Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
You provided fallen conditioned souls the opportunity to go back to Godhead by giving the
holy names and the sublime process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You are the fountainhead for fulfill-
ing the prophecy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma, sarvatra pracāra
haibe mora nāma – “In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.”
On this auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we express our heartfelt gratitude to you and
humbly report our performance over the past year, at your lotus feet.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us the importance of building temples. Once, you were ques-
tioned about your desire to build new temples when so many already existing ones lay neglected,
abandoned, and in disrepair. Your response was illuminating: “Just as parents desire to have their
own offspring even while so many children are in need of adoption, we too long to have our own
temples.”
Your Divine Grace will be pleased to know that a new ISKCON temple project is underway
in Panvel, Navi Mumbai. It is a two-hour drive from your beloved Hare Krishna Land in Juhu.
This land has been registered in ISKCON’s name, and the construction of this new temple will
commence soon. Also, three plots of land adjacent to our ISKCON Bhiwandi temple have been
acquired, and we are working toward expanding the existing temple building along with the
preaching activities, which are so dear to you. Please bless these endeavors and empower us to
succeed.
You described festivals as “mothers of devotion.” In line with this mood, we are celebrating
all the major festivals in a grand manner, deepening visitors’ experience at the temple and thus
enhancing the community’s spirit. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of visi-
tors to the temple. Visitors to ISKCON Bhiwandi have increased from two lakhs in 2023 to more
than 3.5 lakhs in 2024.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you told us that for the general masses, there should be harināma-saṅkīrtana
and prasādam distribution. Keeping your instructions in mind, we continue harināma-saṅkīrtana
and prasādam distribution daily. More than 1,000 plates of prasādam are distributed daily in the
Bhiwandi area. In 2024, a total of 1.18 lakhs of mahā-big books were distributed.
Compared to your magnanimous activities, our report is insignificantly tiny. You were asked
at various places during your travels around the world if you could perform miracles, to which
you replied that your true miracle was your devotees – referring to the miracle of transforming
people’s hearts. Those who were considered mlecchas became Vaiṣṇavas, and hippies turned into
happies. If that wasn’t a miracle, then what was! Your life is tangible proof of a spiritual miracle
that defied all odds to serve Kṛṣṇa without a tinge of selfishness.
Long before the modern concept of globalization became popular, you were already a global
ācārya, bringing the wisdom of the East to the hearts of the West, straightforward philosophical
discourses without any compromise, all for the glory of Kṛṣṇa. You circled the globe fourteen
times, established 108 temples as spiritual oases in the deserts of the material world, as you like
to call it, and overcame financial struggles, legal battles, and opposition from local authorities,
resistance from rigid communities of different faiths, and triumphed over Māyāvāda philosophers.
You launched an array of spiritual welfare projects, authored volumes of transcendental books,
and created a publishing empire. You made genuine spirituality practical and accessible to one
and all, without discrimination.
No amount of social commentary, historical analysis, or anthropological speculation can fully
explain the magnitude of your extraordinary achievements. Śrīla Prabhupāda, your message
transcends the limitations of time and space, speaking to us even today. Your life and teachings
remain the main pillar of strength, inspiration, and a guiding light for members of the Interna-
tional Society for Krishna Consciousness.
On this most auspicious occasion of your appearance day, we feel greatly indebted to you. We
humbly seek your blessings to continue serving your mission enthusiastically and fulfilling your
instructions to the best of our capacity. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Your insignificant servant,
Narottama Priya Dāsa
On behalf of the devotees at ISKCON Bhiwandi

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