Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you and Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga!
As your insignificant children, we, the devotees of ISKCON Zambia, approach you with a heart
full of devotion, seeking your causeless mercy to deepen our service to the mission of Caitanya
Mahāprabhu. It has been nearly a decade since we established our center in Lusaka, Zambia – a
humble beginning that developed after years of dedicated efforts by countless devotees inspired
by your teachings.
In our endeavors, we strive to fulfill your divine vision of revolutionizing the consciousness of
all who come in contact with ISKCON. We endeavor to create a sanctuary where individuals can
learn to reconnect with their eternal identities as servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Our aspiration is to transform our center into a vibrant school of devotion, where
the teachings of Kṛṣṇa consciousness illuminate the paths of all seekers, guiding them toward the
ultimate fulfillment, love of Godhead, and the attainment of transcendental bliss.
We humbly seek your blessings to cultivate an environment rich in devotion and love for
Kṛṣṇa. We envision a community that embodies the principles of unity, harmony, and compassion,
reflecting the essence of Lord Caitanya’s teachings. May our efforts foster a familial atmosphere,
where devotees support one another on their spiritual journeys, encouraging one another to grow
in bhakti and service.
While our devotees are filled with enthusiasm, we recognize the necessity for deeper spiritual
understanding and realization. Many are eager to serve, yet they may not fully grasp the profound
wisdom contained within your teachings. We earnestly pray for your divine guidance that they
may attain the insight needed to align their hearts with your vision. With your mercy, we are con-
fident that they will flourish as empowered instruments of Kṛṣṇa’s will, ready to share the message
of love and devotion throughout Zambia and beyond.
As we strive to spread the glories of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we face the challenge of reaching
those who are caught in the material whirlwind, seeking lasting happiness in temporary pursuits.
We humbly beseech you for the intelligence and creativity to communicate the transformative
power of your teachings effectively, attracting those who yearn for a deeper connection with
Kṛṣṇa.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are acutely aware of our insignificance, yet we are filled with hope
and determination. Please empower us with the strength, wisdom, and diligence to expand your
mission in Zambia. May our hearts and minds be ever fixed on your lotus feet, and may our
actions be a reflection of your divine grace.
Your insignificant servants,
The devotees of ISKCON Zambia
Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Once, on a morning walk in Māyāpur, you instructed, “And this is the only shelter, these our
centers, to be protected from all these rascals. These ISKCON centers are the only shelter. So, you
have to maintain it very nicely. There is no other shelter.” When hearing these words, we feel your
concern that ISKCON centers continue to provide the only real solution to humanity.
In one of your letters you exclaimed, “I am always anxious to know about the activities of my
temples so far established. The routine work, as it is going on in your center, appears to be very
satisfactory. Please keep this standard continually and Kṛṣṇa will give you all facilities.”
When meditating on your written words we feel strong separation from you. Seems like it has
been a very long time that you were corresponding with your disciples in this way. What would
we do to receive such a letter from you today? Would you also respond with satisfaction if we gave
you our report?
In your temple in Zurich we hold daily lectures, perform regular Deity worship, distribute
sumptuous prasādam, hold festivals, offer courses, invite local school classes for temple tours, and
meet with our congregation and newcomers at the Sunday Love Feasts. Weekly, some of your
devotees go to preaching programs at the nearby university. We also organize harināmas in the
city and try to distribute your literature in public. We endeavor to maintain this routine work to
the best of our abilities.
This year, we are determined to finally pay off the full mortgage, which has weighed on the
temple building for too long. We will secure this spiritual oasis once and for all. From your Decla-
ration of Will we get a clear understanding of how concerned you were for the protection of your
ISKCON properties. Please bless and empower your dedicated followers in Zurich that they may
unify themselves for this cause and thus give pleasure to you.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for giving us ISKCON. Even though we could never meet
you personally, we benefit immensely from your legacy. This is the mercy of your followers who
worked hard for the establishment and maintenance of your centers, with all their activities aimed
at the upliftment of humanity. On this auspicious day of your appearance, we pray that we can be
instruments in your service and worthy members of your society that embrace and spread Kṛṣṇa
consciousness.
On behalf of your servants at ISKCON Zurich,
Dāmodara Prasāda Dāsa
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace on this most auspicious day of your divine appearance.
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
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Your Divine Grace came to the Western world in order to preach the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and deliver the conditioned souls from impersonalism and voidism especially, as it is stated in the second stanza of your praṇām-mantra. Out of your causeless mercy, you also came to Switzerland and personally blessed this country with your divine presence in several places. Just recently we celebrated the fiftieth jubilee anniversary of your transcendental visit and were able to once again delve into the personal memories and recollections of devotees who witnessed you planting the seed for spreading the saṅkīrtana movement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Switzerland.
golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana
This saṅkīrtana movement is coming directly from Goloka Vrindavan, the topmost region of the spiritual world, as confirmed by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. We actually don’t know what an intimate associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead you are, dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda. Once, when asked about revealing your spiritual identity, you simply answered, “If I tell you, you will faint.”
When we are too close to a mountain, it is very difficult to fully grasp its real greatness. The more we try to understand your superexcellent position, the more we are actually progressing toward understanding the Absolute Truth. As Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself states, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān navamanyeta karhicit (Bhāgavatam 11.17.27): one should understand the ācārya as the Lord Himself, as the summum bonum, and never disrespect him. In this way we will positively invoke the mercy of the Lord and will be able to progress on the path of devotional service.
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām
“He [the Summum Bonum] is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.” (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23). As it is said, to invoke the favor of a rich, powerful person, the simplest and most efficient way is to please his favorite child. So, our success is in pleasing Your Divine Grace. By doing so with full faith, all the imports of Vedic knowledge will be revealed automatically: tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23).
In this regard Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja gives practical advice: dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: “The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.” (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117).
To push on Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement in a most effective way, you gave us four beautifully succinct guidelines:
Books are the basis
Purity is the force
Preaching is the essence
Utility is the principle
Furthermore, Your Divine Grace made a very important personal request to all sincere followers regarding how these transcendental foundational maxims will be implemented in a most beautiful manner: “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate with one another.” This is the transcendental key for success, as the strength of cooperative efforts multiplies exponentially.
We are very grateful and eternally indebted to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, for blessing the world, and especially Switzerland, with your divine presence, enabling us to be the recipients of your causeless mercy and giving us the chance to render some menial service to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement.
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
Please give us the shade of your lotus feet so we may never leave ISKCON and always faithfully follow your divine instructions and thus become worthy of entering the blissful ocean of transcendental life, which has a cooling, soothing effect and enables us to taste full nectar at every step.
Your humble servant,
Govinda Dāsa,
On behalf of the devotees at New Jagannātha Purī
