Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances with deep gratitude and utmost humility unto the dust of
your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace on your most auspicious appearance day, being
a pure representative of Śrīla Vyāsadeva and the disciplic succession. Words are not enough to
describe your unlimited mercy and compassion, the immense contribution to the entire human
race, and your achievements offered for the upliftment and salvation of the entire world.
Being the most ideal representative of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, you came into this world to reestablish
that same eternal truth in the darkest time, Kali-yuga. As a result, there will be ten thousand years
of a golden age within Kali-yuga. Deep within your heart, the divine mission of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu will be fulfilled, despite the many obstacles and challenges, as is prophesied by our
great ācāryas:
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
From the four corners of the globe you spread the glories of the Supreme Lord, reviving the
dormant love and devotion within countless souls. Who else but a pure devotee and empowered
ācārya could have done this?
To establish a new religion is not the purpose for which you appeared in this world; rather, you
came to revive the eternal religion, which is to reestablish the eternal loving relationship every living
entity has with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.19): dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-
praṇītam – real dharma can only be established by God. The direct instructions come from the
Supreme Lord. You showed us that our true dharma is bhakti-yoga, loving devotional service to
Lord Kṛṣṇa, and you reestablished this understanding in a world lost to māyā.
Your books are the foundation of our movement and will be the lawbooks for humanity for
many thousands of years to come. Your temples are embassies to the spiritual world. Your devo-
tees and followers are the messengers, and the only sublime medicine is the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-
mantra. Therefore this will uplift and inspire the conditioned souls year after year after year.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your most compassionate nature – your feeling for the suffering of all souls –
reveals your inner desire to help them get out of this material world. Even though you were in
bliss serving Kṛṣṇa in Vrindavan, you did not remain there for your own pleasure. Instead, you
took the greatest risk and crossed the ocean, endured hardship, and tolerated rejection – all for
the sake of delivering Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the fallen souls.
Like Prahlāda Mahārāja, you could not bear to see others’ suffering in ignorance. Like Nārada
Muni, you traveled tirelessly, planting seeds of bhakti in every town and village. Like Rūpa
Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, you gave us the perfect philosophical foundation on which to
base our spiritual lives. Moreover, like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you freely distributed the holy
names to one and all without discrimination. This is the symptom of a true paramahaṁsa, a pure
devotee whose only concern is to serve Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga.
The most precious gift you gave the world was the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This transcen-
dental sound vibration is our direct connection to Kṛṣṇa, and its importance cannot be overem-
phasized. “There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and His name. If we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without
offense, then we are immediately transported in the spiritual world.”
We are very fortunate to have been introduced to this process of nāma-saṅkīrtana, the very
essence of the yuga-dharma. Through nāma-saṅkīrtana you gave us the means to get out of our
material suffering, awaken our eternal spiritual identity, and reestablish our lost relationship with
Kṛṣṇa.
You said you will live forever as long as your books are being distributed. Your books are
nondifferent from you. They are full of nectarean realizations, saturating us in the knowledge of
tattva-jñāna and lifting us out of ignorance.
You gave us everything:
• Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, the essence of Vedic wisdom.
• Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the spotless Purāṇa and the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge.
• Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the heart of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s divine teachings.
• Countless other books, essays, interviews, conversations, and letters, all infused with your
divine realizations.
You assured us, “My books will guide you even after I am gone.” Indeed, they continue to guide
us, generation after generation, leading us back home, back to Godhead.
You can tell a great leader by the greatness of his followers. You transformed mlecchas into dedi-
cated Vaiṣṇavas, purehearted souls willing to sacrifice their lives for Kṛṣṇa’s service. Through your
mercy, people from all backgrounds – hippies, scholars, professionals, artists – became bhakti-
yogis, dedicated to spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Even today, your disciples, granddisciples, and followers continue your work, building temples,
distributing books, chanting the holy name, and serving ISKCON in countless ways. You estab-
lished a society that will carry your mission forward for generations to come.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am a fallen soul and have no qualification to approach your lotus feet.
However, you have guaranteed that even the most unqualified person can achieve perfection
simply by sincerely following your instructions.
On this most auspicious day, with humility, I offer my service and heart to you. With unflinch-
ing faith in your words, please bless me. Please give me the strength not to deviate from following
your teachings. I pray that you may engage me life after life so that I may serve Their Lordships,
Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara, Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, and you and your devotees
eternally.
I do not know who you are, but all I know is that I am your insignificant servant. May I always
remain at your feet, hoping to surrender one day. I will always be eager to assist in fulfilling your
divine mission.
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Your insignificant servant,
Bhakti Anugraha Janardana Swami
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, Vrindavan-dhāma, India
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
My most beloved eternal master, founder-ācārya of ISKCON, His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda,
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
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
On this most sacred Vyāsa-pūjā day, I offer my koṭi koṭi prostrated obeisances again and again unto your lotus feet. Whatever little faith I have, whatever little service I attempt, whatever little realization has appeared in my life, whatever capacity I have to chant the holy name, speak hari-kathā, worship the Deity, guide disciples, travel, preach, or tolerate the dualities of this world – everything rests upon your causeless mercy.
I stand before you not as one qualified but as one sustained by your mercy. I am not a servant of your stature, nor even a proper servant of your servants; still, by the inconceivable compassion flowing through the guru-paramparā you have allowed unqualified souls like me to touch the dust of your mission. This is your greatness: you did not come to seek the qualified – you came to create qualification by devotion to Kṛṣṇa, obedience to guru, and engagement in service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you crossed the ocean not merely to found an institution but to transplant Goloka’s message into this world. You carried the order of your spiritual master as your life and soul. You came with no material support, but with complete dependence on Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and your guru-varga. In this age of quarrel, chaos, confusion, compromise, and spiritual superficiality, you established the eternal conclusions of the Vedas with the courage of a lion and the heart of a mother.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in sound.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in books.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in the holy name.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in Deity worship.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in Vaiṣṇava association.
You gave us Kṛṣṇa in a life of disciplined surrender.
You gave us not merely a theology, but a way of living.
You gave us not merely a movement, but a family in service to Lord Caitanya’s prophecy.
As your granddisciple, I feel deeply that my life has value only insofar as it is connected to your desire. As a sannyāsī, I must belong wholly to your mission. As an initiating spiritual master, I must never think that anyone is “my” disciple independent of you. They are your servants, entrusted temporarily to my care. If I guide them at all, it must only be by faithfully carrying your words, your mood, your standards, your compassion, and your uncompromising commitment to siddhānta and sādhana.
My own Guru Mahārāja taught me, by instruction and personal example, that loyalty to Śrīla Prabhupāda is not sentiment alone – it is sacrifice, steadiness, humility, purity, practical service, and lifelong obedience. To honor my Guru Mahārāja truly means to bring his offering to completion by serving your mission without selfishness, fatigue, politics, possessiveness, or distraction. To represent him means to represent you. To represent you means to represent the entire disciplic succession. And to represent the disciplic succession means to remain transparent – to not stand in the way of grace.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please save me from the hidden enemies within: pride disguised as leadership, possessiveness disguised as care, hardness disguised as strength, diplomacy without purity, scholarship without surrender, renunciation without dependence, preaching without prayer, and external success without inner transformation. Let me never become honored in the world, but hollow before guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Please grant me the intelligence to always remember that the real qualification of a spiritual leader is not position, following, title, or admiration, but fidelity. You wrote, “The spiritual master is the transparent via medium.” That is the prayer of my life: let me become transparent, not opaque; representative, not replacement; servant, not enjoyer; instrument, not proprietor.
Let me remember that one who speaks on your behalf must first hear on your behalf. One who guides must first be guided. One who asks surrender from others must live in surrender himself. One who invokes your name must protect your standards. One who wears saffron must burn with responsibility. One who initiates must nourish, protect, correct, encourage, and pray for the souls entrusted to him. One who is called guru must tremble at the word.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, may I never reduce your movement to management without mercy, sentiment without structure, scholarship without service, expansion without depth. Let me help build men and women of character, conviction, purity, taste, and lifelong commitment. Let me teach not merely by speech but by conduct; not merely by philosophy but by tears; not merely by standards but by personal example.
Please bless me that I may carry your mission in a way that pleases your lotus heart:
- with strict sādhana, because without hearing and chanting I cannot represent you;
- with deep study of śāstra, because without siddhānta, compassion becomes sentiment;
- with humility, because Kṛṣṇa’s message does not descend into a proud heart;
- with courage, because truth must still be spoken in Kali-yuga;
- with compassion, because you came especially for the fallen;
- with cooperation, because your movement thrives on love in service;
- with purity in dealings, because the preacher’s life is part of the message;
- with dependence on the holy name, because everything begins and ends there.
If there is any worth in my life, let it be this: that I tried, however imperfectly, to remain faithful to your order. Let my words increase faith in your books. Let my presence increase loyalty to your movement. Let my guidance increase surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Let my example increase respect for the guru-paramparā. Let my disciples become your genuine followers, not merely admirers of personality. Let my renunciation nourish preaching. Let my preaching nourish remembrance. Let my remembrance nourish humility. Let my humility nourish dependence on the holy name.
On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, I beg not for comfort, recognition, or ease, but I beg for service. I beg for steadiness. I beg for purity of motive. I beg for the strength to continue. I beg for the honesty to see my faults. I beg for the courage to correct those faults. I beg for the heart to love your devotees. I beg for the intelligence to represent my Guru Mahārāja with dignity and loyalty. I beg for the determination to never leave the shelter of your lotus feet in any condition of life.
Please let me become an instrument to bring others to your shelter. Let me teach them by word and example that surrender is practical, determination is nourished daily, and faith becomes real when translated into obedience. Let me never forget that your mission is not maintained by institutional force alone but by the purity, sacrifice, and prayers of those who sincerely serve.
May I always remain a tiny servant of your servants, birth after birth.
Your insignificant servant, aspiring to remain sheltered at your lotus feet,
Bhakti Anugraha Janārdana Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2025
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga. All glories to
Your Divine Grace.
For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to travel and teach devotees in South Amer-
ica, visiting Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay, and in Mexico. It has been such a deep and reward-
ing experience for me – meeting so many incredible Vaiṣṇavas everywhere I go. Some places,
like Patagonia in Chile, are so remote that they call them “the end of the world!” We even held
a Ratha-yātrā there at the start of this year, and it was a truly beautiful and uplifting experience.
Among the many other places I have visited are Cusco, Peru, high up in the Andes, and Manaus,
Brazil, in the heart of Amazonia. In all these places, Vaiṣṇavas are chanting the holy name and
practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is truly a reality that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra resounds
in every town and village.
I have been sharing your teachings with the devotees – about Vedic culture, varṇāśrama-
dharma, and Vaiṣṇava philosophy – all directly from your books, and they are eager for this
knowledge. I have been studying Bhagavad-gītā As It Is with the help of a study guide you wrote
in essay form, An Analysis of Bhagwat Geeta, based on sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana, from
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Daśa-mūla-tattva. It is such a powerful tool, because it truly deepens my
understanding of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and I see that many devotees are
eager to delve into it as well.
Lately, I have been reflecting a lot on the fourth and fifth verses of the Upadeśāmṛta. Rūpa
Gosvāmī presents them so beautifully, explaining how we, as devotees, should connect with each
other on a personal level to grow in devotion. The fourth verse really struck me – I feel that it
embodies the heart of abhidheya, the process of devotional service. Then, in the fifth verse, he
speaks about how to show respect to devotees, and what stood out to me is his emphasis on asso-
ciating with uttama-adhikārīs. They possess all auspicious qualities, yet Rūpa Gosvāmī highlights
just one: they have no propensity to criticize others. That realization deeply impacted me – it is so
powerful, and I am striving to live by it myself. I still have so much to learn.
I am deeply grateful for the association I receive through your books and lectures. Please bless
me with the strength to deepen my understanding of your mood and realizations so that I may
fully grasp and apply them throughout my life with all my heart.
Your humble servant,
Bhakti Ārjava Prīti Vardhana Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
For the past three years, by your mercy, I have been traveling throughout South America. In this vibrant land, I have found a great treasure: people who are naturally warm, deeply personal, and eager for genuine relationships. Seeing their enthusiasm to practice bhakti has been a great source of inspiration for me.
I am deeply grateful for how you have cleared so many misconceptions about the process of bhakti. In your books, you have so carefully explained sambandha-jñāna, teaching us not only that God exists, but who He is and how we are related to Him. I often remember your encouragement to study the teachings of Queen Kuntī. Through her example, you reveal that our relationship with the Lord is not only one of awe and reverence, but also one of deep personal and intimate devotion.
Recently, I had an encounter in Paraguay with two Christian priests that confirmed the universal relevance of your message. Though they were initially defensive, by your grace, I was able to present the inclusive nature of Vaiṣṇava philosophy. I explained that God is one but has many names – just as the sun is one, regardless of the language used to describe it – and that the ultimate goal of all genuine spiritual paths is the same: to awaken our dormant love for Him.
When I spoke about the personal nature of our relationship with the Divine, drawing from the prayers of Queen Kuntī, their hearts softened. They were surprised by the vast depth, completeness, and clarity of the Vedic understanding. They admitted that they were accustomed to a more rigid approach, and expressed appreciation for the philosophical completeness of your teachings. They left our discussion not as “opponents,” but as thoughtful seekers.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this experience reaffirmed for me that your books are a powerful resource for addressing both intellectual doubt and the deeper needs of the heart. I am grateful for the guidance you have given, which allows me to connect with others in a spirit of understanding rather than conflict.
Please bless me that I may continue to realize and share your message with sincerity, compassion, and clarity.
Your grateful servant,
Bhakti Ārjava Prīti Vardhana Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.
This well-known statement from the śāstras directly applies to me, because simply reading your books Śrī Īśopaniṣad and Bhagavad-gītā As It Is completely changed my life. Simply by receiving your association and reading these transcendental books, I gained an understanding of the supreme meaning of human life, and an irresistible desire to spread this knowledge to everyone arose in my heart. Such is the amazing influence of your words. And your desire to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to all people continues to greatly inspire me. Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful movement!
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, during these thirty-six years of my involvement with your Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, I have always felt your boundless love and care for everyone. You said that ISKCON is your body. Thus, you always remain with us and continue to bestow your divine mercy on everyone. During these years of my involvement with ISKCON I have seen many people whose lives were radically transformed by their contact with this wonderful movement and who became wonderful devotees. All these devotees are eternally grateful to you, as they feel your transcendental presence in their lives. Thank you very much for this opportunity to witness your divine līlās and for the opportunity to participate in them.
Perhaps your most astonishing quality is your ability to always see the best in everyone and engage them in your mission. Reading stories from your life, one can see countless examples of how you entrusted so much responsibility to your inexperienced and undertrained disciples. And this trust of yours greatly inspired thousands of devotees to surrender their lives to you. And most astonishingly, this can be observed even today in the lives of thousands of devotees around the world. I also constantly feel this in my spiritual life: although I lack the necessary qualifications, you, acting through the senior members of our society, entrust me with more and more responsibility. Please bless me to be worthy of your trust and to be an instrument of your divine grace.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, this year in Russia we celebrate fifty-five years since your first and only visit to our country. That brief visit changed the lives of many thousands of people. Every year, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement grows in our country. The number of devotees is growing, new preaching centers and ISKCON temples are opening, and more and more educated and spiritually mature devotees are taking responsibility for the development of your mission in Russia. There is no doubt that all of this is happening solely by your grace, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
We still have much to do in Russia to put your vision into practice. We still need to work on establishing the systematic training and education of devotees, especially the leaders. We need to create cohesive communities of devotees, including agricultural communities. We need to expand the distribution of your transcendental books and organize educational programs for the general public, continuing to seek new and innovative methods for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please bless us to carry out this service to the best of our ability.
We are now experiencing a crucial period of development, when your direct disciples, who have been our leaders for many years, are passing on their authority to the next generation of devotees. Please bless us so that we can preserve all that they have taught us and further develop the mission in accordance with your vision and desire.
Your insignificant servant,
Bhakti Bhāgavatāmṛta Keśava Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2025
My Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine
Grace.
Guru-mukha-padma-vākya. In your purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, you write, “The tran-
scendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living
entity’s memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead…. This
awakening voice comes through the mouth of a pure devotee. A pure devotee always engages in
the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection
with the saffron mercy-particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord.”
For the past fourteen years, among other services I have been engaged in the production and
distribution of your Vani, Ultimate Audio, which is a 120-GB USB drive with 4,073 audio files.
Mādhava Prabhu, from Hare Kṛṣṇa Media in Mumbai, has been serving tirelessly since 2005 with
your Bhaktivedanta Archives, a division of your Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), in producing
an Ultimate Audio of your recordings. For more than a decade, we have distributed over 150,000
units. This service is so amazing that it is clear that Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva
want to give everyone a chance to hear from you – the distribution service has its own transcen-
dental flow.
Guru-mukha-padma-vākya: I also desire that my only wish is to have my consciousness purified
by the words emanating from your lotus mouth.
Ebe yaśa ghuṣuk tri-bhuvana. In a letter to Tuṣṭa Kṛṣṇa Prabhu, dated December 14, 1972, you
state, “To carry out the teachings of guru is more important than to worship the form, but none
of them should be neglected. Form is called vapuḥ and teachings is called vani. Both should be
worshiped.”
In my travels, I hear from devotees how they and their family members are adversely affected
by the Personality of Kali’s chief disciple, Social Media. At times I’ve felt helpless when I try to
support them and have just prayed and prayed how to get them off the internet and other similar
types of platforms.
Then for the past three years, Mādhava Prabhu and I began production and distribution of
your vapuḥ, the Ultimate Video Collection, on a 64-GB USB drive. This drive is comprised of sev-
enty videos – more than fifty-eight hours of the highest-quality footage. We are immensely grate-
ful to Nṛsiṁhānanda Prabhu from ISKCON Television (ITV) and Yadubara Prabhu and Mother
Viśākhā from ISKCON Cinema for their blessings and mercy to widely distribute your vapuḥ.
Thus far we have distributed over 45,000 units. Here again, engaging in this service is definitely
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement – offering your transcendental form to the world.
Ebe yaśa ghuṣuk tri-bhuvana: I also desire to spread your glories to be continuously sung
throughout the three worlds.
All glories to your vāṇī and vapuḥ, our saving grace! Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your servant of your servant,
Bhakti Bṛhat Bhāgavata Swami
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