Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!
It is an uplifting and extraordinary blessing to write an offering for Vyāsa-pūjā. This sacred
occasion grants us the opportunity to express our profound gratitude and glorify Kṛṣṇa’s pure
devotee.
We are unimaginably fortunate to have the privilege of reading your wondrous, love-filled
books. No less precious is the treasure of your countless audio and video recordings. Your biogra-
phy is an unparalleled gift, vividly portraying every chapter of your life – your meeting with your
spiritual master, your selfless preaching in India, your preparations for the voyage to America,
your dedication to writing and publishing books, and even personally distributing Back to God-
head magazine. How sublime and transcendental was that time when your first disciples began to
join you in America!
Please allow me to share with you a brief account of our preaching mission over the past year, a
humble offering from the devotees to you, our spiritual master, and to Lord Caitanya.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, one of the most vital aspects of your mission was to give the holy
name to as many people as possible and to engage them in chanting it. Your disciple, Śivarāma
Swami Mahārāja, who so mercifully guides us in understanding your transcendental desires, has
instructed us to hold a monthly holy name festival in Budapest. Over the past year, we have orga-
nized this event each month under the name Kirtan Fest. The halls have always been filled with
guests, all joyfully chanting, dancing in dynamic kīrtana, listening to lectures, and finally, honor-
ing delicious prasādam.
Following in the footsteps of your lotus feet, Śyāma Lāl Prabhu goes out to the streets five
times a week, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for four to five hours – 90 percent of the time
he does this alone, relying solely on the power of the holy name.
When you chanted in the park in New York, your aim was not merely to spread the holy name
but also to inspire young Americans to become practicing devotees. And you were remarkably
successful. As you yourself recounted, this was possible because you earnestly endeavored to
follow your beloved spiritual master. The Budapest devotees are striving to learn from you in
the same way. Thus, one of Śivarāma Swami Mahārāja’s key instructions is to encourage young
people to move into the temple. To this end, we have established an entire program operating
three to four days a week. Our small downtown preaching center is surrounded by universities,
offering young people the opportunity to come for lunch, honor prasādam, participate in kīrtana,
and listen to spiritual discourses. By the mercy of our spiritual master and by sincerely striving to
follow your perfect example, five new devotees moved into the temple ashram last year.
For you, the most essential aspect of the saṅkīrtana mission has always been book distribution.
In this as well, your beloved disciple Śivarāma Swami Mahārāja has guided us, emphasizing that
when devotees distribute Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets on the streets, we can truly satisfy your lotus
feet.
At the beginning of 2024, many thought this mission was impossible. Yet the intense desire to
please your representative – and thereby please you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda – helped us build this
wonderful saṅkīrtana mission step by step.
During last year’s Prabhupāda marathon, the devotees achieved remarkable results. Many
devotees distributed three, four, five, or sometimes even seven Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets per day.
As an offering for the 2024 marathon, the devotees distributed a total of 152 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
sets.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, with deepest gratitude, we humbly thank you for saving the entire
world!
Your insignificant servant,
Bhaktipāda Goswami
* Secretary’s letter, August 10, 1977.