Homages GBC, VP2026
Dearest beloved eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 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
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most sacred day of your Vyāsa-pūjā. All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, whose boundless compassion brought the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness into the darkest corners of this world and into my own life.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, on this day I feel especially aware of my smallness and my dependence on your mercy. Whatever little service I am able to render in your mission is only by your causeless kindness. Yet alongside this gratitude, I also feel a deep sense of concern and responsibility for the condition of the institution you so carefully built for the upliftment of humanity.
You established ISKCON not merely as an organization, but as a spiritual family meant to exemplify unity in diversity, purity in practice, and integrity in leadership. However, at the present time, we are confronted with challenges that test these very foundations. We see strains in relationships among leaders and devotees, differences in vision and execution, concerns about consistency in standards, and the ever-present risk of institutional formalism overshadowing genuine spiritual substance.
As a member of the Governing Body Commission, I feel both the weight of these challenges and my own limitations in addressing them. Too often, the solutions appear external – policies, structures, and strategies – yet the root of the difficulties lies deeper: in our hearts, in our alignment with your instructions, and in our collective sincerity.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, I humbly and earnestly pray for your blessings upon me, as a member of the GBC, to serve in a way that
- we may act not as controllers but as humble servants of your mission, guided by śāstra, sādhu, and your instructions.
- we may develop genuine unity, free from politics, ego, and factionalism, and centered solely on pleasing you.
- we may have the courage to confront difficult truths within the institution while maintaining compassion and respect for all devotees.
- we may protect the purity of your teachings and practices, ensuring that ISKCON remains a faithful representation of your vision.
- we may become instruments of reconciliation, fostering trust and cooperation across all levels of the society.
In my service within the Ministry of Education, I especially seek your blessings that we may strengthen the philosophical and spiritual foundation of ISKCON. Without deep understanding and realization of your teachings, no institutional reform can be lasting. Please empower us to nurture thoughtful, well-trained, and spiritually grounded devotees who can carry your mission forward with conviction and clarity.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, please help me personally to rise above my own shortcomings – my tendency to rush toward immediate solutions, my limited vision, and my lack of full surrender. Let me not become distracted by the external complexities of management, but remain always anchored in the simple and profound process you have given: chanting the holy name and serving with sincerity.
Please bless the entire ISKCON society so that we may navigate this period of challenge with increased humility, cooperation, and dependence on Kṛṣṇa. Let these difficulties become an impetus for purification rather than division.
On this auspicious day, I offer my heartfelt gratitude for everything you gave us – your books, your instructions, your society, and your example. I pray that one day I may serve in a way that truly pleases you.
Begging for a particle of your mercy, your insignificant servant,
Tapan Mishra Dāsa
Homages GBC, VP2026
My dear and most respected spiritual master and eternal father,
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
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
Please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances in the dust of your most merciful lotus feet! All glories to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
To whom shall we express our deepest heartfelt gratitude for your presence in our life? Without your personal sacrifice, bold and fearless risk-taking, with obedience to your Guru Mahārāja’s request for service, countless souls like me – wandering aimlessly in abject ignorance in the darkness of material existence – would remain hopelessly lost.
The bhakti-śakti and intense love for Kṛṣṇa that you carried and liberally disseminated has captured my heart, irrevocably – both in this life and forever.
As an ideal follower of Rūpa Gosvāmī, the foremost Gauḍīya authority on bhakti–rasa, you held profound love for him and his Deity, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. This was exhibited when the queen of Jaipur, Mahārāṇī Gāyatrī Devī, so moved by your devotion and to show her appreciation, gifted you a pair of large marble Deities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, similar to the original Rādhā-Govindajī Deities. After shipping Them to New York, you installed Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda as the presiding Deity at the Henry Street temple in Brooklyn.
While the magnitude of your love for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda was not always on public display, at times you could not conceal it.
- In the summer of 1974, you were in New York to give association to disciples and other devotees from all over the East Coast who had assembled to be in your presence. Following the Sunday evening ārati, the Henry Street temple room was packed to capacity, awaiting your arrival and your Sunday Feast lecture. Coming in front of the altar, standing before the Deities with hands folded in supplication, you prepared to offer prostrated obeisances to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. While extending your body before the Deities, a large gush of tears streamed from your eyes like a syringe! Those seated before you, to the right side of the altar, were literally splashed with your profuse stream of tears. Those seated there turned to Rukmiṇī Dāsī, who was standing hidden behind a curtain on the left side of the altar, to see if she had tossed mahā-water remnants from the ārati that had just been completed. Instantly, Rukmiṇī Dāsī and a dear friend of hers understood what had just happened. She descended from the slightly raised altar and together they quickly gathered the spiritual remnants from your exhibition of loving ecstasy through your eyes. You then glided slowly to the back of the room to deliver your Sunday feast class as if nothing had happened.
- Similar public exhibitions of syringelike ecstatic symptoms, displaying to the public your intense innermost elevated prema–bhakti, were exhibited in Atlanta and Mayapur.
While clearly on the platform of uttama–bhakti, you came before us with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s sublime message, teaching your followers by your personal example the standards of a fearless madhyama preacher.
All qualified Vaiṣṇavas give full credit for their spiritual attainment to their predecessors, as did you; empowerment comes down to a recipient of mercy by way of the disciplic succession. Naturally, on the occasion of his Vyāsa-pūjā in March 1952, in choice poetry you graciously gave all credit to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī as the champion of the highest stages of bhakti, a conclusion echoed by thousands of cheering mouths through the passage of time. In choice poetry, you expressed awe at the erudition of Śrīla Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, acknowledging his gift to you, which you so liberally passed on to all of us.
Had you not come
Who had told,
The message of Krishna
Forceful and bold,
That’s your right
You have the mace.
Save me a fallen
Your Divine Grace.
In a similar fashion, like rivers flowing to the sea, abundant mercy descends through our awesome disciplic succession, commencing from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and descending through His empowered followers.
Yet you accepted the specific mandate to flood the world outside of Bhārata-bhūmi, carrying in your heart the simple wish for everyone to be truly transcendentally happy: sarve sukhino bhavantu.
Receiving this gift from you with profound gratitude – the very seed of love – your many followers in turn have received the same mandate. May you become pleased with us as we strive to expand, preserve, and protect the purity and integrity of your mood and mission.
Our shortcomings are abundant. Please protect us and cleanse us from anarthas, thereby instead allowing us to become your true and faithful followers.
I beg to remain your eternal servant!
Romapāda Swami
Homages GBC, 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
One time you said that to preach to people, there is an art, like karate. You knew how to push on the person’s weak point until they died. This was specifically in reference to atheists, material scientists, and Māyāvādīs.
Another time a devotee asked you if the spiritual master is present in the heart of the disciple, and you replied “Yes, if you let me enter.”
To get your mercy we must allow you to come fully into our hearts and to follow your instructions and example implicitly. We need to be humble and overcome our stubbornness, pride, and false ego. We must be willing to hear and learn from you every day of our lives. We should be active and not lazy.
In this regard you told a story about two men who applied for a job. One came in and left the door open. Then the second man came in and closed the door. The boss decided to give the second man the job, as even though he was not so expert, he felt he could learn well because he had closed the door. He felt that because the first man had left the door open, he was lazy.
There is so much to do in service to you, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your disciples don’t have many years left in this life. I pray that in my last few years I can do something that is meaningful and worthwhile, although I am not very qualified to do so.
By your presence māyā was cast away
And our love for you grew every day
Never before had we met one so divine
Whose glories would be sung till the end of time
You traveled a lot in such a short while
Astounded us all with your courage and style
How could a person so advanced in age
Journey the world to bring a spiritual change
Like the Gaṅgā famous for her purifying effect
You gave everyone a chance to become perfect
One scholar said you were the greatest of gurus
What was the need to accept others to choose
A jagat-guru at whose feet all masters should sit
Those who were sincere came forward to commit
Why waste their life struggling with endless sorrow
They realized there was a much brighter tomorrow
We became devotees who chanted and danced
To the Lord’s holy names, we became entranced
Your instructions were to spread this everywhere
So, we took the transcendental sound into the air
Many joined in kirtan and you led the way
To show by example the best way to pray
For the Lord’s mercy is not easy to attain
Unless one follows a pure devotee to gain
The path to eternity that is a road which is high
While in this world one must endeavor and try
What was formerly foreign and seemed impossible
By Śrīla Prabhupāda’s grace it became probable
Perhaps in the future if more people took it up
Yamarāja would have less work and be wonderstruck
Lord Caitanya said take it to every town and village
By your grace we now have got this great privilege
Your insignificant servant,
Ramāi Swami
Homages GBC, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my respectful obeisances! All glories to Your Divine Grace!
On this very auspicious day of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Caturdāśi, I’m praying so that I am able to write some words worthy of your glorification.
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
By the mercy of the guru, even a dumb man can become the greatest orator, and even a lame man can cross mountains. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 17.80)
Nowadays more often than not, I’m thinking about whether I do enough for your movement, whether I do enough to please you, or whether I do enough to please my spiritual master and my śikṣā-guru. Then, as I see my calendar, this initial thought changes and turns into “Am I doing the right things?” It’s one thing to be engaged 24/7, and another thing to do the right thing that makes a difference and makes others’ lives better and more Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Seeing your life and reading about your wonderful pastimes shows you always worked for the betterment of every human being on earth. Your calendar was full, and it was full with the right things. You did not spend unnecessary time on meetings about the same issues; you did not waste time stalling things to get back to them later. You were decisive and moved forward. There were many obstacles in your way, but your unwavering faith in Kṛṣṇa and your spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, helped you overcome all of them with triumph.
That triumph is not a small feat. It is the greatest thing anyone could do. You did not only make devotees, but you also created a worldwide community that sometimes is described as “He created a house in which the whole world can live.” I can see that in this house there are many rooms, and devotees in the different rooms might do things slightly differently, but the foundation is the same: your lectures, your books, your letters, your example. There are common rooms in the house where all devotees can come together and chant the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa or eat His prasādam.
I’m praying so that those common rooms get bigger and bigger and more frequently used. I’m praying so that the many rooms will always have doors to the common areas and will not become locked and stop communicating, their inhabitants no longer coming together with the other inhabitants of the house. I’m praying that by studying your teachings more thoroughly, we will be able to set aside our differences, listen to one another with care and attention, never lock our doors, and always use the common areas of your wonderfully created house.
Please give us strength to serve in cooperation with faith and determination, regardless of the obstacles we face.
Your servant,
Rādhā Kṛṣṇa Dāsa
Homages GBC, 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
Since there are many statements and instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda on guru-tattva and not all of them may be seen as consistent, it will take a concerted effort on the part of many senior devotees in ISKCON to assimilate them and arrive at a clear understanding of how to implement them.
Here are some of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statements and instructions about who should be an initiating guru in ISKCON and what their role should be.
In many places, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that one’s shelter should be a completely pure devotee. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32) Prahlāda Mahārāja says:
naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ
mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat
Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.
Also, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.8, purport): “Therefore, the conclusion is that a spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual master, for he can solve the problems of life.”
In his purport to verse 5 of The Nectar of Instruction, Śrīla Prabhupāda states that only a mahā-bhāgavata devotee should accept and utilize unsupervised contributions:
Indeed, the advanced uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava devotee should be accepted as a spiritual master. Everything one possesses should be offered to him, for it is enjoined that one should deliver whatever he has to the spiritual master. The brahmacārī in particular is supposed to beg alms from others and offer them to the spiritual master. However, one should not imitate the behavior of an advanced devotee or mahā-bhāgavata without being self-realized, for by such imitation one will eventually become degraded.
In his Declaration of Will (June 1977), Śrīla Prabhupāda grants only his appointed managers, such as temple presidents and the GBC, the authority to manage ISKCON’s devotees and followers. He doesn’t give such authority to anyone else, including śikṣā- or dīkṣā-gurus:
1. The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority of the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
2. Each temple will be an ISKCON property and will be managed by three executive directors. The system of management will continue as it is now and there is no need of any change.
Now, we also find that others who are not on the perfectional level of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can also give initiation. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes (Letter to Janardana, New York, 26 April 1968):
The statements of Thakura Bhaktivinode are as good as scriptures because he is liberated person. Generally the spiritual master comes from the group of such eternal associates of the Lord; but anyone who follows the principles of such ever liberated persons is as good as one in the above mentioned group. The gurus from nature’s study are accepted as such on the principle that an elevated person in Krishna Consciousness does not accept anyone as disciple, but he accepts everyone as expansion of his guru. That is very high position, called Maha-bhagavata. Just like Radharani, sometimes thinks a subordinate of hers as her teacher, to understand devotion of Kṛṣṇa. A person who is liberated acharya and guru cannot commit any mistake, but there are persons who are less qualified or not liberated, but still can act as guru and acharya by strictly following the disciplic succession.
In The Nectar of Devotion (chapter 3: “Eligibility of the Candidate for Accepting Devotional Service”), Śrīla Prabhupāda states that a devotee on the platform of niṣṭhā (liberated) is qualified to become a spiritual master, although he may not have obtained the higher stages of pure devotional service, such as ruci, āsakti, bhāva, or prema:
Devotees may be divided into three classes. The devotee in the first or uppermost class is described as follows. He is very expert in the study of relevant scriptures, and he is also expert in putting forward arguments in terms of those scriptures. He can very nicely present conclusions with perfect discretion and can consider the ways of devotional service in a decisive way. He understands perfectly that the ultimate goal of life is to attain to the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, and he knows that Kṛṣṇa is the only object of worship and love. This first-class devotee is one who has strictly followed the rules and regulations under the training of a bona fide spiritual master and has sincerely obeyed him in accord with revealed scriptures. Thus, being fully trained to preach and become a spiritual master himself, he is considered first class. The first-class devotee never deviates from the principles of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures by understanding with all reason and arguments. When we speak of arguments and reason, it means arguments and reason on the basis of revealed scriptures. The first-class devotee is not interested in dry speculative methods meant for wasting time. In other words, one who has attained a mature determination in the matter of devotional service can be accepted as the first-class devotee.
In the following room conversation (Bombay, 22 April 1977), Śrīla Prabhupāda again emphasizes that, to become a spiritual master, one should be a “strict follower” (niṣṭhā):
Prabhupāda: What is the use of producing some rascal guru?
Tamal Krishna: Well, I have studied myself and all of your disciples, and it’s clear fact that we are all conditioned souls, so we cannot be guru. Maybe one day it may be possible …
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Tamal Krishna: … but not now.
Prabhupāda: Yes. I shall choose some guru. I shall say, “Now you become ācārya. You become authorized.” I am waiting for that. You become all ācārya. I retire completely. But the training must be complete.
Tamal Krishna: The process of purification must be there.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, must be there. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants that. 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.”]
“You become guru.” [laughs] But be qualified. Little thing, strictly follower …
Tamal Krishna: Not rubber stamp.
Prabhupāda: Then you’ll not be effective. You can cheat, but it will not be effective. Just see our Gauḍīya Maṭha. Everyone wanted to become guru, and a small temple and “guru.” What kind of guru? No publication, no preaching, simply bring some foodstuff.
Yet, in some places, Śrīla Prabhupāda also says that even on the neophyte stage, a devotee can give initiation. He further indicates that such a devotee, as well as one on the madhyama platform who gives initiation, will not be able to help the disciple advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life, because they are unable to provide sufficient guidance.
One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikārī. 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. (The Nectar of Instruction, verse 5, purport)
However, Śrīla Prabhupāda also emphasizes that householders, in particular, should be initiated so that they can properly engage in Deity worship. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.22) states:
Especially for the householder devotees, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. As far as possible, every householder, by the direction of the spiritual master, must install the Deity of Viṣṇu – forms like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Sītā-Rāma especially, or any other form of the Lord, like Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Gaura-Nitāi, Matsya, Kūrma, śālagrama-śilā and many other forms of Viṣṇu, like Trivikrama, Keśava, Acyuta, Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa and Dāmodara, as They are recommended in the Vaiṣṇava-tantras or Purāṇas – and one should worship the Deity with one’s family, following the directions and regulations of arcana-vidhi. Any member of the family who is above twelve years of age should be initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, and all the members of the household should be engaged in the daily service of the Lord, beginning from morning (4 a.m.) till night (10 p.m.), by performing maṅgala-ārati, nīrājana, arcana, pūjā, kīrtana, śṛṅgāra, bhoga-vaikāli, sandhyā-ārati, pāṭha, bhoga (at night), śayana-ārati, etc. Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical. Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection.
For ISKCON to function effectively, all its members should have clear roles and shared goals. Understanding the role of a temple president and a GBC member in ISKCON is important. Equally important is understanding the role of a spiritual master in ISKCON.
In his purport to verse 5 of The Nectar of Instruction, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes:
One should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikārī. 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. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikārī as a spiritual master.
Still, Śrīla Prabhupāda trained his disciples to become spiritual masters, both initiating and instructing. But the natural conclusion is that, in directing the spiritual lives of disciples, the role of a spiritual master who is not on the highest platform of either bhāva-bhakti or prema-bhakti (uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava) should differ from that of a spiritual master who is an uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava.
Whatever that role may be, it should not include acting as the proprietor or controller of ISKCON’s assets, whether in terms of manpower or finances.
Indeed, the advanced uttama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava devotee should be accepted as a spiritual master. Everything one possesses should be offered to him, for it is enjoined that one should deliver whatever he has to the spiritual master. The brahmacārī in particular is supposed to beg alms from others and offer them to the spiritual master. However, one should not imitate the behavior of an advanced devotee or mahā-bhāgavata without being self-realized, for by such imitation one will eventually become degraded. (The Nectar of Instruction, verse 5)
Still, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that initiation is generally essential for a devotee’s spiritual advancement:
Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. (Gītā 4.34)
Will Śrīla Prabhupāda, as a self-realized spiritual master, be satisfied if his disciples who are not fully self-realized give initiation?
Your servant,
Prahlādānanda Swami
Homages GBC, VP2026
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Thank you again for allowing me to write a few words in glorification of you and in glorification of all that you have done, including, of course, for this undeserving soul.
When I sit to write your homage, I always feel nervous and even experience physical symptoms in support of that. I then try to analyze why that might be happening and can only conclude two things. The first is quite straightforward – I feel I have been promoted way beyond my station in simply being granted the opportunity to glorify you. You are such an extraordinary personality, so who am I to even have a connection with you? Of course, I understand you came in the mood of Lord Caitanya – as patita-pāvana – so no doubt I somewhat qualify in that respect. However, to have the privileged platform to express my appreciation to you directly makes me feel like an imposter, with many thousands, if not more, more deserving than I.
The second thing relates directly to your extraordinariness. Literally everything about you is out of this world. From all the prior predictions about you and what you would do, to the day you appeared on this planet, and then for each day you were physically present. Here is a flavour, a snapshot, of your glorious spiritual achievements:
You spoke daily on the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, delivering thousands of formal lectures. Over 2,200 of those were recorded and archived. You held hundreds of informal conversations on the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with disciples, guests, and friends. Over 1,300 of those were recorded and archived.
You introduced the Sunday Love Feast and other prasādam distribution programs, which provided millions of free spiritual meals to the public.
You circled the globe fourteen times, visiting at least twenty-six countries. You recorded more than twenty albums of devotional music, and of course you produced and published the monthly magazine, Back to Godhead.
You established the Bhaktivedanta Institute to advance Kṛṣṇa consciousness within the scientific community, engaging serious academics in consideration of the science of self-realization.
In 1967, you started Spiritual Sky Incense to provide financial support for the temples. Within four years, Spiritual Sky was generating an annual revenue of 1 million dollars (equivalent to approximately $10 million in 2026).
You established the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust to unearth and renovate the holy places of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
You established FATE Museums, directing some of your followers to learn the art of “doll making” to present Vedic philosophy through dioramas.
You established over a hundred ISKCON centers worldwide.
You initiated many thousands of souls into the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava family.
You established many educational facilities and rural projects.
You established many Govinda’s/Hare Krishna Restaurants worldwide (indeed you are responsible for the world’s first chain of vegetarian restaurants)!
You also began mass prasādam distribution, and now well over 1 billion plates of prasādam have been distributed globally since 1966 via your ISKCON. At present, we are distributing over 50 million plates a year.
Last, but not least, everything that happens in ISKCON today is 100 percent due to you. Without your boarding the Jaladuta in 1965 and taking that perilous six-week journey across the oceans, ISKCON would never have come into being, and the transformation of millions of lives would never have come to pass.
Now, as my seventieth year is no longer far in the distance but rather rapidly approaching, I find my appreciation of the journey you embarked on in 1965 ever more astounding. As my joints ache a little bit more each day and I take longer to get going each morning, and as my energy reserves seem to dwindle unchecked, I simply think, “Bloody hell! How did you do it, Śrīla Prabhupāda? How did you do it?”
So yes, when in the proximity of such greatness, I feel a certain nervousness. But it is, of course, a nervousness I cherish, because without it, I would probably not know you at all. Perish the thought.
Hoping to be your eternal servant,
Praghoṣa Dāsa
