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 obeisance unto your lotus feet. All glories to you on this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
Regardless of our situation, we are protected by the power of the divine name, which, by your great efforts and mercy, has grown to fill more than eight hundred centers worldwide and will keep on increasing. ISKCON Niagara is one of these centers. Though I lack the knowledge and ability to properly glorify you, still, by your unconditional mercy, you have blessed us beyond what we deserve.
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
As you stated, you are still dissipating the darkness of ignorance in the world of māyā through your books. If not for these words that are available to us via the technological medium, those of us who have not seen you physically would not have an opportunity to hear and chant with you.
We at Niagara present the knowledge through your books to all the new devotees visiting our center for the first time. Our book distribution team has been placing smart boxes in various retail outlets in order to pass out the transcendental treasure of knowledge to all.
Inspired by your childhood Ratha-yātrā, we at Niagara, as a growing center, by your mercy have taken steps to organize a children’s Ratha-yātrā. It was a great event, by your blessings. This year we intend to perform it again so that kids get connected to the Lord with a smile. In the future, we aspire to hold a massive Ratha-yātrā along Niagara Falls.
Our Sunday school teachers are making sure that our little devotees grow up to be happy, intelligent, self-disciplined, and absorbed in a spirit of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us how childhood education determines the future of both the individual and the society. Please bless us so that we may train the children properly. We want that they become the strongest hope for a spiritually progressive society.
Our cultural team has been delivering the pastimes of the Supreme through dramas and classical dance performances. In this way they reach those who neither read nor hear about the Supreme and His love for His devotees.
What would have happened if you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, had not come? This line holds so true in our lives. If you had not been there, then the life of fallen souls like us would have been wasted without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have truly been a senāpati-bhakta, as mentioned by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have saved so many souls and are still doing so by training them to fight against māyā by handing them the word of hari-nāma, especially for jīvas like us, who are far away from the holy dhāma.
yadi pāpi chāḍi dharma dūre deśe yāya
mora senāpati-bhakta yāibe tathāya
(Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala)
We have been organizing our annual retreats, where we visit other ISKCON centers. These visits have been loved by the devotees, as they get a chance to glorify the Lord with other devotees and even improve their sādhana while they are away from their regular duties.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you established ISKCON by engaging the youth. We at ISKCON Niagara have been working on our youth by involving them in various services. An exclusive bhakti-vṛkṣa is being conducted for them so they can be trained in the line of devotional service. It gives me immense pleasure to share with you that the youth of Niagara are leading kirtans, doing book distribution, performing saṅkīrtana, and decorating for festivals.
Our prasādam team has been serving everyone enthusiastically during the regular programs, festivals, and events. Our team firmly believes consuming prasādam becomes a vehicle for the soul’s purification and a way of receiving Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
The merciful month of Dāmodara is celebrated with great enthusiasm at Niagara by reaching out to new families and organizing deepdan at their homes. By your blessings, we have reached out to many new souls.
Not to forget our Vaiṣṇavi Saṅga, where our mātājīs get together to share and learn about gṛhastha rules and upbringing of our little bhaktas into great devotees. Various arts and crafts activities are conducted, which are used for service at our center.
How fortunate are we to have you as our eternal father! Let us, as your spiritual children, boldly prove to the world that you are truly the Lord’s senāpati, a merciful rain cloud who came to extinguish the blazing fire of birth and death that engulfs the material world. Please let the desire to set an example and serve your mission awaken deeply in our hearts. Bless us to learn and follow the time management skills so we execute our spiritual duties efficiently and build a beautiful temple at Niagara that will serve the society on both sides of the river.
Your aspiring fallen servant,
Rajeshwari Devī Dāsī
On behalf of ISKCON Niagara