Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to your beloved Guru Mahārāja, the lion among the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs!
This year, 2026, following my recent trip to India, I come before you with a realization that has shaken my material complacency. Passing through Dubai, I encountered a city that defies imagination: impeccable architecture, boundless luxury, and an order that seemed almost paradisiacal. For a moment, my conditioned mind whispered, “What a wonderful place to live. What a comfortable refuge to spend my days in.”
But you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, do not allow your followers to sleep for long in the lap of Māyā. Barely two days after leaving that place, the reality of this world struck with the news of bombs falling upon that very opulence. That paradise was made of glass. I then recalled the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) that you so often quoted: padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām … – this material world is a place where danger lurks at every turn. No matter how much technology or beauty we accumulate, this world remains a place of suffering, and only your lotus feet are the safe boat to cross this ocean of ignorance.
Argentina: From the Pain of Envy to the Hope of Faith
You knew the character of this distant country well. We remember with sorrow that dark time when the movement in Argentina was shut down by the military dictatorship. It is said that upon receiving the news of the closure and the persecution, you remarked that Argentina was the most envious country in the world, for envy is the root of religious intolerance and the rejection of God. However, despite this harsh diagnosis of our nature, you never abandoned us.
In your letters to Brahmānanda and Hanumān, you wrote with transcendental vision: “The BTG Argentina and the photos showing Argentine ladies and gentlemen singing and dancing in ecstasy give me great hope.”
Even in a land marked by envy and conflict, you saw the potential of souls to transform. Here we stand, Śrīla Prabhupāda! Your faith in us was stronger than our own degradation. You taught us that the only way to cure envy in the heart is by chanting the holy names and performing humble service.
The Pastime at Jagannath Puri: Your Living Voice in Your Books
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you always say that you are alive in your instructions (vāṇī). I vividly recall proof of this in 1998. We were on pilgrimage to Jagannath Puri, the holy place where Lord Caitanya lived His final pastimes. While visiting the Gambhira, we were captivated by the atmosphere and heard a group of people chanting a mantra with a very sweet melody:
sri-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
hare kṛṣṇa hare rāma śrī rādhe govinda
In our innocence and lack of technical guidance at the time, we began chanting it along with them, thinking we were deepening our devotion. However, upon returning to our hotel, we resumed our systematic reading of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, just as you had instructed us to do. Amazingly, we opened the book to the exact passage where you spoke directly to us:
There are many unscrupulous devotees who, taking advantage of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, compose their own mahā-mantra. Sometimes they chant “bhaja nitāi gaura rādhe śyāma hare kṛṣṇa hare rāma,” or “śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda hare kṛṣṇa hare rāma śrī rādhe govinda.” In reality, however, one must chant the names of the entire Pañca-tattva … and then the sixteen words of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra…. Of course, they are Vaiṣṇavas and must be respected, but these unscrupulous and unintelligent men muddle the whole process.
It was as if you were right there, giving us a merciful “scolding.” You taught us that devotional feeling without following the prescribed method is dangerous. That instruction protected us from straying from the path and confirmed that your books are your personal presence guiding us.
Your Stature Grows: Saint Among Saints
You are no ordinary saint; you are the empowered śaktyāveśāvatāra. As the Kṛṣṇa-bhajanāmṛta of Narahari Sarakāra says, although all Vaiṣṇavas are transcendental, there are “waves of varying sizes” in the Ganges of devotion. You are the largest wave that has ever struck the shores of the West. You transformed degraded people into perfect ladies and gentlemen, and you continue to do so even today.
I long for the day when we can enter that beautiful house that Kṛṣṇa has prepared for you in the spiritual world. We know that you are waiting for us eagerly, with open arms, because your love is unconditional, and, as you wrote to Brahmānanda in 1969, you have no intention of returning to Goloka without us.
We bow before you once, a thousand times, a million times, because you are worthy.
Your grandson and servant,
Baladeva das