Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our respectful obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious occasion of your Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā.
On this most auspicious day, we in ISKCON Guyana humbly pray for your continued guidance that we may become worthy instruments in your hands, assisting in spreading your profound teachings and divine mission. This year marks the 130th anniversary of your sacred appearance. With each passing year, we perceive ever more deeply the limitless expanse of your glories and your transcendental qualities. Your Vyāsa-pūjā affords us a divine opportunity to contemplate your extraordinary personality and to renew our commitment to your ISKCON.
This year also commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of your incorporation of ISKCON in the United States. In a mere six decades, through the tireless endeavors of your sincere followers, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has expanded extraordinarily, touching millions of lives and establishing a truly global spiritual revolution.
Today we meditate upon your unwavering loyalty to your revered spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, and your resolute determination to fulfill his sacred instruction – to spread the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa among the English-speaking world and uplift the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. Reflecting upon your early days in America, we are deeply moved by your unshakeable faith in your Guru Mahārāja and your pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
Despite immense hardships – uncertainty even in meeting your basic needs, and the challenge of guiding those unfamiliar with spiritual discipline – you remained steadfast, fully confident that the empowerment to fulfill your mission resided within your guru’s instructions. Your commitment to pure standards coupled with boundless compassion have reached and transformed countless lives, bringing spiritual awakening to all corners of the world. In just twelve short years, you accomplished what no one in history had achieved. Today, we bow before you in profound gratitude and reverence, making our humble attempt to glorify your immeasurable mercy and sacrifice, by which you have uplifted humanity.
On behalf of the four established temples in Guyana and our wider congregation, we offer our homage unto you, our esteemed founder-ācārya. This year holds special significance for the Guyana yātrā. It marks the fiftieth anniversary of ISKCON’s registration in Guyana as well as the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of our premier temple, the Hare Krishna Study Center, near the University of Guyana in Georgetown. Above all, we join the worldwide celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary of ISKCON’s founding in 1966 in New York City. In recognition of these milestones, the Guyana yātrā is organizing a five-day commemoration, “ISKCON Guyana 60/50/20 celebrations,” to honor this historic convergence.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, as early as the 1970s you expressed a desire to visit Guyana and to establish an ISKCON center here. In your letter dated 4 April 1971, written to your dear disciples Vaikuṇṭhanātha Dāsa and Śaradīya Devī Dāsī, who you sent to Guyana, you encouraged them to open a center here, recognizing Guyana as a fertile field for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You envisioned a strong and beautiful center in this part of the world, and even expressed your intention to visit when circumstances permitted.
You will be pleased to know that the message of Lord Caitanya continues to flourish in Guyana. Inspired by your desire to establish temples and install Deities here, your followers have, over the years, developed four centers across the country:
- New Kulīna-grāma in Berbice
- the Hare Krishna Study Center in Georgetown
- Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi Āśīrvād Mandir on West Demerara, and
- New Navadvīpa Dhāma in Essequibo.
Three sets of Deities have been installed: Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gokula Chandra in Berbice (1986), Parama Karuṇā Nitāi-Gaura Chandra in Georgetown (2016), and Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Caitanya Chandra at the Crane temple in West Demerara (1985). This year also witnessed the inauguration of the first Govinda’s restaurant at our Georgetown center.
We humbly beg for your blessings that we may continue to uphold the highest standards in Deity worship. By your mercy, the observance of Vaiṣṇava festivals, book distribution, nāma-haṭṭa preaching, Food for Life programs, and Sunday Love feasts are all progressing steadily. We feel your constant presence and divine direction, and you remain our enduring beacon on the path of spiritual life. We pray for your mercy so that our devotees may always remain enthusiastic and loyal in their service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are our shelter and our strength. Kindly bless us so that we may remain humble mediums in your service. We pray that you forgive our shortcomings and grant us the strength to faithfully carry forward the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as you have so perfectly taught it. You are the guiding force behind all that we do and the eternal well-wisher of every soul. You have bestowed upon us everything – knowledge, purpose, and a loving spiritual family – and we remain forever indebted to you for your causeless mercy. We earnestly pray that you empower us with devotion, courage, and humility, so that we may continue to serve your divine mission with sincerity and determination. May your words forever illuminate our lives.
Today we renew our vow to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya, to serve the devotees, and to immerse ourselves in the nectar of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. Please continue to guide us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that we may one day become true conduits of your boundless compassion and love. Kindly empower us to work together in harmony, with unwavering faith, determination, and love, in service to your divine mission. May we remain united in devotion, supporting one another in fulfilling your desires and sharing the sublime gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness far and wide.
From the depths of our hearts, we offer our gratitude, our adoration, and our very selves at your lotus feet, praying always to remain engaged in your service. This alone is our life and soul, and our sole aspiration in this life. Please keep us always near your lotus feet and engaged in spreading the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness through many diverse means.
We thank you for all the sublime gifts you have given us.
Your servants of the Guyana yātrā
(written by Paramatma Dāsa)