Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18):
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
Kirātas, Hūṇas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, members of the Khasa races, and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
In your Bhaktivedanta purport to this verse, Your Divine Grace wrote: “Khasa: The inhabitants of the Khasadeśa are mentioned in the Mahābhārata (Droṇa-parva). Those who have a stunted growth of hair on the upper lip are generally called Khasas. As such, the Khasa are the Mongolians, the Chinese, and others who are so designated.”
From this we can understand that even we Chinese, who are constantly engaged in sinful acts, are corrigible to the standard of perfect human beings by taking shelter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness founded by Your Divine Grace in 1966 in New York. Just like Jesus Christ, a powerful devotee of the Lord, Your Divine Grace has done tremendous service on behalf of the Lord on the surface of the globe. The dust-worn minds of the people in general are becoming purified by the association of Your Divine Grace and of the devotees of ISKCON.
Your Divine Grace has taught us that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, a tremendous change of heart can take place, by which the complete misunderstanding between the human nations created by politicians can at once be extinguished. Otherwise, the valuable human form of life will be spoiled in following a type of materialistic civilization that is ultimately doomed.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, Your Divine Grace is such a powerful Vaiṣṇava that you turned into Vaiṣṇavas even those who were lowborn, women, śūdras, and vaiśyas. Your Divine Grace has fulfilled the prophecy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
pṛthivī-paryānta yata āche deśa-grāma
sarvatra saṅcāra haibeka mora nāma
In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard. (Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for saving us from this animalistic way of life. Your Divine Grace is our great savior.
Now we have over two thousand devotees here in China, although we are not a legal entity yet because of the local government. Your Divine Grace predicted that the Chinese will be the last but the best for taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is definitely going to come true, for as a self-realized soul, Your Divine Grace can see past, present, and future. Just as the Chinese accepted Buddhism with all their hearts and souls thousands of years ago, so by the mercy of Your Divine Grace and the mercy of Lord Buddha, who is a powerful incarnation of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we Chinese will also accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness with all our hearts and souls in the not-far future.
Your fallen servant,
Gaurāṅga Prema Dāsa
On behalf of the Chinese devotees
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our obeisances. All glories to you.
Among the many projects you established in ISKCON, we know how book publication and
distribution is close to your heart. You expressed on multiple occasions that transcendental book
distribution can bring about the desired revolution in the impious lives of a misdirected civiliza-
tion. Every year, devotees from all over the world try their best to please you by distributing as
many books as possible.
Last year, in 2024, your dear disciple Gopal Krishna Goswami Mahārāja left this world to join
you in your service. He was the one who pioneered book distribution in India on a mass level.
He had truly imbibed your spirit of book distribution, and he pushed for it wherever he went,
encouraging devotees to “double it,” just as you would do.
At ISKCON Chowpatty, Radhanath Swami Mahārāja felt that to honor such a tireless warrior,
we should do something extraordinary. He said that the best way to please you, Śrīla Prabhupāda,
would be to glorify his sincere followers like Gopal Krishna Goswami Mahārāja, and the best way
to glorify Gopal Krishna Goswami Mahārāja is to accomplish big results in book distribution. He
told us that we should double last year’s score, and then he said we should come first in the entire
world during this year’s book marathon.
All these years, ISKCON Chowpatty never came first in the book marathon. We always stood
far behind the top book distribution temples of the world, so we wondered how we could ever
come first in the marathon? It would take a herculean effort.
Radhanath Swami Mahārāja himself led the endeavor by rallying the entire congregation to
put in their best efforts at distributing the maximum number of books. He fervently appealed to
the entire community to sacrifice all their comforts and other services and focus entirely on this
service for the one month of the marathon. He constantly called the temple leaders and got the
updates about the latest scores.
We also invited many other senior leaders to give inspirational talks to our community, and
that helped. Knowing that our community was trying their best to glorify such a stalwart devotee
like Gopal Krishna Goswami Mahārāja, everyone was deeply touched, and they showered their
blessings upon us.
The result was we were able to achieve the unthinkable result: we distributed more than
600,000 books and stood first in the entire world. Again, it was proved that the most ordinary can
achieve extraordinary results if we try to honor great Vaiṣṇavas. We are convinced that we were
able to achieve this result only by your blessings coming to us through your sincere followers.
We hope and pray that we continue to remain the recipients of such divine blessings so we can
continue our service in your divine mission.
Your servants,
The devotees at ISKCON Chowpatty
Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Once again, that most auspicious time of the year has arrived when we are given the opportunity to express our deepest gratitude and heartfelt prayers unto you.
With every passing year, we witness your movement expanding far and wide, especially in India. New centers are opening, existing centers are developing into full-fledged temples, book distribution is steadily increasing, and the number of devotees continues to grow. More people are becoming our friends and well-wishers, our social outreach is strengthening, and even government leaders are extending increasing support to your mission. Within the society, devotees are coming together in a spirit of cooperation and forming more effective and collaborative teams to expand your preaching mission. Although certain challenges have arisen that could potentially create rifts, none have become so severe as to obstruct the overall progress of your movement.
While the expansion of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement is deeply encouraging, we also observe the rise of disturbing and harmful influences all over the world, across all continents. There are forces that seek to undermine, corrupt, or even destroy sanātana-dharma in various ways. Day by day, their influence appears to be growing across different levels of society, and we cannot foresee what the situation may be in the coming years.
In such times, we try to draw hope and strength by remembering the Kurukṣetra war as it is described in the Mahābhārata, where the righteous Pāṇḍavas were vastly outnumbered by the Kauravas, yet despite their apparent disadvantage, they emerged victorious simply because Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was on their side: jayas tu pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ pakṣe janārdanaḥ. We are also reminded of the story of the small sparrow who sought to dry up the ocean to recover her lost eggs, and how Garuḍa ultimately came to her aid.
Similarly, although our strength appears insignificant in comparison to the vast forces of Kali and Māyā, we place our hope in your causeless mercy and blessings. By your empowerment, even the smallest effort can become successful. We pray that we may remain instruments in your hands, able to serve your mission with sincerity and determination, and thereby contribute, in whatever small way, to the victory of Lord Caitanya’s movement. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam.
Your servants at ISKCON Chowpatty
Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Most respected and 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 our humble obeisances. All glories to you!
When our congregation reads, listens to, studies, and discusses your books and lectures we feel enlivened, our minds are purified, and we clearly see the purpose of our lives – to perform sincere devotional service until the lotus feet of your pure devotees.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.16, Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī addressed the queries of the great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka:
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely free from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vāsudeva.
The effect of such service is priceless – developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound vibration. By hearing and chanting, all material desires are cleansed from the heart of a truthful devotee, as explained in the next, verse, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.17:
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
In your purport you have kindly point out:
Messages of the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent from Him. Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, declares clearly that the holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord and that He has endowed His innumerable names with the same potency. There is no rigid fixture of time, and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his convenience. The Lord is so kind to us that He can be present before us personally in the form of transcendental sound, but unfortunately, we have no taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord’s name and activities. We have already discussed developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound. It is done through the medium of service to the pure devotee of the Lord.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you mention that Śrīla Vedavyāsa was feeling incomplete despite being fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas. In Bhāgavatam 1.4.31, Vyāsa Bhagavān says:
kiṁ vā bhāgavatā dharma na prāyeṇa nirūpitāḥ
priyāḥ paramahaṁsānāṁ ta eva hy acyuta-priyāḥ
This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord.
In your purport you kindly point out: “Unless one is fixed in the normal condition of service, neither the Lord nor the living being can become fully satisfied. This defect was felt by him when Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, reached him.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.8, Śrī Nārada Muni says:
bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ yaśo bhagavato ’malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta manye tad darśanaṁ khilam
You have hardly broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.
In the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you point out that constitutionally we are eternal servants of the eternal master. Lord Kṛṣṇa expands himself to accept loving service from us, which satisfies both the Lord and us. “Dry philosophical speculations even on the transcendental subject of the Absolute have very little attraction without directly dealing with the glorification of the Lord.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are always present in your books. If this were not true, how is it possible that your books continue to transform the hearts of so many people every day? Your mysterious workings are beyond our comprehension. We only hope and pray that you continue to inspire and guide us through your devotees so that we can carry on your mission to the best possible extent – with consistency and without material motive – to please you and your pure devotees.
We have been a small congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating under the banner of ISKCON New Mahāvan. Always fascinated by your books and teachings, we have been performing daily maṅgala-ārati, weekly classes on the Bhagavad-gītā (on Fridays) and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (on Sundays), organizing major festivals, including Ratha-yātrā.
After every Saturday maṅgala-ārati and japa, devotees listen to one of your lectures and get immense inspiration. Devotees here organize multiple weekly sessions at the Gopal Fun School for children, both online and in-person. Some devotees organize online and in-person regular weekly reading sessions to study your books. We have a monthly kirtan and reading program at the University of Minnesota and have started another outreach program in Shakopee, MN. Devotees here regularly participate in book distribution at the university, fairs/festivals, other temples, and grocery stores. We celebrate important festivals with kirtan, classes, dramas and performances involving the local public, and introduce people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we feel that your books, like parents, have the power to sustain preaching centers by nourishing us with devotion, wisdom and resources.
In February 2024, devotees here acquired a 5.5-acre piece of land with a house and pole barn. It is allowing us the possibility of building an ISKCON temple. By your kind mercy, we recently got over the hurdle of getting the Conditional Use Permit approved by the city of Corcoran. We fervently pray for your continued mercy so we can come up with a devotionally vibrant Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. We are now in the process of raising funds for the temple and farming project under the banner of ISKCON New Mahāvan Temple and Eco Farm Community.
We pray unto your lotus feet to please keep us under your shelter and continue to guide us in the form of books and lectures. May we serve under the wise guidance of your able disciples, like the ISKCON GBC members, senior devotees, and initiating spiritual masters, so that we can sincerely serve and glorify your devotees and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa sincerely and consistently, with love and care.
Your servants at ISKCON New Mahāvan Temple and Eco Farm Community
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Most respected and dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you!
When our congregation reads, listens, studies, and discusses your books or lectures, we feel enlivened, our minds are purified, and we clearly see that the purpose of our lives is to perform sincere devotional service unto your lotus feet.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you mentioned that Śrīla Vedavyāsa felt incomplete despite being fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.31, Vyāsa Bhagavān says:
kiṁ vā bhāgavatā dharma na prāyeṇa nirūpitāḥ
priyāḥ paramahaṁsānāṁ ta eva hy acyuta-priyāḥ
“This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord.”
In the purport you kindly point out: “Unless one is fixed in the normal condition of service, neither the Lord nor the living being can become fully satisfied. This defect was felt by him when Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, reached him.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.8, Śrī Nārada Muni says:
bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ yaśo bhagavato ’malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta manye tad darśanaṁ khilam
“You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.”
In your purport to this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you point out that constitutionally we are eternal servants of the eternal master. Lord Kṛṣṇa expands himself to accept loving service from us, which satisfies both us and the Lord. “Dry philosophical speculations even on the transcendental subject of the Absolute have very little attraction without directly dealing with the glorification of the Lord.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are always present in your books. If not, how is it possible that your books continue to transform the hearts of so many people each day? Your mysterious workings are beyond our comprehension. We only hope and pray that you continue to inspire and guide us through your devotees so that we can carry on your mission to the best possible extent, with consistency, and without any material motives – to please you.
We have been a small congregation in Minneapolis, MN, operating under the banner of Krishna Sankirtan Society (KSS). Always fascinated by your books and teachings, we have been performing daily maṅgala-ārati, weekly classes on the Bhagavad-gītā (Fridays) and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Sundays), organizing major festivals and a Ratha-yātrā. Devotees here organize weekly Gopal Fun School classes, both online and in-person. Some devotees organize online and in-person reading sessions to study your books. We have a monthly kīrtana and reading program at the University of Minnesota. Devotees here regularly participate in book distribution at the university, and at fairs and festivals, other temples, and outside grocery stores.
We feel that your books, like parents, have the power to sustain preaching centers by nourishing us with devotion, wisdom, and other resources. In February 2024 we acquired a 5.5-acre piece of rural land, with a house and pole barn on it that could become an ISKCON temple.
By your kind mercy, we recently got over the hurdle of getting the Conditional Use Permit approved from the city of Corcoran. We fervently pray for your continued mercy so that we can come up with a devotionally vibrant Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. We are now in the process of raising funds for both temple and a farming project under the banner of ISKCON New Mahavan Temple and Ecofarm Community.
We pray at your lotus feet to please keep us under your shelter and continue to guide us in the form of your books and lectures. May we serve under the guidance of your able disciples, such as the ISKCON GBC members, senior devotees, and initiating spiritual masters, so that we can sincerely serve you and glorify Lord Kṛṣṇa sincerely and consistently, with love and care.
Yours truly,
The devotees at the ISKCON New Mahavan Temple and Ecofarm Community
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
