Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your Divine Grace has blessed every nook and corner of the world – not only with your vapuḥ
but with your vāṇī. You touched millions of souls across the globe and brought them to Kṛṣṇa’s
shelter.
ISKCON has established vibrant devotee communities in India’s large cities, and we always
prayed to have a similar setup in small villages as well. Our community is a newly formed center
in a small village called Ashti, located in the tribal district called Gadchiroli, in Maharashtra. This
center was begun by His Grace Parmeśvara Prabhu (your dear disciple, who leads the Chamorshi
center, 35 kms from Ashti). Because of his tireless preaching under the guidance of His Holi-
ness Lokanath Swami Mahārāja, many people from Ashti also become favorable toward Kṛṣṇa
consciousness – especially the many displaced Hindu and Bengali families who left Bangladesh
in 1965–71 and settled in this area. These persons have reverence toward Lord Caitanya, but had
become misguided by many asampradāyas.
We were doubly blessed when His Grace Hari Kīrtana Prabhu, a senior disciple of His Holi-
ness Lokanath Swami Mahārāja, was given responsibility for this zone. His constant support,
guidance, and blessing through daily japa meetings gave us proper inspiration. We felt so deeply
connected to him and to His Grace Parmeśvara Prabhu that both of their blessings and guidance
helped us establish and maintain this center.
With this support, on Gītā Jayantī in December 2022, we started a satsaṅga program to dis-
cuss the Bhagavad-gītā. About thirty people – which has since grown to between forty and sixty
people – attend every Saturday. We discuss Bhagavad-gītā ślokas and have kīrtana and prasādam.
Last year, our Janmāṣṭamī celebration was attended by about seven hundred well-wishers. The
event was graced by a talk by His Grace Hari Kīrtana Prabhu. After this, Hari Kīrtana Prabhu
declared Ashti a satellite center of ISKCON Nagpur.
Recently, a few devotees have started connecting for morning japa sessions as well. We have a
long way to go before everyone in this territory becomes a vibrant and happy devotee.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the embodiment of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy. You fulfilled
not only Mahāprabhu’s prophecy but that of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18):
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the
Khasa races, and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter
of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my
respectful obeisances unto Him.
This prophecy was made even before Mahāprabhu appeared. You came in the form of the
senāpati-bhakta and delivered all people from all the mundane categories of human existence,
such as nationalism, caste, creed, race, ethnicity, etc. You were ordained to fulfill the desire of Śrī
Mahāprabhu by spreading His holy name to every town and village. Our village is no exception,
and by your divine grace, your disciples are extending themselves to deliver fallen souls like us.
Your mercy is not just in your vapuḥ and vāṇī but also in the form of your disciples and grand-
disciples – those who are tirelessly, sincerely trying to preach till their very last breath out of com-
passion for the suffering souls of the material world, who are bereft of bhakti. Please be merciful
to us by giving us strength, courage, determination, and the enthusiasm to become humble instru-
ments in the hands of our authorities, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness
Lokanath Swami Mahārāja, His Grace Parmeśvara Prabhu, His Grace Hari Kīrtana Prabhu, and
others. All these persons are striving to bring the fallen souls back under your care and Kṛṣṇa’s
shelter.
Your aspiring servants at ISKCON Ashti

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