To Your Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.
On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we, the members of the ISKCON Grande Prairie center, offer our heartfelt gratitude, prayers, and glorification. Though we are limited and insignificant, we pray that our words may carry a sincere attempt to express our appreciation for your causeless mercy upon us.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the embodiment of compassion. You carried the message of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, across the ocean, fulfilling the predictions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. With unwavering determination and complete dependence on Kṛṣṇa, you established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and gave the entire world access to the highest spiritual knowledge.
As you have stated in an August 1975 room conversation: “I have not done any magic. Whatever I have done is due to my Guru Mahārāja.”
Through your humility we learn what it means to be a true servant of the spiritual master. You never claimed credit, yet the entire world is indebted to you.
In our small community in Grande Prairie, the northernmost center and far from the holy dhāmas of India, we experience your presence through your books, your instructions, and the association of devotees. Your teachings have become the foundation of our lives. Through your translations and purports in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, we are gradually understanding our identity as eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa.
You have given us a practical process to purify our lives by chanting the holy names, honoring prasādam, engaging in devotional service, and associating with devotees. Even in our daily struggles, your words guide us and bring clarity.
In a lecture given in London in 1973, you instructed, “Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and your life will be sublime.”
By following this simple yet deep instruction, we find hope and direction. In a world filled with confusion and distraction, your teachings stand as a beacon of truth.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have also given us the mission to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Though we are not qualified, we try in our small ways by organizing kirtans, distributing prasādam, sharing your books, and celebrating festivals. Every effort we make is simply an attempt to assist in your mission.
Our community continues to grow by your mercy. New devotees are joining, families are finding spiritual shelter, and people are developing faith in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is only possible because of your sacrifice and vision.
In a letter from 1972, you wrote, “The Krishna consciousness movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all kinds of departments of knowledge and action.”
We pray to become instruments in fulfilling this vision to live by your teachings and to share them with sincerity and compassion.
On this sacred day, we reflect on how fortunate we are to be connected to your disciplic succession. Without you, we would remain lost in material existence, unaware of our true purpose. You have opened our eyes and shown us the path back home, back to Godhead.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us that we may remain steady in our sādhana, develop genuine humility and a service attitude, work cooperatively as a family, spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in our region, and always remember your instructions in all circumstances. We pray to never forget your mercy, even for a moment. Please forgive our shortcomings and offenses. We are trying, but we are still learning. Kindly guide us from within our hearts so that we may serve you better. At your lotus feet, we offer our repeated obeisances.
Your insignificant servants,
The devotees at the ISKCON Grande Prairie Center