Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!
Thank you for everything you did and are doing for us, your children. By your mercy we are
growing to understand the limitless good fortune you bestowed upon us simply by your sincere
endeavor to serve your beloved spiritual master. It is due to you that we have come to understand
the real meaning of causeless mercy. It is clear that we don’t deserve anything you gave us only
because we have done some pious or spiritual activities in the past. Now we bow down at your
lotus feet and pray that we shall be able to represent you and distribute, according to our limited
capabilities, this great ocean of bliss, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You established yourself as an actual authority for everyone. Nobody is used to submitting to
others; they submit only to their own senses and concoctions. Most people have a sense that there
is more to this world than quarrel and hypocrisy, but there is no actual proof of this. Everyone
wants to believe there is, but when you were present, the world was getting more and more diffi-
cult. That’s still happening. In these times, voices rise to declare that reality bends to personal will,
and each soul claims the throne of divinity. The name of Kṛṣṇa, once exulted, is cast aside, while
fleeting pride takes its place upon the altar. Without the grace of your divine descent into this
world, such illusions would have ensnared us, leading hearts astray into shadows of falsehood and
despair. Without your divine presence in this world, the supreme treasure – Śrī Kṛṣṇa – would
have remained hidden from our hearts. The path to liberation from the shackles of the material
realm, the escape from all that binds us to death, would have remained a distant dream.
It is through your infinite grace that the truth of an eternal life of unending joy alongside our
most cherished friend and beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa has been revealed. To your lotus feet, radiant with
boundless blessings, eternal gratitude and devotion flow, for they grant the highest benedictions
to all who seek shelter.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, as we strive to continue the mission you began, we are often struck
by the magnitude of your courage and brilliance. You ventured into uncharted territory, coming
to the West in 1965 with no support, no resources, and only a typewriter, some books, and a
firm conviction in Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. The audience you faced was unfamiliar and, in many ways,
indifferent or even resistant to spiritual ideas. Yet you fearlessly spoke the eternal truths of the
Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Against all odds, you ignited hearts, transformed lives, and
established a worldwide movement that still flourishes today.
For us, in an age when spirituality seems to have gained more mainstream interest, we find a
peculiar challenge. Though there are more seekers, it feels harder to connect with them, harder to
find our public. This paradox humbles us, reminding us of your divine vision and grace. You were
not a normal person; you possessed extraordinary strength, intelligence, and compassion.
When we look at examples from your life – such as how you began the first ISKCON temple
at a small storefront on New York City’s Second Avenue, or how you turned hippies into “hap-
pies” through your loving engagement, it becomes clear that your success was not simply a matter
of human endeavor. It was your unwavering faith, your deep love for Kṛṣṇa, and your boundless
mercy toward humanity.
You are not only our spiritual master and eternal guide, but in the depths of our hearts, you are
cherished as the loving father who gave the most precious gift: the gift of purpose and true direc-
tion in life. Your unwavering compassion and dedication shine as the ultimate example, a divine
wellspring of inspiration that fills our lives with meaning.
Without the treasure of your words, spoken through your books and lectures, our existence
would be adrift, lost in the vast ocean of material delusion. The nectar that flows from your
divine lips nourishes our souls, providing solace, strength, and clarity in this world clouded by
ignorance.
Please, Śrīla Prabhupāda, grant even the faintest glimmer of your unshakable courage and
boundless wisdom, so that we may become humble instruments in fulfilling your sacred desire –
to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every corner of the world. To your lotus feet, the ultimate refuge,
we offer our eternal gratitude and pray for your blessings.
By observing your life and conduct, we can so easily purify ourselves from the contamination
of the modes of material nature. Every breath you brought to this world was full of inspiration
to serve the Lord and strength to learn how to love Him. What can be said about your glorious
glance, which sends Māyā very far from our hearts? We yearn to see your glance more than we
yearn for another breath!
You transformed our conditioned life from being driven by our selfish desires to being driven
by the love of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. By your love, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are now standing
straight and tall, overcoming our material desires and transforming them into sincere spiritual
feeling. You made the impossible possible. You made our original, natural state of being natural
again. We pray only to get your association more and more, life after life, and become more inti-
mately connected with Your Divine Grace.
But beyond everything you have done for us, we really love you for your personality. We
do appreciate that you were never a person who thinks small, but we are also grateful for your
simplicity, great intelligence, sense of humor, ability to create remarkable relationships not only
with spiritual people but also with ordinary people. Independent of all your realizations, I am
very happy that I have come to know that a person like you has lived in this world. A person
who simply wanted to live for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, without selfish desire does not
come from this world. In this world, everyone is motivated to do things with a desire to satisfy
themselves, but your very life is a great example of someone whose life-breath was for pleasing his
spiritual master. For this reason, we shall forever celebrate your presence in our lives.
I shall remain forever grateful and prostrate at your wish-fulfilling lotus feet, begging for your
mercy to first and foremost bless our community in Bucharest, Romania, and the entirety of
Romania, to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness far and wide and to establish your divine mission, dear
Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that every Romanian may come to know the grandeur of your movement.
Please keep us under your divine care and gaze and bestow upon us the strength to preach natu-
rally, lovingly, and with humility. On behalf of the Bucharest yātrā in Romania, I offer my most
humble and respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
Your humble servant,
Śyāmasundara Dāsa