Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Most beloved A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 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
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your divine service and boundless compassion upon the conditioned souls.
On the sacred occasion of your 130th Vyāsa-pūjā, the devotees of ISKCON Zambia offer our heartfelt gratitude for the gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness you have brought into our lives and into this part of the world. You fulfilled the divine prediction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
That the holy name would be heard in every town and village is no longer a prophecy; it is a living reality due to your sacrifice. Zambia, too, stands as a small but sincere testimony to this. By your mercy, what began as a modest preaching center registered in 2015 has gradually developed into a vibrant devotional community. Whatever growth has come is simply due to your vision and blessings.
We are especially grateful that our yātrā was recently blessed as Jagannātha Dhāma by His Holiness Lokanath Swami, affirming the special place Lord Jagannātha’s service has taken in Zambia. Our annual Ratha-yātrā has become one of the most visible and popular expressions of devotional culture here, attracting many newcomers and well-wishers.
By following your instructions as best we can, various aspects of your mission are taking root:
- Regular Sunday Love Feast and satsaṅga programs
- Harināma and book distribution
- Food for Life outreach
- Govinda’s prasādam distribution
- Annual Śrīmad-Bhāgavata kathā and Rāma kathā programs
- Kirtan Melā, begun in 2025, received an enthusiastic response
- Boat Festival, begun in 2024, now a cherished annual observance
- A growing community of practicing devotees, with some now initiated in the guru-paramparā
These are small offerings, but they are all attempts to serve your mission. We are encouraged that the next aspiration for the yātrā is to secure our own site and develop a temple within the city – an offering we pray may become a reality through your blessings.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mercy has reached Zambia through many channels. We remember with gratitude the visits and encouragement of many senior Vaiṣṇavas, including Radhanath Swami, Bhakti Narasiṁha Swami, Rāma Govinda Swami, the ongoing blessings of Lokanath Swami, and the pioneering contribution of Brahmānanda Swami, who planted seeds here in earlier years. Many senior devotees continue to nurture this small center through regular visits and guidance. We see all this as extensions of your mercy.
When we reflect that devotees in Zambia are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, worshiping Lord Jagannātha, studying the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, honoring prasādam, and trying to serve the Vaiṣṇavas, we know all of this exists only because of your sacrifice. You crossed oceans alone, accepted enormous hardships, and gave the world Kṛṣṇa. We in Zambia are direct beneficiaries of that compassion. For this we offer our deepest gratitude.
Please bless us to remain faithful to your instructions, deepen our sādhana and cooperation, expand your mission in this country, establish a temple worthy of your movement, and to always remain servants of your servants
If there is any success in this yātrā, it belongs to you. If there are shortcomings, they are ours. On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, we simply pray that we may continue assisting, however imperfectly, in your mission of spreading Lord Caitanya’s mercy.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving Zambia Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Gaura premānande! Haribol!
Your insignificant servants,
Jayagovinda Dāsa and the devotees of ISKCON Zambia
Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
As I write this offering, my mind reverts to something very simple. A young boy is arranging a small Ratha-yātrā in the courtyard of his home – the house of your father, Gour Mohan De, in Calcutta. It’s a modest chariot, a few neighbors in attendance, and Lord Jagannātha emerging to meet everyone.
It is difficult for us to fully understand how that moment has now expanded across the world. Today, by your mercy, Lord Jagannātha travels through the streets of major cities on every continent.
People from all walks of life come forward. They pull the ropes, sing, dance, and accept prasādam. Many may not understand everything, but they feel something. We believe that what they are truly receiving is your compassion.
You desired this. You carried this wish. You gave this festival to the world.
Here in Sandton, Johannesburg, we are preparing for our fifth Ratha-yātrā. It is still growing. Some days it feels unsteady. There are many moving parts. Devotees are cooking, making samosas, building, calling, inviting – trying to bring everything together. Not everything goes as planned, but the effort is sincere. We are endeavoring to do this for your pleasure.
Over the past months and this past year, we have endeavored, in our small way, to continue your mission here in South Africa. The temple remains a place where people can come. Outreach continues in various spaces. Young people gather. Books are distributed. Prasādam is served. Slowly, something takes shape.
At the same time, we feel the weight of separation. Many of your followers are leaving this world – senior devotees who carried your mood so strongly. We feel their absence. We understand how much they held. And naturally, a question arises.
How do we serve you now? We do not feel fully qualified, but we do feel responsible.
Thus, we strive to stay engaged. To stay united. To maintain the kirtan. To keep the doors open. To continue inviting others. And in this effort, we pray that we are not alone – that through these small attempts, others can come closer to you.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have given everything – the holy name, your books, your example, and a mission that continues to progress even now. We are simply begging for your mercy. Please allow us to serve with sincerity. Please help us remain steady. And if there is any value in what we are doing here in Sandton, please accept it.
This Ratha-yātrā is yours. This temple is yours. Everything we try to do is yours. We strive to be yours.
Your servants,
The ISKCON Sandton community
(written by Vibhu Caitanya Dāsa)
Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dearest 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
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All Glories to Your Divine Grace, and all glories to your ISKCON movement.
This year marks the 130th year of your transcendental advent in this world for the benefit of humanity. You established ISKCON as an oasis in the desert of the material world. As your granddisciples and followers, it is our duty to maintain and pursue the expansion of ISKCON in our small country, which you mercifully visited twice in 1975.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you once told His Holiness Giriraj Swami that for this movement to continue, two things are required: intelligence and organization. Pursuant to that, we organized a managerial training program for our local leaders earlier this year. Thirty-seven managers from nine of your ISKCON centers attended, leaving here inspired to put their heads together to organize preaching initiatives more effectively and to care for the devotees under their supervision.
Book distribution has always been your main focus, and we have strived to keep it at the forefront:
- Massive outreach: In 2025, ISKCON Mauritius distributed 127 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and thirty sets of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
- Festival success: About 5,000 of your books were distributed over a one-week period during the Mahā-Śiva-rātri festival in March 2026.
- Global standing: Our Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir ranked first among the top ten African temples in January 2026.
To fulfill the first of the seven purposes of ISKCON – the systematic propagation of spiritual knowledge and cultivation of devotees – we have launched the Manjari pilot program. It’s currently active in four locations, with seven dedicated preachers. The program has seventy-two registered participants who are all new to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and undergoing a high-level overview of the Bhagavad-gītā to begin their spiritual journey.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we hope that you are pleased by the sincere efforts of the devotees working hard to push on your movement in Mauritius. We certainly have our share of challenges, but we pray that we always remain fixed in our determination to serve you in a spirit of cooperation.
Your servant,
Harideva Dāsa
On behalf of ISKCON Mauritius
Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, everything we possess, everything we are, and everything we hope to become is solely by your causeless mercy. At the age of seventy, you crossed the ocean with nothing but unflinching faith in the order of your spiritual master and an unshakeable desire to fulfill his instructions. From that single, heroic act of surrender, you gave the world your ISKCON, you revived and expanded Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, and you bestowed upon us the priceless shelter of the holy names.
Here in Durban, we are simply trying, in our small and imperfect ways, to uphold the standards you set and to serve your mission as you envisioned it.
Toward the latter part of last year, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we had the great fortune of celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rādhānātha temple. The festival was observed with as much opulence, devotion, and care as we could offer at your lotus feet. Many devotees, especially those who have been part of this temple’s history for decades, felt that it was perhaps the most splendid celebration since the temple’s opening. What touched our hearts the most, however, was seeing several devotees who had been estranged and away for many years return to your temple and to the association of devotees. Through personal outreach, loving exchanges, and your merciful atmosphere, they felt welcomed, valued, and reconnected. In this, we clearly saw your ongoing mercy, still drawing your spiritual children and grandchildren back home.
We also had the honor of observing the fiftieth anniversary of your coming to South Africa. Throughout the year, your devotees here in Durban worked tirelessly in your service, trying to glorify you and increase people’s awareness of your life, teachings, and immeasurable contributions. As an offering to you, we organized fifty different programs around Durban, held in halls, parks, homes, and public spaces, each dedicated to narrating your glories and sharing your message. Wherever we went, we spoke of your journey, your books, your compassionate vision, and your untiring efforts to uplift humanity through Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In a very special endeavor, we carefully relived the steps connected to your time in Durban and took the devotees on a guided tour of the various locations in this city where you once walked, spoke, or stayed. Outwardly, they may appear as ordinary places, but by your divine presence, we understand them to be holy tīrthas, thereby eternally sanctified. Through kirtan, remembrance, and glorification of you at each site, we tried to help the devotees deeply appreciate how you have spiritually transformed this land.
By your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we were also able to host what was practically the largest and possibly the most successful Durban Festival of the Chariots since its inception thirty-eight years ago. Aware of the changing social climate and the needs of modern people, we tried to be innovative and thoughtful in our approach, while carefully striving to remain faithful to your mood and instructions. All the while, we tried to remember your guidance: “We should always try to utilize our intelligence in Krishna’s service. Intelligence means to understand Krishna and to serve Him nicely.” (Letter to Satsvarupa, 22 February 1968)
Following this instruction to the best of our ability, we were able to bring tens of thousands of people before Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā Devī. Through kirtan, prasādam, book distribution, dramas, cultural presentations, and personal interactions, we tried to introduce them to you and your mission, praying that some lasting saṁskāra of Kṛṣṇa consciousness would enter their hearts.
At the same time, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we find ourselves navigating some of the most challenging and unprecedented times in the history of ISKCON South Africa. There are social, economic, and institutional pressures, and in this age of rapid communication, we sometimes face sharp criticism from “keyboard warriors” who scrutinize and judge our efforts from afar. We know we have many imperfections, and we accept that we must be held accountable to your standards for bona fide reasons. Yet in the midst of these difficulties, we also strongly feel the love and encouragement of hundreds, if not thousands, of your followers, both within South Africa and abroad, who act as our well-wishers, just as you are the ever well-wisher of all living beings.
Your personal example of enduring obstacles, opposition, and discomfort for Kṛṣṇa’s sake gives us courage. Simply by remembering how you tolerated everything, illness, misunderstanding, and endless struggles, simply to give us Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we find renewed strength to continue your work here, however small our contribution may be. As a temple community, we are deeply aware of our shortcomings and limitations. Whatever service we offer is tiny and imperfect when compared with your vast vision and spotless standards.
Still, we are convinced that by your deliberate arrangement, the Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rādhānātha temple occupies a significant place in your mission for South Africa. Therefore, we beg you to kindly allow us to become worthy instruments in your hands.
On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we place the following prayers at your lotus feet:
- Please allow this temple to become an ever more transparent via medium for your instructions, your mood, and your compassion.
- Please empower the leaders and devotees here to protect, encourage, and inspire all who seek shelter at your temple or come in contact with your movement in Durban.
- Please help us remain steady in upholding your standards of sādhana, philosophy, and Vaiṣṇava culture, even as the world around us changes.
- Please let our service bring tangible and lasting spiritual benefit to the devotees and congregation of Durban, to the broader South African yātrā, and to all who come in touch with your mission through this temple.
- And above all, please never allow us to lose sight of your vision and mission as our sole goal and guiding purpose in life.
We offer this today not to showcase achievements, but as an offering of our ongoing attempts to serve your desires in this corner of the world. Whatever value or success is found in these efforts belongs entirely to you and your causeless mercy; whatever faults or shortcomings are present are ours alone.
On this sacred day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we again bow our heads and beg for your continued blessings that we may remain fixed in humility, sincerity, and unwavering determination to serve your divine mission at the Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rādhānātha temple now and for generations to come.
Your servants at the Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rādhānātha temple
Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our respectful homage. All glories to your lotus feet.
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
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
On this special day when we celebrate your Vyāsa-pūjā, we wish to take this opportunity to express our eternal gratitude and appreciation for your mission to save fallen souls throughout the world. In Benin, the desire of all devotees is to have a temple for good preaching. Guided by your disciples and their younger followers, this goal has been achieved. This seems to align with your vision of seeing temples erected in every city.
You have acted in many other areas to change the mindsets of those who join the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. These include:
(1) Publishing books such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Bhagavad-gītā, and other such titles. These form the basis of the movement.
(2) Distributing the chanting of the holy names of God, which gradually cleanses hearts and resonates through the streets.
(3) Establishing ISKCON, the Bhaktivedanta Institute, and the BBT as means to effectively continue the movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we owe you an eternal debt that seems very difficult to repay. Therefore, we pray that you will bless us and give us the strength in this life to feel your presence in your words and make us true instruments in helping to spread Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement. We also pray that Your Divine Grace will help our temple, which reopened two years ago, to continue to grow as a center for spiritual education on bhakti culture, love, and sincerity.
Your humble servants,
The devotees from Cotonou, Benin
Africa, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Our 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
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, who descended into this world as the empowered representative of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to deliver the fallen souls of this age.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we attempt, however inadequately, to glorify you by reflecting on the memories shared by your dear servant. Śyāmasundara Prabhu, memories that reveal not only your divine personality but also the spirit with which your early disciples served you.
Again and again, one theme shines through: you created pioneers. You did not simply instruct; you inspired, empowered, and transformed ordinary people into fearless instruments of Kṛṣṇa’s will. In those early days, your followers had nothing, materially, yet they possessed everything spiritually. They gave up all comforts – meat-eating, intoxication, illicit connections, and material ambitions – not because they were forced, but because they were attracted to the higher taste you embodied.
Śyāmasundara recalls how he skeptically observed your devotees, waiting for their “armor to crack.” It never did. Their conviction, born from your association, was unshakable. And when he finally met you, he experienced something beyond mysticism or spectacle – a deep, peaceful certainty. You did not need to perform miracles to convince anyone. Your presence itself was the miracle.
You engaged everyone practically in Kṛṣṇa’s service, often in ways they themselves never could have imagined. You taught bookkeeping to a reluctant treasurer, not merely to balance accounts but to engage a soul. You charmed your disciples into service, sometimes even tricking them, for their ultimate benefit. This reveals your deep compassion – you met each person where they were and gently elevated them.
But perhaps most striking is the mood of boldness and risk that you instilled. Śyāmasundara describes those days as a kind of spiritual adventure, almost like being part of a fearless crew led by a transcendental captain. You told them, “There is nothing to fear when you chant.” And they believed you.
They took risks that today might seem unimaginable. With no money, no security, and no guarantees, they spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness across cities and continents. When there was no rent, Kṛṣṇa sent money in mysterious ways. When there were obstacles, they pushed forward anyway. They truly lived your instruction: that if one takes risks for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa personally helps.
Yet, as Śyāmasundara poignantly reflects, “This spirit has died down. We are too comfortable.” Śrīla Prabhupāda, this statement pierces the heart. Today, we have temples, books, systems, and global recognition – all by your mercy. But in having “everything on a plate,” we risk losing the very essence that built this movement: dependence on Kṛṣṇa, bold preaching, and willingness to sacrifice.
We hesitate where your disciples leapt. We calculate where they surrendered. We seek comfort where they embraced uncertainty for your pleasure. Your movement was not meant to produce complacent followers; it was meant to create spiritual revolutionaries.
Another aspect of your personality that shines through these memories is your extraordinary tolerance and love. You accepted your disciples not as perfected beings, but as they were – flawed, inexperienced, and often coming from chaotic backgrounds. You overlooked their “glaring outrages” and magnified their smallest service. What kind of spiritual master does this? Only one who truly sees the soul.
You corrected, but with purpose. You guided, but with sensitivity. Whether it was humorously instructing a disciple to stop smoking with a simple gesture of your cane, or compassionately reassuring one who was going to jail – “Kṛṣṇa was born in jail!” – you transformed every situation into an opportunity for spiritual growth. You were never harsh for the sake of control; you were firm for the sake of love.
And how intimate your relationships were! You made each devotee feel personally seen, valued, and connected. You laughed with them, encouraged them, and sometimes even played with them, like with little Saraswati. This human warmth, combined with your divine authority, created an atmosphere where surrender was natural and joyful.
One of the most beautiful pastimes described is how Lord Jagannātha came to you. Through a simple, almost accidental act – a small figurine obtained from a shop – you revealed a profound truth: the Lord desires to be with His devotees. When Mālatī showed you the Jagannātha figure, you immediately recognized Him and offered your obeisances. Where others saw an object, you saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And from that moment, Lord Jagannātha’s worship spread throughout your movement.
You engaged Śyāmasundara in carving Jagannātha forms, transforming raw wood into divine manifestations. This pastime perfectly encapsulates your genius: you took something simple, even unconventional, and turned it into a cornerstone of devotional culture.
Only you could establish Lord Jagannātha in the countercultural environment of 1960s San Francisco and have people joyfully accept Him without hesitation. This was your power – to connect the eternal with the contemporary, the absolute with the immediate.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your life is a call to action. Through these memories, we are reminded of what it truly means to be your follower. It is not enough to maintain what you built; we must embody the spirit with which you built it. We must rediscover that pioneering courage. We must be willing to take risks for Kṛṣṇa, to step beyond comfort, to depend fully on His mercy. We must learn to see opportunities where others see obstacles, and to act with faith where others hesitate.
At the same time, we must cultivate your compassion – seeing the potential in others, encouraging them, and engaging them in service with patience and love.
On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, we pray for the strength to move beyond complacency and to reconnect with that original spirit of fearless devotion. Please empower us to become instruments of your mission, just as your early disciples were.
May we never forget that everything we have is your mercy, and that the best way to honor that mercy is to use it boldly in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for everything – for your teachings, your example, your tolerance, your love, and your vision.
Your insignificant servants from the Botswana yātrā
