Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Without
the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement.
On this most auspicious occasion of your Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā, we, your humble servants at the
ISKCON Cebu yātrā, offer our humble obeisances unto your divine lotus feet. It is by your mercy
alone that we have come in contact with this most rare and precious gift: Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are our jagad-guru, the savior of the fallen, the expert and merciful
captain who has guided the fallen souls of this world across the ocean of material existence. You
have fulfilled the prophecy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra would
be heard in every town and village. By your divine grace, even in this distant land of Cebu, the
glorious saṅkīrtana movement has taken root. Your mercy is unfathomable, and our debt to you is
beyond measure.
When you set foot in the Philippines in the 1970s, you planted the seeds of bhakti that have
flourished slowly but never dissipated. It is evident that the influence of Kali-yuga is very strong
in our region. However, your disciples, imbued with your spirit of compassion and unwavering
dedication, have tirelessly carried your mission forward. Through their service, we – unworthy
and fallen as we are – have found our connection to the guru-paramparā and been given the
opportunity to serve in Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana mission. It is only by your divine mercy that a
region such as ours, a land of mlecchas, could receive such immense great fortune.
As I reflect on my childhood, having been born and raised at ISKCON Philippines I have seen
the struggles, growth, and development of our yātrā. The Cebu yātrā is where ISKCON was first
established by your disciples after meeting two locals. One of these was my mother, Jayaśrī Devī
Dāsī. Having witnessed the Philippine yātrā’s history, I am extremely humbled and grateful for
having been given the opportunity to grow up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Through four decades of
trying to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I have fallen countless times and gone astray. But by the
mercy of your faithful disciples and other local senior Vaiṣṇavas, your loving society has contin-
ued to give me and many similar individuals at the Cebu yātrā countless chances to rectify and
continue to serve you and ISKCON. Through these years I have developed such a deep respect
and appreciation for what you have established for our yātrā and feel eternally indebted, like so
many individuals in our region.
Despite the challenges of establishing Kṛṣṇa consciousness in a land steeped in material
struggle, your mercy is a ray of hope that helps us to persevere, helped by your beloved disciples,
who reflect your expertise and training and who faithfully execute your instructions. The path to
perfection is not easy. The forces of māyā constantly test our resolve, and the burden of low birth
and past conditioning weighs heavily upon us. But through your divine guidance, and by the
strength of your instructions, we take shelter in guru, sādhu, and śāstra, finding solace and cour-
age to continue this sacred spiritual journey. Your books are our eternal lighthouse, illuminating
the darkness of ignorance and guiding us toward the ultimate goal of life: pure devotional service
to Kṛṣṇa.
As we offer this homage, we reflect on the unimaginable grace you bestowed upon us. Who
could have thought that Kṛṣṇa consciousness would reach a place like Cebu? That temples,
nāmahaṭṭa groups, and devotee communities would emerge here, enabling so many souls to chant
the holy names of the Lord? This is your miracle, Śrīla Prabhupāda. And we, as your children,
pray that we may remain forever engaged in serving your ISKCON family, never faltering in our
determination to advance in spiritual life and follow your instructions.
On this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we humbly beg for your continued bless-
ings and offer two humble projects. The first, is the acquisition of a 7,600-sqare-meter property
donated by Ācārya Dāsa, a disciple of Tamal Krishna Goswami, to develop a Kṛṣṇa conscious
farm community in Bogo, Northern Cebu Province, where we worship our former padayātrā Dei-
ties, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. The second is a newly established preaching center in Mandaue City,
Cebu, where devotees and guests worship newly installed twelve-inch brass Deities of Śrī Śrī
Gaura-Nitāi.
We have also established harināmas and bhajanas two or three times a week at the Plaza Inde-
pendencia Park and Fort San Pedro, with the official support of the local authorities and the inter-
faith organization of Cebu City, inspired by the most glorious story of how you began to preach
Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Tompkins Square Park in New York City. We are humbled to see how
much sacrifice you underwent just to save all of us. Please give us the same strength, inspiration,
and impetus to bear all trials and tribulations that come with practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and
developing these projects. Please allow us to remain steadfast in our sādhana, unwavering in our
faith, fearless in spreading the glories of the holy name, and confident in distributing your books,
for without your mercy and guidance we cannot succeed due to our very unfortunate material
conditioning.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are forever indebted to you. From the depths of our hearts we offer you
our sincerest gratitude, our most heartfelt and humble obeisances, and our unwavering pledge
to serve your divine mission. We beg you to use us as instruments in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s
saṅkīrtana movement.
All glories to Your Divine Grace! All glories to the eternal servant of Śrī Guru and Śrī
Gaurāṅga!
Aspiring to always be in your service,
Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Dāsa
Cebu, Philippines

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