Dear 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
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! All glories to Guru and Gaurāṅga.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are widely recognized for the monumental efforts you made to introduce the wisdom of the Gauḍīya paramparā from India to the global stage. In just over a decade, you transformed a small following of hippies in New York City into a worldwide spiritual movement – from hippies to happies.
Here is a summary of the significant religious and cultural work you accomplished.
You translated and commentated Vedic literature: Śrīla Prabhupāda, your most enduring legacy is your literary contribution. You translated and provided extensive Bhaktivedanta purports (commentaries) for several foundational texts of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is one of the most widely read and distributed versions of the Gītā in the world and has been translated into seventy languages. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, currently printed in eighteen volumes, is an encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is a multivolume biography and philosophical study of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s life and teachings.
You established ISKCON: In 1966, at the age of 70, you founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It began in a storefront on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and grew into a global network that today includes over 600 temples and cultural centers, dozens of ecovillages and farm communities, and educational institutions for adults and schools for children.
You developed the Food for Life program: You emphasized that no one within a ten-mile radius of a temple should go hungry. This philosophy led to the creation of Food for Life, which has become the world’s largest vegetarian food relief program, serving millions of free sanctified meals (prasādam) to people regardless of their background.
You inaugurated cultural exchanges and global festivals: You are credited with bringing the Ratha-yātrā (Chariot festival) out of India and into the streets of major Western cities such as London, San Francisco, and New York. This allowed millions of people to experience Vedic culture and music (kirtan) firsthand.
You established the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT): To ensure the continued distribution of spiritual knowledge, you established the BBT in 1972. It is currently the world’s largest publisher of books concerning Indian religion and philosophy.
Summary of your impact: Śrīla Prabhupāda, your work is often praised for its “uncompromising” presentation of our tradition. You did not dilute the teachings to fit Western trends; instead, you invited the world to adapt to the principles of bhakti (devotion), focusing on character, vegetarianism, and the chanting of the mahā-mantra.
I was very fortunate that I had your association sometimes in 1976 in Vrindavan while Tamal Krishna Mahārāja was your personal secretary. I came to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, with an invitation from Vāsudeva Prabhu to make a beautiful special residence for you in Lautoka, Fiji. We wanted to invite you to stay and complete your Bhāgavatam writing in a very quiet and peaceful atmosphere. I still remember that you sent your blessings to us through Tamal Krishna Mahārāja.
By your blessings, Śrīla Prabhupāda, our Kṛṣṇa-Kāliya temple in Lautoka and all other Fijian temples are expanding. By your blessings, we in Fiji are still continuing our services to you and Kṛṣṇa-Kāliya. Please bless the whole world so that everyone can taste Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this lifetime.
With lots of love to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your humble servants,
Vāmanadeva Dāsa, Gāndharvikā Devī Dāsī, and the devotees in Lautoka