Iceland

Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you and your spiritual master.

Thank you for bringing the wealth of love for Kṛṣṇa to the entire world! We can never be grateful enough to you for the sacrifices you made to give us this mercy. It is unfathomable how you came halfway across the world at the age of 70, suffering two heart attacks while aboard a cargo ship, and doing what you have done in a short span of eleven years. This was only possible because of the love of Godhead you possess.

As your spiritual master, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī famously stated – and as quoted by you in your purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 13.67: “There is no scarcity of anything within this world. The only scarcity is of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” Later in your purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.44, you state: “Unless one is a first-class devotee, he cannot be a preacher.” This treasure of love of Godhead has specifically been entrusted to you for distribution: kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 7.11).

We here in Iceland are trying in our very humble manner to make you proud with whatever little we are able to do with our very limited resources. Each year we accomplish a new milestone only by your mercy. Despite knowing our limitations, we took the risk of coming to Iceland and making an effort, hoping Kṛṣṇa would step in and supply us with what we lack. That has really been our strategy.

Although we are a very small yātrā with very limited capital, manpower, and land and real estate, such things can be easily supplied by Kṛṣṇa as they are abundant all around. The resource we really desperately lack for making our mission successful here, however, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness – that we ourselves develop love for Kṛṣṇa. That resource, of prema-dhana, can only be attained by the mercy of the śrī-guru-paramparā. We therefore pray that we may be able to receive that treasure so that we can be authorized to distribute it to the people of Iceland.

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you and your spiritual master both set the example of spending many years in the holy dhāma doing intense prayer and bhajana to be empowered before starting your mission. One of our spiritual masters, His Holiness Radhanath Swami, followed in your footsteps by doing intense austerities in New Vrindavan before becoming an empowered preacher. However, we are not in a position to first go to a holy place to execute austerities before commencing our mission. We are therefore praying desperately, that we somehow can connect to the causeless mercy coming to us from you through our spiritual masters, and that we may develop advanced Kṛṣṇa consciousness while staying committed in Iceland.

Thank you for engaging us in your service!

Your servants at ISKCON Iceland

Izhevsk, Russia

Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our humble obeisances at Your lotus feet.

On behalf of the entire Izhevsk yatra, we express our deepest gratitude to you for your boundless mercy, for your feats, and for what you have done for the entire world – and for each of us personally.

Thanks to your fearlessness, your faith, and your devotion to the Lord, the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is burning even in the distant city of Izhevsk. This fire is a living force that changes destinies, unites people, and brings the soul back to its true purpose.

Izhevsk is known as the “arms capital” of Russia. It is a place where weapons capable of protecting the body are created. However, through your grace, our city has gained something much more valuable – spiritual weapons capable of protecting the soul.

Your books, the holy name, and knowledge about God have become the very weapons that destroy ignorance, fear, and illusions. Previously, there was an external struggle, but now, by your grace, there is a deeper battle in Izhevsk – a battle for consciousness, for people’s hearts, and for the return of the soul to its original nature.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, your mission came to Izhevsk through sincere devotees in the 1980s. The first steps were very simple and at the same time heroic: devotees gathered in apartments, opened small ashrams, and distributed books that were literally brought in bags from other cities.

In 1991, the Krishna Consciousness Society in Izhevsk was officially registered. From that moment on, the gradual development of the yātrā began: from apartment programs to rented premises, from small gatherings to regular Sunday programs and celebrations.

Throughout these years, the main service remained the distribution of books. Already in 1992, a powerful record was set: more than 34,000 books per year. And this line of service continues to this day.

Over 35 years 265,857 books have been distributed in Izhevsk, and in 2025 alone, 8230 books. Through these books, thousands of people had the opportunity to come into contact with spiritual knowledge for the first time.

Today, the Izhevsk yātrā has about 200 devotees. 80–100 people regularly attend Sunday programs, 150–200 people attend holidays, and about 300 people attended Janmāṣṭamī in 2025. But, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we understand that the most valuable thing is not the numbers but the people. Behind each number is someone’s destiny, someone’s heart, someone’s meeting with the truth.

By your grace, saṅkīrtana is developing in the yātrā. In 2025, we held 39 harināmas, with a total of about 100 devotees participating, and an average of about 24 people per event. About 6,000 prasādam balls were distributed. By comparison, in 2024, 36 harināmas were held with about 101 people participating, with an average of 22 people per event, and about 5,400 prasādam balls were distributed. We see how gradually the engagement and inspiration is growing.

By your grace, the service of distributing prasādam is also developing. In 2024, 24 programs were held, during which 2,987 portions of consecrated food were distributed to the residents of the city. Such monthly events become a living manifestation of compassion in action. Over the past year, new devotees have joined the saṅkīrtana and a team has been formed, which is a special joy for us. Devotees also actively participate in city and national events, sharing their spiritual culture with thousands of people:

• Mantra concert “Awakening” – attended by about 200 people
• Ectonica Festival (main stage) – attended by about 6,000 people
• Window to the Sky Festival – attended by about 2,000 people
• Yoga Day – attended by about 500 people
• Janmāṣṭamī festival – attended by about 300 people
• Other city events – attended by up to 300 people

Through music, kirtans, communication, and prasādam, people get the opportunity to come in contact with spiritual life for the first time.

A special stage in the development of the yātrā was the transition to its own space. For a long time, programs were held at rented premises, but gradually there was a desire and need to have our own place for service. In 2020, the first building, with an area of about 60 square meters, was built. And then in 2021, the construction of a large pandal began.

This project was a real manifestation of unity. Devotees built with their own hands, donated funds, supported one another. Gradually, the pandal grew into a full-fledged space with an area of about 420 square meters, with an altar of 170 square meters, designed for about 250 people. This pandal is not simply a building; it is the result of cooperation, faith, and inspiration. It is a place where people can come, listen, serve, communicate, and develop their spiritual lives.

The yātrā offers various forms of service: worshiping the Deities, preparing prasādam, organizing Sunday programs, taking care of families and children, conducting kirtans, decorating the altar, sewing clothes, distributing books, and providing education and support to new people. Everyone from children to senior devotees has a place to serve.

Financial support for the mission is also growing. Devotees are donating as much as they can, and there are even some philanthropists who have made significant contributions to the construction of the pandal. We see how your mission is bringing people together at different levels.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, you write: “Kṛṣṇa is powerful enough to give His devotee whatever opportunities he desires, provided that the devotee works very sincerely for His pleasure.” We are trying to live with this understanding. Sometimes we lack strength, sometimes we have doubts, but your mission inspires us to keep going. The most important thing we want to say is:

You didn’t just start a movement. You gave us life. You gave us direction. You gave us the opportunity to be part of a spiritual family.

Please allow us to continue being a part of your mission. Give us the sincerity, humility, and determination to keep serving.

Let our yātrā become a tool in your hands. May each of us be able to use the spiritual weapons you gave us to help others and spread the light of knowledge.

Thank you for everything, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Thank you for the books. Thank you for the holy name. Thank you for the spiritual family. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

With deep gratitude and love,

Your servants at ISKCON Izhevsk

Jandelsbrunn, Germany

Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Most dear and beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, standing here today, looking back at this past year in Simhachalam, we feel a mixture of exhaustion, gratitude, and something deeper – a quiet certainty that somehow, despite all our limitations, you are still carrying everything forward.

This year tested us.

Especially our summer season: six continuous weeks of festivals, one flowing into the next, like waves that never paused to let us breathe. Kirtan, cooking, organizing, welcoming guests, cleaning, guiding, serving … again and again, day after day. At some point, we stopped asking, “Can we still do this?” and simply continued.

Our devotees were tired, truly tired. Bodies weak, minds stretched … But at the same time, hearts full. Because somehow, in that intensity, your presence became more real.

We saw it in the kirtans that lifted us when we had no strength left. We saw it in the smiles of guests who had come for the first time. We saw it in the way devotees kept showing up, even when there was nothing left to give.

And after this intense summer, although there was never a complete break – as there is always something unfolding at Simhachalam – you guided us into a season of reorganization.

In the autumn we were able to step back, clean up, restructure, and regain clarity. At the same time, a new temple council was established and then expanded, bringing in additional experienced devotees into the leadership. This newly formed team creates greater stability, shared responsibility, and continuity in guiding Simhachalam forward.

And now, in the spring of 2026, we find ourselves again in your service – but this time with renewed determination. Twice a week we gather for Clean Scene – that is, cleaning, organizing, and preparing your temple for Narasiṁha Caturdāśi.

And as always, these weeks before the festival carry a certain tension:

Will everything be ready?

Will all services be covered?

Will the devotees come?

Will we manage?

Yet at the same time, there is deep excitement. Because we know what is coming: the most powerful darshans of the year. The amazing pavitram mālā-pūjā. The overwhelming beauty of Śrī Śrī Prahlāda-Lakṣmī-Narasiṁhadeva’s mahā-abhiśeka. The fire of yajñas. The waves of kirtan. The nectar of hari-kathā spoken by your direct disciples.

And the breathtaking flower outfit, arranged with such devotion, revealing the Lord in a special, radiant splendor, along with the offering of sandesh in all its sugary opulence, prepared with love and presented in such abundance.

Narasiṁha Caturdāśi is not just a festival for us. It is a moment where the spiritual world touches Simhachalam.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, at the same time, something else has begun to move forward. After many discussions, efforts, and much patience, doors are slowly opening with the local authorities. We are now moving toward submitting a repurpose application for our oversized barn, with the vision of transforming it into a guest facility, so that we may properly host the increasing number of visitors coming to your temple.

But before that, we are taking a practical first step: the construction of a children’s hut – a space for your youngest devotees, a place where they can grow, play, learn, and feel protected. This project might seem small in scale, but it is large in meaning, because, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the future of Simhachalam is already running through our courtyard every day.

We pray that these children will develop deep roots in your mission, that they will not only inherit this place but carry your vision forward with strength and conviction.

Along with this hut, a new Tulasī house is planned so that Vṛndā Devī can reside throughout the entire year without the need to be moved seasonally.

In addition, the restructuring of the barn requires further preparations: as the upper level, currently used for hay storage, is intended to become sleeping space for guests, a new, suitable shelter for hay storage must be established as part of the goshala infrastructure.

All of these steps are essential prerequisites and must be completed before we can formally submit the usage application for the barn conversion.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, we also want to offer you our heartfelt reflections on saṅkīrtana, which remains the life and soul of Simhachalam.

The saṅkīrtana community events have grown beautifully. Again and again, devotees come together to organize harināmas, book distribution, kirtan, and prasādam outreach in nearby cities. These events carry a special spirit of cooperation, enthusiasm, and a taste of your movement alive on the streets.

And yet at the same time, we feel a deeper prayer arising. We pray for new saṅkīrtana devotees. We pray for a strong and stable brahmacārī ashram, where devotees can fully dedicate themselves to your mission. We make these prayers because although the structure is there and the events are taking place, your saṅkīrtana mission is asking for new strength.

We feel it.

We pray that you send the right souls – those who are ready to go out, take risks, depend on your mercy, and distribute your books with conviction and faith.

Please empower us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to not only maintain saṅkīrtana but to revive it in full force.

Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, we don’t know how everything will come together. But one thing is clear: our roots are deeply planted in this sacred place. And our life’s purpose is simple: to continue what you have started.

We pray for our community: for unity among the devotees of Simhachalam. For stronger relationships between families and ashrams. For cooperation in service.

Because we are learning, again and again that without your devotees, Simhachalam cannot exist. Please bless them with intelligence to serve properly; with humility to work together; with devotion to stay steady; with strength to continue; and with your mercy, always.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, thank you for giving us this life. Thank you for giving us Simhachalam. Thank you for protecting us and engaging us in the service of Śrī Śrī Prahlāda-Lakṣmī-Narasiṁhadeva. Every challenge we face only reminds us that we are still under your shelter.

Your insignificant servants trying to serve you at Simhachalam