Most respected and dearest 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 our humble obeisances. All glories to you!
When our congregation reads, listens to, studies, and discusses your books and lectures we feel enlivened, our minds are purified, and we clearly see the purpose of our lives – to perform sincere devotional service until the lotus feet of your pure devotees.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.16, Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī addressed the queries of the great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka:
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely free from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.
The effect of such service is priceless – developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound vibration. By hearing and chanting, all material desires are cleansed from the heart of a truthful devotee, as explained in the next, verse, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17:
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
In your purport you have kindly point out:
Messages of the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent from Him. Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, declares clearly that the holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord and that He has endowed His innumerable names with the same potency. There is no rigid fixture of time, and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his convenience. The Lord is so kind to us that He can be present before us personally in the form of transcendental sound, but unfortunately, we have no taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord’s name and activities. We have already discussed developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound. It is done through the medium of service to the pure devotee of the Lord.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you mention that Śrīla Vedavyāsa was feeling incomplete despite being fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas. In Bhāgavatam 1.4.31, Vyāsa Bhagavān says:
kiṁ vā bhāgavatā dharma na prāyeṇa nirūpitāḥ
priyāḥ paramahaṁsānāṁ ta eva hy acyuta-priyāḥ
This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord.
In your purport you kindly point out: “Unless one is fixed in the normal condition of service, neither the Lord nor the living being can become fully satisfied. This defect was felt by him when Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, reached him.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.8, Śrī Nārada Muni says:
bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ yaśo bhagavato ’malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta manye tad darśanaṁ khilam
You have hardly broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.
In the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you point out that constitutionally we are eternal servants of the eternal master. Lord Kṛṣṇa expands himself to accept loving service from us, which satisfies both the Lord and us. “Dry philosophical speculations even on the transcendental subject of the Absolute have very little attraction without directly dealing with the glorification of the Lord.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are always present in your books. If this were not true, how is it possible that your books continue to transform the hearts of so many people every day? Your mysterious workings are beyond our comprehension. We only hope and pray that you continue to inspire and guide us through your devotees so that we can carry on your mission to the best possible extent – with consistency and without material motive – to please you and your pure devotees.
We have been a small congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating under the banner of ISKCON New Mahāvan. Always fascinated by your books and teachings, we have been performing daily maṅgala-ārati, weekly classes on the Bhagavad-gītā (on Fridays) and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (on Sundays), organizing major festivals, including Ratha-yātrā.
After every Saturday maṅgala-ārati and japa, devotees listen to one of your lectures and get immense inspiration. Devotees here organize multiple weekly sessions at the Gopal Fun School for children, both online and in-person. Some devotees organize online and in-person regular weekly reading sessions to study your books. We have a monthly kirtan and reading program at the University of Minnesota and have started another outreach program in Shakopee, MN. Devotees here regularly participate in book distribution at the university, fairs/festivals, other temples, and grocery stores. We celebrate important festivals with kirtan, classes, dramas and performances involving the local public, and introduce people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we feel that your books, like parents, have the power to sustain preaching centers by nourishing us with devotion, wisdom and resources.
In February 2024, devotees here acquired a 5.5-acre piece of land with a house and pole barn. It is allowing us the possibility of building an ISKCON temple. By your kind mercy, we recently got over the hurdle of getting the Conditional Use Permit approved by the city of Corcoran. We fervently pray for your continued mercy so we can come up with a devotionally vibrant Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. We are now in the process of raising funds for the temple and farming project under the banner of ISKCON New Mahāvan Temple and Eco Farm Community.
We pray unto your lotus feet to please keep us under your shelter and continue to guide us in the form of books and lectures. May we serve under the wise guidance of your able disciples, like the ISKCON GBC members, senior devotees, and initiating spiritual masters, so that we can sincerely serve and glorify your devotees and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa sincerely and consistently, with love and care.
Your servants at ISKCON New Mahāvan Temple and Eco Farm Community