Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept our humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet on this auspicious occasion of your
Vyāsa-pūjā.
As the world accelerates into a future marked by technological advancement and digital
saturation, we find ourselves at a unique and urgent juncture. Artificial intelligence has become
mainstream, human attention is fragmented, and spiritual inquiry is often replaced by algorithmic
distraction. Society today is experiencing a crisis not just of meaning but of memory. We have
forgotten who we are, why we are here, and what the ultimate goal of life is.
The Bhagavad-gītā describes Kali-yuga as an age of quarrel and hypocrisy. We see this playing
out daily where truth is diluted, values are compromised, and dharma is increasingly obscured
by competing narratives. Externally, it may seem that the world is more connected. Yet internally,
people feel more lost than ever before.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, it is in this environment of confusion, uncertainty, and instability that your
books become essential. They are not simply religious texts or philosophical treatises – they are
lifeboats. They offer a return to clarity, a reorientation to what is real, what is eternal, and what is
worth pursuing.
You did not wait for ideal conditions before acting. You saw the urgency. You saw the suffering.
And you responded. You translated and published these books as a dedicated servant carrying out
the order of your spiritual master. That same spirit of urgency and mood of compassionate disrup-
tion is what built the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and The Bhaktivedanta
Book Trust. And it is what continues to sustain BBT Africa today.
As your servants, we strive to carry that mission forward with the same conviction. In a conti-
nent as diverse and rich as Africa, access is everything. When someone reads the Bhagavad-gītā in
their native language, they are not just reading words; they are encountering Kṛṣṇa speaking to
them, in their voice, through your mercy.
This commitment to access and inclusion guided our publication of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in
Kreole Morisyen (Mauritian Creole) for the people of Mauritius. This was a significant milestone,
as it was an extension of your mission. In the same spirit, your Back to Godhead magazine is now
transitioning into digital format, aligning with how people engage with information today, with-
out compromising the depth of spiritual substance.
The African saṅkīrtana team distributed an impressive 157,977 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publi-
cations, including both books and magazines. Book distributors across the continent continue to
innovate, finding new and creative ways to expand the reach of your books.
All around us people are beginning to ask deeper questions. There is a growing recognition
that material progress alone cannot satisfy the heart. They are searching for answers that go
beyond surface-level solutions. There is a quiet but rising need for truth that is rooted in some-
thing greater than themselves. And the answers that they are searching for are present in your
books.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your life was the embodiment of selfless service. On this sacred day of your
Vyasa-puja, we recognize more than ever how urgently the world needs your books. We offer our
renewed commitment at your lotus feet: to continue translating and publishing them with dedica-
tion and care. Please bless us so that we may carry on this sacred mission.
Your servants,
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Africa