Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept the humble obeisances, deep gratitude, respect, and love from the devotees of the Kazan ISKCON community.
Thanks to you, our life has gained meaning, colors, taste, and a long-awaited joy. You came into this world and brought love and devotion to Kṛṣṇa in words, sound, and a way of life, and thus saved us, giving us new life.
Your books are like air to us. Breathing them in, we are inspired to serve. Through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all your other works, we have found answers to the most intimate questions, learned to think, reflect, and awaken the mind in order to live according to the laws of God. There are no analogs to these books, and it is only by your grace that we have been able to become acquainted with Kṛṣṇa, His abode, and our eternal nature as integral parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
You have given us a chance for meaningful, pure relationships – with guru, Kṛṣṇa, and those who follow the same path. Loneliness in the crowd was replaced by a sense of belonging to a great family of devotees, united by one goal: to return home, back to Godhead. You have shown us a taste of spiritual life, which includes joyful chanting, kirtans, prasādam, and sincere communication, and you taught us that renunciation without love is suffering, and love without rules is chaos.
We are grateful to you for being patient with our failures and for lifting us up again and again through strict but compassionate guidance. Knowing that you look at us through your books and the words of your followers, we gain the strength to continue the path, purify ourselves, become more honest, sincere, attentive, benevolent, and selfless. Thanks to you, we are learning to interact with each person as an eternal person, an inseparable part of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
You have given us a priceless jewel – the path of happiness to Kṛṣṇa, pure devotional service, which Lord Caitanya reveals to us all by your grace. Since our contact with the Vaiṣṇavas and Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our vision of the world has completely changed: we have learned about the spiritual world, about Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, about our true position and what we really should do in this world. You have settled in our hearts, and as long as we are alive, we will remember with gratitude the precious gift that you gave us.
Thank you for the fact that every day our fears go away, even those we did not realize we had. We are no longer afraid of a lonely and empty old age because there is always service in your family – live and online, external and internal – and you can stay engaged in your mission until your last breath. Thanks to your grace, we are not living someone else’s life, but gradually learning to live the life that really leads to the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava.
We are eternally indebted to you, our dear teacher. To the best of our ability, we will continue to serve your mission, distribute your books, chant the holy name, support each other, and follow the path you have paved for us. We hope that by following your instructions, we will meet you and Kṛṣṇa again one day.
Your humble servants,
The devotees of ISKCON Kazan
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
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
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your glories are unlim-
ited, and your mercy flows for generations eternally.
In the early ’70s you visited Kenya with a desire to preach to the locals. Here is an update of
the last fifty years grown from the seeds you planted.
In the early ’80s a number of temple presidents and foreign devotees came and left Kenya and
East Africa because conditions were too austere and they were not having much luck developing
an Indian congregation or spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the local African community.
A couple of years later, the Nairobi temple was about to close due to lack of management and
no funds. In 1983, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Mahārāja became GBC for East Africa. He sent
one of his disciples, His Grace Umāpati Prabhu, to Nairobi. At the same time, Her Grace Mānasī-
gaṅgā and her mother, Tulasīpriyā Mātājī, came here from the UK. This was the turning point for
ISKCON East Africa.
In 1991, I remember we hardly had enough money to buy fruit, vegetables, or flowers for Śrī Śrī
Rādhā-Baṅkebihārī, and ISKCON, at that point, had a very bad reputation, especially within the
Gujarati community.
Gradually, by the humble efforts of His Grace Umāpati Prabhu, Her Grace Mānasī-gaṅgā
Mātājī, and Her Grace Tulasīpriyā Mātājī, standards started to improve. Funds started coming in,
and the congregation started to grow.
In 1994, we saw the opening of a magnificent and beautiful temple, and in 1996, Śrī Śrī Sītā-
Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa-Hanumān were installed. Gradually, surrounding properties were acquired
by the temple, and a residential complex was built behind the temple in 2006 that now houses
twenty gṛhastha devotees.
We acquired farm land in 2015, and we now grow our own organic vegetables. The Deities are
offered A2 milk from our own grass-fed cows. We have a very successful and renowned sweet shop.
In 2024, the temple acquired another forty acres of farmland for expansion.
In 2015, Kenya opened its first hostel service for local students, and that program is now thriv-
ing, with over eighty students at a time who follow part of the morning or evening program, eat
prasādam daily, and associate with devotees. This year, 2025, we have seen the opening of Yogi
Plate, subsidized lunch prasādam for students at a very affordable rate.
There is a truly stunning temple near the beach in Mombasa, and the old temple in Ganjoni is
still open and very active with local preaching. The Mombasa temple has also acquired adjoining
land, and a housing project is in the pipeline.
Over the past four years we have opened three preaching centers – one each in Eldoret,
Nakuru, and Juja, and these focus mainly on local African preaching – thus trying to fulfill your
desire to preach to the locals in Kenya. Both the Eldoret and Nakuru centers have acquired land
for new temple construction.
We have had one of the best records for book distribution in the whole of Africa, and for five
years in a row Nairobi has been leading the marathon.
This year, His Grace Umāpati Prabhu was selected to serve as the GBC representative for East
Africa and also as an initiating spiritual master, thus fulfilling the chain of paramparā as envi-
sioned by Your Divine Grace.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you visited Kenya in 1971, and all this expansion and growth has happened
within the last fifty years. ISKCON in East Africa is thriving and growing at an exponential rate,
and we have an active and engaged congregation. Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is all due to your mercy
and vision.
We feel so fortunate to be part of this community. Please bless us that we may expand with
more enthusiasm and vigor than ever before. Your vision was to see the local Africans become
devotees. Kindly bestow your mercy upon us so that we can all follow your specific instructions
for East Africa. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your servant,
Aiśvarya Līlā Devī Dāsī
Vaiṣṇavī Minister for Kenya
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
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
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet! All glories to Your Divine
Grace! All glories to your sacred day of appearance! O dear master, we have no qualification to
glorify Your Divine Grace, but it is only for our purification that we are trying to do so.
It is said in Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 3.22.21: “Pure devotees are so absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa
that they have no other engagement; although they may seem to think or act otherwise, they are
always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. The smile of such a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is so attractive that simply
by smiling he wins so many admirers, disciples and followers.”
It is your smile that has conquered the hearts of many, and even today we see its impact. Śrīla
Prabhupāda, by your own behavior you taught us how devotees, despite being in this material
world, are not affected by this world because of their constant engagement in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
Years are passing and your movement is flourishing. This shows how exalted a teacher you are!
You are the most compassionate ācārya ever, and you have been showering unconditional mercy
upon fallen souls like us and giving the treasure of your heart generously – love of Kṛṣṇa.
By your divine mercy, an ISKCON center in Khamgaon has been opened. We hold weekly pro-
grams and celebrate festivals like Janmāṣṭamī, Nityānanda Trayodaśī, Gaura-Pūrṇimā, and others.
These are attracting the hearts of many residents of Khamgaon. We are trying our level best to
please you by being instruments in the transcendental movement of Lord Caitanya.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us so we can serve you in unexpected ways in this upcoming
year, increasing both the quality and number of devotees. May the whole town swim in the bliss-
ful ocean of kṛṣṇa-prema! Please bless us with your merciful glance so that we can reach out to
each soul in town and engage them in Kṛṣṇa’s service somehow or other.
O dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us with your divine smile, which alone can deliver the
many fallen souls. Please give us the spiritual strength to carry out your orders, distribute your
books, the holy name, and kṛṣṇa-prasādam profusely. Let us offer you the best offering ever in
upcoming years by remaining humble instruments of your movement. Please bless us so we
always remain faithful servants at your lotus feet and of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, ISKCON.
Your most insignificant servants,
The devotees at ISKCON Khamgaon
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
We are very grateful for the opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for human society and for each of us personally.
Thank you very much for the books and temples that you have given to all of us.
Thank you for the festivals and the culture of spiritual life that you so skillfully introduced into our lives.
Thank you for your example and instructions, which you have bestowed upon humanity for the next ten thousand years.
You are a great personality, for your determination to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to make people happy knows no bounds. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.21): “Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”
By your mercy, a true miracle is now taking place in the world. In the midst of Kali-yuga, more and more people are taking up the spiritual path of chanting the holy names. This has become possible only because of your sacrifice of comfort and personal peace. You left Vrindavan and went to the West, where death itself could have awaited you. Even the journey to America could have ended tragically. And it may have seemed that the people of America were not at all ready for your spiritual message. But by your mercy, Kṛṣṇa inspired your first disciples, and now we have received our chance.
You gave us the meaning of life. You filled our hearts with inspiration and engaged us in eternal service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
On this day, thousands of your followers will offer you their respects for giving the priceless gift of love of God and for explaining how to attain it and preserve it amidst the distractions of material life.
You perfectly fulfilled the instruction of your spiritual master, and now the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa can be heard in the most remote corners of the world. People are attracted by the beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead – His opulence, knowledge, strength, and renunciation. Kṛṣṇa empowered you to become His messenger and to give people the invaluable gift of transcendental love of God and the opportunity to understand their eternal relationship with Him.
We are but tiny living beings, one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair, yet understanding our true nature – the nature of a servant – gives us the chance to attain pure, selfless love of God. You wrote an immense number of books – something no ordinary person could accomplish. Kṛṣṇa Himself guided your hand to reveal the philosophical truths of Vedic knowledge. Without the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and your other works, it is impossible to understand the purpose of human life. Through the examples of great personalities of the past, you showed how a modern person should live in order to pass the most important examination at the end of life – to remember Kṛṣṇa and, to the sound of the holy name, enter the kingdom of God.
On this earth we are merely passengers. The material world is not meant for gentlemen, as you often said, and we should not linger here. We are souls, yet out of ignorance we identify ourselves with the body. By your example, you showed what it means to serve the Lord selflessly, offering one’s entire being. You laid the foundation for the spiritual advancement of all humanity. The people of Kali-yuga are weak, both physically and spiritually. Lord Caitanya proclaimed the sanātana-dharma of this age: the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. We sing, we dance, and we take delicious prasādam – a wonderful philosophy. One only needs to humbly accept God into one’s life and not claim what does not belong to us.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, the devotees of the Kherson community unite their hearts to offer you their lives and their service. Although our city has become a place of great external hardship, being on the very front line, your mercy remains the unshakable foundation of our lives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, due to the ongoing war, most members of our community have been scattered across the world. Today, your followers from Kherson chant the holy names and serve your mission in Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and many other countries. Although we are physically far from our homes and from one another, we remain more united than ever. Every morning we gather online to chant our rounds of the mahā-mantra together, and each day we meet in the digital space to read and discuss your transcendental books. We are united by our shared devotion to your instructions.
At the same time, a courageous group of devotees continues to maintain the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the very heart of Kherson. By your mercy, here in Kherson – practically on the front line of the war – Kṛṣṇa gives us the opportunity to cook and distribute prasādam, to perform harināma-saṅkīrtana in the streets of the city, to distribute your books, and to gather for Sunday festivals and nāma-haṭṭa programs.
We humbly present a report of our local activities for your satisfaction:
- Distribution of kṛṣṇa-prasādam: each week, despite the constant threat of drones, missiles, and shelling, devotees cook and distribute about 300 liters of kṛṣṇa-prasādam several times a week at seven distribution points. We strive to help those most in need, following your instruction that no one within a ten-mile radius of a temple should go hungry.
- Saṅkīrtana and harināma: even in a city under fire, we continue to hold Sunday programs, nāma-haṭṭas, and kirtans. The sound of the mahā-mantra serves as the only true shelter for souls at this time.
- Unity in service: whether serving abroad or under shelling at home, the devotees of Kherson are one family under your protection. We see your hand in every moment of protection and inspiration.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are simply trying to be humble instruments of your compassion. You gave everything to bring the light of the holy name to the world, and we pray for the strength to follow in your footsteps with sincerity and courage.
We pray for your continued blessings so that we may remain steady in service, wherever the waves of destiny may carry us. May our city and the whole world attain peace through your divine instructions.
We understand that even if we have some experience and skills, they are insignificant, and Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality, deserves much more than we can give. Still, we feel great joy that, for some reason, we have been placed in this wonderful society that you created.
We wish to continue our small attempts to be of service to you, to Lord Caitanya, and to Lord Nityānanda. Please guide us on the path of devotion and do not allow us to deviate. We are your eternal debtors and hope for the opportunity to continue serving your lotus feet.
Your humble servants,
the devotees of ISKCON Kherson
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Beloved Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. On this sacred day of your
appearance, we offer our deepest gratitude for your boundless compassion in bringing the holy
names of Kṛṣṇa to Africa and for carrying Lord Jagannātha’s mercy to every corner of the world.
Your worldwide saṅkīrtana mission keeps planting the seed of bhakti to the extent that soon, no
land shall remain untouched by the sweetness of devotional service, and for this, we are eternally
indebted.
This year, the Vyāsa-pūjā celebration is happening under particularly troublesome situations
around the world, and our country is no exception. We fervently pray for your divine intervention
to protect the devotees and the saṅkīrtana mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
where strife and suffering weigh heavily upon the people. Fearlessness – that’s what we pray for.
You transformed hearts through the power of harināma. May your blessings bring peace, protec-
tion, and the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to this troubled land and its people.
As we prepare for the upcoming Ratha-yātrā festival in June, we recall how the ancient Opet
festival of Egypt – where the sacred procession of Amun-Ra fostered unity and divine connec-
tion – mirrors the unifying power of Lord Jagannātha’s chariot. The Skanda Purāṇa (Puruṣottama-
kṣetra-māhātmya) proclaims that wherever His chariot rolls, the influence of Kali diminishes and
divine grace flourishes. In keeping with these ancient traditions, may this year’s Ratha-yātrā in the
DRC become a beacon of spiritual harmony, dissolving discord and awakening pure love for the
Lord in every heart. Glories to your saṅkīrtana movement – the lifeline for all fallen souls!
On behalf of ISKCON Kinshasa,
Your unworthy aspiring servant,
Yugala Kiśora Dāsa
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances from all the devotees of the Kirov yātrā!
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Śrīla Rūpa Goswami describes sixty-four aṅgas of devotional service. Among these aṅgas, five are the most potent: sādhu-saṅga (association with devotees), nāma-kīrtana (chanting the holy name), bhāgavata-śravaṇa (hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), mathurā-vāsa (residing at a holy place), and śrī-mūrtira-śraddhāya-sevana (worship of the Deities with faith). Each of these five aṅgas gives one a chance to achieve spiritual perfection. Out of great concern for your disciples and granddisciples you gave us the opportunity to achieve this perfection.
You gave us the practice of chanting the holy names on beads and the practice of kirtan. You translated the most valuable knowledge of the holy scriptures and made it accessible to all the people of the world. You taught us how to worship the Deities and see Kṛṣṇa in them. You gave us the society of devotees – the best of the people, with whom we can deepen our relationship with God. You built temples on the holy land of Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur. You created an entire spiritual city so that devotees from all over the world could come and increase their taste for spiritual life.
Your books, lectures, conversations and letters are as deep as Vaiṣṇava philosophy. They can never be fully studied because they are constantly unfolding and revealing new instructions, new facets of devotion and service to God.
In the material world, leaders lose their influence almost immediately after their departure. Your power, however, only grows with each passing year. We see this in the large number of devotees who continue to follow your instructions. Wherever a devotee goes in the world, he is sure to find a temple – a part of the spiritual world, where he will feel like family even hundreds of kilometers from home; you gave us this feeling of eternal spiritual happiness. Thanks to your faith and devotion, the holy name has reached every town and village, according to Mahāprabhu’s will.
We are happy to be your family, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We are happy to raise our children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are happy to bring people knowledge that frees them from material distress. We are happy to build our relationship with God.
We offer our humble obeisances to your devotion to guru and Kṛṣṇa, and to your unlimited compassion.
Your servants,
The devotees at ISKCON Kirov
