Durham, Ontario, Canada

Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dearest, beloved founder-ācārya, Your Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, the devotees at ISKCON Durham gather with grateful hearts to offer our prayers, reflections, and deep appreciation for your causeless mercy.

Just as water is essential for sustaining life, your teachings are the very life and soul of our spiritual existence. We are reminded of the essential role of the spiritual master through this sacred verse:

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
dhyāyaṁs stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the mercy of Kṛṣṇa; without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and glorify my spiritual master, offering my respectful obeisances unto his lotus feet.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, this verse perfectly reflects our dependence on your mercy. Whatever little service we are able to perform is only by your blessings. Over the past year, ISKCON Durham has continued to grow as a center of devotional service, and we know with full conviction that this is entirely your arrangement.

By your blessings, we have been able to celebrate all the major Vaiṣṇava festivals, bringing together devotees and newcomers alike. Some festivals were observed on a particularly larger scale, allowing us to extend your mission of outreach even further. During Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, more than 2,000 attendees came to take darshan, honor prasādam, and hear about Kṛṣṇa. Our Ratha-yātrā festival welcomed over 1,500 participants, giving many the rare opportunity to pull Lord Jagannātha’s chariot and receive His mercy. Similarly, Rāma-navamī was celebrated with over 1,500 attendees, filling the atmosphere with devotion and remembrance of Lord Rāmacandra.

We continue to hold regular Saturday feast programs, and by your grace, a steady and sincere congregation gathers weekly to hear hari-kathā, chant, and honor prasādam. This consistent engagement has helped strengthen the devotional community and create a welcoming environment for new guests.

One of the most inspiring developments this year has been the growth of our Krishna Fun School for children. With approximately fifty students currently registered, we are witnessing the next generation of devotees being nurtured in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Their enthusiastic participation and beautiful performances during festivals have inspired many other children and families to become involved. Alongside in-person sessions, we have also begun virtual classes focused on śloka recitation, helping children remain connected and steadily progress in their spiritual practices.

By your mercy, within the span of just over a year, two devotees from our congregation received their first initiation (hari-nāma dīkṣā), and another sincere devotee is aspiring for first initiation soon. These developments remind us that your mission is alive and actively transforming hearts.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, we understand that none of this is our doing. We are simply trying, in our very small and imperfect ways, to serve as instruments in your hands. You have given us everything – your books, instructions, society, and the holy name. Whatever success we see is only a reflection of your unlimited compassion.

We pray for your continued guidance and blessings so that ISKCON Durham can remain fixed in serving your mission of spreading the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Please help us remain humble, cooperative, and sincere in our efforts. Kindly empower us to overcome our shortcomings and engage more deeply in devotional service.

We beg for the strength to always remember that we are your servants, meant to assist in fulfilling your divine desire – to bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every town and village.

Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us purpose, direction, and hope. Please continue to engage us in your service birth after birth.

Your insignificant servants,

Shyama Mohini Devī Dāsī, Council Head

And the devotees at ISKCON Durham

East Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

By reading the books and letters you wrote, we are amazed at how you still had time to visit your different centers and deal with the local devotees wherever you happened to be in the world. You gave classes wherever you went, you helped manage each temple you visited, you answered numerous questions, and taught how to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center, how to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and how to depend on Kṛṣṇa for everything. You simultaneously managed the rest of the world centers by writing letters to devotees in managerial positions as well as to rank and file devotees who just had some personal questions. Many of your managers were inexperienced and made mistakes, some of which were serious mistakes that caused you anxiety, but you wrote to them and explained what they should do, while depending on Kṛṣṇa and never letting the problems discourage you from pushing on this movement. You had full faith and confidence in guru and Kṛṣṇa. You had the patience of a saint because you are a saint. You never gave up; you set the perfect example for your disciples and for future devotees as well.

There is no way any person, other than someone empowered directly by Kṛṣṇa, could do what you did day in and day out. In order to do it you had to sacrifice your sleep, and therefore you slept only a few hours a night, yet devotees who lived with you admitted that you never really slept; you were always conscious.

You would meet with dignitaries, the press, scholars, parents, religious leaders, and others at the many temples you traveled to. You also found time to do outside programs at universities, churches, pandals, or anywhere devotees made arrangements for you to speak.

With such a busy schedule, you also always found time to translate and write purports to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literature. Even though you have physically departed, we can still have your association because you are present in your books. This helps us to keep you in our hearts and love and serve you with our body, mind, and words. As you said about your Guru Mahārāja, “He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.” You were living in the present and simultaneously thinking of the future as you left behind a way for others to go back home, back to Godhead through your transcendental books. Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all your sacrifices.

There aren’t enough words to glorify you sufficiently, but we are hoping to satisfy you in some small way.

Aspiring to follow in your divine footsteps,

Your servants at ISKCON East Hartford

(written by Pyāri Mohan Dāsa)

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

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 and respectful obeisances at your most revered lotus feet. All glories to you!

On this day, we consider ourselves very fortunate to write a few lines to glorify you. We are extremely fortunate to offer our humble homage at your most revered lotus feet on the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā. You are the empowered ācārya who carried the message of Lord Caitanya to the entire world. At an age when most people would like to take rest, you crossed the ocean alone, with no money and no support, simply carrying your faith in Kṛṣṇa along with the order of your spiritual master.

Through your compassion, purity, and unwavering dedication, you gave us Kṛṣṇa consciousness in its original, unbroken form. Your books are not ordinary books – they are living guides that continue to awaken devotion in millions of hearts.

We are eternally indebted to you for granting us the holy name, devotional service, and a clear path back to Kṛṣṇa. On this day, we pray for the intelligence and sincerity to follow your instructions and serve your mission with humility and gratitude.

With extraordinary determination, unwavering faith, and deep compassion, you introduced pure devotional service to every part of the society. Despite immense challenges, you remained fully dependent on Kṛṣṇa, translating and presenting the Vedic scriptures with clarity, authority, and devotion. Your literary contributions stand as an enduring testament to your realization and unlimited mercy.

Through your personal example and divine instructions, you have given humanity the priceless gift of the holy name and a clear path to spiritual life. We remain eternally indebted to you and pray for the sincerity, humility, and strength required to faithfully serve your mission and follow your teachings.

The scriptures declare that the spiritual master is the transparent representative of the Supreme Lord: ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān navamanyeta karhicit, na martya-buddhyāsūyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.27 – “One should know the ācārya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.”

In the purport to the above śloka, where it is quoted in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 1.46) – a verse spoken by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava– you write, “Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore, in the dealings of an ācārya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called āśraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.”

You are the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead, and we should all take shelter of your lotus feet.

Acting solely as a servant of your spiritual master and the disciplic succession, you carried the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to every corner of the world, fulfilling the prophecy: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma – “In every town and village of the world, My holy name will be preached.” (Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

You fulfilled the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by spreading the holy name throughout this mundane world. You are the direct mercy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi, dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam – “By the mercy of the spiritual master, one receives the benediction of Kṛṣṇa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.” (Śrī Guru Praṇāma)

Your tireless preaching, profound literary contributions, and spotless devotion demonstrate the symptom of a mahā-bhāgavata. By translating and commentating the Vedic scriptures, you fulfilled the divine injunction: yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa – “Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.128)

In the purport to the above śloka you explain: “This is the sublime mission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Many people come and inquire whether they have to give up family life to join the Society, but that is not our mission. One can remain comfortably in his residence. We simply request everyone to chant the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.”

You are one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. As the founder-ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), you accomplished what many once thought impossible: you transmitted the ancient wisdom of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism beyond India and firmly established it as a global spiritual movement. Your accomplishments span religious, cultural, literary, and organizational fields, leaving a legacy that continues to shape millions of lives worldwide.

Your most visible accomplishment was the founding of ISKCON in 1966 in New York City. At the age of sixty-nine, with no financial support and little institutional backing, you began teaching the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West. Within just eleven years, your ISKCON expanded to hundreds of centers, temples, and rural communities across six continents. This remarkable growth demonstrated not only your spiritual depth but also your organizational vision, leadership, and unwavering faith in the mission entrusted to you by your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

Through ISKCON you successfully introduced devotional practices such as kirtan, Deity worship, vegetarianism, and Vedic festivals to a global audience. ISKCON provided a structured system for spiritual practice based on chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, ethical living, and devotional service.

Another monumental accomplishment was your translation and commentary on sacred Vedic texts. You translated more than sixty volumes, including Bhagavad gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya caritāmṛta, and numerous other works. Unlike many academic translations, your writings preserved the devotional intent of the texts while presenting them in clear, accessible English.

These works became foundational scriptures for ISKCON and are studied by scholars, practitioners, and seekers worldwide. Your insistence on philosophical fidelity ensured that Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism was transmitted authentically rather than diluted to suit popular trends. Through these books, you ensured that ancient Vedic wisdom would be preserved for future generations.

You emphasized practical spirituality, teaching that spiritual life should transform individual behavior and society. You promoted ethical living through principles such as nonviolence, truthfulness, cleanliness, and compassion. Your encouragement of vegetarianism was grounded not merely in health or environmental concerns but in reverence for all living beings.

You also advocated for simple living and high thinking, criticizing excessive materialism and encouraging sustainable lifestyles. Through farm communities, educational initiatives, and prasādam distribution, ISKCON addressed social and humanitarian concerns while maintaining spiritual integrity.

Perhaps your greatest accomplishment was your role as a spiritual master. You personally guided thousands of disciples from diverse backgrounds, transmitting not just philosophical knowledge but a lived example of devotion, humility, discipline, and compassion. Despite your advanced age and fragile health, you traveled continuously, lectured daily, wrote extensively, and engaged personally with your followers.

Your life embodied the principle of complete surrender to divine service. By your personal example, you demonstrated that sincere devotion, guided by guru, scripture, and tradition, can transcend barriers of culture, language, and history.

Your accomplishments continue to resonate decades after your departure. ISKCON remains an active global movement, your books are translated into dozens of languages, and your teachings continue to inspire spiritual inquiry worldwide. More than institutions or texts, your enduring legacy lies in the lives transformed by your message of loving devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

In summary, your accomplishments were not limited to external achievements; they represented a successful reawakening of timeless spiritual wisdom in the modern world. Through truth, compassion, and tireless dedication, you fulfilled the mission of carrying Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every corner of the globe.

On this most sacred occasion, we humbly acknowledge our eternal debt to you and pray for the qualification to serve your mission with sincerity, obedience, and devotion. All glories to you and all glories to your ISKCON! Jaya, jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Your most humble servants,

Bala Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and the devotees of ISKCON Edmonton