Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your lotus feet.
This year we celebrated the fifty-first anniversary of the grand opening of the Śrī Śrī Krishna-Balaram Mandir in Vrindavan. You struggled tirelessly to establish this temple while you were also creating ISKCON temples worldwide. We are so grateful that Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa told you to open a temple in India that would be a hundred times better than any other temple you had established. We want to thank you for encouraging us by your enthusiastic determination to glorify Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the saṅkīrtana of the holy names at Krishna-Balaram Mandir, and also for allowing us to render some service to you and the guru-paramparā and to be part of Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana mission.
The Krishna-Balaram Mandir Live high-definition broadcasting is followed by devotees all over the world. We invite everyone to participate and connect through our website, which shows darshans, kirtans, and festivals loved by everyone. Krishna-Balaram Mandir is one of the most popular temples in the entire world, and daily thousands of pilgrims take darshan of the beautiful Deities, dance in the twenty-four-hour kirtans, take prasādam, and purchase many books.
The upcoming Krishna-Balaram Cultural Center is beautifully designed, with arches, columns, guest rooms, a Govinda’s restaurant, a gift shop, and other facilities that will enhance and complement the temple, samādhi and museum. In the museum, we’ve developed unique diorama exhibits that give a glimpse of how you were empowered to spread Vedic knowledge all over the world. The new project will be ready by next year and will have more preaching facilities, cultural halls, more than 110 guest rooms, a new Govinda’s restaurant and bakery, and a very large book and gift shop.
For your pleasure, we are also building a senior care building with thirty nice rooms for your elderly disciples and devotees who wish to retire in Vrindavan. There is a new brahmacārī ashram, and many new bhaktas are joining. They are eagerly studying, being trained for book distribution, and serving in all the temple departments. Your Bhaktivedanta Swami International Gurukula has grown and is now developing a university on campus.
Fortunately, the Honourable President of India, Srimati Droupadi Murmu, along with the Governor of U.P. and a number of other top government officials, recently visited the Krishna-Balaram Mandir. She offered flowers to you at your samādhi and then at your vyāsāsana in the temple. While taking darshan of Their Lordships, she offered lamps to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Śyāmasundara. Our cultural department presented a wonderful Odissi dance, performed by international devotees, and the gurukula boys chanted auspicious mantras.
With extreme gratitude we pray to you for the strength to carry on keeping the temple neat and clean, distributing many of your books, distributing free prasādam to everyone, and continuing the dynamic, twenty-four-hour kirtan, which inspires everyone to sing, dance, and appreciate your Kṛṣṇa consciousness saṅkīrtana movement. We feel your presence very much in your samādhi as well as in the Krishna-Balaram temple. You are our most worshipable, beloved representative of the Supreme Lord. You are the best servant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Please bless us. Jaya Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma!
Your humble servants,
(written by Pañcagauḍa Dāsa, temple president)
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to You!
My name is Nitāibhavana Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Śivarāma Swami. I am writing to you from a small town in Hungary – Debrecen – on the occasion of your appearance day.
For more than thirty years, Śrīla Śivarāma Swami has been organizing the spread of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Hungary. Among his many services, he arranged for the translation of your books into Hungarian, installed Śrī Śrī Rādhe-Śyāma in Krishna Valley, and Śrī Śrī Dayāl Vijaya Gaurāṅga in Budapest.
I have been serving as the leader of the center in Debrecen since 2000, and since 2009 I have also been managing the Govinda’s restaurant operating as part of the center.
I am very grateful to you for allowing me to perform this service. My Guru Mahārāja has often reminded me of your expectations regarding the functioning of a Kṛṣṇa conscious center and community. He has repeatedly instructed me that I must always follow the principles you have established in your books.
By reading your books and hearing your lectures, I have gradually begun to understand your intention behind preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness worldwide. It has always been clear to me that you began spreading the bhakti movement globally in order to fulfill the desire of your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Over time, I have also come to understand that this preaching could only be successful because you were fully blessed by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
From the descriptions of Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami, we have been able to closely perceive how the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu descended upon you. In your twenties you identified yourself as a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and embraced the ideal of an independent India, while at the same time being raised in a family of devotees, which naturally attracted you to the service of Kṛṣṇa. However, when you first met and spoke with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Gosvāmī, you immediately accepted that the desire of Caitanya Mahāprabhu – that the culture of bhakti be spread worldwide – could not wait for a future independent India.
When I heard about this conversation, I immediately felt how bhakti can enter the heart of one whose heart is pure. Although you already possessed pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness as a devotee, it was still necessary to receive the strong desire of your spiritual master to begin this immense mission. A spark was needed to inspire you to fully embrace the efforts of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Gosvāmī. This story is very beautiful, and indeed it also inspired the events in Debrecen, as Śrīla Śivarāma Swami began preaching in Hungary with the same aspiration.
You said that practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and sharing it with others is not easy, but even if we do not reach the end of the path within one lifetime, it is still worthwhile, for it means we have made the best possible use of our lives. Indeed, we can experience how perfect our lives are compared to those who have not yet accepted the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You also mentioned that for householders, a very good form of Kṛṣṇa conscious service is to work in a restaurant where one can participate in distributing kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Day by day, I experience how – even though it is physically demanding – the time passes very quickly while making different preparations and distributing prasādam. Of course, this also includes chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in the morning and holding morning programs. Simply by accepting even a small portion of the boundless mercy you have given us, we are able to live a meaningful life.
The distribution and study of your books also hold an important place in our lives. Those who regularly and sincerely engage in these services experience a taste that cannot be matched by any selfish activity. Fortunately, these services occupy a central role throughout the entire Hungarian yātrā. Although there are no full-time devotees in Debrecen, many contribute to the spread of Kṛṣṇa consciousness according to their capacity. In the countryside, more and more practitioners are joining who follow the process at home and participate in collective service on a weekly basis.
You often quoted the verse spoken by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the Kūrma brāhmaṇa:
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.128.)
This is the guiding principle of the Kṛṣṇa conscious community in Debrecen, both in personal practice and in preaching.
We are very grateful for the direct care you have given us through your books and through your audio and video recordings. If we associate with you in this way even for a short time each day, then – as you said – we will not be carried away by the lifestyle of materialists. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also states:
kabhu nā bādhibe tomāra viṣaya-taraṅga
punarapi ei ṭhāñi pābe mora saṅga
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further advised the Kūrma brāhmaṇa, “If you follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your spiritual advancement. Indeed, if you follow these regulative principles, we will again meet here, or, rather, you will never lose My company.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7. 129.)
The example you set in following your spiritual master has deeply touched me. I could not fully explain why, but I felt it to be very beautiful and intimate. You often said that you did not create anything new, you simply spoke what you had heard from your divine spiritual master. Although you did not meet him very often, when you did, you listened with great attention. When Bhaktisiddhānta Gosvāmī accepted you as his disciple, he remarked before his other disciples that you listened very attentively.
From this we can understand that attentive hearing of the spiritual master, understanding his instructions, and following them are of utmost importance. This alone can grant all perfection. To teach us this, you placed great emphasis on the worship of the guru.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are a Vaiṣṇava ācārya who teaches not only by words but also by example. In a world of selfish people, such personalities are not to be found, because one who is not a devotee has no true good qualities.
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ
All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge, and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man? (Bhāgavatam 5.18.12)
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you possess pure and spotless love for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore you naturally feel compassion for all living beings. Indeed, you are the one who has sprinkled upon us the blessings of Lord Caitanya from the boundless ocean of mercy, extinguishing the blazing fire of our material desires. Without you, we would have remained burning in that fire, but now it is only a matter of time before we return to our original home.
This small Vaiṣṇava community in Debrecen is deeply grateful to you for bringing the transcendental realm to us as well: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana … Now it is up to us to express our gratitude by passing on this inheritance that we have received from you.
On behalf of the Kṛṣṇa conscious community in Debrecen,
Your servant,
Nitāibhavana Dāsa
Asia-Eurasia, 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
From our Yokohama, Japan, center, a second busiest and the largest city after Tokyo, we express our deepest gratitude for your having given us the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We come together every month for kirtan, kṛṣṇa-kathā, dancing kirtan, and prasādam. Our team cooks bhoga, decorates the hall for the program, and places the Deities’ pictures. The Japanese participate in kirtan and festivals. The Japanese like Gaura-Pūrṇimā and the Holi festival of colors. They also like the festival of lights (Deepavali) and Govardhana-pūjā.
Our team has been growing because of your empowerment through the guidance and care of His Holiness Kavicandra Swami Mahārāja. Our team members are embracing the process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, adopting the four regulative principles within their lifestyle, and observing Vaiṣṇava festivals. Our team members in Yokohama are cordial and cooperative in organizing our Hare Kṛṣṇa festivals and programs.
Our team is very much excited during book distribution, especially the book marathon month, November-December. Our team distributes books in groups and goes door to door to distribute your book Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in languages like Japanese, English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Bengali. We also distribute small books as sets to our community members.
In Yokohama in 2025, we distributed 400 Bhagavad-gītās and 100 small books.
Our congregation also comes together during Bhadra Pūrṇimā to receive Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam into their homes and sponsor sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for yoga studios for the Japanese community.
In Yokohama in 2025, we distributed 11 full sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in languages like English, Telegu, and Hindi.
During this period, one of our members, Sudāmā Dāsa (KCS), worked with a devotee named Onon Zorigtkhuu, from Mongolia. He inspired Onon to speak to her friends and the devotees in Mongolia and encourage them to accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam into their homes. By Your Divine Grace’s mercy, she agreed to speak to her friends and the devotees in Mongolia.
With Onan’s coordination in Mongolia, Sudāmā Dāsa was able to send 25 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and 3 Caitanya-caritāmṛta sets to Mongolia. All these sets were in the English language.
It took lots of coordination, but we did all of this legally and with permission from the BBT in America, the GBC, and respected ISKCON authorities. A very special thanks to our ISKCON of Silicon Valley (ISV) team for sending books to our centers in Yokohama and Tsukuba in Japan.
During the Bhadra Pūrṇimā campaign, our Japanese devotees distributed 6 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and 1 Caitanya-caritāmṛta set among themselves or gifted them to friends.
The kids in Yokohama are very enthusiastic while doing dramas, kirtan, festivals, and chanting. They are excited to hear the pastimes of Lord Rāma and Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes.
The families in Yokohama embraced the Monopoly game Every town and Village enthusiastically. This game was brought to Japan by His Holiness Kavicandra Swami Mahārāja. We distributed them to Japanese devotees, and devotees from India and Nepal.
As a team we’re growing slowly and surely to bring the auspiciousness Your Divine Grace gave us through Kṛṣṇa consciousness to Japan. Our Yokohama team humbly seeks Your Divine Grace’s blessings to continue and progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness with all cooperation, and to spread Lord Caitanya’s message and mission to more families in the coming years. We beg your mercy to help us properly understand and practice Your Divine Grace’s teachings, which we are learning through your books and lectures.
Your servants at ISKCON Yokohama
Sudāmā Dāsa and our team
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Please accept my humble obeisances at the divine dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga!
I attempted to write a small poem in your glorification on this very happy day on behalf of the devotees at ISKCON Goloka Dhāma. I beg for your kindness to accept my humble service.
The Messenger of Lord Kṛṣṇa
Empowered by your Guru Mahārāja’s grace,
With a mission vast – to uplift the human race,
More than sixty years ago, upon the Jaladūta you came,
A devoted servant of Kṛṣṇa, bearing His holy name.
Across the restless ocean, frail in body yet strong in soul,
With heart attacks and trials that sought to take their toll,
Still you pressed onward with unwavering steadiness,
A beacon of courage, untouched by distress.
Upon that ship, in solitude yet divine company,
You celebrated Janmāṣṭamī in deep spiritual harmony,
And those who sailed with you, though worldly they may be,
Received your mercy, your kindness, your purity.
Arriving in the West, unknown, without support or claim,
Yet carrying within you your guru’s sacred flame,
With fearless determination and a vision crystal clear,
You planted seeds of bhakti that would blossom far and near.
Establishing ISKCON with compassion bold and bright,
You turned the darkest corners toward transcendental light,
To every soul you met, regardless creed or birth,
You gave the greatest treasure ever known upon this earth.
Bearing the sacred service mood of Śrī Rādhā’s grace,
Soft as the dawn of love upon the soul’s embrace,
Illumined by Kṛṣṇa’s wisdom, as sung in Gītā’s song,
A guiding light of truth to which all hearts belong.
Overflowing with prema-bhakti, boundless and free,
As Gaurāṅga danced in divine ecstasy,
You shower compassion upon every living being,
Awakening love through divine seeing.
In humble praise, your glories we proclaim,
Echoing truths the Vedas eternally name,
Your life a bridge from knowledge unto bliss,
A path of devotion no seeker should miss.
O radiant soul, in service pure you stand,
An instrument of grace in the Lord’s own hand,
May we follow the footsteps your deeds have shown,
And awaken that Divine love as our very own.
Wherever your lotus feet so gently did reside,
You left behind a legacy no time can ever divide
Kirtan’s joyful chanting, the holy names’ embrace,
Books that sing eternal truths, revealing Kṛṣṇa’s face.
Lectures filled with wisdom, prasādam rich with grace,
A culture of devotion that time cannot erase,
With patience deep as oceans and compassion ever pure,
You gave a path to Kṛṣṇa, simple, joyful, and sure.
No distraction swayed you, no hardship dimmed your sight,
You saw each soul as precious, meant to walk in dharma’s light,
And vowed that none be lost within illusion’s stormy sea,
But all be brought to Kṛṣṇa, that is your legacy.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, each year we humbly come,
To offer but a tiny lamp before your radiant sun,
Our words fall short, our praises faint and small,
Before your boundless glories that uplift us all.
Yet still with hearts of gratitude, we stand within your line,
Aspiring to be instruments of your divine design,
Whatever strength we carry, whatever voice we raise,
We offer in your service, in Kṛṣṇa’s loving praise.
So in full daṇḍavats we bow before your feet today,
And earnestly, with folded hands, we pray
Please bless us that in every time and place,
We may remain sheltered in your causeless grace.
And let us serve your mission with steady hearts and true,
With firm resolve and faith in all we say and do,
To carry forth your message, both timeless, pure, and new,
And share Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, as we have learned from you.
All glories to you, dear Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Your insignificant servants at Goloka Dhama
(written by Bhāgavata Dharma Dāsa)
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
On this auspicious occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā, we offer our humble obeisances and attempt to glorify you on behalf of the community of New Vrajamaṇḍala, part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness near Madrid.
Our spiritual authority has requested that I write this offering. As I am new in the role of president, I can only present these words as a sincere expression of our intentions and vision for our project. Yet, whatever our position, we always have the opportunity to glorify our beloved spiritual master.
New Vrajamaṇḍala is an exceptional place for developing spiritual activities and preaching – we have space for retreats, seminars, courses, camps, and gatherings of many other kinds. Therefore, having mature, organized, and spiritually grounded leadership is essential.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, at present we are blessed with an exceptionally dedicated team of devotees. Our commitment is to follow your instructions and to please you by creating an environment that is organized, clean, and spiritually vibrant – so that anyone who comes here can feel, breathe, and experience spiritual peace simply by the harmony of the atmosphere. To achieve this requires the collective effort of the entire community. Our service depends on our own internal spiritual work, because the external reality will reflect our internal consciousness. This community exists for the individual spiritual advancement of each devotee. To the extent that we are serious in our practice, that same spiritual energy will manifest outwardly and naturally attract other souls.
Those who visit will feel inspired to continue their journey back to Godhead. The Supersoul within their hearts will guide them: “Here you will find what you are seeking.” In this way, our effort is truly a cooperative spiritual endeavor.
By your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have this extraordinary place. We also have your teachings in their pure form, without addition, giving us the ability to understand spiritual life clearly and to guide society toward respiritualization and purification.
At the heart of our community are our beautiful Deities, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda Candra, who inspire us, give us strength and enthusiasm, and nourish our devotional service day by day. This is a wonderful opportunity for service and purification. By serving your mission, we can purify our hearts and attain the ultimate goal of life.
Life here, especially in winter, can be austere, but this austerity also helps us cultivate introspection and dependence on Kṛṣṇa. It is both a challenge and a blessing. We are working to develop a strong and cooperative community capable of advancing in essential services such as cow protection, self-sufficiency, educational programs, youth training, seminars, and spiritual gatherings. In all of this, we aim to remain practical – keeping our feet on the ground while keeping our hearts fixed in Vaikuṇṭha.
We pray for your blessings so that we may serve your mission faithfully, work together harmoniously, and become instruments of your compassion for the benefit of all living beings.
Your servants at New Vrajamaṇḍala
(written by Dharmarāja Dāsa)
Europe & Russia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
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.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you on this most divine day.
As we are living in Kali-yuga, we often face calamities, whether on our personal spiritual path or in our preaching center; we are not free from these obstacles.
By the mercy of your Guru Mahārāja, you came to the West to show us, by your own example, that when we take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness we should not fear the waves of happiness and distress. When we consider all the difficulties you went through, being driven by your sole desire to serve Guru and Kṛṣṇa, to bring us the teachings of Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa, we should have no other business than to follow in your footsteps, realizing that you are the only true guide who can bring us back to Godhead.
To take care of a preaching center is not always easy. Many struggles may be involved, but Your Divine Grace gave us the perfect formula for how to walk through these struggles. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is came to the West through the disciplic succession, with you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, as our mentor. When we listen to your lectures and conversations, we witness the patience you have with every person in order to help us understand the conversation between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. This Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is like a blueprint for our lives, a GPS showing us our destination and how to get there in the best possible way.
In your purport to Bhagavad-gītā 6.7, you write: “When the mind is misled by the external, illusory energy, one becomes entangled in material activities. Therefore, as soon as one’s mind is controlled through one of the yoga systems, one should be considered to have already reached the destination. One has to abide by superior dictation. When one’s mind is fixed on the superior nature, he has no alternative but to follow the dictation of the Supreme. The mind must accept some superior dictation and follow it.”
Throughout the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and your other books, you take us by the hand and show us the beauty of the Lord and His pastimes.
At Sunday programs, we speak with guests and often share how you came to the West, how you started the Sunday Love feast, and how they are now also taking part in it. People are eager to sing various bhajanas, learn their meanings, listen to lectures on various topics, cook prasādam, and partake in the feast. For many devotees living in a city and having a full-time job, the Sunday feast is the highlight of the week – a moment to recharge their spiritual energy.
In your purport to Bhagavad-gītā 10.10 you write: “The qualification is that a person always engages himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, with love and devotion, renders all kinds of service. He should perform some sort of work for Kṛṣṇa, and that work should be done with love.”
In one lecture, you explained that this human form of life is meant to stop illusion, or bodily identification, and by doing so, we begin to understand what real love is, what reciprocation of love is. Then we will finally understand what a healthy life is.
Even today, we witness through your direct disciples the love and care you have for them, teaching by example how to serve in every aspect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness – pūjā, cooking, painting, preaching – whatever we need to know, you gave us. We, as granddisciples, also receive this mercy, benefiting from the lessons of your disciples.
Our preaching center in Brussels is small, but we have a very nice congregation of devotees and friends of Kṛṣṇa who are always eager to help with any service needed. I often see this as your divine mercy – that you always send devotees who are enthusiastic and willing to take part in this beautiful sevā of serving and pleasing Lord Kṛṣṇa.
We pray, sitting at your lotus feet, that we may always remain encouraged and enthusiastic to serve you in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Vrindaranya Priya Dāsa
On behalf of your servants at Centre de Bhakti Yoga
