Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our respectful obeisances! All glories to your lotus feet!
Saintly persons like you perceive everything through the descriptions and in the context of
śāstra. One who is not bewildered by the storms of misconceptions and the flood of misinforma-
tion from our time, and who is sincere and courageous enough to face social pressure, can clearly
see that the course of history is becoming increasingly demonic. Global industrial society has
made life unnatural in almost every aspect: the population is entirely dependent on systems that
are unsustainable and alien to human nature; the so-called emancipation of women has atomized
the fundamental units of society – families – while also increasing the varṇa-saṅkara popula-
tion; no one receives varṇa-specific training, and those who end up in a particular field are rarely
capable of making responsible decisions; misinformation and advertisements driving consump-
tion are omnipresent; and community building has become nearly impossible due to mobility,
convenience, and individualism. Unfortunately, the influence of Kali-yuga sometimes affects even
devotees, posing a serious threat to their faith and spiritual purity.
The crisis is intensifying, and as challenges grow, devotees become increasingly divided regard-
ing possible solutions. Some emphasize inner transcendence of external circumstances, arguing
that bhakti is not material and therefore cannot be affected by material conditions. Others rep-
resent another way of thinking, recognizing that this philosophy often does not align with their
everyday experience, and they see a solution in transforming and regulating circumstances; just as
following regulative principles and maintaining standards of purity are essential for effective spiri-
tual practices, so must we shape our environment and social structure with the same awareness as
well, to support the healthy growth of the bhakti-latā.
What kind of environmental and social conditions are we talking about? There is nothing we
need to invent, for, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, thanks to you, we already possess all the necessary
knowledge. Following the examples of Māyāpur and Vraja-dhāma, you established farm commu-
nities. These holy places provide an environment for your followers that protects them from the
contamination of modern, adharmic lifestyles and strongly supports the cultivation of a spiritual
atmosphere. Beyond the karmic purity of the environment, you also considered the proper social
structure: you emphasized that varṇāśrama-dharma is the only societal institution that can fully
satisfy humanity’s need for spiritual progress. Unfortunately, you did not have enough time to
elaborate on the practical implementation of varṇāśrama, but you imparted all the fundamental
knowledge that enables us to experiment and realize it.
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adokhṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to
loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must
be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
1.2.6)
vāsudeve bahagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānam ca yad ahaitukam
By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one
immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world. (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 1.2.7)
Bhakti is not the same as jñāna and vairāgya, yet these qualities naturally manifest as attributes
of bhakti and assist aspiring Vaiṣṇavas in attaining pure devotion. Kali-yuga lacks jñāna and
vairāgya – thus, we know that bhakti is increasing in our community when knowledge and detach-
ment gradually permeate our lives, pushing out the unfavorable influences of this age.
Jñāna includes the ability to discern between dharma and adharma, while vairāgya signifies
detachment from worldly activities. Modern life is fundamentally adharmic, and its pleasurable
commodities are designed to destroy our ability to renounce. In other words, modern life can
easily become an obstacle to the manifestation of pure bhakti.
Devotees often interpret vairāgya as yukta-vairāgya; however, yukta-vairāgya is only one form
of detachment. There are two ways to renounce worldly sense objects and activities: externally
and internally. Yukta-vairāgya is the internal path of detachment – one outwardly keeps engag-
ing in worldly activities but dedicating all possessions and abilities to the transcendental service
of Kṛṣṇa’s senses in reality. External vairāgya, on the other hand, involves physically renouncing
possessions or engagement of the senses, as seen when Sanātana Gosvāmī gave away his richly
decorated cādar upon Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s request.
It is crucial to possess the intelligence to discern when to choose the external and when to
choose the internal way of detachment. A higher principle can guide us in this: accepting what-
ever aids our Kṛṣṇa consciousness and rejecting whatever hinders our devotional progress.
We must not misuse the principle of yukta-vairāgya to justify our tendencies toward comfort
and sense gratification. The comforts of consumer culture and its instant pleasures can easily
captivate the minds of practicing sādhakas, not to mention the contaminating effects of ugra-karma
that operate in the background.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you saw all of this clearly, and for the sake of your disciples, you estab-
lished those sacred places that, through their purity, renounced simplicity, and economic inde-
pendence, create the perfect environment for a spiritually sustainable lifestyle to be passed down
through generations.
Due to your efforts and sacrifices, numerous farm communities now exist under the ISKCON
umbrella, each holding the potential to fully realize your teachings. Kṛṣṇa Valley is one of them.
We trust that our farm communities across the globe will play the most crucial role in fulfilling
your prophecy – that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will save humanity in the darkest hours
of history. Taking shelter at your lotus feet, we pray that we may prove ourselves useful in your
mission and be part of the fulfillment of your prophecy.
Your servants,
The inhabitants of New Vraja Dhāma