Most beloved A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 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 obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your divine service and boundless compassion upon the conditioned souls.
On the sacred occasion of your 130th Vyāsa-pūjā, the devotees of ISKCON Zambia offer our heartfelt gratitude for the gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness you have brought into our lives and into this part of the world. You fulfilled the divine prediction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
That the holy name would be heard in every town and village is no longer a prophecy; it is a living reality due to your sacrifice. Zambia, too, stands as a small but sincere testimony to this. By your mercy, what began as a modest preaching center registered in 2015 has gradually developed into a vibrant devotional community. Whatever growth has come is simply due to your vision and blessings.
We are especially grateful that our yātrā was recently blessed as Jagannātha Dhāma by His Holiness Lokanath Swami, affirming the special place Lord Jagannātha’s service has taken in Zambia. Our annual Ratha-yātrā has become one of the most visible and popular expressions of devotional culture here, attracting many newcomers and well-wishers.
By following your instructions as best we can, various aspects of your mission are taking root:
- Regular Sunday Love Feast and satsaṅga programs
- Harināma and book distribution
- Food for Life outreach
- Govinda’s prasādam distribution
- Annual Śrīmad-Bhāgavata kathā and Rāma kathā programs
- Kirtan Melā, begun in 2025, received an enthusiastic response
- Boat Festival, begun in 2024, now a cherished annual observance
- A growing community of practicing devotees, with some now initiated in the guru-paramparā
These are small offerings, but they are all attempts to serve your mission. We are encouraged that the next aspiration for the yātrā is to secure our own site and develop a temple within the city – an offering we pray may become a reality through your blessings.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mercy has reached Zambia through many channels. We remember with gratitude the visits and encouragement of many senior Vaiṣṇavas, including Radhanath Swami, Bhakti Narasiṁha Swami, Rāma Govinda Swami, the ongoing blessings of Lokanath Swami, and the pioneering contribution of Brahmānanda Swami, who planted seeds here in earlier years. Many senior devotees continue to nurture this small center through regular visits and guidance. We see all this as extensions of your mercy.
When we reflect that devotees in Zambia are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, worshiping Lord Jagannātha, studying the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, honoring prasādam, and trying to serve the Vaiṣṇavas, we know all of this exists only because of your sacrifice. You crossed oceans alone, accepted enormous hardships, and gave the world Kṛṣṇa. We in Zambia are direct beneficiaries of that compassion. For this we offer our deepest gratitude.
Please bless us to remain faithful to your instructions, deepen our sādhana and cooperation, expand your mission in this country, establish a temple worthy of your movement, and to always remain servants of your servants
If there is any success in this yātrā, it belongs to you. If there are shortcomings, they are ours. On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, we simply pray that we may continue assisting, however imperfectly, in your mission of spreading Lord Caitanya’s mercy.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving Zambia Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Gaura premānande! Haribol!
Your insignificant servants,
Jayagovinda Dāsa and the devotees of ISKCON Zambia