Back to Godhead magazine

Homages Other Sources, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet.

In an early letter to the editors of Back to Godhead, you wrote, “It is a very important thing, Back to Godhead. If our movement is going to be recognized as a scientific God conscious movement, then this Back to Godhead will be referred to as authorized scripture. Therefore, we have to prepare it in an authorized way. Nothing nonconclusive can be introduced in Back to Godhead. That should be our policy.”

These words continue to guide editorial decisions about what articles are suitable for publication in the magazine. The devotees who review the articles received from around the world consider fidelity to the teachings of sādhu-śāstra-guru the most important consideration, often summarizing their opinion with a simple “No objection.” That means the article is free of philosophical deviations.

One way BTG guards against apasiddhānta is to require whoever writes for it to have accepted the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness as you presented it to us, having received it from the predecessor ācāryas in our line. An article by an “outsider looking in” may sometimes appear in the magazine, but care is taken to ensure that such articles contain no statements that might mislead readers about our philosophy.

Back to Godhead has a solid group of excellent writers who steadily contribute articles. Not only have they published many books, but their long experience in writing for BTG has made them sensitive to what is appropriate for the magazine.

Because BTG is your magazine, everyone involved in producing it strives to offer their service in a way that pleases you. We know that your satisfaction must be the overriding principle guiding our decisions in all areas related to publishing the magazine.

Since your glorious departure forty-nine years ago, the world has naturally changed in numerous ways, as has your movement, with many thousands of devotees now affiliated with an ever-increasing number of ISKCON temples around the world.

BTG has had to adapt to change over time. Many factors have combined to put BTG in a much different situation than it was in at its height in the 1970s. We servants of yours at BTG are determined to press on, but the future of your magazine is unclear. A small group of devotees have taken on the challenge of increasing appreciation for BTG, endeavoring to inspire more and more devotees in your worldwide movement to support it and distribute it. While they are having some success, including garnering testimonials from ISKCON leaders, much more progress is needed to ensure the longevity of Back to Godhead.

We pray that you guide us in our efforts to offer this service at your lotus feet. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Your servants at Back to Godhead

ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry

Homages Other Sources, VP2026

Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.

On this most auspicious day of your Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā, we, your servants at the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry (IDWM), joyfully place this offering at your feet in a mood of deep appreciation and greatest commitment to your mission.

The ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry is sincerely striving to please Your Divine Grace by faithfully maintaining the standards of Deity worship that you so compassionately bestowed upon us by your causeless mercy. These standards are the very foundation of our service. When we formulate position statements on Deity worship for ISKCON centers, or when we advise temples, devotees, and yātrās on the sacred processes of arcana, your instructions remain our North Star, the guiding light for every decision we make.

You clearly warned in your letter to Dhruvānanda Dāsa, written from Bombay on 4 January 1973: “The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities.”

Holding this instruction at the forefront of our minds, the IDWM is firmly committed to guiding and inspiring devotees to uphold the standards of worship you envisioned for all your ISKCON temples.

By your mercy, we have witnessed steady, global improvement in Deity worship practices over the years. We know that whatever progress has been made is solely due to your transcendental guidance, which we constantly draw upon and strive to present clearly, consistently, and encouragingly to your followers.

Over the past year, the IDWM team has continued to grow, as devotees from around the world step forward, eager to offer their talents and energy in your service through this ministry. We see this expansion as a clear sign of your ongoing kindness and care for your Deities and for the hearts of your devotees, who long to worship Them nicely.

One of our greatest endeavors has been our concerted effort to identify, train, and empower Deity Worship Ministry representatives in every country of the world. We are working diligently to ensure that in each region there are devotees who understand your standards, embody your mood, and can practically assist local temples and communities to implement your teachings on Deity worship.

By your mercy, the most significant achievement of this past year has been the appointment of Regional Ministers in each Regional Governing Body. This has substantially expanded our reach and effectiveness. Through these Regional Ministers, we are now able to connect more personally and more consistently with individual centers and with ISKCON devotees at large. This development has greatly increased our capacity to support, educate, and guide your temples in maintaining the standards of worship required for your beloved Deities.

At the same time, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we also find ourselves constantly dealing with deviations from your established standards. As the modern world rapidly changes, we see a growing tendency toward experimentation, excessive creativity, and the introduction of novel practices, especially linked to technological advancements and new forms of “Deity darshan” and presentation. While we appreciate the sincere desire of devotees to make Deity worship accessible and attractive, we are equally mindful of your grave warning about manufacturing new processes.

Therefore, with as much humility and patience as we can muster, we are actively trying to lovingly yet firmly educate devotees everywhere about what you have given us in Deity worship, and why it must not be altered or concocted. We strive to uphold your standards in all of your ISKCON temples, reminding ourselves and others that real beauty, power, and success in Deity worship lie not in novelty, but in faithfulness to your instructions.

Over the past year, ISKCON centers throughout the world have continued to install Deities and expand their worship, turning to the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry for guidance, training, and consultation.

We see it as a great responsibility and a great honor to be allowed to assist your devotees in preparing proper facilities, systems, and consciousness to welcome the Lord into their communities according to the standards you envisioned.

All the activities undertaken by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, our strategic planning, our training programs, our consultations, our written guidelines, our efforts to correct deviations, and our attempts to encourage and uplift pūjārīs and temple leaders are offered unto you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You have made it possible for us to engage in the sublime process of Deity worship within your ISKCON, and we never wish to forget that we are only instruments, completely dependent on your mercy.

On this blessed day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we humbly beg you:

• To kindly continue to bestow your mercy upon us so that we may carry out our services at IDWM with enthusiasm, clarity, courage, and unwavering dedication.
• Please empower our representatives, Regional Ministers, and Core Team members to be genuine servants of your standards, both knowledgeable and compassionate, so that they can inspire others by their example and instruction.
• Please give us the strength to firmly uphold what you have given, while remaining gentle and encouraging with those who are still learning.

We beg you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to kindly forgive any shortcomings, mistakes, or offenses we may have committed in this service. If there is anything of value in our endeavors, it is entirely by your mercy; whatever is lacking or incorrect is our own fault and ignorance.

With grateful hearts, we offer this year’s service by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry at your lotus feet and pray that, year after year, our offerings may become more faithful to your will and more pleasing to you. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Your servants at the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry

ISKCON Justice Ministry

Homages Other Sources, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.

On this most auspicious occasion of Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā, we, the servants at the ISKCON Justice Ministry, offer our heartfelt gratitude, prayers, and reflections. We take shelter in your causeless mercy, knowing that whatever sincerity we have is but a faint reflection of your boundless compassion.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, you established a society meant to uplift humanity from the darkness of ignorance to the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your vision was not merely institutional – it was deeply personal, spiritual, and transformative. You taught that every individual soul is a part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, we must treat every living entity with dignity, compassion, and fairness, recognizing each being as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Within this sacred mission, the work of justice becomes not merely administrative or procedural – it becomes devotional. Justice, in its truest sense, reflects dharma. It protects, corrects, and preserves the integrity of the Vaiṣṇava community. In this way, it becomes an offering to you.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are acutely aware that the responsibility entrusted to the Justice Ministry is grave and delicate. We are called upon to address conflicts, hear grievances, and sometimes confront painful realities within the society you so lovingly established. In doing so, we are constantly reminded of our own limitations, imperfections, and shortcomings, and we beg for forgiveness in this regard.

While attempting to serve your mission, we sometimes encounter misunderstandings, criticism, or misrepresentation. These moments test our tolerance and endurance. In such circumstances, we pray for the maturity to respond not with defensiveness, but with integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to truth. For this we draw strength from your teachings.

You instructed us that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant to bring human society to a “sober condition.” Sobriety implies clarity, honesty, and accountability. It requires courage to acknowledge truth, even when it is uncomfortable. It requires compassion to respond not with harshness but with understanding and a desire for genuine rectification.

We understand that justice must be guided by compassion, and compassion must be grounded in principles. You taught us to uphold both – acting with appropriate firmness when required. We pray for the intelligence to apply these principles in a complex world.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, in your books we find the perfect standard of leadership and responsibility. Kings like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Mahārāja Parīkṣit exemplified the highest ideals of justice – protecting the citizens, addressing wrongdoing appropriately, and always acting in alignment with dharma. Their example reminds us that justice is not about power but about service.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray that we may not become hardened by the nature of disputes, nor discouraged by the complexity of situations. Rather, let us remain soft-hearted, yet principled; humble, yet resolute.

We are especially mindful that justice within a spiritual society must always be aligned with the ultimate goal: awakening love for Kṛṣṇa. Any process we undertake must lead to purification, not alienation; to accountability where required, and to care and restoration for those harmed.

Your own life demonstrated the highest standard of fairness and compassion. You gave everyone an opportunity – regardless of background, history, or qualification. At the same time, you maintained clear standards and did not compromise on essential principles. This example is our guiding light.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, please help us to cultivate the qualities required for this service: the humility to listen deeply and without prejudice; the wisdom to discern truth amidst complexity; the courage to act when action is required; the compassion to understand the pain of others; and the detachment to remain objective.

On this sacred day, we renew our commitment to serve ISKCON with integrity, sincerity, and devotion. May our efforts contribute, in some small way, to the establishment of a society that truly reflects your vision, a society grounded in truth, compassion, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

We remain your aspiring servants,

ISKCON Justice Ministry

(written by Champakalata Devī Dāsī)

ISKCON Kirtan Ministry

Homages Other Sources, 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 most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.

On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we, the servants at the Kirtan Ministry, offer our heartfelt gratitude for your unparalleled gift to the world – the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, your divine vision was clear and powerful: that the holy name of Kṛṣṇa would be heard in every town and village. By your causeless mercy, we are now witnessing this prophecy unfold. Inspired by your instructions, our humble endeavor has been to support and strengthen this saṅkīrtana movement through organized kirtan culture and education.

With your blessings, we have developed ISKCON kirtan guidelines, presented in simple and accessible formats. These are based on your teachings, instructions, lectures, and conversations with your disciples. We are distributing them to many temples, helping devotees understand and practice kirtan in a mood that pleases you and the previous ācāryas.

By your inspiration, we have conducted kirtan seminars in India and Australia, guiding devotees in both the technical and devotional aspects of leading kirtan. In this way, we are trying to preserve the purity and spirit of congregational chanting that you so carefully established.

To further your mission of spreading the holy name, we have been promoting harināma-saṅkīrtana through the World Holy Name Festival, now observed by more than eighty centers worldwide. Seeing devotees come together to chant in unity offers a glimpse of your vision of a spiritually awakened world.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have also attempted to reach broader audiences through podcasts on harināma, sharing realizations, experiences, and encouragement for devotees to seriously take up chanting. Understanding the need for devotional creativity, we have established LOK Studio in Pandharpur, where soul-stirring kirtans are recorded and shared, so that your movement may continue to inspire hearts through transcendental sound.

Recognizing your emphasis on philosophy as the foundation, the ministry has also developed an education department. Through the Bhagavad-gītā and other scriptures, many young people are being attracted to the deeper understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that you so mercifully gave and are becoming inspired to chant and share the holy name.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, whatever little service we have done is simply an attempt to assist your mission. You are the original source of all inspiration. Without you, there would be no kirtan movement as we know it today.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam

You taught us that chanting the holy name is the yuga-dharma, and you personally demonstrated how to chant, dance, and engage the whole world in saṅkīrtana. If there is any success in our efforts, it is only a reflection of your mercy.

On this sacred day, we pray at your lotus feet: May we always remain instruments in spreading the holy name. May we preserve the purity of kirtan as you gave it. May we inspire others to chant with sincerity and enthusiasm. May the sound of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra resound throughout the world, fulfilling your deepest desire.

Your insignificant servants from the ISKCON Kirtan Ministry

ISKCON Ministry of Cows and Agriculture

Homages Other Sources, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace, the eternal captain of the fallen souls crossing the ocean of material existence.

On this most sacred and auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā appearance festival, I beg to place a few insignificant words before your lotus feet. Whatever value these words may possess arises solely from your causeless mercy; otherwise, they are but dry vibrations born from an unqualified servant. I offer this prayer on behalf of all those endeavoring to serve your mission through the protection of Mother Earth, the cows, and the cultivation of a Kṛṣṇa conscious rural life. May these imperfect attempts become purified by your glance and thus worthy to be offered, through you, unto the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

For the past eleven years, I have dedicated myself to assisting your global mission of go-rakṣa and regenerative agriculture within ISKCON, praying that your centers may increasingly manifest as true abodes of practical spiritual knowledge – places where divine wisdom is not merely spoken from the vyāsāsana but embodied through simple living and high thinking. By developing tangible examples of cow protection, natural agriculture, and devotional community life, we hope to assist in establishing the varṇāśrama culture you so compassionately desired for humanity.

In your profound purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.5.37, Your Divine Grace reveals the sacred interdependence of human society and the necessity of organizing civilization around transcendental knowledge: “To speak for the Supreme Lord means to glorify the Lord by means of propagating the knowledge of the Lord as it is … the living being must know his relationship with the Lord. Human life is especially meant for this purpose.”

You further explain that the mercantile community must protect the cows so humanity may receive sufficient milk and milk products, “which alone can give the proper health and intelligence to maintain a civilization meant to imbibe knowledge of the ultimate truth.”

In these transcendental instructions, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you bestowed upon the world a complete blueprint for a spiritually grounded civilization. Long before ecological collapse, widespread anxiety, poisoned food systems, environmental devastation, and ethical confusion became global concerns, you foresaw the inevitable suffering born from humanity’s separation from the Supreme Lord and His natural arrangement. Today the world trembles beneath the burden of industrial exploitation, greed, and forgetfulness of dharma.

By your divine vision, what appears impossible gradually becomes possible. Again and again, through your exalted disciples and followers, you continue to nourish and encourage this mission. Many great Vaiṣṇavas, nurtured by your divine association, have offered guidance, compassion, and association in these efforts, constantly reminding us that cow protection is not separate from preaching – it is preaching through living an example. It is philosophy expressed through compassion, culture, sustainability, and devotion in action.

Before your departure from this world, you expressed your heartfelt desire to spend time at Gītā-nāgarī to teach practical rural living. Today, that necessity has only intensified. Modern civilization grows increasingly estranged from the natural laws established by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everywhere people suffer from artificiality, loneliness, exploitation, dependence, and spiritual emptiness. More and more souls now search sincerely for meaningful alternatives and authentic spiritual culture. In your teachings they may find not only eternal philosophy, but practical solutions for human society.

Therefore, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, we pray for the strength to continue serving your mission by helping develop a complete educational spectrum and demonstrating practical examples of simple living and high thinking – communities where transcendental knowledge, protected cows, fertile land, clean food, cooperative living, and the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa harmoniously unite into one integrated culture of devotion.

We pray that many of your centers throughout the world may increasingly become places where conditioned souls can directly experience this wisdom – not merely as theory, but as lived reality; where the chanting of the holy name, care for the cows, cultivation of the soil, distribution of prasādam, and loving service to Kṛṣṇa nourish both the heart and society.

Whatever little has been accomplished over these years has only become possible through your boundless mercy and the blessings of your followers. We remain tiny and insignificant servants, simply attempting to assist in fulfilling one of your most compassionate and visionary desires for humanity.

Please bless us with the intelligence to serve properly, the humility to cooperate harmoniously, the determination to persevere amidst difficulties, and the purity to remember that all success belongs solely to you.

Praying eternally for engagement in your service,

Your hopeful servant,

Kālakaṇṭha Dāsa (IS)