Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
We are very grateful for the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for human society and for each of us personally.
Thank you very much for the books and temples that you have given to all of us.
Thank you for the festivals and the culture of spiritual life that you so skillfully introduced into our lives.
Thank you for your example and instructions, which you have bestowed upon humanity for the next ten thousand years.
You are a great personality, for your determination to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to make people happy knows no bounds. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.21): “Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”
By your mercy, a true miracle is now taking place in the world. In the midst of Kali-yuga, more and more people are taking up the spiritual path of chanting the holy names. This has become possible only because of your sacrifice of comfort and personal peace. You left Vrindavan and went to the West, where death itself could have awaited you. Even the journey to America could have ended tragically. And it may have seemed that the people of America were not at all ready for your spiritual message. But by your mercy, Kṛṣṇa inspired your first disciples, and now we have received our chance.
You gave us the meaning of life. You filled our hearts with inspiration and engaged us in eternal service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
On this day, thousands of your followers will offer you their respects for giving the priceless gift of love of God and for explaining how to attain it and preserve it amidst the distractions of material life.
You perfectly fulfilled the instruction of your spiritual master, and now the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa can be heard in the most remote corners of the world. People are attracted by the beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead – His opulence, knowledge, strength, and renunciation. Kṛṣṇa empowered you to become His messenger and to give people the invaluable gift of transcendental love of God and the opportunity to understand their eternal relationship with Him.
We are but tiny living beings, one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair, yet understanding our true nature – the nature of a servant – gives us the chance to attain pure, selfless love of God. You wrote an immense number of books – something no ordinary person could accomplish. Kṛṣṇa Himself guided your hand to reveal the philosophical truths of Vedic knowledge. Without the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and your other works, it is impossible to understand the purpose of human life. Through the examples of great personalities of the past, you showed how a modern person should live in order to pass the most important examination at the end of life – to remember Kṛṣṇa and, to the sound of the holy name, enter the kingdom of God.
On this earth we are merely passengers. The material world is not meant for gentlemen, as you often said, and we should not linger here. We are souls, yet out of ignorance we identify ourselves with the body. By your example, you showed what it means to serve the Lord selflessly, offering one’s entire being. You laid the foundation for the spiritual advancement of all humanity. The people of Kali-yuga are weak, both physically and spiritually. Lord Caitanya proclaimed the sanātana-dharma of this age: the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. We sing, we dance, and we take delicious prasādam – a wonderful philosophy. One only needs to humbly accept God into one’s life and not claim what does not belong to us.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, the devotees of the Kherson community unite their hearts to offer you their lives and their service. Although our city has become a place of great external hardship, being on the very front line, your mercy remains the unshakable foundation of our lives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, due to the ongoing war, most members of our community have been scattered across the world. Today, your followers from Kherson chant the holy names and serve your mission in Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and many other countries. Although we are physically far from our homes and from one another, we remain more united than ever. Every morning we gather online to chant our rounds of the mahā-mantra together, and each day we meet in the digital space to read and discuss your transcendental books. We are united by our shared devotion to your instructions.
At the same time, a courageous group of devotees continues to maintain the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the very heart of Kherson. By your mercy, here in Kherson – practically on the front line of the war – Kṛṣṇa gives us the opportunity to cook and distribute prasādam, to perform harināma-saṅkīrtana in the streets of the city, to distribute your books, and to gather for Sunday festivals and nāma-haṭṭa programs.
We humbly present a report of our local activities for your satisfaction:
- Distribution of kṛṣṇa-prasādam: each week, despite the constant threat of drones, missiles, and shelling, devotees cook and distribute about 300 liters of kṛṣṇa-prasādam several times a week at seven distribution points. We strive to help those most in need, following your instruction that no one within a ten-mile radius of a temple should go hungry.
- Saṅkīrtana and harināma: even in a city under fire, we continue to hold Sunday programs, nāma-haṭṭas, and kirtans. The sound of the mahā-mantra serves as the only true shelter for souls at this time.
- Unity in service: whether serving abroad or under shelling at home, the devotees of Kherson are one family under your protection. We see your hand in every moment of protection and inspiration.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are simply trying to be humble instruments of your compassion. You gave everything to bring the light of the holy name to the world, and we pray for the strength to follow in your footsteps with sincerity and courage.
We pray for your continued blessings so that we may remain steady in service, wherever the waves of destiny may carry us. May our city and the whole world attain peace through your divine instructions.
We understand that even if we have some experience and skills, they are insignificant, and Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality, deserves much more than we can give. Still, we feel great joy that, for some reason, we have been placed in this wonderful society that you created.
We wish to continue our small attempts to be of service to you, to Lord Caitanya, and to Lord Nityānanda. Please guide us on the path of devotion and do not allow us to deviate. We are your eternal debtors and hope for the opportunity to continue serving your lotus feet.
Your humble servants,
the devotees of ISKCON Kherson