My dear spiritual father,
Please accept my obeisances.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have given me many orders. While some of them have been completed, I
am trying to carry out the remaining ones. This Vyāsa-pūjā homage is like my annual report to
Your Divine Grace. Without your mercy, I cannot do anything. I am severely physically handi-
capped, but I am still trying to do the best I can with the help of many of my disciples and others.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had a profound desire to honor Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura by develop-
ing his birthplace in Birnagar into a significant center for spiritual education and pilgrimage. You
also instructed me to do something for Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s birthplace. Your vision for this
project included a display of his life history, his writings, an educational center, parks, gardens,
guesthouses, and an āśrama. You visited his birthplace two or three times, and I accompanied you
when you requested the brother of your spiritual master, Śrīla Lalitā Prasāda Ṭhākura, to grant
permission for us to render this service. Unfortunately, he passed away without granting permis-
sion. Once you told him: “Here is an important place to be developed for Kṛṣṇa. You can’t do it,
and then, when someone can do it, you won’t allow him. Isn’t that sinful?” You also told us that it
was not an offense because you put it as a question.
Even after fifty-two years, the current Bhaktivinoda Goṣṭhī (managing committee of the
Birnagar Dvādaśa Temple) is not giving permission. They say we can develop the place and per-
form pūjā, but they won’t give us anything in writing. So to move forward with your instruction,
we thought we needed a center. For that reason, we acquired land that was owned by Bhakti-
vinoda Ṭhākura’s maternal grandfather, located just 300 meters from the current temple, to
develop a magnificent temple broadcasting Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s life and other facilities,
as envisioned by Your Divine Grace. The cornerstone was installed on April 13, 2025. Simultane-
ously, our Birnagar committee will continue efforts to negotiate with the present management of
the Birnagar Dvādaśa Temple to secure the right of worship of the existing birthplace temple.
ISKCON also acquired the birthplace of Advaita Ācārya, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, and Śrīvāsa
Ṭhākura in Bangladesh.
Your Divine Grace has predicted that there would be 50,000 devotees in Māyāpur, half of
whom would be residents and the other half guests. We now have around 7,500 residents, so
we still have a long way to go to satisfy your vision. There were not so many people coming to
Māyāpur when you were here. At present, however, there are at least 30,000 visitors on regular
days. On Gaura-Pūrṇimā day we had 231,000 visitors, and throughout the entire Gaura-Pūrṇimā
festival (from the flag-raising ceremony to the flag-lowering ceremony), we had a total of 15 lakhs
of visitors. So your prediction that Māyāpur would grow is now happening. We are assisted
by the other codirectors – Hṛdaya Caitanya Dāsa, Vraja Vilāsa Dāsa, Subhekṣaṇa Dāsa, and
Dayārāma Dāsa.
By your mercy, from the West Bengal government, which is now run by TMC and Śrīmatī
Mamata Banerjee, we received a vote from the cabinet allowing us a land ceiling of 750 acres. It
was your desire to have a bigger land ceiling, and you were trying for it. Now, through the hard
work of Dayārāma Dāsa and Akṣaya Rāmacandra Dāsa, this has been done. The Temple of the
Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) is nearing completion. We are planning to finish it by 2027. As per
your instruction, I am overseeing the exhibitions of the TOVP, which at present is called “The
Science Museum of the Vedic Planetarium.” We want to show that the Vedas are good science, but
to ensure that our presentation is scientific and accepted by scientists, we are working with the
Bhaktivedanta Institute. His Grace Ambarīṣa Prabhu and Her Grace Svāhā Devī have contributed
significantly, and now Vraja Vilāsa Dāsa is going around the world, visiting different places to get
donations to fulfill your desire.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda desired to install the lotus footprints
of Lord Caitanya at the places the Lord visited. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
Prabhupāda established eight or so, but he wanted to have 108. So, on your behalf, we are trying
to install the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in the places He visited. So far, we have installed
59 pāda-pīṭhas, and we are in the process of reaching more than 108.
Last year, with the help of the late His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami, His Holiness Giriraj
Swami, His Holiness Radhanath Swami, and the assistance of ten other sannyāsīs, along with
senior devotees, we installed lotus footprints in locations near Mumbai and in twenty-four places
in Vraja where Lord Caitanya visited. This year, we installed twenty-four lotus footprints in dif-
ferent parts of South India, assisted by safari devotees. My disciple Balarāma Govinda Dāsa
has made major contributions for the lotus footprints and the small temples where they will be
installed. During the last Śāntipura festival, we installed the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya,
Nityānanda Prabhu, and Advaita Ācārya Prabhu at Śāntipura.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, under the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, one of my disciples,
Rāmanipati Dāsa, has been appointed as a new trustee. He is working on multiple projects for the
repair/renovation of śrīpāṭs (holy places associated with great devotees) in various places around
Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. He has gotten many temples, congregations, and individuals to spon-
sor śrīpāṭs. Previously, we were working on your 10-lakh fixed deposit, and every year we got the
interest. With that we have tried to develop many places, but were not very successful. Therefore,
Rāmanipati Dāsa got sponsors for different śrīpāṭs, and since then, we have made great progress.
We successfully registered a trust called Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association (SGVA). Most
of the Gauḍīya Maṭhas have joined this institution, and we celebrate together the appearance day
of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. We
are also aiming to collectively honor their disappearance days. After we do our own celebration
in the morning, we gather at one Maṭha or another to celebrate the particular event. In this way,
we are trying to unify the disciples and followers of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
Prabhupāda, as per your wish.
I am encouraging devotees to read your books and take different śāstric courses, as you desired.
You said, “I will never die. I will live forever in my books, and you can take advantage.” People
do not read your books, and you instructed that people who want second initiation should have
bhakti-śāstrī. I have implemented this requirement so that everybody reads your books. I was
honored to receive my bhakti-śāstrī degree personally from your hand, and I have since completed
bhakti-vaibhava and bhakti-vedānta. I want to be a good example for all the devotees so they will
study your books. Now, I am taking my bhakti-sārvabhauma. Every night before going to bed, I
read your books. I have completed the reading of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
many times, but every time I read, I get new realizations, and I feel very blissful.
Your Divine Grace gave me the instruction to distribute 10,000 big books and 100,000 small
books every month. I am trying to fulfill this instruction of yours with the help of my disciples. I
have set up a virtual book table, through which I distribute books all over the world. ISKCON
Śrī Māyāpur presented me with an award as the top distributor. Additionally, the Māyāpur
Saṅkīrtana Department and Māyāpur internal divisions received the top position in the world this
year in book distribution.
Also, I am writing a few books, including my memories of Your Divine Grace, entitled Better
to Be in Kṛṣṇa’s Army, which will be printed by the Indian BBT. Additionally, I completed the Śrī
Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, which is like the Kṛṣṇa book and combines not only Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
but also Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, and eight other books by different associates
of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The book is presented in chronological order, and the editors are
now working on it. While in Māyāpur I regularly give classes on Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s
Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta nearly every day.
His Grace Janmāṣṭamī Dāsa has started organizing Śrīla Prabhupāda Connect Day in Māyāpur
to help devotees develop deep, loving relationships with Your Divine Grace and establish you in
their hearts as their foundational śikṣā-guru through a series of lectures given by your disciples and
senior devotees. The program is conducted in English and Bengali, with simultaneous transla-
tions in other languages, and is also broadcast live on Māyāpur TV, enabling devotees worldwide
to attend.
In an April 6, 1975 lecture, given in Māyāpur, Your Divine Grace said: “We want to spread
Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply prepare yourself how to repeat Kṛṣṇa’s instructions very nicely, with-
out any malinterpretation. Then, in the future … Suppose you have got now ten thousand. We
shall expand to a hundred thousand. That is required. Then a hundred thousand to a million, and
a million to ten million. So there will be no scarcity of ācārya, and people will understand Kṛṣṇa
consciousness very easily.”
Now, about a hundred of your disciples and around fifty of your granddisciples have become
dīkṣā-gurus. Clearly, your vision extends far beyond this. At the moment, we are failing to fulfill
your desire, as we are only having less than two hundred gurus. Devotees need to have a paradigm
shift to align with your vision.
I am not able to travel as much as before, so when I cannot physically visit my zones, I connect
online. And despite my health limitations, I attend almost all the meetings as part of my manage-
rial responsibilities, including GBC meetings, GBC Executive Property Oversight Committee
(GEPOC), Organizational Development Committee (OrgDev), Māyāpur Executive Board (MEB),
Māyāpur Codirectors, Māyāpur Master Plan, Indian Bureau, ISKCON Bharat Advisory Council
(IBAC), East India Divisional Council (EIDC), South India Divisional Council (SIDC), Science
Museum of Vedic Planetarium Executive Committee (SMOVP), Latin American Regional Gov-
erning Body (LA RGB), Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust (BSCT), Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
Association (SGVA), Māyāpur Vṛndāvana Trust (MVT), Usha Rani Trust (Chatra Temple), World
Hindu Federation (WHF), and my zone-related meetings.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I would like to inform you that the World Hindu Federation recognized my
efforts to serve sanātana-dharma by offering me the Hindu Ratna Award on January 3, 2025, in
New Delhi. I have also been conferred the opportunity to serve in the capacity of one of its vice
presidents.
Despite my health challenges, I am trying to maintain my daily sādhana. In 2024, I chanted
9,127 rounds and read Your Divine Grace’s books for a total of 115 hours and 25 minutes. Addi-
tionally, during festivals, I listen to classes delivered by your disciples and other devotees. I will
continue to improve my sādhana this year.
Since your Vyāsa-pūjā last year and earlier, from March 2024, I have been continuing with
dialysis three days a week. In the dialysis room I have a TV screen, so I attend some meetings
while undergoing dialysis. I feel very grateful that I am still able to do some service, and I have
requested my disciples to help me in carrying out your orders. Pañca-tattva, Rādhā-Mādhava
Māyāpur Candra, Rādhā-Mādhava’s aṣṭa-sakhīs, and Bhakta Prahlāda Nṛsiṁhadeva are in my con-
stant remembrance. I am thinking how it would be nice if I could fulfill all your instructions.
I realize that you picked me up from the grasp of māyā and that I was not practicing any part
of Vedic culture before you delivered me. Now I am trying to recognize how I am simply depen-
dent on your mercy.
Your servant,
Jayapatāka Swami