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 and respectful obeisances at your most revered lotus feet. All glories to you!
On this day, we consider ourselves very fortunate to write a few lines to glorify you. We are extremely fortunate to offer our humble homage at your most revered lotus feet on the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā. You are the empowered ācārya who carried the message of Lord Caitanya to the entire world. At an age when most people would like to take rest, you crossed the ocean alone, with no money and no support, simply carrying your faith in Kṛṣṇa along with the order of your spiritual master.
Through your compassion, purity, and unwavering dedication, you gave us Kṛṣṇa consciousness in its original, unbroken form. Your books are not ordinary books – they are living guides that continue to awaken devotion in millions of hearts.
We are eternally indebted to you for granting us the holy name, devotional service, and a clear path back to Kṛṣṇa. On this day, we pray for the intelligence and sincerity to follow your instructions and serve your mission with humility and gratitude.
With extraordinary determination, unwavering faith, and deep compassion, you introduced pure devotional service to every part of the society. Despite immense challenges, you remained fully dependent on Kṛṣṇa, translating and presenting the Vedic scriptures with clarity, authority, and devotion. Your literary contributions stand as an enduring testament to your realization and unlimited mercy.
Through your personal example and divine instructions, you have given humanity the priceless gift of the holy name and a clear path to spiritual life. We remain eternally indebted to you and pray for the sincerity, humility, and strength required to faithfully serve your mission and follow your teachings.
The scriptures declare that the spiritual master is the transparent representative of the Supreme Lord: ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān navamanyeta karhicit, na martya-buddhyāsūyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.27 – “One should know the ācārya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.”
In the purport to the above śloka, where it is quoted in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 1.46) – a verse spoken by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava– you write, “Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore, in the dealings of an ācārya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called āśraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.”
You are the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead, and we should all take shelter of your lotus feet.
Acting solely as a servant of your spiritual master and the disciplic succession, you carried the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to every corner of the world, fulfilling the prophecy: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma – “In every town and village of the world, My holy name will be preached.” (Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
You fulfilled the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by spreading the holy name throughout this mundane world. You are the direct mercy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi, dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ 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. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.” (Śrī Guru Praṇāma)
Your tireless preaching, profound literary contributions, and spotless devotion demonstrate the symptom of a mahā-bhāgavata. By translating and commentating the Vedic scriptures, you fulfilled the divine injunction: 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.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.128)
In the purport to the above śloka you explain: “This is the sublime mission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Many people come and inquire whether they have to give up family life to join the Society, but that is not our mission. One can remain comfortably in his residence. We simply request everyone to chant the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.”
You are one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. As the founder-ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), you accomplished what many once thought impossible: you transmitted the ancient wisdom of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism beyond India and firmly established it as a global spiritual movement. Your accomplishments span religious, cultural, literary, and organizational fields, leaving a legacy that continues to shape millions of lives worldwide.
Your most visible accomplishment was the founding of ISKCON in 1966 in New York City. At the age of sixty-nine, with no financial support and little institutional backing, you began teaching the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West. Within just eleven years, your ISKCON expanded to hundreds of centers, temples, and rural communities across six continents. This remarkable growth demonstrated not only your spiritual depth but also your organizational vision, leadership, and unwavering faith in the mission entrusted to you by your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
Through ISKCON you successfully introduced devotional practices such as kirtan, Deity worship, vegetarianism, and Vedic festivals to a global audience. ISKCON provided a structured system for spiritual practice based on chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, ethical living, and devotional service.
Another monumental accomplishment was your translation and commentary on sacred Vedic texts. You translated more than sixty volumes, including Bhagavad gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya caritāmṛta, and numerous other works. Unlike many academic translations, your writings preserved the devotional intent of the texts while presenting them in clear, accessible English.
These works became foundational scriptures for ISKCON and are studied by scholars, practitioners, and seekers worldwide. Your insistence on philosophical fidelity ensured that Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism was transmitted authentically rather than diluted to suit popular trends. Through these books, you ensured that ancient Vedic wisdom would be preserved for future generations.
You emphasized practical spirituality, teaching that spiritual life should transform individual behavior and society. You promoted ethical living through principles such as nonviolence, truthfulness, cleanliness, and compassion. Your encouragement of vegetarianism was grounded not merely in health or environmental concerns but in reverence for all living beings.
You also advocated for simple living and high thinking, criticizing excessive materialism and encouraging sustainable lifestyles. Through farm communities, educational initiatives, and prasādam distribution, ISKCON addressed social and humanitarian concerns while maintaining spiritual integrity.
Perhaps your greatest accomplishment was your role as a spiritual master. You personally guided thousands of disciples from diverse backgrounds, transmitting not just philosophical knowledge but a lived example of devotion, humility, discipline, and compassion. Despite your advanced age and fragile health, you traveled continuously, lectured daily, wrote extensively, and engaged personally with your followers.
Your life embodied the principle of complete surrender to divine service. By your personal example, you demonstrated that sincere devotion, guided by guru, scripture, and tradition, can transcend barriers of culture, language, and history.
Your accomplishments continue to resonate decades after your departure. ISKCON remains an active global movement, your books are translated into dozens of languages, and your teachings continue to inspire spiritual inquiry worldwide. More than institutions or texts, your enduring legacy lies in the lives transformed by your message of loving devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
In summary, your accomplishments were not limited to external achievements; they represented a successful reawakening of timeless spiritual wisdom in the modern world. Through truth, compassion, and tireless dedication, you fulfilled the mission of carrying Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every corner of the globe.
On this most sacred occasion, we humbly acknowledge our eternal debt to you and pray for the qualification to serve your mission with sincerity, obedience, and devotion. All glories to you and all glories to your ISKCON! Jaya, jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your most humble servants,
Bala Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and the devotees of ISKCON Edmonton