Hare Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!
All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to this most auspicious occasion of your appear-
ance day!
This year I have written a small offering in the form of a poem, a humble expression of my
gratitude and love for you, my dear Śrīla Prabhupāda. I pray that you find joy in these words, as
they come from the depths of my heart.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, You Are the Color of My Life
Just like the color of the ocean, blue,
You calmly and tirelessly worked,
Spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
Uplifting all the fallen souls.
Just like the color of the fields, green,
With humility and simplicity,
You stood as the perfect ācārya,
Empowering the teachings of Lord Caitanya.
Just like the color of fire, red,
With passion and endless zeal,
You stood through all obstacles and tests of time,
Fulfilling the vision of your guru.
Just like the color of light, gold,
With determination and fearlessness,
You showered love and concern,
Nurturing and guiding your disciples.
Just like the color of purity, white,
With boundless compassion and mercy,
You united devotees beyond nations and religions,
Sharing the truth and dispelling darkness.
Just like the color of sacrifice, saffron,
With complete surrender to guru and Kṛṣṇa,
You dedicated your entire life,
Presenting a spiritual path for all,
Spreading the holy names everywhere.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, this fallen soul
Falls at your lotus feet, begging for your mercy,
To continuously serve Lord Kṛṣṇa
Despite all obstacles.
My humble obeisances, my dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
You left a legacy that continues to glow,
And yes, you are still with us every day
Through your teachings.
Indeed, you are the colors that guide me,
Like a rainbow shining in my life.
I am full of gratitude to you,
And I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Thank you again for being the color of my life.
Your servants,
Jaya Lālārāṇī Devī Dāsī
Kamala Mālinī Devī Dāsī
Śrīdevī Gaurāṅgī Devī Dāsī
Murāli Vadana Govinda Dāsa (temple president)
on behalf of ISKCON Teluk Intan
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 humble obeisances. All glories, all glories, all glories to Your Divine Grace.
athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan
My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can
understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand
the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they con-
tinue to study the Vedas for many years. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.29)
Only one who has received a trace of mercy from the lotus feet of the Lord can understand His
unlimited greatness and act as His empowered representative. You, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are that
rare and divinely empowered personality, who not only understood the supreme truth of Lord Śrī
Kṛṣṇa but also revealed it to the world with unflinching faith and fearless conviction.
While countless scholars and yogis spend lifetimes studying the Vedas without grasping
the essence of bhakti, the exalted ācāryas in our disciplic succession – led by great souls like
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura – revealed the pure,
unalloyed path of devotional service as taught by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They fearlessly
established the supremacy of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava siddhānta and worked tirelessly to distribute
this knowledge throughout India. Śrīla Prabhupāda, as the empowered representative of this
glorious paramparā, you fulfilled their vision by carrying this transcendental wisdom across the
ocean, planting the seeds of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Western world and nurturing them into
a global movement. By your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the essence of bhakti and the teachings of
our ācāryas are now available to every soul, transcending all boundaries of language, race, and
nationality.
Here at ISKCON Tampa we are living proof of your mercy in action. Your life is our light-
house, guiding us in this dark age. Because of your pure devotion, we are empowered to celebrate
Janmāṣṭamī with jubilant kīrtana, Gaura-Pūrṇimā with ecstatic remembrance, and Rāma-navamī
with reverence and joy. These festivals, once confined to a specific region of the world, now radi-
ate from your temples to touch the hearts of thousands who had never before heard the name of
Kṛṣṇa.
You not only gave us knowledge, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you gave us culture. Through your teach-
ings on Vaiṣṇava etiquette, you showed us how to interact with one another with humility, respect,
and affection. You taught us that spiritual advancement is inseparable from how we honor the
devotees of the Lord. In a world increasingly divided by ego and misunderstanding, your instruc-
tions on how to serve, honor, and love one another have become the foundation of meaningful
relationships. Though we are still striving to follow the exalted standard you set, we pray for your
continued blessings so that we may grow in sincerity and service and reflect the genuine character
of a true Vaiṣṇava.
Your legacy enables us to give what you gave – the ultimate gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness – to
others. Inspired by your example, the devotees of ISKCON Tampa strive to carry forward your
mission with humility and enthusiasm, knowing that only by your mercy and the mercy of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa can we hope to succeed.
On this most sacred day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we bow our heads and hearts in gratitude. You are
the crest jewel of spiritual teachers, the compassionate commander of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s
army, and the dearest servant of the Supreme Lord.
Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, for everything. May we always remain your instruments in
spreading the holy name and serving your divine mission.
Your aspiring servants,
The devotees of ISKCON Tampa
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Here are what I (on behalf of the Taipei yātrā) deeply acknowledge as your wonderful contri-
butions to the world:
(1) Śrīla Prabhupāda, you spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
(2) Within eleven years you published about sixty-four books.
(3) You founded ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and organized
the GBC, the Governing Body Commission, to oversee its management globally. You are the
founder-ācārya of ISKCON.
(4) You stressed very much the printing of books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness as well as the distribu-
tion of these books. In 1972, you founded The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) to focus on
printing and publishing books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
(5) You built 108 temples around the world, and initiated more than four thousand disciples
before you departed from this world.
(6) To realize your idea of “simple living, high thinking” as the ideal Vedic way of life, you
opened gurukula schools to teach knowledge of the truth of the Vedas and the Vedic sattvic
life. And you built farm communities and constructed the spiritual community in Śrīdhāma
Māyāpur.
And the most touching thing to me is that you so profoundly abided by the instructions of your
spiritual master that even at a very senior age you went abroad to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to
the whole world. When I read your biography for the first time, I was so amazed and so admired
your immense courage. I felt persuaded by your very firm conviction and dedication. You went
abroad alone, facing the mundane turbulence in America and other places in the Western world,
and all the helplessness and loneliness. There was no money for your mission, and no people
around to help out.
Whenever I read your books, I feel extremely indebted to you because you worked so hard to
translate and print these books for us, which contain the most important spiritual knowledge of
the Absolute Truth.
But I am so doomed and fallen that I haven’t completely grasped the essence of the Absolute
Truth, and I haven’t come to the point you expected us to come to. What you gave us is not only
spiritual knowledge but real shelter for helpless souls like us who are struggling in the material
ocean.
My heart is burning and trembling. I can’t help but offer you here some words:
Joyful blissful heart I aspire to keep
Life of material world is seemingly helpless and hopeless
If not with Śrīla Prabhupāda
Where could the souls who are shaking in this world be settled?
Śrīla Prabhupāda is the person who linked Bhagavad-gītā As It Is to us
He is the person whose cream of the Vedas we rely on and cherish
If not with Śrīla Prabhupāda
Where would the souls go?
If not with Śrīla Prabhupāda
How could we find and recognize the real scriptures?
If not with Śrīla Prabhupāda
How could we receive the grace of the Supreme Lord?
If without Śrīla Prabhupāda
How and where would we get to perform devotional service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa?
O Śrīla Prabhupāda You gave the most precious gems to the whole world
You gave us the matchless gift, the Ocean of Mercy that nourishes us and shelters us …
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Your glories are spread throughout the three worlds. We humbly bow down at your lotus feet.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, kī jaya!
The servant of your servant,
Jaya Gaurāṅga Devī Dāsī
Taipei, Taiwan
My dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your
Divine Grace.
Your Vyāsa-pūjā is near again. In recent years the whole world has been full of disasters, espe-
cially the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people suffered due to the economic depression. We are
very lucky because you established 108 ISKCON centers around the world when you were present.
Due to your causeless mercy, ISKCON centers have sprung up around the world. At this moment,
I especially feel your compassionate desire to protect the devotees.
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 3.19) Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: “I shall personally inau-
gurate the religion of the age – nāma-saṅkīrtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I
shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.”
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Kali-yuga avatar. He gifted us the spiritual practice of this
age (yuga-dharma): harināma-saṅkīrtana, which allows us to dance, chant, and eat prasādam all the
way back to the spiritual world. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you took on this great and arduous mission to
propagate the yuga-dharma. In order to allow more people to get in contact with Kṛṣṇa conscious-
ness, associate with devotees, cultivate knowledge about Kṛṣṇa, and nourish devotees through the
six kinds of loving exchanges, ISKCON, our spiritual family, was established.
ISKCON is like the Bhaktivedanta Hospital. Everyone comes here for rehabilitation and shel-
ter. You have already prepared six kinds of medicine in The Nectar of Instruction to help us gradu-
ally recover and awaken our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Enthusiasm: Due to suffering, we naturally desire to take medicine to cure our disease, and the
medicine is “the scriptures and the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda and the spiritual masters.”
We accept the instructions and engage in all kinds of devotional services with enthusiasm.
Faith: We should have full faith in taking the medicine (accepting the instructions). Without
faith, we won’t develop enthusiasm for devotional service.
Patience: We need to be patient and wait for the medicine to take effect.
Positive activities: Following the doctor’s advice and instructions for treatment means following
the regulative principles and performing our daily sādhana.
Isolation: Do not associate with nondevotees to avoid being infected by other patients.
Sincerely follow in the footsteps of the ācāryas – follow the examples of those devotees who
heal by following the doctors’ prescription (scriptures and guru’s instructions) and the ācāryas,
and desire to associate with them and render them loving service.
The Taichung yātrā has gone through more than ten years of hard work. Under the guidance
of the GBC and our spiritual teachers, the local devotees worked together to set up the ISKCON
Taichung Center. We established it in November 2023. The purpose of the center is for devotees
and new friends to continue to receive spiritual nourishment and learn to render devotional ser-
vice in a proper mood. We are so unqualified, so we are very eager to have your merciful shelter.
Service is the key to connection. On your Vyāsa-pūjā day, in addition to glorifying your cause-
less mercy, we also pray for your protection. When we render service, please protect us from the
desire for liberation and personal fame, position, and the selfish interests in our hearts. We pray
that we can treat every new and old devotee equally in a proper way. Whatever position the Lord
has arranged for us, we can always offer devotional service to please Lord Kṛṣṇa and Your Divine
Grace.
Please keep showering your mercy on the Taichung Center so that we have sustainable devel-
opment and can help fulfill Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prophecy that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-
mantra be spread to every town and village of the world. Let us distribute unconditional, pure
love of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa to the world.
Your unqualified servant of the servant,
Harināma Amṛta Devī Dāsī
on behalf of the ISKCON Taichung Center
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our most humble praṇāmas at your lotus feet!
On this auspicious occasion of your divine appearance, we are immensely blessed to offer these
petals of prayers at your lotus feet. Recognizing our complete inability to adequately glorify the
ocean of your qualities, we pray to Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, hoping to borrow his heartfelt
expressions, to glorify you and thus purify ourselves.
(1)
śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
vandoṅ mui sāvadhāna mate
yāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā yāi,
kṛṣṇa-prāpti haya yāhā haite
The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure
devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace
one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.
The lotus feet of our spiritual master as the way to pure devotion: We, a group of devotees in Stouffville,
deeply realize that your divine lotus feet are the sole means by which we can attain pure devo-
tional service. We bow to your lotus feet again and again with deep reverence, realizing that by
your grace, we can transcend the ocean of material suffering and receive Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Your pres-
ence is the guiding light that helps us navigate life’s challenges and become fearless. You provide
us with the ability to overcome difficulties while rendering service to guru and Gaurāṅga.
(2)
guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya
ār nā koriho mane āśā
śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā
My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his
lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.
Purification through your words: Our deepest desire is to have our consciousness purified by the
words emanating from your lotus mouth. We deeply acknowledge the hardship and loving labor
you have poured into imparting this divine wisdom to fallen souls like us. Your teachings are our
source of strength, and our attachment to your lotus feet fulfills all our spiritual aspirations. As
we strive to follow your guidance, we find that your words bring clarity and purpose to our lives,
helping us overcome distractions and attachment to material things.
(3)
cakhu-dān dilo yei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya-jñāna hṛde prokāśito
prema-bhakti yāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa yāte,
vede gāya yāhāra carito
He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He
is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is
destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.
Enlightenment through your grace: Dear master, you have opened our darkened eyes and filled our
hearts with transcendental knowledge. Your mercy guides us on the path of bhakti, and your
teachings echo the wisdom of the Vedic scriptures. As practicing devotees, we are inspired by
the profound effect your guidance has on our spiritual growth and our understanding of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness.
(4)
śrī-guru karuṇā-sindhu, adhama janāra bandhu,
lokanātha lokera jīvana
hā hā prabhu koro doyā, deho more pada-chāyā,
ebe yaśa ghuṣuk tri-bhuvana
Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and
master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your
lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.
The teacher and life of all: Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the ocean of mercy. You are not just a
guide for us but also the life and soul of all devotees. You are the friend of fallen souls, providing
shelter, wisdom, and compassion to all who seek refuge at your lotus feet. Your presence binds us
together as a community of devotees, united by our love and devotion to Kṛṣṇa, and we strive to
embody your qualities of mercy and compassion in our own lives.
We humbly pray for your mercy and the shelter of your lotus feet. Please give us strength and
courage to overcome the challenges in spreading the holy name. Let us be determined to follow
your instructions and always be mindful of cooperating with one another. Your grace and teach-
ings are the foundation of our devotion, and we recognize that by following your instructions, we
not only honor you but also contribute to the greater mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness
in Stouffville far and wide.
Falling at your lotus feet,
Your sons and daughters at ISKCON Stouffville
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this auspicious day, we bow down at your lotus feet with hearts full of gratitude and devo-
tion. As we celebrate your Vyāsa-pūjā, we reflect on the immeasurable gifts you gave us – the
sacred knowledge of bhakti-yoga and the opportunity to serve.
You came to the West with nothing but your unwavering faith, your deep compassion for all
souls, and your profound determination to spread the message of the Bhagavad-gītā. Through your
tireless efforts, you touched millions of lives.
Here, in our ISKCON community in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, we are fortunate to feel the warmth
of your teachings and the unity that comes from our shared devotion. Your books, your guidance,
and your personal example continue to inspire and guide us each day. Through chanting the holy
names, reading your writings, and living by your teachings, we feel your presence in our lives,
purifying our hearts and minds. Every step we take on this path is made possible by your mercy.
We thank you for the invaluable treasure of your teachings and for the spiritual family you gave
us. Through your presence in our lives, we have been given the chance to serve, grow, and find
peace and joy.
May we always remain at the shelter of your divine lotus feet,
The devotees of ISKCON Stoke
