Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.239): “My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamunā at Keśī-ghāṭa. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight.”
With His incomparable beauty, Lord Kṛṣṇa conquers the hearts of all living entities. Among His six opulences, His beauty stands supreme. And you, His pure devotee, are the divine messenger of that beauty.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you transformed our dull and dry lives by adorning them with priceless spiritual jewels whose true value we can scarcely comprehend.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.8):
vettha tvaṁ saumya tat sarvaṁ tattvatas tad-anugrahāt
brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣyasya guravo guhyam apy uta
The secret of success in spiritual life lies in satisfying the spiritual master and receiving his sincere blessings.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms: “Only by the satisfaction of the spiritual master can one please the Supreme Lord, and without his satisfaction, there is only devastation on the path of spiritual life.”
On this auspicious occasion of the 130th appearance day of Your Divine Grace, although we feel completely unqualified, we humbly take this opportunity, for our own purification, to express our heartfelt gratitude for the society you have mercifully given us.
We offer our deepest appreciation for your unparalleled contribution in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, thus fulfilling the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with unwavering determination.
At the age of sixty-nine, you undertook an unprecedented journey to the West, carrying within your heart the order of your Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Despite immense hardships, you single-handedly ignited a spiritual revolution and established ISKCON as a global beacon of kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Your mission was not merely to construct temples but to transform hearts through the distribution of the holy name.
You gifted humanity the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta, among many other transcendental scriptures – not merely as books, but as eternal guiding lights. Your transcendental literature continues to nourish and sustain ISKCON, its devotees, followers, and well-wishers, keeping them spiritually vibrant and ever fresh.
You described festivals as the “mothers of devotion.” Following this instruction, we continue to celebrate major festivals with great enthusiasm, enriching the experience of visitors and strengthening the devotional community.
By your mercy:
- During Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, approximately 1.5 lakh pilgrims took darshan of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Dāmodara. Around 10,000 full prasādam plates and more than 30,000 drona prasādam were distributed.
- On Utthāna Ekādaśī (November 2), we celebrated the fourth Brahmotsava over three days (October 31 through November 2), in the presence of His Holiness Bhaktirasamita Swami, during which approximately 5,000 plates of prasādam were distributed.
- We organized a mega youth festival, UTSAV – A Festival of Joy and Happiness – attended by 1,500 students from 14–15 colleges, along with an enlightening seminar entitled Artificial Intelligence to Spiritual Intelligence. Approximately 200 transcendental books were distributed.
- On Bhādra Pūrṇimā, we distributed 253 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, securing the second position in India in the small temples category.
- During Gītā Jayantī, approximately 28,300 books were distributed.
By your mercy, we are now placing greater emphasis on youth engagement and congregational preaching in an effort to further expand Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission.
Additionally, by your blessings, construction has begun on a new guest house, Sant Nivas, with accommodation for seven rooms, expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are deeply indebted to you. You have not only given us knowledge, but have completely transformed our lives. You created this society through immense sacrifice, and we can never repay that debt.
You desired nothing other than to please Kṛṣṇa, and in return, Kṛṣṇa fully empowered you to spread His holy name throughout the world for generations to come.
When sincere seekers begin searching for truth, they ultimately meet you – the founder-ācārya of ISKCON – and through your teachings, they discover the path out of material existence.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.31) states:
svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman
bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ
bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te
nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān
O Lord, just as the sun dissipates darkness, Your devotees cross the ocean of nescience and leave behind the boat of Your lotus feet for others to follow.
You have mercifully left this divine process for us. By following it, we too may cross this ocean of material existence. For this eternal gift, we remain forever grateful.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please bless us so that in this rapidly changing world we may faithfully follow in your footsteps and effectively preach your message. Kindly allow us to serve your mission with sincerity, never forgetting that all success belongs solely to you.
You taught us that ISKCON is your body and that serving ISKCON means serving Your Divine Grace. We accept this as our life and soul, and we pray for the strength to serve wholeheartedly with body, mind, and words.
As we continue in this movement, we are gradually beginning to understand your vision and the responsibility that accompanies it. Please help us remain serious, avoid complacency, and rise above bodily consciousness so that we may render genuine devotional service.
Though the path ahead is long, we have complete faith in your mercy. Kindly guide us, purify us, and always engage us in your service.
You are a true Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura. Only you can give us Kṛṣṇa. We are simply trying to follow in your footsteps, crying for your mercy.
Your servants at ISKCON Solapur
(written by Krishnabhakta Dāsa)
Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.30.37 you write, “All devotees are indebted to the great sage Nārada, for he has wandered both in heaven and in hell. A devotee of the Lord is not even afraid of hell. He goes to preach the glories of the Lord everywhere – even in hell – because there is no distinction between heaven and hell for a devotee.” Following in the footsteps of Śrī Nārada Muni, you also traveled across the globe to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with one and all. You circumambulated the world fourteen times and took great risks to spread the message of Lord Caitanya to millions of conditioned souls.
With the blessing of Your Divine Grace, a branch of ISKCON started in South Bengaluru in 2011. As desired by you, this branch is growing into a prominent cultural center. We, the devotees at ISKCON South Bengaluru, are grateful to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, for all the opportunities you created for us to engage our talents in the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Vinodajī, Śrī Śrī Jagannātha-Baladeva-Subhadrā, and Śrī Śrī Nityānanda Naṭabara Gaurasundara. On this auspicious occasion we would like to share our spiritual journey in the last one year to seek your divine blessings to assist you in your mission.
1. Following are the number of books distributed by our temple devotees from April 2025–March 2026:1,200 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets, 63 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets, 20,022 Bhagavad-gītās, and 713 Kṛṣṇa books.
2. We are about to complete construction of a new extension of the temple building. It consists of a new Deity kitchen (on the same floor as the altar), new residential facilities for pūjārīs, and an accounts office.
3. Festivals are being celebrated in more attractive ways for the pleasure of Their Lordships. Many of the second-initiated congregational devotees are actively taking part in serving the Deities.
4. We are shortly coming up with a new Bhaktivedanta kalakshetra to facilitate many cultural events.
5. We are working on improving the devotee care systems to keep all the devotees well nourished and inspired in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
6. The temple’s overall preaching is growing. This includes the youth preaching wing (boys and girls separately), the congregational preaching wing, and the children’s preaching wing. We now have fourteen brahmacārīs in our center, and our congregation is around six hundred devotees.
There are many more initiatives that we’ve started working on for your pleasure. We seek your blessings so that we can continue to offer our loving services to Their Lordships.
Thanking you,
Your servants at ISKCON South Bengaluru
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to you.
In a lecture given in Los Angeles by Your Divine Grace on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.25, dated
June 23, 1972, you mentioned, “You cannot pay by returning the value which is taught by the
spiritual master. That is not possible. Therefore it is called sevā. Dedicate your life for his service.
You cannot pay. What you have got to pay to a spiritual master?”
In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.47 you write, “Vinoda-pātram, which means ‘joker.’
A joker’s activities simply arouse laughter, and a person who tries to repay the spiritual master or
teacher of the transcendental message of Kṛṣṇa becomes a laughingstock just like a joker because
it is not possible to repay such a debt.”
Hence in no way we can repay you for all the things you gave us. On this very auspicious occa-
sion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we, the devotees at the ISKCON Cultural Centre in South Bengaluru,
would like to offer the results of our services at your divine lotus feet and seek your blessings so
that we may continue assisting you:
• Book distribution: Between April 2024 and March 2025, devotees from our temple distributed
the following numbers of books for your pleasure: 1,180 full sets of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam;
11,500 Bhagavad-gītās; 50 sets of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta; 760 copies of the Kṛṣṇa book; and
our temple stood first in the Bhadra Pūrṇimā Bhāgavatam set distribution under the small
temple category.
• Formation of the Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhagavata Vidyalaya (SPBV): To systematically study and
teach your books, we formed an institute for śāstric study that will teach Bhakti-śāstrī,
Bhakti-vaibhava, the ISKCON Disciple Course, and other courses. These will help devotees
go deep into their understanding of the scripture. Currently two batches of Bhakti-śāstrī
classes are going on.
• Preaching – Bhakti Sadana: We are focusing on reaching more souls to bring them to the
lotus feet of Their Lordships by inspiring our congregation to start new home programs we
are calling Bhakti Sadana. Around thirty devotees have come forward to offer their houses
or lead these programs, and by next year we will be able to offer you good results. We
seek your blessings for the success of this program. Currently, about 75 families live in the
vicinity of the temple and take part in the temple activities.
• Revival of our devotee care system: Although we started a devotee care system in 2019, we
wanted to restructure it and make it more active. Starting in January 2025, we began work-
ing on it. We currently have around twenty-two caregivers and assistant caregivers, who
serve the devotees and facilitate them in their spiritual lives.
• Construction: We are a cultural center, so we hold cultural programs to attract the public
to come to the temple and get connected. Therefore we are remodeling our previous
temple hall, turning it into a mini auditorium. We have named it the Bhaktivedanta Mini
Auditorium.
• Kitchen development: We are also trying to improve the quality of prasādam we serve the
devotees as well as our cleanliness, so we are remodeling our devotee kitchen with newer
equipment and a better infrastructure.
• Festivals: This year for the first time, we tried to invite more visitors to attend Gaura-Pūrṇimā.
Around 800 devotees and 700 visitors came and got the mercy of Lord Caitanya
Mahāprabhu.
We are grateful for all that you have given us, and we pray at your lotus feet that we may never
deviate from the way you wanted us to live and serve while assisting you in your service to your
spiritual master.
Your servants,
The devotees at the ISKCON Cultural Centre in South Bengaluru
Europe & Russia, 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 humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you on this most auspicious day.
Every year on this day it is a time to meditate on the wondrous activities you performed during your life, and at the same time reflect on how we, as a community, serve your movement.
By reading the Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta one can appreciate the extraordinary vision you had in creating an international movement to bring Kṛṣṇa to the whole world. One only gets a glimpse of the sheer weight of difficulties and setbacks you faced, and yet through sheer will, determination, and relentless faith in the instructions of your spiritual master and the will of the Lord, it is astounding to see what you went on to achieve.
Taking a step back, it really does seem quite impossible to imagine a person, at such a late stage in their life, and having never set foot outside of India before, going halfway around the world to find themselves in a strange and alien culture, whilst not even knowing a single person. To do that not for personal gain, but for the spiritual benefit of humankind is very difficult to comprehend. To inspire so many people, who had never even heard of Kṛṣṇa before, to surrender their lives to the service of the Lord is extraordinary and astounding. And yet that is what you did and so much more.
ISKCON South London as a community runs various activities in the local area – full-day weekend programs at the temple, Food for Life for the homeless, Kṛṣṇa clubs for children, saṅkīrtana festivals, harināmas, active participation in the December book marathon, and holding daily satsaṅgas during Kārttika. At the time of writing this offering, the temple kitchens are undergoing renovations to modernize and improve the facilities, and there are also thoughts in the near future to rebuild the hall where our programs are held.
We fervently pray at your lotus feet for a leader who can drive the temple to grow, and that as a community we can serve you to the best of our abilities in a mood of cooperation and gratitude. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the considerable sacrifices you have made for us.
Forever your servants,
The devotees at ISKCON South London
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Our 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
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken full shelter at His
lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and
delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace. On this most auspi-
cious occasion of your divine appearance, we are given yet another opportunity to put into words
our gratitude and to try to glorify you, the most magnanimous person we have ever known.
Lord Caitanya is described as mahā-vadānyāya, the “most munificent,” but we know you are
mahā-mahā-vadānyāya because you brought the process of bhakti out of Bhārata-varṣa all the way
to us, the most fallen, in this Western part of the world. You freely distributed it to everyone with-
out consideration of age, caste, or creed. You made numerous sacrifices at such an advanced age
to do so, and there is no doubt that you were always carefully taken care of personally by Lord
Kṛṣṇa Himself. Who else in this world would even make such an effort as you did? And how can
we ever repay you? You gave hope and a sense of meaning to our hopeless, aimless lives.
You carefully tailored the practice of devotional service, making it easy for us, and you gave
everything to make it practical and feasible. You provided absolutely everything possible and are
training us, even today, like a father securely holding the hands of a young child and guiding that
child with so much love and care to traverse the path out of this horrid material existence. You
have given us real life. You are teaching the real meaning of this rare human birth and how to
navigate the trials and tribulations of material life while simultaneously using this life as an offer-
ing to Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Caitanya-
caritāmṛta, Madhya 1.211: “If a woman is attached to a man other than her husband, she will appear
very busy in carrying out her household affairs, but within her heart she is always relishing feel-
ings of association with her paramour.” You are teaching us to make Kṛṣṇa the center of life, what-
ever our material circumstances and duties. We pray your blessings and eternal guidance make us
develop, progress, and go deeper into our relationship with you, our dear guru, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
On this most auspicious day, nay, every day, we express a most heartfelt thank you for every-
thing: your many books, detailed and practical instructions, meticulous temples, most beautiful
Deities, amazing festivals, prasādam, kīrtanas, devotee association, and the dedicated disciples
and granddisciples who continue to guide us. You have given us windows to the spiritual world!
Thank you, our dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your insignificant servants at the Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Gauracandra Mandir
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 my most humble and respectful obeisances in the dust emanating from your lotus
feet. All glories to you! All glories to your beloved guru, the lion among Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs!
In this year, 2025 of the Christian era, I am trying to write a few words of gratitude for your
incredible time on this planet.
Here, in the southern cone zone of the world, in the countries most distant from Vrindaban,
your glories are sung and will undoubtedly continue to be sung. It is unthinkable that at your
advanced age you could have done what you did. You gave to this sad and desolate world the
most valuable gift that could have been given in its entire seemingly timeless existence: you gave
humanity the maximum benefit, and you gave it for nothing. Our limited efforts to spread your
message clearly show us that your service was not an ordinary preaching activity. No.
You stated in your books that for a preacher to be successful in Lord Caitanya’s mission, he
must be empowered by Him. On the other hand, you also state that a person empowered by
Kṛṣṇa is technically known as a śaktyāveṣa-avatāra.
The years go by and your persona and mission grow. You continue to demonstrate that you are
not just another Vaiṣṇava saint. In the book Kṛṣṇa-bhajanāmṛta, by Narahari Sarkara, the posi-
tion of a Vaiṣṇava with extraordinary qualities like yours is revealed: “It is certainly true that all
Vaiṣṇavas are on the same transcendental platform. However, among Vaiṣṇavas there may be a dif-
ference in the spiritual potency they possess.” The author further states: “Although all the water of
Mother Ganges is sacred, there are waves of different sizes in it.” Furthermore, you yourself state
in your Caitany-caritāmṛta (Madhya 11.103) purport: “Even though one may celebrate himself as a
learned follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and even though one may attempt to preach the
holy name of the Lord all over the world, if he is not favored by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he will
find fault with the pure devotee and will not be able to understand how a preacher is empowered
by Lord Caitanya.” And you’ve taught us that the Vaiṣṇava is devoted to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, and therefore his words are charged with spiritual potency. Ultimately, the potency
or spiritual strength of a Vaiṣṇava lies in his ability to convert others into Vaiṣṇavas through his
words and example.
You are great, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You converted such degraded people into perfect ladies
and gentlemen, and even today you continue to do so through your books, inconceivably, even
though you are not physically present.
The words that express the science of devotional service in your books and instructions are the
greatest legacy ever given to humanity. The world’s masses are eager to have one true religion,
and you simply expounded what that true religion is: that which teaches one to love God. Incred-
ibly, each of the most secret and confidential aspects of the loving relationship of the self with the
Superself has been presented in your books in such an accessible way that even a small child can
understand it.
You are great, and your sacred person, who gives us association through your books, grows
more and more important to us every day. Your books are no different from Kṛṣṇa, no different
from you. They protect us from obstacles on the path back home. I always remember how in
1998, in Jagannatha Puri, we were visiting the Gambhira, and we heard some Vaiṣṇavas singing a
mantra that we then started to sing alongside them: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda hare kṛṣṇa
hare rāma śrī rādhe-govinda. Upon entering our room, we resumed our reading of the Caitanya-
caritāmṛta. Suddenly and amazingly, you instructed us in one of your purports: “Sometimes they
sing bhaja nitāi gaura rādhe śyāma hare kṛṣṇa hare rāma or śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda hare
kṛṣṇa hare rāma śrī-rādhe govinda. Actually, however, one should chant the names of the full Pañca-
tattva (śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda) and
then the sixteen words Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare
Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. But these unscrupulous, less intelligent men confuse the entire
process. Of course, since they are also devotees they can express their feelings in that way, but the
method prescribed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pure devotees is to first chant the full Pañca-tat-
tva mantra and then chant the mahā-mantra – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare /
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.4, purport)
You are alive in your divine instructions, and we are fortunate because if we follow those
instructions, we will always live with you.
I think the future of ISKCON sometimes looks a bit uncertain. Great changes have occurred
in the way your followers live the Kṛṣṇa conscious life. In some countries, preaching is extremely
successful, while in others, practitioners barely gather to glorify the holy names of the Lord. Some
worldly ideologies have entered our society to a certain extent, and this is because we, your fol-
lowers, sometimes forget to study your most important legacy in depth: your books.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this new anniversary, I offer you my intention to continue spreading
the message of Śrī Caitanya and my intention to help Vaiṣṇavas live full and happy lives in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. I am uncomfortable seeing how devotees sometimes live a life of sadness despite
having this great gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, I hope you take this promise to keep trying as a small demonstration of
gratitude. I am convinced that when your message is widely distributed, the world will undergo a
profound shift toward real life. There’s no way it won’t. Your words are more than true, and they will
make a profound difference in the hearts of the world when this message penetrates their hearts.
You are truly great, and your love shines, illuminating, through your instructions, the unfor-
tunate souls who find themselves in this world, where suffering is their natural condition due to
ignorance. Kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ – “Persons who have lost their vision due
to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.” You turn
misfortune into auspiciousness by giving, from your heart, the light of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
You are great because pure love of God is not cheap; in fact, even the great so-called
spiritualists of this world are unaware of this message. Yet you have made it accessible to anyone
for the price of just a drop of faith.
Your write in your introduction to the Caitanya-caritāmṛta: “Strictly speaking, anyone who
accepts the existence of God is situated in devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is
something, but not much. Lord Caitanya, preaching as an ācārya, a great teacher, taught that we can
enter into a relationship with God and actually become God’s friend, parent or lover.… Through
Lord Caitanya we can become friends with Kṛṣṇa, and there will be no limit to this friendship. We
can become friends of Kṛṣṇa not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom…. Usually God is
seen as the almighty father who supplies the demands of His sons. The great devotees, however,
sometimes treat God as a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the
father and mother supply, and in supplying Kṛṣṇa the devotee becomes like a father or mother.
Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It was in this relationship that Kṛṣṇa’s mother, Yaśodā,
told the Lord, ‘Here, eat this or You’ll die. Eat nicely.’ In this way Kṛṣṇa, although the proprietor
of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This is a uniquely high level of friendship, in
which the devotee actually believes himself to be the father or mother of Kṛṣṇa.”
All the souls in this world seek solace, and you gave them much more than that – you gave
them a gift beyond compare. You are not just another saint. Sometimes we become used to living
by your instructions and fail to appreciate how great you are. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa covers his associ-
ates with his yogamāyā potency so that they may live without the distance that reverential love
entails, we sometimes cover ourselves and forget the majesty of your instructions. We ask your
forgiveness, Śrīla Prabhupāda, but you know of our conditioning, which is the inability to under-
stand that the greatest, incredible, and sublime mercy of Lord Caitanya is manifested through you
and by your desire to the most degraded among humankind in this Kali-yuga.
You are great, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your determination to serve is inconceivable. Occasionally,
we give up our service due to physical ailments. However, one of your beloved sons revealed to
us that you once had a stroke, which paralyzed your left side. You kept this a secret and escaped
from the hospital to continue your service despite your condition. You are great. You are our
example. Our guide. Our inspiration.
My spiritual master explained to me that at the beginning of his spiritual life, when he first
went to India, he thought he would meet many “Śrīla Prabhupādas.” But he realized that you
were unique, someone great, even there, in that land of saints. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are a
saint among saints.
You are great, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and you are our warmest and most beautiful refuge. Forgive
us if we cannot see or appreciate this properly. This sometimes embarrasses us. Let us enter that
beautiful home that Kṛṣṇa has provided for you in the spiritual world – the house into which all
your children, grandchildren, and other descendants will enter. In the same way that children
acquire their physical characteristics from their parents, and these traits identify them within the
lineage as heirs, we who follow you acquire your transcendental spiritual traits. This qualifies us to
belong to your transcendental spiritual family, in which we are protected and happy.
O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, may we never accept any master other than Śrīla Prabhupāda! There is no one
more merciful than him. He gave us absolutely everything. What more could we ask for?
I know that you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, await us with open arms in that beautiful home in the
spiritual world. I know that you anxiously await us, because your love is unconditional. I know
that you joyfully await us, just as a father, even late at night, awaits his son so he can embrace him
upon his return home after a long journey. Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we prostrate before you thou-
sands and millions of times because you are worthy to receive all these many obeisances.
Your servant grandson,
Baladeva Dāsa
