Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances unto the dust of your divine lotus feet.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, your books have now been recognized by the Government of India, and recently, official permission has been given by the Railways to allow their distribution in all railway stations. We hope to soon witness that the entire world recognizes your sublime gift meant for all humanity.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are so humble that you compared your own deliverance by your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, to that of Dhṛtarāṣṭra by Vidura.
Although you are the greatest scholar and the greatest devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you have humbly said, “Bhakti nāi, veda nāi.”
You wrote to your Guru Mahārāja, “Mūrkha muni nīca ati,” but you are most intelligent and the topmost devotee.
In another place, you wrote to your Guru Mahārāja, “Mo hena dīna hīna patita pāmare,” but you are the deliverer of the fallen, the wretched, and the sinful.
The secret of the success of your movement is your firm faith in the holy name combined with profound humility. Kindly shower a drop of your mercy upon this fallen soul, who has no shelter other than you.
The servant of your servant,
Bhakti Prema Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Respected Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
Your life is the perfect embodiment of complete surrender to the order of your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. You did not merely accept his instruction, you lived for it, prepared for it, and ultimately fulfilled it in a way that has transformed the course of history.
After a lifetime of deep preparation, you began the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and carried the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to every corner of the world. Traveling alone to the West, you fearlessly preached in the English language, reaching hearts that had never before heard the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. By your compassion, countless souls have been delivered and given a higher purpose in life.
Your books are the very foundation of this movement. Behind each page lies your sacrifice – your reduced sleep, your tireless service, and your deep realization. Through these transcendental writings, you have given us access to eternal truth and a clear path back to Kṛṣṇa.
We are deeply grateful that you have given us this wonderful society – ISKCON – a spiritual home where we can practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness together. You have given us temples, communities, and sacred dhāmas such as Vrindavan, Mayapur, and Jagannatha Puri, making the spiritual world tangible and accessible even in this age of Kali. You have also given us countless services, so that our restless minds can always remain engaged in devotional service.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I have no qualification. I am full of faults and shortcomings, yet by your causeless mercy I have been given a place in your mission. This is my only hope and my only wealth.
I humbly pray at your lotus feet: please always keep me under your shelter. Kindly engage me as an instrument in the hands of my spiritual master so that I may serve your mission with sincerity and steadiness. Let me never forget your instructions, and let me always remain connected to your service.
I beg for your blessings that I may one day become a worthy servant in your divine mission.
Your eternal servant,
Bhakti Prachār Parivrājak Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your divine appearance.
During the last months of your presence in this world, Your Divine Grace shared with my spiritual master, His Holiness Bhakti Chāru Mahārāja, that ISKCON exists in the spiritual sky and that all sincere members of ISKCON will go back to that divine ISKCON when their allotted time in the material world is finished. You gave us a Kṛṣṇa conscious society, Kṛṣṇa conscious literature, association with Kṛṣṇa conscious personalities, and everything necessary for elevating the most fallen souls to the highest spiritual platform. Just as the holy name of the Lord is both a means and an end, so ISKCON is also a means and an end.
After fifty years or more of following the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, many of your sincere and dedicated followers have become pure-hearted. This does not mean that all these pure souls are on the same level. Even among pure devotees there are gradations of less and more advanced, as many light bulbs give light, but some give stronger light than others. Even if some ISKCON spiritual masters are not yet on the level of pure devotion, their disciples can advance swiftly toward the goal of life by the complete arrangements Your Divine Grace made in the form of ISKCON. You wrote in your purport to Upadeśāmṛta (5): “A neophyte Vaiṣṇava or a Vaiṣṇava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance.” However, you gave us ISKCON, a multiguru institution, in which disciples have the opportunity to receive proper training from many spiritually advanced personalities. Provided disciples, in harmony with their relationship with their own ISKCON guru, identify themselves as a śikṣā disciple of Your Divine Grace and simultaneously take shelter of other spiritual masters within ISKCON, they are bound to make advancement and approach the ultimate goal, even if their own dīkṣā-guru is not on the highest platform of devotion.
This divine arrangement enables all ISKCON members to easily practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this degraded Kali-yuga. No one has ever made such complete arrangements for spiritual elevation. This makes you the most magnanimous representative of the most magnanimous appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We can never pay you back for this great gift. However, as core members of our society, it is our duty to use all these assets in your preaching mission, not only for attracting new people but also for ensuring the steady advancement of everyone already serving in ISKCON.
After practicing vaidhi-sādhana-bhakti for more than thirty-four years, I realize, as the end of the body comes nearer, the urgency to attain the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Our hope is that by pushing forward your mission we will get, somehow or other, your mercy, which is followed by the mercy of Lord Caitanya. To give others the opportunity to obtain that same mercy, there is a need not only to preach to make new devotees but also, as you told us, to “boil the milk.” This means that our preaching must have a clear purpose: to turn congregational members into committed devotees and prepare them for initiation, and to increase the commitment of the initiated devotees, turning them into core members dedicated to the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As such, they will become your instruments in the mission and recipients of your mercy.
Your Divine Grace used the metaphor of “boiling the milk” in letters to Rūpānuga (Honolulu, 9 May 1972) and Haṁsadūta (Los Angeles, 22 June 1972):
To Rūpānuga you wrote: “Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Kṛṣṇa conscious and ourselves becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter. Now do like that, boil the milk.”
And to Haṁsadūta you wrote: “Now we have got so many students and so many temples, but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water … but in the end it will cease to be milk. Better to boil the milk very vigorously and make it thick and sweet.”
You explained that “boiling the milk” practically means that we should concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness from our books, tapes, through discussions, and in so many ways.
In the 1960s and 1970s Your Divine Grace established a morning program surcharged with the five most potent items of devotional service. At that time most devotees lived in the temples. Today, ISKCON consists of all congregational members and only a minority of them attend the morning programs either in person or online. The morning program you established is essential for devotees to “boil the milk” and make spiritual advancement. Times have changed, and to prevent the milk becoming increasingly thinned with water, we require innovative systems based on the principles of your teachings to keep members regularly involved in activities that help them to make spiritual progress.
For many years I have been serving on a committee of the ISKCON Sannyāsa Ministry that is concerned with training sannyāsa candidates in organizing and developing such activities. These activities are meant to engage the congregational members by forming groups of like-minded devotees discussing your books on a regular basis and sharing their realizations of the spiritual techniques. The aim of these activities is to cultivate friendship, support one another in their sādhana, engage in service, and participate in your mission. In cooperation with temple authorities, sannyāsa candidates have started to engage small groups of devotees in many parts of the world. To be successful in this endeavor I pray to Your Divine Grace that you will bless us with a genuine understanding of your desire of how to make this endeavor successful and boil the milk. Our success in life depends on pleasing Your Divine Grace, who is the foremost representative of the previous ācāryas and very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Praying for your blessings, your insignificant servant eternally,
Bhakti Prabhāva Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, 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
I was there in the crowd in Atlanta
You were everything to us
There was that walk in the park
I tried to catch any word of yours
But I just did not succeed
Your assistants surrounded you
It was not at all audible
And I was a shy guy
In Detroit you were very happy
The Fisher Mansion had become ours
The walk was not possible
Rain made it so restrictive
It became a drive through Belle Isle
In those days I drove, so I was behind
The back of your head was visible
For the absolute whole time
Then, there was a morning in Chicago
At a park by Lake Michigan
You trekked the trail gracefully
There was an entourage that followed
Then Viśākhā held up her camera
You posed, devotees fussed with your shawl
I heard you loud and clear
“You cannot satisfy all of the people all of the time”
In my hometown, Toronto
We had acquired that big church
You sent a telegram – “Great triumph!”
Then you came to personally see
Were taken to Taylor Creek Park
Water flowed, all was green – serene
You spoke some words – out of earshot
But I was so glad you came
People are surprised I never spoke to you
I am your student, but no exchange
What would I say? I was a shy guy
But I heard your classes
And I was there to see you walk
I sleep in the room where you slept
My best sleep comes when I hear a recording
I am blessed like anything
Your servant,
Bhaktimārga Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dear Your Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 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 my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories unto you on this most auspicious appearance day.
O Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the pure representative of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the most merciful spiritual master of this age. In this dark Age of Kali, where people are absorbed in ignorance and material suffering, you brought the brilliant light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By your causeless mercy, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is now being chanted all over the world.
In the year 2026, as I reflect on your unlimited contributions, I can only feel deep gratitude and humility. You gave us everything – the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, your transcendental books, the association of devotees, and the practical process of devotional service. Your instructions remain ever fresh and relevant, guiding conditioned souls like me in every moment of life. You continue to guide through your books, your devotees, and your mission.
You wrote that “Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; it is the original energy of the living entity.” Kindly help me realize this truth practically. Please bless me so that I may chant the holy name attentively, serve the Vaiṣṇavas with humility, and dedicate my life to fulfilling your desire.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you crossed oceans, faced hardships, and tolerated so much just to deliver fallen souls like me. I have nothing to offer in return except a sincere attempt to follow your instructions. Please engage me in your service, however insignificant that service may be.
Let me become an instrument in your divine mission, free from false ego and selfish motives. Let me always remain under the shelter of your lotus feet and never forget your mercy.
On this sacred Vyāsa-pūjā day, I offer my repeated obeisances unto you again and again. Thank you for giving my life true purpose and direction.
Your insignificant servant,
Bhakti Karuṇamaya Vanamālī Swami
Homages Non-GBC Sannyasis, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
On this sacred day of your appearance, I approach you with a heart full of gratitude. You came into this world to deliver the powerful medicine of nāma-saṅkīrtana, and by your inconceivable mercy, the holy name has spread to every corner of the earth. Temples have arisen in cities where once no one had heard the name of Kṛṣṇa. Books carrying the timeless message of bhāgavat-dharma are read in languages you never personally spoke. The kirtan you brought across the oceans now echoes in lands that once seemed spiritually barren.
But my heart is also full of uncertainty and concern. You had a dream: you envisioned that America would spearhead a global cultural revolution. During a December 11, 1973, morning walk in Los Angeles, you revealed your plan to your disciples:
That is my ambition. I want to begin one revolution. Their godless civilization, against godless civilization. That is my ambition. And the America will be the best person to be educated in this line and to lead, to become the leader. They’re already leader, but they must be real leader now, so that the whole world may be happy. That I can give direction. If the topmost American gentlemen come to me, I can give them direction how they can become the world leader. Actual leader, not bogus leader. Because God has favored them with so many things. And this movement has been started from America. I started this movement from New York. So it should be taken very seriously by the government.
Today, many decades later, the full realization of that vision still seems distant. The topmost leaders in America appear to be less qualified than ever to be the world leaders you hoped they would become. Many observers have concluded that the former superpower is losing its leading position in the world. We therefore sometimes wonder how the cultural revolution mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.11) will come about? In the purport to this verse, where Nārada Muni encourages Vyāsadeva to compile literature which is full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization, you refer to the Sino-Indian War that took place at the end of 1962:
While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well as to bring about the desired peace in the world.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you formed ISKCON sixty years ago, part of your mission was to take up the duty that every responsible Indian was meant to fulfill but did not. As you pointed out later in that same purport, because India had failed in her duty to spread the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there was so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. Therefore you entrusted us with this monumental task. You envisioned the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to fulfill that duty and shine like a beacon of hope – a spiritual family united beyond the temporary designations of gender, race, nationality, and political ideology. And in many ways, it did and still does. Millions of people have heard and chanted and still chant the holy name because of you. Your books continue to transform hearts.
And yet, even within the house you built, there are signs of fissures. Increasing tensions cause many of your followers great concern. During your lifetime, you warned us about the danger of factions. You emphasized again and again that the real principle of unity is cooperation for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. You asked us not to quarrel over temporary differences but to remain united under your instructions and the common purpose of spreading the message of Lord Caitanya to every town and village. You established systems of management not so that power struggles might arise but so that the preaching mission could expand harmoniously.
Still, as time has passed since your physical departure, disagreements have grown sharper. Some of your followers identify themselves as defenders of tradition. They fear that in the attempt to adapt to a rapidly changing world the purity of your teachings may be compromised. They worry that contemporary cultural trends could weaken the philosophical clarity that you fought so hard to establish. To them, fidelity to your instructions means preserving the forms, standards, and interpretations exactly as they understand you to have given them.
Others, however, feel a different urgency. They believe that in order for your mission to reach new generations, it must speak in ways that people can understand and accept. They argue that, just as you made adjustments fifty years ago, a constantly changing environment is calling for further adjustments so that your message may remain relevant and accessible. To them, the spirit of your mission lies in dynamic preaching, not merely in preserving external forms.
Each side sincerely claims loyalty to you. Each side believes it is protecting your legacy. Each side accuses the other of having deviated and contributed to a drift from the mission.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, the prospect of a fractured mission causes deep pain in the hearts of many who love you. For you did not come to create another sect competing with other sects. You came to give the universal science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You showed by your own example that the essence of spiritual life is humility, service, and cooperation.
Sometimes I wonder what you would say if you were physically present today. Would you chastise us for our lack of humility? Would you remind us again that cooperation is the real test of love for you? Or would you simply encourage us to chant sincerely and engage ourselves fully in spreading the holy name?
Perhaps you would do all of these things.
The world desperately needs the message you gave. Humanity stands at a crossroads. Material progress has brought extraordinary technological power, yet it has not brought peace. Instead, anxiety is increasing relentlessly, both on an individual and a societal level. Relationships are more fragile than ever, and people struggle to find meaning in their lives.
We may not always agree on every detail of management or interpretation. Diversity of perspective may even be inevitable in a global movement that now spans continents and cultures. Yet if we can remember that we are united in service to you and to Kṛṣṇa, those differences need not become causes of division.
Instead, they can become opportunities for deeper dialogue, deeper reflection, deeper realization, and ultimately deeper cooperation.
On this Vyāsa-pūjā day, therefore, I pray at your lotus feet for guidance. Please help us remember the essence of your mission. Please help us see one another not as rivals in ideological battles, but as fellow servants trying, however imperfectly, to carry forward the work you began.
If we can do that, then the fears of division may gradually fade, and the movement you founded will continue to flourish for generations to come. You crossed oceans alone in old age to bring the mercy of Lord Caitanya to the world. Compared to that heroic sacrifice, our present difficulties are small. Yet even small difficulties can grow large if we forget the spiritual vision you taught us.
Therefore, on this sacred day, I renew my prayer to serve your mission to the best of my ability.
May your followers always remember that we belong to you. May we never forget that the real victory is not winning arguments but awakening love for Kṛṣṇa in the hearts of all living beings. And may we always remain, despite our imperfections, united in glorifying your extraordinary life and eternal teachings.
Your insignificant servant, aspiring to follow in your footsteps,
Bhakti Gauravāṇī Goswami
