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 my humble obeisances.
This year in France we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the installation of your dearest Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Deities at New Māyāpura Dhāma. May they grant us spiritual strength so that we can overcome our anarthas, be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and cooperatively serve your mission in France.
By casting your merciful glance on France, you offered us both the gradual and the fast track processes for purification: “One can gradually become purified by seeing, touching, and worshiping temple Deities, places of pilgrimage, and holy rivers. But one can attain the same result immediately simply by receiving the glance of exalted sages.” (Bhāgavatam 10.86.52)
We may not have received your physical glance in this life, still, we can experience your divine presence in your books, recorded lectures, conversations, letters, and in your mūrti form. We can feel how deep is your compassion by hearing your pastimes from the lips of your sincere disciples and followers.
As far as we in Paris are concerned, the government is increasingly embracing the Indian culture. Last month, a new Indian cultural center opened in the heart of Paris, next to the Eiffel Tower. We were invited for the inauguration, and devotee artists from Belgium are now having an exhibition there for a few months. In the Paris region, a big temple from the Swami Narayan community is about to open at the end of 2026. We are also connected with them and hope to hold kirtans and classes there.
Meanwhile, your beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Parisīśvara are kindly tolerating our lack of experience and maturity. You wrote, “I am also glad to hear that in your temple no one misses mangala arati and that everyone is becoming steady and peaceful in their service. It sounds as if you are taking care of your men very nicely. This is first class management. Please continue in this kind of management.” (Letter to Kurusrestha, Bombay, 28 December 1974)
Sorry for not being up to this level yet. Also, I feel deeply ashamed to see such a poor facility for both the Deities and the devotees. Still, Rādhārāṇī’s lotus hand is delicately pouring mercy upon us all to push on the mission, and attracting more and more souls to take shelter in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Even if we struggle to reach the standard They deserve, our attempt to follow your instructions is improving the situation day after day. We are still a small team of ten to twenty devotees living in the temple or close by. Our congregation is growing in number and maturity, but unfortunately, we must admit that we hardly attract locals to the temple. We try our best to reach out with harināma, book distribution, programs at the temple, home programs, kirtan events, and online programs … only by your mercy will these attempts bring a change in people’s lives.
My dear Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or the forest to meditate with vows of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet. (Bhāgavatam 7.9.44)
After regularly touring in Paris for few months, our saṅkīrtana party unfortunately has stopped these past months. We are sorry for that. You wrote, “To manage a sankirtana party nicely is more precious than all other activities. That is the verdict of Bhagavad-gita and the mission of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Letter to Tamala Krishna, Bombay, 13 November 1975)
Book publication is finding a second breath also, with dedicated devotees patiently investing their time and energy in BBT-related services. New titles are about to come, including a reprint of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. You wrote, “Our first important business is to hold Sankirtana as many times as possible. The next important business is publication work.” (Letter to Krishna Dasa, Los Angeles, 28 July 1969)
Book distribution is still going on, but less intensely compared to past years in terms of scores, but more and more devotees are entering the dance on a regular basis. Having said that, while finding ever fresh happiness in the preaching field, it is heartbreaking to see practicing devotees leaving your divine ISKCON boat in the hope of finding greener grass … in vain. Please kindly forgive our shortcomings and enlighten us not to commit the same mistakes.
One of your faithful disciples recently told me that we need more than better facilities for the Deities; our first priority should be to take care of the devotees. Indeed, how long can we continue preaching to newcomers without caring for the practicing devotees? How long can we distribute books without developing relationships with the people? How long can we neglect the needs of senior devotees, who dedicated their life and soul to your mission?
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, if you feel I can be of any help in this regard, please engage me. With the blessings of my spiritual master, our GBC leaders, some senior devotees, and my wife, I decided to step aside from work – at least temporarily – to step back into deepening relationships, explore new areas of preaching, and dedicate more time to your mission. My only hope in this attempt is to please you and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Parisīśvara.
Please kindly guide us, and please kindly keep us on the bona fide path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
An unqualified servant of your servant,
Jīva Praṇa Dāsa
On behalf of the management team of Rādhā-Parisīśvara Mandir