the Ladder Course System and develop more advanced, more interesting,
and more suitable courses for o ine training, through which to meet the needs of devotees from di erent regions, at di erent ages, and at di erent spiritual stages.
2. To complete the compilation of the teaching materials for the other four courses of Bhakti-sadācāra, and continue to formulate and improve the rules and regulations of all ladder sections. Ensure the education and training system is developed in a legal, reasonable, standardized, and orderly way.
3 To continue to seek and cultivate talents in teaching, management, and devotional skills. Our responsibility is to identify, cultivate and dispatch the talents for China’s mission.
4 To Integrate resources and establish a stable o ine training base for the ladder courses.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we know we are not quali ed. We know without your mercy, we can do nothing. We sincerely pray to you, as we prayed several years ago, that if the above-presented plan meets your will, if you think we can do it, please kindly bestow upon us spiritual wisdom, strength, and virtue, so that we can nicely perform our sādhana, be steady in our service, and focus on our service objects with a good sense of responsibility, and under the guidance of our seniors, we can cooperate sincerely, forge ahead, and dedicate ourselves to China mission. In this way, we hope to please you, please the devotees, please the spiritual masters, and Lord Kṛṣṇa. We beg you to kindly bless the Chinese devotees.
As conditioned souls born in China who had the great fortune to read and hear about your life and teachings, we are in full respect and admiration for you, and our hearts are lled with in nite emotion and gratitude. We admire your devotion and respect for your character. at is the virtue and gift that we want most from you: to live by the guru’s instructions and follow them with our lives and souls. Please kindly bless us.
ank you for hearing this humble appeal. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
On behalf of the Chinese Yātrā, e little servant of your servant’s servant, Lalitā Sakhi Devī D āsī
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your appearance day is always very special to us. With great delight and a sense of gratitude, we celebrate it every year. is day is also a very special day for us to re ect on how this year has been in terms of the services we have o ered to please you and to confess our shortfalls and ask for forgiveness.
We strongly believe that all the seven purposes of ISKCON can be served by a spiritually vibrant temple. Hence, we carefully see to it that our temple is ever ourishing with Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, and for that purpose, services are attended with great care and devotion to the best of our abilities. Toward this, we celebrated every festival on a grand scale with the temple and congregational devotees as well as neophyte devotees. We conducted many harināmas, nāmahaṭṭa programs, Kṛṣṇa festival (a two-day festival of Ratha-yātrā followed by Kīrtana Day), which made deep impressions in everyone’s heart. Cologne Ratha-yātrā has become one of the largest in Europe. We also conducted virtual, live sessions based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, ŚrīmadBhāgavatam and other such scriptures.
Gauradeśa has pleased ISKCON German yātrā by serving for many years and is ever committed to future projects as well. We o ered spiritual education through various seminars and courses conducted. ese include Guru-disciple course, Bhakti- śāstrī course, Deity worship course, bhakta course, saṅkīrtana seminars, Journey of Self Discovery courses, Prasāda cooking courses, etc.
Many distinguished guests, including His Holiness Kadamba Kānana Swami, His Holiness Mahā-Viṣṇu Swami, His Holiness Bhakti-bhūṣaṇa Swami, His Grace Mahātmā Prabhu, His Grace Vaiyāsaki Prabhu and other honored guests blessed us with their association and gave an unforgettable experience for everyone.
With regular harināmas, books, and prasāda distribution on the streets of Cologne, we reached many people and got them blessed by our all-beautiful Śrī Śrī Vijaya Gaurāṅga Dayāla Nitāi’s mercy! We distributed over 13,000 books in the last year and gave recommendations for 15 devotees for rst or second initiation.
Our endeavor in the last years has been to focus on outreach programs to attract many to ISKCON. e Deities overwhelm with their beauty and attract more and more visitors to the temple! e highlight of this time was Janmāṣṭamī, where the temple was jam-packed with devotees.
We are always coming up with new ways of giving our guests, congregational and temple devotees Kṛṣṇa conscious knowledge in di erent ways to preserve the temple and make it the best place for everyone. It is not only a place for learning and encounter, but on a deeper level, it is also a part of the spiritual world where everyone can develop, experience, and deepen their relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Every year on this day, we gather and o er our prayers at your lotus feet and sincerely pray to give us strength with which we can serve you and your mission successfully.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please forgive us for failing to meet your expectations. Please shower your mercy and give us the intelligence and, importantly, opportunities to serve you and your mission.
Your insigni cant servant, Sudāmā D āsa
On behalf of ISKCON Köln Temple
jīv jāgo, jīv jāgo, gauracānda bole kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole
Lord Gaurāṅga is calling, “Awake sleeping souls! Awake sleeping souls! How long will you sleep in the lap of the witch called Māyā? – Song of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
Beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances to the dust of your holy lotus feet.
Today we are presented with a beautiful opportunity to glorify you, although words are not enough to describe all your magni cent qualities. You are truly the savior of the fallen souls.
You took great risks, faced countless di culties, overcame all kinds of obstacles, and embarked on an unprecedented odyssey motivated by in nite mercy and love. With the purpose of rescuing the su ering souls of the Western world, you made your life an example to follow, ful lling the glorious instructions of our Guru Mahārāja. You devoted your days to the mission of systematically propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ful lling the prophecy that the holy name would be chanted in every town and village.
In Bhagavad-gītā 7.19 it is stated:
After many births and deaths, he who truly has knowledge surrenders to Me, knowing that I am the cause of all causes and of all that exists. A soul this big is very hard to nd.
You are really mahātmā, that great soul that is so di cult to nd but that by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees we were fortunate to meet. is opportunity is given very rarely. erefore, it is our wish that we can actively participate in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the only e ective medicine for the material disease, and thus help you in his mission under the guidance of your expert disciples.
You have given us complete help: scienti c knowledge about the self, about God, and about the relationship between the two; a new lifestyle under the principle of simple living and high thinking. You have given us a refuge, a house where the whole world can live, and an opportunity to prove our worth through cooperation among all members of the congregation.
By your in nite compassion, we have already been blessed. It is now up to us to take advantage of this unique situation to redirect our lives toward success, which is already guaranteed because you are our guide, our beacon, showing us the right path.
We are full of gratitude and love for you. We hope to improve so that we can serve you more every day and help so many people who are perplexed by the material concept of existence. Your love for us is re ected in the great gift you gave us: your books, your great literary works, so magni cent. You are continually present and speak to us through your books. We are never alone.
Please forgive our o enses, faults, and bad qualities.
Ever yours, your aspiring servants, Devotees of the yātrā of Córdoba City, Argentina
(Written by Kṛṣṇa Kṛpā Devī D āsī)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
On this most auspicious occasion of your appearance, let us try to fathom a glimpse of your amazing personality and your unprecedented achievements. Your causeless mercy touched thousands of people even in this insigni cant tract of land where more than a million of your time bombs have been distributed, waiting for thousands upon thousands of souls to be awakened still. Your words in those books are sharp swords of knowledge meant to cut the illusion arising from false bodily identi cation. Your mercy is unmatched and unparalleled, and that is still an understatement. To help us insigni cant conditioned souls, you spent gallons of blood undeterred and resolute to write and publish your books which are standing like monolithic monuments resisting the deteriorating in uence of time. Your books are timeless; every sentence and word and, in fact, every letter in your writings is surcharged with your burning desire to bring lost souls back home back to your beloved, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān.
You constructed so many temples and places of worship for your faithful followers and indeed for the whole world to come and drink the nectar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayaṁ. To relish that nectar, one has to get a taste for it, and that’s possible only in the association of devotees always chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. You gave us this simple process promulgated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and today everywhere, even in this mleccha-deśa in the middle of nowhere, there are scores of places where your devotees are regularly congregating and chanting the holy names of the Lord. at is your glory, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are the proof of your unending mercy and care. In spite of Kali-yuga madness getting stronger day by day, there are so many sincere servants of yours who resist the temptation to give it up. e faith in your words and your mission gives them the solace to remain steady on the path.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are our life support machine, and without you we are lifeless. When we try to remember and ponder upon your absolute conviction and faith in guru-sādhuśāstra we are ba ed and mesmerized. You are the embodiment of tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena principle, and your boldness and conviction in presenting bhakti-siddhānta are incomparable. You came to give, not to beg like others.
You instructed us to cooperate, and you expect us to do so. Not on the sentimental and sappy level but with a genuine understanding of the importance of your mood and mission. Every one of us should feel indebted and obliged to you and your matchless gifts you so kindly bestowed upon us. We didn’t have an opportunity to serve you personally nor to hear from you directly, but we serve and hear from your faithful sons and daughters, who are another evidence of your potency because a potent father can conceive strong and healthy children.
We beg and pray, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda save us from our misconceptions, from lethargy, from pūjā, lābha, and pratiṣṭhā. Please bless us to progress steadily, to grow and ourish. Bless us to become your worthy servants and empower us to in uence other lost souls and bring them back home, back to Godhead.
Your servants from Croatia (in the name of Croatian yātrā written by Divya-prabandha D āsa, Chairman of the National Council)
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, my Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace on the auspicious occasion of Your Divine Grace’s 127th Vyāsa-pūjā celebrations.
On this auspicious day of your 127th appearance day, we would like to express our greatest gratitude for your causeless mercy, without which we would never have been so much lucky to have this chance to become a servant, an instrument in the hands of Śrī Gaurāṅga.
My Śrīla Prabhupāda, we started a center in Dahod city which is in the tribal belt of Gujarat state and which connects the borders of two other states. Preaching was going on for many years, but there was no proper channel by which the divine message of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could spread in every corner of this city and connected villages. In August 2021, we all took an initiative and started a center in the city and since then, we have done many house programs and many other big festivals, where book distribution, harināma, kṛṣṇa-kathā, and kṛṣṇa-prasāda were the main center of attraction. Since one year we are doing nagara-saṅkīrtana on a daily basis in which we carry a palanquin of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. During harināma, we enter the residences of people. We have covered the entire city twice.
Here In the city, there are local ādivāsī areas where we distribute prasāda on a regular basis; we are also going to soon start Gītā class for children, which would add more devotees our society, and due to this, we will ourish.
My Prabhupāda, we always had the desire to preach and ourish Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the entire city, and other connected villages, but somehow, we are unable to ful ll your desire. We know whatever we have is all due to your causeless mercy, even though we are not so quali ed and are incompetent to preach. Currently, our progress is going well, but there is a lack of insincerity in us, because of which we are yet not able to ourish the movement here.
On this auspicious day, we humbly request you to please always keep us under the shelter of your divine lotus feet and bless us so that we get rid of all our di culties due to which we are lagging in preaching and also not able to become devotees of the Lord, which you always expected from us.
Most respected Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
March 19–30 marked the most glorious Silver Jubilee Celebrations of ISKCON Delhi.
Lord Garuḍa appeared on the Lord’s ag that was hoisted at the inauguration of the festival by His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and His Holiness Ātma-nivedana Swami . ere was an inspirational Rāma-kathā by His Grace Vrajendranandan Prabhu from March 19–25, which was followed by the ecstatic Sītā Rāma Śobha-yātrā with enthralling kīrtana reverberating across South Delhi!
From March 26–28, nearly 5,000 youth, 5,000 Congregation members, and 5.000 patrons had over three consecutive days of events dedicated to them.
ousands rocked to the Mādhavas, watched the astonishing award-winning acrobats and artistes of the Prince Dance Group and the Crazy Hoppers, were Amazed by Rahul Arya’s Sand Art and rāma-līlā by three di erent teams, enlightened by the words of wisdom of several senior Vaiṣṇavas and witnessed the history of ISKCON Delhi, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja’s labor of love for you, Śrīla Prabhupāda unfold in a drama, on video and photo galleries and tasted prasāda to their hearts’ content. e entire festival was agged o by an eminently mystifying Narasiṁha yajña performed by His Holiness Bhakti Ārjava Prīti Vardhana Swami, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu and their team from the Māyāpur Gurukula. is yajña of unprecedented proportions was one true highlight of the entire festival!
On March 29, the enthralling, enchanting, energizing Kīrtana-melā with His Holiness Lokanātha Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Bṛṅga Govinda Swami, His Grace Vaiyāsakhi Prabhu, His Holiness Bhakti Anugraha Janārdana Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Kāruṇāmaya Vanamālī Swami and many other kīrtaniyās was an astounding success with thousands chanting, dancing, and feasting!
March 30 marked the culmination of 25 annual Rāma-navamī festivals at ISKCON Delhi, since the inauguration in 1998 by Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee-ji, the former prime minister of India. e Honorable President of India Smt. Draupadi Murmu-ji and the Honorable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi-ji sent in special messages to congratulate ISKCON Delhi on this occasion.
His Holiness Lokanātha Swami, His Holiness Badrinārāyaṇa Goswami, His Holiness Bhakti Bhṛṅga Govinda Swami, His Holiness Siddhārtha Swami, His Grace Pṛthu Prabhu, His Grace Kratu Prabhu, His Grace Mahāmana Prabhu, His Grace Vaiyāsakhi Prabhu – all your disciples, His Holiness Bhakti Vijñāna Goswami, His Holiness Ātma-nivedana Swami, His Holiness Bhakti
Anugraha Janārdana Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Rakṣaka Rādhā-Golokānanda Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Karuṇāmaya Vanamālī Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Ratnākara Ambarīṣa Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Ārjava Prīti Vardhana Swami, His Grace Devakīnandan Prabhu, His Grace Śaṅkhadhārī Prabhu, His Grace Braja Hari Prabhu, His Grace Śūra D āsa Prabhu, His Grace Śākṣi Gopāla Prabhu and leaders from across Delhi-NCR attended the festival. Union minister Youth Sri Anurag Singh akur, BJP National President, Sri JP Nadda, Smt. Hema Malini, the Member of Parliament from Mathurā, and many others graced this event.
2023 also marks the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathijī, your prāṇadhana! Much more to come in your service Śrīla Prabhupāda. By your causeless mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, thousands join us daily in person, and a million others join online!
Who would have imagined that a jagat-guru ordering his Gurudāsa to build a temple by getting
down from a train would cause one 3 acre National Tourist destination and Architectural wonder –e Glory of India and 18 other temples across Delhi-NCR to spring up! “ is man is inviting us. Get down and see what you can do.” Historic words! What a journey it has been by your mercy
Śrīla Prabhupāda! 25 years from the day this temple was inaugurated in 1998. What has followed in these last 25 years is nothing short of a miracle – your miracle!
Śrīla Prabhupāda, every day we distribute prasāda to more than 7,000 visitors at our temple. During festivals and your Sunday love feast programs, we feed around 10,000 people. Apart from this, ISKCON devotees and volunteers go out to old-age homes, leper colonies, orphanages, etc., to help all the residents by distributing prasāda. We have a massive mid-day meal program through our sister organization Annamrita Foundation, other than Food For Life (FFL), which feeds hundreds of thousands, mid-day meals through the central government-aided program, and, as of now, we have four kitchens in and around Delhi NCR, which are constantly active – serving midday meals to more than 400,000 children every day in government schools. A very successful program.
We have been able to develop our congregation by your mercy. We started our counseling program called Āśraya, which is similar to the Bhakti-vṛkṣa program. Now we have 200 Āśraya groups existing in the Delhi-NCR area and almost as many Bhakti-vṛkṣa groups! at’s a lot of people getting lots of mercy! Book distribution, I would say, is our prime activity. And it is growing every year with the help of all these wonderful devotees! And our whole idea is that the more we engage your people, Prabhupāda, in book distribution, the more our numbers grow. So we engage at least 3,000 devotees from your army in book distribution every year. Delhi temple is one of the toppers in book distribution throughout the ISKCON world, distributing nearly 500,000 Mahā Big books for the last many years – naturally being your only karma-bhūmi for active book distribution.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for the unending inspirational support, for your sacri ce in Chippiwada in the early days and the sincere surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa that you set by your example of sel ess service to Prabhupāda Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta. ere are thousands of youths connected to hundreds of groups in the ISKCON Youth Forum, EVOLVE, Āśraya, and Bhakti-vṛkṣa groups, nearly 150 BACEs- youth hostels, and nearly 60 colleges are bene tting from the spiritual inspiration of talented youth volunteers of your ISKCON, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
is year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the installation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathijī by Your Divine Grace – on November 21, 1973.
“After the ceremony, Mother Yamunā, so frequently the vocal leader of our community, leaned toward Śrīla Prabhupāda, asking, “Śrīla Prabhupāda what will be e Names of eir Lordships. Pensive for a moment, Śrīla Prabhupāda responded: “Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi” to which one and all jubilantly responded, “Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya Jaya.”
But what is a Silver Jubilee for yours – Śrīla Prabhupāda and Śrīla Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami’s labor of love for you – this magni cent temple? What is a Golden Jubilee for the eir Supreme Lordships? eir Lordships are Priceless! “Bhūṣaṇam Bhūṣaṇāṅgam,” the decoration of the ornaments themselves!
“I will repeat it: I feel that the time Prabhupāda spent in Delhi is signi cant,” says Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja. “Because it puri ed this place. at’s why Kṛṣṇa is giving us all success. It’s not us; it is Prabhupāda. It has his touch. It has to be him. Only he could accomplish this. Because the success we are experiencing here is unprecedented. ere is no place in the world with so many temples in one city – and, again, it is only growing. He came here, he showed his mercy to this area, and it has his stamp on it. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya.”
We seek a wonderful Silver Jubilee of the ISKCON Delhi temple and an even more stupendous
Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathijī for your transcendental pleasure.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
In service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathijī and eir devotees, Your servant Mohana Rūpa D āsa, Temple President, ISKCON Delhi
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our ever well-wisher, dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On the Golden Jubilee celebration year of the installation of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kuñjabihārī, we would like to o er our most respectful obeisances at your lotus feet with utmost gratitude. You instructed in detail, starting with commissioning them from Jaipur to worshiping them most opulently. Since then, hundreds of dedicated devotees have become fortunate to serve them with utmost sincerity and love and receive the highest blessings.
Every day at maṅgala-ārati, we pray:
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satis ed. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and o er my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master.
Our constant desire and e orts are to please you by following your instructions as our lives and souls. You instructed His Grace Ambarīṣa Prabhu to establish FATE Museum at your Devasadhan Mandir in Detroit and build the most historic TOVP project in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma. By his personal example, he is constantly inspiring all the devotees, especially us, the best way how to please you.
We started the Grand celebration of the Golden Jubilee by establishing the tulā-dāna festival, books donated by congregation members equal to their weight, a rst in North America. We are continuing this at every major festival. We also did Silver and Gold tulā-dāna for Utsava Deities. All the festivals we celebrated and plan to celebrate throughout the year in a grand way to attract the maximum number of souls and connect with you.
We are continuing to upgrade your most beautiful gift – Devasadhan Mandir – with the latest technology and equipment.
With outreach programs increasing, our congregation has expanded multifold.
O savior of the whole universe, please bless us so that we can continue the progress even after the 50th-year celebration is over.
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, we beg you to give us the intelligence to remain at your Lotus feet and our most merciful Deities Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kuñjabihārījī until we are in these bodies. Please keep holding our hands tight because we have the tendency to run away.
Begging for the forgiveness of our unlimited o enses to Vaiṣṇavas.
Your humble servants at Devasadhan Mandir, Detroit, MI, USA
(Written by Jagad-guru D āsa)Dear Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances to your lotus feet. All Glories to Your Divine Grace! We express our sincere gratitude for the opportunity to glorify you in this book for the rst time.
Today the world has reached a strange condition in which, putting aside the majority of the population being atheists, most of the passing generation are sentimental religionists and the new ones following the deviated sect of speculators are nding fascination in mental speculation. Among this hopeless civilization, O Lord, you have established the spotless principle as:
Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation” (Bhagavad-gītā 3.3, purport)
In merely ten years of your voyage, Śrīla Prabhupāda, even time missed to note when temples became Vaikuṇṭhas, devotees became Hare Kṛṣṇas, hippies became happies, Kṛṣṇa consciousness became a movement, prasāda and kīrtana became weapons (ISKCON Bullets), Bhagavad-gītā became Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, dharma became constitutional position, Ratha-yātrā became international, religion and spirituality became science, India became hope, and ISKCON became shelter for the modern world.
Who in this world would have taken such hardship of going to and fro, Vṛndāvana-Delhi, to translate and print literature, traveling in scorching heat, not considering the basic necessities of the body, of food, clothing, and shelter, walking on foot at such a mature age as if one has forgotten that he has an external body to maintain, who would have shown un inching faith in the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā to take it to the west as it is, who could have understood the heart of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda as you did?
Nowadays, the world is witnessing an abundance of so-called gurus coming up, preaching the philosophy of mental speculation, Māyāvāda, and bogus materialism in the name of yoga. Also, the sacred term has been manipulated by contemporaries as Management Guru, Business Guru, Love Guru, etc. But you taught us all in the gravity of fortune; one has being blessed by an actual bona de Spiritual Master.
In 1932, at the Vyāsa-pūjā of His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Prabhupāda you explained:
ere is only one guru, who appears in an in nity of forms to teach you, me and all others.
is Original Spiritual Master (ādi-guru), in tattva Lord Balarāma, has descended as the deliverer of the most fallen souls as Lord Nityānanda (balarāma haila nitāi) whose oceanic mercy was delivered and showered by you, particularly by installing Gaura-Nitāi Deities in temples throughout the saṁsāra-dāvānala. is mercy has also reached Dhanbad this year, wherein Lord Balarāma has manifested in the form of the holy land of ve acres acquired on the most auspicious day of Nityānanda Trayodaśī by ISKCON Dhanbad, Dhaiya, which we pray will accommodate a great divine temple in the coming future, if you desire so, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
You have often quoted in your morning walks:
Aṅgarasya śata-doltena malenatvaṁ na muñcyati.… If you take a piece of coal, you can wash it hundreds and thousands of times, it never becomes white. And these are material things, but spiritually you can reform. It doesn’t matter. If one comes to the spiritual platform then everything is possible. Otherwise not. (Room Conversation – June 26, 1976, New Vrindaban)
Dhanbad is the Coal Capital of India and houses BCCL, which has been harvesting coal since 1972 and has participated in several welfare activities for the city on the material platform, by your mercy, has now nally provided a bungalow on 0 5 acre land on lease to ISKCON Dhanbad, Dhaiya, center as a big leap to the spiritual upliftment of the city, which will soon be renovated and act as the main center of ISKCON Dhanbad until the temple manifests.
Janmāṣṭamī and Ratha-yātrā are the primary festivals celebrated at the grandest level by ISKCON in Dhanbad attracts crowds of several thousand every year. Adding to this, the city witnessed your over owing compassion when your disciple, His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami paid a visit for the rst time to the city with four sannyāsīs and 100 foreign devotees as one of the stops of their Safari yātrā ousands attended. It was a memorable sight to watch your age-old conviction of indirectly distributing bhakti to Indians by letting them imitate it from the Westerners come true in front of our eyes.
Senior citizens and elderly women are the common crowds of most religious organizations till date, it is still astonishing to people that you cultivated and made an army out of the hippies – the youth, the epitome of noncooperation and a sense of enjoyment through the wonderful representation of the most sublime philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness backed by quotations, analogies, explanations and examples necessary for the contemporary to accept.
Leveraging these principles, the Second Mega Youth Fest was organized this year in Dhanbad which saw active participation of over 2,000 youths getting the bene t of being introduced to spirituality in its best form. e current ISKCON Dhanbad center has also crossed the count of 80 in terms of dedicated youths from IIT, BIT, di erent companies, and local colleges living in the center chanting sixteen rounds, following four regulative principles, and participating actively in services and preaching activities, of which twenty will be receiving their Bhakti- śāstrī degree this year which was held for the rst time o ine in Dhanbad at the ISKCON Dhanbad, Dhaiya center. Every Sunday, a youth program is organized at the center for the local youths facilitated by regular/frequent Māyāpur trips for new batches.
ank you so much, Prabhupāda, for engaging us in the service of eir Divine Lordships. We are very grateful to you for accepting so much pain and struggle to form such a steadfast
movement which is progressing so wonderfully under your blessings and guidance, even after your apparent departure, which is so rarely seen in any organization.
Your servants at ISKCON Dhanbad, Dhaiya
Dear
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you!
Once again, we consider ourselves very fortunate to pay our homage to you and be able to submit a few of our thoughts at your most revered lotus feet. You showered your mercy on millions of people by founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. You were very knowledgeable yet very humble. You shared Kṛṣṇa with people all over the world without any prejudice. Because of you, people got inspired to serve Kṛṣṇa irrespective of their background. rough your utmost exemplary behavior, you demonstrated to all that you were complete in all twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee.
Your contribution to the world saṅkīrtana movement was phenomenal. No words can describe your accomplishments. Whatever we can say about you is not enough. It is like holding a small candle in front of the highly radiant Sun.
Your books are the most precious gems one can have on this earth. ey transformed many lives. Your books are appreciated all over the world. We cannot imagine the world without your books. You researched many scriptures so widely and put all that knowledge into your amazing purports so that we have the advantage of reading all those scriptures without actually reading them. Sometimes we wonder how you managed to put so much transcendental knowledge into your books. It is all Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited mercy on you. Once people read your books, they are automatically attracted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. is happens to many people. rough your books, you live forever, guiding millions of people in this material world. To attract new devotees to our temples, all we need to do is read aloud your wonderful purports. People are immediately attracted to listening to your words. You wrote a marvelous introduction to Bhagavad-gītā, and we emphasize to everybody that they should rst read your introduction before reading di erent chapters.
As the Supreme Lord said in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
You are the greatest soul who brought Kṛṣṇa’s message from the outer world. You are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, and you showed us the way to serve Kṛṣṇa. You worked tirelessly to promote loving devotion toward Kṛṣṇa. You sacri ced your entire life for the upliftment of mundane people like us.
It was Kṛṣṇa’s plan that you came to the Western world to spread His mercy as ordered by your Guru Mahārāja. You made brāhmaṇas out of many devotees irrespective of race and color, and those highly exalted devotees proved to be superior to caste brāhmaṇas. is demonstrated conclusively how one can be transformed into a great devotee under your guidance.
We should follow your teachings to become better human beings and better devotees and make our lives Kṛṣṇa conscious and successful. Your ISKCON is forever and for everyone.
Jaya Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your most humble servants, Bāla Kṛṣṇa D āsa et al ISKCON Edmonton Devotees, Canada
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you.
In our morning program lectures here in Eger, we often talk about your legacy and what it takes to carry it on over the passing years. While vegetarianism, yoga, and meditation have been increasingly becoming popular, we, as devotees, are still pretty much going against the grain by proclaiming that the goal of life is not to get comfortable here in the material world but to get out of it. is is still a revolutionary concept, and even spiritually-inclined people have a hard time accepting it. Times are changing fast, and while more and more people are looking for spiritual guidance, skepticism toward organized religions has also been increasing, so we need to be good examples if we want to give people direction. It is our personal example through which the public judges ISKCON and its claim to be the spiritual leader for this age we live in. If we don’t walk the talk, they are not going to believe us.
We are lucky and blessed that you established ISKCON in a way that when devotees sincerely try to go deeper and deeper into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that satsaṅga will guarantee success. is was not an ordinary mission. You often said that if just one word had been changed in your teachings, the end result would be spoiled. We need to be sincere at all times. You often stressed that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is everyone’s original position, and so we should not try to take on something arti cial but should go deeper into purifying our hearts so that our dormant love of God could manifest. We may cheat the public, we may cheat our friends, we may even cheat ourselves, but we cannot cheat Kṛṣṇa, who sees everything. When push comes to shove, we should try hard to let go of our egoistic ways of doing things, and we should pray for guidance from within and without. From within by Paramātmā and you and from without by the association of devotees.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for taking on the extraordinary mission of crossing the Atlantic to bring Kṛṣṇa’s message to the West. ere have been and are many great devotees and spiritual leaders in India, but your position should always stand out above everyone else’s. No one else was interested in helping the fallen souls of the West at the cost of sacri cing their personal comfort. You knew deep in your heart that pleasing Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī meant pushing aside all personal comfort and embarking on the mission he wanted you to ful ll. You could have found so many excuses. You were an old man with failing health; you did not know the Western way of life, you had no support in the US, and so on. But you showed us what a genuine spiritual seeker and disciple means: it is someone who pushes aside excuses and steps forward. at is the example we should follow when we step on the street to do harināma, when we distribute books, or when we invite people to our centers to take prasāda and chant. We may not know what lies ahead, and at times it can be intimidating, but you proved that preaching is always rewarded by some special mercy by Lord Caitanya.
Please bless us to be able to carry on your mission here in Eger for many more years to come. May all the people in Eger taste kṛṣṇa-prasāda, hear His name, and get one of your most wonderful books.
On behalf of Eger Preaching Center (Hungary), Your servant, Avadhūta Rāya D āsa
All glories Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi!
All glories to the saṅkīrtana movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī.
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism or voidism.
e servants of ISKCON El Salvador want to express our gratitude and appreciation for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s historic world preaching mission.
Truly, there will be no comparison in such missionary work for ten thousand years of the Kaliyuga era. We consider It an undeserved honor, Indeed, to be part of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s pastimes in the current saṅkīrtana movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
I o er my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam
I o er my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of all fallen souls, whose mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains.
With all the disquali cations in our insigni cant service to Śrīla Prabhupāda, we will continue to pray always for his blessings.
ISKCON Yātrā, El Salvador, Central America
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. You are patita-pāvana, the savior of the fallen souls. Your appearance in this material world has given the most fallen of all fallen souls like me an opportunity to take part in your glorious movement (ISKCON) and associate with your swan-like Vaiṣṇavas.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I can only say THANK you a million times for the opportunity given to me in this lifetime while praying for your causeless mercy to remain in the association of your devotees.
Your most fallen grandson, Daśaratha Paṇḍita D āsa
ISKCON Enugu Yātrā, Nigeria
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
We are eternally indebted to you since, as our jagad-guru, you came to answer our cry dedicating your whole life to save us from the material world. Although you were not in your best of health, you came to participate in the foundation laying ceremony of Kṛṣṇa Kāliya temple. e temple was o cially opened in 1977. We are also highly indebted to your sincere followers, namely Bhuvana Mohana Prabhu, Vāsudeva Prabhu, Gaurī Mātājī, and Bhagavatī Mātājī, who worked tirelessly to build the temple. By your mercy, the temple has made signi cant progress over the years.
We also acknowledge the continued guidance given to us by your very humble disciples, His Holiness Bīr Kṛṣṇa D āsa Goswami and His Holiness Vedavyāsa Priya Swami.
You are in your books and the Divine holy name that we hear daily from the audio records. We know Kṛṣṇa has chosen you to serve in more urgent places where fallen souls need guidance.
e pioneers still remember you doing yajña, taking morning walks, and giving classes in Lautoka years back. Your blessings will always keep us enthused to preach and maintain the ISKCON Fiji Yātrā
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your humble servants, Kṛṣṇa Kāliya temple
Lautoka, Fiji
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our prostrated obeisances in the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we feel unquali ed to write of your glories and divine activities. You left
your dear Vṛndāvana just to preach the glories of the holy names in the Western world. You had no help, no house, or any prior residence before you moved to the Western world, and still, you came to deliver countless fallen conditioned souls like us by imparting the transcendental science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had one mission, i.e., “In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.” You have given your time and soul to make this mission come true. By the mercy and inspiration of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami, the devotees at ISKCON Fredericton have been striving to ful ll this mission with their hearts.
At ISKCON Fredericton, we are blessed with the association of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami and visiting devotees from ISKCON Halifax and Montreal. rough their instructions and examples, they are teaching us the ways of loving exchanges among the temple devotees and the congregation members. eir loving guidance is giving us great strength and inspiration for understanding and applying your teachings, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
e center has completed three years, and we have focused on community preaching, book distribution, and Bhagavad-gītā study. We also did o cial incorporation in the year 2022 and started to do more community programs like Govardhana Pūjā, Dusshera, and 2nd Ratha-yātrā. We have also been doing dīpadāna at houses of various people and house programs at many families in Fredericton,
You have made a huge house where so many devotees with di erent origins are living and still maintaining and serving together. At present, we have houses in every city or town that can take care of us and give us their association. In Fredericton, we get calls from many people who ask
about books and japa beads from very far places. We never met these people, and they just know about you. Your preaching is strong that till today devotees are living in remote areas and doing kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
Kindly bless us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so we can please your direct servants through service and thus please you.
Your insigni cant servants at ISKCON Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Our Dear Grandfather Spiritual Master, Śrīla Prabhupda, Please accept our most loving obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious occasion of the 127th anniversary of your appearance. e bees are humming, the birds are singing, the deer are dancing across the Gītā-nagarī forest, and the wonderful cows are grazing and happily enjoying the loving exchanges from the devotee residents here. As we walk through the gardens of Gītā-nagarī to the beautiful wooden structured temple, we see eir most glorious Lordships, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-D āmodara glistening and smiling upon eir domain through the large windows, after mercifully accompanying their servants across the USA to spread the glories of the saṅkīrtana movement, by your mercy, ey have desired to play out their pastimes in the dhāma you established.
Śrī Vṛndāvana comes to mind when we see the devotees, the cows, the peacocks, the forest, and the rivers. All this you brought to us, you left Śrī Śrī Rādhā-D āmodara temple in Vṛndāvana only to manifest it here at Gītā-nagarī. In fact, all the temples in the world today are the manifestation of your pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, expanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness exponentially across this planet even after your physical departure, which in itself tells us that “You live forever in your instructions, and your followers live with you.” You left the servants of your lotus feet behind to safeguard ISKCON, safeguard your spiritual embassies, and worldwide projects. e powerful servants have ensured and expanded your mission to further heights and expanded it wider than ever before. Although most of your grandchildren have never physically met you, we see your darśana through their hearts, through their minds, and their words… oh the treasures that you left behind are so priceless that we cannot even begin to count the blessings received.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you stated that on the absolute platform, there is no di erence between the appearance and disappearance of the spiritual master. Both are beautiful, just like the sunrise and the sunset. ISKCON is a rare lotus you gave us that blooms after sunset; this lotus blooms powerfully under the bene c rays of the benediction moon – Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Your Divine Grace continues to inspire hundred of thousands of people around the world. Your books and explanations are becoming clearer through the lens of your devotees. ey have clasped your lotus feet so tightly that it has manifested through a lifetime of service. We pray that we can clasp their lotus feet. ey served Your Divine Grace in separation their entire lives through the “Decade of Tears” may we also nd the strength to serve them in the same way.
Your lotus feet give us shelter; this shelter has manifested through Gītā-nagarī Dhāma, through the devotees’ association, through the cows, your books, this temple. e transcendental vibration from your lotus mouth has instilled life into this farm and has given it purpose. ough we are
unable to repay you for our sublime good fortune, we will try and reciprocate by serving your lotus feet with dedication, care, and commitment.
ank you Śrīla Prabhupāda!
On behalf of the servants at the Gītā-nagarī Farm Community in Port Royal, Pennsylvania, USA, Śrī Goloka D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda.
An astrologer once foretold that you will build a house in which the whole world can live. You have built that transcendental house, and that house continues to expand, creating a network of devotee association all over the world. Everyone is invited to take shelter in your transcendental house and all the residents have an opportunity to become jubilant by taking up the process of devotional service under your expert guidance.
In your luminous house, “Books are the Basis, Preaching is the Essence, Utility is the Principle and Purity is the Force.”
e structure of a building depends on the integrity of its foundation. Since your books are the basis, this house has a strong, secure, and solid foundation.
e words in your books are sacred and powerful. ey are Lord Kṛṣṇa’s personal message on how to regain our footing in spiritual life and revive our lost love for Him. You live forever in your books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and anyone who reads them has the opportunity to associate with you in a most wonderful way.
When reading your illuminating Bhāgavatam purports, the Absolute Truth rings clear, bringing light into a dark and dreary world. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for opening our eyes with this glorious torchlight of knowledge.
You pushed, “Distribute books, distribute books, distribute books,” and by doing so, book by book, you laid the foundation for your transcendental house, o ering accommodations for all who may seek shelter from the onslaught of material miseries.
Everything we need to know for going back home, back to Godhead, is in your books.
In your house, preaching is the essence, and you set the example for all to follow. Your every action is preaching; there is no di erence between the book bhāgavata and you, the person bhāgavata. Imbued with intense love for the Supreme Lord and compassion for all misguided souls, you are inviting everyone to end their su ering and go back to an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.
By your mercy, many residents of this house are eager to follow in your footsteps and therefore share the Lord’s message with others. Your desire is the same as Lord Caitanya’s desire.
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.
Purport: is is the sublime mission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness … (Cc., Madhya 7.128)
In this house, utility is the principle; everything for Kṛṣṇa, nothing for me.
You wrote, “One who knows that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s property is always situated in renunciation. Since everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, everything should be employed in the service of Kṛṣṇa.” (Bg. 5.2, purport)
Real renunciation, or using everything in the service of its rightful owner, was perfectly exempli ed by you. If we live by this principle of dovetailing everything for Kṛṣṇa, a peaceful Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere will remain throughout the house you have built.
Everything has its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. (Bg. 2.21, purport)
In your house, purity is the force. Your divine character shines as a sterling example of what genuine purity is.
“Saints of your caliber are themselves places of pilgrimage. Because of their purity, they are constant companions of the Lord, and therefore they can purify even the places of pilgrimage.” (Cc., Ādi 1.63).
Because of your purity, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu empowered you to spread His divine mission all over the world, and you have inspired those who were impure in many ways to take up the puri catory process of devotional service.
You established the four regulative principles of freedom to help us avoid the contamination of Kali-yuga. You gave us the ultimate purifying agent; the chanting of the transcendental holy names of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra as recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself.
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
Glory to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the re of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. is saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
As long as we stick to these principles and cooperate, your house will remain pure and a safe haven where a blissful life of dedicated service to the Lord and His devotees can be experienced. We pray that we may become useful servants in your transcendental house and that you eternally engage us as you like.
Your aspiring servants at ISKCON Glastonbury, CT, USA
Written by Jīvanauṣadhi Devī D āsīDearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Let us rst o er our most humble obeisances at your wish-ful lling lotus feet.
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
I o er my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.
jayatāṁ suratau paṅgor mama manda-mater gatī mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau rādhā-madana-mohanau
Glory to the all-merciful Rādhā and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill advised, yet ey are my directors, and eir lotus feet are everything to me.
By your mercy only, has our community of wonderful Vaiṣṇavas become able to serve the “allmerciful Rādhā and Madana-mohana,” but before we say something about our service to our most beloved Lordships, we should rst express our unlimited gratitude to you for transforming us to Vaiṣṇavas in the rst place. ere is no greater gift than bringing someone closer to Kṛṣṇa, and you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, brought the whole world closer to Him. Without you, our community would most likely not even know each other. You are the person who connects every single one of us.
It is very interesting to consider the fact that without your arrival in the West, many families would not have become families. Many would lead di erent lives, most likely the lives of, as Your Divine Grace would say, “cats and dogs.”
By having a look at ISKCON, one rapidly notices what an immense impact a pure devotee of your order has on this planet. It is observable from the activities of single individuals up to the activities of whole communities in the society you bestowed upon us as a blessing to save all our lives and decorate them with a deep transcendental meaning. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12) it is stated:
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
In order to realize the truth, one should take gifts in hand and approach a spiritual master who is learned and xed in the Absolute Truth.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we would like to o er all the services performed by every single member of our lovely community of devotees who are serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana, from the small children up to our most senior devotees. Our services are like those gifts mentioned in the Upaniṣads. May you accept them and hand them over to Lord Śrī Gaurasundara. You are the ideal picture of the spiritual master completely xed upon Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu’s soft and charming lotus feet, and thus we want to proclaim that we worship you with utmost love. Furthermore, we beg that you don’t consider our blunders but rather purify us from those obstacles preventing us from attaining higher levels of devotional service.
May you always bless every Goloka Dhāma to always be under your divine shelter and guidance, and in that way, bring joy to the Divine Couple we all serve hand in hand by performing
pañcāṅga-bhakti for eir pleasure according to the instructions of all the magnanimous ācāryas of the Gauḍīya sampradāya, coming down from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpāda.
he guro jñānada dīna bandho svānanda-dātaḥ karuṇaika-sindho vṛndāvanāsīna hitāvatāra prasīda rādhā-praṇ
aya-pracāraO spiritual master, O giver of divine wisdom, O friend of the fallen, you are the giver of your own bliss and you are the only ocean of mercy. Although dwelling in Vṛndāvana, you have descended for the welfare of fallen souls like myself and you are preaching the divine love of Rādhā for Kṛṣṇa. Please be kind upon me.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Written by Hari Vyāsadeva D āsa on behalf of all devotees at ISKCON Abentheuer Goloka DhāmaDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my unworthy obeisances to you. I wish to nd a way to properly serve and be with you.
I was asked by a devotee to submit a homage from our small community here in Perth, Western Australia. In 1975 you were detoured here by your disciples who were rushing to complete their work on your new Australian headquarters in Melbourne. us you spent two weeks in this isolated part of the world.
Your coming here was such a gifted blessing because otherwise, what would this desert-like place have to o er the world? Your attention was required, and people like ourselves can testify this place became di erent through “meeting” you.
I was in 1975 living in Melbourne and caring for my young baby, who was less than a year old. How I wished at that time that I could have traveled to Perth and shared your quiet moments there. But as fate would have it, it was not to be.
In 1994, nearly 20 years later, I visited Perth with the invitation of a friendly devotee I had met in Vṛndāvana. is was my opportunity to spend two weeks there. During that time, I appreciated especially the mood of the Perth temple, which was simple and modest yet with a strong taste for hearing. When I left Perth, I felt amply reciprocated by you. en as all good things happened, my time living in Vṛndāvana came to an end, and it was time to carefully manage family responsibilities. At that time, we were quite poor, and the kind devotees in Perth assisted us in setting up a household there. So we moved from Vṛndāvana, which is the center of the spiritual world, to Perth, the most isolated city in the world. For me, it was like being exiled.
I missed Vṛndāvana deeply. It was here that my artwork became a substitute. en in 2002, after our children, who were no longer children, had found their own way forward, we thought of nding a place where we could live and also display the artwork.
And then we found this property. So eight of us moved from the suburbs to a rural 5 acres. We speci cally wanted to create a Vṛndāvana-like atmosphere and gallery. at was quite a journey.
Yet in 2012, we opened our Sacred India Gallery to the public for free guided tours. Our intention was not so much to preach directly but rather to educate and delight people with the atmosphere of Vṛndāvana.
Now it is 2023, 11 years later, and I recall something you spoke to me when I rst came to meet you. You knew of my previous career as an actress, and you quickly seized that opportunity to instruct me to present the culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness (something I knew nothing about then) which you stated “would attract a higher class of people.”
Well, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I have tried in some insigni cant way to do that. My family and our community are all dedicated to giving this opportunity to others. Now we have a group of dedicated devotee companions and a project meant to o er this culture to whomsoever may be drawn into our company.
And just to assure us of the perfection of trying to please and serve you, our Sacred India Gallery was received with appreciation by the prime minister of India. I do not wish to become involved in political matters, but everyone knows that great is the value of such recognition for the common people.
In a world that is always torn by con ict and dualities, I wish to o er the solution, on your behalf, of course. And we all know that the solution is to return to our shelter and the shelter of Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is our eternal home.
I beg on behalf of every one of us here that we might all nd ourselves drawn forward in a direction under your divine guidance and protection and that we may make some small di erence to the turmoil of the world on your behalf.
My obeisances to you and all those who are trying to give their lives in your service.
Your servant, Jagatt
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
It is our immense pleasure and fortune to o er this homage to you. Scriptural principles are not for information but for assimilation, application, and ultimately heart transformation. Only when saintly devotees like yourself teach and demonstrate those values, the humanity becomes inspired to commit to the spiritual path and continue on that path. e Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.7.44 says:
tapyante loka-tāpena sādhavaḥ prāyaśo janāḥ paramārādhanaṁ tad dhi puruṣasyākhilātmanaḥ
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary su ering because of the
su ering of people in general. is is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.
e above śloka exactly suits your divine personality since you are an unalloyed representative of Lord Kṛṣṇa, a dedicated servant of your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and have taken up several hardships to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, and deliver humanity from material su ering.
Our words fall inadequate in praising you. Your writings are very easy to understand, yet they are so vast and deep. ey were like a treasure revealing its worth after hiding in the depths of our hearts for a long time! Please give us the strength to follow your teachings and serve you with all our hearts without any reservations. Your message of love, compassion, and service has inspired countless individuals to lead a more meaningful and ful lling life, and your emphasis on the importance of protecting the environment has contributed to the growing awareness of ecological issues.
ISKCON’s rst farm community is in Moundsville, West Virginia. You went there for the rst time on May 21, 1969, and had numerous ideas about how to develop the place as a replica of Vṛndāvana Dhāma.
In your letter to Hayagrīva D āsa (March 1968), you mentioned, “I am so glad to learn that one gentleman is going to open an ashram in the West Virginia, and he has secured a big tract of land, 320 acres, and I wish that this tract of land may be turned into New Vrindaban. You have New York, New England, and so many “New” duplicates of European countries in the USA; why not import New Vrindaban in your country?”
In your letters to Hayagrīva, Kīrtanānanda Swami, and others between 1968 and 1973, you had shared your vision for New Vrindaban and emphasized its vital aspects: cow protection, agriculture, simple village life, a place of pilgrimage (a replica of Vṛndāvana), a place of higher learning, and ultimately, a place for people to develop their love for Kṛṣṇa.
One of the purposes of ISKCON that you had listed on its founding documents was “To erect for the members and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Kṛṣṇa.”
Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV) is a product of your far-sighted vision of a farm community that is meant to create a space for people to connect with the Supreme Lord. We at GEV are bestowed with the unparalleled good fortune of ful lling your vision for farm communities under the able guidance and leadership of your disciple, His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami.
With various developmental activities over a decade, GEV has now become a pilgrimage site for locals and tourists alike, attracting thousands of visitors every month. ISKCON devotees from various cities within India and abroad are now making a point to visit GEV frequently. GEV has become a place where people come to seek solace, peace, and spiritual enlightenment, and training in diverse elds. e serene atmosphere and picturesque surroundings of GEV, the beautiful stone temples of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Vṛndāvana Behārī and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana, the replica of Vṛndāvana with its Yamunā ārati, Girirāja ārati, evening kīrtanas and so on, make GEV an ideal destination for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and absorb themselves in a vibrant, spiritually-surcharged atmosphere. Visitors explore the beautiful gardens and scenic trails, which provide a tranquil setting for contemplation on the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
GEV has signi cantly impacted the local village communities and tribals as well, with training in organic farming, and providing jobs and economic opportunities, training in various skills. In addition, the spiritual teachings and practices of GEV have helped many locals to live more fullling lives. ere are a variety of activities o ered at GEV for visitors to participate in, including meditation, yoga, and scriptural education. GEV is also hosting several academic and corporate
conferences, and the residents of GEV are being invited to impart spiritual wisdom in schools, colleges, and corporates. Many accomplished corporates are coming forward to contribute to GEV’s rural development and educational initiatives. e retreat center is often lled with spiritual events for children, teens, youth, and congregational devotees who are all rejuvenating their spirits in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in spiritual association.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had the vision to start Rūpānuga Vidyāpīṭha for higher scriptural learning at New Vrindaban. Desiring to implement this desire of yours, the Bhaktivedānta Vidyāpīṭha, a scriptural training school at GEV that started in 2012, has been organizing various residential and online courses for a systematic study of your books, including the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and other scriptures. Several devotees across the globe are taking bene t of these spiritual courses and studying scriptures systematically through Bhakti- śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, and Bhakti-vedānta courses that you had envisioned way back in the forming days of ISKCON.
All this is a part of your vision, blessings, and empowerment. We aspire to continue to be small instruments of your great vision, and assist you to the best of our capacity in your service to guru and Kṛṣṇa. On this auspicious occasion, we seek your blessings and empowerment to ful ll your desire and take your teachings far and wide to humanity, while cultivating the qualities of humility, tolerance, gratitude, respect, and determination that you have taught and personally demonstrated in your life.
ank you very much, Your servants at ISKCON Govardhan Ecovillage
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All Glories to you.
On this auspicious day of your glorious appearance on this planet, we want to renew our vow of commitment to you and your mission.
Our project enters a phase of greater maturity, where the vision and preaching strategy become increasingly clear. It’s been ten years since we started this e ort to further your mission. At rst with your great motto, “Simple Life High inking” on the horizon, very enthusiastic but a bit naive. Today we understand that the purpose of our farm is not a simple life in the sense of auto-sustainability but rather to show a cultural movement where simplicity, service, and austerities are appreciated qualities.
You gave us everything: motivation, a method, and a goal. e above is perfectly described in your books where you said that you will live forever.
We are still refugees in your great house, ISKCON, with the challenges that this entails. We
carefully observe the evolution of your mission, from its beginnings with the hippies, many of your spiritual children, where to be “serious” the devotees had to live in the temples and become renunciants, until today, where the secular society has other aspirations and the devotees mostly live with their families, inserted in the social fabric.
Your disciples are older now; many of them will be leaving soon or are leaving their preaching service to pursue their own internal bhajana. Fortunately, we observe in the devotees that we call the third generation – the older disciples of your spiritual children, your older spiritual grandchildren – are taking more responsibility to push on your mission and continue preaching activities. We feel that they also connect us with your lotus feet, the safe haven for us Latino devotees. We begin to build good relationships with them, to nd guidance and inspiration, knowing also that you want us to be pioneers and courageous. May we use the strength of the guru-paramparā to bring innocent souls closer to this wonderful family.
We depend on your mercy Śrīla Prabhupāda. Please give us the strength and intelligence to be able to study and understand your books, knowing that in this way, we can nd common causes for union and cooperation among devotees.
You saved us, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Although one cannot repay everything that the spiritual master bestows, we are committed to dedicating our lives to spreading your message, just as you heard it from your beloved Prabhupāda, and as you told us in your books and to your spiritual children.
We are trying to serve you with enthusiasm and intelligence.
Your humble servants, Congregation of Śrī Govardhana Farm, Land of K
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Years ago the singer Sting wrote a song called Fragile. You may not know that song, but as the title suggests, it’s about how fragile and vulnerable we are. It has always surprised me how we take so much risk despite being so fragile. It’s so easy to break a leg or a heart. Still, we go about life so carelessly and recklessly.
From you, we learn that this is the power of Māyā, of illusion. Making us feel invincible like we can do anything despite so many limitations. Also, in your society, we see how fragile we are, being human on the transcendental path. Devotees may fall down, become discouraged, or even dismayed. We hear of abuse. How to deal with this seems a complex thing.
Do we take the stand of the absolute as you presented it so well, or do we consider the individual as you showed us so well too? Do we consider gender, body, and age, even though we know we are not this body?
All of this doesn’t seem easy to deal with; opinions di er and are often diametrically opposed.
Devotees feel unsafe, while others nd more shelter. We know shelter is there; in you, in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Your teachings tell it all as it is. Everything can be reconciled in guru, sādhu, and śāstra through a consideration of our humanity and our tendency to fall should also be there. Do we always keep the absolute perspective, or do we recognize how fragile we are as an organization as well?
You said your movement is based on love and trust. And you also said it could only be destroyed from the inside.
We pray for your guidance and your loving and kind support, your unfailing trust in sādhu, the ācāryas, and your ability to apply it now. We pray to come to the abhaya platform; though fragile in our material form, fearless in the absolute.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for showing us by example how to reconcile also all the apparent contradictions. How to love and care for each other and be detached as well.
For us to follow properly will be the next big thing.
Your servants at Govinda Valley retreat, Sydney, Australia
(Written by Padmanābha D āsa)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our prostrate obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. Today, on your auspicious appearance in this world, we express unlimited gratitude to Your Divine Grace. e ISKCON temples and facilities we have here in Guyana, the books we distribute, and the powerful philosophy we preach are all but manifestations of your mercy. We, therefore, present everything we have and do at your lotus feet on this grand occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā
is past year has not been such an invigorating one, marked with many fresh challenges, but we are determined to face the trials by sincerely applying the standard methods you gave to us. is year we plan to invest more in our own personal spiritual practices, focus on care for the devotees and congregation, and use your time-tested preaching initiatives to bolster the e ort to bring back Guyana yātrā to its original glory.
We recognize that the greatest setback would be if we fail to adhere to your instructions, if we fail to understand your teachings, if we misunderstand you, by getting confused about “details and principles” or considering details to be more important than the essence of your plans, mission, goals, and all guidelines you gave.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for saving our lives, for giving us our real purpose, and for instructing us through your books, lectures, letters, conversations, and divine example. We are eternally indebted to you for bringing us to this wonderfully beautiful bhakti path. And thank you for having brought the formula for saving humanity by giving this Kṛṣṇa conscious path. It is now up to us to continue to follow and serve you by adhering to your clear instructions and mission.
Today we seek your blessings to remain always faithful, grateful, humble, and inspired in your
service within your ISKCON. We humbly petition you that we may always keep your instructions and the spirit of service at the forefront of our endeavors and in our meditation.
Again and again, we pray that in your mood, we may carry out the essence of your movement, which is to preach.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for showing us the path of bhakti by which one can perfect the human form of life.
We began our spiritual journey with the help of your teachings from books and lectures. Hence, we based all our preaching on your books. Devotees connected to our temple study your books together regularly to get direction.
While traveling on the path of bhakti, we face many impediments and struggles to go ahead, but when we read Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, we get the inspiration and strength to go ahead when we see how many troubles and struggles you went through to establish ISKCON. Hence, every Sunday class in the temple, we discuss from Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta.
We learned how much you worked hard to write these books and wanted to get them distributed. We are trying to distribute your books so that everyone can get your mercy.
You have given seven purposes for which ISKCON was created. We are trying to ful ll them and please you.
We are eternally indebted to you for what we received from you, which we can never pay back. We are trying to reciprocate in an insigni cant way by trying to follow your instructions.
Please bless us so that we can serve your mission the way you want us to serve. Our only goal in life is to please you.
Your insigni cant servant, Sundara Nimāi D āsa (Temple President) on behalf of ISKCON Habibpur (Nadia, West Bengal, India)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to your lotus feet!
For your transcendental pleasure, we would like to start o by giving you an update on the progress of ISKCON Halifax. Although we are inadequate servants and have a long way to go to accomplish any signi cant service here in Halifax on your behalf, in comparison with all the amazing accomplishments of ISKCON centers around the world, we can humbly report the following:
• We are organizing our second annual Halifax Ratha-yātrā festival. Last year’s rst-ever festival was a grand success, and we distributed nearly 2,000 plates of prasāda. We got a lot of exposure for ISKCON Halifax through that event and were able to present Kṛṣṇa consciousness to thousands of locals.
• We have been consistently organizing a weekly Sunday Feast program, following in your footsteps by renting a chapel.
• Although we do not have a permanent center yet, devotees in our community get together every morning to chant japa together.
• We have been holding a regular study group of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
• We have been o ering a Vaiṣṇava Etiquette seminar for many weeks to help the local devotees come to the standards you taught in your books and personal example.
• Every Ekādaśī we have been getting together for home programs to have a more intimate association with one another.
• We have been celebrating all the main Vaiṣṇava festivals.
rough these various activities and cultivating personal relationships with one another, we have seen our congregation gradually growing, and this makes us hopeful that we will be able to transition into a permanent center in the near future as our core devotees get more and more serious. at being said, none of this would be possible without your causeless mercy, the empowerment coming through our paramparā, and, ultimately, the will of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As mere instruments with no separate desire other than to execute your instructions and propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness in our local area, we take no credit for the little accomplishments we have achieved. By repeating your words, sharing your books, and following your instructions, we stand in wonder as we witness how you are still spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness long after your departure, even in a city like Halifax, which you never visited.
As it is said in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 7 11: kṛṣṇa- śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana. “Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.” When we recognize the magnitude of how far and wide you were able to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world, it becomes undeniable that you are the most empowered representative of the Lord in our contemporary time. Indeed, you are the founder-ācārya, setting the standard for how Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be propagated henceforward.
You have presented the sophisticated philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and the allencompassing practice of devotional service in the most appropriate way to appeal to all walks of life. From the results of your preaching, we can understand that this process will be successful if we simply present it as it is without adding or subtracting anything. We have no fear in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness because we feel your presence and empowerment every step of the way, just
as you never felt separation from your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda.
Although we constantly feel your blessings and empowerment, still, we pray for more and more of your mercy because we acknowledge that it is the only source of our ability to render any meaningful service in Halifax. If, somehow or other, we were to become disconnected from that source, all of our activities would come to a stop, and we would be unable to progress even one step. erefore, we sincerely fall at your lotus feet and beg for the unrestricted ow of your mercy upon our ISKCON Halifax yātrā, that we may be able to change the hearts of the locals and convince them to accept the loving devotional service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu as their very life and soul.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
On behalf of ISKCON Halifax, Your humble servants, Maṅgalānanda D āsa Ambarīṣa D āsa
Our dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace! Your Divine Grace is revered by your followers as the founder-ācārya of ISKCON and as a beacon of light for those seeking the path of pure devotional service.
One of Your Divine Grace’s key contributions to the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement was your emphasis on self-su ciency and sustainability through various farm projects. You recognized that modern society had become disconnected from the natural world and that this was leading to numerous problems, including environmental degradation and a loss of spiritual values.
To address these issues, Your Divine Grace established a number of farm communities around the world where devotees could live a simple, natural lifestyle and grow their own food. ese communities, sometimes known as “Kṛṣṇa Villages,” emphasize sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and the use of traditional farming techniques. rough these farm projects, Your Divine Grace hoped to create a model of sustainable living that would inspire others to live in harmony with nature and cultivate a deeper connection with the Divine. Today these farm communities continue to thrive and serve as a testament to your vision and legacy.
On your Vyāsa-pūjā, we express our gratitude for your guidance and leadership and recommit ourselves to your mission of spreading the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness around the world through natural living and higher thinking.
Your aspiring servants at Hare Kṛṣṇa Valley (New Nandagrāma) Bambra, Victoria, Australia
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
I o er my respectful obeisances to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
You have always taught by instruction and example that progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness hinges on satisfying the spiritual master. You taught us to begin our days with a meditation on the spiritual master by singing Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Gurvāṣṭakam, in which he writes, “yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi”: By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satis ed. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Further, we learn from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that satisfying the spiritual master is the essential, active principle of spiritual life: ācāryera mata yei, sei mata sāra (Cc., Ādi 12.10). And you frequently refer to Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s commentary on the vyāvasayātmikā buddhiḥ verse (Bg. 2 44) as equating the one-pointed intelligence Kṛṣṇa mentions in this verse with determination to follow the speci c instructions given to us by the spiritual master. We see, for example, in your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3 22 7 that
[…] the instruction of the spiritual master and the faithful execution of the instruction by the disciple, makes the entire process perfect. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes in his explanation of the verse in Bhagavad-gītā, vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ, that one who wants to be certain to achieve spiritual success must take the instruction from the spiritual master as to what his particular function is. He should faithfully try to execute that particular instruction and should consider that his life and soul. e faithful execution of the instruction which he receives from the spiritual master is the only duty of a disciple, and that will bring him perfection.
And in your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.13 you write that the disciple’s duty
is to receive orders from Lord Kṛṣṇa or from His bona de representative and take these orders as his life and soul, without personal considerations. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī
Ṭhākura states that one should not care very much whether he is going to be liberated or not, but he should simply execute the direct order received from the spiritual master. If one sticks to the principle of abiding by the order of the spiritual master, he will always remain in a liberated position.
But beyond the instructions you share with us so frequently is your own example of carrying out the instruction your own spiritual master gave to you, which was to share Lord Caitanya’s
teachings with the English-speaking world. You took this instruction on your head with no personal consideration, and we see your success all around the world. In pursuance of that instruction, you sent your trusted servant Gaura Sundara D āsa here to the Hawaiian Islands in the fall of 1968. Gaura Sundara, along with his wife Govinda D āsī and the earliest disciples here in the Islands, worked hard to establish Lord Caitanya’s movement here. In your letters and your comments over those early years, you shared with those devotees how much our e orts pleased you. You frequently expressed your appreciation for the preaching programs and for the care shown to Tulasī Devī, whose beginning in the West was here in Honolulu. When you came to install the Pañca-tattva in May of 1972, you showed us daily how pleased you were with the movement’s growth here and with Tulasī Devī’s growth, as well.
Now, almost 55 years later, the fruit of their sacri ce and service continues to bene t the Islands’ residents and visitors. Devotees are active on all the islands, and we continue to hold public harināma saṅkīrtana regularly and distribute prasāda through our Govinda’s Restaurant, which also began here.
Gaura Sundara Prabhu left our company very recently, so he is much on our minds here in New Navadvīpa. Fifty years ago, he wrote in his o ering as a member of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission:
I have been given this commission to write about the glories of Śrīla Prabhupāda and nd myself unable to adequately ful ll it. Śrīla Prabhupāda stands supremely glori ed by all that he is and all that he radiates. So I feel like a man o ering a candle to the sun in that it is not what I can o er that is as signi cant as the spirit in which it is done. Whatever I can say has no value that is not derived from him.
e exuberance in others that prompts them to o er owing rivers of praise is well enough done by them. However, if I were to merely echo them, I would not highly esteem my own honesty. For me personally, to o er similarly grand speeches would be to court the estate of attery. I do not feel quali ed to summarize the qualities of my spiritual master any more than I do to pass judgment on them. I do not pretend to be able to appreciate everything about him. But still, I aspire to dedicate myself to his service. I want to cling to that spirit of devotion throughout all turmoil of worldly existence.
It seems to me that the best form of gratitude is not susceptible to being reduced to a facile phrase but nds its expression in the sincere desire not to misrepresent the spiritual master. I see him as the forever-living inspiration of the universal church of humble love of God. I do not like to see him misrepresented, and yet I cannot feel that I am able to champion the cause of his representation against the forces of self-righteousness, super ciality, and sectarianism. It is the responsibility of the disciple not to betray the spiritual master by his insincerity. Devotion to God is the source of all sincerity. I can only pray to be established in love of Godhead by the mercy of my spiritual master and to be forgiven for my blundering attempts at his service.
e magnitude of your glorious service seems as self-evident as it is legend. ose of us serving here in Hawaii aspire to carry that spirit of sincere dedication to serving your mission, following your instructions and example, as the best way to glorify you. So we take the opportunity of the 127th anniversary of your appearance in this world to recommit our lives to honestly represent you by working hard to continue growing that mission here. We pray that by your mercy, we may continue to have progressive success at doing so.
Your grateful servants at New Navadvīpa Dhāma, Honolulu, Hawaii
(Written by Swami B. A. Āśrama)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Śrī GauraNitāi. All glories to you. All glories to the Vaiṣṇava devotees.
Although you left this planet many years ago, we still feel that you are with us.
Because of your mercy, ISKCON was established and still in uences us and the world at large. It is an international spiritual family and still expanding. You are the captain of this boat –ISKCON. We are protected and grow up in the path of spiritual practice due to ISKCON. We are grateful for your disciples Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, Giridhārī Swami, and numerous others who built up the ISKCON Hong Kong temple and yātrā. e Hong Kong yātrā continues to help and guide us through the storms of material energy and move us forward on the spiritual path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You wanted ISKCON to be a spiritual, educational society. We are the proof of your words, as it is in ISKCON, where we learn spiritual knowledge. We were all very materialistic people before we recognized Kṛṣṇa. And now, by your mercy and the mercy of your followers, we are the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa engaged in devotional service in ISKCON Hong Kong. Devotional service is very precious. It requires many lifetimes of e ort to receive it, but you have kindly given us the opportunity to receive and practice it. We were not quali ed to be the servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa or to be engaged in His devotional service. We were all meat eaters and had so many bad qualities before coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By the mercy of your followers, we received spiritual education in your ISKCON society. We learned the Vaiṣṇava culture and had the opportunity to associate with the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. We had the fortune to receive initiation. By your mercy, we were transformed from dedicated materialists to devotees and servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
We hope and pray for your blessings and kindness and for the blessings and kindness of Śrī
Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, the presiding Deities of the Hong Kong yātrā. We are very grateful that Lord Kṛṣṇa sent you to this earth to deliver His message of compassion and love of Kṛṣṇa. How do we reciprocate? We can try to reciprocate by sharing with others what you have shared with us.
It happened some years back, in a dream which was as clear as a vision; I saw Gurudeva which I never expected because I had never met him physically while he was on this planet, where he instructed me to be leading the kīrtana. At that time, I never dreamt of doing so because I was never near doing that at that time. I was wondering why he should take so much trouble just to give me only that single instruction. is was about 35 years ago when I was just a neophyte, but I appreciated everything about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Compared to Christianity, where I was coming from, it was like comparing a black-and-white TV to a colored television.
But today, I am serving as a Temple President, which means Prabhupāda has been nurturing
me for a long time for this particular service. I o er my humble obeisances to such a great spiritual master.
Another reason I will ever be grateful to His Divine Grace is for his presentation of the Vedic literature, which he has so much simpli ed for us, the devotees, to easily understand the spiritual essence to such an extent that other literatures seem not to be very attractive to me anymore. His writings are indeed addictive. One feels like reading and reading more and more, which gives us an insight into the ancient Vedic culture, an ideal culture that was long forgotten and the only culture that can guarantee world peace and spiritual realization.
erefore, I o er my respectable obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a great spiritual master.
Madhuvana D āsa Temple President ISKCON Ibadan TempleDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet on this most celebrated day of your appearance in this world.
Although we have heard your story thousands of times, how you came from India to a foreign country at the age of 70 and started a worldwide movement of pure kṛṣṇa-bhakti, the story still amazes us, and our amazement grows each year.
In the seventh chapter of the Antya-līlā of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, direct empowerment by Kṛṣṇa is discussed. e only one who is empowered by Kṛṣṇa, a paramahaṁsa-ṭhākura on the highest level of Vaiṣṇavism can spread the holy name throughout the world. He is understood to be the spiritual master of the whole world and an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. is is how, through your books, you help us understand your elevated position and closeness to Kṛṣṇa.
We are trying to follow your example in our own small way here in Iceland by trying to spread the holy name locally while at the same time trying to elevate our own Vaiṣṇavism in the hope to get the empowerment needed to succeed in our mission. Many small and big miracles have happened along the way, con rming that trying to establish ISKCON in Iceland is something you want us to do.
Every day, and especially today, we pray through the Śrī Guru-vandana prayers: “hā hā prabhu kara dayā deha more pada-chāyā” that we may obtain your mercy by taking rm shelter of your lotus feet by participating in your mission.
May your fame be spread all over the three worlds!
Your servants at ISKCON of Iceland
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances on the most auspicious occasion of Your Divine Grace’s 127th Vyāsa-pūjā celebration. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
You are the savior of the entire human society in this world and beyond because the holy names of the Lord permeate the ether. People were unaware that the ultimate goal of life was to go back home, back to Godhead. You simpli ed the most con dential knowledge to such an extent that even the less intelligent also understood it. By this, together with your mercy, millions of miserable souls like us have access to and an opportunity to understand the purpose and direction of life.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have not only blessed us with the divine and pure holy name, delicious prasāda, priceless scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā, Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, holy places like Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur, festivals like Ratha-yātrā and Gaura-Pūrṇimā, but also blessed us with your dearmost disciples who are the pillars and backbone of our devotional life. ey really inspire, guide and boost our spiritual life. We feel lost and incomplete without them. ese wonderful souls who are connected to you have become our true mothers and made us aware of your mission for our wellbeing.
So from the core of our hearts, we are extremely grateful for each and every Prabhupāda disciple and their valuable and sel ess contribution to this entire world. It is only because of them that we are able to understand the true meaning of life.
Only for Your divine pleasure and as per Your instructions and by the blessings of our guru-paramparā, we successfully conducted one Bhāgavata-kathā and are planning for two more. We have six Bhakti-vṛkṣa programs; go on nagara-saṅkīrtana; do book distribution; o er Bhaktiśāstrī courses under Pandharpur Institute of Higher Education (PIHE); distribute prasāda; study Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta and your books.
On behalf of ISKCON Ichalkaranji congregational devotees, please accept this minuscule contribution as an o ering unto Your divine lotus feet.
We beg forgiveness for our shortcomings and incomplete recollections.
anking you, Your insigni cant servants, Devotees of Ichalkaranji Center
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
While every word and sentence you spoke is important and nectar, we are most heartened and enlivened by the below conversation that took place with you and a reporter in the US:
Reporter: What will happen when you die?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: I will never die! I will always live in my books and they will utilize.
Indeed these books are the sañjīvanī for all of humanity. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had said that just by reading these books one is initiated into Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsā, karaṇāpāṭava ārṣa-vijña-vākye nāhi doṣa ei saba
Mistakes, illusions, cheating and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages. (Cc., Ādi 2.86)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we would like to thank you for your causeless mercy. We will never be able to liquidate the debt that we owe you even in a lifetime of Lord Brahmā. e worship of the spiritual master is worship of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and vice versa.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, our life is only for you. Please always keep us under the shelter of your lotus feet.
In the Rāmāyaṇa, Lord Rāmacandra praises Hanumān and says to him that there are three classes of disciples: the rst-class disciple does more than what his master asks. e second-class disciple, even though able, does only what his master asks, and the third-class disciple does not follow his master.
Our fervent prayer to you is that you bless us so that we may serve you fully to your satisfaction.
anking you, Your unworthy servants at ISKCON Indore
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances.
In Ireland, in our tiny way, we have tried to glorify you by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the people here. We have been trying to spread it to ourselves also by advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness on your order and by following instructions in your tapes and books. But living here for over forty years and seeing the little progress that has been made, we can only marvel at your incredible determination to spread the mission so deeply and widely around the world.
Recently at a Sunday program, I was feeling a little proud of myself for distributing a dozen or so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1 1 to the congregation. en I realized, I didn’t translate and comment on these books, I didn’t print and bind them, I didn’t proofread them, I didn’t transport them. All I did was encourage people to take them, who were attending the Sunday program, which was also introduced by you. But you are so encouraging that I felt very enlivened when those books were taken after I spoke a little about what those books meant to me.
But how to inculcate this Kṛṣṇa consciousness into the lives of the fallen souls of Kali of which I am one? How to establish the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Community as an option for people to take in Ireland? How can we truly in uence this hopeless civilization to turn to Kṛṣṇa as their only hope? How can we practically begin this? You never shied away from this, even at the times of the greatest di culty. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please inspire us with that same enthusiasm, determination, and patience, and may we work cooperatively in goodness so that, by your mercy, we can bring pleasure to you.
On behalf of your servants in Ireland, Manu D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, our eternal loving father!
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and are delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
On behalf of all your grand- and great-grand spiritual children, especially all of us here in ISKCON Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, West Africa, on this most auspicious day of your auspicious appearance, we o er our repeated obeisances and gratitude for your love and compassion upon us. e best way to glorify a great personality is to follow in the footstep of such a great person by following his instructions.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this day, we pray for your special blessings so we may always remember and follow your instructions. May your fame continue to spread across the whole universe.
Your aspiring servant, Śālikā D āsa
ISKCON JosDear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet. All Glories to Your Divine Grace. Dear Prabhupāda, we are even borrowing words from your teachings to glorify Your Divine Grace, as palmfuls of Ganges water o ered to Ganges only.
You have beautifully quoted a verse from Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (13.2) in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2 9 39) purport as:
akṣṇoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-darśanaṁ hi tanoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-gātra-saṅgaḥ jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi sudurlabhā bhāgavatā hi loke
“O devotee of the Lord, the purpose of the visual sense is ful lled simply by seeing you, and to touch your body is the ful llment of bodily touch. e tongue is meant for glorifying your qualities because in this world a pure devotee of the Lord is very di cult to nd.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, although we are not at all quali ed to glorify your compassion, the more we read your books, the more we hear your vāṇī, the more we associate with your disciples and faithful followers and hear from them, then actually we get a glimpse of a drop of realization of your causeless oceanic compassion for the entire humanity and especially upon Kṛṣṇa conscious practitioners. We realize that whatever is needed for a sincere soul to go back to godhead and embrace śuddha-bhakti under the guidance of a bona de spiritual master, absolutely you have given everything. Your presence in our life is becoming more prominent day by day. Recently we were reading in Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta about your answer to a question asked to you regarding your previous life, and you answered:
So far I am concerned, I cannot say what I was in my previous life, but one great astrologer calculated that I was previously a physician and my life was sinless. Besides that, to corroborate the statement of Bhagavad-gita “sucinam srimatam gehe yogabhrasta ’bhijayate,” which means an un nished yogi takes birth in rich family or born of a suci or pious father. By the grace of Krishna I got these two opportunities in the present life to be born of a pious father and brought up in one of the richest, aristocratic families of Calcutta (Kasinatha Mullik). e Radha Krishna Deity in this family called me to meet Him, and therefore last time when I was in Calcutta, I stayed in that temple along with my American disciples. Although I had immense opportunities to indulge in the four principles of sinful life because I was connected with a very aristocratic family, Krishna always saved me, and throughout my whole life I do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating or gambling. So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krishna. (SPL, chapter 31)
We are extremely fortunate to be connected in some way to such mahā-bhāgavata who always remembers Kṛṣṇa and never forgets Kṛṣṇa. is aspect we often experience in your unique Bhaktivedanta purports; almost every purport of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanyacaritāmṛta, and other books, is lled with your ecstatic love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are truly thankful for the instructions that you have so kindly given to us, the application of which would help us achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness and eternally serve your Lotus feet. I would like to humbly submit a few of these instructions:
is Kṛṣṇa consciousness is especially meant for understanding the position of the soul and its relationship with God. (Elevation to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, Chapter 3)
e conclusion is that as human beings we are meant not simply for solving economic problems on a tottering platform but for solving all the problems of the material life into which we have been placed by the laws of nature. (Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Verse 3, purport)
In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement a chance is given to everyone without discrimination of caste, creed or color. Everyone is invited to join this movement, sit with us, take prasāda and hear about Kṛṣṇa. (Nectar of Instruction, Verse 5, purport)
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also recommends that we give up this futile process to measure the Supreme. We cannot even measure the limitations of space, what to speak of the Supreme. It is not possible to measure the length and breadth of Kṛṣṇa by one’s minuscule knowledge, and one who arrives at this conclusion is considered intelligent by Vedic literature. (Beyond Birth and Death, Chapter 3)
rīla Prabhupāda, only you and your faithful followers who represent you earnestly can have such overwhelming compassion upon us. Śrīla Prabhupāda, in Kanaiyādeśa, we are sincerely endeavoring to study your books on a daily basis in association with devotees. Although this place is a desert, by your causeless mercy, we have the wonderful soothing shelter of devotees. We are begging for your causeless mercy to understand the real meaning of your purports, to develop a strong desire to serve the holy name, Hari, Guru and all the Vaiṣṇava who are trying to please you.
Ś
Your Divine Grace, on this most auspicious day of your appearance, I fervently pray at your lotus feet that we always remain your faithful servant and a useful tool to your faithful followers.
prati janme kori āśā caraṇera dhuliAlways praying to be the servant of your servants
Kanhaiyādeśa Yātrā (Kuwait)
Hare Kṛṣṇa. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
It is an honor, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, to give you an o ering and express our heartfelt gratitude to you. At the beginning of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we always used to hear that it is all your mercy that we are made up of; your sacri ce is our price in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Over the years, that realization is becoming more ingrained in our hearts. At ISKCON Kanpur, with all challenges and obstacles and personal anarthas, everything is gradually taking shape by your divine plan – as you wrote in a letter to His Grace Brahmānanda Prabhu on 1 Feb, 1968 “Kanpur is the next important city after Calcutta and Bombay. erefore, his decision to start immediately one center at Kanpur is acceptable.” Also, you wrote to His Grace Akṣayānanda on 29 Jan 1976, “We should certainly have a center in Kanpur. It is the third most important city in India after Bombay and Calcutta.”
Only You could lead all of us. Your rock-solid philosophy through books, your personal
example, your sacri ce and legacy through empowered disciples is our only quali cation in bhakti. Despite our de ciencies, you have chosen us to serve here at ISKCON Kanpur. is is another instance of your causeless mercy to make us an instrument of your divine plan. We humbly wish to present our services here at ISKCON Kanpur.
1. Glorious decoration of Deities every day attracts hundreds of visitors to have the divine darśana of the Lordships. On Weekends and festivals, the temple is fully packed.
2. Melodious kīrtanas charm the hearts of visitors and give them holy name. rough “Japa Walk” initiative, hundreds chant one round of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra every day.
3. “Phulo Ki Holi” on March 12, 2023 attracted more than fteen thousand people to the temple. We could serve them by giving them holy darśana, holy name, holy abhiṣeka, holy kathā, and holy prasāda.
4. Temple is blessed with the chance to serve many visiting seniors Vaiṣṇavas like His Grace Devakīnandan Prabhu, His Holiness Bhakti Pracāra Parivrājaka Swami, His Holiness Bhakti Anugraha Janārdana Swami, His Grace Amogha-līlā Prabhu, His Grace Sudāma Prabhu, His Grace Vaṁśī Vadana Prabhu, His Grace Rādhe Śyāma Prabhu, His Grace D āmodara Prabhu, etc.
5. “Food for Life” building is on the verge of completion, which will serve hundreds of visitors coming to the temple with delicious prasāda
6. Water fountain on both sides of the temple’s main door enriches the beauty of the temple.
7 RO Drinking water facility for visitors has been installed.
8. Govindas Restaurants have been reopened and serving many families to have delicious prasāda.
9 Last year in Marathon, we could all together distribute over 62,500 books scoring 10th rank in the world.
10 Bhakti- śāstrī for both brahmacārīs and Congregation has been implemented to study your books systematically.
11 A beautiful pond with Kāliya Kṛṣṇa Deities has been developed for the pleasure of the Lordships and for nauka-vihāra pastimes of the Lord.
12. FOLK program, with more than 7.5K families, is connecting more and more families in the service of the Lordships.
13. VLC and PDC joining programs for more brahmacārīs have been going on. Currently, we have over 40 brahmacārīs in the āśrama
14. Youth Preaching programs in colleges have been going on steadily in various cities across UP: Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Bijnore, Sultanpur, Jhansi, Kannauj, Ambedkarnagar, etc. We have two yearly camps in which over 200 devotees chanting 16 rounds participate.
15. Campus Preaching program is now helping many youths coming to the temple to get connected to the temple and become solid devotees.
16. ISKCON Kanpur is also extending its help to support and develop many other centers like Orai, Jhansi, Lakimpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Chitrakoot, Gorakhpur, etc.
17. Recently, we had the Xpression Youth festival on April 7, in which over 10,000 college students participated.
We thank you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us a chance to serve you in this divine mission. We hope and pray that we may assist you in some way to serve you in your service to your spiritual master.
We look ahead to improving our services and devotion to the Lordships. We plan to have regular nourishment and training programs for brahmacārīs and congregations through yātrās and courses. We hope to serve prasāda to the whole Kanpur through the Food for Life program. We
pray to connect more and more youth and families visiting the temple through Campus preaching and FOLK, respectively.
Finally, we seek your causeless blessings on all the members of our small family at ISKCON Kanpur who are working hard with devotion to serve here under all circumstances.
We wish to express our deep gratitude for His Grace Devakīnandan Prabhujī and His Holiness Bhakti Pracāra Parivrājaka Swami, who are constantly showing us the path on your behalf as your loyal and faithful servants.
We seek forgiveness for not being able to meet your many expectations. Kindly keep us under your loving shade.
In your service, eternally Your Servants at ISKCON Kanpur
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Years have gone, but I remain still unable to understand one simple instruction of yours: Kṛṣṇa is the master and I am His servant.
As I look back from the day I joined ISKCON, enthusiasm and eagerness were there and now responsibility and carefulness increased.
ISKCON has given me enough to reach back to Kṛṣṇa. e only thing I lack is application.
I am grateful to you for allowing me to engage in your service and wish to complete your house, a temple dedicated to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in Kanyakumari district soon, by your blessings.
On this auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā of yours, I humbly seek your blessings for myself and all devotees of ISKCON Kanyakumari district to remain enthusiastically in your service.
Your servant,
Vikrama Govinda D āsa Manager, ISKCON extension centerDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Here at ISKCON Khargar, Navi Mumbai, we, your granddisciples, are attempting to gift you another temple of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohanajī as a humble o ering. We all know you will bless us so that your name, fame, and mission spread to save as many souls as possible from the clutches of Māyā.
By your mercy, we again celebrate your blessed appearance on this globe. Our material and spiritual health is a gift of God, Lord Kṛṣṇa. You taught and showed us, by your example, how
to receive that mercy. You taught us to see the wonders and the tribulations of this world as a gift of God. With your endless patience, you guided all your disciples on their path, awarded them service, trained, inspired, and corrected them. In short, you created for all who would hear and follow you a genuine, eternal, unlimited spiritual life.
It is said that by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, one attains a guru. And by the guru’s mercy, one attains Kṛṣṇa. In your physical absence, when your presence in this world is not manifest to mundane eyes, once again, we are receiving you by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, your faithful, devoted followers increasingly discover your glories by faithfully serving your mission.
As we do our best to serve you, we can only pray that our e orts will please you and Kṛṣṇa, and bring the empowerment you boldly o ered to us, if we would give ourselves heart and soul to the Lord’s mission. Let us do that now.
So please bless all of us in our endeavors to wake the sleeping souls here in Navi Mumbai, by presenting this muni cent temple at your divine lotus feet.
Your servants, Sūradāsa and team Kharghar, Navi Mumbai
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances. All glories to Your divine lotus feet.
As your spiritual grandson, I feel extremely honored and happy to write this homage on behalf of Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa yātrā, even though I am not quali ed enough to write a few words. Whenever at any spiritual congregation, I am told to speak on any verse of my choice from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, without a second thought, I recite verse 41 from Chapter 2 along with the translation and purport. As many times I read this verse, especially the purport, I become more and more convinced with a strong conviction to serve my spiritual father in his mission to serve Your instructions.
In Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa, spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always a challenge. But in front of your achievement in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, my challenge in Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa yātrā is nothing. So, I always read Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta to understand and realize Your successful e orts as a single devotee to enter the United States at an old age when normally one thinks of leading a comfortable retired life in the company of children and grandchildren.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa yātrā is in its 30th year of existence. Because of security concerns, we could never venture out in organizing Ratha-yātrā, Book Marathon, celebration of di erent Kṛṣṇa conscious Festivals for the bene t of people openly as is done in di erent parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States. But after reading the Bhagavad-gītā Verse 2.41 and with the full support from the Core Committee members of Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa yātrā, I conducted the 1st Kīrtana-melā and Food Festival. e most important point which I would like to tell Your Grace is that the two days Kīrtana-melā and Food Festival were planned, organized and executed successfully by the youth with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless all the Devotees of Kṛṣṇa-kathā Deśa for putting e ort into bringing more and more fallen souls into the ISKCON society.
Hare Kṛṣṇa! Your servant, Aniruddha Gopāla D āsa, JPS (Zonal Supervisor, Qatar)Our Dear most Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you, savior of the whole world.
e advent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the exodus of three million people, mainly across the Polish border. We at “Food For All U.K.” saw it as an excellent opportunity to distribute prasāda to hungry and needy people. We packed a van and trailer with everything necessary to feed a multitude of people and drove to Poland. Conditions were grim with minus ten degrees centigrade temperatures and traumatized people unsure of their and their loved ones’ future. Prasāda was a more than welcome necessity that was received with gratitude.
As only women and children were allowed to leave Ukraine, it left us wondering about the plight of those left behind but, more speci cally, about the situations in the temples near the ghting zones. We decided we should help by taking equipment and resources to these temples.
We thought we were taking gifts and help, but actually, we gained so much from the devotees who remained in these dangerous zones. We saw the incredible determination these devotees have to continue their devotional service in such an adverse situation. Bombs often strike in these eastern cities, but the devotees continue to feed the people. In Kherson, the temple was occupied by the Russian army, who used it as barracks, and even now, the devotees are unable to return to their temple due to snipers. Currently, they have created a kitchen in an empty swimming pool, thus continuing the prasāda distribution daily. Zapaorizhia, the nuclear power plant, now in the hands of the Russians, is in danger of a nuclear safety crisis, but temple life goes on. We bow down to all of these exemplary devotees. ey are truly inspiring. It is humbling to associate with such devotees.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have told us how cooking and feeding everyone lunch in Second Avenue, New York, helped build up your movement. We pray that we can continue in your footsteps and provide people with the opportunity to eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda and help to build up your movement further.
Your servants at Food For All U.K.
O ering written by Paraśurāma D āsa and Mokṣalak
Most Respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your Lotus feet. All Glories to Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrīla Gaurāṅga, all Glories all Glories to your Divine Self.
I know that I can’t express my gratitude and feelings of appreciation in words and action; still, I am trying for my Puri cation and satisfaction.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your pastimes with your disciples are the sweetest of all; we can experience your fathomless wisdom, your oceanic compassion, and your unimaginable ability to see the future. I hear them again and again.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your books are the lighthouse for the whole world on a deep, dark, moonless night. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are beyond the conditions of time, place, and circumstances. Your purports are the manifestation of the innermost feelings of all the ācāryas and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the only shelter for this society. I can’t tolerate any comments or corrections some mischievous ignorant people are spreading. However, it gives me purpose in my life; I commit myself wholeheartedly to stop such blind people.
Please bless me; I want to serve you and glorify you. anking you,
Your humble servant,
Mahāśṛṅga D āsa ISKCON Kukatpallynama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
What amazes me the most about Śrīla Prabhupāda is his compassion. How he is ever ready to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to anyone anywhere, regardless of whether ready or not. Our readiness –that enthusiasm that propels us in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness is nothing but his divine touch. If not, how in the world could I, who is geographically and consciously very far from Vraja, ever have a taste of devotional service? By his causeless mercy and Supreme power, he carried Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Vṛndāvana and all eir divine con dants and installed em all over the world.
Africans naturally had a taste of Vedic culture through the traditional African religion. In this path, ancestral worship was quite the process of attaining the Supreme. But the ordinary African never had any idea who the Supreme Being was. is indirect process is really long and would have taken us lifetimes to have a chance to the direct path. Seeing this, you empowered your condential associates to this land not to exploit her like the others, but to implant the seed of bhakti And now, this boy from the deepest region of Africa can also chant the holy names of the Lord.
is is how much you have changed our fortune; for this, we are eternally grateful and indebted to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Just as the grandfather never takes seriously the childish behavior of his grandchildren, although they may be radical and a menace sometimes, similarly, O dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes I act so immature and don’t take the family business you sacri ced so much for. Please, do not disown me from the family. Please, do not take my inattention and irresponsibility seriously. Having taken shelter of your dear servant Bhakti Dhīra D āmodara Swami, this boy will gradually learn to live, appreciating and taking seriously this divine heritage.
Possessing all symptoms of a Vaikuṇṭha man – your divine hands always carry a walking stick to clear the way back to Godhead. A japa bag – to vibrate the holy names in all the nooks of the globe. Your suitcase, which is the personi cation of the Vedas. An umbrella to give shelter to the fallen conditioned souls. Being a swanlike devotee, you always hold your head high in the sky, meditating on Gaura-Nitāi. You are simple yet very opulent. So compassionate, yet so grave. So humble yet so bold. O you whose glories were foretold; you carried the heavy instructions of your spiritual master although you appeared very old. You never sought praise and fame; your only goal was that the glories of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa may unfold. O divine artist, I present my life into your hands to shape and mold.
My deepest and heartfelt prayer, O great emperor, is that you may engage this wretch in service in the association of your unalloyed devotees so we may always learn to love and appreciate you always in consciousness and in action. ank you so much, dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, for everything, we are and will eternally be grateful and indebted to you for Your Divine Grace.
Your most fallen Servant,
Caitanya Bhāgavata D āsa (Temple President) ISKCON Kumasi, Ghana, West Africanama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine.
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear grandfather, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Words are not enough to express my gratitude toward you. You gave us the real meaning of life and a family whose value is beyond our hearts’ desires.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please, we beg for your mercy so that we can continue to resist against the terrible waves of māyā We pray to reciprocate all the love you gave to us, and we surrender all our lives to your divine lotus feet. ank you.
Your most unfortunate grandson, Acintya Rūpa D āsa ISKCON Lagos
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. is year by your grace and with the expert guidance of His Grace Vaiśeṣika Prabhu, we have been fortunate to expand our book distribution e orts and engage a lot of our congregation members in the sponsorship and distribution of books at organized events in di erent cities throughout Southern California. In December of 2022, we ranked #5 in North America, achieving a 37 percent of growth from the previous year, and ranked number 8 out of 44 based on cumulative scores from January through December.
Between the rst and second, we had over 30 devotees take initiation this last year. Our pūjārī department has expanded along with our weekly programs: Bhagavad-gītā classes in multiple venues, Saturday night satsaṅga at our satellite temple in Long Beach, California, and our regular Sunday Feast.
In Your Divine Grace’s purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.24.48, you explain:
Even though we may not have the fortune to contact the Supreme Lord personally, the Lord’s representative is as good as the Lord Himself because such a representative does not say anything unless it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead […] e bona de guru is he who has accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. is is the guru-paramparā system. e original guru is Vyāsadeva because he is the speaker of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, wherein everything spoken relates to Kṛṣṇa. erefore guru-pūjā is known as Vyāsa-pūjā. In the nal analysis, the original guru is Kṛṣṇa, His disciple is Nārada, whose disciple is Vyāsa. One cannot become a guru if he does not know what the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation wants. e mission of the guru is the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
is verse explains the do’s and don’ts by which we can become freed of material entanglement, which are to render service to the Supreme along with giving up contaminating action. But this
formula is incomplete without the main ingredient: the spiritual master; and you expertly highlight this important point in your purport not only stating it but also by explaining the reasoning behind it, and how the spiritual master links us to Kṛṣṇa by repeating to us what is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and by engaging us in the Lord’s mission to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
By your purport, you make it easy for us to identify a bona de spiritual master but also to understand your extraordinary and unique position as ISKCON’s founder-ācārya, and the special role you will forever play in the lives of your disciples, granddisciples, and so on. ere is no doubt you have made it possible for anyone in the world to connect with Kṛṣṇa by your bold and sel ess vision of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere, and by your magical ability to spearhead that greatest of all missions. Without your brave and decisive action, none of us would be here in Laguna Beach trying to assist you in this e ort, and thereby doing good for ourselves and others. Your Divine Grace is the primary ingredient in the whole equation, and without it we would simply be wandering around mission-less, bouncing o the walls of this material creation, being led and manipulated by the material nature like a pinball is pushed around before being led by the pins of the machine to its demise, which for us would be the untold su ering from not knowing our true identity.
Our desire is to dedicate and combine all of our service e orts, o er back to you, and through you, the greatest gift you have given to us and to the world. We continuously beg for your blessings so we can become better servants, better disciples, and better leaders to better assist you in the mission of expanding the glories of Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva far and wide.
With gratitude and love, Your servant, Var
On behalf of ISKCON, Laguna Beach
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my prostrate obeisances. Please accept prostrate obesances of all members of the management and leadership of New Yoga-pīṭha in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Also, accept mudra of reference and respect on behalf of all Slovenian devotees thinking of themselves as your followers and their friends who might have liked you or your work at least once in their life.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, let me begin by quoting a letter to Hayagrīva D āsa:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated January 5 and 8 1970 respectively, and I am so much moved from your kind sentiments that you have expressed for my humble activities. Actually I am not worthy of any one of the words spoken by you but all of them are due to my Spiritual Master Who was so kind to me. In fact I am a worthless person because my Spiritual Master ordered me to take up this work in 1922 but I did not carry his order until 1958, when I was obliged to carry out His order by His arrangement only. is means although I was not very enthusiastic to carry out His order He forced me
circumstantially to accept it. So this is His special mercy upon me and I always think about this with gratitude to this exalted personality coming directly from Vaikuntha World and we had the great fortune to meet Him. I think that is the only credit on our part that we happened to meet Him by some “ajnata sukriti” or unknown auspicious activities.
He is so kind upon me that when I came to your country, where I was completely unknown, He sent to me some good souls like you unsolicited. So I accept you all as assistants or representatives of my Guru Maharaja Who is still helping me because I am so feeble and unworthy. Anyway, the business which we have taken to work together is neither your business nor my business as far we are personally concerned, but it is the business of Lord Caitanya and His bona de servants like my Guru Maharaja. erefore it is the duty of all of us to execute it as nicely as far as possible within our capacity. In other words, we shall just try to discharge our responsible duties faithfully and seriously, then all facilities will come for our help. (Letter to Hayagrīva, January 14, 1970)
Due to this expression of your utter humility, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, it is now hard for me to think of something appropriate to write for the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
Everyone who has the smallest information about your character and work can tell that you were not a puppet manipulated by someone else but a dancer who knows exactly how to follow the lead of his co-dancer. us, the credit for responding perfectly to your Guru Mahārāja and Kṛṣṇa’s will goes to you only. ough you preach in eir name, you deserve the glori cation, gratitude and attention to learn from everyone. You preached Lord Caitanya’s message purely, and amazingly you are preaching after your disappearance.
In fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are still preaching, you are still active on behalf of your paramparā. In 1977 you had left, but on so many levels, you are still here. From your connection, there are many good things happening. Good for an individual like myself, for others and for the whole world.
As you give credit to your Guru Mahārāja, so the leadership of the Slovenian group of devotees gives credit to you for all success here. Śrīla Prabhupāda, Slovenian devotees and friends give full credit to you for all good that has been done in your name in our country of only two million.
In 1983 Avadhūta D āsa registered ISKCON in Slovenia. At that time, there was only one other Slovenian who had had some association with your disciples and was preaching. Yet in Avadhūta D āsa’s mind, there was hope and vision of many Slovenian devotees that would come in time. ey will learn, take advantage of everything you bring and eventually, after leaving their body, the story of their rebirth will end for good. Five years passed after that inspired moment full of hope for your mission in Slovenia when devotees nally acquired a place. In 1988 there was rst ISKCON’s location in Slovenia. us, this year Slovenian group of devotees is celebrating 40 years of e orts on your behalf. In 2023 thousands of Slovenians can show their gratitude by raising their hands to the sky and exclaiming, Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Every current member can con rm that the vision of Slovenian pioneers has come true. With no major reports of transgressions, with consistent leadership and management, we are proud to report that in the past 35 years daily program beginning with maṅgala-ārati has been followed and attended on average by 30 devotees. Some live in men’s and lady’s āśramas and some travel to have darśana of gorgeous Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva and participate in lively kīrtana simultaneously surcharged with deep silence indicating Kṛṣṇa’s presence. e great moment of Śrī Pañca-tattva’s installation took place in 2001 at our latest and nicest location.
As Hare Kṛṣṇa names have once been a household name in Slovenia, it seems quite easy to nd new souls to o er a book to or even the japa-mālā. Every week there must be several who show
interest in the movement and from time to time, there is someone who wants to go deep. Every year, for the past four decades there have been new initiates and some of them got quali ed to do Deity worship and represent ISKCON philosophically.
For the past forty years, more and more dedicated devotees have done so much on your behalf. But the real symptom of success is seen when some devotee leaves their body. We can see how even Slovenians who have been engaged in devotional services can get the opportunity that in their last days, if not before, show such bliss convincing everyone closes their death is not an ordinary death. Only a few decades ago, this option was not there. ere is no doubt of your continued in uence when also the relatives of the departed devotee’s soul possessing nothing more than a drop of ajñāta-sukṛti testify how their son’s death was accompanied by auspicious visions and feelings.
You take the credit for every person who, from now on, will leave their body in the bliss of connection to Kṛṣṇa in devotion.
A close friend of mine and several devotees I knew left this world like this. is would not be possible without your impactful life. is is real information. Every drama of life ends with death and devotees born in this land of Slovenia have found eternal shelter in the spiritual world, just like you had promised to all your followers. If following the principles of bhakti-yoga, even Slovenian converts go back home back to Godhead.
What gives me the most faith in you, Śrīla Prabhupāda is just this, I witnessed Slovenian natives attain spiritual goals of esoteric levels of bhakti-yoga before available only to some Indians born in families surrounded by long-lasting Vaiṣṇava tradition.
Your servant, Jaya Nitāi Gaura D āsa (JPS) on behalf of New Yoga-pīṭha Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept our most humble obeisances.
As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s ve precepts sum up the process of devotional service, you perfectly set them alive for us in your most merciful Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Following is a humble poem, an attempt to glorify Your Divine Grace, expressing our deepest gratitude to you for saving us from Māyā’s clutches and directing us toward the true goal of life, unalloyed devotional service.
Sādhu-saṅga
You came as a lightning
A lightning of grace
Beyond the time
And mundane space
We were lost and fallen
Like masterless dogs
You brought the light
Emerging from Boston’s docks
Lonely but powerful
Your Grace Divine
You created a cosmos
Of sādhus around
Alpha and omega of our lives
How could we ever be without?
Your temples and centers
Saving islands
For us to be free of māyā’s violence
Endless gratitude
Indebted forever
Are we
Your followers
Forever and ever
Nāma-kīrtana
Chanting the holy name
In Tompkins Square Park
With rst devotees
Dancing around
Yuga-dharma – our shelter
Saving us from living life
Helter skelter
Flows of nectar
Boundless bliss
No kīrtana to be missed
Harināma, kīrtana or japa together
Our bodies just no longer matter
Oh, who would ever think?
So simple yet sublime
Like ones’ eyes blink
Leaving all su erings behind
Endless gratitude
Indebted forever
Are we
Your followers
Forever and ever
Bhāgavata- śravaṇa
You left a treasure chest
Lasting thousands of years
For all sincere hearts
And eager ears
Fog of Kali-yuga
Far away it goes
As soon as we hear
Destroyed are all foes
Foes inner and outer
Within and without
Strongly defeated
By your lotus mouth
Not reading your books
Is a death indeed
But if regularly relished
A place to meet
Meet you and all sādhus
And Kṛṣṇa e Lord
Cutting all attachments
With the sharpest sword
Endless gratitude
Indebted forever
Are we
Your followers
Forever and ever
Mathurā-vāsa
Oh, when, oh, when that day will be mine
To be able
To reside in the holy dhāma
Vṛndāvana, Māyāpur
Abodes beyond description
You made them accessible to us
As per śāstras prescription
Embassies of Goloka Dhāma
Your worldwide temples
What a miracle!
Spiritual world’s true samples
Endless gratitude
Indebted forever
Are we
Your followers
Forever and ever
Śrī-mūrtiya- śraddhayā sevana
Ah, and your Deities! e perfect forms
Shining resplendently conquering all norms
Norms of beauty in a mundane sense
dissipating the darkness which is so dense
Without Śrī Mūrtis
Can’t imagine your movement
To gaze at eir beauties
Every single moment
Is a life’s perfection
No doubt
Such blissful sevā
Lifting the dark cloud
Like full moons
e forms of the Lord
Appearing mercifully All over the world
We can travel that world
From place to place
And always have darśana
Oh, what a grace!
Endless gratitude
Indebted forever
Are we
Your followers
Forever and ever
Your servants from Śrī Śrī Nitāi Navadvīpacandra Mandir, ISKCON Luzce and Govinda’s Restaurant Prague, Czech Republic
(Written R )Our dearest, adoring and merciful spiritual grandfather, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble and respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and to your anugas.
You have given us the greatest gift, the vision of transcendence that we are not this body. Never before has any spiritual teacher or ācārya stressed this transcendental knowledge so much. We have heard this to a point, where we think we know, but only knowing and understanding is not enough. We know we have to live with this transcendental knowledge. And to live this kind of life of signi cant transformation, you have given us the holy name and your books to read, understand and follow. You have spent sleepless nights writing these books, and we have a duty to spend time reading and understanding them.
We here in Madikeri, a small hill station tucked inside in the forests of Coorg in South India, simply love and relish your purports, so immaculate, a holistic approach to the subject matter down to the last subject matter pertaining to the śloka. Certainly, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has infused transcendental inputs to make them so rich and relishing.
Your books have changed our lives. We here were well immersed in a life of comfort and ignorance of the realities of human life and engrossed with a sense grati catory staple diet totally oblivious to spirituality. Your Divine Grace has opened up a whole new treasure house in the form of your books, sadhu-saṅga, nāma-saṅkīrtana, mahā-prasāda, festivals, Deity sevā, etc.
e other huge gift that Your Divine Grace has given us is the understanding of “BACK TO GODHEAD.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have opened up the spiritual doors, windows, etc., for everyone irrespective of caste, color, creed, nation, etc. Never before had ANYONE shown us nor made us understand the concept and the urgency to know how to go back home “BACK TO GODHEAD,”
nor even stressed about rejoining Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. You have given us as humans a very spiritual blissful, and vibrant life, a more meaningful life separate from animalistic propensities.
ank you, Your Divine Grace, for having given to us good followers as your disciples, who are tirelessly serving to bring more souls “BACK TO GODHEAD.”
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the torchbearer, has thus sent Your Divine Grace to reclaim the fallen souls in this Kali-yuga.
We rededicate ourselves today to be your servitor, even life after life and be happily situated in ISKCON in spite of the (internal) situations arising now and then. BUT WE LOVE THEE ISKCON.
Your insigni cant granddisciples, Sudhīra Caitanya D āsa & Servitors
ISKCON Madikeri, Coorg, Karnataka, South India
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
Beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,
We, your dear servants of Malaga Mandir, fervently wish that you be our guide and conductor on this path of spiritual self-realization.
Currently, the entire world is very far from the Supreme truth, and people are only dedicated to the search for material enjoyment, thus forgetting the purpose of life, which is the return home, the return to God.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we humbly ask you to give us enough strength and determination to continue ghting this battle, where the enemy cannot be seen but exists …
ank you very much for all the love that you kindly give us always!
Happy day of your Vyāsa-pūjā; Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
On behalf of all the devotees of Malaga Mandir, Hari Cakra D āsa (Hernando Landazabal F.)
Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kindly accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. We are serving here in Blantyre, Malawi, on the order of the GBC. We just moved here about a year ago and are getting to know more and more about this place step by step. It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.35:
etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ dehinām iha dehiṣu prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā
It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the bene t of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.
We have personally read and heard about you and your glories, that you lived your whole life on the above principles and that even at such an advanced age, you just gave, gave, and kept giving. You lived an exemplary life and we’re still far away from making this śloka our life but little by little, we go on doing what’s to be done in the progress of our movement.
We accomplished a few things this year; we organized our rst Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā in the main street of our city, we are holding children and adult classes separately on almost every Saturday and with the acquisition of the new TV screen it is very easy to use the same in spreading the message.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we’re doing nothing compared to you or your great followers, but we know for sure that taking baby steps in spreading the movement will be a step toward taking many, many su ering souls back to Godhead, which was your goal.
We fold our hands and thank you for allowing us to serve in your movement. Kindly bless us to take it to new heights here in Malawi.
Your servants from ISKCON Blantyre, Malawi
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe Our
Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Please accept our humble obeisances. All Glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.
On this auspicious occasion of your 127th Appearance Day, we feel greatly humbled yet fortunate to o er this heartfelt o ering at your lotus feet. e way your teachings are transforming the
hearts of millions of su ering souls in this material world is really inconceivable. Every single person who is living in this material world is actually reaping the fruits of your e orts, knowingly or unknowingly. e love of Godhead, which you have spread by the mercy of your spiritual master and ultimately by Lord Gaurāṅga, is inundating the whole planet into kṛṣṇa-prema. e world is now accepting your teachings more e ectively. But as you have said that “Now it’s time to boil the milk’, we all need to become more sincere in bhakti. We need to read your books regularly and follow your instructions in a more mature way which we confess is lacking.
On this special day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we all should take a vow to follow your footsteps more sincerely and make our lives perfect. ank you.
Your servants, Congregation of ISKCON Mangalore, Śrī Jagannātha Mandir
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled the world to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was a Nārada Muni of the modern age – a true jet-setter. On his way from the USA to India, he journeyed westward and stopped by Manila, the capital of the Philippines on October 11, 1972. After less than two days, he left Manila for New Delhi. In his lecture in Vṛndāvana on October 21, 1972, Śrīla Prabhupāda, mentioned Manila,
Recently I’m coming from Manila, Philippines. ere also, they’re dog-eaters. But still they took part in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanted, and we were very much encouraged. In the last meeting … We held our meeting in the hotel, big hall, very nice hall, and all young men came, and they chanted and danced with us, purchased our books, and here are e organizer is Sudāmā-vipra Ma …, Gosvāmī Mahārāja is present here. He has gone there only six months, and within six months, he has organized so nicely that wherever we go, the young generation, especially, they chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa!”
In another lecture in Vṛndāvana on October 28, 1972, he mentioned Manila again:
Yes. Manila, in Philippines. So this Manila, Philippines, they eat dogs. But still they gave very patient hearing to kṛṣṇa-kathā My last meeting was in a big hotel. Our Sudāmā Vipra Gosvāmī Mahārāja arranged it, and it was very successful meeting. All full of young men. And they came to hear about Kṛṣṇa. And they responded very nicely. ey
purchased books, they danced, they chanted. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is progressing only on this basis: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1 2 17).
Śrīla Prabhupāda never again had the opportunity to return to Manila.
In June of 1971, Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Russia and it seemed that nothing much was accomplished in his four-day stay in Moscow in terms of preaching due to government restrictions. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda found the real purpose of his visit to Russia by training and initiating the rst Russian devotee, giving him the name Ananta- śānti D āsa. And from this transformation of one person as a result of meeting a pure devotee, Russia now has tens of thousands of active devotees and more than a hundred centers and temples.
A contrasting story may be told about Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Philippines. Although Śrīla Prabhupāda met dozens of curious souls during his visit to Manila in 1972, to date ISKCON Philippines only have three temples and two centers and approximately two hundred or even less active devotees throughout the country.
Despite the slow progress of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Philippines, the devotees of ISKCON Manila remain hopeful for a brighter future for ISKCON Philippines. We are excited and humbly report to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda that a permanent ISKCON-owned temple will be built in Manila very soon. We are expecting that the construction will commence soon after the ground-breaking ceremony, which is scheduled on April 15, 2023. Once completed, the presiding Deities of ISKCON Manila Temple, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava will have eir permanent home – a place ey can call eir own. Since eir arrival in 2006, ey have been housed in a rented rundown place. e new temple will become the center for all preaching activities, the Food For Life program and book distribution for the entire Metro Manila area, which has a population of close to 16 million people.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by your mercy, you have given us the opportunity to rise from the level of being caṇḍālas and mlecchas to the level of becoming Vaiṣṇavas. We know that we can never repay your kindness to us but we can only make an attempt to please you and remain loyal servants of ISKCON. With this in mind, we will do whatever it takes to nish the new temple project and move Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava to eir rightful place.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your most insigni cant servants, ISKCON Manila (Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava Mandir) Devotees c/o Indrāvalī Devī D āsī, Vice President Operation Manila, Philippines
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances.
All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!! All Glories to You!!!
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this 127th anniversary of your appearance, we o er this homage to
you on behalf of your disciples, granddisciples, and uninitiated followers in ISKCON Manitoba, Canada.
We are eternally grateful to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for pulling us out of this material world and providing shelter at your lotus feet. If you wouldn’t do that, what would our lives be like? Staying in this hypocritic, quarrelsome, judgmental, and stressful environment of Kali-yuga is extremely di cult, but your blessed ISKCON centers and temples are like oases in the desert.
With your mercy, being in devotee association, we don’t feel the heat of this material world at all. We feel so protected and sheltered when everybody is thinking only about the loving service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and their beloved devotees. We can’t thank you enough for bringing all of us under your divine shelter. You sacri ced your whole life for our ultimate welfare even though we never met you face to face. is is real compassion, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You ful lled Ś
rī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s words when He said:
yadi pāpi chāḍi dharma dūre deśe yāya mora senāpati-bhakta yāibe tathāya
If some sinful people escape and giving up religious principles go to far o countries, then My senāpati-bhakta (military commander) will come at that time to give them Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Sūtra-khaṇḍa 565)
We are those fallen, sinful souls, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for whom you came to rescue. Who else can have this genuine compassion and love for us.
With your mercy Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have a small dedicated center now in Winnipeg to have our weekly programs and festivals. is place is blessed with Śrī Jagannātha, Baladeva, Subhadrā Mahārāṇī, and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi’s divine presence. Please bless us that this place gets converted into a larger temple where our growing ISKCON Manitoba family can serve their Lordships together. You also have lovingly sent us many young devotees who serve wholeheartedly on Temple Planning Team and help a lot to make our festivals more vibrant. ey are also helping us distribute your books.
On your Vyāsa-pūjā, we bow down to your lotus feet and pray to you Śrīla Prabhupāda for enthusiasm, determination, and patience in bhakti. Please bless us that as we grow larger, we have loving relationships among devotees, and we cooperate with each other to serve ISKCON (your body) with love and care. May we all have strong sādhana, taste for the holy name, and dedication to study and distribute your divine books.
ank you for engaging us in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Your fallen servant, ISKCON Manitoba Congregation
Compiled by Mahāsundarī Rādhikā Devī D āsī
Dearest and most beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet!
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is a day we eagerly wait to wish you a very happy Vyāsa-pūjā Day and to show our gratitude for the mercy you have bestowed upon us all by giving us the essence of Vedic literature and making us realize the purpose of our human life. It is also an opportunity to relate to you every little happening occurring around the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, Vedic Farm and try to be the recipient of your utmost favor.
With each passing moment, we are witnessing the greater and greater in uence of Kali-yuga, which is trying to make our preaching less and less productive. People, like elsewhere in the world, are more and more naturally inclined toward materialism than to spirituality. It is demanding greater and greater e ort to push the movement forward. However, when we realize how you struggled hard to establish Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the 1960s in the midst of materialistic people in the USA, alone with practically no help, then our di culty seems so trivial. At that point, you didn’t even have any literature, no facility, no internet, but yet single-handedly, because you had complete faith in the instructions of your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, you just accepted to be the instrument in the hands of the Lord. You displayed such austerities at the advanced age of 70 that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy started pouring, and the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement inundated the the world. e prophecy of Lord Caitanya was realized by you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We have realized the more we put you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founderācārya, in front of all our undertakings and preaching activities; the more Kṛṣṇa consciousness will ourish, as rightly pointed out by His Holiness Bhakti-cāru Swami. is serves as a checkpoint wherever our preaching su ers.
Mauritius, being a small Hindu-majority country, has full potential to be the rst Kṛṣṇa conscious island in the world, as predicted by you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. You have already done the groundwork, and you have kindly left the onus of nishing the work in the hands of all future generations of devotees so that we can be a part, however small, of Lord Caitanya’s movement and get enough credit to be eligible to go back to home back to Godhead, our destination. You have displayed such mercy on us, and we are deeply grateful to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda.
All devotees are pushing forward to spread the message of Godhead through book distribution, and this is changing the lives of people gradually but surely. New temples are being constructed, new saṅgas are emerging, nāmahaṭṭa programs are being held throughout the country on a regular basis, harināma is constantly being organized, several Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā festivals are being held in di erent regions of the country. Devotees are leaving no stone unturned to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
is is but the miracle of your mercy, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. is would not have been possible without your personal supervision and guidance. We can feel your presence, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, wherever we meet devotees, wherever we read your books, wherever there is a satsaṅga going on, wherever we visit any ISKCON temple. Words are not enough to glorify what you have done for us, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, but still, what to do? We love you so much and we can’t stop eulogizing your greatness, and the fact that you have been among us and your lotus feet have sancti ed the Mauritian soil. is in itself is a blessing. Yet we always pray to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, to please continue showering your blessings so that we can continue to preach in a
Kṛṣṇa conscious spirit and keep our enthusiasm so that we always remain attached to your lotus feet and serve the devotees with utmost humility.
We beg to remain the faithful servants of ISKCON, Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. Again, and yet again, we pay obeisances before you. All glories to you! All glories to you! All glories to you!
Amongst the diversity that is ISKCON today, we all stand united under one banner. And you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, are our founder-ācārya. Your word is the nal leading decision in anything and everything that matters. And your satisfaction is the ultimate goal in all our endeavors. Individually and collectively, we submit to your will. We seek your forgiveness for any areas where our obedience is lacking, and we pray for your guidance to discipline us. Despite inevitable differences of opinion, we try to keep your instructions close to heart and to work cooperatively as a manifestation of our love for you. Please be kind, for without your mercy we are truly lost.
You have personally requested that we all work together to develop the Māyapur Project, your place of worship. And we strive to bring your vision of ISKCON into reality. Māyāpur is growing rapidly in size, population, and diversity, accommodating many devotees traveling here from all around the world. On your behalf, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are welcoming all visiting devotees to the dhāma.
By establishing a system where each service and sub-service gets its own place in the structure of management, we have been able to cater to many sevās in Māyāpur, with room for much expansion as our family in Māyāpur grows.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said he wanted 50,000 devotees to live in Māyāpur, and currently, 7,500 live here. Now countless guests are ooding into Māyāpur, and there is a great need to house them better since Māyāpur is becoming a more popular destination as the TOVP nears its completion.
erefore, many Guest house rooms have been transformed into Deluxe rooms. Utilitarian additions (geysers, ACs, etc.) have been added to other rooms as well to make a more comfortable experience for the guests. Plans for dedicated restaurants and even new guest houses are in the works.
Our rst-class deity department, with connections all across India and the world for the making of garments speci cally made for Śrī
r
Prahlāda Narasiṁhadeva, is beautiful and outstanding. Nonetheless, we are constantly trying to improve Deity worship here. ere are also several classes on Deity worship and care that devotees attend from various parts of the world.
Śrīla Prabhupāda has always told us to distribute books, as many as physically possible, and now, because of that, ISKCON Māyāpur has emerged as the International #1 in book distribution, with over 2.3 million book points scored by our own teams. Harināmas are held daily all around Māyāpur, with an expansion of traveling saṅkīrtana parties in the works. We also encourage all the divisions, departments, devotees, and congregations of Māyāpur to take up your book distribution.
Our Land e orts are seeing agriculture projects grow. As well as establishing new areas for the Prauḍhā Māyā and D āmodara Nagar projects, land encroachment is being tackled e ectively, and the newly established Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association has made progress in forming alliances and connections with other Maṭhas in the area.
You have always said cleanliness is godliness. In the dhāma, waste management has become a focused goal, although accomplishing it will need your mercy and guidance. Currently, we are focusing on segregating plastic and non-plastic waste sources for better disposal, although single-use plastic has now been banned inside the campus.
Our total herd strength in the gośālā is up to 390 cows, with over 38,000 liters of milk being produced in the last year. Income from gośālā sales and bullock cart rides is steadily increasing, while expenditures for the gośālā department are being o set by new fundraising initiatives such as grass sevā and tulābhāram.
is and so much more is being overseen in your service, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Māyāpur has become an incredible devotee capital of the world, and we are pushing through many obstacles to accomplish your vision and dream for a Vaiṣṇava society, with the TOVP as its crown jewel. Even as we speak, TOVP e orts are charging toward the completion of Śrī Narasiṁhadeva’s Temple Wing, to be inaugurated later this year in October.
e clarity of your preaching and instructions are the daily medicine that protects us from the incessant assault of māyā. But unlike ordinary tonics, your books are full of the most exquisite tastes and experiences. Out of your love for Kṛṣṇa, you have explicitly described His glories and pastimes, along with everything of our relationship with Him, how to act in that relationship, and the ultimate goal to be achieved by surrendering fully to His service. Your books and your words, being full of Kṛṣṇa, are the sweetest of all songs, the destroyer of all misfortune, and the source of unending spiritual strength.
Yet, despite your daily in uence in our lives, it sometimes happens that, due to our poor fund of knowledge, we misunderstand that you have departed and are no longer present. at you are no more at the helm of ISKCON. At such times, we become uncertain about how to be your representatives in leading Srī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, and we lament your absence from amongst us.
Fortunately, you have kindly revealed to us the solution to such lamentation. As you wrote some 60 years ago about your own spiritual master, “He lives forever by his divine instructions and the follower lives with him.” Śrīla Prabhupāda, we want nothing more than to follow you and live with you forever. We are certain that if we can do this, then the ood of Lord Caitanya’s mercy will cover the world, beginning from the holy land of Śrī Māyapur Dhāma. With all humility, we pray to remain xed at your lotus feet. By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, by our service to you, we hope that everybody in Māyāpur can develop their natural love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are our shelter and our support. You are our guide, our instructor, and
our chastiser. You are our inspiration and our ever well-wisher. You are our eternal master, and together, in one voice, we declare ourselves to be your servants evermore.
Please engage us in your service.
Your servants, ISKCON Māyāpur Co-directors
Jayapatākā Swami
Hṛdaya Caitanya D āsa
Braja Vilāsa D āsa
Śubhekṣana D āsa Tapana Miśra D āsa
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
Your goal is to create a society of ideal men. A class of saintly men admired by the world who inspires others to match their compassion, equanimity, sobriety, discipline, purity, tolerance, simplicity, mysticism, learning, and wisdom. You envisioned a class of brāhmiṇical men, leaders of the world. Ācāryas, leading the world by example. Instructors and guides of the administrators who govern the business community and employees of the world. Who see everyone as equal, as a servant of God. Whose every deed is for the bene t of all, who control the mind and senses, are liberal, sel ess, advanced in spiritual learning, quali ed gurus, and friends of all.
In human society, therefore, there must be an ideal class of men, brāhmaṇas, who can bestow blessings upon others, namely, upon the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras, so that everyone will be happy. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.7.13–15, purport)
You set the example. Your concern and care for others manifested your unbounded compassion.
You have a big heart. Your ISKCON society is an expansion of your heart, meant for the bene t of all.
ISKCON is the place where ideal men are born. Young and old, transformed by following the bhakti process as enunciated by the Gosvāmīs and as taught and shown by you. From the ordinary and mundane arise soft-hearted saints with love and compassion like you.
You also had a realistic approach to this endeavor: Actually, this world is like a hospital. We are all like sons of rich men running mad in the streets. Our Father, Krishna or God, is the wealthiest father, and we are all His sons gone mad. (Letter to Balavanta, Calcutta, February 18, 1972)
On the way to Kṛṣṇa is a path with many twists and turns. Just as in a hospital, a patient may relapse, similarly those who are aspiring Vaiṣṇavas with the highest of goals may again become madmen and struggle to identify with their spiritual identity.
erefore in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, those who are twice initiated so as to become brāhmaṇas must bear in mind their great responsibility to be truthful, control the mind and senses, be tolerant, and so on. en their life will be successful. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10 7 13–15, purport)
You were in no illusion as to the obstacles and challenges facing us. You gave us the process and the expert tips for success.
One must be determined. So māyā may check my progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but I must ght māyā. is determination (is) wanted. Dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍhavratāḥ at is wanted … One must be very serious, dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Dṛḍha-vratāḥ, and rmly convinced. ese things are required to revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Lecture on e Nectar of Devotion, Bombay, January 5, 1973)
Chanting sixteen rounds, studying the books and attending the temple regularly. I am glad to hear that you are determined to ght maya and take up this Krishna Consciousness philosophy. So go on reading my books and attending the temple regularly. By this process your spiritual life will develop. You should also be sure to chant 16 rounds on your beads if possible. is is the recommended way to become Krishna Conscious in this Age of Kali. (Letter to Mr. Seibert, Bombay, November 22, 1974)
Otherwise, we shouldn’t be surprised at the consequences. You gave a stern warning. You gave the solution.
All the devotees connected with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavadgītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep and fall down from their position. us, they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure. (Cc., Madhya 25.278)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the Hare Kṛṣṇa Temple in Melbourne, we are ful lling your vision of creating saintly men and women who work for the bene t of all. By following your instructions, we have been successful. When we chant our sixteen rounds, study your books, and regularly attend the temple, we are no longer in the material world. You advised us to be honest. It is our business to ensure we are serving Kṛṣṇa for His pleasure. In that mood, we are automatically in
the spiritual world. If we serve for our own pleasure, we are in the material world. You made this clear in June 1974:
So, you can become in the material world or spiritual world, as you desire. As you desire. If you want to remain in the spiritual world, this temple is the spiritual world. We are not living in Melbourne. is temple is not Melbourne. It is Vaikuṇṭha.
Devotees: Jaya!
Prabhupāda: It is Vṛndāvana. So, if you stick to this temple service, Kṛṣṇa’s service, then you are not in this material world. But as soon as you want to enjoy this material world, immediately you are in material world. is is your position.
Please bless us to determinedly serve your vision in creating a class of ideal men and women who chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, study your books and render service in your temple community, so we expand the spiritual world in Melbourne.
Your servant,
Aniruddha D āsa Temple PresidentSong for Śrīla Prabhupāda! Prabhupāda, a Light Of Humanity!
How much time I wasted
How many roads I traveled
Looking for my complacency
Or running from pain
I had reasons to love
But it was never real
Nothing could show me
True happiness
However something happened
Śrīla Prabhupāda arrived
How when you need water
And they bring you an ocean
Today I would like to understand and maybe know why
And even if there is no answer
e answer is in your love
He showed his weakness
And the whole world woke up although to get it will su er so much pain
erefore here I will be
And at his feet I will give myself
I don’t understand any other reason I don’t want to understand it
PRABHUPĀDA, PRABHUPĀDA A light on the path of all humanity! e match for your mission and embarks on a ship
Already crossing the 7 seas his heart failed him
How can this be?
I could not believe it! However it had begun His great determination
But Kṛṣṇa appeared
And in a dream he spoke to him
“Many souls are waiting for you
I will heal your heart”
He nally disembarks
And in the new world he found himself
He never would have imagined at total degradation
But little by little he found himself
Keśava Rāma D āsaNew Śrī Śrī Rādhā-D āmodara preaching center Mendoza, Argentina
with his soldiers of love
Being the commander in chief of the army of God
Never again be reborn you will never be reborn again If we all carry on together worshiping Śrīla Prabhupāda PRABHUPĀDA! PRABHUPĀDA A light on the path of all humanity!
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you and your eternal, pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Each year when we feebly attempt to compose a suitable Vyāsa-pūjā homage for you, it is a great challenge to choose which of your glorious qualities and achievements we can attempt to describe. As we sing during your guru-pūjā ceremony each morning, “your fame is spread all over the three worlds.”
After much consideration and feeling inspired by our hope and desire to educate ourselves and our congregation in the science of bhakti-yoga, we decided to write about your wonderful gift of transcendental books.
We appreciate that, although you could have given the world any number of Vedic literature about mundane subjects (since the Vedas mostly deal with such subjects), but you chose to give us only the most essential books that focus on the Lord’s pure devotional service.
For example, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from the very rst verse, kicks out any concept of religion that is materially motivated. e only purpose of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to guide the serious student to the point of pure devotional service. You stated in the Preface to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
e only quali cation one needs to study this great book of transcendental knowledge is to proceed step by step cautiously and not jump forward haphazardly, as with an ordinary book. It should be gone through chapter by chapter, one after another. e reading matter is arranged with its original Sanskrit text, its English transliteration, synonyms, translation, and purports so that one is sure to become a God-realized soul at the end of nishing the rst nine cantos.
Years ago, when the mass distribution of your books was reaching new heights, and your disciples were most eager to sell your books for your transcendental pleasure, they presented a proposal to you that they be allowed to skip guru-pūjā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class in the mornings just
to get an early start on book distribution. To our surprise, you rejected that proposal. You knew all too well that for us to be able to continue preaching with conviction, we needed to daily hear
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam philosophy with eagerness and rapt attention, and that by such regular, attentive hearing, we would cleanse our hearts of the desire for material enjoyment. is is con rmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya- śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama- śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17–18)
Another beautiful and amazing experience that we have when studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that we look forward to the excitement of reading and hearing its message. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is ever fresh, and your purports are ever fresh. Even if we have read certain passages many times before, with each new reading, we are excited to associate with Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and you. is is quite natural because you are the topmost Person Bhāgavata, as you are living the purport of ŚrīmadBhāgavatam, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself is described as the literary incarnation of the Lord.
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam uttama- śloka-caritaṁ cakāra bhagavān ṛṣiḥ niḥśreyasāya lokasya dhanyaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ maha is scripture named Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and all-perfect. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.40)
When Lord Kṛṣṇa performed His earthly pastimes, those pastimes lled the hearts of everyone with excitement, bliss, and adventure, causing the devotees to become unlimitedly attracted to the Lord. Similarly, when we attentively study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, along with your Bhaktivedanta Purports, we can experience a small glimpse of the mood and bliss of the Lord’s eternal pastimes. e real bliss of studying your books comes from discussing them with other devotees. is is con rmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:
mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
e thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me. (Bg. 10.9)
We therefore pray, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you will bless us with an increased taste for ŚrīmadBhāgavatam and for chanting the Lord’s holy names. We pray that you will also help us to share this great treasure with more devotees and people in general.
Your humble servants at ISKCON Miami
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please accept our respectful obeisances at your lotus feet, which is undoubtedly the fastest way to deliver us from material miseries and direct us toward our only aim of life, kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, with your blessings, we were very fortunate to purchase a new temple after ve years of preaching and Sunday feast from a rented Church in downtown Milton.
e new temple inauguration was on Janmāṣṭamī day 2022. On that day, we hosted an unprecedented number of attendees; more than 1400 devotees and visitors received the blessings of Śrī
Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara. ree Regional and Town Councilors attended the event. Also in attendance was a representative of the local member of the provincial parliament, the acting Mayor of the Town of Milton, and the Consul General of India. ey were all on hand to inaugurate your new temple in Milton, Ontario, Canada.
By your mercy, compassion, and inspiration, we were able to take this bold step to have a place where devotees can serve you and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara every day. It’s because of you we can chant and hear the holy names of the Lord as well as read and hear the transcendental Vedic message you came here to share.
After a couple of months, on Govardhana Pūjā, we were elated to receive you in the form of a beautiful heart-melting mūrti, to whom ISKCON Milton devotees are performing daily pūjā. On that day, your beloved disciples (Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Prabhu, Śubhavilāsa Prabhu, Aśalata Mātājī, and Praharaṇa Mātājī) were on hand to welcome you to ISKCON Milton.
A couple of months before Janmāṣṭamī, the devotees of ISKCON Milton hosted our rst ever Ratha-yātrā on the main street of downtown Milton. Śrī Jagannātha, Śrī Baladeva, and Śrīmatī Subhadrā Mahārāṇī came out personally to bless the residents of the Town of Milton.
At this event also, Milton Town Councilors and other distinguished guests were present to honor you and this great society you started. Around 300 devotees and other invitees took part in the Ratha-yātrā festival. e joy and enthusiasm of devotees during the parade were quite evident. By Lord Jagannātha’s mercy, the festival was a smashing success.
Following the parade, the festival continued with a variety of cultural programs, including Indian classical dances and kīrtana topped o with Jagannātha prasāda honored by all. is
Ratha-yātrā gave us the strength and courage needed to make future Ratha-yātrās even bigger and better. We’ve already started planning for the 2023 Ratha-yātrā
Because of your mercy, we know about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and can contribute our tiny e orts to His mission, which is to distribute harināma saṅkīrtana to all. Otherwise, how is it possible that on this planet Earth, in a faraway country from Mahāprabhu’s pastimes, Canada, in a little town called Milton, we could have opened a glorious temple of the Lord? A temple where devotees can congregate and chant the holy names of the Lord together and honor kṛṣṇa-prasāda. is is a sampling of some of the programs being o ered by your new center:
1. Your world-famous Sunday Love Feasts.
2. A weekly Bhakti- śāstrī program.
3. Daily online morning japa
4. Kīrtana events
5 D āmodara month home kīrtana programs
6. Regular saṅkīrtana events to distribute your books.
7 Online Saturday morning Bhāgavatam classes.
8. Sunday Fun school for your future saṅkīrtana warriors.
Slowly and gradually, many devotees are taking harināma and brahminical initiations, and with this, more and more devotees are coming forward to serve in your temple.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5 12 12 states:
rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam
My dear King Rahūgaṇa, unless one has the opportunity to smear his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees, one cannot realize the Absolute Truth. One cannot realize the Absolute Truth simply by observing celibacy [brahmācārya], strictly following the rules and regulations of householder life, leaving home as a vānaprastha, accepting sannyāsa, or undergoing severe penances in winter by keeping oneself submerged in water or surrounding oneself in summer by re and the scorching heat of the sun. ere are many other processes to understand the Absolute Truth, but the Absolute Truth is only revealed to one who has attained the mercy of a great devotee.
With this Vyāsa-pūjā o ering, we, the devotees of ISKCON Milton beg for your mercy, as mentioned in the verse above, so that the Absolute Truth can be revealed to us. Your mercy will help us progress on our spiritual journeys of chanting the holy name, singing in kīrtanas, and reading and distributing your books, which you have painstakingly translated for us and others.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us so that we can become a tiny instrument to serve in your mission. Please forgive our o enses and give us strength to carry out this mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as you have taught.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your Insigni cant Servants, ISKCON Miltonnama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
accept our most humble obeisances.
On this most auspicious and important day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, for which we remember you with great a ection, we want to tell you how much we are grateful to you. For us, you are our greatest inspiration and motivation to continue preaching with enthusiasm. We are very aware of the example and teachings that you have left us through your books, recorded interviews, classes, and kīrtanas.
Here in Monterrey, we do programs, we go out on the streets, we do kīrtana-yoga and we do preaching programs, distribution of books and prasāda in rehabilitation centers, and of course we also do weekly Food For Life program and distribute prasāda to people on the street and homeless people and in shelters, we also participate in interfaith events in universities and congresses, we do all these activities as a sincere o ering to you since you inspire us so much and it is a way of showing you love through continuing your legacy and with your mission, we want to be even more committed to your mission and your teachings. For us, you are our savior.
Here the devotees are very happy and enthusiastic. We have a lot of fun doing service, and it is very true that this knowledge is practiced with joy and happiness. Although sometimes we encounter di culties, one way or another, we get ahead, and getting out of problems and nding a solution makes us even stronger. at is thanks to the example that you have left us. You never gave up on bringing this knowledge to this part of the world and you knew how to execute the instruction of your spiritual master. You never gave up and that inspires us a lot, and thanks to your e orts, we treasure all these teachings and instructions in the depths of our hearts.
Sometimes devotees here ask themselves: What would we be doing if we had never known Kṛṣṇa consciousness? If we had never heard from you? If we had never had a book of yours in our hands? If we had never heard the mahā-mantra? … what would have happened to our lives?
Perhaps we would never have met each other. We are devotees with di erent personalities and from di erent places, and thanks to you, dear spiritual grandfather, we have met for the sole purpose of doing devotional service and spreading the holy names as you have taught us through your teachings. anks to you we were fortunate to be in contact with our spiritual teachers who guide us under your instruction.
On this special day, we want to tell you, that thanks to you we are preaching, and you have made us the happiest people in this world because you have taught us that there is nothing more valuable in this world than devotional service, and thanks to that, our lives are complete.
We love you very much, dear spiritual grandfather Śrīla Prabhupāda; thank you very much for everything; we promise that we will continue spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness here in Monterrey.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
You have blessed the whole world with the greatest gifts of perfect knowledge of God. As poignantly stated by your own great master, this world has an over-abundance of so many material assets; yet it is greatly lacking in the most important thing of all: true God-consciousness. us our merciful Lord sends His own true servants to ful ll this greatest need: to ll this darkened world with the light of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So you have also been sent from above to be the Lord’s empowered messenger to spread all over the world the greatest blessing of the saṅkīrtana movement. us this Kali-yuga world of misery can now become transformed into a replica of the Lord’s highest abode, the eternal Festival of Love of Vraja-līlā. And this sublime state of spiritual perfection becomes rst manifested in the miraculous lives of the rare mahātmās such as yourself, pure lovers of the Lord. at we are all allowed to be continuous witnesses to these divine manifestations is our greatest good fortune. So we pray that you please allow us to continue ful lling our lives’ true purpose: to broadcast far and wide the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and of His perfect servants for su ering mankind’s ultimate salvation.
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your grateful servants of ISKCON Montreal
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we o er our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
Lord Caitanya predicted that the holy name would one day be chanted in every town and village of the world. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had full faith that this prediction would come true, and he foretold that a powerful senāpati-bhakta would soon appear to realize Lord Caitanya’s prediction. You are that powerful senāpati-bhakta who worked tirelessly to take the holy name to every corner of the globe. You had full faith in the instructions of your spiritual master. Although you had to undergo so many di culties in India and abroad, you were determined to establish Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the bene t of su ering humanity. You opened ISKCON centers around the world and translated the Vedic texts.
Due to your divine instructions and the hard work of your followers, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness
movement is continuing to expand in many parts of the world. Once, when someone asked you if you could do any magic, you said, “No.” But then you said, “One magic I have done is that I have converted so many mlecchas into brāhmaṇas.” No other preacher could have achieved this in Kali-yuga.
Because of your purity, you were able to attract thousands of conditioned souls to the path of pure devotional service. You were always humble and gentle in dealing with others. You gave the medicine by which the su ering humanity can be cured – the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
In 1971, you visited Moscow for a few days. Visiting USSR was risky and a very di cult task. Upon learning that you were planning to visit Moscow, the devotees tried to invite you for a vacation in Hawaii and engage in book translations. Knowing about your plans to visit Moscow, devotees tried to attract you with the message that the mango season was starting in Hawaii.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you replied, “Preaching in the snows of Russia is sweeter than mangoes!”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by your mercy, today we have got over 100 temples/centers in Russia. Devotees have distributed millions of your transcendental books in Russia. Moscow devotees are making their e orts to carry on your legacy by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our temple activities, book distribution, harināma, and other preaching activities are going well. Last year we distributed 158,750 of your transcendental books in Moscow, 480 harināmas were performed in the streets of Moscow, and our Ratha-yātrā festival was attended by tens of thousands of visitors. Currently, there are 62 Bhakti-vṛkṣa groups in Moscow.
By your mercy, nally, we have got possession to own our building which will eventually be the home for our Deities and a permanent address of your movement in Moscow. Devotees are working to reconstruct the building and convert it into a beautiful ISKCON temple.
Moscow is a very important city in the world, and an ISKCON temple should be very well represented in this capital city. We are sure our preaching activities will enhance by having a nice Kṛṣṇa temple here in Moscow. is year, ISKCON Moscow is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its o cial registration in Russia.
You often stated that as long as book distribution goes on, you would live forever. rough your Bhaktivedanta purports, you are continuing to preach to the conditional souls. Like Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you have converted so many atheists and impersonalists to the path of devotional service. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura stated that a Vaiṣṇava is recognized by his preaching work. Your book will continue to preach for the next ten thousand years.
By your personal example, you showed how a devotee should be engaged in serving the Lord. Once when you were unwell and devotees were advising you to rest and recuperate, you stated, “Please don’t take away my privilege to struggle for Kṛṣṇa.” Even when doctors advised you to slow down, you never stopped preaching and translating.
Today we see how many scholars, religious and political leaders of the world honor ISKCON society’s achievements and your contributions to the humanity of this world.
On this auspicious day, we pray for your causeless mercy so that we may always remain xed in executing your divine instructions and helping to propagate Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement.
Your insigni cant servants from ISKCON Moscow, Russia
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble and grateful obeisances. All Glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga e city of Bombay, though highly materialistic, has also got the good fortune of being suciently sprinkled by the holy dust from your lotus feet and that of your divine Spiritual Master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. His Holiness Girirāja Mahārāja, in his recently published memoir, I Will Build You a Temple, mentions that among all your centers, you spent the maximum amount of time in Bombay. Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura visited Mumbai consecutively for three years from 1933 to 1935, with a view to establishing the Western Headquarters of his Gauḍīya Maṭha, at that time called Viśva-vaiṣṇava Rājya-sabhā. Incidentally, the year 1933 is also most signi cant because you accepted initiation from your eternal Spiritual Master that year. A fact that was most interesting for all of us at your temple at ISKCON Chowpatty was that Sarasvatī Ṭhākura stayed just across the place where ISKCON Chowpatty is located.
On his rst visit in 1933, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura resided at the Jangoo Villa on Babulnath Road, close to Babulnath temple; which is just to the right of our temple. Interestingly to the left of our temple is the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, the place from where you made the prophecy that there should be a temple in this locality. On October 18, 1973, you attended a conference at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and gave the keynote address. Your secretary at the time, His Grace Śyāmasundara Prabhu recalls: “After the lecture, Prabhupāda stood on the steps of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pointed down the street, and said, ‘We should have a temple here.’ ” By the inconceivable power of your merciful glance and desire, at the spot where you pointed, there is now the Śrī
Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha Mandir, which houses a community of thousands of devotees and attracts millions of people. It seems that the magical dust from your lotus feet and that of your Spiritual Master, has made the spiritually barren land of Bombay into a fertile ground for preaching and spreading Lord Caitanya’s movement. On getting darśana of the Lord, Brahmājī prays to Him as follows:
yad-yad-dhiyā ta urugāya vibhāvayanti tat-tad-vapuḥ praṇayase sad-anugrahāya
You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.9.11)
Brahmājī is indicating here that the Lord becomes obliged to appear in a particular form based on the desires of His pure devotees. e desires of Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and yourself to have a temple in the locality of Girgaum Chowpatty have bloomed to produce this community at ISKCON Chowpatty, under the loving care and shelter of your dear servant, His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami.
Bombay got the opportunity to serve as the springboard from which you arranged the means to start your mission by securing a ticket to Boston on the Jaladuta. You also called Bombay your O ce. Hearing about the opposition, contempt, and hurdles you endured to start the Juhu temple and preaching in India in general lls our heart with gratitude for your compassionate nature and also with shame for the neglectful or even vicious response of the Indians in those days to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. How can Kṛṣṇa let the sacri ce of His pure devotee go in vain? Fast forward 50 years, and now we see that India has been taken by storm by your movement. While in the 70s, Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees were suspected as either CIA agents or as depraved hippies, in today’s times, the entire nation looks up to the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees as
ambassadors of the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, as angels of compassion through the distribution of prasāda and as archetypes of Indian culture. Several preachers of your ISKCON Chowpatty temple have earned global acceptance and acclaim as spiritual leaders, while several projects of the temple, such as the Govardhan Ecovillage, the Bhaktivedanta Hospital, the Prayāga project, etc., have earned laurels from all quarters, including the United Nations and the Indian government.
What we are seeing is just a manifestation of your desire, despite all our shortcomings and impurities. But it seems to us that the airplane is still on the runway, the plane is yet to take o – your desire for each and every single soul to receive mercy of Lord Caitanya is still a far cry. You have made it clear to us that you aim for nothing less than rhinos, and it is no time for us to become complacent. A lot of potential is still untapped, and loads of missionary work is yet to be done – gallons of blood to be shed. ese days the temple is jam-packed with new people, youngsters, working professionals, etc., for all āratis of the day. Common people look up to ISKCON for solutions to the problems created by materialistic life. A case in point is that videos of devotees are garnering millions of views on social media platforms. But we need to work hard to translate that interest into involvement and then into a sincere commitment to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please bestow us with the purity of intention and sincerity of endeavor so that we could become worthy instruments in your lotus hands and make our lives successful.
Your humble servants,
Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopīnātha Mandir ISKCON Chowpatty
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe Śrīla Prabhupāda, the devotees at your ISKCON Juhu Hare Kṛṣṇa Land, o er their prostrated obeisances in the dust of your Lotus Feet.
e active principle in Spiritual life is to please the Spiritual Master by rendering service unto him. e more service given, the more we come to realize our true position, which is that we are just a speck of dust at your feet. e misconception that we are “advanced” devotees or “senior” devotees is like cancer eating up our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. e only remedy for this disease is humble, submissive service.
It is mentioned in the fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Lord Kapila to His Mother Devahūti about the di erent paths of devotional service. Not that because one wears tilaka automatically, one is performing devotional service in the right way. Your devotional service, which you performed solely for the pleasure of your Śrīla Prabhupāda and Kṛṣṇa is the perfect example for everyone to follow. Your devotional service Śrīla Prabhupāda is pure because there is no
demand from your side to be ful lled by the Lord. Generally, we have so many demands in performing devotional service.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, four types of persons are described that come to devotional service. A person in distress may come to perform devotional service to get rid of the distress. A person in need of money approaches the Lord to improve his economic condition. Others who are not in need of money or distressed sometimes seek knowledge, and they inquire into the nature of the absolute truth; Bhagavad-gītā 7 16. Devotional service is one without a second, but according to the devotees’ condition, devotional service appears in di erent varieties.
In pure devotional service, the only motive should be to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one has a motive for personal sense grati cation, his devotional service is manifested di erently. Such a devotee may be violent, proud, envious, and angry, and his interests are separate from the Lord’s Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.29.9
When one has even a tinge of personal interest, his devotion is mixed with the three modes of material nature: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3 29 10
ere can be no excuse for personal or material interest; Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.29.10
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your devotional service is free from any desire except to please Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. us, you exhibited behavior just like a perfect gentleman. You related to everyone perfectly because of your constant engagement in devotional service.
We, your followers, request your special mercy on this special day of your appearance. Please bless us so that we can go beyond the mixed devotional platform and come to the point of not desiring any material or spiritual prosperity. Bless us so that we simply aspire to serve the Lord. If we can attain this, we will be in the highest happiness.
Everyone’s prescribed duty is glorious if it is performed in devotional service to the Lord without desire for pro t. Such loving service must be performed without reason, without impediment, and spontaneously. Kṛṣṇa is lovable, and one has to serve Him in whatever capacity one can. at is pure devotional service. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3 29 15
Devahūti Kapila’s Mother asked questions related to the well-being of the conditioned souls.
is pleased Lord Kapila, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, very much. In the same way, if we try our level best to concern ourselves with the upliftment of the conditional souls su ering in this material world very soon, we may nd we are advancing toward that devotional service mentioned above.
May this be our fervent hope and only desire.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all you have given, like the holy name, the service of Śacīsuta Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the shelter of Vṛndāvana Dhāma and Māyāpur Dhāma, the association of the Six Gosvāmī’s of Vṛndāvana, Govardhan Hill, and Rādhā-kuṇḍa. What more could we want than these precious jewels? Please bless us to be able to hold these gifts and to always appreciate their value.
ank you for the super excellent gift of service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī, Nitāi-Gaura, and Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we, your servants at Rādhā-Rāsabihārī Mandir, o er or koṭi daṇḍavat praṇāmas in the dust of your Lotus Feet. Help us o er to perform pure devotional service free from any inebriety very soon.
Your temple at Juhu distributed over 487,000 Mahā-big books during the Year. Also, over 2800 full sets were distributed. Please, Śrīla Prabhupāda, continue to shower your mercy on your Juhu Mumbai temple.
Your servants at your temple Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī Mandir, Juhu, Mumbai
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.43 we see:
tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravindakiñjalka-miśra-tulasī-makaranda-vāyuḥ antar-gataḥ sva-vivareṇa cakāra teṣāṁ saṅkṣobham akṣara-juṣām api citta-tanvoḥ
When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasī leaves from the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and in mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding.
When the Kumāras went to Vaikuṇṭha, just by smelling the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasī leaves from the toes of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, they started worshipping the personal form of the Lord. Similarly, O Śrīla Prabhupāda, just by smelling the breeze carrying the dust of your lotus feet, so many hardcore atheists, materialists, impersonalists, drunkards, and drug addicts had a drastic change in their consciousness, and they totally surrendered to the Lord’s instructions, and now we have an ocean of devotees who are worshipping the Supreme Lord and are spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. is is the power of the dust of your lotus feet.
You went behind the Iron Curtain and entered Russia spending only ve days in Moscow. Without being allowed to have any public engagement, you planted the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that soon spread throughout the vast territories of the USSR, and you were thus instrumental in the downfall of the evil empire of communism. In 1981, after your departure, in the magazine called Communist, an o cial journal of the communists, it was reported that the deputy chairman of the KGB wrote that the three threats to the Soviet way of life are Western culture, rock-and-roll music, and the Hare Kṛṣṇas.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, your o erings to Lord Kṛṣṇa are unlimited like an ocean.
Dol Govind Shastri, your godbrother, used to teach Sanskrit in the same building where you used to live in Calcutta. One day he expressed that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had said that one day the Russians, Germans, French, etc., would chant the names of Gaurāṅga in saṅkīrtana, and had a doubt about who will accomplish. At this, you said, “some surrendered fool among Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s disciples will do it,” and “certainly not any of you.” After many years Dol Govind Shastri met His Grace Bhāgavata Prabhu, one of your disciples, who showed you were his spiritual master. At this Dol Govind Shastri expressed, “YOU DID IT!”
In this way, you revived Kṛṣṇa consciousness in everyone’s hearts and made the prediction by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura come true.
Times Magazine brought out an issue about “Successful people who began their career after 70.” Your name came on that list.
• You wrote over 7,000 personal letters to his disciples, published in ve volumes of books.
• You went around the world 12 times.
• You created a monthly magazine, Back to Godhead, which at one point was distributed in excess of one million copies per month.
• You gave completely lucid structured lectures on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, compiled into 18 volumes of books.
• You authored over 140 books
• You started Spiritual Sky incense which in 4 years produced a pro t worth 1 million dollars
• Spiritual food distribution – you did not introduce veg sandwiches but all kinds of Indian Vedic food to destroy people’s material attachments
• In 1969, you started Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā, where 1,000 people were fed
• You created the rst network of vegetarian restaurants
All the above in just 11 years’ time, which is impossible by any ordinary being.
Touched millions of hearts: You brought the saṅkīrtana movement throughout the world, ful lling Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Prophecy. Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra recording by George Harrison went around the world to Germany, Japan, Russia, etc., and even reached countries like Czechoslovakia where nobody could go. You remembered George Harrison’s help and gave your ring to be given to him as a gift for his help.
Opened Hundreds of centers: As astrology had also predicted, you established 108 temples in 6 continents and installed Deities all over the world. You trained Westerners who so faithfully worshipped the Deities. In one year between 1970 and 1971, you opened 32 centers (almost three every month)
Started gurukula schools to revive the old system of gurukula from which children could be trained in principles of God consciousness right from an early age and saved from the slaughterhouses of modern education that slaughter the spiritual aspirations of children.
Founded Bhaktivedanta Institute with the speci c aim of addressing the misplaced intellectualism that was misleading the world, especially in the form of atheistic science so your aim was to demonstrate to people who do not have faith in anything spiritual that even by scienti c methodology, one can come to the science of self-realization.
Founded Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT). e Encyclopedia Britannica wrote about your books, “ ese books have astounded literary and academic communities worldwide.” BBT became the largest international publisher of Indian religious and philosophical texts. You completed the entire translation and commentary of Caitanya-caritāmṛta in 17 volumes within 18 months. ere was a professor at the Chicago Department of South Asian Studies, Professor Edwards Deming, who spent a lot of his life working on translations of Caitanya-caritāmṛta without commentary, just with a few footnotes, and he could not nish it before he died. It was nished by his successor. O Śrīla Prabhupāda! As soon as you translated the books, you had them published by the BBT. Seventeen books in two months was considered impossible, but you got it done!
• Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā was a grand success where 1,008 bhogas were o ered to the Lord, and thousands of visitors partook of Lord Jagannātha’s mercy
• A total of 42,000 Mahā-Big Books were distributed during December Marathon 2022
• 108 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and 50 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets were distributed
• For Bhādra Pūrṇimā, 300 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3D handmade projects with ślokas were presented by NICE students trained by NICE teachers. For the Gītā Marathon, NICE conducted the Glimpses of Gītā spiritual science exhibition at NL Dalmia School, Kapol Vidyanidhi School, and Shailendra School.
• Gujarati congregation devotees conducted ecstatic harināma saṅkīrtana with Śrī Śrī GauraNitāi Deities in Mira Road streets for 5 Sundays before Gaura-Pūrṇimā
• Bhaktivedanta College conducts Bhakti- śāstrī, and Bhakti-vaibhava courses in English and Hindi.
• Devotee Care Leaders are trained, and around 200 devotees got initiation this year.
• Youth boys preaching in English and Hindi is in full swing.
• Kīrtana-melā was successful, wherein many stalwart singers came and engrossed Mira Road people in the holy names.
• Food for Life dept. is distributing prasāda daily to visitors and in schools
• On September 4, 2022, His Grace Vanamālī Prabhujī (senior brahmacārī from ISKCON Mira Road) got sannyāsa initiation by His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, and he was named His Holiness Bhakti Karuṇāmayī Vanamālī Swami.
• Small temple at ane was built.
• Serving sincerely in the food for life department, His Grace Vijaya Viṣṇu Prabhujī left his body while serving on the temple premises itself
• His Grace Rāmanātha Prabhujī left his body while doing nagara-saṅkīrtana.
We beg at your lotus feet to have quality in our sādhana and to cooperate with each and every devotee and thus be able to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in our hearts and the hearts of others in our localities. Please bless us to get a taste of the holy names and to understand your divine books.
Your insigni cant servants, From ISKCON Mira Road
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most sincere humble obeisances.
All glories unto you. By the inconceivable mercy and the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, I somehow found the way to your lotus feet; you have inspired all of us, both individually and collectively, to nd ways to serve your ISKCON Mission.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we see our past from where we came from (spiritually) and where we are today is all because of your mercy which passed on to us through your ambassadors and followers. Our sincere, humble, and heartfelt desire is to pass on the same love, care, and protection that we (and our families) have received from you through the preaching activities in ISKCON, Muskoka.
With time, Your Divine Grace carefully guides us to see this spectacular variegation as an aspect of the inconceivable wonder of the Supreme Lord. It is a great credit to your teaching that we are able to perform service through preaching under the shelter of ISKCON Muskoka.
Dear Prabhupāda, as far as the preaching is concerned, we are performing a number of activities to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the teaching of yours and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the activities such as:
• Weekly Bhagavad-gītā Classes
• Two saṅgas a month
• Book distribution
• All the festivals celebrations, including Lord Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā
• Food for Life program for the local shelter houses
With your divine mercy and the guidance of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami, our temple is going to be opened on September 1, 2023 e Deities of the temple come from Jaipur, India, and the artistic altar is being built in ISKCON Ujjain, India. e grand celebration of the temple opening is going to be followed by a grand Ratha-yātrā festival for ISKCON Muskoka.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of ISKCON Muskoka.
Your eternal servant, Vyāsācārya D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. pr
mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ
(SB 1.1.10)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, being in Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, it is just by your compassion and mercy that we got this wonderful opportunity to practice devotional service and get closer to Kṛṣṇa. By your mercy only, the darkness of this age is dissipated by the light of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And only you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, have given us Kṛṣṇa in so many forms that we can accept. You have given us Kṛṣṇa in the form of Deities, prasāda, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other spiritual literature, and of course, the most merciful form – e holy name. And by your compassionate glance, we got the opportunity to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose service is quite rare to get, by conducting various festivals such as Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā, Janmāṣṭamī, and various other activities.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you were quite happy when you heard your disciples gave your reports of how they were serving Kṛṣṇa, and here is a small humble report at your lotus feet.
Prabhupāda, by your desire and for your pleasure, the temple construction of ISKCON Nagpur has started this, and if Kṛṣṇa desires, then the temple construction will be done by the end of 2025. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you wanted your followers to take care of your movement by intelligence and organization. Following your instructions, we are not only constructing the new temple, but we have also made the vision to maintain and expand the temple. You wanted us to create servant leaders. us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are trying to connect as many living entities to this movement as we can.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this year we have started 3 BACEs where there are around 50 student devotees who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and trying to follow the path of devotional service led by you. ey are chanting 16 rounds and are following the whole morning program very seriously.
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues. (Bg. 3.21)
As it is said in Bhagavad-gītā, we are trying to follow these instructions by trying to connect the elite class of society to the movement, who can not only serve the temple monetarily but also become servant leaders. We are not only making new life members, but we have also made a plan to cultivate them and make them an integral part of the movement.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this year thirteen devotees have also joined PDC and are trying to become your followers and serve your movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you might be happy to hear that we are taking retreats and workshops for our devotees here so that they not only become missionaries but also go deep in their practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we want to intelligently organize this ISKCON Nagpur yātrā, but we also want to go deep into this yātrā.
Please bless us that we become your missionary servants and practice pure devotional service. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we can only make endeavors, but if they are done for your pleasure, only then can they please Kṛṣṇa. Always eager to be the recipient of your mercy,
Your servants at ISKCON Nagpur
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our humble obeisances! All glories to You! is is a jubilee year in the life of Krishna-valley: this wonderful place manifested 30 years ago and has re ected the spiritual world on earth as the realm of the divine Couple, Srī Srī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara. A few committed devotees joined to create a farming community under the guidance of your beloved disciple, Śivarāma Swami, which has Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara in the center, ful lling your desire to show a positive example to the world both on the spiritual and on the material platforms. e few devotees then were joined by others; they built the temple as well as houses, roads, the gośālā, and the school, and gradually New Vraja Dhāma grew to be the largest ecovillage community in Europe. e development continues, and Krishna-valley is enriched and enhanced by new and new projects year by year.
Krishna-valley receives over 35 thousand visitors annually who are enchanted by the beauty of the Divine Couple, the mood of the dhāma, and the purity and spiritual strength of the community. In the rat race of the modern world, this wonderful sacred place o ers an island of peace, calmness, and an opportunity for introspection to visitors. ese days one challenge, calamity, follows another in the world: pandemics, war, and climate change. Nonetheless, whatever di culty comes our way, the shelter in our lives is your message which you gave us, Western people, by bringing us the culture of love and devotion. By chanting the holy name, we purify our hearts and consciousness, which also serves as an example of a peaceful alternative to the challenges faced by the people of our age.
In our preaching mission, we encounter many young people who are thirsty for real knowledge that can liberate them from the pangs of this chaotic world. e science and practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the real solution to all problems: it teaches us how to live properly in the material world and how we can go back to our original home.
During these thirty years, a new generation has grown up, and the next is following suit. We would like to see these young people carry forward your message, continue to build Krishnavalley, keep what works and bring new ideas to enhance them.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, ank you for your mercy and that we can be part of the realization of your dreams! Please, bless us so that we can cooperate in spreading your message and show an example for more and more souls to help them go back home, back to Godhead!
Your servants, the devotees in Nava Vraja Dhāma, Somogyvámos, Hungary
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances at Your divine lotus feet. All glories, all glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda, our eternal lord and master, our only shelter. We in ISKCON of Los Angeles New Dvārakā community feel extremely fortunate because this is the temple you spent the most amount of time outside of India; thus we always feel Your presence here. We are privileged to access the temple room which you have walked in, the quarters in which you lived, and the Deities you personally installed, Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī Dvārakānātha. You have established a little oasis in the big city of Los Angeles. is is Vaikuṇṭha, a holy dhāma, and it’s all thanks to your magnanimous heart. You decided to leave India at the age of 69, su ering two heart attacks on the journey made by boat. You, however, did not let that stop you. You left the holy land of Vṛndāvana so you could share Kṛṣṇa with the world. You truly did build a home in which everyone could live together happily. You are the jagat-guru, the guru of the whole world in the true sense. It is truly amazing that although you are not physically present, you are continuing the mission headed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for providing all of us with a family and purpose. Without your mercy and guidance, most of us would be mindless, useless members of society, living sel sh, materialistic lives blindly engaged in an illusory sense of grati cation. You have given us the secret to surpassing this illusory life by pursuing life’s one true purpose, to love and serve Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On this special occasion, we beg you to always remain true to your mission and follow your direction for the rest of eternity. No amount of words, no amount of praise, could ever be enough to glorify you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. ere is no way we can ever repay you for what you have done for us; we can only aspire to follow your great example and serve you hoping to please you one day.
Just like a loving father is ready to provide anything and everything so that his child may become a successful and respectable person in the society, you have provided all your followers with everything they would ever need to be successful in their spiritual journey. You have provided us with abundant spiritual knowledge through your books, favorable facilities in the form of your temples, and an ample number of real-life examples in the form of your exemplary disciples. What more could we possibly ask for? You have guided us all on the path of devotional service, which is usually inconceivable, intricate, and quite cumbersome. You have made it to be like a walk on soft roses, with your books working as GPS (guru-paramparā system). All we need to do is just follow your footprints in the form of the instructions that you have left for us, and we shall not walk but rather dance our way back home back to Godhead.
We pray at your lotus feet that we continue to maintain and utilize the beautiful temple that you established and that it remains to be the shining beacon for the entire world as long as it exists.
More e ulgent than the sun, With a smile that would stun…
Your compassion incomparable, What You have done is truly honorable
Turning us worthless people Into something regal
You are truly a magician, You succeeded in the mission, You made the whole world dance, Putting us all in a never-ending trance
Now we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! With full charisma
ank you, in nite times over For bringing us closer…
To our true home above Full of devotional, spiritual love Love for the Divine, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, our only lifeline.
ank you from the heart of our hearts, dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your humble servants in New Dvārakā, Los Angeles, California, USA
(Written by Śyāma Mukunda D āsa)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace
On this auspicious day, we o er our revered appreciation for your directions on how to live a productive and spiritually progressive life.
A friend of mine, now passed on, hopefully to Vaikuṇṭha, studied carefully your instructions on farm communities. He quoted you in commenting that farms could prove troublesome in the beginning but would ultimately prove to be more convenient (in so many ways).
We certainly appreciated the luxury a orded in the sanctity of our spiritual bubble at New Gokula Farm, when others were more severely locked down during covid restrictions.
But what is the troublesome aspect you indicate?
Anyone who has tried community living would agree that keeping harmonious relationships for extended periods is the number one challenge.
erefore, another quotation from your vast wisdom, “Varṇāśrama minus Kṛṣṇa consciousness will not work.” (again, my friend’s research)
e reality is that these rural projects do require a certain degree of puri cation for us to be able to live Lord Caitanya’s philosophy of being always inspired to chant the holy names by being very humble.
In your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam purport to 10.13.53 you direct, “Varṇāśrama should be introduced for the cultivation of sattva-guṇa. en tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa cannot harm us.”
Śāstra con rms that by performing bhakti-yoga and cultivating our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our consciousness level will de nitely improve its quality gradually to goodness. According to the Bhagavad-gītā, goodness improves the discrimination faculty and a ords simplicity of heart and also satisfaction of the mind.
You have clearly stated that, “Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not armchair philosophy, rather it is practical activity for the upliftment of character.”
By serving the Supreme Lord in devotional service, any human being can experience self-worth and subsequently experience an inkling of the spiritual plane, where the prejudice and pride arising from the bodily designations, brāhmaṇa, śūdra, man, woman, human, animal, etc., are not so important as getting on with the important service of helping to uplift the present degraded state of society.
Devotees at New Gokula farm are forging ahead with the challenges at hand, and by your grace and the transformative e ect of bhakti-yoga and devotee association, we have been successful in executing many improvements in the infrastructure of the farm, in improving service to the cows (although still a lot more to be done in this area), in making the organic gardens more productive and hosting increasing numbers of visitors.
On behalf of the devotees of New Gokula Farm, we o er our esteemed appreciation for your far-seeing vision to a ord the world these self-su ciency models to which we can dedicate our full energy.
Your humble servants at New Gokula farm, NSW, Australia,
(Written by Kāliya Kṛṣṇa D āsa)Dearest beloved founder-ācārya, Your Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
Our most unswerving obeisances to you, O spiritual master! I am dumbfounded that by your divine will, a personality such as myself can have some understanding of how you took on the unthinkable mission to save the world. We can all practically see the rapidly degenerating condition of this planet, and so to alleviate everyone’s su ering, you brought forth the entire GauḍīyaVaiṣṇava-sampradāya to help us understand why we are here and how to approach a representative of Kṛṣṇa to help us transform our lives and our consciousness.
We have heard from you that by chanting the transcendental mahā-mantra, we can triumphantly rise out of our deplorable material conditioning and begin to understand what is beyond this mortal world. And by your mercy and compassion, we have been gifted all of this unparalleled and priceless knowledge. For this and for so much more, we are all greatly in your debt. Very greatly.
• One way our community shows our continued appreciation for you is by striving to always
work in a spirit of cooperation in your loving service and in the service of New Goloka Dhāma, your local ISKCON center.
• From you, we can understand that “united nations” actually means all of us lovingly serving Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to the very best of our abilities.
• We are all trying our level best to share impactful experiences and distribute your books with anyone and everyone who might be interested in learning about the practice of bhakti-yoga.
• Hearing about and studying your transformational transcendental teachings and understanding how patience and determination to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness on Mother Earth is how we are all continually astounded and inspired by your brilliant and beautiful personal example.
• By your compassion, some unimaginable blessing has also come to us: e sublime service of the arcā-vigraha form of the Lord, eir most magni cent and magnanimous Lordships Śrī
Śrī Rādhā-Golokānanda!
O cherished Śrīla Prabhupāda! O patita-pāvana, savior of the fallen! O titikṣava kāruṇika, we are so happy to be engaged in all of the services of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as you have given! We are aspiring to serve you lifetime after lifetime and are begging to assist you in your mission of sharing the holy names and spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others! Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu kī jaya! Śrī Nityānanda Rāma kī jaya!
Your super shining mood of bhakti when caring and serving all the jīva souls of this world is the best we can strive for, and that mood of love and cooperation is what is required for us to live harmoniously in this magical, mystical, totally unpredictable material world. We are attempting to pay down this debt that we all owe to you for your unbelievable sacri ce and struggle to bring us these truly matchless gifts. We are so very grateful.
Your eternal servants, Assembled Vaiṣṇavas of New Goloka Dhāma
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī.
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Hare Kṛṣṇa Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
My desire is to write a very nice o ering for your Vyāsa-pūjā. Wanting to ful ll that desire as soon as possible, what comes immediately after this is the unknown of how to do it. What do I write? How do I start? Lord, please help me; send me a sign.
Having thought in this way, while at the temple’s restaurant, a gentleman enters and orders to go. When I returned from the kitchen with his order ready, I noticed that he was looking at the books on display. He took a small one titled “Material problems spiritual solutions.” I told him to take it. I said, “It is not an expense; it is an investment you are making in knowledge about the soul.” He took it.
After a few minutes, I understood that this was a sign for me to try to write something relevant to this o ering. It is the enormous gratitude that we feel toward him for giving us his causeless mercy of having a light that illuminates us so that we can cope with life’s problems and nd the exit at the end of the road.
ank you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us this knowledge which always has at least one answer for every question; thank you very much for giving us the holy name which is the antidote to so many viruses that we carry for thousands and thousands of lives; thank you very much for giving us prasāda, which is the secret weapon that softens hearts; thank you very, very much for all your e orts in helping us, which indebted us and often motivated us to do service despite the opposition of our minds.
On this very auspicious day, when we celebrate your divine appearance in this world, we are very grateful to have at least a very insigni cant part of your holy mission. You created ISKCON to teach all of us fallen and conditioned souls and to give us the opportunity to learn how to glorify Kṛṣṇa and therefore revive our forgotten love for Him. Now Kṛṣṇa, in turn is, using ISKCON to teach us how to glorify you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, as His most con dential and divine servant. We can only marvel at the exquisite and beautiful relationship between Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotee. We humbly request your blessings and your grace so that we may please you with our insignicant service. is year 2023, Kṛṣṇa willing, we will attempt to begin the reconstruction of the New Govardhana Hill Temple in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Please bless us and guide us within our hearts so that our service pleases Śrī Kṛṣṇa and we can o er him a very nice brand new temple for His enjoyment and pastimes.
ank you very much, Hare Kṛṣṇa
Your Eternally Grateful Aspiring Servants of ISKCON Puerto Rico, New Govardhana Hill Temple
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Here in New Māyāpur, “in this remote village of France,” your devoted followers perceive that whatever project we strive for, or success we obtain, is dependent on your mercy. is is how Lord Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in the realm of loving devotion, through the mercy of His dear devotees like yourself. ere is no other way or explanation for any real success in your New Māyāpur. And your mercy comes through your well-wishing instructions: simple life through self-su ciency, high thinking through love of Kṛṣṇa, and compassion for others through preaching. Your personal struggle in organizing this ISKCON mission of compassion is an unforgettable example and inspiration. Like many other Vyāsa-pūjā o erings from New Māyāpur over the years, we could humbly present to you the di cult challenges that we face and beg for your mercy. But we can do better this year. After a long period of heroic resistance to at least maintain this fantastic property and the worship of the powerful Deities, we can o er you a positive report on the signicant improvements in following your instructions.
For self-su ciency, we have two new cows with new calves, and the Deities are o ered ahiṁsā milk, pure home-made ghee, butter, and the devotees are relishing these magical nourishing gifts. Two young male calves have already started their training for future ox power. And this cow protection program is carefully organized in a sustainable way. For food production, in addition to the organic vegetable garden, we are learning to grow grains, starting with barley and wheat. More and more owers are decorating the landscape and gracing the Deities with beautiful garlands. Having obtained permission for 32 houses from the civil authorities (a sign of improved relationship), we have built the rst nice eco-house with 80 percent local manpower (devotees and volunteers) and local materials (wood, mud, straw, stone).
For high thinking and developing love of Kṛṣṇa, the worship of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, Śrī Śrī
Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda Mādhava, although simple and reverential as it should be, is made opulent with our milk products, our beautiful ower garlands and regular new out ts. e morning program starting with maṅgala-ārati unites an average of 20 devotees with volunteers. Classes and seminars are followed by both French and international devotees both on site and online.
For preaching, with the example and inspiration of our spiritual guide and friend, His Holiness Janānanda Mahārāja, there has been a revival of transcendental book distribution along with harināma and prasāda is year, the French Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has been reprinted after 30 years and New Māyāpur reappeared in di erent categories of the Christmas marathon in the top ten temples. Connected with this great revival, New Māyāpur received more and more volunteers who found shelter, services to perform, spiritual knowledge, chanting of the mahā-mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa, prasāda, devotee association, and some became full-time devotees.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are grateful to you for this encouraging revival of New Māyāpur. If we can ask you for some more blessings, may you guide and protect against unwilling mistakes our serious and sincere team of young temple presidents – Gāndharvikā Rāi, Locanānanda and Nāmācārya Prabhus. With faith in you, they have wholeheartedly accepted their di cult and responsible services, including the big task of upgrading the castle, the guesthouse, and the whole property. May your beautiful New Māyāpur become a practical and spiritual shelter for many in this upcoming dark period of the world.
Your servants.
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet.
Many moons have passed now since your appearance and super excellent pastimes on this earth. Your smile alone illuminated the entire globe as you tirelessly and sel essly traveled and preached the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Your presence devoured the eclipse of darkness that a icted our hearts and minds.
We bow down before you now with a solemn heart as the gravity of recent accounts leaves its indelible marks. But even as troubled waters convulse the waves of the ocean of material su ering in the pitiable Age of Kali, you continue to guide us by your grace to the eternal shore, always as our one true North.
Our hearts continue to be overcome with joy as we witness the vast number of souls who continue to bloom under the guidance of your teachings – this was your prophecy and your greatest gift – that your written words would become the law books for the next 10,000 years!
How can we possibly thank you enough for engaging us in Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement, for establishing Vaikuṇṭha temples in many thousands of towns and villages, for sharing the glories of Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma and Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma with the world, and for establishing pāñcarātrika-vidhi in our many ISKCON temples to help us constantly think of the Lord. Next year (2024), on the auspicious appearance day of Rādhāṣṭamī, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the installation of our beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rādhākānta. ey have lovingly bestowed eir kindness to everyone who approaches and continue to enchant us with eir beauty.
ank you again and again, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for this wonderful journey on which you continue to carry us. We only pray to become useful mediaries of your mercy, to spur others to accept your matchless gifts, and in so doing, to please you in the remaining time allotted to us on this planet.
Eternally grateful and ever aspiring to be worthy, we remain, Your servants at Saṅkīrtana Purī Dhāma
(ISKCON’s temple in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
Phalena paricīyate, judge every action by its result. (Bhagavad-gītā Lecture 3 1–5 – December 20, 1968, Los Angeles)
Question: In 2023, where on earth is the largest concentration of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s directly initiated disciples?
Answer: Alachua, Florida USA
By a conservative estimate, there are some 100 devotees directly initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda living in the Alachua area, and if we consider each one has been performing devotional service
for forty- ve years or more, that equals more or less 4,500 years of combined devotional service (100 × 45).
Many of these bhakti-yogīs have families, which means these disciples’ children are also followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda… and some of those children also have children, and even some of their children have children!
ere are also countless followers who are not connected by family relationships but have been drawn like iron lings toward a magnet to worship Śrīla Prabhupāda here by following his teachings and associating with devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya. Such is the congregation of the New Ramaṇa-reti Alachua Temple.
Śrīla Prabhupāda visited nearby Gainesville, Florida, in July 29, 1971, and stated:
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that in every village, town, country on the surface of the globe, this saṅkīrtana movement would be spreading. So we are very much obliged to you that in this remote place, which is thousands and thousands of miles away from Lord Caitanya’s birthplace, Navadvīpa, you are carrying out, to ful ll His desire, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
ree years after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s visit, in 1974, Gaura-Nitāi Deities were installed in Gainesville at the Depot Avenue Temple, as Prabhupāda’s disciples continued following his instructions spreading Lord Caitanya’s message focused mostly on campus at the University of Florida.
As the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement exploded around the globe, Śrīla Prabhupāda encouraged devotees to establish farm projects to complement nearby city temples. His idea was to grow food and milk cows on the farms, which would, in turn, supply milk, grains, and vegetables to the temples in nearby cities and large towns.
By serendipity, during the day of November 14, 1977, Amarendra Prabhu closed the deal of purchasing 125 acres of farmland in nearby Alachua, and later that evening, heard the news that Śrīla Prabhupāda had passed away on that same day in Vṛndāvana.
Early days on the farm were not easy, but day by day, week by week, and year by year, the group of devotees expanded to the point where Gaura-Nitāi were transferred from Gainesville out to the farm in 1981, where ey were installed in a single-wide mobile trailer with a simple extension built by devotees.
In 1989–90, several parents of devotee children organized the rst schools, which also inspired other devotee parents from around the United States to check out Alachua, searching for a stable environment for their Kṛṣṇa consciousness and education for their children.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s program of temple worship, education for children, preaching throughout North Central Florida, and farming the land nourished Lord Caitanya’s prediction as His tree of devotion grew strong branches in this remote area thousands and thousands of miles away from Navadvīpa.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.7–9 explains Lord Caitanya thought, “My name is Viśvambhara, ‘one who maintains the entire universe.’ Its meaning will be actualized if I can ll the whole universe with love of Godhead.” us the Lord brought the desire tree of devotional service to this earth and became its gardener. He sowed the seed and sprinkled upon it the water of His will.
As a follower of Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled the globe introducing people to the methods and teachings of Lord Caitanya … and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s followers continued the same in and around Alachua.
In 1999, the Alachua Learning Center (a government-subsidized Charter School) was established, which encouraged even more parents to move to this remote area. And then along with that school, the Bhaktivedanta Academy expanded its educational complex on ve acres northwest of the temple. is dynamic growth of schools created a ripe environment for even more
families to move to Alachua and to accommodate their devotional love and desire to worship the Lord, Deity worship also expanded to facilitate this growing congregation. In 1995, Gaura-Nitāi’s single-wide trailer was replaced with a beautiful nearly 8,000-square-foot temple, and a few years later, an attached kitchen had to be added to handle cooking for hundreds of devotees who now regularly visited the temple.
In 2000, eir Lordships Rādhā-Śyāmasundara were installed, then again in 2010, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma blessed this community with eir divine appearance.
Aside from daily temple programs, there are also:
• 8 annual Ratha-yātrās and parades throughout Florida
• Village of Vṛndāvana – a night of Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī
• Festival of the Holy Name – the last weekend of November
• Special department to serve the Indian community
• 12 acre Eco Teaching Farm
In this brief overview, it would be impossible to include the names of all the devotees who contributed to making the Alachua Temple community what it is today. Hundreds and thousands of people have freely volunteered their time, energy, money, and life’s aspirations to help build this thriving congregation.
Now replete with gorgeous Deity worship and steady Temple Programs, good schools for children, growing opportunities for nancial security, increasing preaching programs, and abundant devotee association, the Alachua congregation represents what the future of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will look like in the Western world as more infant communities similarly develop their congregations in years to come.
On this blessed occasion, the celebration of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 127th birth anniversary, we o er our collective obeisances unto his lotus feet and pray for his continued guidance and mercy.
Following his instructions now for more than ve decades, the growth of this community proves: “He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the followers live with him.”
“Phalena paricīyate, judge every action by its result.”
Dhruva
On behalf of the New Ramaṇa-reti Alachua Temple
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your pure loving devotional service for your Guru Mahārāja, Gaura-Nitāi, and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
We do not know where you are and what you’re doing, but we can imagine you’re someplace where guru and Gaurāṅga are delivering the poor conditioned souls, although perhaps you’re still celebrating your great victory on earth while assembling a huge army, as your disciples and line of followers leave this world for the next. One thing is for sure; we are following you all the way back home, back to Godhead, as you often declared.
Some of us may not be t, so perhaps you have di erent ashrams in di erent locations, although you probably do not manage them online. Surely you will be using mystic perfections, and the training goes on. is way, you maintain a big army of devotees to deliver the fallen souls. Amazingly you’re growing a great line of disciple succession to serve the mission of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu.
It must be really nice to be on the front line where you are personally leading the charge. Are those devotees who were rst with you in the mid to latter sixties there with you today? Some must be, but others may be in your training camps. Just like Lord Kṛṣṇa prepares devotees to join His līlā through His bona de representative, similarly, you must be preparing devotees to lead the charge to bring souls back home back to Godhead.
Could you be simultaneously absorbed in Kṛṣṇa or gaura-līlās or both? What is impossible for a pure devotee? Certainly not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consequently, you may be managing your āśramas, simultaneously leading preachers on the battle eld and experiencing kṛṣṇa- and gauralīlās all at once!
Imagine: you are serving Śrīla Bhatisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura who is serving Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura progressing back to Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs and nally Śrīmān Mahāprabhu who knows all about tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena and is busy in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How can you be serving your Guru Mahārāja yet possibly taking part in the perfect pastimes of Gaurahari and Gopāla Kṛṣṇa? How can Lord Viṣṇu in His Paramātmā feature be everywhere at once? Compared to Śrī Viṣṇu and Lords Kṛṣṇa and Gaurāṅga you are doing very little, but to us, your activities are inconceivable. All at once, you simultaneously deliver and train conditioned souls to be part of your great army serving guru and Gaurāṅga while leading the charge on the front line; and experiencing both kṛṣṇa-līlā and gaura-līlā!
I do not have any practical experience or revelation of this. ese thoughts are only my imagination, wondering through your wonderful teachings, thinking of the possibilities of your whereabouts and service. e guru-paramparā is so great and unworldly, yet they ght for the mission to deliver the fallen souls drowning in the ocean of illusion: Nārada, the great deliverer of Mṛgāri, the hunter; Vālmīki, the author of Rāmāyaṇa; Vyāsadeva, the literary incarnation of Godhead; Lord Brahmā, the guṇāvatāra and chief engineer of the universe. Many others until the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa combines with His internal potency to become His most muni cent self, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Ten more great generations expire before you appear Śrīla Prabhupāda and take Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement around the world.
Just as the great ācāryas delivered the fallen in the past, you are delivering them now, Śrīla Prabhupāda. How you do that is sometimes incomprehensible. Other times it is easy to understand how by following your teachings daily, people can overcome the vicious cycle of birth and death and learn to serve you eternally. We pray to be part and parcel of your great ship traveling the universe on its way back home back to Godhead.
Your Servants, at ISKCON New Talavana Picayune, Mississippi, USA
(Written by Yogīndravandana D āsa, Temple President)nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
On this most auspicious 127th Anniversary of your appearance day Śrīla Prabhupāda, we want to glorify you to the best of our ability!
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet! All glories, All glories, All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this day, we, your servants of ISKCON Auckland, NZ, are very happy to o er you this homage on your Vyāsa-pūjā because it gives us a chance to purify ourselves and, at same time experience the pleasure of glorifying you.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you never thought small through ISKCON, crossing the ocean at an advanced age, cooking and serving prasāda to whoever came to the temple, tirelessly writing, printing and distributing transcendental literature, establishing a society to educate people in spiritual life, a society that includes all kinds of people in the most diverse culture – all these activities and many others constitute a great example of devotion and determination for every human being.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you showed us the way to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Now it’s our responsibility to continue, to accept the commitment to maintain the house you built for us.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your phenomenal preaching e orts, your tolerance, your patience, your dedication, and, most of all, your unfathomable and inconceivable compassion toward the fallen souls like us are incomparable. Although you are no longer with us in your vapu form, because of your great spiritual potency, your ISKCON is growing every day, and your ISKCON Auckland is the living example.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our outreach programs are increasing as the years pass. Last year mid-November till mid-December, we (ISKCON Auckland) traveled around di erent suburbs in Auckland doing Ratha-yātrās, which we couldn’t do during the pandemic. We went out of Auckland, where we participated in two separate Santa Parades in two di erent cities for the rst time, performing harināma. People really enjoyed harināma. ousands of people got the opportunity to hear the mahā-mantra. In one of the parades, we won the rst prize. It was icing on the cake as we had His Grace Dīna Bandhu Prabhu from Vṛndāvana carrying Vṛndāvana in his heart with us, mesmerizing us with his devotional kīrtana.
Our fortnightly prasāda distribution during harināma is going well by your mercy. Not only that, our book distribution scores for last year are as follows:
115 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets
265 Mahā/Big books
315 medium books
533 small Books
3 Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets
1497 Bhagavad-gītās
VOICE – an outreach program is successfully running every Saturday evening at the temple with great enthusiasm. In addition, the Bhakti- śāstrī course is again running successfully with the new batch, while the older batch just completed the Teachers Training Course from Māyāpur Institute.
You have given us everything Śrīla Prabhupāda. e best facility for feasting, chanting, and dancing and the greatest wealth of spiritual knowledge. Please bless us that with this profound spiritual knowledge, we can attempt to enlighten as many as possible, which is very much urgently needed in our degrading society.
Moreover, Śrīla Prabhupāda, at our Hare Kṛṣṇa School, we are working hard to continue improving the school as a place of Kṛṣṇa conscious learning. Our vision is to serve you in faithful accord with your teachings, mood, and mission. We empower every child to discover their unique and extraordinary potential, their connection with Kṛṣṇa, and to experience the joy of learning and devotional service. With your blessings, this year, the school has grown in number from 90 to 125 students. We pray to be able to continue growing the school for our older students so that they can continue to deepen their understanding of your teachings and appreciate the bene ts of learning in a Kṛṣṇa conscious environment.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, indeed your ISKCON is a great benediction for everyone, for it provides great protection for those who sincerely accept the shelter of your lotus feet. Please kindly bless us to distribute this love and mercy to as many as possible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, anyone who reads your Līlāmṛta, their heart will de nitely melt. rough your pastimes, you have conquered our hearts! You taught us so many things. It not only enlivens us on our path of devotional service but nourishes us; we always feel your presence in our hearts through your līlā ank you so much for taking so much trouble to teach us by example, to inspire us, to instruct us, to enliven us, to nourish us, and to never give up. ank you so much Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you for sending us your very faithful son, His Grace Kalasaṁvara Prabhu, to lead the way of ISKCON Auckland. As a true follower of you and your teachings, he is always standing in front when it comes to harināma, prasāda distribution, and any Ratha-yātrās or festivals – always encouraging others in their sādhana, and service, setting a great example by following your footsteps.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our prayer to your lotus feet is, please, let us not fall into the trap of bewilderment, that “I am the Doer.” is ISKCON Auckland yātrā is very vibrant. It is because of your potency that it is maintained in such a way; it is because of your potency that we are enjoying the fruits of your hard work; you have provided all the facilities like a loving father and are still providing us everything, maintaining everything, widening our congregation by sending your lost children. Who are we to take the credit? Please save us from this entrapment of Māyā, and always remind us that we are your children/servants trying to please you. Please, Śrīla Prabhupāda, kindly give us this protection that sincerely pleasing you as your mere servants is our safest and blissful position. You are our protection and shelter. Please keep us always under your wing, our dear loving spiritual Father/Grandfather.
ISKCON Auckland is eternally indebted to you for all that you have done for us and are doing for us through your unfading love and mercy.
Praying and begging to always remain at your lotus feet, Your servants, New Varṣāṇā
ISKCON Auckland, NZ
As I am repeatedly placing before you with all humbleness that this movement is very, very much essential, not only at the present moment, but also all the time. (Paṇḍāl lecture at Cross Maidan, Bombay, March 26, 1971)
To you, our beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale gurave citti- ceṣṭābhyam mahātmā prabhave sadā tat prabhu bhāva rūpaya kīrtana-hlada-dāyine namas tattva-prakāśaya bhaktānam tat-parayā ca
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Ever-pervasive time acts on us all … In this lecture, you mention the duality of this material world. Dvaita. “ is is good, this is bad. is is nice; this is not nice.” e seasons change, and leaves fall. What begins must come to a nish. You were always forward-thinking, Śrīla Prabhupāda, urgently pushing us to acknowledge the reality of our situation. As our well-wisher, you were always reminding us that this is not where we belong. However, sometimes it is not until we deeply experience su ering that we start to understand. As one of your dear disciples has called it, we are realizing what it means to be living in the “decade of tears.”
New Vrindaban has been no stranger to tears in recent times. e pain of loss is so easy to philosophize as a knee-jerk defense: “We’re not this body! Don’t mourn for what is not worthy of your grief!’ Kṛṣṇa’s own words may ring in our head, but the reality of loss is that the emptiness it leaves within our hearts is oftentimes much more di cult to come to terms with.
e loss of our own dear Līlāśuka and Līlā Morrow left an indent in our community that we could not have braced ourselves for. Your disciple, Līlāśuka, was a bright re ection of your compassion. She was an expert teacher and prioritized and valued devotee care. Just as her presence brought joy, her sudden and startling passing left behind the same amount of pain.
Līlā Morrow too, although her departure may have been more foreseeable in the last few years of her life, imagining not only the New Vrindaban community but even the world without the sel ess dedication she o ered to your movement still seems impossible. But you have given your priceless insight – that the līlā of love is highest in separation. e throbbing pain in our hearts is a testament to that. e world also faced the heart-wrenching passing of your granddisciple, His Holiness Kadamba Kānana Swami, who embodied the art of living and dying. A Vaiṣṇava who, following in the perfect footsteps of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, took complete shelter of Kṛṣṇa in Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma before his departure.
Kadamba Kānana Mahārāja was special not only because of his unique and endearing personality or his tremendous service to ISKCON but also because he has made it clear now more than ever the necessity of the second generation of devotees to take responsibility for ful lling your instructions and vision for ISKCON. You did not speak for only your disciples to hear, just like Kṛṣṇa did not speak only for Arjuna to hear! “As I am repeatedly placing before you with all humbleness that this movement is very, very much essential, not only at the present moment, but
also all the time.” You blessed this world with your vapuḥ, and now we can take advantage of this glorious Vyāsa-pūjā celebration as an opportunity to meditate on what it means to receive your blessings via your vāṇī. You were not only present in 1971, but you are present all the time.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are constantly feeling con icted by the scarcity of time. But we know that time can ripen the fruit, heal the wounds, and turn the disciples into teachers. Forty-two years passed before the seed of your Guru Mahārāja’s instruction began to take form. Here in New Vrindaban, we are experiencing many 50-year anniversaries – of New Vrindaban itself, your Palace of Gold ground-breaking, your bhāgavata-dharma discourses, the installation of di erent Deities, etc. We know deep in our hearts that it is time for us to get serious and be bold in taking up Kṛṣṇa’s service. Equipped with maturity, we will carry the torch lit by our predecessors, becoming instruments of the wisdom that time and experience have granted us.
Although the seemingly insurmountable mountain of heartbreak faces us, we will still come together and continue to climb. is is our o ering to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. ank you very much. Please empower us through your vāṇī to know how to be glorious servants and to rise to the occasion.
We include Līlāśuka’s last o ering to you as the reality of her passing slowly sinks in. May her love for you expressed in this beautifully composed poem join the hundreds of other beautiful o erings from around the globe.
“Antya-līlā tells of empowered souls Only THEY can give Kṛṣṇa in this age of woes.
You, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are the best of such givers. Your missionary spirit shook the world into quivers
You gave us so much. Indeed everything.
I’ll mention a few that helped in severing Our ties to that which got us into trouble. You came like a soldier and burst our mundane bubble.
You opened the door to true liberation
By gifting the holy name to people in every nation.
You opened up windows to the spiritual realm
By guiding your artists; you were at the helm.
You created our pious credits from our useless deeds
Some of us smoked cigarettes, which you rationed just to tease out our bhakti. And it worked!
We developed a higher taste.
We became less and less irked By māyā’s tight embrace.
You gave us Tulasī devī
Great devotee as a plant. We danced around her And we joyously would chant.
You gave us more magic that took us by storm
Kṛṣṇa Himself in Deity form!
We had no clue Who would have thought God could have come and stayed in one spot Just so we could o er our love ese were miracles we became so fond of.
You gifted us stories of Caitanya Mahāprabhu And all His followers and their families too. eir devotion, their anguish, their separation You served us up the nectar – we plunged into that ocean. Your special mercy bypassed all the rules. e fast path back to God – you provided the tools.
You left sweet Vṛndāvana on a sel ess mission You underwent tapasya to bring to fruition
Your goal of saving us wretched souls
From birth and death with loud HARIBOLS!
You let us meet gurus from days of yore You followed their path and brought us to their door.
You gave me new life when there was no hope. My old life just lled with nonsense and dope. I wanted much more and you saved the day Śrīla Prabhupāda, there are really no words to say How much gratitude and appreciation I feel. You transformed my fake life and made it real.
You let us build temples
Shelters for our soul Which you then empowered Ful lling life’s goal.
You gave special protection to us, your daughters Even when your sons were sunk deep in the waters Of misunderstanding. Man – woman in one sense the same. “You’re not the body” became a slogan of fame. You freely gave the king of education, Knowledge of the soul, with no hesitation. You revealed the most con dential of secrets How else could we ever have come to all this?!
You taught us to cook and then to o er Our food rst to Kṛṣṇa. Our hearts became softer. You bestowed upon me a new set of friends. Loyal and uplifting right to near the end.
I’m rapidly approaching that moment and yet I know what to do to get out of this debt.
You made it crystal clear; Chant, read and serve. No remorse, no fear. Stay xed. Don’t swerve From the path straight and true You’ll take us back home.
Prabhupāda, all thanks to you. I’ll follow truly, don’t roam.
As old age, disease Wait at my door without ego and envy I pray to serve you evermore.”
Līlāśuka D āsī
Your hopeful, aspiring servants at ISKCON New Vrindaban Moundsville, USA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
All of your servants at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda temple, ISKCON New York City, on this auspicious occasion of the 127th anniversary of your appearance in this world, o er you our unalloyed respect, gratitude, and appreciation. We pray that Your Divine Grace will be pleased by our sincere o erings of harināma saṅkīrtana and book distribution in the most important city in the world and the place where you rst conceived and demonstrated these activities in your municent role as the yuga-dharma ācārya. We are enthusiastically, if imperfectly, following in your lotus footprints and reminded daily by your original shoes that tell the story of your struggle in your rst year here; lined with cardboard, secured by scotch tape, and creased by your lotus feet as you walked the New York City streets. It is an indescribable and undeserved honor to be a part of your New York Pastimes and to continue to serve you, and your beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā-Govinda Deities, the iṣṭadevatas for many of your sincere disciples and granddisciples as these pastimes continue to expand.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda and ISKCON New York City Yātrā Dhāma kī jaya!
With all the love, respect, and humility at our command, we remain, Your servants at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda Temple, ISKCON New York City
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories unto you.
We like to begin by thanking you for saving our lives from the danger in this material world and for giving us a real spiritual life, transcendental knowledge, and many other gifts to cure the disease of material existence.
In your words, we nd no cheating, no mistakes, no imperfection. We have come to learn that this is because your desire is to actually bene t the people, not personal bene t. erefore, you have delivered the real substance, the unchanged message of your Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In order to do this, you made an inconceivable amount of personal sacri ce and dedication.
When we read about your struggles during the early years of your preaching mission, we see you as the most noble, heroic, and empowered soul who was uncompromising and fearless, even when facing the greatest adversities.
All the devotees from this farm, New Vraja-maṇḍala, in Spain, feel forever very grateful for your kindness.
Your humble servants at New Vraja-maṇḍala, Spain
(Written by Karuṇamaya D āsa, ACBSP)nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
By your causeless mercy, your ISKCON Newcastle is growing in every direction. Attendance in temple programs doubled over the past year, and many new people have started serving in the temple. We are also pleased to welcome many young students to our regular programs.
Please guide us so that we can serve very e ectively and seriously to support, respect, and serve all the new souls coming to join your movement and your ISKCON Newcastle.
Many students who joined ISKCON Newcastle, received training, and served during their studies, are now initiated and actively preaching in various parts of the world.
Please continue to guide us so we can take ISKCON Newcastle to a whole new level, in the way that you envision for its growth and expansion in the North East of the UK, as well as in supporting your global operation of ISKCON. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you so much!
On behalf of ISKCON Newcastle, Your spiritual grandson, Satyamedhā Gaurāṅga D āsa
Our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this most auspicious 127th anniversary of your appearance day, please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories, all glories, all glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
We, your servants at ISKCON of Niagara, are extremely grateful for giving us the opportunity to serve this divine mission. We started preaching activities in 2021. However, due to the pandemic, the reach was limited. As soon as the restrictions were lifted in the summer of 2022, we rented a place in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and started hosting weekly Sunday feast programs. By Your mercy, we have seen an enthusiastic response.
When we rst started, we used to be one or two families for the initial few weeks. We continued to conduct the Sunday program based on the structure established by you, and today we have over 35 devotees who consistently show up for the program. is year, we also started Sunday school and are seeing enthusiastic participation from kids. We are also conducting mṛdaṅga classes, and the interest is growing. We are also hosting a weekly Bhakti-vṛkṣa program over Zoom, and increasingly more devotees are joining that program. We set up a book stall during the Sunday feast program, and the sale of books is slowly but steadily growing.
With Your blessings, we also intend to soon start harmonium classes, dedicated Bhakti-vṛkṣa in Hindi language and another one focused on corporate preaching. We also plan to go out for book distribution and harināma saṅkīrtana during the summer months to attract more souls to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. Ultimately, our vision is to have a grand temple here in Niagara Falls, for the pleasure of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi and Your Divine Grace. Please bless us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so we can become an instrument for realizing this vision.
Your servants at ISKCON Niagara, Ontario, Canada
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, You are personally in your books. Your mercy is like a breeze to us, stopping the material time. You are giving us a chance to go and present Kṛṣṇa consciousness endlessly if we follow your order that we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and we spread your books.
saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-lokatrāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam anks, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and thanks to Kṛṣṇa for allowing us his beloved cowherd boy.
Your servants at ISKCON Nicaragua
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Happy Vyāsa-pūjā Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, on the auspicious day of Nandotsava, in the year 1896, your divine grace was chosen and empowered by Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to appear to inundate the entire universe with the chanting of the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa and give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the people in the West. We are the proud grandchildren of Your Divine Grace, relishing the personi cation of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. is was indeed Kṛṣṇa’s highest level of kindness in orchestrating you to deliver us from the miseries of this world and take us to the spiritual realm, where we can directly serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Śrīla Prabhupāda exhibited all the tell-tale symptoms of a nitya-siddha saktyaveśa-avatāra. Such divine personalities are specially empowered by the Lord and sent to deliver mankind.
In 1922, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī,
naturally recognized the true saktyaveśa identity of his new disciple. He indicated that Abhaya Caraṇa’s assigned mission was to be the vehicle by which the transcendental message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was to be taken to the Western world. Today, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s success is evident not only in the West but in nearly every place on the planet where the mahā-mantra, Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is chanted by the Vaiṣṇavas who have taken up our Prabhupāda’s mission.
titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām ajāta- śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
e symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful, and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies. He is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.21)
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for boarding the Jaladuta to spread Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and for giving us the mahā-mantra.
You have given us primarily three programs to ensure success: book distribution, prasāda distribution, and harināma saṅkīrtana. e ISKCON NOIDA congregation is participating more enthusiastically in all three programs. With your mercy, here are some of the activities and developments we would like to o er at your lotus feet, Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Infrastructure developments: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are constructing two new oors of the brahmacārī aśrama. Our brahmacārīs will have more open space to live and study. In order to make our temple accessible and inclusive to elderly people and persons with disabilities, we are constructing a second new lift in our temple. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are so incompetent that even installing this second lift is a project for us. We remember how you gave a project to your disciples to publish and print the Caitanya-caritāmṛta set in just two months. at project manifested because you empowered your disciples to complete the task within the projected timeline. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray to you – please empower us all so that we can also operationalize this second lift by the time of your Vyāsa-pūjā this year. is year, we also plan to construct a ramp to allow persons on wheelchairs to access our Govinda’s restaurant.
Deity worship standards: We are grateful to share that various senior leaders have complimented the deity worship standards of our temple. Noida residents and visitors adore our beautiful Śrī Śrī Rādhā Govindadeva. e daily footfall of visitors has increased manifold to the extent that we fall short of space to accommodate the overwhelming crowd.
Pāda-yātrā: Janmāṣṭamī 2022 was all the more special because the All India Pāda-yātrā (AIP) arrived at the Noida temple three days before Janmāṣṭamī. A special attraction was the majestic pāda-yātrā oxen; the public being amazed to see such huge and powerful creatures. ese oxen are not ordinary because they serve Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Gaurasundara directly, taking em on their shoulders. Whoever sees these oxen also get bene ts.
Taking inspiration from the AIP, our temple continues to drive our annual Noida Pāda-yātrā, starting from Noida and concluding at Vṛndāvana, stopping each night at neighboring towns and villages in between. At each stop, devotees enthusiastically perform Harināma and distribute your books which are full of Vedic wisdom and experiential knowledge.
Book distribution: ISKCON NOIDA continues to drive BBT sales via both 1
1 selling and online marketing through Flipkart and Amazon. Buy Śrīla Prabhupāda, a Facebook page driven by ISKCON Noida youths, daily dispatches over 500 packages containing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books across India.
Food for Life program: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you always emphasized, “We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a 10-mile radius. e temple is the house of God. God is everyone’s father; Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s father. So, in the presence of the father, the son doesn’t go hungry. So, we have to make an arrangement that people get fed.”
ere are over 60 villages in Noida, which are home to many needy and poor families.
ISKCON Noida continues to feed kṛṣṇa-prasāda to the Noida localities.
Bhakti-vṛkṣa: In line with the ISKCON Ministry of Congregational Development, we continue to drive congregational growth. Leveraging online communication platforms, over 30 new Bhakti-vṛkṣa servant-leaders have been developed, mentored, and trained on how to hone their communication skills and interpersonal skills and thus attract newcomers to our programs. We have seen steady growth in the number of physical Bhakti-vṛkṣas and a 100 percent year-on-year increase in online Bhakti-vṛkṣas.
ISKCON Noida keeps pursuing many exalted senior devotees, including sannyāsīs and disciples of your Divine Grace, to visit the temple. By their darśana, the congregation is nourished.
Children Program (Prahlāda School): Along with the weekly children program, every year, Prahlāda School organizes a summer vacation kids camp. is year, we saw 200 children aged 5–12 years who participated in fun-based learning workshops centered around kṛṣṇa-līlā through various activities such as quizzes, cooking lessons, outdoor games, indoor team-building activities. As a result, the parents of the participating children have also been attracted to join congregational programs.
ISKCON Youth Forum (IYF): Noida is a bustling city with a dynamic 69 percent of the youth population aged 16
30 years. With over 150 colleges and several prominent MNCs spanning the city, it is a gold mine for preaching to the youth. IYF is key to tapping that gold mine through several initiatives such as weekly programs and the quarterly youth festival – UMANG, which features iconic youth speakers from ISKCON. ousands of young, educated boys and girls are taking advantage by attending this program, and many of them take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
ISKCON Girls Forum (IGF): e IGF is a weekly program that provides a platform for young unmarried girls aged 20–35 years to connect, discuss Śātra and nurture their talents. IGF also has a wing called Mañjarīs for younger girls (12–19 years of age) to train them to grow as highcharactered Vaiṣṇavīs.
Ladies Program: ISKCON Noida has a weekly program for gṛhastha ladies that organizes systematic study classes for the participants. Once a year, tours are organized for visits to nearby holy places such as Vṛndāvana dhāma
Govinda’s Restaurant, Guest House, and Auditorium: We have scaled up the operations of our restaurant, which has moved up the rankings of Noida’s top vegetarian restaurants. We have hired new talented chefs from Māyāpur and added new delicacies to our menu. As a result, with your blessings, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have nearly doubled our sales.
Various members of the society utilize our guest house and auditorium facilities. 2022 was our ever-best year, as we hosted the highest number of weddings in our auditorium.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by opening such amenities to the public, a spiritual environment is created, which we capitalize on for preaching purposes. Not only that, these amenities also provide substantial revenue to our temple.
Bhaktivedanta Academy: As ISKCON’s only 100 percent live online academic institution, Bhaktivedanta Academy is on its way to completing its third Bhakti- śāstrī batch. Along with Bhakti- śāstrī, the Academy conducts pre-Bhakti- śāstrī courses: Vaiṣṇava Etiquette, Deity Worship Level 1, Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, and ISKCON Founder-Ācārya (IFA). is year, with your blessings Śrīla Prabhupāda, we aspire to add more courses to our curriculum, such as the Teacher Training Course (TTC), music classes, leadership development program, etc. In the three years since its inception, Bhaktivedanta Academy has graduated 150 Bhakti- śāstrī students who go
through a rigorous 1-year program. Bhaktivedanta Academy loves to take exceptional care of its student’s progress by checking the homework of all students on a weekly basis and providing them with weekly feedback. e teachers and sta of Bhaktivedanta Academy are committed to delivering results to students within 24 hours of their exams. One day after the exam, when students receive their results, whether good/bad, it helps the students truly know where they stand on the subject matter before their next module/subject starts. at way, they can improve their self-study and buckle themselves up before commencing their next module/subject. Fortnightly Energy Classes are conducted as a special treat exclusively for Bhakti- śāstrī students. In each Energy Class, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we invite your disciples to connect personally with the students. In the last batch, 18 of your disciples graced this Energy Class platform, providing students with international exposure to the ISKCON world at large.
New Temple Project on Noida Expressway: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you will be pleased to know that in Sec-151, we have now acquired a third piece of land, along with the adjacent previous two plots so that now there is a total area of 1100 sq. yards. On this land, we have the desire to develop the second temple in Noida, and for this, we de nitely beg for your guidance and blessings. We have engaged a team of professional architects to prepare the blueprints and plans for this project. Devotees in the vicinity of this land have commenced community programs to develop awareness in the area about the upcoming project, including kīrtana, rock shows in nearby societies, book distribution drives, and harināma saṅkīrtanas
Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this momentous occasion, we pray to you to please grant us more service to your lotus feet so that we may be able to make rapid progress in our endeavors in spiritual life. We pray that as surrendered souls, we will eventually join you in the spiritual world to serve you and Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa-pūjā mahotsava kī jaya!
Your insigni cant servants from ISKCON Noida (India)
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
On this most glorious occasion of your appearance, we are eager to present our o ering unto you for your pleasure. On behalf of many devotees from the North Florida communities of Tampa, Tallahassee, Orlando, and Deland, we submit this o ering.
You are opening our eyes and those of everyone we preach to with your storehouse of knowledge. As we read your books and discuss them more and more, then Kṛṣṇa is pleased, and we awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, which is the ultimate goal of our life. We are so grateful for
your gifts to us which are saving us from a hellish life and worse future lives. Gradually by following your instructions, prema, which seems so far away, comes closer to our grasp.
You have a very great expansive vision of saving the fallen souls of Kali-yuga for the next 10,000 years. e world desperately needs this as all standards of behavior and all knowledge of God becomes lip service at best as they plunge into ignorance. You have shown us the real knowledge of our spiritual existence and how to remain absorbed in it. Such kindness is rare to see in this material world. Help us to take steps to train the newer devotees to carefully follow you and preserve your instructions and standards and remain focused on ful lling your desires.
Your mercy is so great that not only can your disciples take shelter of it, but by carefully following everyone can gain that shelter as well.
I personally am quite insigni cant and struggling to keep my eyes on the goal. Māyā is ever vigilant and never gives us a moment’s peace unless we are fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. We underestimate her power due to our conditioned nature. From time immemorial, we have been accepting all her o ers with great eagerness. Now, let our face be turned away from her alluring charm and be directed to service to Kṛṣṇa at your lotus feet. Your mercy is all that we are made of. ank you for bestowing that mercy on us without considering our quali cations.
We hope that this o ering is pleasing to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. ey are the combined e orts of the devotees in the North Florida communities.
We continue to beg for your mercy so that we can continue to expand the glories of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa and bring more and more conditioned souls to surrender at your lotus feet.
Your humble servant, R
Zonal Supervisor, North Florida, USAHare Kṛṣṇa, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept my humble obeisances at Your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
In 1991, in Minsk, I met Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees for the rst time and received from them your Kṛṣṇa book – a book about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. is was my rst acquaintance with you, and actually, this became the beginning of my spiritual path, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. I started reading your books, meeting with devotees, attending temple programs and soon began chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra on beads. I am unspeakably grateful to you for this.
More than 100 years ago, writer John Reed wrote the book Ten Days that Shook the World (about the revolution in Russia in 1917). My meeting with you is in the form of your books, lectures, kīrtanas, instructions, and communications with devotees. During the same ten days it also shook the world – the world of my former material illusions.
Looking back, I still can’t even imagine how my life would have turned out if I hadn’t come into contact with Your devotees and Your books. I will never be able to express to You all the gratitude that I feel for the fact that you entered my life and showed me its purpose. I am in an irreplaceable debt to you and will never be able to repay it to you. You give everyone, whoever
they are, the sacred gift of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Your love for devotees, for all people, and for all living beings has always been manifested in a special way.
One day you received a letter from one of your disciples in which he described his di culties in ending his addiction to drugs once and for all. He had already stopped taking them for some time, but after a while, he returned to the old habit. When this letter was read to you, tears rolled down your cheeks, and you said to everyone in the room: “Just see how he is struggling for Kṛṣṇa.” You saw in this disciple a spiritual warrior, not a sinner indulging his weaknesses. You have always seen a spiritual spark in every person.
rough this love, you taught Your disciples how to nd love for Kṛṣṇa. is is your mission –to teach everyone how to serve Kṛṣṇa and become happy by nding our true constitutional position, our spiritual nature, and our spiritual identity. We are the devotees of the second and third generations of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement – the movement that you started. We have the opportunity to develop this divine knowledge and pure love for Kṛṣṇa in our hearts by the mercy of your disciples and other senior devotees.
erefore, the devotees of the Nuremberg yātrā make great e orts in devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. With this, we want to satisfy and please you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. We regularly conduct Vaiṣṇava programs, organize harināmas, which are also accompanied by the distribution of your books and sweet balls (prasāda). We organize Vaiṣṇava training programs, take care of the Deities, and host visiting preachers and even whole harināma groups from various countries. We also try to develop personal relationships with each other and learn how together faithfully serve your mission and how to support each other in di cult life situations.
ank you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
On behalf of the members of our Nuremberg Yātrā, Your servant, Nāmāmṛta D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisance from ISKCON Oakville center on this auspicious day of your divine grace’s appearance.
We are very happy to report that, by your mercy, we continue to conduct our Sunday Feast program at the Gītā Yoga Studio in Oakville. Every week we meet on Sunday from 4:15 pm. e attendance is consistently increasing, and on average, 40 to 50 devotees are attending every Sunday!
Our program format is as follows:
• We start with your ārati and opening kīrtana, followed by Narasiṁha prayers
• Every week one family presents two Bhagavad-gītā ślokas
• Followed by reading your memories or instructions
• After that, we have Vedic discourse, where we invite speakers from across the GTA
• Closing kīrtana
• We end with prasāda
With your blessings, our Sunday school of kids is also increasing in number, and they study during the time of Vedic discourse in a separate room.
Our Sunday school kids have also now started to serve Kṛṣṇa by doing kīrtana, drama, and playing instruments during kīrtana. We have mixed-age group kids that we have grouped into two based on their level of learning.
In addition to the above, once a month, we have started a special program called spiritual tness, tailored to suit the yoga community. e attendance is not great, but we will continue our e orts; please bless us.
Please bless us so that we can follow in your footsteps and somehow be instrumental in bringing some more lost children back to Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants at ISKCON Oakville Centre, Ontario, Canada
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
It’s been ten years since I met your teachings and ISKCON. No temples and no devotees on this small island of Okinawa. It’s been eight and a half years since I started preaching. Finally, this year, a new initiation devotee from Okinawa appeared. is is your mercy. She was always reading your books.
I was reading too, and of course, others are also reading. I am in contact with you through the books, through your association, faith in Kṛṣṇa, courage to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I get encouragement when things aren’t going well.
I touch your mercy through the mercy of all gurus and devotees. rough Your mercy, I am touched by the mercy of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and at the end of this mercy, I feel the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
I always receive a lot of mercy from you. I also want to distribute the mercy that I have received with this feeling of gratitude from many people. I want to give out a lot. By distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness to many people, I show my gratitude to you. I like your prayers (Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma 14):
āniyācho jadi prabhu āmāre nācāte nācāo nācāo prabhu nācāo se-mate kāṣṭhera puttali jathā nācāo se-mate
I am also a puppet manipulated by your hands. Please let me dance, Lord; let me dance as you please. May I share the teachings of the Lord wherever I go and with whomever I meet. May I serve everyone with humility. May my desire and belief to serve Kṛṣṇa grow.
Dear Prabhupāda, please continue to be merciful to us. When we think of Kṛṣṇa when we are preaching, you are on our side.
ank you very much.
Your servant,
Kairava Devī D āsīDear His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
By your mercy, the Osaka yātrā is growing now. Nowadays, new Japanese people are interested in Bhagavad-gītā and yoga and kīrtana. Our movement in Osaka is just starting to spread one by one.
Since we started Bhagavad-gītā class, we have seen many people are interested in Bhagavad-gītā Many people are interested in kīrtana also. is is because His Holiness Kavicandra Mahārāja had put many seeds in this area of Osaka for many years.
Not only Japanese but Indian devotees are also increasing. e number of devotees who come to the ISKCON Osaka center is also increasing. All these developments are happening by your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your glories are well known in the Osaka and Kansai area. When I gave your Bhagavad-gītā to a young man, he said, “Wow! is book is very famous! I wanted to get this!” ese days we feel people are hankering for real spiritual knowledge.
Please kindly empower us so that we can distribute more books written by you.
Osaka devotees are also praying for cleaning the Yamunā project, which is led by one Indian devotee with Japanese engineers. We hope the Yamunā River will be cleaned. So we beg your mercy so that we can serve the Lord and Yamunā River.
Again, we beg your mercy to all Osaka devotees so that more of your books will be distributed and Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Osaka will grow.
Your servants, Osaka devotees
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
All glories to Your Divine Grace. Please accept our humble obeisances.
In this world, almost everyone is conditioned. erefore most of the time, we think of ourselves or our family as big and very important. Something substantial and immutable. Priority.
at is an illusion, of course. Still, you taught as that we are actually important to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and even more, you yourself showed us that we are important to you.
Sometimes we feel ourselves as some kind of experts, genuine spiritual seekers, knowledgeable jñānīs, experienced yogīs, yet without contact with you,
today we would hardly become vegetarians. Truthfulness in the Age of Kali is only one remaining principle of dharma. Today this principle exists only as the fruit of your austerity and austerity of your sincere disciples. By your mercy anyone who is interested in the truth can nd it in your books, and in your life and in the life of your society. And the truth is that we are not big nor important, but loved we are. We are only fools, yet you love as, even more than Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. You came and made us quali ed for accepting truth by your desire only. Your love lives eternally in the heart of anyone who read at least one word from your books, anyone who listened to your bhajana even for a second, anyone who was blessed to see Your Divine Grace directly, anyone who followed your desire at least a little, anyone who cherished at least one small bit of prasāda and witnessed ways of loving reciprocation between your disciples. We used to speak about guru-paramparā, disciplic succession, as some kind of river of knowledge that ows continually from Kṛṣṇa to every soul in the material world. We can speak much of that, yet only sometimes can we really taste a few drops of this river of mercy and love and realize the real nature of the spirit. ese rare moments in our lives, when we somehow align ourselves with the ow of Your mercy, present to us more beauty, more understanding and wonder than millions of sleepless nights of study and discussions about God and the meaning of life. As a child, I spent many nights in thinking about death as something foreign, unacceptable, unimaginable, terrible…. I feared it very much.
I prayed to Jesus to show me way.... to answer me whatever answer might be …and the way becomes evident through the sel ess service of ISKCON devotees, Your spiritual children. Who can better instill fearlessness and the vision that goes far, far beyond death than you, our ācārya and spiritual master
Śrīla Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Who can give as Kṛṣṇa’s association as easy as you, teach us to see Kṛṣṇa as Prahlāda Mahārāja…. in the heart and outside as well.
To see Kṛṣṇa everywhere, in everyone.
ISKCON Center Osijek, Croatia exists in di erent forms uninterruptedly for some 30 years.
Directly or by the merciful expansions of yours We in Osijek, Croatia also had and still have everyday darśana with the numerous charming results of your unique endeavor. You feed us, you teach us reality, the goal of life, you left us instructions, you left us challenges, you left us family to take care of, to stay together no matter what, you are giving us strength and peace. You are giving us courage, you are giving us compassion for others, you left for us eternal life, you left us in beauty, forever.
ere is no more fear or darkness. We are not alone. We will never be alone again. We will live with you!
Your servants from ISKCON Osijek Center
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
We feel greatly privileged to o er our humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this very auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā. is is the occasion for us to glorify you, to remember all the transcendental gifts you have given us, rather to humanity at large, and to convey our gratitude to you. In this regard, we beg you to kindly accept our words of glori cation and gratitude, even if expressed inadequately or incorrectly.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, there are hundreds and thousands of people all over the world who are connected with you as disciples, granddisciples, great-granddisciples, and as your followers and admirers. You made all of us very fortunate by bestowing upon us the same “prema-dhana,” as Śrīmān Mahāprabhu did centuries ago.
Śrīla Narottama D āsa Ṭhākura conveys in his song (hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu…):
“golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana.”
e harināma saṅkīrtana process is a gift from Goloka. It is very simple and easy for everyone to participate, but the bene t of this process far exceeds our tiny e orts and is beyond comparison with anything else we can think of. is process, when properly carried out, can take us back to Goloka, our eternal home, the topmost transcendental realm, where every word is like a song, every step is like a dance, and every day is a day of festivities. e existence there is eternally blissful, with all kinds of sweet exchanges taking place with our most beloved Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Another point in connection with harināma is you are that senāpati-bhakta, the empowered leader of the devotees, who appeared at the right time to ful ll the prediction of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu, which is:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
In every town and village on this Earth, everywhere my (harināma) will be sung.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you reached out to human society in di erent ways: through harināma kīrtana parties, books/magazines, and electronic media. You established over 100 Temples, Centers, Restaurants, Farming communities, etc., within 12 years of your arrival in NY city in 1965. At the age when most people are already retired, you traveled around the world several times to rmly establish ISKCON for the spiritual bene t of people at large, irrespective of their background, going beyond the conventional divisions in human society like color, language, nationality, race, religion, etc.
ese are not simple tasks, even for established organizations already having money, facilities, and Human Resources. However, without any such resources and only with your strong desire to carry out the order of your Guru Mahārāja, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and to ful ll the desire cum order of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu, you accomplished so much in such a short time. In the process of doing so, you created organizations like BBT, ISKCON,
etc., for the continuation of the mission of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu for centuries to come. What you did accomplish is truly astounding, even to scholars and business entrepreneurs, what to say about the general public. Re ecting your words in your poetry, “Adore, adore ye all…”, a tribute to your Guru Mahārāja, all we can say is “Miracle Done Your Divine Grace.”
A scholarly disciple of Your Divine Grace once stated that one of the most signi cant events of the twentieth century is your creation of ISKCON in NY city. Looking from a historical perspective, the most signi cant event in human society is the Appearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, the incarnation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, taking the role of a true kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, a great ācārya of gauḍīya-siddhānta glori es Śrīmān Mahāprabhu as the most muni cent incarnation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, for distributing kṛṣṇa-prema (or pure divine love), so freely to the masses what no other incarnations ever did so far. In the same sense, we can assert that your coming to North America or the establishment of ISKCON is THE most signi cant event of the twentieth century.
e role of ISKCON, for all time, is to bring the true spiritual process to the masses and guide them to achieve the highest goal of kṛṣṇa-prema.
We at the Ottawa temple re ect fondly on how we came to connect with you and eventually to admire you and to be part of your ISKCON through our service in the association of like-minded devotees. Many of us were born after your visible presence in this world. However, we remember your words that you live in your books and in your instructions. We try to follow your instructions and read your books. In this way and with the guidance of your senior servants, we feel your presence.
We all took up the devotional practices being inspired by your gifts, be it harināma kīrtana, hari-kathā, great philosophy, prasāda, the association of devotees, etc. As we got engaged in devotional service regularly at home and at the temple, we felt some kind of reciprocation which reinforced our faith in you and in the process of devotional service as given by you.
Some devotees earnestly prayed to you for initiation by a dīkṣā-guru and had their desire fullled soon. Some, after listening to the talks by senior and experienced devotees, felt inspired to visit the temple regularly and to engage in the services at the temple, notwithstanding the usual problems of domestic life and sad personal events. Some who had tried di erent other processes, not feeling any personal or spiritual growth, came to our temple. Just after a few visits and participation in the Sunday program, they felt something right about the kīrtana, talks, and prasāda and now attend all the events regularly.
We often ponder where we would have been had we continued with our old lifestyle. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are certainly the captain of the ship where we feel safe crossing over the treacherous ocean of material existence on our journey Back home, Back to Godhead. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for your continued presence in our lives.
Aspiring servants of your servants in Ottawa, Canada
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
I o er my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace Prabhupāda A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In this world, there are still many, many people who have failed to take your mercy. I feel pity for them. At the same time, I feel though I was one of them, out of compassion toward me, you gave me your mercy by picking me from that su ering world to your ISKCON world through your loving devotees.
I am grateful to you and your followers (devotees) all over the world for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness through which souls like me can bene t and uplift our consciousness.
You have always taken the words of your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura as your life and soul. Despite having several discomforts, you have ful lled the desire of your spiritual master. e words meditated by you were that when you have received the crest jewel of harināma, it has to be distributed far and wide. Just as the great Vaiṣṇava ācārya Śrī Rāmānujācārya who had distributed the Nārāyaṇa mantra to all, so have you spread the holy name throughout the world. In the same way, your dear disciples are taking part in spreading the holy name. Please grant me the benediction that I never forget the mood and mission of yours and always strive to achieve it through the instructions of Guru Mahārāja and senior Vaiṣṇavas.
Prabhupāda, due to your grace this year, a beautiful temple has been built in Pachora city. Pachora is in the northern part of Maharashtra state. I feel that you are actually present there in the form of your vigraha and are sitting there to grace all the devotees. I beg for the association of devotees and be under the guidance of senior Vaiṣṇavas and be the servant of your servants.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Your servant of servant, Caitanya Jīvana D āsa ISKCON Pachora (Maharashtra, India)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
All the devotees of ISKCON Panama join in glorifying you on this special day. Although you never personally visited Panama still, your presence is strong in the form of your books, your mūrti, your instructions on Deity worship, and your words. e years roll on, but you continue to make an impact on not only Panamanian people but people all over the world. You have empowered your disciples and future generations to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and we continue to do
it in our best capacity. Your personality of being dynamic and determined inspires us to follow in your footsteps and do whatever little we can. We hope our actions are pleasing to you. In ISKCON Panama, by keeping you in the center, we feel your protection. We pray for your continued mercy, guidance, and illumination for practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness as you intended for us.
Your servants of ISKCON Panama
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious occasion of your 127th Anniversary.
We, the devotees at ISKCON Pandharpur, would like to humbly submit a report on the major activities we performed during the year 2022 and about future developments.
Daily a lot of pilgrims visit the ancient Viṭṭhala Rukmiṇī temple, and on special occasions, thousands of pilgrims come. Many of them are also visiting our temple. In this way, we are getting the opportunity to preach to them, and simultaneously book distribution and harināma are also going on. When they come, they also visit your Prabhupāda Ghāṭa at the Chandrabhaga river. is ghāṭa has become very popular among the pilgrims and the local village people. e ghāṭa also hosts our Annakṣetra Food For Life activity where monthly about 15,000 visitors are getting full prasāda.
e gośālā has about 60 cows. All the cows are being taken care of nicely, and we are getting daily milk from them. Recently a new cow shed has been built to provide proper shelter to the cows.
Devotees are being taken care of nicely, and we are preaching in about 15 villages and towns around Pandharpur. e devotees of these places visit the temple regularly. Especially on festival days, they come with hundreds or thousands.
We also have a very special o ering for you. For your pleasure, we are very happy to mention the following development regarding our Bhū-Vaikuṇṭha New Temple Project:
• e Masterplan has almost been completed by the architect.
• e height of the temple will be 125 feet, and there will be about two lakhs feet of construction.
• Last year in June, we did the bhūmi-pūjā in the presence of His Holiness Lokanātha Swami and the honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Ekanath Shinde. Many senior devotees and dignitaries attended this event.
• e land layout has been marked.
• In June, we are starting with the installation of Ananta- śeṣa, whereby again we will invite the
honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Ekanath Shinde, as well as many senior devotees and dignitaries.
• e temple will have many features, like a Śrīla Prabhupāda museum, Multi-media exhibition, diorama, Vṛndāvana garden, International Guest House, Gurukula, Medical center, Varkari Bhavan, etc.
At present, we are also working on the following constructions:
• Expanding our Chandrabhaga Guest House with one more oor, which will have twenty more rooms to accommodate the guests.
• Expanding our brahmacārī āśrama with one more oor to improve the accommodation of the brahmacārīs.
• Building a Fundraising O ce for the Bhū-Vaikuṇṭha New Temple Project with all modern facilities where we can receive our (potential) donors in a pleasant environment.
We are also planning to acquire more land for future expansion and also for accommodating the congregational devotees.
e Central and State Governments have approved the development of the Pandharpur Corridor. Our temple falls within the zone of the corridor. e government will provide better infrastructure, wider roads, sewer lines, improve the electricity supplies as well as the telephone and Internet connections. We have proposed to the government to also build a bridge for pedestrians across the Chandrabhaga River, like the Lakṣmaṇa Jhula in Haridwar so that we can be easily connected with the ancient Viṭṭhala Rukmiṇī temple.
All these new developments will result in more people, pilgrims, and devotees visiting our temple. e future seems to be very bright for expanding the preaching of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in and from Pandharpur.
We will certainly need your special blessings to complete this great service for the pleasure of eir Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pāṇḍarīnātha and Your Divine Grace! ank you very much for giving us this precious gift of service to eir Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Paṇḍarīnātha, Śrī Paṇḍarapura Dhāma, and devotees all over the world.
Remaining the servants of the servants at your lotus feet, ISKCON Pandharpur devotees Maharashtra, India
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Most respected and worshipable Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kindly accept our most respectful and humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet on the most auspicious occasion of Your appearance day.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are not just the authorized but the perfect representative of Lord Nityānanda, the primeval spiritual master as you embody many of His transcendental qualities impeccably. When Lord Caitanya instructed Lord Nityānanda not to come to Jagannātha Purī every year (to see Him) but stay in Bengal for preaching work, Lord Nityānanda, despite feeling extreme separation from Mahāprabhu, came to Pānihāṭi with His associates and revived the saṅkīrtana movement in Bengal. In the same way, following the instructions of Your spiritual master, you went to the West, leaving the peaceful ambience of Vṛndāvana, embracing all kinds of hurdles and challenges voluntarily, and ooding the entire world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Like Lord Nityānanda, Your heart brimmed with extreme mercy for the fallen servants of Kṛṣṇa, and you delivered and are still delivering countless Jagāis and Mādhāis.
You were so eager to establish an ISKCON temple in the holy dhāma of Pānihāṭi, which became the nerve center of Lord Nityānanda’s spiritual movement in Bengal and where Lord Nityānanda organized the most famous Daṇḍa-mahotsava, popularly known as ciḍā-dadhimahotsava, the festival of chipped rice and yogurt, to deliver Raghunātha D āsa Gosvāmī. You also predicted Śrīla Prabhupāda that this ISKCON center at the bank of the Ganges in Pānihāṭi would become a very important center as it is connected through waterways. We, your insignicant servants at ISKCON Pānihāṭi, are endeavoring to transform Your prediction into reality and please you and, thereby, Lord Nityānanda, who is eternally residing in this dhāma.
You will be pleased to know Śrīla Prabhupāda that the devotees and well-wishers of ISKCON Pānihāṭi temple are extending their generous and whole-hearted support for getting the temple land registered. By your causeless mercy and that of eir Lordships, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, we expect to get the registration done very soon and thereby gain a stronger foothold in Pānihāṭi. Śrīla Prabhupāda, the gṛhastha devotees, despite their busy schedule, are also becoming very much involved in temple administration, especially festival and tour management, as well as donor cultivation which has been appreciated by everyone as a very positive outcome of our preaching work. Our temple is an extension center that needs the support and serious involvement of both brahmacārīs and especially the gṛhasthas to grow and prosper, and all the e orts of temple management are now being utilized in creating maximum involvement of the gṛhastha devotees in various temple activities. It is with their cooperation, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that we have been able to distribute 728 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam during the Bhādra Pūrṇimā Campaign, which is two times more than what we did the previous year.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by your causeless mercy, we have been able to publish the Bengali book Śrīpāṭ Pānihāṭīr Itikathā and through the wide circulation of this book, we have been able to disseminate the glories of Pānihāṭi Dhāma to the Bengali people who are unfortunately aware of the extreme spiritual signi cance of this place. Already we have the English book, e Glorious History of Pānihāṭi and now we also intend to publish the Hindi version of this book.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have also got a dedicated team of 20 young devotees, and this team is
so diligently endeavoring to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness through social media where half of the world sits. Recently, our boys have opened a YouTube channel, “VISTAR, Expanding values, nourishing love,” through which they are propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness very nicely. ey are also very much active in distributing your books, and they are also taking nice care of the newly joined boys.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you will be overjoyed to hear that we have also opened the GOVINDA’S restaurant and are distributing the Lord’s mercy in the form of delicious kṛṣṇa-prasāda to the devotees and other people. It is very nice to see that not just the devotees but even those outside ISKCON are thronging our restaurant and appreciating the taste of prasāda
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless and empower us with the ability to dedicate the last drop of our blood to assisting you in your mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thereby express our gratitude to you for your immensely glorious deed of saving us from the bottomless well of material existence. May your mercy and glory be distributed in every nook and corner of this globe! All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your beggars for mercy at ISKCON Pānihāṭi
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our respectful obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your rst meeting with your Spiritual Master, His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in 1922 was a real turning point in Your life. On that day, your friend Naren told you about his family relatives having met Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and that he would like to take you to him. Whilst you were a bit reluctant in the beginning, Naren managed to convince you. After paying your obeisances, and as you were both still rising and preparing to sit, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura spoke: “You are educated young men. Why don’t you preach Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message throughout the entire world?” At that time, you were amazed that you had not even spoken to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura or exchanged words before, but you were straightaway given instructions to preach all over the world. e seed had been planted.
After your initiation, you spent thirty-two years preparing for this great preaching mission, and in 1965, at the age of sixty-nine, you left for the United States. You were fully aware of the colossal task at hand, but this did not deter you from going ahead as you had full faith in the instruction of your spiritual master, and you were fully dependent on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
When you set foot on the Commonwealth Pier in Boston, you were all alone with no one to
receive you; no one knew at that time that you were going to change the lives of so many. No one knew that you would soon create a worldwide spiritual revolution in the years to come.
However, this was no easy task. You had come to preach in the land of unlimited sinful activities – the United States of America, where sense grati cation knew no bounds. rough your unconditional faith in the instruction of your spiritual master and your unending dependence on the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you managed to gather a few sincere followers. ey, in turn, had complete faith in you, and through their dedication, they helped found this wonderful International Society for Krishna Consciousness – ISKCON.
Today, O Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we look back, we can see what a monumental achievement you have accomplished in a short span of twelve years. You never considered this to be a personal feat. But instead, you attributed this great success to the mercy of your spiritual master and to the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa as well as to your sincere followers who, at that time, were completely new to the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
We are all so grateful to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. rough your struggle, perseverance, and determination, you have laid the foundation and provided the necessary ingredients for us fallen souls to now digest and try to save ourselves from this ocean of ignorance. We will eternally be indebted to you.
Here at ISKCON Perth, we have seen our congregation grow over the years, with new members joining in through an increase in our preaching and outreach programs. Our Bhagavad-gītā Intro Courses have also been contributing to this growth. Your books have always been instrumental in guiding the new generation. We have been motivating our congregation members to participate in the “Be a Gardener”, “Bhadra” and “Live to Give” campaigns. We have also been targeting various outdoor events by having book tables set up to get more and more people to know about Lord Kṛṣṇa. We know very well that distributing your books pleases you the most; we, therefore, pray at your lotus feet for your blessings so that we can push further in this area.
Our new Temple project is also taking shape, with construction planned to commence by the end of this year. We are all trying our best to contribute to making it materialize and to be ready for you and eir Lordships. Please bless us, dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that we can achieve this goal.
Always praying at the dust of your lotus feet to serve you and your wonderful ISKCON to the best of our ability.
Your insigni cant servants at ISKCON Perth, Australia
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you, our dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this most auspicious day when you appeared on this Earth in 1896, 127 years ago. May Lord Kṛṣṇa kindly give us the words to properly glorify Your Divine Grace in order to show our sincere and deep appreciation for the transcendental gifts you brought to this world.
On behalf of ISKCON Philadelphia’s administration, our sincere temple residents, and our
devoted congregational members, we are enthusiastic to report to you that we have been working hard this past year to increase our various services at your lotus feet.
To begin, knowing your instruction was, “Deity worship runs on two tracks: cleanliness and punctuality,” our pūjārīs have been encouraged to raise the standard of Deity Worship in this regard. We are pleased to tell you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that o erings and āratis are now prompt, and the standard of cleanliness has greatly improved. During darśana of eir Lordships, devotees have become more inspired to serve the Deities and to return more often to see the Lord.
We pray this pleases you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In addition, our book distribution and harināma services have grown through the hard work of our dedicated saṅkīrtana team. ese sincere families, along with some of their children, distribute your transcendental books door-to-door, often distributing whole sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams and Caitanya-caritāmṛtas.
Our Saṅkīrtana Party has devotees ranging in age from 8 years to almost 80 years. In a park within the city of downtown Philadelphia, ISKCON Philadelphia’s Saṅkīrtana Team places your books into the eager hands of residents and passersby, young and old, while the Harināma Party, seated on the grass, blissfully chant the holy names.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you once told the saṅkīrtana devotees in the Los Angeles temple, “Even if they just TOUCH the book, they will make (spiritual) advancement.”
With that statement, you gave us a glimpse into the potency of your transcendental books! We humbly pray that the sincere e orts of the ISKCON Philadelphia Saṅkīrtana Team please you very much. Please bless these special devotees to continue distributing your literature so your books will plant seeds of devotion within the hearts of all who touch them; what to speak of, purchase them, and read them. Please bless those who accept your books to be the continuous recipients of your causeless mercy.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, recently the “Kṛṣṇa House” Program at ISKCON Philadelphia, began. We are all looking forward to having University Students stay at the temple and learn the practices of Kṛṣṇa consciousness as taught by Your Divine Grace. Just as you showed the example of preaching due to time and circumstance in the 1960s, this program has shown to be very successful due to its signi cance in preaching to the youth who are now attending Universities but are also seeking spirituality.
We pray this thriving preaching program for college students pleases you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Please bless us so we can all be a positive in uence on these sincere students. is past year, our Vaiṣṇavas CARE – Philadelphia Team organized our 1st Annual Holistic Health Fair to increase our Neighbor Relations. We hope to continue to have this Fair on the rst Saturday of every October, making our neighbors feel more welcome at the temple. Our team personally distributed 250 invitations asking families to visit ISKCON Philadelphia for this special event so we could get to know one another. Many came and expressed their appreciation; some returned to the temple.
e 1st Annual Holistic Health Fair consisted of 14 decorated pandals, each one o ering various activities such as:
• We taught mantra meditation/chanting japa. We also distributed copies of Chant and Be Happy.
• We had a Cooking Demonstration and taught visitors how to make samosas and distributed copies of Higher Taste.
• Our Devotee Physician Gave Free Check-ups and medical advice.
• Another Devotee Physician Taught basic concepts from the Ayurvedas.
• Our Devotee Youth had a sweet kīrtana, inviting guests to join in.
• We had a Children’s “Arts and Crafts for Kṛṣṇa” Booth.
• We distributed a special Prasāda Lunch, Healthy Drinks, and Snacks.
• Devotees gave tours of our “Prabhupāda Museum” in the Temple Lobby depicting the Life and Mission of Your Divine Grace. is led to a tour of the Temple Room and introductions to eir Lordships on the altar. Many of our guests commented on how “Beautiful” the Deities and temple looked.
• Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and other books by Your Divine Grace were distributed at our Book Table by a member of our Saṅkīrtana Party.
We had other activities that were also well-received.
In October 2023, we hope to present our second Holistic Health Fair. We plan on adding two more pandals to teach the concepts of e Material Body and the Spirit Soul and Reincarnation and Karma. We will distribute copies of Coming Back, Beyond Birth and Death and Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.
One of our main projects this past year was to enhance the property of ISKCON Philadelphia, including the interior and exterior of the buildings and the landscaping of the grounds. Our team for organizing the preservation and beauti cation of the exterior of the buildings successfully completed the outside of our Victorian-style gṛhastha building built in 1856, with the temple building from 1905 being next in line.
We pray this revitalization project to beautify the Temple for eir Lordships Śrī Śrī RādhāŚaradbihārī; Lord Jagannātha, Lord Balarāma, and Śrīmatī Subhadrā; and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, pleases Your Divine Grace.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our successful Ratha-yātrā Festival continues, with over 5,000 people in attendance each year. By Your Grace, we pray we can continue to present this festival for the people of this city of Philadelphia so they may receive the blessings of Lord Jagannātha.
We pray this endeavor by the Ratha-yātrā Team will please you year after year, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Finally, our preaching program at ISKCON Philadelphia has grown with morning ŚrīmadBhāgavatam classes regularly given now seven days per week. is has increased our congregational participation, who watch it every day online. Within our congregation, we are seeing an upsurge in enthusiasm to study your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
In addition, we have “Happy Hour” three evenings per week which is a reading of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is with a summary study by the Speaker, plus questions from our listeners in the community. Attendance is steadily increasing, which then increases our guests at the Sunday “Love” Feast!
One evening per week, we have readings and class from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta as well as “Prabhupāda Night” which includes reading your pastimes written by your disciples and depicting the history of ISKCON.
We pray that these preaching programs please you very much, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
We humbly thank you for allowing us, your aspiring devotees at ISKCON Philadelphia, to engage in devotional service at your lotus feet. It is only by your Divine Mercy that we came to know you in this lifetime. It is only by Your Grace that we have been able to assist you in some small way with your transcendental mission to your Spiritual Master.
Here at ISKCON Philadelphia, we are begging you to please help us to continue serving you, now and always. Please give us the spiritual strength and determination to remain at your lotus feet, serving you however you desire for all of eternity.
Your aspiring servant, On behalf of ISKCON Philadelphia, Saṅgītā Devī D āsī
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our deepest respects as we bow down at your lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to your endless inspiration!
Śrīla Prabhupāda, the more we see the situation of the world around us, the more we are forever indebted to you for bringing the holy name of Kṛṣṇa to us. At your advanced age, you were determined to accomplish the mission given to you by your spiritual master. Your faith in your guru and in the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the utmost love for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa were your guiding motor. You always had the proper vision. You saw everything before it manifested because it had already been manifested in your heart.
Your mercy knew no boundaries. You welcomed everyone and were an ideal example of respect, tolerance, and humility, qualities required to relish and surrender to the holy name. When will we get such an attraction? When will we develop sincere love and attachment to Kṛṣṇa? When will we really develop full faith in the holy name? When will our eyes, ears, and minds be focused on the All-Attractive Couple without deviation? When will we surrender our egos and personal ambitions, even in the name of service? Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu inaugurated the saṅkīrtana movement, indicating that we were all in this together. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave this gift to all, not just a few. When will we understand that it is about us and not about me? When will we understand that it is not about converting but about inspiring?
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are a relatively young yātrā in an arid place, but the nectar coming from your books is the oasis in the middle of the desert. Your mercy is the blue blanket full of stars that cover us and extend to the entire earth. You were soft and bold like Prahlāda Mahārāja when instructing with love and care, but you took no time to be strong and determined like Lord Narasiṁhadeva to protect those under your care.
Upon your arrival in the USA at the Boston pier (Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma), you wrote: “How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.” It was truly your humility speaking; fast forward 58 years and see how the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has gone to every corner of the world! Only a special soul could do this job. You are that special personality who was sent to this material world to awaken the souls that were sleeping, and by the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, through your medium, you are still instructing, you are still inspiring, you are still guiding.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please guide our steps so that we may be one of those spiritual embassies that you envisioned. A place where devotees of all ages can come together and serve together in an environment conducive to the advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please forgive our shortcomings, and once again, we beg your guidance so
that we can inspire others. Please guide our endeavors and protect our right intention: Serving you for the pleasure of Śrī
a for the bene t of all.
With much love and respect, Your aspiring servants at ISKCON Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
All glories to you! We o er our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. We don’t know how to thank you for sharing with us the love and devotion for Kṛṣṇa that you brought to our country despite great risks and challenges. With grateful arms raised to the sky, we praise you. We o er you our life and soul, birth after birth. Even the next 1,000 reincarnations would not be su cient to repay our debt that we owe Your Grace. You have taught us not only the truths of God and the universe, but by your personal example, you have given us all the tools we need to become restored to our original higher selves and return to that love we so foolishly abandoned.
You said that you would be satis ed after leaving this realm if we would all love Kṛṣṇa and cooperate together. We have therefore come together and tried to encourage and inspire each other to please you, even to the point of spiritual competition. rough all the struggles and di culties, we are still pursuing our goals, and each time we fall short, we pick ourselves up. We may be lacking and making mistakes, but we have faith in your words and deeds that we will be successful.
You who have lived an exemplary life of purity, spiritual strength, compassion, and humility have bestowed on us the greatest gift. We simply pray that we may continually endeavor to not only please you but to share everything you gave us with the rest of the world. We pray for your blessings that we who live on this land called Prabhupāda Village can transform this place and ourselves into a model for the world. Our goal is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and encourage others to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and take up your mission for the next 10,000 generations (beyond your expectations) as we wish to please you and make you proud. ese words we have written are insu cient. Perhaps our actions and behavior will say more. Please forgive us as we still are so unquali ed, and please bless us that we may continue to grow and be the devotees you would have us be.
Only by your mercy and the mercy of the paramparā and that of Lord Caitanya do we still breathe and move. Please always be with us and constantly remind us of the most important thing: that with all our body, heart and will, we glorify Kṛṣṇa and respect one another.
We are so grateful and appreciate you and every moment you are with us. ank you Śrīla Prabhupāda.
I, Cakrapāṇi D āsa, humbly write these words on behalf of your servants of the Temple of the Holy Name in Prabhupāda Village, Sandy Ridge, NC, USA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, All glories to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, All glories to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, All glories to Śrī Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya guru- śiṣya sampradāya, Rūpa Gosvāmī, when he rst met Lord Caitanya at Prayāga, Allahabad, o ered his respects by composing one verse in Sanskrit:
namo mahā-vadanyaya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradaya te kṛṣṇaya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah (Cc., Madhya 19.53)
O most muni cent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We o er our respectful obeisances unto You.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you mention Prayagraj, “Allahabad or Prayāga is the birthplace of the seeds of transcendental Love of Godhead as they were implemented here rst in the heart of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.” I also wish to remind you of the below quotations about Prayagraj:
• June 6, 1970, in a letter to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava Śaraṇa of Vṛndāvana, you wrote, “Besides that, next year I am contemplating to send a World Samkirtan Party, therefore I wish to have a nice place in India either in Vrindavan or at Prayag Sangam. So I shall be glad to know if you can help us in this connection.”
• January 18, 1971, you shared with someone in a letter, “Please accept my greetings. We are staying at the Magh Mela, at the Prayag pilgrimage. e program here is going on very nicely. It will be a great pleasure for us if you visit and stay with us in this sacred pilgrimage.”
• March 17, 1974, you wrote to Dr. Ghosh, “Sometimes I think of going to Allahabad. So whenever I shall get the opportunity I may go, as I like the place. I am obliged to you for your remembering me even after so many years passed when we were together in Prayag Pharmacy.”
• December 13, 1974, you wrote in a letter to Dr. Reddy, “So at the present moment there is great need of rajarsis on the head of the ruling government. So I am glad to see you on the throne of Uttar Pradesh as Governor, and I expect your administration should be as ideal as the former rajarsis. At least I expect that you should try to give an example of an ideal Governor from the holy place of Uttar Pradesh where is situated such holy places as Ayodhaya, Varanasi, Prayag, Mathra, Vrindaban, Hardwar, etc.”
• In 1971 at New York, in an initiation ceremony, you named a disciple Prayāga D āsī and you said to her, “Prayāga. Prayāga D āsī. Prayāga is the chief holy place in India, where we held our … at is Allahabad. at is Prayāga. Another name is Prayāga. Real name is Prayāga. Tīrtha-rāja, the king of pilgrimage.”
• July 15, 1974, your disciple Rāmeśvara D āsa wrote to Rādhā-Vallabha, “Regarding Pariksit’s drawings, we did not even show Him the picture for Chapter 1 because His Divine Grace was already so annoyed that we were not including the picture of Rupa and Sanatan Gosvami o ering obeisances to Lord Caitanya’s kirtana party at Prayaga.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we all are serving here at ISKCON Prayagraj temple under the divine inspiration and able leadership of your dear devotees His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja, His Grace Devakīnandana Prabhu, His Holiness Bhakti Pracāra Parivrājaka Mahārāja and His Holiness
Bhakti Prema Mahārāja. is is the place of your dikṣa (1933), and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s śīkṣā (by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu). is is the very place where you stayed 13 years (1923–1935), and where Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura also visited. is is the place where, since millenniums, great sages, saints and devotees have been visiting for the holy Kumbha-melā is is the place where you visited for preaching, even after establishing ISKCON, in 1977 Kumbha-melā, and taught all the devotees by your own example of how to happily accept austerities for a pure and missionary life of a Vaiṣṇava.
We had heard several years ago how everything at one of our ISKCON communities in the west started turning back to life even after a decade of failures and almost closure when they followed your teachings of taking good care of the Deities, cows, and devotees, and focused on unitedly spreading the mission of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We tried to apply the same formula and literally saw miracles happen in the last two years or so. Together the team of devotees began working upon the following and saw great transformations at ISKCON Prayagraj in a short time of 2–2.5 years:
• Deity care – Renovating the altar, wardrobe, kitchen, storage facilities, bhoga standards, worship and festival standards of Deities, and engaging more devotees in sevā of Deities
• Cow care – Making new gośālā, fodder house, better grazing grounds, better shade and medical care for the cows; daily cleansing and massaging of cows, and su cient allowance of mother’s milk for new calves
• Devotee care – Renovating ashram facilities, washroom, kitchen, o ces, and daily usage facilities for temple devotees
• Missionary spirit (saṅkīrtana and sādhana facility) – morning program, weekly harināma saṅkīrtanas, śāstric courses and Bhāgavatam study circles, books for distribution, new youth centers, temple IYF, boys’ and girls’ wings, vehicles for preaching, etc.
• Relationships and Unity (Team spirit and a culture of love and trust) – devotees regularly coming together for sādhana sevā and meetings, celebrating festivals together
• Organization and Intelligence in the culture of sevā – organized accounts department, management systems, devotee care, communication channels, preaching systems etc.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our heart swells with pride when we share with you that in this last year, we were fortunate to be instrumental in setting up an o cial stall for the sale of your divine books right at the Prayagraj Junction Railway Station, a very prominent site, where every single day hundreds of thousands of passengers see “Hare Kṛṣṇa” and several of them get to touch and get your books. And yes, in the last two years, we ourselves surprised each other by the total number of books that were distributed by the team. ank you for inspiring the book distributors, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In the last two years, I have seen our Prayagraj devotees happily take up pains and troubles to establish a new gośālā, a systematically renovated kitchen, improvised o ces, a garden, neat and clean āśrama and compound, etc. is is the power of bhakti beginning with the chanting of the holy names that directly revive the spirit of sel ess voluntary service attitude in the heart of conditioned souls.
Every evening after the gaura-ārati, a group of mātājīs including the ones who make beautiful garlands every single day in the early morning hours for the Deities, walk up to the Yamunā banks and with a joyful chorus, o er Yamunā ārati, worship and few minutes of saṅkīrtana as a prayer to
Śrīmatī Yamunā Maiyā. It is one of the most ecstatic and devotional moments of our existence at Prayagraj.
Also, you would be very pleased to know that during the last few months, our ISKCON Prayagraj devotees have been doing ve harināma saṅkīrtanas every month on average. Many a time these harināma parties are able to receive several bags of vegetables and grains to o er in service of Deities and devotees. I must even share with you that in the last few months, there have been devotees o ering live kīrtanas during almost every ārati time on most days. And morning program itself has become more consistent, though there is still a long way to go in meeting the standards of all the āratis and programs throughout the day.
We are also happy to report to you that the youth outreach team is doing very good service in transforming the hearts of many, many youths from the local colleges, especially with the help of our newly established youth centers and facilities at Jhalwa, Govindpur and within the temple campus itself. e two new youth center facilities near MNNIT and IIIT colleges are a great boon to have, and we can never thank you enough for the same. We are con dent that shortly in a few years, we shall be able to report to you a very good expansion of the saṅgam of dedicated devotees in our temple, just like the grand saṅgam of holy rivers at Prayagraj.
One more feature which we must particularly mention to you is that the annual festivals like the Ratha-yātrā, Janmāṣṭamī, Kārtika festivals, etc., are continued to be celebrated gorgeously. e participation of people in general and the commitment and quality of service rendered by devotees has also been increasing. Even our annual youth festival, “Impressions,” has become quite a brand amongst the local schools and colleges, with the participation of approximately 1,000 youths every year.
Now, as youth preaching has picked up nicely and as the team of devotees has taken up your mission with a spirit of enthusiasm and unity, our immediate next plan is to begin the rst phase of a new temple project somewhere around Oct 2023 in the form of a guest house to be completed by Kārtika 2024 so that the Vaiṣṇavas coming for Mahā-Kumbha in January-February 2025 are facilitated within our ISKCON family. We are very con dent that if we can come up with this new guest house in the planned time, we will be able to lay the foundation of the new temple in Kārtika 2025 because Vaiṣṇavas and guests visiting during Mahā-Kumbha will de nitely extend a helping hand for that glorious cause.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you once shared with devotees how you helped your godbrothers, the Gauḍīya Maṭha devotees, in establishing a Maṭha at Prayagraj, when they came to Prayāga in 1928. Now we are requesting you, Prabhupāda, kindly you only lead us here in your own city of Prayagraj. From our side, we can o er you the commitment and dedication of our team of devotees that we shall make a nice temple for you and your beloved Śr
ṇi Mādhava, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi and Śrī Śrī Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā
One of our TMC leaders, His Grace Prema Rūpa Prabhu, has written an excellent poem o ering the same resolve of our team of Prayagraj devotees – Mandir yahin banāyeṅge (we shall de nitely make a temple here itself). We are sharing the poem at the end of this o ering. In fact, some of our IYF devotees have made a nice 3–4 minutes musical rendition of the same. We o er that, too, at your lotus feet. Kindly bless us just like you blessed the entire Juhu project of your prāṇadhana, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī. Many-many thanks to His Holiness Girirāja Mahārāja for sharing that classic masterpiece in the form of the book e Juhu Story and inspiring all of us and devotees across the entire world.
We know, Prabhupāda, that we are yet to come up even to the standards of being called your good devotees, or gentlemen as you liked to call. And we have de nitely made many mistakes in doing our sādhana and sevā even in this “historically and spiritually important place” as His Holiness Bhakti Pracāra Parivrājaka Mahārāja often likes to call Prayagraj as, but we are also sure that by your causeless mercy, soon we shall be able to cross over our own limitations and challenges,
to be individually pure and collectively united. We beg at your lotus feet to continue to keep all of us in your service with our hearts united, intelligence enlightened, minds absorbed, and senses engaged. And please do kindly protect us from sins and o enses which are so prevalent in this iron Age of Kali-yuga. We wish to remain humble servants in assisting you and our superiors. ank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants, (on behalf of His Grace Devakīnandana Prabhu and the entire zonal team) Acyuta Mohana D āsa (Temple President), the TMC leaders and all devotees at ISKCON Prayagraj, India
SONG WRITTEN BY HIS GRACE PREMA RŪPA PRABHU (TMC, ISKCON PRAYAGRAJ) REPRESENTING THE SPIRIT OF DEVOTEES TO MAKE A TEMPLE FOR YOU
समाज के अ भिव हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
जननी को समाज म फैलते दसंगत से बचाएंगे सभी को एकजुट कर भि म पिरवार का पाठ पढ़ाएंगे वै वी संघ से सभी के घरो को गोलोक बनाएंगे
ित और मू ो को जन-जन अपनाएंगे
मंिदर यही बनाएंगे।
शा ो की लु होती िश ाओ को जन-जन तक प चाएंगे
भागवत और गीता को िवशु ढंग से पढ़ाएंगे
िव ापीठ से इस दिनया के भौितक अंधकार को िमटायगे
अ ा के चार हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
कीतन की मधुर िन नगर-नगर सुनाएंगे
मनमोहक क संकीतन से जीवन फुि त बनाएंगे
र से वातावरण को सुंदर-पिव बनाएंगे
युगधम की ापना हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
लिलत कला से भारतीय सं ित को पुनः उदय कराएंगे
िच कला से आ ाि क जगत का दशन अव कराएंगे
कलािनकेतन से ितभाशाली युवाओ को अवसर िदलाएंगे
अ ा के सुंदर दशन हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
नािटकाओ से ीक की लीलाओ को दशाएँगे
ब बूढ़ तथा जवान सभी का मन लुभायगे
नृ वािटका के मंच पर अलौिकक नृ िदखाएँगे
शु मंचन ापना हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
सभी मंिदरो के पुजािरयो को एक संग म लाएंगे
शु ता सा रता और सहायता हर उपासक तक प चाएंगे
धम क से पुनः पुजािरयो को उनका उिचत दजा िदलाएंगे
धम की र ा करन हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
अ चिर का बीजारोपण बचपन से कराएंगे
मीिडया और इंटरनेट से दिषत होते न ो को बचाएंगे
सं ित से गली-गली म व और हलाद बनाएंगे
घर-घर भि चार हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
शु साि क क साद की मिहमा सबको बताएंगे
शाकाहारी भोजन बनान की उ म कला िसखाएंगे
भोजशाला से पेट मन एवं आ ा को संतुि िदलाएंगे
िनद ष जानवरो को बचान हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
नशे और सनो से हारते युवा को िजताएंगे
आ ाि क िश ा और िश ण युवा पीढ़ी तक प चाएंगे
युवा से हर युवा को अजुन बनाएंगे
पथ िमत को सही पथ िदखलान हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
दिषत मनोरंजन मीिडया इंटरनेट से भटकते िकशोरो को बेबसता से बचाएंगे
भि के शुभम िवक से जीवन सफल बनाएंगे
िव ा म से िकशोरो को जीवन का मू बताएंगे
अ आदश ापना हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
जीवन के संघष को हारते व ो को स ी आशा िदलाएंगे
म के भय म भि का अमत िपलाएंगे
िवदर संघ म भी जैसे आदश िदखाएंगे
विर ो के आशीवाद हेतु मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
स भारत को पुनः उदय कराएंगे
सबके जीवन म आ ाि क ांित लाएंगे
दख दोषो को दर भगा शु जीवन और आनंदमयी शैली लाएंगे
हमारा यह वादा है आपसे मंिदर यही बनाएंगे
आनंद की ख ई तलाश, जीवन म पुनः जागत ई आस
भटकते-भटकते ा ई भि सव म अनायास
जब आया म इस मंिदर म तेरे पास
हाथ जोड़ क णा की कामना करे तु भ म प दास
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to you on this most auspicious occasion of your 127th Vyāsa-pūjā e Vedic scriptures enjoin, tad vijñānārthaḥ sa gurum evābhigacchet: “To understand the goal of life, one must approach a bona de spiritual master.”
In this day and age of so many cheaters and unscrupulous “gurus,” we are so lucky to have found you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You are the true jagad-guru – your fame is spread all over the three worlds. You have brought the eternal religious principles within the reach of everyone, and you have set the pace for the spiritual advancement of the entire universe.
We can never come close to repaying our unlimited debt to you. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Prahlāda Mahārāja has said, “How can I leave the service of my spiritual master, who has brought me to the transcendental position of direct association with the Lord? My duty is to serve Him.”
We beg you to accept our insigni cant and worthless attempts at trying to spread your divine mission and propagate this saṅkīrtana movement. We pray that by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s grace our desire to render service unto you will become pure and unmotivated.
Your divine association continues in the form of your eternal instructions. In your purports in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you have said that when the spiritual master appears, he brings order to chaos, and when he leaves, the chaos returns. But as long as we constantly look to your instructions and always remain faithful to you; you will always remain with us and by your presence in the form of your vāṇī, the order you have established will continue for thousands of years.
anks to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the prophecy of Lord Caitanya is being ful lled: the world is now dotted with ISKCON temples, farms, and communities, and the name of Lord Caitanya is being heard in every corner of the world.
anks to your mercy, a wonderful future is unfolding for every devotee.
For your pleasure, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we would like you to know that ISKCON Pune stood Number 1 (once again) in the book distribution marathon last year. Temple residents and congregation members have been jointly making painstaking e orts to bring your books to the general public so they are able to take shelter of your eternal instructions and thereby deliver themselves.
Your insigni cant grandchildren at the ISKCON temple of Camp, Pune
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving up everything to come to the West despite the conditions you had faced and the hardships you endured, all so we could be saved from this material world. You opened our eyes with the light of knowledge and have given us the most precious gift anyone could receive in all three worlds. No words can express our gratitude to you, as you have truly given us purpose in life.
Although we had thousands of aws, still Śrīla Prabhupāda kindly ignored all of that. Śrīla Prabhupāda built a house in which the whole world can nicely live in harmony. And that house is surely known as ISKCON with Śrīla Prabhupāda in the center. Prabhupāda, please give us strength so that we can spread the message of Lord Caitanya and try to please you.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us and everybody else the priceless gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Your servants, Gopati D āsa
Jagadīśa Gaurāṅga D āsa
On behalf of ISKCON Ravet Temple Management
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, We o er our most respectful obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. As we celebrate the most auspicious occasion of the 127th Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony, we are lled with joy and gratitude for the most precious connection with you and for your gift of ISKCON to this world.
Delhi is the political capital of India, and in many ways, you began your mission from this place. After leaving family life, you moved to Delhi practically without any support. You served in the Maṭhas of your godbrothers, organizing them and simultaneously working on Gauḍīya Patrikā and Sajjana-toṣaṇī You would spend your time preparing a Hindi translation of Caitanyacaritāmṛta to preach to the Hindi-speaking audience.
e funds were so scarce that you did not even have a decent dhoti to wear, and yet you always envisioned a glorious future of the Sajjana-toṣaṇī
In a letter to your godbrother, Bhaktisāraṅga Gosvāmī, you wrote:
I wish to see this paper just to the standard of “Illustrated Weekly” with numerous pictures in order to make it a very popular literature and for this I wish to move myself to secure subscribers as well as advertisers.
After being removed from the Maṭha and without income or institutional shelter, you stayed in various homes from week to week, wherever you would get an invitation. Even in such a situation of personal di culty where you had no income, shelter, or support, you were xed on printing transcendental literature to establish a pure, powerful movement of spreading Lord Caitanya’s teachings.
You started publishing Back to Godhead magazines here. You translated and published Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, while staying at the humble location of Chippiwada. You were speci cally absorbed in contemplating how magazines and books can reach the thoughtful people and leaders of society.
After making a historic journey to the West and establishing the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement there, you expanded and developed preaching in Delhi through huge pandal programs, meeting dignitaries, and installing Deities. Your dear disciples were so surrendered to you that they got
down at Delhi Station upon request of an acquaintance to you. You and your sel ess disciples have worked tirelessly over the last 50 years to share all the transcendental gifts with modern society.
ISKCON Punjabi Bagh (situated in West Delhi) is one such invaluable gift of yours to all of us and to the people of Delhi which is ourishing under the leadership of your disciple His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami. Devotees have now gone to six other locations from this temple to manage and increase preaching. 3,50,000 Books were distributed in last year’s Gītā marathon. By the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma and Śrī Rādhā-Rādhikāramaṇa, a new plot has been acquired adjacent to the temple, and a new temple project is coming up.
ISKCON Punjabi Bagh collaborated with the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (Government of India), UN-Environment Program, Ministry of Tribal A airs, Directorate of Delhi to organize Value Education Olympiad for 2,50,000 students on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. A new mobile app for the temple has been launched, which contains all of your recorded media. A new Dramatics team has been formed, which is presenting the message and pastimes from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta to the society. Di erent forums for youth, children, and congregation are being developed along with farms and gośālās.
On this auspicious day, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we beg at your lotus feet for your blessings and guidance to be able to preserve your mood and mission and carry forward the missionary activities for your pleasure. ere are more than 15 temples now in Delhi-NCR, and we aspire to individually and collectively take your mission forward in the mood of mutual love, cooperation, and one big family. We aspire to nd ways and means to keep the message pure, relevant, and inclusive for all sections of society. Each member of the community has a personal relationship and connection with you, and on this day, we pray for deepening that connection.
With gratitude,
Your servant(s) at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh, West Delhi
Muralī Kṛṣṇa D āsa Temple Co-President
My beloved Prabhupāda, With prostrated daṇḍavat praṇāmas, all glories to your eternal service and to Guru and Gaurāṅga’s teachings which you distributed around the globe by sacri cing your life to help this earthly planet from famine, war, and strife.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you inspired the Western world to accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s doctrine of “premā pumārtho mahān.” Lord Caitanya, 534 years ago, gave pure love of Kṛṣṇa without any di erence between the saints and the crooks; therefore, your powerful invitation toward degraded conditioned souls to accept kṛṣṇa-prema to deliver all of them from this material world. Today the whole world can see this reality.
I beg to remain your insigni cant granddisciple, Gaura-Nitāi D āsa Temple president of ISKCON Silchar and Bhakti-kuṭīra Puri branch, India
We, the residents of Radhadesh, Belgium, who are fortunate by your mercy, are delighted to again have the opportunity to glorify Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious day of your glorious appearance in the world of illusion. ere are no means to measure either your surrender to your beloved Guru Mahārāja and Lord Kṛṣṇa or your limitless compassion on us, who are so confronted with the bewildering in uence of Kali-yuga. Nevertheless, we wish to try to express our gratitude to you, who undertook so many hardships, even at the risk of your health and life, for our deliverance.
Even in your unmanifest form, you continue to attract so many souls from so many di erent situations and backgrounds and engage us in the exalted activities of bhakti-yoga: chanting the Lord’s holy names, hearing and conversing about His glories, worshiping Him as His sublime arcā-mūrti, sharing this sacred knowledge with others, raising children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, protecting cows and farming, to name a few – who could have imagined that any of this was possible?
Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu knows that you are the perfect instrument to carry out His divine plan and that the temporary nature of a body in this world has simply enhanced your service to Him and His entourage in the mood of absolute loving surrender. Of course, your body was never of this world, but as part of the transcendental līlā, you agreed to appear here and walk among us just to show us how a perfectly surrendered lover of God speaks, dances, and interacts with others. Because the Lord could no longer bear your separation, we now have the opportunity to try to learn how to serve you in the most cherished mood of love in separation.
Because of this, we are becoming increasingly aware of how the Lord is faultlessly manifesting the material energy just for our deliverance. As much as the spirit of enjoyment tries to eclipse the spiritual vision you have revealed to us – that much, and more – the torchlight of knowledge you bestowed upon us continues to reveal Kṛṣṇa’s un awed blueprint to aid us in reviving our dormant love for Him via the mercy of Your Divine Grace.
We have witnessed such astounding transformations and transitions in the last years – not the least of them has been that of His Holiness Kadamba Kānana Swami. We are con dent that you are well aware of how he lived, served, and departed with so much devotional enthusiasm, humor, and dignity. As you have said, “ e test of a yogī, devotee, or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his plan.” (Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.58, purport)
We are simply astonished at how he accomplished such a brilliant departure, just as he had planned. So not only have you perfectly demonstrated the life and parting of a pure devotee, but you have provided us further proof that those who give their everything in your service also transcend the limitations of matter, thus further cementing our faith in the process of bhakti
Furthermore, in Radhadesh, many residents are advancing rapidly in the development of their bhakti practices, ne-tuning their sādhana and deeply absorbing themselves in your books and those of the previous ācāryas, whom you so heartily recommend in your Bhaktivedanta purports.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our indebtedness to you is growing exponentially moment-to-moment. Our only hope and prayer is that we may spend eternity assisting you in your service to the Lord, wherever that may take us, for you have seen the “naked truth” of material existence and revealed to us the nature of the absolute reality.
tad viprāso vipanyava jāgṛvaṁsaḥ samindhate viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padam
Just as the sun’s rays in the sky are extended to the mundane vision, so in the same way, the wise and learned devotees always see the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu. Because those highly praiseworthy and spiritually awake brāhmaṇas are able to see the spiritual world, they are also able to reveal the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu. (Ṛg Veda 1 22 20–21)
e servants of your servants, From Radhadesh, Belgium
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you!
Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa will be heard in every town and village. By the mercy of your beloved son, His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami, a center was opened here in Red Deer, Canada. It could be said that it is somewhat surprising that an ISKCON center managed to sprout in this part of the country. Alberta, the province in which Red Deer is located, is known for its exportation of beef-related products. Being a land saturated with sin, the likelihood of spirituality nding its way here was rather nil. And yet, here we are. is miracle proves that roses can grow even from concrete.
Of course, the miracle stems from your mercy and how farsighted you were. You saw Kṛṣṇa everywhere! ere was a time when, on a breezy Chicago morning, you decided to venture out on a walk. On that particular morning, your disciple forgot to bring you a jacket, an act for which they felt apologetic. Unperturbed, you replied that the breeze “is the cold embrace of Kṛṣṇa.” Even in the midst of the bothersome threefold miseries of material existence, never did you forget your beloved Kṛṣṇa. ankfully, it is always somewhat cold here in Red Deer. With a bit of faith and a lot of mercy, we will be able to follow in your footsteps and remember Kṛṣṇa in every aspect of our lives. Alberta is known as the “Wild Rose Country.” We o er this rose at your lotuslike feet. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your servants, e Red Deer ISKCON congregation
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our heartfelt and most humble obeisances on this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
rough your mercy and spiritual guidance, we have endeavored, over the past 40 years, to establish and maintain ISKCON Regina. is is the rst ISKCON temple established in the vast and beautiful Canadian prairies. Your teachings have inspired us to maintain our dedication and persevere, even during the harshest of challenges. rough your lectures and books, you have instructed us that the ultimate purpose in life is to understand Kṛṣṇa and to love Him. is is the purest and most valuable guidance which has inspired and informed our life purpose. Please give us the strength to continue in our bhakti and to serve you and ISKCON with pure hearts and without ulterior motives. We are forever grateful for these opportunities to serve you, ISKCON, and Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Your loving servants, ISKCON Regina
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most respectful obesiances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu and all glories to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to your divine appearance day.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Śrīla Prabhupāda, You gave us a magni cent home in the form of ISKCON, where people from all over the world can nd shelter. We feel deeply grateful and secure within the folds of this beautiful Home.
Your rm faith in your guru, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Mahārāja, your conviction in the power of the holy name, your boundless compassion, and causeless mercy led you to the Western world, where no sādhu would venture, but you traveled just to uplift fallen souls like us. You lovingly taught us everything from cooking for Kṛṣṇa, Deity
worship, how to chant, how to manage the temple, how to pray, organizing festivals, raising children, living according to varṇāśrama, and serving cooperatively. Your teachings were delivered with the same care and tenderness with which a loving father teaches his young child. rough your teachings, especially from the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4 8 22 where Queen Sunīti tells her son Dhruva – “Kṛṣṇa is so kind to His devotees that if you go to Him, then the combined kindness of millions of mothers like me will be surpassed by His a ectionate and tender dealings. When everyone else fails to mitigate one’s misery, Kṛṣṇa is able to help the devotee” – we learned about Kṛṣṇa’s love for us, and you deeply ingrained this in our hearts through your teachings, which continue to resonate within us, reminding us of how fortunate we are, and this helps us keep going.
Over time, our appreciation for your teachings has grown signi cantly, and we are ever more grateful for the profound impact they have had on our lives. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, we have been able to persevere with unwavering determination, and it is solely because of the invaluable insights and wisdom you have given through your books. We cannot express enough how deeply we are indebted to Your Divine Grace.
To share your compassion with the world, especially here in Richmond, Virginia, we are trying to be your humble instrument to give and share this knowledge with the people of this important city and nearby regions. In this e ort, by the causeless mercy of Your Divine Grace, last year on your auspicious disappearance day, we acquired 20 acres of beautiful farmland for ISKCON of Richmond. As Your Divine Grace instructed that every temple should be like a hospital and Vaikuṇṭha at the same time, we are trying to develop this project to treat ourselves in this hospital by cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and also to help others. As you envisioned, our small community is now growing with many Bhakti-vṛkṣas, Sunday school, Festivals, outreach programs, kīrtana programs, etc. In the past year, many devotees sincerely accepted the vows of harināma and brāhmaṇa initiations, many devotees invited Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi vigraha in their homes, and many devotees took and started studying Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Many sincere families and residents of Richmond got introduced to the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness through our outreach programs, or festivals, and now they are happily and sincerely practicing.
On this most auspicious appearance day of Your Divine Grace, we bow down at your lotus feet and sincerely beg your blessings so that we can all work together as a family, your family, ISKCON family, Gauḍīya family, Kṛṣṇa’s family, Rādhārāṇī’s family. We all can develop the same objective of pleasing all present guru-vargas, Your Divine Grace, and all the ācāryas. Also, give us the intelligence, so we can completely stop committing o enses, especially Vaiṣṇava, and nāmaaparādhas, and we can nicely grow as a strong and supportive community that stands together through all challenges.
kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāro, tomāra śakati āche
Kṛṣṇa is yours, and you have the ability to bestow him upon us through the holy name. Please bless us with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the nectar of the holy name and experience the ultimate bliss of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Your eternal and humble servants of your servants, ISKCON Richmond, Virginia, USA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances onto your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
We never thought we’d feel separation from someone we didn’t ever meet, but then again, you are renowned for making the impossible possible, for turning tenth-class men into rst-class men, and for distributing the most precious gift of love of Godhead in the form of Lord Caitanya’s mission.
Your words, masterfully broadcasted by your books and the instruction you left for us, make me feel like you’re always by our side, guiding us like a forgiving father through failure and falldown, service and bliss.
You gave us the most precious gift of Kṛṣṇa, but how can we repay you? We are not even intelligent enough to comprehend the value of your sacri ce; the wealth of the treasure you dropped mercifully and graciously in our laps is yet to be properly estimated.
But by your mercy, we understand that it is what we need, what we have been looking for all the time. Your mercy is not a vague philosophical concept or some sentimental phantasmagoria.
Your mercy is alive in the form of your disciples and granddisciples, who are handing down with great care the ripened fruit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if you are absent from material vision, we can see you clear as day when the devotees are cooperating beautifully.
So many people have been transformed just by a slight glance of your merciful look or just a few words. Being bereft of your physical glance, we must pay twice as much attention to your words and example. And what a powerful example you left us.
By studying your life, we can easily understand how a pure devotee acts, speaks, and thinks.
Making the spiritual master’s instruction one’s heart and soul is your legacy, the biggest lesson you shared with us, and we pray that one day we will be able to re ect a small fraction of its light.
When Sanātana Gosvāmī was in jail, Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote him a cryptic note, saying, “Where has the Ayodhyā of Raghupati gone? Where has the Mathurā of Kṛṣṇa gone? When you are in anxiety, keep the mind steady!” In the material world, even the holy dhāmas are disappearing if not maintained, and thus we pray with all our heart that we may not forget about your beautiful example and pastimes.
May your example and instructions always be relished and maintained in our minds, thus allowing us to have your guidance and mercy.
Bowing down at your feet with great reverence and love, we ask you to please bless us so that we can put our desires aside, serve you free from pride, always carry out your instructions given through the medium of our spiritual master so that we will study and distribute your books very rigorously, and that we will develop a profound taste for the holy names of Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants at the ISKCON Romania
(Written by Bāla Kṛṣṇa D āsa Adhikārī)Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to the divine day of your transcendental avirbhāva. You state in a letter to Upendra on August 6, 1970:
Now all my disciples must work combinedly and with cooperation to spread this Sankirtana Movement. If you cannot work together then my work is stopped up. Our Society is like one big family and our relationships should be based on love and trust. We must give up the ghting spirit and use our intelligence to push ahead.
We are here for you with our attempt of love, which we are aware will never be able to extinguish the debt of gratitude contracted with Your Divine Grace, a debt that is therefore destined to last forever.
You are the e cient cause of our being here trying to render the best possible service to you, but you are not the nal cause, that is, the cause of how we will respond to this transcendental call of yours: it is up to us to fully express that necessary determination to deserve to be recognized by you.
e Domus Hare Kṛṣṇa temple is one of your homes and our sacred and solemn commitment consists in o ering it to you, day after day, breath after breath, and defending its foundation, consisting of the spirit of cooperative love, the spirit of a true family.
Whoever is welcomed into this house of yours (for a day, a few months, or for a lifetime) has the right to experience what you teach: what it is to love and to be loved back with a full, serene, eternal love, without limitation, suspicions or remorse. Where love is the composer and your servants are individuals united in the perfect harmony of thoughts, feelings, and desires. Where each devotee, without losing his or her personality, experiences, the full joy of being a note of caring a ection in the loving harmony of your family.
Your useless servant, Hari-kīrtana D āsa
Adorable and dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept our respectful obeisances.
You constantly ordered all of your followers not to change or allow the four principles to be diluted, nor to allow behaviors against dharma; otherwise, everything will be ruined. All your statements if one searches the śāstras, one nds that they are totally correct. At the same time, you asked us to be creative in making or developing new means to attract fallen souls to the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But maintaining purity, not accepting ideas to please fashion. You never compromised dharma in the name of preaching according to deśa, kāla, pātra. Everyone is
welcome to the holy ISKCON Saṅga as long as they agree to change their sinful habits and not vice versa, that ISKCON must change its dharmic principles in order for sinful people to accept us.
We pray that we can always follow your same lines without deviations and thus be successful and expand the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Falling at your lotus feet, Your servants of ISKCON Saltillo Rādhā-Govinda Mandir
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ namaḥ oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine namaste sārasvate-deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādī pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
is material world is, as your Gurudeva once said, not t for any gentleman. It is a nasty, impersonal, disease-ridden pit. Nonetheless, as pigs enamored with eating stool, the living entities in this world are blind to its evils, bewildered by the prospect of indulging their senses. e inhabitants of San Diego are certainly no exception. Most are satis ed, laid-back, and become uptight if “disturbed.” Some are thoughtful but battered by thousands of moronic philosophies battling to the death in their heads. All are certainly lost, looking desperately for the happiness they hear so much about but never experience.
e only good thing that ever happened to San Diego was that you visited here, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Anywhere you mercifully place your lotus feet is verily puri ed, a tīrtha on par with the spiritual world. One such place is Balboa Park, where thousands of your books are being distributed every month. Balboa Park was developed for a cultural exhibition in 1915, meant to showcase “man’s progress and achievements.” Since then, it has been considered the cultural heart of San Diego. at heart now beats with the bṛhat-mṛdaṅga, which dismisses all of their progress and achievement as śrama eva hi kevalam and establishes bhāgavata-dharma beyond a shred of doubt. at place which, on a morning walk, you lovingly compared to Dvārakā has now become that due to the mercy of the dust of your lotus feet.
Speaking through Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu declares to the conditioned souls: āmi binā bandhu āra ke āche tomāra, “Other than Myself you have no friend in this world!” Where is friendship other than in you, Śrīla Prabhupāda? In this world, friendship is empty, meaningless. It is based on mutual exploitation and ends only in misery. You, however, have been empowered to introduce everyone to the Supreme friend, Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, whose friendship is unconditional and eternal. In this way, you are the truest friend of anyone in this world, and only you can actually bring substance and meaning to the world.
It is an absurd task to try to glorify you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. What can an ant understand of the
intricacies of human culture and behavior? Or a frog of the expanse of the ocean? How much can we really appreciate you or what you have given us? Not enough, surely. We do, however, know you as the founder-ācārya of ISKCON, of the BBT, and as the one who cared to come to save us. We also know that anything is possible by your mercy. us, with the hope of obtaining but a drop of that divine mercy, we pray to continue and expand our feeble attempts to spread your glories and the glories of the Lord in San Diego and throughout the world.
Your servants at New Govardhana Dhāma, San Diego, CA
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda Patita-pāvana, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you. Considering what the world is going through at this moment, there are no other words than “thank you” to express the feeling that over ows our hearts. ank you for coming to the West and being so determined to carry out the order of your spiritual master.
ank you for showing us Kṛṣṇa in all his splendor and beauty. ank you for following the path of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. ank you for your books, your time, your words, your gravity, your looks, your gestures, your walk, your patience, your love, and your causeless mercy for us so fallen souls.
ank you for giving us our spiritual masters, our temples, and the senior devotees. ank you for continuing to be our inspiration. And in nite thanks for showing us the sublime love in separation. Although there is sadness in that, the greater the happiness that remembrance causes, remembrance of your divine person. ank you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your eternal and happy servant, Aditi Devī D āsī Coordinator San Juan Yātrā, Argentina
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. On this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we o er our humble respects to you, our beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda, and express our deepest gratitude for everything you have done to spread Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Your teachings have transformed countless lives and continue to inspire generations of devotees.
rough your guidance and inspiration, ISKCON Sandton has managed to hold countless, well-attended temple programs and an extremely successful Ratha-yātrā festival.
A key part of our o ering to you has been the university preaching programs – the main goal of which is to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the youth of South Africa and help them realize their highest potential.
Whether through lectures or kīrtanas, universities have become a fertile ground for the seeds of devotional service to take root and ourish. Students who may have never heard of Kṛṣṇa or the Bhagavad-gītā before are now eagerly seeking answers to life’s most profound questions and discovering the joy of spiritual life.
Your vision of a world united in love of God is coming to fruition as young devotees from different cultural backgrounds and walks of life come together. e university preaching movement is a shining example of the power of your teachings to transform individuals and society as a whole.
When so many people love the same person, they can do whatever it takes to please that person. is is our only desire at ISKCON Sandton to continuously serve you.
So on this occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, we o er you our humble e orts to continue your preaching mission. May your blessings be with us always as we strive to follow in your footsteps and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every living entity!
May we serve you eternally, our beloved grandfather!
Your servants, ISKCON Sandton
Beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda, Our Eternal Master, Our Eternal Father, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
To our dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. He is always immersed in a feeling of separation in intense love for Kṛṣṇa – that is our dear jagat-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Our country, the Dominican Republic, has been blessed, thanks to you. By your causeless mercy, we have our ISKCON movement of the Dominican Republic, with our Deities, eir Lordships Parama-Karuṇa Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi and Śrī Śrī Prahlāda-Narasiṁhadeva. Due to your merciful instruction, the Lord lives personally with us in our country. We have been eternally graced by Kṛṣṇa consciousness arriving in our country fty years ago, due to which so many souls have been cultivated, and the message has been propagated to so many cities. Our good fortune is such that we also have here with us eir Lordships Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā. anks to your causeless mercy, too, ey are with us, showering thousands of blessings every day and year after
year as we celebrate the beautiful Ratha-yātrā, Festival of the Chariots. We cannot imagine what would have become of us if it had not been for the causeless mercy of divine grace coming from you. In this way, we o er our humble obeisances to you.
On behalf of your devoted servants in ISKCON of the Dominican Republic
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
I rst met you in a small quiet room. e voice of your Bhagavad-gītā spoke with clarity and certainty, imparting joy to a lonely soul. Your temple, however, was not at all like the quiet room where we met. It was full of singing and smiling faces. e new friends there introduced me to the gentle speech of the Vaiṣṇavas. I gave everything away and became a street soldier on the western front of your saṅkīrtana army, collecting money and selling books, a shy introvert approaching strangers trying earnestly to please you.
It is now nearly 50 years later. I am the same age you were when you rst arrived in America. I keep myself busy by caring for a few cows, chanting rounds, and reading the same book(s) from that quiet room. I have a question, how did you do it? How did you give up sleeping in favor of service to your Lord? Is it the exclusive power of the pure enlightened Vaiṣṇava ācārya? In my experience, people our age require so much sleep. All of the unimportant eshy heroes of my youth, the musicians, the actors, and the athletes, are withering away into obscurity, but you, who hardly even slept, remain vibrant, alive, relevant, and as “fresh as morning dew.”
Here in Śaraṇāgati, we lead a fairly simple life; I think that you would approve. It is an isolated Canadian outpost with nearly 2000 acres of elds and forests and home to about 60 of your followers. e winters are cold, and we use wood from the forest to heat our homes. During the coldest months, the re burns all day. In the evening, we ll our wood heaters and “lock” them. With no air, the re will not burn hot, but it stays alive until the morning. At that time, it quickly ignites, warms the house, and drives away the cold from the night.
e re of your mercy warms the heart and reignites the jīva’s smoldering Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a blazing hot re that can burn away cynicism and lethargy. e bright glow from that re illuminates the path to freedom, a path made smooth and clear by the blessings of our ve initiation vows. It is a re that can purify the sensuality, the pretense, and the taste for cheap adoration from the hearts of those thieves like myself who would dare try to rob your movement of its innocence, its virtue, and its credibility. When we warm our old bones next to that re, we imagine you visiting our village someday. Perhaps you would beam with pride for all that we have done for you and for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure.
But there are thousands of things we would have to arrange in order to prepare for your visit. When we nish, if our valley is a true re ection of your vision, it will be a beautiful place; indeed, it will look a little bit like your Goloka Vṛndāvana. Oh, it will be so much fun to see your smile of approval.
Yogīnātha D āsa, on behalf of the Śaraṇāgati Village project
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
We o er you our most humble obeisances!
e growing group of devotees, the children that demand their parents bring them to Sunday programs, their eagerness to lead kīrtana, perform ślokas, and o er bhoga – You are the reason that our small center on the prairies is growing!
While we would very much love to tell you that we are a thriving center, we face many challenges, but these are minor in comparison to what you have endured for us. We here at Saskatoon remain in awe of your humbled nature and the sacri ces that you have made, all for us and generations to come.
We are now in preparation for our 8th Annual Ratha-yātrā and pray that with your continued blessings, we continue to be, albeit small, instrumental in bringing awareness, dedication, and love to you and Kṛṣṇa.
Please bless our e orts, our motivation, activities, and service so that we be able to serve you and follow in your footsteps and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
We are forever indebted to you.
Your humble servants, the devotees at ISKCON Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my sincere and humble obeisances at your lotus feet and best wishes on this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā celebration. I am fortunate and thankful to be given the opportunity to write this o ering. I, therefore, seek your permission to say a few humble words of praise and heartfelt thank you.
I am very grateful to you for introducing and making this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so simple that any fool like myself can make some advancement in spiritual life and be given the opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
ank you for all the books you have written and all the recorded classes you have taken. is makes it easy for anyone to continuously listen, chant and remember the glories of the Lord, which are the rst three processes of bhakti
All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda, for having so many great and learned disciples like my
spiritual master who guide us along the way so that we can also help others and make this world more and more Kṛṣṇa conscious.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us your mercy, and the opportunity to serve at one of your smaller temples, ISKCON Scarborough, which is helping many devotees like myself to get the opportunity to be trained up and serve this Kṛṣṇa conscious mission. We have great, lovely, and cooperative devotees to work with, but unfortunately, presently, we are in need of a Temple President. We need someone who is enthusiastic about managing new projects that can make us more nancially stable and grow and be able to have a place of our own. is will help us attract more newcomers and spread this mission.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray at your lotus feet to please be merciful on us and grace us with what is best for us, bless us so that we can remain engaged in your eternal service always.
ank you, Hare Kṛṣṇa
Your eternal and grateful servant, Gaṇapati D āsa and all at ISKCON Scarborough
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
When you rst arrived in Seattle in 1968, you planted the initial seed of the saṅkīrtana movement that has touched all of us personally. Without this seed, we are unable to comprehend where many of us would be today. e roots and the trunk of a tree are the most important elements. Without a strong foundation, the tree will be knocked over by some wind. You have gracefully established strong roots that support the growth of various limbs and branches of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. rough the leadership of His Grace Harivilāsa Prabhu during the past 32 years, new initiatives, such as operating free prasāda food trucks and organizing Ānanda-melā – the largest Indian festival in the Paci c Northwest, attracting over 30,000 people – have brought the Washington State community closer to bhakti. Now, as your granddisciples, we are trying in our own small ways to continue to nourish and water the seed you initially planted to grow the saṅkīrtana movement in Seattle and spread to new communities through innovative outreach that resonates with changing youth culture.
Earlier this year, we started quarterly kīrtana events downtown. Our past event drew over 100 diverse students and young adults – most of whom had never gone to a temple or participated in a kīrtana. In addition, a few students at the University of Washington have re-established the Bhakti-yoga Club. Bi-weekly they meet and gather with up to 15 other students to chant and sing –ending by honoring prasāda. Finally, the youth have made it a point to participate in the weekly saṅkīrtana in the University District of Seattle. Some youth play instruments or lead kīrtana, others distribute cookies and burritos, and some distribute books and preach to those willing to listen. Without a doubt, you have been blessing us all with knowledge and inspiration, as none of this seems remotely possible for us alone to achieve.
Please take this update as one of many in the years to follow as we continue to persevere on this mission. rough your inspiration and guidance, we are encouraged to continue growing the
Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement outside of Sammamish, where we have an established temple and strong Indian congregation. We hope that you continue to guide us on the right path of our own bhakti trail but also carry forward the movement to help more souls re-ignite their inner love for Kṛṣṇa and attain the ultimate goal of going back to Goloka Vṛndāvana.
Your forever insigni cant servants, ISKCON Seattle Youth
(Written by Bhakta Ayan Gupta)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. We are gathered at ISKCON of Silicon Valley to remember your glories on your divine appearance day.
e Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that by serving great souls, one develops an a nity for hearing about Kṛṣṇa. In Bhagavad-gītā 9 13, Kṛṣṇa says that a great soul is one who has taken full shelter of Him. Your exclusive dependence on Kṛṣṇa is legendary and especially evident in your prayers aboard the Jaladuta. While on your voyage to America, apparently alone and without resources, you humbly prayed to the Lord that He may empower you to ful ll the orders of your guru to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Western world:
How will I make them understand this message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unquali ed, and the most fallen. erefore, I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.
Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.
O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.
Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.
O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance. O Lord, make me dance as You like.
I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can ful ll the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.
Signed – the most unfortunate, insigni cant beggar.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. dated 18th of September, 1965
e Lord answered your prayers, and your mission was a success. In your success, you have given us, the recipients of your mercy, service. Your special mercy to us is your instruction to spread the saṅkīrtana movement, which the personi ed Vedas say is Lord’s most glorious pastime; that is, His deliverance of the conditioned souls from the material world. And at Gītā 18 69, Kṛṣṇa says that there is no servant in this world dearer to Him than one who imparts His teachings to others. You’ve not only taught us how to practically follow Lord Caitanya’s teachings, but you’ve also shown us how we may bring others to the path. Distributing your books, for example, in the various languages of the world, is a practical way to give Kṛṣṇa’s teachings to people in every town and village. You also introduced Deity worship so that people who enter our temple, even in the dead center of Silicon Valley, may feel relief from the pangs arising from their ongoing material struggles. In your purport at Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.36, you write:
When one is trained to become conscious of his position, he understands that he is the servitor of the Lord. “Brahman” refers to a state of self-realization. Even the third-class devotee – who is not advanced in knowledge of the Absolute Truth but simply o ers obeisances with great devotion, thinks of the Lord, sees the Lord in the temple, and brings forth owers and fruits to o er to the Deity – becomes imperceptibly liberated. Śraddhayānvitāḥ: with great devotion, the devotees o er worshipful respects and paraphernalia to the Deity. e Deities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa, and Rāma and Sītā are very attractive to devotees, so much so that when they see the statue decorated in the temple of the Lord, they become fully absorbed in thought of the Lord. at is the state of liberation. In other words, it is con rmed herewith that even a third-class devotee is in the transcendental position, above those who are trying for liberation by speculation or by other methods. Even great impersonalists like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the four Kumāras were attracted by the beauty of the Deities in the temple, by the decorations, and by the aroma of tulasī o ered to the Lord, and they became devotees. Even though they were in the liberated state, instead of remaining impersonalists they were attracted by the beauty of the Lord and became devotees.
You’ve given us these services and many more.
In a room conversation in Bombay in 1976, you tell how you your success came from accepting the services given to you by your guru:
Because this is my life and soul according to the order of my Guru Mahārāja. And by his grace it [the spreading of the saṅkīrtana movement] is to some extent successful. And I took it seriously. I take it seriously still now. at is my life and soul.
You also give the details of how this mercy unfolded in your life as you persevered in following your Guru Mahārāja’s instructions:
I was manager in a big chemical factory. I started my own factory, the business was very successful. But everything was dismantled. I was forced to come to this position to carry out my order of my Guru Mahārāja … I executed his order at the age of seventy years, not at the age of twenty- ve. So actually I wasted so much time, I can understand that. From twenty e message was there when I was twenty- ve years old, but I began at the age of seventy years. But I did not forget the message. Otherwise, how could I do? at was, that is a fact. I was simply nding out the opportunity, how to do it. So anyway, although I began very late, at the age of seventy years, so by the help of my disciples this movement is gaining ground and is spreading all over the world. So therefore I have to thank you. It is all due to you. It is not my credit, but it is your credit that you are helping me in executing the order of my Guru Mahārāja.
Anyone can now see by your example how by following the divine order, the instructions received through disciplic succession, one may perform wonders in the service of Lord Caitanya!
In your purport at Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.34, you explain how this order of the Lord, carried through disciplic succession, is so potent that by adhering to it, one will come “face to face” with the Lord:
According to the Padma Purāṇa, within the material compass, there are innumerable material universes, and all of them are full of darkness. Any living being, beginning from the Brahmās (there are innumerable Brahmās in innumerable universes) to the insigni cant ant, are all born in darkness, and they require factual light from the Lord to see Him directly, just as the sun can be seen only by the direct light of the sun. No lamp or man-made torchlight, however powerful it may be, can help one see the sun. e sun reveals itself. erefore the action of di erent energies
of the Lord, or the Personality of Godhead Himself, can be realized by the light manifested by the causeless mercy of the Lord. e impersonalists say that God cannot be seen. God can be seen by the light of God and not by man-made speculations. Here this light is speci cally mentioned as vidyāt, which is an order by the Lord to Brahmā is direct order of the Lord is a manifestation of His internal energy, and this particular energy is the means of seeing the Lord face to face. Not only Brahmā but anyone who may be graced by the Lord to see such merciful direct internal energy can also realize the Personality of Godhead without any mental speculation.
Amazingly, a conditioned soul may not only be saved from the material world by following the order of the Lord; they will also come to see the Lord face to face.
With your guidance, we have received many potent instructions. For example, in the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta 7.128, Lord Caitanya gives the following order to Kūrma Brāhmaṇa:
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājṣāya guru haṣā tāra’ ei deśa
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.
You have repeatedly o ered us the opportunity to take up this order. At Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10 16 53, the Nāgapatnīs give more evidence of the power of following the orders of the Lord when they pray to Kṛṣṇa that they may fully accept his instructions: vidhehi te kiṅkarīṇām anuṣṭheyaṁ tavājnayā: “Now please tell us, Your maidservants, what we should do.” ey then say that anyone who accepts Kṛṣṇa’s order automatically becomes freed from fear: yac-chraddhayānutiṣṭhan vai mucyate sarvato bhayāt – “Certainly anyone who faithfully executes Your order is automatically freed from all fear.” In this verse, ājñayā means “by the command.” In other words, when one accepts the command of the Lord, they become fearless. In this connection, it is noteworthy that the “A. C.” in your name, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, means “fearless.” How could you not be fearless when you are a perfect follower of Kṛṣṇa’s commands? We aspire to similarly follow your instructions, so we may become fearless.
Vyāsa-pūjā day is a day to remember how fortunate we are to have your association: through your books, your lectures, your followers, and by following your orders. In fact, even a beleaguered soul oating in the ocean of the material world be saved by grabbing onto your instructions.
We, the devotees at ISKCON of Silicon Valley, pray, therefore, to adhere to your instructions by working together to carry on your movement. By the potency of your instructions, we are certain of our success.
(Written by Vaiśeṣika D āsa)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
I consider myself very disquali ed to write this o ering on this auspicious 127th appearance day of Your Divine Grace, but this is a great opportunity for me to purify myself as well as show gratitude toward this priceless society you so sel essly gave us.
With your mercy, on the auspicious day of Utthānā Ekādaśī (4 November 2022), we celebrated the rst Brahmotsava of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-D āmodara at ISKCON Solapur. During the festival, we distributed around two thousand plates of prasāda.
With your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we organized a mega youth festival UTSAVA, entitled “A Festival of Joy and Happiness,” in which our main guest, His Grace Amogha-līlā Prabhu, talked on “Googly with God.” In this event, 3500 students from around 15 colleges took part, and we distributed 3000 transcendental books. It is only possible with your blessings that we distributed around 21300 books on the auspicious occasion of Gītā-jayantī.
2023 was a great book distribution year for ISKCON Solapur. We managed to distribute 50,000 books this year. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you showed by example how to guide and care for devotees. Inspired by your teachings, we have implemented the Anugatya system, which is for counseling and in which around 1000 devotees are connected. Without the shelter of your compassion and sheltering words of wisdom, we cannot do anything.
We are very thankful to you and your dear disciples who are consistently “doing as you did,” showing us the path to come out of this miserable situation. You have created this society not only to impart knowledge but it has also brought a lot of transformation within us. We are most indebted to you for the pain you have taken to create this society for us.
When people nally get to the point of understanding the need to reevaluate and formulate new goals, and they become serious about searching for the truth, they meet you, the founderācārya of ISKCON, and you show them the way out of the material world by giving them true knowledge and real guidance.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had no desire other than to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and He, in reciprocation –obvious to us all – worshiped you by fully empowering you to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world for many generations to come.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.31 the demigods and saints, headed by Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, o er Kṛṣṇa the following prayer:
svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman
bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān
O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to ful ll the desire of Your devotee, and therefore You are known as a desire tree [vāñchā-kalpataru]. When
ācāryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the erce ocean of
nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.
is verse also expresses the relationship and reciprocation between a pure devotee, that is, you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and God. You left behind a process for our bene t. By that great fortune, you enabled us to cross the erce ocean of nescience. Kṛṣṇa worships you by fully accepting and certifying your process. For that, we are eternally indebted to you.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us that in this present situation, when the whole world is reevaluating, when people are thinking about nding a new basis for their lives, setting new goals, being open to new ways of life and new value systems, by following in your footsteps, we will be able to successfully preach to them, knowing well, that it is all your glory and merit. Please allow us to worship you by preaching and making your movement even more successful.
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you came to this world to ful ll Kṛṣṇa’s mission, and because of your glories and compassion, you continue to bestow mercy freely on us all. We pray to Kṛṣṇa that He gives us the strength to continue to serve you and your mission. You said that ISKCON is your body and that the one who serves ISKCON serves you. We take your instruction to serve ISKCON as our foremost mission in life, and we pray to you to empower us to serve wholeheartedly with body, mind, and words.
As I pass my days serving in ISKCON, more and more I see your desire for what ISKCON could become, and I see that ful lling your desire is a challenge for all ISKCON leaders. I feel the same challenge in my own service. So, I pray at your lotus feet that by your mercy, I can overcome these challenges. Please continue to enlighten us through your instructions and give us more and more strength to carry out our tasks. I am trying to surrender to you more and more. Please pull me up! Please always engage me in your service.
Your Divine Grace, you are a Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura; only you can give us Kṛṣṇa. We are fallen souls, simply running behind you, crying and trying to grab hold of your dhoti.
Your servants, Kṛṣṇa-bhakta D āsa and the devotees at ISKCON Solapur
Please accept our obeisances
All glories to You Śrīla Prabhupāda
Saṅkīrtana mission kī jaya!
Our respect to all devotees around the world!
You are our dear Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
You gave us the gift of your personal presence, your example, and your translations and explanations of the greatest literature ever given and revealed to humankind for next 10,000 years.
You gave us meaning and purpose and invited us to the highest goal of human life, reawakening our dormant love of God, Kṛṣṇa, with the open invitation to return to the self-e ulgent Kingdom of God after exiting.
is gift that you imparted to us impacts every moment, every breath, and every life decision for your sincere followers, us.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the science of self-realization and transcends all popular religions and faiths in the common de nition.
You wanted us to re-establish the Vedic culture which existed on this planet for millions of years. Vedic refers to the highly advanced, traditional culture based on instilling real knowledge of the soul into every living being so that the perfection of life may be achieved. is Vedic culture respects all living entities, not just humans.
You gave us knowledge. Everything that we have comes from you.
In our yātrā Split, Croatia, we have been doing for 30+ years every Sunday Feast and all festivals, distributing your books, following your steps 100 percent, and inviting your disciples. We open our doors to all souls.
Your presence is helping us all the time all these years.
We just want you to know that we will go on with your mission of saving souls in this dark age of Kali-yuga in Split.
We are loyal to tou. You gave us everything that we needed to stop this birth and death in our lives.
All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Bless our souls that we can continue to follow your footsteps and mission in all ways.
Your servants, devotees from Hare Kṛṣṇa Split, Croatia
(written by Nandarāṇī Devī D āsī)-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at the dust of your Lotus feet. All glories to you for spreading sanātana-dharma and holy name all over the world.
You are, in the real sense, the savior of the whole world. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you used to say, “One who preaches to Muslims, I will take the dust of that devotee on my head.” Since Srinagar (Kashmir) is a Muslim-majority place, we are coming across Muslims and under the able guidance of your dear most disciple, His Holiness Nava Yogendra Swami, we are trying to preach to Muslims, and people are becoming receptive.
It is only through your causeless mercy that we are surviving in this Age of Kali, there are so many impediments, but your instructions are the source of inspiration to us. Your books are the basis of our preaching. Your purity process is our strength; the way you have shown how to utilize all sources in the service of Kṛṣṇa and preaching is the essence. Your preaching methods are our
guidelines to preach to everyone and anyone without discrimination of caste, color, creed, and nationality.
On the day of your appearance, we please you by spreading the mission of the holy name of the Lord:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Prasāda distribution and transcendental book distribution you have given us, putting your full lifetime into translate all our Vedic literature in di erent languages, easily understandable to common man so that it can be applied in our day-to-day life.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your glories may spread all over the three worlds. Your name can save the world because you are the yuga-puruṣa chosen by Mahāprabhu and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa for this age.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your servant of servants, Sudarśana D āsa and all devotees at ISKCON Srinagar, J&K, India
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble and respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet. e past year in ISKCON Srirangam has been one of exhilarating highs and debilitating lows. We experienced the cooling grace of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hand and also of Kali’s iron st. Whenever we were overwhelmed by external circumstances, your powerful words rang loudly in our ears: “You mentioned that your pathway has become lled with stumbling blocks, but there are no stumbling blocks, I can kick out all those stumbling blocks immediately, provided you accept my guidance. With one stroke of my kick, I can kick out all stumbling blocks.”
Please give us the determination to accept Your Divine Grace’s guidance always. You always signed o every letter as “Your Ever Well-Wisher.” Let us realize the true purport of these significant words: ever and well-wisher. We wish to create something of value here at Srirangam that would glorify Your Divine Grace and spread your glories far and wide, for people from far corners of this world visit here with devotional fervor.
Your Divine Grace’s disciple, His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami has reminded us time and again of the special signi cance of Srirangam, that it is a very important place on the face of this planet, so much so that it is addressed as Bhuloka Vaikuṇṭha or “the spiritual world on earth.” It is Lord Caitanya’s spiritual headquarters in southern India. He proved that by staying here for the longest period outside of Navadvīpa and Jagannātha Purī. In fact, Lord Caitanya recruited one of His foremost commanders, Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, from here.
As an insigni cant beginning, we established SIHE (Srirangam Institute for Higher Education) with a vision of helping devotees read your books scrutinizingly. We want to preach. Your Divine Grace had written in a letter: “Preaching means to increase our family members.” is is possible only by studying your books honestly with a humble state of mind and without interpreting
your words. Tattva-vicāra will lead to ācāra. Ācāra is what will give e ectiveness to pracāra. Consequently, our end objective of preaching can be ful lled only if devotees read your books thoroughly and also mold their lives according to your instructions.
Last year, we also conducted the very rst Śrī Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā in Srirangam. Hundreds of devotees from many parts of South India participated blissfully in the festival. Common people were blessed by eir Lordships Śrī Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā in a magni cent ratha, winding its way through the streets of Trichy (Srirangam is part of this city). We staged a grand play on Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, and people were moved by the intensity of the play. Most visiting devotees congratulated the devotees of ISKCON Srirangam for successfully organizing the festival in a grand fashion.
For the very rst time, we organized six Janmāṣṭamī celebrations across Trichy-Srirangam. One each happened in the ISKCON Temples in Srirangam and Trichy. We also had celebrations in BHEL Township, OFT Township, and Woraiyur. e grand culmination of these celebrations happened in the National College grounds, where nearly two thousand people, including over six hundred children, participated in the events.
We wish to grow from strength to strength from these humble beginnings. We desire to set up excellent pilgrim service facilities. We wish to produce vibrant, serious, and non-duplicitous devotees by preaching and training through a wide network of Bhakti-vṛkṣas. We long to see all these devotees rmly xed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by o ering spiritual training programs through SIHE. All these and more are possible only by your grace. Kindly bless us and guide us to make Srirangam a special ISKCON center.
All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Seeking your mercy always.
ISKCON Srirangam
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our respectful obeisances. All glories to you!
ISKCON Suriname Yātrā is the yātrā I have seen from my early childhood. Vaguely I can remember the harināmas in town, the Sunday Feasts in the previous place we were, the trip to Nickerie district to do harināma and book distribution there. People call us “Hare Rāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa” by seeing us in dhoti, kurta, sari, and tilaka.
Now with your mercy, most of the people here know ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). is has only been possible by your books and guidance, by the dedicated devotees who have been compassionate to come and preach in Suriname. Ultimately it is by your e ort that we can now be in the devotional service of the Lord.
We consider ourselves very fortunate that with your causeless mercy, you came in your lifesized mūrti from India to Suriname, a historic moment for the yātrā. After a long waiting time due to COVID we could do the installation on August 28, 2022, by your disciple, His Holiness Guru Prasāda Swami.
Your mercy did not stop there, and in February 2023, with great success, we had another historical moment, our very rst bhāgavata-saptāḥ with seven days of kathā, kīrtana and prasāda. New people got attracted to the mahā-mantra, received a Bhagavad-gītā, and got in touch with devotees.
Because of you all those new people now have heard the best literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ey could drink the nectar of bhāgavata-kathā. is all is your blessing. We are nothing without your mercy and guidance. Please keep blessing the ISKCON Suriname Yātrā so it can grow and bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to all homes.
On behalf of the devotees of Mārkine Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma, Your servant, Mādhurya-līlā Devī D āsī
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
I am happy to be given the opportunity to write the Vyāsa-pūjā homage to you on behalf of the Taichung yātrā. I will try to express my deep gratitude to Your Divine Grace. However, I feel nervous because I am totally unquali ed for such an honor.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, in this turbulent and degrading age, people are su ering so much, but they don’t know what to do. Many are seeking all kinds of ways of liberation. e pandemic over the last three years has created deep fear in people’s hearts and made them re ect upon their life more seriously. As a result, various spiritual practices have sprung up. Unfortunately, people are generally not equipped with real knowledge. By spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, you shattered people’s unrealistic expectations and ignorance of the material world. You brought the light of knowledge into our lives through the spiritual revolution you started in modern civilization. You freed us from material su ering and awakened our spiritual consciousness. You have shown us that only by engaging in devotional services can we reduce sinful activities.
I used to be a mental speculator and atheist. When I began to study the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, I did so over and over again with a speculative mind. After reading it, however, you eradicated my speculative habits and made me realize that there is no better process of practice. You have clearly shown us the way to enlightenment, to see our true position in relation to the Supreme Lord
Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.
By receiving your mercy through your books and by putting your instructions into practice, I have now realized the purpose of my existence. I was su ering from anxiety due to the various implications of the material body. I can’t imagine ever living such a depraved life, not even realizing that I was going to the depths of hell; I would still be struggling without the mercy of your followers.
You gave us a powerful personal example by practicing what you’re teaching, showing us a simple and elegant way of living. You have shown us that even in a state of extreme physical weakness, you did not forget the mission given by your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. I was amazed because, except for the pure devotee, who else would make someone’s words his lifelong mission?
I don’t think there is anything more impressive than your teachings during your last days. You personally taught us, by your example, how to transcend the pain of the body and become more deeply aware of the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa. I think this is the most profound lesson, the lesson about how to die in full remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Your a ection for your disciples and your personal teachings have helped me to realize what transcendental relationships are and should be like. As I listen to the daily Śrīla Prabhupādalīlāmṛta reading by the devotees of Taichung, I feel very touched and puri ed, as do others. I have a longing in my heart for a relationship like this, and I can feel the love behind your sometimes harsh rebuking of your disciples. You were eager for all your disciples to learn quickly, to become mature under your training, because you knew you didn’t have much time and your beloved disciples were young. What I appreciate even more is the mood of the surrender of all these disciples toward you. I am eager to receive such mercy myself and become a faithful servant of the servant of the servant.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I really can’t imagine what I would be like now if I didn’t meet your followers. In fact, I am incapable and very weak inside. erefore, I pray that you will strengthen my heart to help me and empower me to help those around me and that my heart will be enlightened by the teachings of your beloved disciples.
You are the well-wisher of all devotees, so please empower us, your followers, to share with people that the body exists not for sense grati cation but for self-realization. How can we fallen souls be saved without your mercy? We don’t have piety. You created our piety. What you have given us is something we can never repay, and we are eternally indebted to you. e only way I can reciprocate your mercy and express my gratitude is by sharing your teachings with more people and by engaging in devotional services.
Your unquali ed servants of the servant of the servant, Taichung Yātrā
(Written by Mādhava Mohinī Devī D āsī)
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, On your Vyāsa-pūjā day, I o er my heartfelt obeisances and deepest reverence to you. All glories to you.
Your teachings have transformed my life and the lives of countless others around the world. Your wisdom and devotion have illuminated the path of bhakti for all of us.
One of your teachings that has had a profound impact on me is your emphasis on the importance of devotee cooperation. You said, “Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself wanted our cooperation. He is God, Kṛṣṇa. And therefore, cooperation is a very important thing… It is simply by cooperation we can do very big things. “United we stand; divided we fall.” …So be strong in pushing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and Kṛṣṇa will help. He is the strongest. Still, we must be combined together.”
During the relatively tense period of the COVID-19 pandemic, devotees in Taiwan never stopped harināma on the streets. With the easing of the pandemic, we have also begun actively engaging in preaching activities. We held the Ratha-yātrā festival again in Taipei and led the public in kīrtana during the Indian Cultural Festival in 2022. After three years of being largely closed to the outside world, senior overseas devotees were able to begin visiting Taiwan, generously bestowing their mercy upon us. Behind the success of every speech, harināma saṅkīrtana, and missionary activity is the adherence to your instruction – service, and cooperation.
You have taught us that cooperation is essential for success in any endeavor; it is the basic principle of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Without devotee cooperation, we cannot do anything. Just like in a machine, every part of the machine is necessary for its functioning. If one part is missing, then the machine cannot work. Similarly, every devotee is a part of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and without cooperation, the movement cannot progress.
erefore, we should continue to cooperate with one another, love and respect, and work together for the common goal of spreading the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. is is the way to make progress in spiritual life.
We can only pray that our e orts will please both you and Lord Kṛṣṇa. Please allow us to humbly request your blessings so that we may unite and cooperate in o ering our sincerest e orts to your preaching mission. May more people in Taiwan become happier through the power of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa and your teachings.
Your humble servants, Taipei Yātrā
(Written by Rasarani Priya Devī D āsī)nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
All glories to you, on this very special day of your transcendental appearance. You have kindly come into our lives and given us valuable instructions and guidance. Our deepest gratitude, especially for the chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and solve all our problems. e Vedic literature indicates that we should follow the footprints of great personalities, devotees who are very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and it is clear to all our minds that following your footprints is the highest perfection.
By reading your personal letters to disciples and followers, it is clear that the most urgent need of the whole human society is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore the most important service to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga is to spread this message throughout the world. One of the requirements is to take knowledge, such as the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, without any mal interpretation, without exercising our brains to manufacture something out of Bhagavad-gītā. Only then can
we revive our natural constitution and become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Despite this seemingly simple instruction, we face several obstacles and don’t bene t from the knowledge and blessings from the guru.
All glories to the harināma saṅkīrtana movement of Mahāprabhu under your supervision! is harināma saṅkīrtana makes the heart enthusiastic and blissful, and with this thought in mind, we make humble attempts to glorify you. Despite our disquali cation, we shall continue to meditate on you and con dently carry on with our duties. Please kindly shower us with your blessing. Your mercy is our only hope.
Your humble servants, Tartu Bhakti Yoga Center, Estonia
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, All Glories to Guru and Gaurāṅga! All glories to your lotus feet!
On this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, all the devotees from ISKCON Teluk Intan “Śrī Māyāpur Baru” would like to seek your forever mercy and blessings upon us. Dear Prabhupāda, you visited Teluk Intan, our hometown, back in 1971. Since then, we have considered our place as a holy dhāma as your lotus feet had been printed on our land. Coinciding with its name, “Māyāpur Baru”, which translates into New Māyāpur, we hope these fallen souls will forever be able to help to spread the holy names in order to assist Lord Caitanya’s mission to spread the holy names to every town and village.
You are forever living among us through your books in our homes and temples and everywhere else throughout the world. Kindly bless us to be able to purify our minds from the clutches of māyā and constantly be steady to render our devotional services. We are forever grateful for everything you have done and given us – a home in which the whole world could live in – ISKCON.
We are not quali ed, nor have we enough words to describe your glories. Kindly accept these humble servants’ wishes and desire to assist your army of ācāryas and devotees to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lastly, we just want to say, “ ank you for everything, and we love you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.” May You guide each and every moment of ours into thoughts of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Your Servants, ISKCON Teluk Intan, Malaysia
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
On this day of your Vyāsa-pūjā we re ect on the amazing gift you gave us through the paramparā. Our lives become auspicious and fortunate as we act as humble instruments of your divine mercy. is paramparā system is so powerful and e ective. As long as we keep ourselves connected, Kṛṣṇa’s mercy keeps owing and gets distributed to everyone who comes in contact. You made this connection very simple:
My simple request is that you remain in association of devotees and continue to chant your 16 rounds daily and follow strictly the four regulative principles and read our books daily with great care. In this way your Krsna Conscious advancement will be assured success and at the end of this life you will go back to Godhead, back to home, and live with Krsna eternally. (Letter to: Bhakta Lance – December. 16, 1974 –Bombay)
is simple method empowers us to do wonderful service for the bene t of all living entities. Please keep us blessed under the protection of your dear disciples.
Your servants at ISKCON Tenerife, Spain
nama oṁ
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories, All glories, All glories to you.
ātya-deśa-tāriṇe
With your divine blessings, we now have a beautiful temple in under Bay, Ontario. is is the biggest ISKCON/Hindu temple across 3,000 km of northwestern Ontario. e temple is built on a one-acre lot with construction of about 10,000 sq feet. On the altar we have beautiful Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Vraja-vatsala, Śrī Śrī Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumānjī,
rī
rī Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā. Facing the Deities is a beautiful 6-foot high portrait of yourself. e
temple was inaugurated on August 30, 2021, in the presence of His Holiness Bhaktimārga Swami and the health minister of Canada, Hon. Patty Haidju. Some of your senior disciples who traveled to under Bay from the USA and Canada attended the opening ceremony.
During the pandemic, we organized a Drive-in Festival of India with Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā With the current COVID-19 pandemic subsiding and restrictions being lifted, we have started organizing Kṛṣṇa conscious festivals in person. Recently, we organized outreach events in two of the major cities of northwestern Ontario.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we need your blessings and mercy so that we can continue to serve you and expand ISKCON activities all across the northern communities in Canada. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all your wonderful teachings. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants,
Prema Kiśora D āsa
Sunīti Devī D āsī
Vedic Cultural Centre, under Bay, Ontario, Canada
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I bow down to your lotus feet. Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. Your noble commitment to pursue on earth the mission of Gaurāṅga, that of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, is of great bene t to Togo. You have saved us from the darkness of ignorance to the light through knowledge.
Togo is very fortunate to receive this message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and that a center has been established here. Your books pierce our hearts and change our lives gradually. e only word we can say for all of this is gratitude; we are grateful.
Your humble servant, on behalf of the devotees of Togo, Akiñcana D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble daṇḍavat praṇāmas. All Glories to Your Divine Grace.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
When we read the episode of Your Divine Grace’s preparation to come to Japan before your plan to come to the US, we feel so obliged that the Land of Rising Sun was already in your plan to start Kṛṣṇa consciousness. ere are a lot of fond stories about Your Divine Grace’s visits to Japan to meet Dai Nippon for publishing the rst Kṛṣṇa book and establishing Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Japan.
Your Divine Grace stayed in Tokorozawa, Shibuya, and the rst temple in Japan was established in 1972 at Shibuya. We see how proudly you sent letters from this temple to your disciples that “I am staying here in Japan, Shibuya, and correspond with me at this address.”
We visit the mountain Tokorozawa as it became a sacred place for all of us that we visit with your disciples and hear the pastimes. ese inspire us so much.
Your Divine Grace’s mercy, which ows through your books, purports, letters, and personal conversations, is our life and soul. Japanese devotees and expats are working together to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Japan. Similar to other centers of ISKCON, we are also rallying against some unpleasant situations; we seek your empowerment and blessings so that we can understand the purpose of ISKCON and manage the activities without deviations, not take things cheaply and overcome power and prestige-related issues.
Your Divine Grace mentioned that
We are in very good, prestigious position. at is sure. Don’t spoil it. So much hard labor. I started with very humble condition. Now it has come to this, such exalted position. You don’t spoil it. at is my request. Increase. at will depend on your character, behavior, preaching. (Room conversation in Bombay, April 10, 1977)
We pray unto your lotus feet that we tolerate the provocations and cooperate to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Japan.
We seek blessings and empowerment from Your Divine Grace that we all continue our devotional practices and preach in the Land of Rising Sun uninterruptedly with all enthusiasm and no personal motives.
Your servants, ISKCON Tokyo
Sudāma D āsa (Temple President)
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga. All glories to the saṅkīrtana mission.
Today we remain fortunate once again to make this o ering on your auspicious and glorious appearance day.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, your contributions to establish your movement are unparalleled, and you remain our true inspiration to expand Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Greater Toronto Area. You took on the herculean task of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. You came to the West and transformed people from being Hippy to Happy. You gave us ISKCON, a medium to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness; you distributed love for Kṛṣṇa, you gave us books, and you made devotees of materialistic people and gave us devotee association. You gave us New Remuṇā Dhāma, you walked the hallowed corridors of this temple, your presence is felt and will be for generations to come, and this continues to inspire us to serve with dedication and devotion.
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has nally ceased and normalcy has returned, its impact has been signi cant. ere has been a loss of lives across our communities and the world in general,
and we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the contributions of the many devotees who are no longer with us.
Temple Operations remain smooth, strong, and robust. e lifting of the pandemic and return to normal programming has meant that New Remuṇā Dhāma has seen record visitors for the past many months. Powered by a strong student youth population, our Sunday programs and festivals have seen unprecedented attendance, and our crew of devotees in the kitchen has done a remarkable job in keeping up with this and serving blissful prasāda
We continue to move forward with various initiatives, and one of the biggest ones has been the establishment of the Bhakti Academy, which has recently completed one full year. e academy fosters spiritual growth through strong foundational practices. Living in simple, humble, but comfortable settings, students practice bhakti-yoga and read the wonderful texts you have given us. Mantra meditation, japa, kīrtana, and book distribution is the cornerstone of the academy’s activities, and we are delighted to report that there is unprecedented interest from the community to join the academy. With your blessings, we hope to take this initiative to even greater heights in the coming year.
Lord Jagannātha (the Lord of the Universe) was back on Yonge Street as the Ratha-yātrā made its journey to Centre Island with a huge turnout. Around 25,000 plates of prasāda were distributed over two days, along with throngs of visitors enjoying kīrtana, presentations, and taking darśana
Our saṅkīrtana (book distribution team) continues to break fresh ground and has found myriads of avenues to distribute your wonderful books.
Our Western Outreach continues to grow, with regular programs being held by our Russianspeaking Community. Our Deity Department has gone beyond having ensured that Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṣīracorā Gopīnātha’s service has continued uninterrupted. Our Kṛṣṇa Fun School continues to attract newer children who are learning various spiritual concepts. Our Govinda’s dining room has been going full throttle and has surpassed many heights with prasāda distribution and Food for Life Initiatives. e boutique continues to serve visitors, has gotten more storage area, and is in the process of revitalizing, including more operational hours. Our Toronto Vaiṣṇava Care Team continues to serve our community with great distinction by providing personal and holistic care. e Building Improvement Committee continues to move forward with the refurbishment of New Remuṇā Dhāma, with the next big initiative being the installation of the accessibility elevator, which will bene t many elderly members of our community. With your blessings, we hope to make this a wonderful o ering to our glorious Deities.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray at your lotus feet to give us the strength to take your mission far and wide. Please bless us so that we can continue to serve you with faith and be an instrument in taking this movement forward.
On this auspicious and momentous occasion, we beg for pure devotional service.
We remain your humble servants at ISKCON Toronto (New Remuṇā)
(Russian-speaking devotees)
On behalf of the Russian-speaking community of ISKCON Toronto, let us o er our most humble and respectful obeisances to you and our divine paramparā. Kṛṣṇa sent you to save the world from the immense su erings people are going through in this Kali-yuga. One psychic person told me he knew a man who passed away from COVID and was born recently in a dog’s body. Where would we be if we didn’t meet the devotees and join Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
When you came to America, you predicted that this civilization would not sustain for long, and we can see it now, your words come true. ere cannot be artha without dharma, and without artha, a healthy economy, people cannot enjoy human life and progress to liberation. Principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness are the basis of dharma which you entrusted us to build on this planet. Every one of us can do something little or big as per our capacity and be creative and sincere. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has a plan; we just need to be a part of it.
ank you for giving us the opportunity to take part in your mission and giving us intelligence on how to act, what to say, and where to go to advance our own Kṛṣṇa consciousness and help others to grow on the spiritual path.
Your servant, Ācārya Ṭhākura D āsa, on behalf of Russian-speaking community of ISKCON Toronto
To speak of Śrīla Prabhupāda is to speak of the clearest example of the concept of saintliness. He was, and still to this day is, a saint in modern times.
Renunciation is one of the words that best de nes him. He crossed the ocean from East to West, leaving everything behind. ere, in that gesture, is the con rmation of his authentic sanctity, and in the success of his purpose, the rati cation that Śrīla Prabhupāda was driven by an authentic force of spiritual origin.
For that treasure of transcendental wisdom distributed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission, which he o ered to the West and from the West to the rest of the world, we cannot but be eternally and lovingly grateful.
In his renunciation, he stripped himself of his material world (his wife and children, his country, his culture) and demonstrated empathy in relating to the people he encountered on his mission while enduring, on more than one occasion, physical deterioration, inclement weather, and lack of resources. Yet he never gave up. And the proof is in his writings. His books help and will forever help us and others to nd peace and understand the reasons for our moments of true happiness.
Prabhupāda is our great friend; he has given us the key, the manual, and the relationships to be free.
Without being asked, he has given us the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the holy scriptures, and not least, the association with people who seek in themselves the love for God. A love that we all have latent but often veiled by our desires.
Prabhupāda is our example to follow; he is the daily motivation; he is the expression of beauty, goodness, and consciousness; he is the ambassador of Goloka Vṛndāvana who, with humility and tolerance, visits the lands of our conditioning and limitations, to show us that we must return home together with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. He gives us every day the passport to return.
Prabhupāda, in turn, has enabled us to be better in our prescribed duties, whether as citizens, as parents, children, neighbors, professionals, friends, disciples, etc.
Prabhupāda is Kṛṣṇa sending us the love we have been so reluctant to feel.
Prabhupāda means the blissful end of a great quest. He is a transcendental hero who bravely, courageously set out to face any obstacle on the path to Kṛṣṇa.
Why all glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Because his work is nothing but a work of devotion, dedication, e ort, tolerance, patience, simplicity, cleanliness, among others.
Also because without him, we would not be able to read and, above all, understand the scriptures.
Also because without him there would be no ISKCON, the family where we nd the association and transcendental bonds.
“All glories” are for him because he is, was, and will be a coherent teacher of voice and thought, humble, faithful, strong of conviction, trustworthy, eloquent, capable, educative, and an example to follow.
We thank Śrīla Prabhupāda for giving us the gift of inspiration and educating us. We will carry his torch of knowledge and devotion to every heart.
Devotees of ISKCON Tres Arroyos, Argentina
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Let me o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken full shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Celebration of another year of your Vyāsa-pūjā is yet another opportunity to put into words our immense appreciation to you. Your life, love, dedication, compassion, and patience to your own guru and paramparā are limitless and all-encompassing and are still owing down to us, your granddisciples and great-granddisciples to this day.
You are indeed jagat-guru, the savior of the world as simply by your words in your books long after your physical presence, you have drastically touched and saved the lives of numerous souls and continue to do so. Your books, your greatest gifts to us, are indeed ticking “time bombs” patiently waiting and then detonating the materialistic mentality from the minds of anyone who comes into contact with them. You have been the most well-wishing father, teacher, friend, and guide to all who came into contact with you, so much so that they gave up everything and dedicated their lives to serve and assist you. ey are now our torchbearers, our gurus, shining the same light of your instructions and teachings to guide us out of this material existence.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are simply the best as you were able to take all the teachings of the previous ācāryas and Vedic scriptures and structure and present them to us in such a practical way of life for all, incorporating everything needed to get free from the su erings of this world. You gave us everything, absolutely everything necessary to get free of this blazing re of material existence. ank you for your books, ISKCON, temples, beautiful Deities, your disciples, kīrtanas, prasāda, association, endless opportunities to serve, your love, care, and guidance. In short, you have given us life – REAL life! You are our one and only life link back to Kṛṣṇa.
You have said that the love of the disciple for the guru is demonstrated by his following the instructions of the guru. You, being the perfect ācārya, have demonstrated this in your own life. Many disciples and granddisciples have dedicated their lives to serving you and have passed on from this world. On this most auspicious day, please bless us so that we can do the same. All glories to you, our most beloved, eternal well-wisher!
Your insigni cant servants at Śrī Śrī Nitāi Gauracandra Mandir ISKCON South, Trinidad
Prabhupāda, you never settled for second best, Always rst class, unlike the rest You put the devotees to the test, Serving Kṛṣṇa, always blessed.
You struggled without much aid Alone in New York, but were never plagued Challenges came, but you weren’t afraid Strict Vaiṣṇava principles, you always displayed.
With Kṛṣṇa by your side, Success came when you tried Remaining humble, not a shred of pride Gurus’ orders, willing to abide.
Traveling the world, always on the move Encouraging devotees – try and improve Anarthas in our heart removed By serving you it is proved.
India projects caused you stress Politics & cheating, what a mess To give to all the dhāma’s access Our shortcomings you did redress.
Early morning rising, purports to write Day for sādhus, for the karmīs its night Lord Caitanya’s message, bringing the light Defending Lord Kṛṣṇa, such a good ght.
Circling the globe, putting health aside You entered the airport, and just seemed to glide e devotees struggled to keep with your stride To the world you were guru, friend & guide. Our good fortune is beyond compare Mahā-mantra our daily prayer Such opportunity indeed most rare To veer from you, we wouldn’t dare.
Just at your lotus feet we stay Some may defect, but we never stray With your instructions everyday To follow with loyalty ever we pray.
Written by Sandaminī Devī D āsī ISKCON of Arizona, TucsonDear Śrīla Prabhuapda,
We fall at your lotus feet. Please give us your mercy to continue on this path of bhakti, and not deviate from your instructions. Empower us to build a new temple complex for you and spread your glories and the teaching of Bhagavad-gītā far and wide in the desert southwest. Your mercy is all that is keeping us engaged in this wonderful movement of ISKCON.
Your dedicated servants at Tucson ISKCON Yātrā
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at the dust of your Lotus feet. All glories to you for spreading sanātana-dharma and holy name all over the world.
You are, in the real sense, the savior of the whole world. On this day of your divine appearance, we, your granddisciples, are trying to follow your instructions as it is under the able spiritual guidance of your dear most disciple, His Holiness Nava Yogendra Swamiji Mahārāja. Whenever he passes any instruction to us, he says to pray to Śrīla Prabhupāda because he is the yuga-puruṣa and he empowers anyone to carry on the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
We are trying to ful ll your cherished desire to have the varṇāśrama system established in ISKCON centers. Now we have a gurukula where 90 students, gṛhasthas, brahmacārīs and vānaprasthas are trying to follow Your Divine Grace as it without paying any salaries but providing them all living facilities so that in later days, they develop vairāgya and preach this mission of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu all over.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray at the dust of your lotus feet, please give us strength so that we can increase the strength of gurukula inmates and temple devotees and please you. We are trying to open nāmahaṭṭa centers in nearby villages so that everyone will receive the mercy of the holy name of Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your insigni cant servants of servants at ISKCON Udhampur, J&K, INDIA Kuntī Devī D āsī, Temple President with all Devotees
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble and respectful obeisances unto the dust of your divine lotus feet.
All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your Divine Grace mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.8.5 Purport “When the entire population, or part of it, becomes forgetful of its own duty, Kṛṣṇa comes. When Kṛṣṇa is not present, the devotee is present, but the mission is the same: to free the poor conditioned souls from the clutches of the māyā that chastises them.” He has done so through His representative, Your Divine Grace. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you, blessed the world with the love of God. Even the gopīs, 5,000 years ago, glori ed Your Divine Grace as bhūri-dā janāḥ. Your glories are sweet like ripened fruit. ey
become even more relishable when sung from the mouths of great devotees. Recently, we had the inconceivable good fortune to get blessings and association of more than 70 senior devotees, including some of your disciples, during the last year.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you become most happy with the book distribution scores. For your pleasure, we managed to have both of our saṅkīrtana buses going out for book distribution. Last year we distributed 327 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets, 42 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets, 43 Śrīla Prabhupādalīlāmṛta sets, 32,036 Mahā-big books, 1,575 big books, 2,706 medium books, and 16,808 small books. In August 2022, your ISKCON Ujjain temple was ranked fth in the world in the large temples category, and during that time, it marked the biggest increase of 641 percent and 20,245 book points.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, by your mercy ISKCON Ujjain had the following notable achievements last year:
1 NIDC meeting was held in Ujjain, in which more than 60 senior devotees participated.
2. Śrīla Prabhupāda Memorial Festival was a great success. 12 senior devotees, including your disciples, came, and over 2000 devotees participated.
3. A mega youth event for MANIT, Bhopal, entitled UDDIPAN was organized in which more than 2000 students participated. His Grace Amogha-līlā Prabhu was the speaker.
4 Gītā Leadership Contest (GLC) was organized with the participation of around 1200 candidates.
5 ISKCON Ujjain is certi ed under the “Blissful Hygienic O ering to God” (BHOG), as per benchmarks established by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).
6. We have begun the process of renovating Govindas.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is our insigni cant o ering. With faltering words and folded hands, we pray Your Divine Grace to be merciful unto us. Please benedict us with the eternal shelter of your lotus feet so that we can engage in your service.
We beg to remain, e humble servants of your servants, Devotees at ISKCON Ujjain
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All Glories to you.
I am honored to write on behalf of ISKCON Vadodara, and I am humbled by the opportunity to o er my thoughts on this auspicious day of Vyāsa-pūjā. As I re ected on what would be the most pleasing o ering, I recalled a question asked to you by Nirantara Prabhu during a Sunday Feast Lecture in Atlanta on March 2, 1975 “Prabhupāda, what pleases you the most?” Your response was simple yet profound: “If you love Kṛṣṇa.” Similarly, in other instances, you have advised us to express our love for Kṛṣṇa through chanting to please you. As humble devotees, we are inspired by these answers and thought of putting our o ering in this connection.
e most sublime way to express our love and devotion to Kṛṣṇa is by sharing how we strive to serve Him through various endeavors, all of which are in alignment with the purpose of ISKCON. With this in mind, we humbly present to you our report on how ISKCON Vadodara and its congregation have endeavored to ful ll the seven purposes of ISKCON, along with our plans (Kṛṣṇa willing) for the upcoming year. It is my sincerest hope that by perusing this report, you will be satis ed by our e orts and bestow upon us your blessings so that we may continue to serve with unwavering enthusiasm and dedication throughout the year.
1 To systematically propagate 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.
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of mass outreach to society at large through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
Monthly Youth Festival
Large numbers of students are called across various colleges of Vadodara and various spiritually inspiring lectures are o ered from distinct and exemplary invited speakers.
Over 1500 students Over 1800 students
Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā
One of the unique festivals where people from various religious beliefs (even Islam) also participate in welcoming Jagannāthajī and it really achieve the purpose of unity and peace
Over 2 lakh people Over 2 lakh people
Janmāṣṭamī Temple has the largest Janmāṣṭamī festival gathering in Vadodara, where the temple facilitated darśana timing in max 30 min from start to end
It’s the festival of main attraction post-Diwali where huge numbers of people gather to see Govardhanajī made out of rice and various preparations o ered to him. Also, feast prasāda is o ered to each and every visitor
YouTube Channel We are broadcasting daily Bhāgavatam, Bhagavadgītā and also special lectures live on YouTube due to which able to approach people digitally and increase our outreach span.
Over 1 5 Lakh people
Over 1 5 Lakh People Govardhana P
Over 40 thousand people
Over 40 thousand people
Over 2600 subscribers Over 3000 subscribers
Next year a Mega Annual Youth Festival will be organized where over 1,500 students are expected to participate from all the colleges in and around Vadodara City ex Halol, Surat, Anand, etc. Need your blessing, Prabhupāda, that we should able to organize this successfully for your pleasure.
2. To propagate a consciousness of Kṛṣṇa (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of systematic education of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
6 Session Program for Congregation
Discover Yourself and One time programs for college students
Bhakti Śāstrī Course
Systematic classes are given to build the base of spiritual understanding covering thematic understanding most important subjects mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā
Systematic sessions for modern Youth to provide scienti c understanding of Vedic culture and science to build fundamental spiritual understanding.
To provide a systematic understanding of 4 fundamental books – NOI, ISO, BG and NOD
Over 800 Over 1000
Over 500 Over 600
20 Over 22
3 To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Kṛṣṇa, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Kṛṣṇa).
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of bringing belongingness with our movement through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
Bhakti-Vṛkṣa Programs for congregation
Here senior congregation members leading these program where group of members come together for giving and taking guidance, inspiration and care from other members
Snāna-yātrā Festival e congregation comes together to prepare humongous items for the pleasure of Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā. Whole congregation works late night and early morning and help in organize bhoga for their Lordships on this day.
7 Bhakti-vṛkṣa Programs over 200 participants
1151 items, around 70 Families
Bhakti- śāstrī Course To provide a systematic understanding of 4 fundamental books – NOI, ISO, BG and NOD 20
Over 8
Bhakti-vṛkṣa Programs over 300 participants
Over 1300 items, Around 80 Families
20
4 To teach and encourage the saṅkīrtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of spreading the holy names wide across through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
Activity Impact
Sunday Saṅkīrtana
Saṅkīrtana with Prasad Distribution
Makarasaṅkrānti Distribution
Japa Meditation experience Stall
Every Sunday there are 5 di erent parties carry out saṅkīrtana at 5 di erent places in Vadodara.
Every afternoon and evening prasāda distribution along with saṅkīrtana is carried out which brings many people to Temple and help them participate in the same
On this special day, January 14, tremendous amount of prasāda is distributed going to various locations in the city and saṅkīrtana tape is played while distributing prasāda.
During Janmāṣṭamī where we attract huge crowd, a lot of people are inspired to chant one round of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra
On an average 50 devotees go on saṅkīrtana
On an average 400 people daily
Over 4000 people
On an average 50 devotees go on saṅkīrtana
On an average 400 people daily
Over 4400 people
Over 2000 mālā chanted Over 2200 mālā to get chanted
5 To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Kṛṣṇa.
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of erecting holy places through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
Solar Panels
Brahmacārī āśrama Expansion
Deity Kitchen enhancement and expansion
Guest House Expansion
First Lift in temple
Electricity needed for temple is partially produced by solar panels, due to which over 25 percent of the electricity bill was reduced
With increasing devotees joining temple full time there was a need to create more and better facility and thus 14 rooms and 2 conference room were built and existing rooms were upgraded
To provide better storage facility for the dresses of the Deity and larger place for cooking during festival days expansion of the deity kitchen was carried out. Also main Deity kitchen itself was upgraded to provide better cleanliness, facilities and aesthetics.
9 new rooms are getting build over and above existing facility to facilitate more guests during big events carried out during temple premises
To provide access to elderly people to Govinda’s ali Restaurant hydraulic lift was installed
For next year following construction activity is planned:
Activity Impact
Gośālā Expansion
Temple Garbha-gṛha Renovation
New land for gośālā is in search and we will be buying bigger land to better take care of increased number of cows.
Renovation of the chandeliers and expansion of the existing space of the garbha-gṛha is planned
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of simple living and high thinking through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
Activity Impact
65
GOŚĀLĀ Cows are maintained, fed and
is used for their Lordships’ service
Around 60000 thalis & 3600 snacks Around 70000 thalis & 10,000 snacks
7 With a view toward achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.
At ISKCON Vadodara, we humbly strive to contribute toward the purpose of book distribution through various activities. ese activities are brie y mentioned below for your kind perusal.
December Marathon
Bhādra Pūrṇimā, ŚrīmadBhāgavatam Set Distribution
Every Sunday, when the 5 groups of devotees go out for saṅkīrtana, book distribution is also carried out. Also within temple, Matchless Gift stalls and various other places books are regularly distributed.
December marathon all congregation comes together to especially distribute more books than other months
Special festival which is celebrated to distribute complete Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and devotees enthusiastically participate for the same
34478 books
40000 books
16703 books
25000 books
Approx. 30 200
Dear Prabhupāda, we humbly o er our prayers at your lotus feet. Although we understand that our activities may seem insigni cant in your grand mission, we aspire to assist you in your service to your spiritual master with sincerity and devotion. May we be blessed with your empowerment as we carry out these activities, and may we put forth our utmost e ort to achieve the desired results.
With your guidance and blessings, we will strive to organize these activities with e ciency, e ectiveness, and purity. We pray that we may maintain a mood of humility and servitude, recognizing ourselves as mere instruments in the service of the Lord, in the mood of dāsānudāsa. May these activities ultimately please Kṛṣṇa and inspire a deeper love for Him within our hearts, allowing us to please you in the truest sense.
Your humble servants at ISKCON Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the year 1985 all-India padayatra was on its rst yātrā and during Janmāṣṭamī the Pāda-yātrā was in Anand, Gujarat. A grand welcome and huge program were organized in B&B polytechnic college, and at the end of the program, your disciple, His Holiness Lokanātha Swami, pointed toward a hostel and said here there should be a center of ISKCON.
After the event, His Grace Rāma Mūrti Prabhu approached the owner to o er the land for rent to organize ISKCON programs. Initially, the owner, Fulabhai, had refused, but later in his dream, he saw kīrtana happening in this place, and the Lord instructed him to gift the property to ISKCON.
In the year 1986, the hostel was modi ed into a small temple, and since then till now the Lord Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Giridhārījī has accepted our services in this small location, a hostel converted into a temple. Now as the number of visitors and devotees is increasing we are not able to accommodate visitors, and it becomes very di cult to manage during festivals as it’s an old building, there is a lot of damage.
We demolished the present temple on 21 February 2023 with the approval of the ISKCON Bureau, and the Deities Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Giridhārījī and Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā are temporarily shifted to the adjacent guest house building. Now we are planning to build a huge two-story stone temple for the pleasure of the Lordships. is stone temple shall last for more than 1000 years, and eir Lordships shall keep giving darśana. Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us so that we can build a great palace for eir Lordships within a time span of three years, and by your mercy, we can expand our preaching activities. So on this year’s Vyāsa-pūjā, this is our small endeavor to please you. Please accept our loving o ering.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda, ISKCON VallabhvidhyanagarOur Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana! All glories to Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi!
It is our undeservingly great fortune to get this opportunity to write an o ering for your Vyāsapūjā celebration. Writing this o ering mainly serves as a process to meditate upon your glories and derive inspiration more than glori cation itself, for your glories are limitless and cannot be fathomed by our mere mundane, contaminated consciousness. Dear jagat-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda, you appeared in this material world during this most inauspicious Kali-yuga as the one and only Commander-in-chief of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to give His teachings and to spread the congregational chanting of the holy name all over the globe. ere was no ācārya either in the past or in the future that humanity will ever witness as great as Your Divine Grace. is is a loosely paraphrased statement of an exalted and senior mahā-bhāgavata from Madhvācārya paramparā.
How fortunate we are to be able to associate with Your Divine Grace through your direct disciples, recorded videos, lectures, and, most importantly, the life-transforming Bhaktivedanta Purports! Śrīpād Rāmānujācārya appeared to defeat nirviśeṣa (impersonalism) and establish Vaiṣṇavism. Before that Śrīpād Śaṅkarācārya appeared to eradicate śūnyavāda (voidism) and reestablish the Vedas. But you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, came to chase away both nirviśeṣa and śūnyavāda
together, which were rampant in the English-speaking world and brought a global revival of Personalism (Vaiṣṇavism). You tactfully exploited the attitude of the “East following the West” and thus successfully revived Lord Caitanya’s teachings in India as well. Today, lots of youths from bhārata-bhūmi are embracing Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism and chanting the holy name with great enthusiasm.
Here, in Vancouver, New Gokula Dhāma, also we have an insurgence of many young devotees who have been enthusiastically serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana and eir devotees. e temple management understands the importance of nurturing and developing strong devotional principles in these young devotees and striving to develop programs to keep them inspired in their devotional life. is is a very challenging task, and with your blessings and mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we hope to accomplish this goal.
Another major task facing us in New Gokula Dhāma is to build a strong, vibrant community of devotees who are cooperative, loving, and caring to each other and serving eir Lordships and your lotus feet. us, we become a shelter for many more new devotees to come. Cooperation is the only way by which we can express our commitment and love for you. As the ācārya of the worldwide movement, you put cooperation as the most important attribute above all other qualities because the spirit of cooperation is THE antidote for this age of quarrel and hypocrisy. is single quality of cooperation encompasses many other qualities, such as sacri ce, tolerance, respect, humility, gratitude, service, and many more. Cooperation is the functional façade of those above-mentioned qualities. Above all, only through cooperative spirit can we truly show our love for you and become eligible to go back home back to Godhead. e lack of cooperation, on the other hand, distinctly puts us on the opposite end of the spectrum. Yet, it pains to see that there is a constant threat to that very life-sustaining air (cooperation) of our global movement. It is the responsibility of every individual to do their part toward the local community and eventually to the global community.
As our congregation is growing, the existing temple is shrinking in size. So, we are fervently working toward building a new temple for eir Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana and for your pleasure. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said that if we were sincere, Kṛṣṇa would help us. Since everything belongs to Him, He can provide. So please make us sincere so that Kṛṣṇa will help with whatever is needed to build a new temple.
You boldly declared to eir Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsabihārī in Juhu, Mumbai, “I shall build you a temple.” You did it despite so many di culties. Prabhupāda, please grant us the courage and determination to build a new temple as soon as possible. On this auspicious occasion, we seek your blessings to be engaged in your service more and more in a cooperative spirit.
Sincerely,
Your servants,
Manu D āsa (Temple President) Mathurā-līlā Devī D āsī (Council member) Jānakī Jīvana D āsa (Council member) Nanda Gopāla D āsa (Council member)New
Gokula DhāmaVancouver, BC, Canada
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. All glories to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. All glories to Śrī Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya guru- śiṣya-sampradāya.
We are serving here at ISKCON Varanasi temple under the able leadership and inspiration of His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja, His Grace Devakīnandana Prabhu, His Holiness Bhakti Pracāra Parivrājaka Mahārāja and His Holiness Bhakti Prema Mahārāja. Right at the outset of this o ering, we wish to express our gratitude with moistened eyes that you have blessed us so much that in the last 1–2 years, the family of Vaiṣṇavas here has swelled so nicely and so many senior devotees have been giving their association frequently, and we also have got so many opportunities to serve. All beyond anything we ever deserved. ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
In our few years of experience here at Varanasi, the activities we love the most are coming together to study your books and coming together to participate in harināma saṅkīrtana and prasāda distribution. Your vāṇī contains the wisdom and the sūtras for an eternal life of knowledge and bliss in the same spirit as originally given by Śrī Vyāsadeva and as taught by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. Each chapter and each purport of your classical Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is like a special diamond. Even each of your small and medium-sized books, like Śrī Īśopaniṣad, is like a masterpiece of a lifetime. We wonder how will we ever be able to thank you for your eternal gifts of books, the holy name, the association of devotees, and the opportunities to render sevā
I also wish to submit to you that the devotees in our little yātrā are doing very nicely in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, putting their heart and sweat in sādhana as well as sevā Seeing them, I truly feel that you have created a house in which the entire world can live.
Words fail me when I especially think of those devotees who are sel essly contributing to your mission with responsibility, dedication, and innumerable sacri ces. Your example and the blueprint which you have given in service to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu are their beacon lights. I wish you bless all of them thoroughly with your causeless mercy so that they are able to drown in the nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema, resulting in their forever loving service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopāla.
I saw here amongst the devotee leaders the power of purity and sincerity, the power of organization and intelligence, the power of faithfulness and loyalty. I observed the strength which comes from the willingness of devotees to unite in friendship with mutual love and trust despite having di erences and reasons to distance themselves. I saw the power of faith and the power of good relationships. I was amazed by their ability to smile while working hard and facing struggles together, as if they were saying, “As long as we are together in service of guru and Kṛṣṇa, where is any inconvenience? It’s all ecstasy!” I witnessed in the last three years the e ect of spiritual inspiration, well-organized teamwork, focused endeavors and visionary leadership.
On behalf of our community leaders, preachers, mātājīs, youths, kids and supporters, I once again o er our gratitude to you for teaching us and leading us into loving Kṛṣṇa, into doing harināma saṅkīrtana as taught by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and for giving us ISKCON and each other. Śrīla Prabhupāda thank you for disseminating such pure values of life which turn any situation into a blessed one.
His Grace Devakīnandana Prabhu had always told us that at Varanasi and Prayagraj, he wants the focus to be on Vaiṣṇava hospitality and youth outreach, so that beautiful temples and communities grow here and the devotees visiting on pilgrimage tours get nicely facilitated. And then after
a few years when temples are established and communities are stable, Kṛṣṇa consciousness should spread onto the unlimited number of villages around these cities.
Toward that purpose, we now have two big youth centers for BHU & IIT students. Devotees are preaching very enthusiastically.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the last two marathons, Varanasi devotees could distribute more books than were ever distributed in Varanasi over two decades.
By the special dedication of our core team for a new temple project called “Vedic India Cultural Centre” (VICC), we could also begin temple construction, and the foundation has already been cast. It is a mammoth task for our small, inexperienced and young team but simply based on our faith and camaraderie, we have taken it up with con dence in the mercy of your lotus feet and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. We do not know how the funds wil come and how the project will be completed, but we know it will de nitely happen.
So we seek your special blessings, especially on those devotees who are taking serious responsibilities in the sevā is is a place of Lord Śiva, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Śrīla Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Bindu Mādhava, Śrī Gaṅgā Maiyā, Śrī Yamunā Maiyā and Śrī Tapana Miśra. Surely some miracles will be planned by you to help in this temple project. While being helpless ourselves in front of this herculean task, we also stand con dent, enthusiastic and patient of your mercy.
We must also share with you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that this winter season, we also tried to do preaching to some foreigners who come as visitors to Varanasi. We had the presence and association of His Grace Devavrata Prabhu from Los Angeles, USA, for almost three months, who would go out with young brahmacārīs to Ganges ghāṭas and foreigners’ alleys to distribute books, do harināma and recruit some spiritual seekers. ough we do not have any concrete results to o er to you yet, we are happy that we are trying to serve.
You would also be pleased to know, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that a team of our congregation devotees regularly go on weekly harināma saṅkīrtanas in various parts of Varanasi city and share Mahāprabhu’s mercy with everyone in the form of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and the opportunity to serve (donations for temple project). And in the temple campus, every day, prasāda distribution goes on for everyone. In fact, by your grace, we have recently also got a dedicated and customized vehicle for prasāda distribution and book distribution. Haribol!
I also feel very happy to inform you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that during the last one year, involvement of children and young girls has also increased very much in our ISKCON Varanasi community especially due to the e orts of some young couples from the congregation. It gives so much joy to see that the future can be so bright and that everyone in society can be engaged in service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopālajī.
One of the best things in our Varanasi temple community are regular Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur yātrās for devotees and also rst-class festivals. Again this year, we had excellent Janmāṣṭamī and Rādhāṣṭamī festivals, Gaura-Pūrṇimā ower festival, Jagannātha Ānanda bazaar festival, New Year festival, Edu esta with 300 teenagers and especially our annual youth festival “Impressions” (saṁskāra) with the participation of 1800 youths. ese festivals bring great joy to the devotees, gives them a platform to utilize their talents in Kṛṣṇa’s service, and provides colorful experience and opportunities to hundreds of people to come closer to Kṛṣṇa in one shot. is year we also had a special art gallery exhibition for a few days at the best local auditorium as well as at BHU, displaying hand-made canvas paintings with depictions of your pastimes, achievements, and your beloved disciples. We all felt proud to be sharing your legacy with one and all.
You would also be pleased to know that we all got the wonderful opportunity to assist and serve all the youth leaders of ISKCON North India by getting to host, organizing, and facilitate IIYC North India Convention 2023 at Śrī Govardhana Dhāma.
Last but not least, I wish to speci cally thank our fundraising team – for regular temple expenses, for youth outreach as well as for the temple VICC project – for showing an excellent character of sel essness, responsibility, resilience and faith. Hats o to them for taking your mission on their shoulders!
Finally, we thank our zonal team for their blessings and vision, and also our TMC leaders and general manager for their continued responsible services in their domains, their support to all the departments, their united and friendly relationships, their enthusiasm and loyalty to ISKCON movement.
When we think of your own sacri ces, dedication and love for Kṛṣṇa, we feel completely insigni cant and, at the same time blissful. erefore, O merciful Vaiṣṇava ācārya, kindly forgive us for our mistakes and o enses in our tiny little endeavors to assist you and your representatives. At the same time, we wish to be committed to improving ourselves in our sadhana-bhakti, loyalty to guru-paramparā, our śāstric study, our services and contributions, and especially in our mutual unity based on love and trust. We wish to not o end Vaiṣṇavas and be engaged in pure devotional service with our body, mind, and words throughout our lives.
ank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants, (on behalf of His Grace Devakīnandan Prabhu and the entire zonal team) Acyuta Mohana D āsa (Temple President), the TMC leaders & all Varanasi devotees
1 Vidyāpīṭha – for Systematic study of śāstras (literary)
2 Svara-brahma – kīrtana academy (music)
3 Nṛtya-vāṭikā – theatrics (dance & drama)
4 Bhojaśālā – culinary arts (sāttvika food)
5 Kalā-niketana – natural arts like painting, sketching, rangoli, etc. (general arts)
6 Dharma-kendra – training pūjārīs into philosophy & practice (to make every temple a place to disseminate dharma)
7 Saṁskṛti – value education through culture of activities, games, ślokas, etc. (for kids of age 5–12)
8 Vidyāśrama – value education through śāstric stories, activities, festivals, etc. (for teenagers of age 13–17)
9 Yuva-kṣetra – gurukula training of discipline, philosophy, lifestyle, sel ess service, and navavidhā bhakti (for youths of age 18–25)
10 Vaiṣṇavī-saṅga – for young college girls and ladies to spiritualize their life, relationships, talents, activities, and gatherings
11 Vidura-saṅga – spiritual shelter, engagements, and association for retired men in society
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana- śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
e essence of the guru-disciple relationship is based upon the disciple’s sincere service mentality, the pinnacle of which is experienced in separation. You exempli ed that from the very beginning! When you rst incorporated ISKCON, it was thirty years after your spiritual master had departed this mortal world, yet you acted in pursuance of the instructions he had personally given you, and therefore you always felt his presence in your heart and his empowering approval.
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Kṛṣṇa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. erefore, one should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day one should o er my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
In this light, we want to submit to you our Annual report of our humble e orts to serve your mission:
Your Divine Grace visited Vishakhapatnam in the year 1972, February month and it became a holy dhāma with the touch of your lotus feet since then. In line with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s wish, your pure desire for the propagation of Kṛṣṇa conscious movement in every town and village has manifested in Vishakhapatnam in the form of one of biggest Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temples in South India. It directly faces the Bay of Bengal among the serene atmosphere of green hills of the city of Vishakhapatnam.
By your causeless mercy, preaching activities are going on in full swing at ISKCON Vishakhapatnam. So far, more than a few hundred devotees have taken initiation, 500 congregation families and 5,000 life members have been enrolled since May 1999 when me and my wife together started a preaching center here in Vishakhapatnam.
In order to help these devotees to progress in the path of bhakti life with unwavering enthusiasm, online Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam classes have been organized every single day since the last three years after the hit of COVID pandemic. ey are being trained in di erent types of devotional service such as Deity worship, preaching, book distribution, kīrtana, etc. Also, they are regularly taken to di erent holy dhāmas such as Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana, and Dvārakā, every year.
Currently, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-D āmodara along with Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā Mahārāṇī Deities, Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān, Gaura-Nitāi, and Narasiṁhadeva are being worshipped in a temporary temple hall. We observe all the major annual festivals and frequently o er them
new out ts. Our Sunday Feast programs have been steadily improving, with frequent participation of congregational members. e children’s Sunday school program has been very e ective in occupying the young Vaiṣṇavas with constructive educational and creative projects and cultural presentations such as drama and singing. is is increasing their devotional sentiments while simultaneously allowing their parents to dive deeply into the temple program!
Major Festivals such as Janmāṣṭamī, Ratha-yātrā, Rāma-navamī, Narasiṁha Caturdaśī etc are being celebrated at a grand scale here at ISKCON Vishakhapatnam. Especially during Janmāṣṭamī time, a three-day ISKCON Utsava is organized every year, and more than 1 lakh visitors take darśana of the Lord on those days. is is all happening because of the empowerment given by you and your disciples and the support being extended by GBC. We always remain indebted to you for the same.
As far as the construction is concerned, three new oors were added to the existing 2- oor guest house, and it has been connected with the main temple structure by a concrete bridge.
Kalyāṇa maṇḍapam marble oor work has been completed and the marble work of the temple hall and temple altar is almost completed along with your siṁhāsana structure. Currently, the woodwork of main altars is in progress. We are working hard with an aim to complete the main temple construction and inaugurate the new temple at the earliest, and we seek your blessings to achieve the same.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, the size of our congregation has increased, and they are taking up various responsible services at the temple. Youth preaching has also increased, reaching more colleges than last year.
On the educational front, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have recently started a Bhakti-sāstrī course in Telugu and English for congregation devotees. Social media is the predominant means of communication in the modern age, and so we are striving to follow your instruction of yukta-vairāgya by employing this medium in the service of the Lord, from posting daily darśana photos and spiritual message videos on a daily basis in outreach devotee Whatsapp groups.
In order to ful ll the order of your Guru Mahārāja, thousands of Bhagavad-gītās being distributed in schools, colleges, and the Central Prison of Vizag every year. We are happy to inform you that as an extension to the ISKCON Vishakhapatnam project, another ISKCON temple is being constructed in the city of Vizianagaram, which is 50 km away from Vishakhapatnam. In Vizianagaram we have also developed a small organic farm. Both temples maintain gośālās and more than 100 cows are being protected in these gośālās.
We are delighted to inform you that ISKCON Vishakhapatnam has become a central hub for online Kṛṣṇa consciousness preaching in Telegu-speaking states both in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and around the world now.
It is our greatest fortune, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that we received shelter and mercy at your lotus feet, although we don’t have any quali cations. Your mercy is all that we possess. You have given us the priceless gem of Kṛṣṇa’s service. It is incumbent upon us to care for the devotees as well as train them to cooperate with one another. Please bless us so that we may take full advantage of this precious opportunity and strive with utsaha, niścayā, and dhairya on this journey toward Kṛṣṇa. May we always assist you in ful lling the instruction of your spiritual master. Happy Vyāsa-pūjā, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please have mercy on us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that we may continue to work together to expand your ISKCON and take full shelter in the oasis you established.
Your eternal insigni cant servants, Sāmba D āsa, Nitāi-sevinī Devī D āsī and devotees of ISKCON Vishakhapatnam
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances!
On this special day of your Vyāsa-pūjā we would like to o er you our deepest gratitude and love with these humble verses:
A lonely gure on the deck
Crossing the Atlantic ocean
With few belongings on his back
And fearless heart full of devotion.
You took the path of the greatest sage By following your master’s orders
You brought the salvation of this age
And crossed all worldly borders.
A lonely soldier of the Lord
You brought with you the holy names, And had them spread throughout the world
To burn the ignorance away.
You started solo; then you were joined By many souls who hurt and sought You taught them all so they could grow, So they could carry on your word.
Among the beggars of East End
You praised the glories of the Lord Just like a puppet in His hands You danced and pierced all with love. You never stopped, so brave and strong, And always so determined, You wanted all to sing along In every village, every country.
So here we are by your sweet grace, Hearing, remembering and chanting, We’ve taken up the holy names And bound to serving and advancing. We try to follow and serve, We’ve opened yet another center Where programs, courses, gatherings occur, And where we share the Lord’s all splendors. We serve prasādam and we preach, We print your books and distribute, We study śāstra and we teach, We try our best to contribute. With gratitude are full our hearts We bow down to your great example. Your causeless mercy never stops, And helps us even when we stumble. Your life is our guiding light, A journey of pure devotion, We pray to serve for your delight, And always being Kṛṣṇa conscious. A lonely gure on the deck, A message, mantra and a Swami, With all the saints behind his back –e General of Kṛṣṇa’s army.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, kindly guide us and protect us in our humble attempts to please you.
Your insigni cant servants at ISKCON Vita Rama Center, Bulgaria
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this most blessed day of your appearance, along with devotees throughout the world, we, the residents of your Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, o er our most humble prostrated obeisances in the holy dust of your divine lotus feet!
One time, you were circumambulating Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, and your dear disciple, Viśāla Prabhu, was excitedly exclaiming over and over, “Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma kī jaya! Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma kī jaya!” You stopped walking and planted your cane on the ground, and asked, “So, you like this place?” “O Prabhupāda, it’s wonderful!” en with a ick of your wrist, you replied, “ en take it, it’s yours!” is is your amazing power that, simply with a ick of your wrist, you can bestow Vṛndāvana to anyone.
We often marvel at how you left such a wonderful place at the fag end of your life and crossed the great ocean to spread the divine message of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu to the Western world. We are unable to fathom the great compassion for the fallen souls that impelled you on this most merciful mission to a foreign land where you had not a penny or a friend. You struggled alone and mentioned, “Here I am sitting in New York, the world’s greatest city, such a magni cent city, but my heart is always hankering after Vṛndāvana… I should be very happy to return to my Vṛndāvana, that sacred place.” Gradually, some persons began to listen to your message and take up the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You gave Vṛndāvana to the world and then returned to establish the most beautiful temple in ISKCON, Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, and brought the whole world to Vṛndāvana. It was on an empty plot far from the center of town, and people asked why you built a temple so far away; who would go there? But now, everyone sees that this is one of the most important and visited temples of Vṛndāvana. In fact, we are amazed by the throngs of pilgrims that visit your temple all year long. Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir must be the most visited temple in all of ISKCON!
We, the most fortunate residents of Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, are striving to ful ll your great desires for this temple. We are most happy to report to you that, without going anywhere, just from the temple alone, we are sometimes distributing more than two thousand of your books every day. We get more than a thousand people a day to chant one full round of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in your Samādhi Mandir. Not only that, but we travel every day to various villages of Vraja and get more than a hundred people in each village to chant one round of Hare Kṛṣṇa.
You were always fond of prasāda distribution, so we are extremely happy to report to you that daily sometimes more than twenty thousand cups of khicuḍi prasāda are distributed to the pilgrims visiting your temple. For one year, all visiting devotees can take full breakfast and lunch prasāda for free in our large prasāda hall.
You were always concerned about Deity worship, and we are happy to report to you that the standard here is one of the highest in the world. You will be glad to know that, as per your desire, all the garlands are lovingly strung by the devotees themselves. Every morning, we’re astounded by the incredible beauty of the garlands and ower ornaments they so carefully fashion.
Your desire was that twenty-four-hour kīrtana goes on in the temple room. We are very pleased
to inform you that for decades, kīrtana is constantly going on very successfully. e visiting pilgrims love to chant and dance with us and be introduced to the bliss of Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana.
Concerned that even in the holy land of Vṛndāvana, your disciples could not get pure cow milk, you established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gośālā with just a few cows and a small piece of land. Now, we have almost ve hundred animals, and you will be very happy to know that to ful ll your last desire, we have acquired a large tract of land not far from the temple. ere we established the Bhaktivedanta Eco Farm to produce our own food and provide more area for the cows.
Like a loving grandfather, you always looked after the health of your devotees. Our Devotee Care Department very e ciently and carefully takes care of all the medical needs of your followers.
In your Samādhi Mandir, we have replaced your āsana with a solid carved marble āsana that looks glorious. Your devotees have completely remodeled the Samādhi Museum with gorgeous, colorful dioramas, including the guru-paramparā on down to yourself receiving initiation from your Divine Master Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
Now devotees from all over the world take part in our temple programs, āratis, and classes, both in English as well as Hindi, broadcast live online by Vṛndāvana TV twenty-four hours a day.
Not only do we have Prabhupāda Vāṇī Āśrama, very close to the temple, but we have also expanded with a Jagannātha Mandir in Caitanya Vihāra, where many brahmacārīs reside. Just recently, we acquired an extension center in Rukmiṇī Vihāra to accommodate the crowds of devotees who come to visit. It has two oors and a basement with twenty-four guest rooms, a large temple room where Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda preside, and a rst-class festival kitchen and prasāda hall.
Very soon, we will embark on the most ambitious plan of construction of an ashram, guesthouse, prasāda hall, conference rooms, and other new amenities on the land next to your temple. is will expand our shrinking facilities and provide more services for the resident devotees, as well as visiting pilgrims. We seek your kind blessings on us for the success of this project.
It is our sincere hope that when you look down from Goloka, you will be pleased with our endeavors to beautify and expand that place you a ectionately referred to as your home. Please continue to shower your unlimited mercy on the devotees of Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir who are striving to please Your Divine Grace!
Your loving servants of ISKCON Vṛndāvana
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. You have shown by your example how a missionary should be in ISKCON. You toured the world 14 times and established 108 temples.
We cannot even think of giving or doing something for you in return for what you have given us. But nonetheless, I want to mention some endeavors that devotees here in ISKCON Warangal have been keeping.
We are happy to say the ISKCON Warangal temple, which was constructed in 1999 by His Grace Nanda Gopāla Prabhu, is doing well and expanding in all the temple activities.
We have been doing Sunday Feast Program consistently, where tens and hundreds of congregation devotees attend and nourish their bhakti-latā. We have conducted and organized all the Vaiṣṇava festivals where hundreds of devotees attend the ceremony and take darśana of eir Lordships.
We started the new IYS preaching in the year 2021. You have always focused on recruiting young intelligent brains who can lead and manage our temple while expanding preaching activities.
Every year we conduct several regular youth yātrās and camps where several boys from local colleges are taking bene t and getting a taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
We conducted grand Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā in 2022, where thousands of Warangal residents got a chance to take darśana of Śrī Śrī Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā and Sudarśana.
During COVID we did Food for Life prasāda distribution to several needy people in Warangal.
Our next plan is to expand preaching and temple renovation so that many new people can get connected to the temple and get bene tted.
Dear Prabhupāda, please bless us in this endeavor so that we can continue and expand this temple in outreach and training devotees, which His Grace Nanda Gopāla Prabhujī has done till he departed from this world in the year 2021
On behalf of the Warangal management committee, headed by His Grace Sītārāma Prabhu and His Grace Varada Kṛṣṇa Prabhu,
Your servant,
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories unto you.
You were, and still are, Like a rare and wondrous bird Who ew in and swept us away With your critique of this world and Your vision of the spiritual sky We are still in awe of the Wingspan of your devotion
Your con dence in the teachings
Of Lord Caitanya and Kṛṣṇa Was unfaltering, soaring high Into the rocky crevices of our hearts Swooping low to bring light to the Darkest valleys of our minds
You ew from shore to shore Stopping here and there With the song of devotional service To help us look up and away from our despair You were real and honest and cared And were also strong and fearless, and bold You built communities one by one Like the sparrow facing the daunting task Of draining the ocean drop by drop And you were also like the cātaka bird Drinking the raindrops of hari-kathā In the early morning hours when All the world was asleep e quiet and deep work of sealing Devotion into the pages of your books. But most of all, you were A kind and compassionate human A learned and wise spiritual guide Who held our feet to the re Wake up, you said earnestly Don’t think birth, death, Disease and old age won’t happen to you Remember who you are, remember Kṛṣṇa, your dear friend, and go home.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your Divine Lotus Feet. All glories to you on this most auspicious appearance day of your divine Vyāsa-pūjā!
You are the most fearless ācārya in this world! You are fearless and have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. at made you succeed over great hardship.
You left behind being a respected sādhu in Vṛndāvana, You headed for the world to the most in uenceable city New York, You became homeless, sharing a room with a crazy and dangerous drug addict and nally you succeeded over birth. disease, old age, death, spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
With your oceanic smile and laughter you made the Supreme Personality of Godhead available to modern society, for all next young generations to come, by introducing bhakti-yoga education and make very ecstatic devotees out of them.
Anyone who knows about the quali cations of a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa can see that You are this wonderful personality who got empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself to execute His Supreme Will.
Indeed, it is a great fortune for all of us younger disciples to be able to follow the instructions of such a Personality and to recognize that without your grace we are unable. We are relying on your endless compassion and We pray in the hope of attaining shelter in the shade of your lotus feet. You have given us Kṛṣṇa, our gurus and a whole new life. Without your guidance and the care of your students, we do not know how we would have gotten through this year. You say that this knowledge gives freedom. Yes, that is a fact. We see how those who do not study spiritual literature su er. Of course, we also su er, but in the hearts of the devotees there is an unshakable understanding that there is something more – a relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And we know that the day will come when we will be able to fully understand this knowledge. anks to You, we have found a quiet harbor under the shelter of your disciples –M. Dina Śaraṇa Devī D āsī and Cakravartī Prabhu. ey are amazing. We continue our services. ank you for opening up a new, beautiful world for us.
We wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the opportunity to be in your Kṛṣṇa conscious society. We are immensely fortunate souls to know about Kṛṣṇa and His associates. And de nitely, only by your grace we still practice and hold on with all our strength to this wonderful ISKCON society, no matter how di cult it is in life.
Your words in the holy scriptures are always inspiring, and we are very glad to be in the paramparā of students, to accept refuge with Your disciple.
And we always pray to You to be useful in the mission of our Gurudeva, in Your Mission and the mission of Lord Caitanya Himself. ank you! ank you! All glory to you!
You showed us the true path back to God and led us along this path! Your compassion for us fallen souls, and Your endless devotion to the mission of your gurudeva is so great that we can conceive the purity of the human spirit.
Forgive our stupidity! Out of habit, we try to understand with our head, forgetting that a great soul can only be known with a loving heart.
Since time immemorial, we have forgotten about God; with the help of your disciples who love you and are in nitely devoted to you and your mission and by your grace and the grace of Kṛṣṇa, we have access to the holy dhāma. is is another form of life where the light of the loving heart is poured everywhere.
We grew up in countries where it is believed that God is to be feared and we should not anger Him. It is still hard for us to accept that He loves us. And in the holy dhāma the air consists of this love. Gurudeva, please help us overcome the hardness of our hearts. Help us to hear Kṛṣṇa everywhere and in everyone! You are trying to give us something huge and beautiful!
Just don’t leave us, please! We try our best, and we will continue to try. We will persist and be patient. Just be with us always!
When we rst read your books, we are deeply a ected by the depth of knowledge about the science of God. ere is a strong desire to follow your instructions, no matter what. And by continuing to read, we received a lot of instructions that changed our life completely. After some time, we
try to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Coming to meet with ISKCON devotees, we begin to feel the purity of your mercy. We are most impressed by your books and your disciples who are spreading the mercy of Lord Caitanya. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for this grace that has changed our lives completely. So much time later, we notice how many people you saved from the hands of material energy. All we can give you in return is our life, which we are trying to put in the service of your mission.
Every day, and once a year especially, comes the opportunity to praise You in some very special way. We thank you for giving us a spiritual teacher so faithful to your path and the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Your teachings through the memories of your disciples and recordings of your walks give us hope that we are also among your disciples and can follow your teachings. Your words excite and soothe the heart, all at the same time. ey are always true and simple. Please bless us to be able to see Kṛṣṇa always and in everything and to be able to follow your instructions under the guidance of our dear spiritual masters.
We are very grateful to You for being very merciful to us; you gave us Vedic knowledge and showed us by Your example how to serve the Lord and teach us that the Lord is a person and how to build relationships with Him correctly. Our material life would have been much more di cult and useless if it weren’t for you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You teach us not to be attached to material things and to look at life in a much easier manner.
Your Divine Grace saved our life with your knowledge and devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. It took some time, but after so many years of dealing with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we became serious devotees that follow the regulations given by you, the spiritual master. Because of you, we happily chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra daily and experience transcendental bliss. We cannot thank You enough for Your devotees, disciples, and for all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas for presenting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
We admire Your exceptional endeavor in spreading and making Kṛṣṇa consciousness known worldwide in such a short time. During the past years, we could learn very important things from your classes. ank you for the multiple opportunities to increase spiritual knowledge worldwide. Some instructions sound austere, and we have to think about them longer in order to be able to understand and be able to follow them.
Our most demoniac misery is left far behind, for you keep saving us from being blind, and you keep putting us in our right place again and again, Your Divine Grace. Fearless in the protection of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, you withstood all attacks by the materialists’ greed. You speak to us through all Your vāṇī, that bhakti is real vedānta.
At your feet, more and more jīvas come to sit, for as Caitanya’s messenger, you are so t.
You duly ful lled your master’s desire to preach in the West, where all minds are dire. ank you for giving us service and instructions, which make us happy and free of obstructions. Eternally grateful, aspiring servants of your servants, of your servants’ servants bow to your lotus feet.
Vyāsa-pūjā o ering to His Divine Grace Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness kī jaya!
Your unworthy servants, ISKCON Wiesbaden Hari Nāma Deśa devotee community, Germany
Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder of ISKCON, was (rather is) a great visionary and spiritual leader who dedicated his life to spreading the teachings of ancient Vedic wisdom throughout the world. His tireless e orts, determination, and unwavering faith in the power of devotion inspired countless individuals to embrace the path of bhakti-yoga and transform their lives.
As ISKCON members, we are forever grateful to Śrīla Prabhupāda for his unparalleled contribution to our organization and to the world at large. His sel ess service, compassion, and deep understanding of the human condition have left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings emphasize the importance of spiritual realization, which can be attained through the practice of bhakti-yoga, the path of devotion to the Supreme Lord. He stressed the need for individuals to cultivate a deep love and reverence for God and to understand that the ultimate goal of life is to attain His eternal service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda also emphasized the importance of living a simple, austere lifestyle in harmony with nature and of recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings. He encouraged us to follow a vegetarian diet, which is not only healthy for our bodies but also reduces harm to animals and the environment.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s legacy lives on through ISKCON, which has grown to become a global organization with thousands of dedicated members and followers. His teachings continue to inspire people from all walks of life to embrace a more spiritual and meaningful existence and to work toward a better world for all.
As ISKCON members, we strive to follow in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s footsteps and to embody the principles of bhakti-yoga in our daily life. We are deeply grateful for his life and teachings, which have touched so many hearts and transformed so many lives. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Regards, ISKCON Yamunanagar bhakta-vṛnda
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī.
You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to Śrī Śrī Gaura Hari Dayāla Nitāi!
It is very di cult to express in words what you mean to us – it is not possible. You saved us and gave us a purpose of life. You have taught us everything. You are our “life saver.” How can a drop of ocean water properly reciprocate with the vast ocean? is is what we feel about writing this o ering to you. All we can do is express our sincere and deepest gratitude for an excellent program of Kṛṣṇa consciousness you have given to us to develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. ere is no day when we do not remember you for this most amazing gift you have given to us. Just remembering this gives us strength and enthusiasm to walk and progress on the path of devotional service.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all the unlimited ways and means by which we can serve you and your dynamic mission. Daily temple programs (maṅgala-ārati, nityam-bhāgavata-sevā, serving Deities with love and devotion), kīrtana, harināma, book distribution, Food for Life, Sunday Love Feast and many more and thus engaging our speci c abilities in your service. Otherwise, what else would we be doing? Our time would be wasted satisfying our senses and searching for happiness where it doesn’t exist. You have shown us the ways and means by which we can attain the goal of meaningful human life. You are always with us through your books, lectures, etc., without which we would be completely lost and live in ignorance.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you for the great compassion you are showing to all conditioned souls, even after your departure from this material world. e potency of the words shown in your books and lectures are wonderful and extraordinary. “Books are the basis and preaching is the essence.” ese words give us the opportunity to purify ourselves to reach the highest goal – love for Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your ISKCON Zambia yātrā is eight years old on paper but Kṛṣṇa conscious activities started in Zambia when you rst sent Brahmānanda Prabhu here in the early seventies. We are making our best e ort to run the ISKCON center and its various activities from a humble beginning (temple programs, festivals, Ratha-yātrā, Govindas, book distribution, Food for Life, etc.).
We are fully guided and supported by the regional GBC through regular Zoom meetings, and informed about global and regional activities.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are highly indebted to you for the sacri ce you undertook for the mission for the bene t of us all. We feel that we owe our lives to you as you have stolen our hearts. We pray that this relationship progresses eternally and immensely so that we serve you better every day.
Your humble and grateful servants at ISKCON Zambia
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
When we worship Śrīmatī Tulasī Devī daily as part of the temple morning program you gave us, we sing the phrase sevā-adhikāra diye: “Please give me the privilege of devotional service.” By reciting this prayer as part of our daily practice, we are regularly reminded of the unsurpassable value of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. You faithfully passed on to us this conclusion of the voluminous Vedic literature, whose followers often consider other goals to be of the highest value. Despite our being completely unquali ed to come to the right conclusion about life’s highest goal, you have mercifully blessed us with that knowledge.
You launched Back to Godhead magazine to inform readers that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that pure devotional service to Him is the purpose of everyone’s existence. You, therefore, wrote articles that dealt primarily with topics within the categories of sambandha and abhidheya, and later instructed BTG’s editors to publish similar articles.
You taught that sambandha-jñāna awakens and nourishes appreciation for Lord Kṛṣṇa, which naturally inspires gratitude toward Him and the desire to serve Him with love. Because the writers, editors, and others who serve your Back to Godhead align with that aim, we are con dent that readers are bene ting from the magazine and making progress toward the true realization of sevāadhikāra, the privilege of devotional service. We pray that our humble e orts will result in a magazine that inspires its readers in their devotional convictions. And we pray that you are pleased with our e orts and will bless us with an ever-increasing appreciation for your engaging us in this way.
You have written that prema-bhakti is the stage of relishing and sādhana-bhakti the stage of improving. Our service to your magazine, which you founded under the order of your Guru Mahārāja and was thus an expression of your devotional commitment to him, can surely assist us in our attempts to improve our edgling devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa, so that one day we may achieve the stage of relishing mature love of Godhead.
Please continue to bless us to be engaged in this service to your exalted mission.
Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your servants at Back to Godhead magazine
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, all glories to you and your divine mission.
We lie prostrate at your Lotus Feet and o er our humble obeisances and o er these insu cient words honoring your appearance day.
Forty-six times, this planet has circumambulated around Vivasvān since you transcended the mortal coil. While us disciples’ vision is fading in our advanced years, our memory of you remains visceral.
e Bhaktivedanta Archives exists as the repository of your teachings. Your mission is our mission in so far as to keep safe and disperse those words, writings, and images so others now and in the future can embrace and absorb them by seeing your smile and grace, hearing your voice, vāṇī and reading the unbroken truth brought down through the ages from Vivasvān. You once said:
Yes. My Guru Mahārāja passed in 1936, and I started this movement in 1965, thirty years after. en? I am getting the mercy of guru. is is vāṇī. Even the guru is not physically present, if you follow the vāṇī, then you are getting help.
Your vāṇī is alive and ful lling the mission imparted to you by your Guru Mahārāja. Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
We remain your most humble servants, Bhaktivedanta Archives Sta
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2 7 19 you state:
So the preliminary quali cation for entering into the devotional service of the Lord is that one become a willing cooperator, and as such, one should voluntarily cooperate with persons who are already engaged in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord.
e devotees serving in your North America BBT o ce strive to cooperate with one another and with other devotees (headed by ISKCON North America’s leaders). In 2022, that internal and external cooperation resulted in sales of 1,297,575 books, including 3,511 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and 649 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets.
Please bless us with ever-increasing success in our attempts to please you by producing and distributing your transcendental literature.
Your servants at the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles, California.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I o er my humble obeisances to you.
Glorifying the spiritual master is not only a duty but also a wonderful meditation. Although it requires e ort, it is one of the most uplifting experiences for a devotee. ank you for the opportunity to speak to you.
I wish to glorify you for your direction, teachings, surrender, and generosity. You understand the spiritual world and the material world. You know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Currently, I am in the serene and devotional atmosphere of the temple room at New Rādhākuṇḍa dhāma, in front of you, Śrī Śrī Gāndharvikā-Giridhārī, and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. I am re ecting on the great fortune you recently bestowed upon me: a visit to Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma and Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma. It was an important journey for me, and I constantly thought of your struggles and achievements. I was able to visit the places where you walked, worshiped, and made plans to save the world.
I tried to visualize what you had encountered, what the land looked like, how nature sounded, how the air felt, how Mother Gaṅgā owed, and how the locals engaged. I meditated on your creativity, positivity, integrity, determination, and enthusiasm. No impediment was too great for you. You chanted, prayed, and took enormous risks for Kṛṣṇa and your spiritual master.
I have listened to many of your morning walks, room conversations, lectures, and car rides. It is overwhelming to see how genuinely interested you were in every person who came to you.
ank you for putting each one of us on an amazing journey of realizing our true identity.
ank you for inspiring us to follow in your footsteps, to meditate on you and devotees like Prahlāda, and to seek the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ank you for your explanations, instructions, and ecstasies.
I recall your statement that Kali-yuga progresses day by day, relentlessly, and that everything bad escalates at an ever-increasing pace. Sadly, I can see that happening all around me. I am stunned by the enormous amount of abuse and neglect in this world. Unfortunately, not even spiritual groups seem to be immune to the in ltration of narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths. is realization is not an easy one, but it is a necessary step.
Luckily, there are your deep and detailed purports to the Bhagavad-gītā and the ŚrīmadBhāgavatam. I am beginning to understand that the term “demon” equates to “psychopath,” and that “sinful” is equivalent to “abusive.” I am starting to understand why Kṛṣṇa teaches Arjuna about divine and demonic qualities. We need to be aware of these fundamental realities.
Our recent study of the Seventh Canto has brought so many epiphanies and realizations. Every morning program is an adventure. In one of your purports, you wrote that “demons are ordinary human beings.” What an eye-opener!
ank you for your expert guidance and for not shying away from presenting things as they are. You never present things sentimentally, and you do not sugarcoat the stark realities of life in the material world.
With your help, we can see the material world for what it is: a virtual-reality rollercoaster, a gigantic sandbox, a dream in which we can live out our fantasies until we become tired of it, until, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, we come in contact with a real teacher, an ācārya, a guide like you.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for your appearance. Kṛṣṇa has established you as the healer
of our time. Without you, we’d be like the gazillions of lost souls, unaware of their real home, unaware of how lost and lonely they are. ank you for pulling us from the maelstrom of material life, of this nightmare, toward a life of sincere devotion.
In April 1975, during your visit to Māyāpur, you declared that “Vaiṣṇavas are the best friend of society, the very best friend.” Undoubtedly, you are that best friend to all of us. You teach us to listen, demonstrate how to serve, inspire us to preach, encourage us to be helpful, and instill in us a culture of respect and service.
ere is a great deal of work to be done in terms of publishing, book distribution, and preaching. It is incumbent upon us to deeply study your teachings, wholeheartedly engage in your mission, ensure that no one is hurt or abused, and increase our support for those who have been harmed.
May the challenges of life inspire us to listen to you more attentively, follow you more closely, learn more from you, and become more compassionate and honest with one another and ourselves. May we be of help to you, Kṛṣṇa, and your devotees.
Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in many forms, and so do you. You are forever present in your books. It is remarkable how black glyphs printed on paper precisely convey the transcendental words, thoughts, realizations, and instructions that you had while translating the best of the best of transcendental literature.
Your books are deities, non-di erent from Kṛṣṇa, non-di erent from your devotion to Him. May we succeed in translating your books into many more languages. May they be distributed by the billions, so they can be read and heard in every home. Vṛndāvana is where you are. Vṛndāvana is where your books are.
Please bless us so that we may continue to follow you and your mission toward a healthy future. May we never lose sight of you.
With respect and gratitude,
On behalf of your servants at the North European BBT, Your aspiring follower Viśākhā (with a bit of help from my father)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this most auspicious day of Your Divine Grace’s Vyāsa-pūjā I beg to o er you my prostrate obeisances unlimited times.
Here at the College named after you, we try to follow your instructions from the heart, and I can say on behalf of all of us that we feel and understand your divine presence and grace every day. Per your instructions, we are trying our best to propagate the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. is is both the greatest inspiration and an unimaginable responsibility.
You often mention in your lectures or your conversations with devotees that real education is not jaḍa-avidyā, that which teaches material knowledge; real education is brahma-vidyā: to understand what is living force within our body, what is our constitutional position. at is called brah-
ma-jijñāsā, to enquire about the spirit. And this education is lacking. You have revealed to us that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfection of life and have also shown us the methods to achieve it.
Human life is especially meant for spiritual education or Krsna Conscious education. […] If we want perfect education then we must follow the principle of Bhagavad gita. Such education will help the whole human society. (Letter to Acarya Prabhakar Mishra, Bombay, May 1, 1974)
Here at the College, we are trying our best to live up to these principles that you have set; to develop, to grow, and to bring the message of Bhagavad-gītā to as many people as possible.
At the moment, the focus of everything we do is to start a doctoral school so that we can become a university in accordance with the requirements of the law. Bhaktivedanta University. When I say these two words, I get goosebumps, and tears appear in the corners of my eyes. e day will be wonderful when what is now just a plan becomes a reality. But in the meantime, we have a lot of work to do, a lot of e ort to make, and for this, we need unlimited mercy.
A few months ago, when I was standing at your samādhi in the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, I was looking at your mūrti and praying with all my heart that our e orts would be successful. Suddenly the pūjārī appeared, took a rose from your lotus feet, and threw it to me. I felt that this was an auspicious sign. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please continue to shower us with your ocean of mercy because if you do so, there is no doubt that we will succeed.
Meditating on your divine person and deeds, making these o erings, I pray that we may remain steadfastly under the shelter of your divine lotus feet forever. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please grant us the humility to always turn to you and the inspiration to hear your divine response. May the result of the e orts we make to please you proclaim your glory, which never fades.
Your unquali ed servant, who is always anxious for your causeless mercy, Gaurasundara Kṛpāmaya D āsa Bhaktivedanta College, Budapest, Hungary
2023 Vyāsa-pūjā offering – 25th anniversary of the Child Protection Office
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
ank you for the immense sacri ces you made and the hard work you put in to create this society of devotees. Serving your mission is easy and blissful due to the beauty, wonder, and sweetness of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We feel your love through your devotees, your teachings, and your wonderful ways of being. Simultaneously, serving your mission can be quite di cult, even painful, because of the deeply entrenched conditioning so many of us have.
is year commemorates the 25th anniversary of ISKCON’s Child Protection O ce. e establishment of this o ce was necessary due to the abuse Vaiṣṇava children experienced by members of ISKCON. Lack of organization and cooperation plagues our e orts to make the protection of children a standard part of how we operate. With a good policy in place as ISKCON law, the path to consistent implementation has been unclear. Missteps regularly surface, while the children bear the brunt of our shortcomings.
e precious souls taking shelter in this movement from childhood look to us to rectify the problems, and to make safe choices in order to avoid further vaiṣṇava-aparādha in the form of child abuse. Your words resound in our ears and hearts with integrity, truth, and compassion.
Your example is our guiding light through the haze of discord and disappointment that we navigate in the regular course of child protection services. Your clear and unequivocal teaching that children must be protected compels us forward, bringing hope that we can get this right.
In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.5 you wrote, “ e protection of children gives the human form of life its best chance to prepare the way of liberty from material bondage.” Children depend on adults throughout our society to make choices with their safety and well-being in mind. e 25th anniversary of ISKCON’s Child Protection O ce is an opportunity for us individually and as a society to take a moral inventory of our values and priorities; to recommit to the care and protection of those picking up their spiritual path from childhood.
Our hope and work for your culturally diverse, worldwide mission are that this year be a turning point for ISKCON to be what you intended – exemplary as to how a simple living, the high-thinking society conducts itself. ere is hardly anything more simple for human society than to protect its children which is the very foundation of a high-thinking society to function.
On the auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we glorify your teaching by example and pray ISKCON can follow accordingly. Śrīla Prabhupāda, kindly bless us with the intelligence to organize ourselves to hold the basic principle of protecting children at the core of our management of your society and as a value of every community. Please help us live up to the legacy you intended by protecting those coming to your shelter on their path home.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for being the father, grandfather, and guru that we all need. Your love reaches us in so many ways. It is an honor to serve your society.
Sincerely,
Your aspiring servants with the Child Protection O ce
(Written by Līlāśuka D āsī)Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at the dust of Your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious day of Your Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā
Śrīla Prabhupāda, here at the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry (IDWM), your words and desires for Deity Worship within ISKCON are our life and soul!
You should only do what I tell you and show you in regard to Deity worship, and never make anything up or copy something you see somewhere else. (Personal instruction to Nanda Kumāra D āsa)
As the years pass and we get further and further away from Your manifest pastimes on this material planet, we are nding a drift away from the standards that you have unequivocally established in Deity worship. Devotees are becoming increasingly creative in Deity worship, introducing new festivals, new ways of dressing the Deities as well as ways of interacting with the Deities.
e IDWM feels it is of vital importance to establish clear standards regarding your mood of worship within ISKCON.
e greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities. So don’t ask any more new questions, whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact standard as I have given you, that’s all. (Letter to Dhruvānanda, January 4, 1973.
It is clear that Deity worship is not a forum for free expression where devotees are able to o er service according to their own idea or whims but it must be o ered according to the direction of guru, sadhu, and śāstra.
Lord Caitanya explained the mood of worship to Sanātana Gosvāmī as that of awe and reverence.
sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata- śravaṇa mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevana
One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear ŚrīmadBhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.
(Cc., Madhya 22 128)
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, You imbibed Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mood of awe and reverence in Deity worship within your ISKCON.
Please continue to increase the deity worship and teach others to become a very good pujari like you. When I see my disciples doing deity worship nicely that engladdens me.
‘Sevonmukhe hi jivadau/ svayam eva sphuraty adah’, God realization is possible only by service. at is the only way.
He is adhoksaja. ‘Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajantam priti purvakam/ dadami buddhiyogam tam yena mam upayanti te’, When one engages in devotional service, Krishna gives intelligence from within. Otherwise, how the unlimited can be served by the limited? So please continue to make the worship more and more beautiful. (Letter to Turyadas, February 27, 1977)
As you mentioned to Tūrya D āsa 46 years ago, we, your servants at the IDWM, are trying to increase Deity worship and are teaching others to become good pujaris by imbibing the greatest mood of awe and reverence in worshiping the Deities as this is what is pleasing to you – and pleasing you Śrīla Prabhupāda is our mission!
We are not capable of doing anything tangible without Your mercy and guidance; we are completely dependent on You in order to achieve success. ere are so many of your sincere followers
around the world that are worshipping Deities and doing devotional service as You prescribed; we are trying to encourage these devotees and keep them connected to Your lotus feet, as per your glorious mood of worship. We are sincerely trying for your pleasure, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
On Your Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā day, we come begging at your divine lotus feet for you to please give us your mercy so that we can continue in our services at the IDWM to establish the proper mood of worship in ISKCON as per your desire.
Your servants at the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
We o er our respectful obeisances unto you, our spiritual master, who has opened our eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge. We o er our respectful obeisances unto Your Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
From dusk to dawn and then again, the service never ends It’s coast to coast, town to town with devotees we call our friends
e lessons abound, the hammers sound ready to go to task
Without your knowledge of the self, whose mercy could we ask
Oh Prabhupāda, we parade as fools in your centers here and there Still accepted as your sons, your mercy so fair
ere are pots to wash and people to greet to continue your mission pure A smile from you or encouraging nod would be worth it for sure
You’ve given prasāda to curb our lust and sevā that satis es greed Yet only time will tell if our faith is enough to cure the soul’s need
With shows and displays and tents so bright we honor the prophesied wish
For every one to know the sounds of kīrtana’s true bliss
A program designed to bring in the new, you’ve given us quite a taste
For once a man has joined the crew, real destiny he will face
From head to toe it transforms us all leaving behind the ways
Of the illusion we all knew and loved before knowing Your Divine Grace
We are praying now to continue to serve in capacities that please Chanting and dancing and feasting each day, your cure for our skin disease
e best we can do to muster a thanks for what you still give Sharing what we learn at each fest and pursuing the way that you live But we know in our hearts we can never repay the sacri ces from you With heartfelt desires, we prostrate ourselves asking permission to continue To give of our lives that which is ours, our freedom minute And join the crew eternally and experience each day absolute And nally with language inept, we simply say, “ ank you”
On behalf of Festival of India’s 2023 crew,
Written by Jagannātha Purī Dhāma D āsanama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
On this special day, we, the Food for Life Argentina Foundation, want to express our profound debt to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. e ever-increasing service of prasāda distribution that we do is simply to serve you through service to your disciples, who are our teachers. We know that spiritually what we do is insigni cant compared to the eternal debt we owe you, since you illuminated us with the torchlight of knowledge and made us warriors, true spiritual warriors, in this Age of Kali where everything is turned upside down.
Doing a service constantly can be very di cult at times; it even happens to a great soul like Lord Brahmā. As you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, stated in the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3 10 5:
e material world is called illusory because it is a place of forgetfulness of the transcendental service of the Lord. us one engaged in the Lord’s devotional service in the material world may sometimes be very much disturbed by awkward circumstances. ere is a declaration of war between the two parties, the illusory energy and the devotee, and sometimes the weak devotees fall victim to the onslaught of the powerful illusory energy.
Lord Brahmā, however, was su ciently strong, by the causeless mercy of the Lord, and
he could not be victimized by the material energy, although it gave him cause for anxiety when it managed to totter the existence of his position.
Due to his strength and Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, Lord Brahmā did not fall. Similarly, we ask you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, to enlighten and give us strength so that we remain xed and can enlighten and strengthen others, maintaining the paramparā. We thank you in nitely, and we pray for your blessings so we can remain strong and in your mission by serving our gurus (your disciples) with respect and love, and that through the distribution of kṛṣṇa-prasāda we may reach many souls. We cannot stop saying THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. In nite obeisances, all glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, today and always.
(Written by Viṣṇurāta D āsa)Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to you, all glories to your preaching mission!
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, You once said, “What is the use of a temple if there is no prasadam distribution?” (Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letter to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja January 11, 1974). We have learned from Your blessing that the human being without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is worth just as much as a day without devotional service, as much as a prayer without the holy name, as much as a life without the company of devotees, or as much as existing without the mercy of the guru and Kṛṣṇa, that is nothing. prasāda distribution is the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s and Your mercy that can be received even by those souls who have apparently chosen a di erent spiritual path for themselves or in their current state do not want to get close to Kṛṣṇa or even those who are enemies to Kṛṣṇa.
e many years of food distribution service provide clear evidence that what we have received from you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the guidance and the possibility of prasāda distribution service, is truly limitless spiritual potential. It has a powerful preaching e ect as a charitable activity, to which more and more people want to join every year, feeling what an uplifting thing they are doing. ere is no safe place in the material world except the shelter of the guru and Kṛṣṇa; therefore nowadays, countless people su er from minor or even major disasters. As your follower, Śrīla Prabhupāda, at such times, the gratitude especially awakens in the heart that there is a method by which we can give real help to these people who have su ered in these di cult days. A help that goes beyond their material, current su ering, a help that they may not even understand, and yet they get closer to their real situation as souls. However one joins this form of devotional service, it will truly serve spiritual development.
You saved us all Śrīla Prabhupāda, by giving us your personal example and teaching. Following you through the path of devotional service proves what Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavat-gītā Chapter 9 Verse 2: “ is knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection
of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.” Indeed, distributing prasāda even in a war situation or in a disaster situation, can be done with joy, as the result is sure to bring spiritual wealth to all those who receive prasāda and to those who give it. If we asked the devotees whose daily service is to distribute food why they do it every day, most of them would say that it is out of gratitude to Śrīla Prabhupāda. is is what we often feel about people in need. e gratitude. Gratitude, which means humble love coming from the heart. You also taught the villains of the Kali-yuga how to help others sel essly like a gentleman. is behavior creates gratitude, thanks to you, even if they don’t know it, but you are the source of this very gratitude. ank you again and again Śrīla Prabhupāda for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful mission! It cost you so many sacri ces to save us, you took on so many problems, and you put yourself completely in the background while you sacri ced your time, energy, and health to plant the seed of bhakti in our hearts so that the weak little plant that grew from this seed could gain strength and continue to develop. Now it’s our turn. It is our turn to be committed, thinking of you with a grateful heart, with your guidance and spiritual passion in our hearts, to guide our lives as you did, helping the unfortunate souls gure out the maze of the material world.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, all glory to you who protect us like a shield from the lth of Kali-yuga. I humbly request to keep this protective shield of yours out of your gratuitous grace over the sincere service-minded devotees driven by devotion, who every day enthusiastically take their own comfort aside to give prasāda to the poor souls anywhere in any crisis situation in the world. As you asked, “…In the hospital, in charitable societies, in industrial places, everywhere, distribute this prasāda and chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see what is the result. You want peace? ese are the process of peace …” (Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 9.26–27, New York, December 16, 1966)
Please bless them with spiritual strength and perseverance so that they can successfully solve the di culties that arise during their service and o er you even more service on the altar of the heart that you raised for us and bless our prasāda mission so that we can help and guide as many fallen souls as possible and to give service opportunities to more and more devotees.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, it is di cult to put into words the gratitude we feel toward you, that is why we try to live our life, our spiritual life, and do our service in such way that when we leave this world, what we have achieved in this life can be a true sincere o ering to you and your wonderful disciples, our spiritual masters.
Your servant, on behalf of the Hungarian Food for Life devotees, Bhakta-vatsala D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Please accept this humble o ering at your lotus feet from the GBC College trustees, advisors, faculty, course coordinators, administrators, and sta . We pray that it brings you pleasure and invokes your blessings for the continued success of the College.
It is undoubtedly your vision, mercy, and empowerment that we are able to carry out your divine plans of leadership education in ISKCON as you instructed in your letter:
ere is need for intelligent young men to train them up as future leaders and preachers to go all over the world for spreading the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. (Letter to Satsvarūpa and Hṛdayānanda, January 9, 1973)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are honored to report that last year we continued training Zonal Supervisors in three di erent languages and in four locations around the world – Central Asia, China, India, and North America. We graduated over 70 leaders from these programs last year.
e eighth international batch of Zonal Supervisor training in English starts on April 18, 2023. ere are 30 participants from far and wide – United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mauritius, Holland, Nigeria, India, South Africa, and the Middle East. ey will attend over 70 Zoom lessons taught by various instructors from around the world, a residential session of 10 days in Ujjain, India, and they will complete a dozen online courses.
In China, we started training the second batch of Servant Leaders in March 2023. ere are about 30 students in this batch too. ey are so enthusiastic about learning and leading so they may expand Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission as per your vision.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, last year we also printed with an ISBN your book called Being Śrīla Prabhupāda-Anugas: A Handbook for Spiritual Leadership. It is based on your quotes, letters, and instructions on management and leadership, which we have sorted and presented into 51 themes.
e book is also available on Amazon (India). When your very close disciple, His Holiness Bhakti-cāru Swami, whom you have called back to assist you in the spiritual world, rst saw this book, he exclaimed: “Every leader of ISKCON should have this book and read it. And not only read it, but study it.”
To ful ll Mahārāja’s desire and instruction, and to share the gems of leadership lessons from Your Divine Grace, we are trying to publish this book through the BBT next year so it may easily reach all ISKCON leaders.
On this auspicious day of your divine appearance, we pray to Your Divine Grace to please continue to engage us in this service. As per your vision and empowerment, we hope to expand our course o erings to the next level of leadership in ISKCON – temple presidents and project leaders.
ank you very much for allowing us to assist you in your mission.
Your servants at the GBC College for Leadership Development, (Submitted by Rūpānuga D āsa, President)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to You and Your dedication to Your spiritual master.
You are like the sun, shining through the darkness of our ignorance. You are like a crystal, re ecting purely your previous teachers as well as the ancient teachings of the Vedic literature.
You are a missionary from the land of wisdom; you came to awaken people, to give them love and care, to relieve them from their su erings, to tell them about their true eternal and blissful nature, to make them sing and dance and to forget their fears and sorrows. You are truly compassion personi ed. Some say You are an expansion of Lord Nityānanda; however, you are de nitely a sincere and very dear servant of Him, and Your mission is to distribute unconditional love of Godhead amongst people all over the world. You do not see friends or enemies, but only conditioned souls who have forgotten about their loving relationship with the Supreme Lord, and Your sole endeavor is to help us all remember our true origin, our eternal home. You are a sel ess servant of the Lord with no ambitions whatsoever. Success or failure doesn’t mean anything to you if you can only serve, with true humility and devotion, unconditionally, for the pleasure of your beloved Lord.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is much more to say about you; this all is only a fraction of your real greatness, you are a divine gift for all humanity, and we feel grateful from the bottom of our hearts to have been allowed to get in contact with your sons and daughters. Your spirit is kept alive through them, and by associating with them, we can perceive a little of that immensely transforming power You mercifully installed in them to carry Your mission further, always to increase and reach out to the farthest corners of the world.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, our only desire is to become a useful instrument in the hands of Your disciples and thus assist You in Your mission to transform the world, inclusive of our own selves!
On this day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, let us make a humble attempt to glorify You and thank You. You became a disciple of your Divine Spiritual Master Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. You described Him as Your greatest fortune. You said: “I learned everything in Kṛṣṇa consciousness at home. However, I learned how to print and distribute books from my spiritual teacher.” e distribution of books is the essence of the guru-paramparā message, and You, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, received this message from your guru and have always been faithful to it. Glory to Your lotus feet!
Your spiritual master gave instructions to his disciples before leaving this world: “After my departure, no one should head the Gauḍīya Maṭha alone, but it is necessary to create a GBC council, which will lead the preaching organization.” is instruction was not heard and accepted by Your godbrothers and as a result of the disagreements between the disciples of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, his preaching organization split apart and greatly reduced its preaching.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you told your disciples that in 1953 yet another group of preachers returned from outside India with an unsuccessful result. en there was a famous meeting of Your godbrothers, at which they decided to stop trying to preach outside of India. You were there too. You said: “But our spiritual master instructed us to preach all over the world! How can we stop following his instruction?” To which you received the following response: “Perhaps these words should not be taken literally, but simply as an analogy.” You didn’t give up and said, “No it’s possible! But it has to be done by some fool who will literally follow the instructions of his guru!” You continued to tell this story with the following words: “Time has passed and I have turned out to be this fool!” Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to Your lotus feet!
You organized a prototype of ISKCON – e League of Devotees. is was your response to the refusal of your godbrothers to preach in the West. e League of Devotees did not last long, but you formulated the seven purposes of this organization, which later became the seven purposes of ISKCON. You started preparing for international preaching. en You started making plans regarding preaching in the West.
It is known that after unsuccessful preaching in the 30s in Europe, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī said: “We went to the wrong place. Germany and England are too busy with their political a airs
to hear the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Next time we need to go to America, to New York. I would like to go to New York and preach pure devotional service there for 10 years.”
Someone may say that Your guru failed. But Your godbrother Śrīdhara Swami said that in his opinion, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī managed to do it: he preached pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness in America for ten years through You, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to Your lotus feet!
You began to prepare for preaching in the West. You said that in Your dreams, over and over again, Your spiritual master came to you and called you to follow him. Your godbrothers explained to you that this is how your guru inspires you to accept sannyāsa. ey said, “Bhaktivedanta Prabhu, without accepting sannyāsa, it is impossible to preach all over the world!” And You followed Your spiritual master – You accepted sannyāsa. is year we are celebrating the 64th anniversary of Your acceptance of sannyāsa. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to Your lotus feet!
After that, You decided to publish the rst few books of Your translation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with purports, just as Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī also did not send his disciples to preach to the West until he nished his book on the philosophy of Lord Caitanya and the practice of pure devotional service. Here, too, you have precisely followed in the footsteps of your spiritual master. After all, how can you teach people spiritual knowledge if there are no textbooks? It was also you following the direct instruction of Your guru: “If there is money, print books!” Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to your lotus feet!
Having printed the rst canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in three volumes, you went to America to preach to please Your spiritual master. You preached pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa. You started the movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the West. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to Your lotus feet!
You not only brought Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting and the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to America, you very mercifully began to feed your disciples and all those in need with Śrī Bhagavat-prasāda; thus following Lord Caitanya, who chanted the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa every day, discussed with devotees the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa described on the pages of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and distributed Śrī Bhagavat-prasāda to the devotees! And you have mercifully taught all Your followers and disciples these three great methods. Now every devotee in ISKCON lls every day with these three great bhakti practices given to us by Lord Caitanya Himself. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Glory to Your lotus feet!
You started the movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West. And you organized it exactly as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda taught. You have organized everything so that the movement is headed by the GBC Governing Commission. is is how you attracted the grace of your divine spiritual master into this movement, which became the next attempt to revive his preaching mission throughout the world. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Glory to Your lotus feet!
erefore, after all these glori cations, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, let us thank you for strictly following Your spiritual master, for coming to the West and beginning to preach pure devotional service in America and all over the world, allowing conditioned souls like us to come into contact with the in nite mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for teaching us these amazingly powerful and at the same time very simple devotional service practices: chanting the holy name, reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and honoring Śrī Bhagavat-prasāda, for the fact that you organized a collegial leadership in our movement, which allows us to closely cooperate with each other in our humble service to Your preaching mission, for having renounced this world 64 years ago, completely immersing yourself and eventually all of us in the process of pure devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda! Glory to Your lotus feet!
Trying to be Your humble servants, ISKCON Germany Austria Liechtenstein National Council Members
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you.
On the external level, I’m getting some success in my service. In the past two weeks I gave the keynote address at a major con ict resolution conference and was able to talk about ISKCON Resolve and the principles from the Bhagavad-gītā that I apply in my service as a mediator and ombuds. en I ew to India and spoke twice at a conference that included the Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court, India’s Attorney General, and many Supreme Court and High Court judges and lawyers. Both were well received. In the program in India, I received many invitations to various High Courts in India.
Internally, there is a di erent story. My spiritual progress after so many years of e ort needs a serious boost. I want to be of service to you and to your devotees, and I know that starts with serving your instructions around serious and sincere hearing and chanting. You labored tremendously to write your Bhaktivedanta Purports. I wish to reciprocate by studying your books more diligently and nding ways others can read them and apply the instructions in their lives.
As for the con icts in your ISKCON, they are not that di cult to deal with. ey aren’t much di erent than the con icts we nd in other organizations, both secular and religious.
Your requests to us are clear:
So please spare me from such disturbance by cooperating all together Godbrothers and Godsisters. (Letter to: Mālatī, January 7, 1974)
Stop this ghting, tolerate. (Letter to Trivikrama, May 1, 1974)
So if there is sometimes slight disagreements between devotees … such disagreements should not be taken very seriously.… You should consider that anyone engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service is always the best person. (Letter to Atreya Rsi, February 4, 1972)
Of course, some of your devotees will say: “ is is di erent! is is about siddhānta. You can’t negotiate on this topic.”
Rarely that is true. You showed that example by not compromising with Māyāvādis. But I don’t think most of the con icts that are arising now are of that black-and-white nature. Rather I’d suggest your request to your godbrothers in 1961 is the need of the day:
If everyone sat down together and carefully considered, then what nice preaching there could be. After all, that is Prabhupāda’s command – for all to join together. To do this preaching work, merged in your instructions.
And in your purport to Bhagavad-gītā 10.32 you discuss the need for vāda, and avoiding the other choices born of lower modes of nature (and seen in our ISKCON discourses sometimes): jalpa and vitaṇḍā. e need is to “sit down together” and hear each other’s concerns in a dispassionate way.
If there is any service for me in this or any other realm, please, please engage me. Any opportunity for service to you is what I live for.
Your servant, Vraja Vihārī D āsa
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
On this special day, I pray that I have always declared his service. e Guru lives in Vṛndāvana. He is the friend of fallen people. Every time I stop to observe your actions of love, compassion, a ection, mercy, spiritual assistance toward everyone, I have no doubt of your unconditional love for all souls.
You are a spiritual revolutionary, and your stated purpose is to introduce blissful Kṛṣṇa consciousness and raise everyone to the original stage.
It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that one who simply surrenders to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can overcome the strict laws of material nature. We know that you experienced great di culties, but you overcame all problems to carry out the orders of your spiritual master because you were surrendered (nitya-siddha).
Please let me be under your shelter in this life, and may I contribute to your mission.
sei bhakta dhanya, ye nā chāḍe prabhura caraṇa sei prabhu dhanya, ye nā chāḍe nija-jana
durdaive sevaka yadi yāya anya sthāne sei ṭhākura dhanya tāre cule dhari’ āne
Glorious is that devotee who does not give up the shelter of his Lord, and glorious is that Lord who does not forsake His servant. If by chance a servant falls and goes elsewhere, glorious is that master who catches him and brings him back by the hair. (Cc., Antya-līlā 4 46–47)
Your servant, Mathurā Nātha D āsa, (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our most humble obeisances your lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to your most auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā celebration. Our ISKCON Kīrtana Ministry has been blessed with the opportunity to serve your mission. We are so grateful to Your Divine Grace. By service unto your lotus feet, we become fortunate. Similarly, we pray at your lotus feet that we can become empowered by your mercy to help more and more conditioned souls fortunate.
If you engage yourself in pure devotional service incessantly, without any stop, then you always remain transcendental, above these three guṇas. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to keep the devotee above the three guṇas. Just like in the ocean, if you are fallen in the ocean, it is very dangerous position. But if somebody helps you to lift you from the ocean water and keep you one inch above the ocean water, there is no danger. Your life is saved. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lecture, 27 July 1975, San Diego)
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this year, we have become fortunate to o er the following achievements at your lotus feet:
• World Holy Name Festival (September 17–23)
Celebrated online and locally. e online program included educational seminars on Kīrtana Standards, Sanskrit pronunciation, and Improving japa. A global Japathon was conducted. We encouraged outdoor harināma saṅkīrtana by introducing the “Fresh Air Kīrtana” concept. Reports were received from 72 centers.
• Kīrtana Standards
Based on the previous work of the Kīrtana Standards Committee and in consultation with their former Chairman, Janānanda Goswami, we submitted a proposal to the GBC for a Kīrtana Standards Infographic to be posted in or near all ISKCON centers. e infographic is to be accompanied by a document containing supporting details.
• Sanskrit Pronunciation
Sanskrit Pronunciation for ISKCON, a free online course by Nityānanda D āsa, had over 300 enrolments in 2022. https://sanskritsense.thinki c.com/courses/sanskrit-pronunciation-for-iskcon IKM SHLOKARSHIP UNLIMITED with Sakhya-rasa Prema D āsa conducted 163 online śloka classes for 36 students. http://w ww.shlokacourse4all.com/
• Fortunate People Campaign – A unique program where videos are made of people chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra one time, and uploaded to a website. is gives us the capacity to begin to measure the amount of people in the world that have chanted at least once. Our goal is to achieve 1 percent of the world’s population. e scores measure how many videos and how many people were chanting in the video. An Ambassador is someone who has
created a pro le on our site, downloaded our app, and regularly uploads videos of people chanting. Here is a video that shows our program:
Mahā-mantra Miracle worldwide
Scores till today…
Chants: 617,944
Videos: 242,838
Ambassadors: 1,024
Countries: 23
https://fortunate-people.com/ https://fp-ambassadors.com/
• Global Excellence Award
Our rst Global Excellence Award was o ered to His Grace Rāma Rāya Prabhu and the Yuga Dharma Āśrama at Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda Mandir, ISKCON, New York.
• O ering assistance for acoustical and sound system concerns for temple construction projects.
• Developing our world headquarters in LOK.STUDIO, Śrī Pāṇḍarapura Dhāma.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, our greatest heartfelt desire is that you please continue to shower your mercy upon us by granting us the opportunity to serve the dust of your lotus feet and the dust of the lotus feet of your devotees. Please bestow upon us ever increasing enthusiasm and determination to spread the glories of the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa all over the world.
Your servants,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Swami and your servants at the ISKCON Kīrtana Ministry www.iskconkirtanministry.com
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to your divine personality!
On this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā celebrations, I’m taking the opportunity to express a few words in the form of an o ering. I’m submitting this o ering on behalf of all those who work with Mother Earth to you, dear spiritual master. You are a recipient who can purify all these services to be o ered to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Lord Gaurāṅga.
For the last eight years, I have fully dedicated myself to broadcasting your mission by serving the ISKCON GBC body by spreading the glories and position of cow protection and agriculture within the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
In one of your transcendental ecstasies, your Bhaktivedanta purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2 5 37, you give an encompassing picture of how your mission of glorifying the Lord is interdependent with the mission of the di erent parts of the social body:
To speak for the Supreme Lord means to glorify the Lord by means of propagating the knowledge of the Lord as it is, broadcasting the factual nature of the Lord and the factual position of all other parts of the whole body… the living being must know his relationship with the Lord. e human life is especially meant for this purpose, namely to know the factual relationship of every living being with the Supreme Lord.
You further elaborate on the function and consciousness of each part of this social body. ere you reveal, among many foundational concepts, the interconnection between the economic entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs of spreading knowledge, which is bene cial for the whole of human society. You continue:
e mercantile class is also required to give protection to the cows in order to get sucient milk and milk products, which alone can give the proper health and intelligence to maintain a civilization perfectly meant for knowledge of the ultimate truth.
We can grasp part of your visionary blueprint. You started with Kāliyā, the rst cow to join the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in New Vrindaban and today there are more than 5000 cows, bulls, oxen, and calves being protected in your farms and centers, and all this can be visualized with one click.
So early on, ahead of most thinkers in the 60s, you could anticipate the many crises we face today. We have lived through the food-chain supply and the environmental crises generated by violating the balance in nature created by the ecological services that each and every species contribute to this planet. is naturally led to an ethical crisis on how to relate to animals and ecosystems; today many millions of citizens of this planet think that the meat industry poses a threat to ecosystems and to the consciousness of man. is thought process has also escalated to an ethical crisis in the dairy industry and thus, in some emerging trends, the bovines are considered responsible for the important aspects of the environmental crisis, like global warming and deforestation.
However, milk is an essential ingredient in the practice and rituals of bhakti-yoga. e Vedas propose that the proper attitude toward cows and bulls is the basis for an advanced civilization.
ey are the representatives of dharma. You have many times de ned dharma as occupational duty, constitutional duty, and functional duty.
e Vedas, revealed to us by your benevolent personality, also bring the notion of dharma as the innate characteristics of a being or a thing and how the sum of all the elements functioning under their innate characteristic produces balance.
Given the bene ts of such milk for the upliftment of consciousness, Vaiṣṇava practitioners are posed with a challenge: it is our prerogative to show a functional system for producing milk that protects cows and the environment. e production of cruelty-free milk is inserted in a whole system design where the sustainable production of grains, fruits, vegetables and forestry are integrated in a balanced agro-system.
One of your beloved disciples, His Holiness Nirañjana Swami, representing many of your rst-class sons, became compassionate to the e orts of a small sparrow trying to accomplish the impossible at the shore of the vast ocean. On a short two-hour ight, he inspired an entrepreneur of a major multinational company to build a platform where all your gośālās could receive help, to improve their care and service to Kṛṣṇa’s cows. is platform has been tested and is now being launched widely.
Another of your stalwart disciples, His Holiness Kṛṣṇa Kṣetra Swami, has been guiding the
mission of cow protection and agriculture in Europe with great wisdom. He has produced a book, “Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics,” which was ordered by the Palgrave Macmillan Press, the same Macmillan that printed your rst Bhagavad-gītā. Now he is working on a sequel for the series.
Dear A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, you have been very kindly sending your rstclass disciples to encourage me in this mission, which is so urgent, needed and timely. You have said that a grandfather is much more merciful to the grandson and I am hoping for your benevolence. I have met so many of your new admirers who would love to tell you how much love they have for you. ey would love to express to you their love of taking care of Kṛṣṇa’s cows and serving the land in an intelligent way, according to your teachings. ey encompass the full cooperation between all members of the system to please the soul of the Universe, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Recently you called His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami back to your company. He personally told me that you had to rst establish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in very arid lands for higher consciousness and so, despite your intense desire to do so, there was no time to fully establish the cow protection and agriculture movement. erefore, just before leaving for your next destination, you proposed to sit at Gītā-nāgarī and teach your disciples how to live o the land. is was a similar perception of your beloved disciple and personal servant, who, despite being discouraged to travel to Deland, felt the urgency to go there. He made consistent e orts to assist the cow protection and agriculture mission and was determined to make it happen.
Now, it is time to contemplate your wise and grounded instructions about the natural economy which can sustain our Kṛṣṇa consciousness for generations.
For this reason, dear A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, for the next four years, myself and a legion of your loyal disciples who are protecting Kṛṣṇa’s cows and his forests are getting ready to learn and teach the members of ISKCON how to live o the land.
Your hopeful servant, Kalakaṇṭha D āsa (KrKS)
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on the divine occasion of your appearance in this world.
e Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā festival o ers a wonderful opportunity for disciples to pay homage to the guru and obtain his blessings for success in their spiritual endeavors. Celebrating your appearance, however, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is even more widespread and glorious as you are the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) with multiple generations of followers connected to you via the guru-paramparā system. Moreover, you are “Śrīla Prabhupāda” – the master at whose feet all other masters sit. It is, therefore a very special day in the Vaiṣṇava calendar, and I wish to seize this moment to grab as much mercy as I can from you in my feeble endeavors to serve your mission via ISKCON’s Ministry of Justice.
Whilst this Ministry has existed for a few decades, it still remains in a edgling state with scope for so much to be done.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.46, you state, “So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to educate some brāhmaṇas.” ese brāhmaṇas are meant to be the intellectual class of society, guiding the other varṇas. However, as Kali-yuga progresses, we notice that quarrel and hypocrisy has become more rampant. We nd that even devotees have disputes amongst themselves. e credibility and integrity of those in leadership within ISKCON are also coming under the microscope. In a conversation with Śyāmasundara D āsa, you said, “Just like there is an English proverb, ‘Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.’ So anyone who is on the position of teacher, he must be above suspicion. at is our rst acceptance of teacher. We don’t accept any teacher who is under suspicion. How he can be teacher if he’s under suspicion?”
In this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you expect all of us to become teachers, spreading the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which you kindly gave to us, we need to be beyond suspicion – to practice what we preach, to become free from the four defects of conditioned life, i.e., to commit mistakes, become illusioned, to cheat and to have imperfect senses.
Once Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja said to you, “Sometimes people come and join our movement and follow the four principles, but there appears to be a fault in their character” and you replied that “if a man comes and follows the regulative principles even for some time and again he falls down, so long as he has followed, that asset is permanent. Anything spiritual asset is never lost. So little, little, little, when it is complete cent percent then you become liberated. Spiritual asset is never lost. Even if a person comes to the temple, follows the regulative principles for some time, and again falls down, he is not a loser – he is a gainer. Others, who do not take this lesson, who keep outside and perform their so-called material duties very perfectly, they are losers.” (Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta Vol.2 Ch.65)
is is indicative, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that even when you were physically present, it was acknowledged that it was a challenge to overcome these defects, but you mercifully gave a reassurance that any attempt in practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness will always be to one’s eternal credit. e need for the Justice Ministry to play a more active role in addressing complaints amongst devotees is becoming more urgent. It is for this reason that I am trying to map out a worldwide judicial system. is Ministry’s immediate objective is to develop, implement and ensure the ongoing operation of a complaint and dispute resolution mechanism serving the needs of the ISKCON community.
Since my appointment as the Justice Minister, I have already developed a foundational training course for “judges” and am pleased to say that I presented the course, training the rst set of disciplinary committee members for the Prevention of Leadership Misconduct o ce, thereby capacitating it to execute its function of addressing complaints of leadership sexual misconduct. I hope to continue with such training across the globe and establish continental committees which will serve the mandate of the Justice Ministry and that this Ministry will expand its reach to serve the devotees worldwide so that they have a platform to express their complaints and also deter others from in icting pain, hurt and engaging in any wrongdoings.
Only by your blessings will this seemingly insurmountable task become achievable. So, I pray to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this day when your mercy especially ows, to capacitate this Ministry to execute its very important responsibilities in a way that will serve the devotee community to ensure that ISKCON provides a safe, trusting, and harmonious environment for their practice of devotional service.
Your servant, Campakalatā D āsī ISKCON Ministry of JusticeDear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
You are the exclusive property in the service for Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Lord Caitanya.
A beloved associate of Kṛṣṇa, you descended to this mundane place from Goloka.
Some say you are the personi cation of Lord Nityānanda’s mercy.
You traveled the global 14 times to distribute the holy name to the Eastern and Western worlds, delivering the fallen souls of this world…. like us.
Some say you are the empowered mercy of Lord Nityānanda, śaktyāveśa.
How else could you spread hundreds of millions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams, Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, and the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā to all parts of this earth? A jagat-guru in every sense of the term, like no other.
We o er our humble obeisances unto you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, our eternal Spiritual master, always at the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Govinda.
Your servants, North America Regional Governing Body
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktived
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, our beloved spiritual master. All glories to you on this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
Due to your teachings, cow protection has become our life’s mission for the past 33 years. During those years, the cows you have blessed us to protect gave us many joys and sorrows. Some may ask, “Do the joys outweigh the sorrows?” We would answer, “Should they? Is there not joy within the sorrow when protecting cows?”
e sorrow curtails contemplating mundane pleasures and forces us to meditate on our reason for living, the purpose of our lives. Each time a cow becomes old and ill, we must re ect on how every soul must trade their youthful and healthy body for an aging and frail body. ere is no escape from that truth. Every time a cow passes away, we must consider our mortality. During those experiences, we pray harder and brie y become closer to you and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Peace and joy
come to us, a gift from you, to ease the pain of a beloved soul leaving us for greener pastures. Is that not joyous?
Last summer, in the early morning of August 6, Mādhavī passed away. Bālājī (our 13-year old grandson) found her under the trees struggling to sit up. We had just seen her the evening before roaming the front pasture.
Bālājī was petting Mādhavī’s face and trying to console her while we waited for more help.
en Mādhavī calmed down. However, Bālājī was afraid she would pass away. We told him that whether Mādhavī is passing on to another place or staying here, it is best to keep her as calm as possible by touching her and chanting the holy names. en within a few minutes, we sensed she had passed on. As we waited for signs of life, there were none.
Bālājī was upset. We explained to Bālājī that Mādhavī was a very fortunate cow; she had him talk to and pet her, and she heard the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in the last moments of her life. She was also fortunate to be saved from the dairy industry by ISCOWP members.
She lost several children to the dairy industry, had her tail cut o , and she gave 95,000 pounds of milk, something like 11,000 gallons! Her demeanor was always sober. But she spent 11 years having calm and peaceful moments roaming the pastures of ISCOWP West Virginia and ISCOWP Florida. She was 17 when she passed away; in human years, she would have been 78.
When we put a Narasiṁha pavitra around her head, sprinkled holy water from the Sarasvatī river on her tongue and body, and covered her with harināma cādaras, the cows came to pay their homage. We buried her that afternoon.
Every time we rescue a calf from a future of abuse and ultimate slaughter, we experience a refreshing renewal of hopeful joy. Mixed with the joy is thankfulness for the nancial support and facility to care for another Mother Cow or Father Bull. Sometimes we can rescue an older cow headed for slaughter after years spent in a dairy. Our hearts ll with joy to watch her relax and make friends with the other rescued cows in our herd. Every rescued cow, young or old, brings renewed hope and joy.
We received a text message on March 1, 2022, from a breeder that he had just found the mother of a month-old bull calf dead in the eld. He gured he should start bottle-feeding the calf, but he saw the calf eating some hay and grain. e short of it was the breeder wanted to sell the bull calf quickly.
Since the calf was very young, he was at the right age to develop a relationship with a human. So we decided to hook up the trailer and go take a look at him. On the way to the breeders, we got another text message.
e second message was from a young man who services our trees and breeds cows on his large acreage. A female calf was born that day on his farm. e calf’s mother was an old cow (16 years old) and did not have enough milk to feed the baby she had before this one. So he took the calf from her mother because he knew she would not have enough milk. He also wanted to sell the calf as soon as possible.
Soon we arrived at the rst breeder’s place. He was waiting for us with the calf in a livestock trailer with two other cows. In a nearby corral were ve more cows. All the cows were agitated and fearful. It is not unusual for most breeders to look at their cows as dollar signs and not handle them or develop relationships. erefore the cows are fearful of humans.
Since the calf was a little more than a month old, the youngest of the cows there, we thought he could eventually become friendly with some e ort on our part. So we took the male calf and drove to the other breeder with the newborn female calf. She was immediately friendly as she was only a few hours old and had no time to become fearful. So we drove away with both calves in the trailer. ey are now known as Baladeva D āujī and Subhadrā due to the generosity of ISCOWP donors.
Some may say cow protection is burdensome because the cow protector must work hard, and there is little nancial reward. But in addition, cows can live 25 or more years and must be protected and cared for their entire lives. us, the cow protector must commit to the lifestyle of cow protection for a good part of their lives.
But a hidden reward is unveiled to the cow protector immersed in cow protection. rough the spirituality of Mother Cow and Father Bull, the cow protector’s mind transcends material consciousness. e world becomes Goloka Vṛndāvana, where the reality is the sweet blue boy Kṛṣṇa and his friends frolicking with the cows through the forest.
You, Śrīla Prabhupāda, have described Goloka Vṛndāvana in the Kṛṣṇa Book, Volume 1, page 77:
At this time Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were given charge of the calves. e rst responsibility of the cowherd boys was to take care of the little calves. e boys are trained in this from the very beginning of their childhood. So along with other little cowherd boys, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went into the pasturing ground and took charge of the calves and played with eir playmates. While taking charge of the calves, sometimes the two brothers played on eir utes. And sometimes ey played with āmalakī fruits and bael fruits, just like small children play with balls. Sometimes ey danced and made tinkling sounds with eir ankle bells. Sometimes ey made emselves into bulls and cows by covering emselves with blankets. us Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma played. e two brothers also used to imitate the sounds of bulls and cows and play at bull ghting. Sometimes ey used to imitate the sounds of various animals and birds. In this way, ey enjoyed eir childhood pastimes apparently like ordinary, mundane children.
Unfortunately, the mind wanders, envy, and material desires have deep roots in our souls, and we are not always profoundly mindful of the cows. But those moments that we are only thinking of the cows are most treasured and remembered, motivating us to continue to serve them.
at’s the reward, the joy within the sorrow, that those dedicated to cow protection begin to glimpse. Materially, some may view cow protection as burdensome and di cult, but the spiritual reward overcomes the material considerations.
As our ever well-wisher, teacher, and spiritual master, you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, knew of this reward and wanted your disciples to experience it. You knew if you could inspire us, teach us, convince us to take up cow protection and work through the di culties, we would eventually begin to taste and relish the transcendental spirituality of Mother Cow and Father Bull.
For the cowherd men and the cows, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend. erefore, He is worshiped by the prayer namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. His pastimes in Gokula, His dhāma, are always favorable to the brāhmaṇas and the cows. His rst business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brāhmaṇas. In fact, comfort for the brahmanas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His rst concern. Because of His presence, all people would overcome all di culties and always be situated in transcendental bliss. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.16, purport)
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for gifting us with this reward, which frees us, however brie y, from material anxieties. Because of you, we cannot envision life without cows. erefore, we pray for your blessings to continue caring for and protecting cows until the day we leave our bodies and this material world.
Your aspiring servants at ISCOWP, International Society for Cow Protection, Inc., Gainesville, Florida, USA
Our dear most Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept our prostrated obeisances at your glorious lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
We hope you’ll smile at us with great pleasure as you did way back then in Kumbha-melā when you see the list of what the Pāda-yātrā Ministry is achieving: We have six Pāda-yātrās walking continuously:
1 All India Pāda-yātrā, on the road since September 2, 1984
2. Maharashtra Pāda-yātrā, walking since July 16, 2019
3 Uttar Pradesh Pāda-yātrā since September 6, 2019
4. Andhra Pradesh Pāda-yātrā since October 17, 2019
5. Nepal Pāda-yātrā since January 19, 2021
6 Utkal-Banga Pāda-yātrā since September 16, 2021
Once again, All India Pāda-yātrā, the mother of all Pāda-yātrās, completed its Char Dhāma yātrā (Yamunotri, Gaṅgotri, Kedāranātha, and Badrinātha, nestled high in the Himalayas). e statewide Pāda-yātrās cover their respective states and preach in each and every village they come across, thus reaching every nook and corner and introducing them all to your ISKCON. All are spreading the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya, and Your Divine Grace, eir faithful and supremely empowered servant, eir senāpati-bhakta
In 2022, besides these six ongoing Pāda-yātrās, there were a total of seventy-eight additional walks. e majority were conducted in India. ere were two in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Sixty Pāda-yātrās were one-day events, and a few lasted longer than that, like the eighteen-day Pāda-yātrā from Noida to Vṛndāvana, the eight-day walk from Aravade to Pāndharpur in Maharashtra (an annual occurrence for the past twenty years), and the three-day Pāda-yātrā in Surat, Gujarat.
ISKCON Amravati in Maharashtra has made Vaiṣṇavī Pāda-yātrā an annual event. ere was also one Little Vaiṣṇavas Pāda-yātrā, and four one-day Vaiṣṇavī Pāda-yātrās.
During the month of Āṣāḍha (June-July), there were four Pāda-yātrās to Pāṇḍarapura, all of which reached their destination in time to celebrate the festival of Āṣāḍha Ekādaśī
Besides the Pāda-yātrā, three annual parikramās took place: the thirty-day Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā, the ve-day Gaura-maṇḍala Parikramā, and the four-day Jagannātha Purī Parikramā
May the combined book scores for all these 2022 Pāda-yātrās ll your heart with satisfaction, Śrīla Prabhupāda: 71,725 small books; 931 medium ones, 3030 big books, and a phenomenal 27,312 Mahā-big books. Devotees also distributed 89 Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets, 180 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and 168 Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta sets.
It is only by your mercy that the number of sets distributed has doubled since last year. e grand total is thus a phenomenal 102,988 transcendental books.
Book distribution while on the road certainly contributes to the education and training of the devotees and the public. Wherever Pāda-yātrā goes, the pāda-yātrīs hold a full- edged morning program – ārati, guru-pūjā, kīrtana, kathā and discourses on the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
e Pāda-yātrā Ministry has made Lokanātha Mahārāja’s book Pāda-yātrā Worldwide “On the road with Lord Caitanya” available online. A team is now assisting him in publishing his second volume, which depicts the Pāda-yātrās that took place from 1986 to 1996 in 105 countries around
the world. We will once again be reliving the glorious Centennial celebrations through this second volume.
All Pāda-yātrā sevā is done on a voluntary basis. A small team takes care of the website, social networking, and publicity. We have frontline pāda-yātrīs around the world. Some are committed to doing Pāda-yātrā as a full-time engagement; some are “weekend warriors”, and some are only occasional participants. With the industrial society growing, it is sometimes di cult to practically perform Pāda-yātrā in some parts of the world, but we will never stop.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we ask for your blessings and pray at your lotus feet that Volume 2, e Pāda-yātrā Explosion, will get devotees in all corners of this planet transcendentally excited to take to the road, despite all obstacles, challenges and austerities, under the banner of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
May 2023 see an enthusiastic revival of Pāda-yātrā and ful ll your desire of millions of Pādayātrā carts all over the world.
Your servants Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Swami, Gaurāṅgī Devī D āsī with your servants at ISKCON Pāda-yātrā Ministry.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my respectful and sincere obeisances at your lotus feet. All glory to you and to the saṅkīrtana mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which you have preached and expanded all over the world. is is undoubtedly the largest ever-growing mission that is awakening the consciousness of millions of people in this material world. Also, that too is happening through your instructions by the books in which you have invested your heart.
ough we have hundreds and thousands of reasons to glorify you, we are always short of words to do that. Glorifying the founder-ācārya is never an easy task for their grandchildren, but with your blessing and mercy, we may endeavor toward eulogizing your signi cance in serving you through ISKCON Pāda-yātrā Press (IPP).
In a letter to Rūpānuga dated 19 October 1974, you mentioned that Book distribution is also chanting. ose books you have recorded and chanted and later are transcribed. All of them are nothing less than a spoken kīrtana. So, from you, we are enlightened to know that book distribution is also chanting. ose books were not ordinary books, but they were recorded chanting. For anyone who reads it is nothing but hearing the glory of the Lord. With this context, you have removed the covering of darkness in our hearts by realizing the fact that book distribution must not be neglected. Yes, indeed, books are the basis. Inscribing these words of wisdom in our hearts, we have embarked on a journey to materialize your dream of printing books as much as possible and whenever possible. With your mercy, we are able to publish a number of di erent books both in Hindi, English, Marathi, and various other versions, which are now the torch bearer in society for a sustainable future and empowered society.
Since the inception of IPP, your instructions are fueling the rocket of book printing and distribution. You have a dream of preaching the message of Lord Caitanya by walking through the roads of villages and remote places of the country. Initially, it looked very challenging, but with
your mercy, it became simple and successful. is explains why you always keep reminding the success of our preaching will be substantiated by how many books are sold. At the time of trouble, we keep reading your Jaladuta Diary, which brings an ocean of enthusiasm and energy for us to ght the di cult times and keep us in the learning loop, always in the process. It gives us a feeling of what dedication and devotion one should grow within to break the barriers and keep watering the seed of bhakti while inclined to the orders of one’s spiritual master.
Every day in the temple hall, we keep praying unto you for your mercy as our spiritual awakening is the product of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s dedication. is further has rooted a seed in the heart of your disciples and followers to carry the mission ignoring their own personal discomfort. Presuming the perfect assistance and shelter under your lotus feet, we have continued our e ort of following the thumb rule of each one, preach one.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we wholeheartedly o er the fruit of our youth preaching unto your lotus feet. is year we have set up the BACE in Noida with the name “Prabhupāda Kuṭīra” where our very dear “Adbhuta Gaura” and “Avadhuta Nitāi” are present as our eternal guardians and instructors and to ensure a safe passage to all the energetic youths, giving them an opportunity to come back to their original consciousness by following the sublime process of bhakti. We know that we have the best interest at our heart even though there are di culties at times in order to establish the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu through Bhaktivedanta Academy for Cultural Excellence (BACE). Going forward, we are verily dependent on you, and we know you will continue to empower and embrace us.
Expanding the horizon of preaching, the Pāda-yātrā Press mission is setting up an example of the legacy that future generations will continue. All the Pāda-yātrā Press devotees are sweating day in and day out for your pleasure of distributing these books at every possible corner of the society, district, state, or even at times in di erent parts of the country. is brings in the purity, which in turn generates the force that helps us ght all the challenges of the modern world. IPP is getting stronger day by day in its operation. We are very con dent that His Divine Grace will bestow mercy on the IPP devotees for the expansion of the mission. Most recently, we have been able to gather some con dence in the extended Noida area for opening a new preaching center, thereby gradually inducing them to Kṛṣṇa. We o er this initiative unto you for your pleasure.
Further a step forward with the utility as the principle, IPP has begun a new initiative under the brand name of “selfcare-school” which will act as the one-stop shop for the assisted and assorted learning and guidance of the practicing devotees in the package of motivated counseling and thrived spiritual desires. is will help devotees to gain knowledge through di erent certicate courses and learning paths. With an aim to develop a spiritually cultured society and healthy well-being for citizens, we have started seminars for schools, colleges, and corporates. As your Guru Mahārāja has given you the power to empower the fallen and uplift the downtrodden, we seek your mercy all the way.
Engaging the devotees in continuous learning, we have invested our intelligence in arranging “ 5 Days, 5 Lessons” from Bhagavad-gītā where we have received enormous responses, which leads us to set up regular reading sessions. As a part of the spiritually enlivening environment, we have put up our sincere e ort to organize camps for youths and congregation devotees so that they know what you wanted the world to know about the holy dhāmas.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are so indebted to you that every little barrier makes us remind and revisit your instructions and series of struggles. Even when we feel helpless, our prayers and tears are answered just by glancing at your loving smile. Nothing else we can think of more than this. With all these responsibilities on our shoulders, we can sense protection by your mercy. As Bg. 18.68–69 explains, “For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end, he will come back to Me. ere is no servant in this world
dearer to Me than he, nor will there ever be one dearer.” is is our anthem for the IPP and the formula to please Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.
On a closure note, for this o ering, we would like to please and represent you by the depth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and all virtues developed under your guidance. Kindly guide us in your service and allow us to capture the essence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please shower your blessings in the capacity of being loved and collaborative with one another while the intelligence is required to spread your message widely and e ciently regardless of geographical boundaries. Please hold our hand, and help us to stand for becoming steady, mighty, and extraordinary.
Jagat-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Your servant, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi D āsa
ISKCON Pāda-yātrā Press, Noida, U.P., India
My Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the deliverer of fallen souls. You have preached the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the entire world. Just like the rivers are owing for the bene t of others, cows are giving milk for the bene t of others, trees are giving fruits for the bene t of others – in this way, you are giving kṛṣṇa-prema to all fallen souls for their ultimate bene t. You all appear in this material world for this purpose only. Your life is for the ultimate bene t of all humanity.
You have ordered your disciple, His Holiness Lokanātha Swami, to preach harināma (holy names of the Lord) through Pāda-yātrā – yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa (Cc., Madhya 7.128).
By your mercy and the mercy of my Guru Mahārāja, I am able to serve in All India Pāda-yātrā for the last fourteen years. Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are distributing your books in every town and village. ere is no di erence between your Deity and Your Divine Grace. When we go to any village during Pāda-yātrā, everyone becomes attracted to your presence on the cart. It seems that Your Divine Grace is driving the chariot. You are the “sārathi” of our Pāda-yātrā. We do not have any capacity to lead the chariot of the Lord.
We feel your presence in your books. By reading them, we are able to get your association. Your greatest gifts to humanity are your books.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am eternally indebted to you for everything.
Your servant of the servant, Ācārya D āsa
All India Pāda-yātrā
On the occasion of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 127th Vyāsa-pūjā, we bow down at his lotus feet.
Śrīla Prabhupāda has been preaching in the world since his master instructed him to go to the Western world and preach, and he has done so until his last breath. He faced challenges and struggled a lot, but he didn’t stop. Due to the mercy of his master and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he succeeded in his mission. He founded ISKCON, where anyone can come, join, and practice bhakti-yoga.
He has given the best gift to mankind: his books. ese books protect us from māyā and help us reach Kṛṣṇa. Each book is full of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Anyone who reads his book can develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness in themselves; his teachings are so powerful. One can bene t by touching these books. I have experienced this. One day, Pāda-yātrā was in Kāñcīpuram, Andhra Pradesh. I was distributing books. I gave a book to a mātājī As soon as she took that book, her inner voice said to purchase the book. And she bought that one and also gave a generous donation.
Prabhupāda says he also reads his books regularly because he has just written whatever Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has told him. ese books help us elevate this devotional service.
Under the guidance of His Holiness Lokanātha Swami, Maharashtra Pāda-yātrā has been going on for four years. We are pāda-yātrīs, reaching out to cities and villages and distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. As a result, many more people are reading these books, connecting with ISKCON, and becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Our debt to Śrīla Prabhupāda can never be repaid. I bow at his lotus feet and ask for his mercy to serve him in his mission.
Your Servant of the Servant of the Servant, D āmodara-līlā D āsa, Maharashtra Pāda-yātrā
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our prostrated, humble obeisances at your holy lotus feet.
All glories to entire guru- śiṣya-paramparā
You said, “I will never die! I will remain in two places – i) in my books ( e book Bhāgavata) and ii) in the hearts of my sincere followers ( e person Bhāgavata)”
In Bg. 18.78 Sañjaya says, “Yātrā yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yātrā pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ, tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. at is my opinion.”
Wherever there are the Lord and His devotee, all prosperity takes place. As Kṛṣṇa eternally resides in your heart, Śrīla Prabhupāda, wherever you are, all prosperity is guaranteed!
So by the inspiration of our Pune Temple GBCs – His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami and our Temple President His Grace Rādhe Śyāma Prabhu,
(1) your books (in which you are always present!) are being taught to hundreds of devotees every year through courses like Bhakti- śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta and also distributed to 6–8 lakh people every year by all the enthusiastic congregation members of all 3 Pune temples, and (2) 30–40 senior devotees (including ISKCON Gurus, Sannyāsīs and senior devotees) every year visit ISKCON Pune temples and inspire all the brahmacārīs, students and gṛhasthas to practice their devotional service sincerely, seriously, enthusiastically and without any ulterior motives. e result of the preaching of yourself (in the form of this book-bhāgavata and person-bhāgavata) speaks for itself – simply marvelous! Every year, lakhs of visitors are inspired to chant one round of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra when they visit the temple, thousands are systematically introduced to begin their devotional service through various courses, and hundreds of devotees get initiated by tens of ISKCON Gurus, thus dedicating their lives to further your mission to one and all!
Just a matter of a decade or two, and dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are con dent that we can make for our Pune city the statement come true, “He built a house in which the whole world can live –peacefully!” is means, “In ISKCON Pune’s three temples, all the Pune city people can live peacefully!”, as Pune is our “prabhu-datta deśa,’ the place awarded to us to preach by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and yourself.
ank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all your unlimited blessings upon us all!
Your servants, Pune Congregation and devotees
Most dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please accept our humble and respectful obeisances.
All glories to Your Divine Grace!
All glories to your divine lotus feet, beneath whose shade every fallen soul can nd shelter from the scorching heat of the re-like material senses’ grati cation.
Even the great souls, who derive their uttermost joy from the uncontaminated devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, sit at your lotus feet in great ecstasy.
Reading from Your Divine Grace’s “Vṛndāvane-Bhajana”, even those who are very fallen can have a hint of what it really means to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Your realizations penetrate profoundly within our consciousness, making us appreciate how undeservedly fortunate we are to have met Your Divine Grace.
You are the embodiment of Lord Gaurāṅga’s mercy.
You are an exalted mahā-bhāgavata
You can truly see Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma manifested within your heart.
Never forgetting your inner relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, you waged war against material illusion, going right into the heart of its realm. Free from all material attachments, you bravely defeated the hosts of Māyā, turning against them their own weapons, using it to broadcast the Supreme Mantra – Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s holy names.
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Based on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s “Vṛndāvane-Bhajana”
And I’m here, sitting alone, now retired in Vṛndāvana, Getting deep realizations by this mood in the holy dhāma. Yes, my wife, my sons and daughters, my grandsons, I’ve got them all, But they are now just fruitless glory, for I have got no bankroll.
Today Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has shown me the real māyā’s naked form. By His strength, that all now appears to me just tasteless and worn.
“All, one thing after another, swiftly, I am taking away From all those upon whom, fully, My real mercy I’m going to lay.”
And I think: how is it possible? How is that? What have I done, To understand this gracious mercy of the All-Merciful One?
Now, being penniless, gone broke like this, as everyone can see, Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, they have all abandoned me.
Misery! But makes me laugh. And I’m here, laughing alone. In this endless saṁsāra, where my so-called “loved” have gone?
Where have they, my loving father and dear mother, gone to now? And my elders, my own folks, how to nd them? Tell me. How?
Who can give me news about them? Tell me who? Now what remains Of my life with my dear family? No more than a list of names.
Like the froth on the seawater again blends into the sea, Māyā’s trick is just like that. “Saṁsāra’s play.” No one can ee.
No one here is “mother”, “father”, nor a relative as well. Like the sea-foam, they remain for just the time to say farewell.
As that foam over the water, it dissolves and fades away, Bodies, made of ve ingredients, very rapidly decay.
e soul changes, in succession, hordes of bodies, more and more. Kinship changes with the body, and di ers from the one before.
But, oh brother, everybody is your relative as well On the real spiritual plane, with no tinge of māyā’s smell.
Of the eternal living creatures, the Supreme Lord is the Soul; All your kin! An in nity of jīvas as a whole.
All is harmony when Kṛṣṇa is the center of their life, But when Kṛṣṇa is forgotten, all becomes unending strife.
en, drawn into sel sh actions, when reactions become ripe, Each soul wears a di erent body; each engrossed in its own type.
us, continuing being forgetful of Śrī Hari, the Supreme, Māyā gives them many a ictions, and their su ering is extreme.
Although bobbing up and down in that ocean of misery, He still thinks, “I’m very happy! What a great felicity!”
Sick in bed, troubled by pain, he laughs and says, “I’m feeling well!”
And I laugh at his “I’m well.” He is raving under māyā’s spell.
But their plans to remain “well”, Kṛṣṇa’s māyā will destroy. And no matter how or where, there is no way for them to enjoy.
Understand their “feeling well”! None is well in the whole world!
Māyā forces them to say, “I’m feeling well” so loud and bold.
Unaware that he is being cheated, with his false aim to pursue, Although māyā kicks and beats him, he will keep his point of view.
Making plans, over and over, that still māyā will pervert, He sometimes falls in the mud and sometimes on the dry earth.
And this is the Giant Cosmos, lled with lost, wandering souls
Who, by guru and Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, can regain their missed roles.
Gaining this, if they can give up all the other so-called wealth, ey can simply conquer birth and death and gain spiritual health.
Far, beyond this sorrows’ ocean, are divine varieties. ere, they’ll nd eternal bliss, free from all anxieties.
Who’s mad says, “all there, is formless, like a kind of nothingness.” But the Lord is full of “tastes”, more than what we can assess.
Connoisseurs of divine avors serve Him as subordinates. In awe, servants, friends, or parents, love Him as His associates.
With its avors that sweet nectar, all pure bhaktas will enthrall, And the best, the lover’s love, is the essence of them all.
But such avors can be relished in the spiritual domain, While their vile material umbra is an awful source of pain.
One who worships Kṛṣṇa is clever, but who worships māyā is not; Being a pauper without knowledge, he’s bound up in māyā’s knot.
Unaware of how all things are related to their Source, He is busy with many “pastimes” doomed to a temporary course.
Duryodhana and Arjuna, in the same warfare they vied, But Arjuna was the best devotee, and Duryodhana died.
Both on the same battle eld, the detestable and the dear. To the one who is intelligent, the understanding is very clear.
One who knows his true relationship as he ghts the war of life, He will see everyone perish, while he will remain alive.
One who is blind to his connection and takes up some other path, Never reaches the love of God, wasting his life in the aftermath.
Your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, rst make sure you’ve understood, And then, tied to that relation, against māyā ght for good.
By not following that path, all those jñāna and karma’s “heroes”, Never reached true liberation, they just earned a bunch of zeroes. eir so-called sobriety and detachment from this world, It existed in name only, all unsettled and disturbed.
Longing for mystical powers, liberation, and gross joy, All had uncontrolled senses running after a decoy.
When the senses are unchecked, they are deaf to yoga’s skill. Munis, yogīs, they have failed to bend their senses to their will.
Without serving Ṛṣikeśa, ghting lust as best they can, ey resume working for māyā after only a short time span.
As the Veda and the Purāṇa have extensively explained, Following that process of yoga, sense control cannot be attained.
Viśvāmitra to beget Śakuntalā, the pure beauty, ough sitting in yogāsana, for Menakā he left his duty.
What to say about the jñānīs, if yogīs also fall down, And the karmīs are all asses bound by su ering all around.
ose who follow Kṛṣṇa’s order, thereby attaining the Lord’s grace, Will become just like Arjuna, with the same fortune to embrace.
One who ghts the war of life for his own happiness’ sake, He will die, like Duryodhana, with those who with him partake.
Fighting on behalf of Kṛṣṇa with steadfast determination, You bring power, wealth, and knowledge right beneath your domination.
Understand the Gītā’s message, and of false comments, be wary! You’ll attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s service and will worship the Lord Hari.
e devotees are endowed with all the qualities of the Lord, So “non-violence”, “no-anger”, by them these can be ignored.
Śrī Hari teaches living beings by means of His devotees. One such helper is Arjuna, for his right proclivities.
Him, as if tied to his kin in a knot, so strong and tight, Was so grieved and bewildered that was not ready to ght.
“Violence against my relatives, just to enjoy this earthly kingdom?”
“How could this sin make me happy?” “How could that be an act of wisdom?”
Only due to his false ego, doubts rang loudly in his heart.
Kṣatriyas, when they go to a battle eld, keep family’s ties apart.
When Arjuna set himself up as a śiṣya, earnestly, Kṛṣṇa, seeing his delusion, scolded him vehemently.
en he heard Bhagavad-gītā, the most sacred “Song of God” and got free from all ignorance, free from all that was awed.
He severed his material bonds but did not ape a renunciate. And this is how the Gītā’s meaning, family men will appreciate.
“kariṣye vacanaṁ tava,” “I will do everything You say,” at’s why the war he fought is glorious and why his fame is here to stay.
“ e Vaiṣṇavas have no desire. ey chant japa on their beads. So what kind of a Vaiṣṇava is Arjuna with his deeds?
Free from all duality, as endorsed in the Purāṇa, e Vaiṣṇava simply chants!”, says who eats the mind’s bananas.
e Vaiṣṇava is amicable, craves not for material things.
But he is not a forceless weakling, as the ignorant fool thinks.
“
In two famous Indian wars, two great personalities So exalted and victorious! Leaders among devotees!
Because he wants to please his senses, he doesn’t want to go to war, But he is known as a Vaiṣṇava, someone whom many folks adore.
ose who have no eyes to see, say Vaiṣṇavas are inactive. But to serve and please the Lord, the Vaiṣṇava is always active!
Lifeless kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs perform no service at all. For cheap fame, money, and worship, they dwell in their lonely hole.
Nityānanda Prabhu was worshiped by Vaiṣṇavas and devout men, Su ered blows but still went on to give God’s love ever again.
Gaura Hari came with cakra in His hand, in a erce mood, So those vile Vaiṣṇava haters were immediately subdued.
Lord Gaurāṅga taught the jīvas, showing by His own example, Pretentious nirjana-bhajana, it’s no more than ornamental.
e world has now become loaded with Jagāis and Mādhāis. And the Nityānanda-vaṁśa is growing up with those who are wise.
Eating, sleeping, wearing robes, but remaining unconcerned, Is not proper for Vaiṣṇavas, who compassion have learned.
In Mādhurya-kadambiṇī, Śrīla Cakravartī writes His conclusion and clear judgment through his transcendental sights.
Loving service in devotion is self-showing and causeless, But the Eternal Perfect Substance is veiled up by godlessness.
In His acts, the Supreme Lord follows the Vaiṣṇavas’ will, en the mercy of a Vaiṣṇava can bring the illusion to nil.
e Vaiṣṇavas have the power to wake up the sleeping world. By their mercy, sinful men become devotees of the Lord.
erefore, they do not perform nirjana-bhajana for Śrī Hari, Which is the world’s cheating process of the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī.
When those great, famous Vaiṣṇavas were together in assembly, Padri Saheb went to meet them asking, rather critically, Questions about Vṛndāvana and Kṛṣṇa’s līlā in His youth. But the assembly was unable to bring him to the pure truth. Lacking śāstric understanding, such neophytes, unpuri ed, ey just hunt chapati and dal, while “being lonely” is their pride.
ese devotees are all kaniṣṭha”, our spiritual master said, Now I can understand well. What he said can’t be misread.
One well-versed in the Scriptures, an un inching devotee, He is an uttama-adhikārī and can make the whole world free.
He delivers the most fallen and is famous throughout the world. Now please save this fallen one. Let your fame expand, unfurled.
Everyone in Kali-yuga is the lowest of mankind. Unaware of what is happening, they de facto are all blind.
But the Lord, Śrī Gaurasundara, the fallen souls’ Protector, e most merciful and forgiving gives instructions lled with nectar.
Anyone who has taken birth within this Bharata’s land, Should act for the world’s well-being and respond to His command.
Was the līlā of the Lord, relish the nirjana mellow, But is not to be imitated by a true Vaiṣṇava fellow.
Nondevotees have no taste for serving God with pure devotion. Being mundane, they don’t experience such sublime love and emotion.
One who thinks “I am this body”, being immersed in deep illusion, Cannot taste spiritual mellows and will miss the right conclusion.
But, those who have the conception of Vaiṣṇavas in terms of birth, Are very bold in trying to taste Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās on this earth.
Like the clerk in the post o ce, that caste-goswami one; To pay him so many obeisances, all the bābājīs will run.
e Gosāñī Ṭhākura zealot in his birthright has false pride, Which Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu broke in pieces and denied.
I see what happens in Vṛndāvana. e plight is utterly severe. erefore, I can understand that there is work to be done here.
e prākṛta-sahajiyās all commit adultery, Taking someone else’s wife their “līlā” relish, vulgarly.
“ is is not Śrī Vṛndāvana!” let my mind always repeat. Just remember, without fail, the Six-Gosvāmīs’ lotus feet.
e Gosvāmīs saved pure bhakti from degraded situations, and by Śrī Caitanya’s order, they removed all deviations.
ey are Kṛṣṇa’s associates. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is on their mind. Just by thinking about them, one will leave his sins behind.
But if one tries to imitate them, feigning their dress and devotion, He becomes the toy of māyā; lost in the material ocean.
Always preach! Go out and preach! Go from jīva’s door to door! en your life will be a success as an employee in God’s love store.
Śrī Dayita D āsa Prabhu warned and gave this orientation: “Chant out loudly Hare Kṛṣṇa! is is my real initiation.”
Kīrtana is not just “drums and karatālas” as the only rule. at kīrtana sound is not this modern system and its tools.
What is favorable for service in devotion is all Mādhava, And the only true enjoyer of the world is Śrī Yādava.
Māyā’s ashy pride and joy, broadcasting through the radio’s sound, Destroy them all, by strongly spreading this kīrtana all around.
Māyā’s is all these newspapers. Growing illusion, everywhere. Preach that boldly to the world. Get up and ght. It is warfare!
Sitting lonely in your room shouting, maybe you’ll increase your bile, Countless births will not be enough to please Śrī Hari and see His smile.
Come out of your little cage! Stop objecting! Get things done! Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, Who belongs to everyone.
Chant this “Hare Kṛṣṇa” loudly, while going out in saṅkīrtana, en you’ll nd within your heart, “nirjana-bhajana has begun!”
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, now, by your mercy, we know the real meaning of “nirjana-bhajana.”
Your exhortation “Go out and preach!” is the life-motif of your ISKCON movement. Please, allow us to remain eternally with Your Divine Grace as part of your great transcendental army.
Your humble and respectful servants, Radio Kṛṣṇa Centrale, Terni, Italy, Narakantaka D āsa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to your global mission to save the most fallen souls of Kali-yuga.
I am writing on behalf of the worldwide TOVP team from the far corners of the planet. We have members from India, America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and all the worlds between. We have united with global donors to assist you in ful lling your aspiration of a Vedic Planetarium and ISKCON World Headquarters in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma. You told me in 1976 that you want to bring the whole world to Māyāpur to be introduced to the most muni cent incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu!
is year we are especially pleased to announce to you the opening of the TOVP wing dedicated to Śrī Śrī Prahlāda-Narasiṁha, scheduled for October. is will be the fourth major milestone after the Cakra installation, pūjārī oor opening, and welcoming your mūrti to serve and worship. is historic Narasiṁhadeva wing opening will herald the Grand Opening of the TOVP in late 2024 during a three-month festival from December to Gaura-Pūrṇimā, 2025.
Although we were still a ected by setbacks due to the COVID pandemic, I am happy to present to you below our major accomplishments in 2022 and a 2022 Construction Progress Report
from our Project Management Consultancy, Cushman & Wake eld, who have been working diligently to complete the temple on time.
1. Rādhā-Mādhava Golden Jubilee Festival, March 2–5, 2022 is festival celebrated the 50th Anniversary of some important historical occasions in Māyāpur and ISKCON history: the installation of choṭa Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, and the Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers conversation in your bhajana-kuṭīra (the original Māyāpur temple), the 100th Anniversary of your receiving Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s order to preach in the West, and the honoring of Vaiṣṇavas who helped to develop your Māyāpur project.
Jananivāsa and Braja Vilāsa Prabhus went to Brazil and raised over $100,000 in pledges for temple construction.
Braja Vilāsa went to Brazil and Spain to purchase marble for use in the Narasiṁhadeva Wing.
Achievements – 2022
Designed & procured wall & column cladding marble for Narasiṁha Wing
Processed marble for Narasiṁha Wing
Designed & originated metalwork for Narasiṁha Wing
Completed seamless ceiling of Narasiṁha Wing
Six lifts/elevators installed and approved
Completed interior dome services
Woodwork in Narasiṁha Wing in progress
Installed GRG Glass reinforced gypsum) panels in Narasiṁha Wing dome
Erected sub-frame of the main dome
Hydro-chroming work on Narasiṁha Wing dome GRG panels
Expansion joint work at +28mtrs level in-between main dome and Narasiṁha dome
External services (drainage, etc.) work completed
Design & procurement of sewage treatment plant
HT electric panel (electricity distribution panel) delivery
As you can see, Śrīla Prabhupāda, your dedicated team of workers and donors, have been earnestly and painstakingly trying to prepare for the Grand Opening very soon, despite pandemics and other distractions thrown in the path. We are eternally grateful to you for giving us such a challenge. We pray for your continued blessings and guidance in creating a wonderous attraction in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma to glorify yourself, the previous ācāryas, and Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi.
On behalf of the worldwide TOVP Team, Your servant, Ambarīṣa D āsa
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda:
Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
By your mercy, we again celebrate your appearance in this world. It is said that by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, one attains a guru, and by the mercy of the guru, one can attain Kṛṣṇa. e spiritual master is the representative of Vyāsa because he delivers knowledge owing by disciplic succession from Vyāsa Himself, the empowered literary incarnation of Kṛṣṇa.
Your Vyāsa-pūjā day is a time when your grateful followers feel the unbridled need to shout from the rooftops that you, our Śrīla Prabhupāda, is not simply a bona de ācārya in the BrahmaGauḍīya-sampradāya. You are the “senāpati-bhakta” predicted by Śrīla Bhaktivinode Ṭhākura. Your achievement – your ISKCON – is the pinnacle of unadulterated mercy and love.
All bona de spiritual masters are meant to transmit the highest of spiritual secrets intact according to time, place, and circumstance. is is where you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, stand out in all your glory as the unparalleled ācārya amongst ācāryas. You are the chosen one, the superempowered Vaiṣṇava quali ed to share this topmost knowledge of the love of God across the globe so the dull-minded, lust and envy-maddened denizens of Kali-yuga are inspired to take up the process of rejecting nefarious and hopeless pursuits to surrender everything for the shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s love.
You did this on the order of your beloved Guru Mahārāja, taking up that which your peers could not, spreading Śrī Caitanya’s mission around the world. You accomplished this profound glory by dint of full faith in Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga. You left the beautiful shelter of Vṛndāvanalīlā, gripping tightly to the shelter of the message you were tasked to deliver – a message which is no less than the holy grail of mercy.
You masterfully delivered audārya all over the world. is altered the oundering, miserable lives of countless two-legged Kali-yuga animals who, no matter what their material birthright, are all, as you informed us, lower than śudras. Such is the nature of your gargantuan mercy! You provided the mechanism to bring us to human life, then pulled your followers upward toward the most exquisite exchanges of loving devotion with Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Your mercy is still in place, still producing joyful Vaiṣṇavas. A recipient only needs to add the slightest of intention, opening the door for you and your beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava to provide the rest. e paths you cleared, rst to the west, then all over the globe, are still open, still being taken advantage of, still facilitating an endless ow of ever-expanding audārya.
Emulating Lord Caitanya, who captured the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the topmost fountainhead of all devotion, love, and compassion, you distribute this greatest gift freely. Śrīmatī
Rādhikā is the most perfected mahā-bhāgavata who sees everyone as superior to Her. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are also unable to consider “who is a t candidate and who is not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place.” You possess such mercy, distributing the holy names to all, seeing only the spiritual potential in everyone. In this way, you have ensured the Lord’s holy names are heard everywhere in the world. Your books are found even in Antarctica!
Your mission, your teachings, the power of Kṛṣṇa’s holy names – the complete bhakti process is all contained within your books which carry the secret of harmony between seemingly dissimilar races and cultures. is phenomenon is evident within the grand, spiritual city you built for all of us in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma, where so many races and cultures practice living together in harmony, disregarding trivial bodily-based di erences. By your mercy, we realize that we are of the same family with the supreme father, Kṛṣṇa, as our eternal commonality.
You taught us to seek unity in diversity, to be one in purpose, honoring each other’s uniqueness. “In the material world there are varieties, but there is no agreement. In the spiritual world there are varieties, but there is agreement. at is the di erence. e materialist without being able to adjust the varieties and the disagreements makes everything zero. ey cannot come into agreement with varieties, but if we keep Krsna in the center, then there will be agreement in varieties. is is called unity in diversity.” (Letter to Kīrtanānanda Oct. 18, 1973)
On this auspicious day of your appearance, considering all you have done to relieve our suffering and knowing it is impossible to repay this gift, still your Vaiṣṇava Ministry, on behalf of all the soft-hearted mothers and their families within your greater ISKCON family, feel the need to beg yet another favor from Your Divine Grace. We beg you to continue showering all members of our spiritual family with the intelligence and devotion to maintain your nurturing mood of
tolerance and unity in diversity and to increase this mindset eternally. As your wayward daughters and granddaughters, we pray for this mood to engulf and protect your spectacular, expanding movement forever so the doors remain wide open, providing shelter from the material storm for all within the warmth of your fatherly glance and radiant smile.
With great love and gratitude,
Rādhā Devī D āsī
On behalf of your servants at the Vaiṣṇavī Ministry
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I o er my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa- śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are lled with impersonalism and voidism.
When one’s mind is attached to Kṛṣṇa, one can ful ll the mission of life in one human birth. If one misses this opportunity, one does not know where he is going, how long he will remain in the cycle of birth and death, and when he will achieve the human form of life and the chance to return home, back to Godhead. e most intelligent person, therefore, uses every moment of his life to render loving service to the Lord.
If one regularly sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the temple, one will gradually be disinfected of all material desires simply by visiting the temple and seeing the deity. When one is freed from all the results of sinful activities, one will be puri ed, and with a healthy mind, completely cleansed, he will increasingly make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
A pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always thinking of how fallen, conditioned souls can be delivered. e Supreme Personality of Godhead, in uenced by the merciful devotees’ attempt to deliver fallen souls, enlightens the people in general from within by His causeless mercy.
Ś
rīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.46, purport
We should always keep Kṛṣṇa within our minds, for Kṛṣṇa is like the sun. is is the motto of our Back to Godhead magazine: Kṛṣṇa is just like the brilliant sun, and māyā, ignorance, is just like darkness. When the sun is present, there cannot be darkness. So if we keep ourselves in Kṛṣṇa consciousness always, we cannot be in uenced by the darkness of ignorance; rather, we shall always walk very freely in the bright sunshine of Kṛṣṇa.
Teachings of Queen Kuntī, p. 163
Spiritual rasa [taste], which is relished even in the liberated stage, can be experienced in the literature of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam due to its being the ripened fruit of all Vedic knowledge. By submissively hearing this transcendental literature, one can attain the full pleasure of his heart’s desire.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.3, purportIn the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the dancing in ecstasy, and the eating of the remnants of food o ered to the Lord are very, very important. One may be illiterate or incapable of understanding the philosophy, but if he partakes of these three items, he will certainly be liberated without delay.
Ś rī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.237, purport
ere is nothing in the world with which the Lord is disconnected. e only thing we must learn is to excavate the source of connection and thus be linked with Him by o enseless service. We can be connected with Him by the transcendental sound representation of the Lord. e holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, and one who chants the holy name of the Lord in an o enseless manner can at once realize that the Lord is present before him. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.33,
purportA pure devotee always engages in the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection with the sa ron mercy-particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord. Although when a pure devotee speaks the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very p owerful because it touches the particles of sa ron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the p owerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.
– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, purport