Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda and his devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to His Divine Grace.
Today we are gathered to celebrate the auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony for Śrīla Prabhupāda, who saved the world through his compassionate preaching. At an advanced age, he traveled from Calcutta to Boston without almost any money, a single contact, no manpower, a little physical strength – driven solely by one purpose: to serve his Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī stated:
There has not been and there will not be such benefactors of the highest merit as Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees have been. The offer of other benefits is only a deception; it is rather a great harm, whereas the benefit done by Him and His followers is the truest and greatest eternal benefit. This benefit is not for one particular country, causing mischief to another; but it benefits the whole universe.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.29) Kṛṣṇa says of the true yogi: “A true yogi observes Me in all beings and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized person sees Me, the same Supreme Lord, everywhere.”
In a lecture delivered in 1968 in Seattle on the disappearance day of his sannyāsa-guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda said:
I was sitting alone in Vṛndāvana, writing. My godbrother insisted to me, “Bhaktivedanta Prabhu, you must do it. Without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become a preacher.” So he insisted. Not he insisted; practically my spiritual master insisted. He wanted me to become a preacher, so he forced me through this godbrother: “You accept.” So, unwillingly I accepted
One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples told us, “If you become conscious of Śrīla Prabhupāda, then you will surely become Kṛṣṇa conscious.” This highlights the profound truth that by following and understanding His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, one naturally develops pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda himself always gave full credit for all his achievements to his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, demonstrating perfect humility and guru-niṣṭhā (firm faith in the spiritual master).
Never Give Up
On one occasion, when Śrīla Prabhupāda was visiting one city, he remarked that the city was filled with ignorance and its people hardhearted, like stone. Hearing this, one of his disciples asked, “Śrīla Prabhupāda, should we leave this city and go somewhere else?”
Śrīla Prabhupāda firmly replied, “That does not mean we are going to leave these people. We will preach here. Just because it is difficult does not mean we give up.”
This incident reveals that Śrīla Prabhupāda was truly a fearless spiritual warrior, determined to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness even in the most challenging circumstances.
We must learn from the example of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Great devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja and Śrīla Prabhupāda teach us that true devotees never give up. No matter how difficult the circumstances, they continue forward with determination. This unwavering perseverance is one of the defining qualities of a pure devotee.
A pure devotee is ready to tolerate any hardship – insults, difficulties, or challenges in this world – but will never abandon chanting, preaching, or striving to please Lord Kṛṣṇa. Such steadfast devotion deeply pleases the Lord. One can imagine even Kṛṣṇa marveling, “Just see, this devotee never gives up performing devotional service!”
Śrīla Prabhupāda himself faced many struggles and setbacks in the United States. Yet, this was all part of Kṛṣṇa’s divine plan. Kṛṣṇa arranged that no external support would come easily so the world could witness the depth of His devotee’s surrender.
Through all odds, Śrīla Prabhupāda persevered alone and established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the West. Therefore, full credit goes to him – single-handedly, with complete faith and surrender, he laid the foundation of a global spiritual movement.
The Unimaginable Struggles of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Alone in a foreign land in the bitter winter of New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda walked with quiet determination. He had no money, no followers, no institution – no visible support of any kind. To the world, he appeared to be just another unknown elderly man moving through the crowded streets of Manhattan.
Yet within him burned something far greater. He carried the weight of a divine mission – the sacred order of his spiritual master.
Crushing Physical Hardships
The winter of 1965–66 was merciless. Snowstorms swallowed the city whole, and icy winds tore through the streets with a sharpness that seemed to pierce the body itself. Temperatures plunged below freezing, roads hardened into sheets of ice, and even the strongest struggled to keep their footing.
And there was Śrīla Prabhupāda. An elderly saint from India, clad in a simple dhoti beneath a thin coat, walking through blizzards. His face grew numb, his eyes watered from the freezing wind; there was no car to carry him, no comfort to shield him, no protection from the cold. Still, he walked. Every single day.
Pressure to Compromise His Faith
Well-wishers urged him: “Change your clothes.” “Adopt Western habits.” “Give up your strict principles.” Even respected figures like Mr. Mishra advised him that if he wished to survive in the West, he would have to adjust – perhaps even compromise – his core spiritual vows.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda stood firm. “I have not come to beg something; I have come to give something.”
He chose struggle over compromise, hardship over dilution, and refused to trade the purity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for comfort or acceptance.
No followers. No disciples. No community. Just silence. A subway conductor, Mr. Ruben, once noticed him sitting alone, like a solitary holy man with no one by his side. Yet Śrīla Prabhupāda would say, “I am not alone.” He spoke to Mr. Ruben of future temples, future devotees, as if they were already there, waiting.
Hope came, then shattered. Support that once seemed within reach suddenly vanished. Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had appreciated him and might have helped release funds, passed away unexpectedly. A door closed.
Under Indira Gandhi, the government denied permission to send money abroad. Another door closed.
Padampat Singhania initially encouraged the idea of building a temple but later stepped back, then withdrew completely. The final door closed.
Prabhupāda even approached A. M. Hartman with a humble request: to use an empty building, just temporarily, for a spiritual center. His request was refused.
He wrote letter after letter to godbrothers, institutions, friends – not for himself, but for a temple for Kṛṣṇa.
But the replies did not come. Or when they did, they carried no real help. Even those who might have stood beside him remained silent. Imagine that pain!
Failure Even in His Own Country
His books – Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – barely moved in India; only a few copies were sold. Bookstores returned stacks of them. Even in the so-called “land of religion,” there was little interest.
A Broken World Around Him
He looked at America, with its tall buildings, wealth, and advanced technology.
But inside, he saw the youth struggling with drug addiction, growing protests against the Vietnam War, and increasing social unrest and anxiety. To him, American appeared to have material success on the outside, but spiritual emptiness within.
Relentless External Failures
No funding, no buildings, no support, no recognition. Every plan blocked. Every effort resisted. Every hope tested.
Yet he never stopped. This is where glory shines the brightest.
Despite everything, he wrote and translated daily, chanted constantly, cooked and offered his food to Kṛṣṇa, and spoke philosophy to even a single listener.
Externally, he looked defeated. But spiritually, he was already victorious because he never forgot Kṛṣṇa. He never gave up. He never compromised.
At that moment, in the winter of New York, no one believed in him or supported him or recognized him.
But he believed in his guru, his mission, and Kṛṣṇa.
And that was enough.
Final Reflection
The world saw a struggling old man, but history would reveal a spiritual giant. A warrior. A pure devotee who crossed oceans, faced rejection after rejection, walked through freezing storms, endured loneliness, and never gave up.
And from that struggle, a global movement was born.
I will conclude this offering with one of Prabhupāda’s most powerful final instructions: “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate to keep this movement alive after I am gone.”
He knew that internal conflicts could weaken the movement, so he stressed unity, cooperation, and working together in service.
Here are some beautiful lines from his purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.30.8: “Those who are actually engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be disunited in any circumstance. This makes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very happy and willing to award all kinds of benediction to His devotees, as indicated in this verse.”
Your humble servants,
The devotees at ISKCON Milton