Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Once again, that most auspicious time of the year has arrived when we are given the opportunity to express our deepest gratitude and heartfelt prayers unto you.
With every passing year, we witness your movement expanding far and wide, especially in India. New centers are opening, existing centers are developing into full-fledged temples, book distribution is steadily increasing, and the number of devotees continues to grow. More people are becoming our friends and well-wishers, our social outreach is strengthening, and even government leaders are extending increasing support to your mission. Within the society, devotees are coming together in a spirit of cooperation and forming more effective and collaborative teams to expand your preaching mission. Although certain challenges have arisen that could potentially create rifts, none have become so severe as to obstruct the overall progress of your movement.
While the expansion of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement is deeply encouraging, we also observe the rise of disturbing and harmful influences all over the world, across all continents. There are forces that seek to undermine, corrupt, or even destroy sanātana-dharma in various ways. Day by day, their influence appears to be growing across different levels of society, and we cannot foresee what the situation may be in the coming years.
In such times, we try to draw hope and strength by remembering the Kurukṣetra war as it is described in the Mahābhārata, where the righteous Pāṇḍavas were vastly outnumbered by the Kauravas, yet despite their apparent disadvantage, they emerged victorious simply because Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was on their side: jayas tu pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ pakṣe janārdanaḥ. We are also reminded of the story of the small sparrow who sought to dry up the ocean to recover her lost eggs, and how Garuḍa ultimately came to her aid.
Similarly, although our strength appears insignificant in comparison to the vast forces of Kali and Māyā, we place our hope in your causeless mercy and blessings. By your empowerment, even the smallest effort can become successful. We pray that we may remain instruments in your hands, able to serve your mission with sincerity and determination, and thereby contribute, in whatever small way, to the victory of Lord Caitanya’s movement. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam.
Your servants at ISKCON Chowpatty