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)
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Kindly accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace,
the fearless general of Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana army.
On this sacred day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we gather as your children, holding your instructions
close to our hearts. You gave us Kṛṣṇa. You gave us meaning. And in return, we want to give you
our lives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you once stood alone in New York, armed only with the holy name and
unshakable faith in your spiritual master. From that place of surrender, you built a global move-
ment. Today, from the southern tip of Africa, in the city of Sandton, we try to carry your mission
forward.
This year marked our fourth Ratha-yātrā, and it was glorious. With the theme “Culturally
Many, Spiritually One,” Lord Jagannātha’s chariot rolled through the heart of Johannesburg – a
city marked by diversity, struggle, and searching. People from every background danced together,
sang together, and honored prasādam together. That day, the boundaries of race, language, and
nationality dissolved in the ocean of your mercy.
Preaching breathes life into our community. We’ve seen it firsthand. When we go out, distrib-
ute your books, share kīrtana, speak the Gītā, and offer prasādam – something lights up in the
hearts of devotees. We remember who we are. We remember why we’re here. Without preaching,
we wither. With it, we grow bold, joyful, and united.
You taught us that spiritual life is not meant to be hidden. We are your saṅkīrtana movement.
We are meant to sing in the streets, speak in the universities, stand in the fire – and bring Kṛṣṇa
consciousness to every corner of society.
This past year, we continued our outreach to universities through our Bhakti Yoga Society. We
distributed books, hosted Sunday programs, celebrated major festivals, and did our best to care
for each other. And still, we know we are just scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, for your pleasure, we aspire to:
• Establish a permanent home – where the holy name resounds day and night.
• Expand our outreach across Johannesburg to awaken more hearts.
• Grow Ratha-yātrā into a nationally recognized celebration of spiritual unity.
• Foster a strong devotee community, where cooperation, care, and service thrive.
We fall short in many ways, but one thing is certain: we are yours. And we will not give up.
You reminded us that real gratitude is shown through action. So let our offering be our effort –
imperfect, but sincere. Let it be our commitment to preach, to serve, to grow, and to follow in
your footsteps.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for everything. Please bless us to remain faithful instruments of
your will.
Your servants at the feet of Your Divine Grace,
The devotees of ISKCON Sandton
(written by Vibhu Caitanya Dāsa)
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet.
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
Śrīla Prabhupāda, many of us here at Prabhupāda Village in North Carolina are now older than
you were when you first courageously crossed the ocean on a cargo ship and endured immeasur-
able hardships to bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to us drowning souls of Kali-yuga. Yet although
we are older, we still have done so little in comparison to Your Divine Grace. We are now more
embarrassed than ever at how little we have accomplished to further your mission. Some of us
still struggle to maintain the vows we made to you when you initiated us, yet you have been
supremely patient, as patient as Mother Earth. You have been unconditionally loving, as loving
as a Bengali mother, as loyal, watchful and protective as the Supersoul in our hearts. Kindly con-
tinue to be patient with us, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Please don’t give up on us.
There are also some bright jewels among us here at Prabhupāda Village who are younger than
we are, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They have joined your mission and are enthusiastic to please Your
Divine Grace in every way. They are taxing their brains about how to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness
to other souls, and we are grateful to have their enlivening association. Some of them are farmers
and gardeners, some of them are businessmen and women, some of them are book distributors
and preachers, some of them are pūjārīs and cooks, some of them are kīrtanīyas. Some of them
are all of the above! Kindly bless them with determination to carry on this movement after we
are gone, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your spiritual grandchildren need your guidance, inspiration, and
unconditional love, just as we seniors, your spiritual children, do. Please help them to understand
that you are always here, guiding and supporting them in their efforts to serve and glorify and
please Your Divine Grace and Śrī Śrī Parama Karuṇa Nitāi-Gaurasundara.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for saving all of us, young and old, from the dangerous pitfalls
of Kali-yuga. You gave us more than eighty books and hundreds of lectures to keep us enthused.
You gave us the four regulative principles and the instruction to chant at least sixteen rounds of
the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra daily on our beads. Help us follow your instructions, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Help us to please Your Divine Grace and make this village of yours a true legacy in your honor
for generations to come. All glories to Your Divine Grace! All glories to Śrī Śrī Parama Karuṇa
Nitāi-Gaurasundara!
Your servants at Prabhupāda Village
Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you and to the disciplic succession, which is coming through Your Divine Grace.
On this auspicious occasion of Vyāsa-pūjā, we would like to offer our gratitude with sincerity. Although those of us who wrote this offering did not have the opportunity to meet you in person, we always feel your presence in your teachings, your instructions, and in the structured path of spiritual life that you have made accessible.
At the present time, life is filled with constant distractions, shifting priorities, and uncertainty about which direction to take. In such an environment, your guidance stands out because it is steady, practical, and uncompromising in its purpose. It provides a clear framework that helps distinguish what is essential from what is secondary.
What we value most is the practicality of your teachings. They are not abstract ideals meant only for reflection, but instructions meant for application. They show how spiritual life can be integrated into daily responsibilities and activities without losing its essence. This makes the path both understandable and workable, even if it is sometimes challenging.
At the same time, we recognize the gap between understanding and application. It is one thing to hear instructions and another to consistently practice them. There are moments of clarity and sincerity, but also moments of distraction and inconsistency. Still, your guidance remains the reference point that helps to bring our focus back whenever there is deviation.
We also recognize that spiritual progress is not dependent on physical proximity or personal familiarity, but on alignment with your instructions and a sincere effort to apply them. In that sense, connection is maintained through service, discipline, and continued engagement with the Kṛṣṇa conscious path you represent.
We do not claim qualification or advancement. However, we acknowledge the opportunity to hear, reflect, and attempt practice within a structured, spiritual framework. That opportunity itself is meaningful and valuable.
Our sincere aspiration is to continue improving consistency in practice, reducing distraction and negligence, and remaining engaged in service with greater seriousness. Progress is understood to be gradual, and we are willing to continue in that process with patience and effort.
Please continue to guide us through your instructions, correct us where there is deviation, and help maintain focus on what is essential. Whatever small progress is made is understood to be possible only by your mercy and the strength of the teachings you have preserved.
Thank you for your patience, clarity, and continued effort to keep these teachings accessible and practical in modern life.
Your servants,
Indrajit and Sandhya
On behalf of ISKCON Temple of the Holy Name, Prabhupāda Village
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. All glories to our spiritual master,
who crossed continents to teach us transcendental knowledge. There are no words to express the
immense gratitude that both I and the Vaiṣṇava community of ISKCON Dominican Republic feel
for Your Divine Grace. It is a great mercy to be able to practice and continuously learn from your
teachings in my home country, the Dominican Republic.
All glories to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who, at an advanced
age gathered the strength to sail to the West with the intention of helping the conditioned souls
learn how to return to Kṛṣṇa’s abode.
All glories to our śikṣā-guru, who tirelessly dedicated years to translating the books that allow
us to understand transcendental knowledge. Without his efforts, we would not have been able to
learn about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Without seeking wealth or any reward, he embarked on a journey by ship that transformed the
lives of countless spirit souls. The spread of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to numerous countries is proof
of the authenticity of his mission, which started when he arrived in America to propagate this
knowledge.
On the sacred day of his Vyāsa-pūjā, we honor his unwavering dedication and his mission to
spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every corner of the world.
Your servant,
Rādhā Sumukhī Devī Dāsī,
temple president
Canada & USA, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this auspicious appearance day of Your Divine Grace, we wish to offer some token glorification at your lotus feet.
In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.17, it is written, “Those who are not conversant with the activities of the Lord and His transcendental realm are sometimes favored by the Lord in His adventures as incarnations, wherein He displays the eternal bliss of His association in the transcendental realm. By such activities He attracts the conditioned souls of the material world.”
We should know that when the Lord comes, He is seen directly by the public present at that time, but when He leaves, unless the pure devotees broadcast knowledge of Him, He will become unmanifest again. Such was the condition on this earth after Lord Kṛṣṇa left the planet five thousand years ago. Except for India and a few adjacent countries, He was unknown to most of the population.
But today, because of Your Divine Grace’s determination to preach, our movement is known and appreciated everywhere. There are 800 temples, 550 million books distributed, and numerous farms, schools, and restaurants spread throughout many countries. These displays are but a token of your legacy. We can call this expansion the external manifestation of your sincere efforts, but even more important is the transformation that is created in the heart of anyone who becomes your sincere follower. That experience is of a transcendental nature, and it removes our inner dissatisfaction and replaces it with the fulfillment of our innermost heart’s desires.
Only someone completely pure at heart and in personality, chosen and empowered by Kṛṣṇa, can spread His message far and wide as you did. The endeavor to please you is the key to spiritual success. Here at Śaraṇāgati, by giving Kṛṣṇa conscious education to our children, protecting cows, offering the Sunday feast experience to the public, and observing all the Kṛṣṇa conscious festivals and living a simple lifestyle, we are trying to do just that.
On this auspicious day, we again beg for the shelter of your lotus feet, as remembrance of you is our only solace in this condition of separation.
Your servant,
Ghosh Ṭhākura Dāsa
on behalf of the residents of Śaraṇāgati Dhāma
