3
I have most probably given many people troubles in the
mind. Some of them might have thought about me that
I am their enemy because I was obliged to speak the
plain truth for service and devotion towards the
Absolute Godhead. I have given them all those troubles
only for the reason that they may turn their face
towards the Personality of Godhead without any desire
for gain and with unalloyed devotion. I hope some day
or other they may understand me rightly."
- His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Prabhupada -
"
Dearest Srila Prabhupada
This year, the ISKCON Pandava Sena present
a Tribute Book at Your Lotus Feet on the 8th December 2012.
It contains a combination of literary, visual and poetic compositions
by the aspiring devotees, describing their gratitude and love for what
You have so mercifully bestowed upon us. During the latter part of
Your visit to this planet, You instructed that the expression of our
love for You will be shown by how well we cooperate with one another.
In this spirit, the Pandava Sena have worked together in
to launch a number of projects. Our university preaching, which was
very dear to You, has soared in numbers. Through this year’s Freshers
preaching alone, we have had 525 vibrant and enthusiastic
students who have attended our Kcsoc events and continue to weekly.
Your causeless mercy knows no bounds. We are eternally grateful to You
for allowing us to know Krishna and allowing us to give this
knowledge to the world. Our lives would be nothing without You.
We incessantly pray with all attempts of humility at Your Lotus Feet to keep us
close to You and Your mission and we hope that our actions and attempts
will put a beaming smile on Your Face and the Acharyas of our parampara.
With love and deep gratitude,
Your Servants at Pandava Sena
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- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
ContentsSri Mangalacharan………………………………………………………….….9-11
Nectar…………………………………………………………………...……..12-13
Branch Offerings:
-Aston University.……………………………………………………….………..17
-Birmingham University………………………………………………………17-18
-Cardiff University…………………………………………………………....18-19
-DeMonfort University..…..……………………………………………………..19
-East London Jammin……………………………………………………………20
-Harrow Jammin’…………………………………………………………………21
-Imperia University..…………………………………………………………..21-22
-Launchpad……………………………………………………………………22-23
-Leicester University………………………………………………………….23-24
-Nottingham University…………………………………………………….……24
-Pandava Sena…………………………………………...........….…………..24-25
-Pstudios…………………………………………………………………………..25
-Queen Mary’s University………………………………………………………..26
Devotee Offerings:
-Abhishek Joshi……………………………………………………………….29-30
-Akash Thakrar………………………………………………………………..30-31
-Arjun Belaid………………………………………………………………………31
-Avnish Popat………………….….………………………………………………32
-Beatrice Baiden………………………………………………………………32-33
-Bhaktin Mitali…………………………………………………………………33-34
-Bhavik Patel………………………………………………………………………34
7
-Bhumi Agravat….………………………………………………….…………………..35
-Braja Vadhu devi dasi…………………………………….………………………..35-36
-Brijesh Vadhvania………………………………………….…………………………..36
-Chandrika Coyle…………………………………………….…………………………36
-Deenal Patel……………………………………..……………………………………..37
-Devanshi….……………………………………..…………………………………..37-38
-Dhani…………………………………………………………..……………..…………38
-Dharmaraj Das……………………………..…………………………………………..38
-Dharmesh Nayee….…………………………….…………………………………38-39
-Dhiren Patel…………………………….………………………………………………39
-Dilan……………………………………….…….……………………………………...40
-Ekadashi Ryan……………………………..………………………………………..40-41
-Geena…………………………………….…….……………………………….………41
-Henal……………………………………..……………………………………….…41-42
-Jahnvi Raniga…………………………….…….………………………………………42
-Janaki Desai…………………………….…….…..……………………………………43
-Jay Krishna…………………………………….……………………………………43-44
-Karishma Paun………………………………..………………………………………..44
-Karunamoya Das…………………………….……………………………………..44-45
-Kasturi Manjari devi dasi……………………..…………………………………....45-46
-Khush Chaudasama………………………….………………………………………..46
-Kinjal Jhutani………………………………….……………………………………46-47
-Kishan Paun.……………………………….……..……….…………………..……47-48
-Komal Parekh…………….….……………………..…………………………………..48
-Krishna Dattani………………………………….……………………………………..49
-Krsna Kirtan Das…………………………………..……………….…………….…50-51
-Lakhan and Hasita………………………………..…………………..……………51-53
-Lalita Sakhi Devi Dasi………………………………..…………………………….53-54
-Madhurananda Das…………………………………..……………………………54-55
-Madhvi……………………………………………………………………………..55-56
8
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
-Micheal…………………………………………………….………….….…..…56-57
-Mihir Kara…………………………………………………………….…………57-58
-Meera Gajj…………………………………………………………………………59
-Mohini Mistry………………………………………………………………………60
-Murlidhara Priya Das………………………………………………………………61
-Neha………………………………………………………………………………...62
-Nikhil Padiar………………………………………………………………………..62
-Nilee Joshi………………………………………………………………………62-63
-Palika…………………………………………………………………………….63-64
-Prayag Thakrar……………………………………………………………………..64
-Priya Ghelani…………………………………………………………………….…65
-Raaj Raniga…………………………………………………………………………65
-Radha Vinode………………………………………………………………………66
-Radhika Joshi………………………………………………………………………67
-Rahul Popat………………………………………………………………………...68
-Rangadevi devi dasi………………………………………………………………69
-Ravi Pattni……………………………………………………………………….69-70
-Ravi Talsania………………………………………………………………….…70-72
-Sahil Agarwal………………………………………………………………………72
-Sejal…………………………………………………………………………………72
-Shankar……………………………………………………………………………..73
-Shiv………………………………………………………………………………73-74
-Shyam Dattani……………………………………………………………………...75
-Sona……………………………………………………………………………..75-76
-Sunil…………………………………………………………………………………76
-Umeeka……………………………………………………………………….…76-77
-Vedant………………………………………………………………………………77
-Vishal popat………………………………………………………………………...77
-Vrinda Kishori Dasi……………………………………………………………..77-78
9
-Vrindavan Bihari………………………………………………………………..78-79
-Yaajan Govindia……………………………………………………………………79
-Yash Karia………………………………………………………….……………79-80
-Your incompetent servant…………………………………………………………80
8
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
9
Sri Mangalacaran
Om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-shalakaya
chakshur unmilitam yena tasmai shri-guruve namaha
I was born in the darkest of ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my
eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.
shri-chaitanya-mano 'bhishtam sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam
When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this
material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Chaitanya, give me
shelter under his lotus feet?
vande 'ham shri-guroh shri-yuta-pada-kamalam shri-gurun vaishnavams cha
shri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam
sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krishna-chaitanya-devam
shri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita-shri-vishakhanvitamsh cha
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master
and unto the feet of all Vaishnavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the
lotus feet of Srila Rupa Gosvami along with his elder brother Sanatana
Gosvami, as well as Raghunatha Dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta, Gopala
Bhatta, and Srila Jiva Gosvami.
10
I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Krishna Chaitanya and Lord
Nityananda, along with Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and
other associates. I offer my respectful obeisances to Srimati
Radharani, and Sri Krishna along with Their associates, Sri Lalita and
Vishakha.
he krishna karuna-sindho dina bandho jagat pate
gopesha gopika-kanta radha-kanta namo 'stu te
O my dear Krishna, You are the friend of the distressed and the
source of creation. You are the master of the gopis and the lover of
Radharani. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe vrindavaneshvari
vrishabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye
I offer my respects to Radharani whose bodily complexion is like
molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrindavana. You are the
daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord
Krishna.
11
vancha-kalpa tarubhyash cha kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namaha
I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees
of the Lord who can fulfil the desires of everyone, just like desire
trees, and who are full of compassion for the fallen souls.
shri krishna chaitanya prabhu nityananda
shri advaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
I offer my obeisances to Shri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu
Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Shrivasa and all others in
the line of devotion.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
12
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
“The qualities in Srila Prabhupada that stand out in my mind are
assuredness, certainly and conviction. Prabhupada didn't hypothesize or
theorize. He spoke the truth with such conviction that you could
understand that what he said was true. His purity came through with his
message arid his message could not be argued. 1 was convinced by Srila
Prabhupada's conviction and purity. When he said something with that
conviction and that purity, there was nothing else to say.
You were convinced.”
- HH Candramauli Swami -
13
“Brahmananda said that when Prabhupada asked him to go to Macmillan to
give them the Bhagavad-gita manuscript, he was hesitant. Brahmananda
thought, "Macmillan's a big company, how Will they be interested in this?"
But when Brahmananda—or any of us—submitted to Prabhupada's direction,
combined with the chanting and the philosophy and the entire process or the
treatment, as Prabhupada sometimes called it, then awesome things
happened. As Prabhupada said, "The pure devotee doesn't do anything
extraordinary, but extraordinary things take place all around him."
- Hamsadutta Das -
"In my room I have a mridanga so I play it for a while.
When I get tired of that, I do some translation. When
I finish with that, I sing a song on the harmonium.
Then I have correspondence to do. I have one
activity after another, all connected to Krishna".
- His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada -
14
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
15
16
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
17
Aston University
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
shrimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi pashcatya-desha-tarine
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
On behalf of Aston University Krishna Consciousness
society, I would like to offer you our heartfelt gratitude and
thank you for giving us unqualified and fallen students access
to Krishna in the most simplest way possible... through his
Holy name. University can be a time where many students
can much too easily steer off into the wrong direction and
make countless mistakes and commit offenses that they may
not even realise the precautions of. However through the
existence of such societies all around the UK and the entire
world, you have provided hope to these lost and helplessly
wondering souls. You have given them guidance, direction
and a rare opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Through the means of this society, your books are
distributed, people in this university regardless of their
colour, caste or creed are able to chant the holy name and
spiritually progress. Prashadam is distributed on a weekly
basis and most importantly, inspiring and educational classes
are given by various speakers who make them interacting,
thought provoking and thoroughly engaging. Please bless
them with both bhakti and shakti to be able to continue
serving in such a way for many years to come.
On this auspicious day, I would like to ask for your kind
mercy and blessings to help Aston Krishna Consciousness
society to grow further and reach more students. Even if one
individual takes up Krishna Consciousness seriously, I will
consider all our efforts to be a great success. I hope and pray
that you will be there with us to guide us and point us in the
right direction whenever we deviate from our goals. Please
give us the shakti to allow us to work together, as a strong
team and without
quarrelling to serve you and help you in your mission and
maybe even send more souls back home to our beautiful blue
Lord, Shree Krishna.
Your forever indebted servants,
Aston Krishna Consciousness society :)
Birmingham City
University
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories unto your
lotus feet!! By Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and your divine mercy, our
university preaching programs have started quite steadily this
term. We have now received 21 paid members to date and
have distributed a number of your transcendental books to
them too. Our aim this academic year is not quantity,but
quality, and of course not to be attached to any results, as we
are simply instruments trying to please you and the previous
acaryas. We are so far seeing some potential from our
members, especially from one or two local British students
who are very inquisitive and sincere souls, who are asking
many nice questions.
Our committee has learnt from the previous year that
patience is key, since making devotees is very difficult, as it is
mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita that only very few souls in
the material
18
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
world are interested in transcendental knowledge and
enquiring about the real meaning of life.
Sometimes it could be difficult to organise the programs as
we’d like every single week or attract numbers to our events.
This is especially the case in all western universities, whereby
the majorities of students are simply addicted to sense
enjoyment and engaged in sinful activities. Nevertheless, we
try to be positive, as we are aware that a little exposure to
Krsna Consciousness is the beginning of one’s spiritual
journey and it gives eternal spiritual benefits for any students
coming to our programs, such as our events. Finally, please
kindly bless us that we will be able to find suitable
replacements for the different committee positions for next
year, as we are currently struggling to single out any potential
candidates for all the committee positions, namely president,
treasurer and secretary.
Hare Krishna!
Your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Ian, on behalf of University of Birmingham Krishna
Consciousness Society
Committee
2012-2013
Cardiff University
Dearest Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obesiances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada.
There is such a great opportunity to meet people from all
walks of life and give an experience that is eternally
beneficial rather than the quick fixes of the normal
student life.
Cardiff Krishna Consciousness society was running
previously but stopped as no one was available to run the
society. This year the society was established once again
after several challenges and a process of nearly a year to
become affiliated to the Union!
University preaching is an exciting and dynamic
experience. This year we have high hopes for our society.
Fresher’s fair was very successful and we managed to get
190 sign ups. We have been holding weekly events and it
has been so encouraging and enlivening to see how
Krishna consciousness is inspiring the students. It has
also been so inspiring to see the mood of the Welsh
devotees and their passion and dedication for preaching.
Cardiff Krishna Consciousness Society relies on the
efforts of these devotees and the success of these
programs is a tribute to their enthusiasm for service.
One particularly memorable moment from this year was
when a girl from our society suggested using re-usable
plates, cups and spoons for prasadam. On top of this she
offered to wash up and clean the plates afterwards too! It
was so nice to be able to see someone having the
opportunity of service through a humble University
society.
There are many exciting things in store for our society.
With a new temple soon to be built in Cardiff, only a
walking distance from the University, we will be able to
provide a much more intimate and deeper experience of
Krishna consciousness and, with your blessings, engage
the students further.
19
Throughout all this our prayer as a society is that we can
continue to serve you to the best of our abilities and
present this essential philosophy in a tangible way. Please
shower us with your blessings so we can progress in this
service.
Your servants
Cardiff Krishna Consciousness society
DeMontford
University
You are part of the many few,
Who spread the word of Krishna through the west,
and now, ISKCON is one of the best.
Introduced to me since the age of the 11,
You made me realise there is far more than heaven,
That we are not this body, but we are the soul,
From this, I am able to achieve any goal.
Last year at De Montfort University,
Just as easy as making tea,
Events started of great,
But very quickly the numbers began to dilate.
Everything went downhill from here,
We almost lost something which is quite dear,
Ready to shatter just like glass,
We realised there is no point holding on to the past.
When four to five people used to come,
KC Soc did not feel like home,
But since the ten fold increase in number,
We have woken from our slumber.
A new committee was assembled,
Since then inspiration has bubbled,
The solution was simple,
And all we needed were these amazing people.
This year,
We have nothing to fear,
Sponsorships have been confirmed,
And now KC Soc is long term.
There is a vast amount of thanking to do,
To Shrila Prabhupada and the national committee too,
But words cannot simply describe,
The amount of thanks we would like to prescribe,
From the one and only, De Montfort University,
Who will spread the word for eternity.
Please give us your blessings that with the mercy of Guru
and Gauranga, we are able to sustain this beautiful service
of ours and be able to plant the seed of spirituality in all
individuals heart's.
Your servant,
De Montfort University KC Soc Team
20
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
East London Jammin’
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories unto
you.
Dear Prabhupada, East London Jammin would like to
beg for your mercy as we go into a new year. Please be
with us as we try to do our very best in bringing Krishna
Consciousness to the youth of today. Please bless us, so
that we can share the Holy name with other souls and
bring them closer to Krishna. When finding new ways to
make jammin the best it can, your achievements clearly
shine through; you have travelled the world preaching
the holy names in the harshest conditions, your selfless
nature and un dyeing need to serve others is what keeps
us motivated and enthusiastic.
At East London Jammin, we have tried to come up with
innovative ways of preaching and have tried to create an
atmosphere where people can learn more about Krishna
consciousness and where they can associate with
devotees. Due to your mercy, Jammin is growing and we
seem to be getting more and more people interested in
Krishna Consciousness. We are so astonished at how you
had gotten thousands of people all around the world to
follow Krishna consciousness and how you have
established so many temples and centres all over the
world. We struggle to get as many people coming to
jamming as we hoped, however we have adopted the
mood that jammin is successful if at least one new person
becomes closer to Krishna. We try to make jammin more
vibrant, active and inspiring as possible for the people
that attend. The results are not always what we had
hoped for. It has been hard this year for East London
Jammin, but due to your mercy we have been given so
many opportunities which will make jammin a success.
This year at East London Jammin our team was
remarkable. We had devotees making flyers and
promoting at major events such as Ilford rathayatra,
people to cultivate the new people, people to make
prashadam for jammin events every two weeks, and also
people to promote jammin in every way possible. We
couldn’t have made such advancement without the
endeavour of each team member. Each member of the
team puts in so much effort with the service that they
have been given and always seem to surprise us; they each
possess unique and wonderful skills which they use
within their service to help spread Krishna Consciousness
and bring people closer to Krishna. Each and every
member of the team makes east London jammin a
success and we couldn’t have done this without your
guidance.
We have now another year ahead, you are the reason why
East London Jammin is growing and the reason why it
has made such advancement. We sincerely are asking for
your blessings as you are the inspiration that keeps us
going, you are our teacher and guide. All of your amazing
and aspiring achievements are what keeps us enthusiastic
and full of new ideas. You are clearly the driving force
that pushes East London Jammin to new and great
things. We beg for your mercy and blessings as we
continue to try to fulfil your mission. We thank you so
much for everything that you have done for us.
Your servant,
East London Jammin
21
Harrow Jammin’
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept our humble obeciences, all glories unto you.
In the past year Prabhupada, our Jammin sessions have
been really amazing. This year alone, we have had an
average turnout of over 70 people, some of which are
already taking up to devotional service very
enthusiastically! We understand that this is simply
insignificant to the number of people you preached to
and brought into the movement, but we humbly beg for
your mercy Prabhupada to allow us to try and make as
many devotees as we can. It’s because of you Prabhupada,
and your teaching on the importance of prashadam, that
so many people make food for your devotees without a
second thought! It just goes to show how much you have
inspired everyone of all ages. Through your mercy
Prabhupada, the biggest and by far the most amazing
event was “The Show Off”. Your devotees have so much
amazing talent and were even put in the local newspaper
for this! We hope this will attract even more people to
come to these sessions and gain some insight into higher
thinking.
Prabhupada, what we really have to thank you for this
year, is the most amazing team you have given us. Each
and every soul serves with so much enthusiasm and so
much determination to please Krsna, that it simply
motivates everyone else to do the same. So we beg that
you continue to give us your mercy and allow us to carry
on serving You and your devotees, and through them, we
will ultimately serve Krsna. The New Year is soon to be
upon us and we sincerely ask for your blessings because
we know we will achieve nothing unless you are pleased.
You are the inspiration Prabhupada, for each and every
one of us. If we are ever short of ideas, we think of what
you would have done to preach to the masses. Therefore
we will try to follow in your footsteps Prabhupada, by
preaching to any and every one about the glories of Lord
Hari, but we humbly beg for your mercy in doing so as
we realise that we cannot do anything if it were not for
you. We are just so grateful of what you have done for us,
and we hope that we can please you in return. Thank you
Prabhupada.
Your fallen servants at Harrow Jammin.
Imperial College London
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Hare Krishna,
All Glories to Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila
Prabhupada
Please Accept My Humble obeisances.
I cannot express how much Imperial College London is
indebted to you right now. We have been having Gita
Sutras sessions here since last few years but the turn out
had been really low. This year we started off by
advertising the event more and we had a significant turn-
out. We cannot thank Sachi Kishore prabhu enough,
who has been leading the sessions and has been blessing
us with his mercy.
We would like to thank you all from the depths of our
hearts for starting the preaching of Krishna
Consciousness in universities. This has led us students to
22
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
practice our Krishna Consciousness even in a busy
university life. It gave us the path to make new Krishna
Conscious friends who would help us to keep our
devotion improving and not getting deviated by Maya.
These sessions have been really useful for us in
developing our knowledge and learning more about
Krishna Consciousness. We would like to have a KCSoc
in Imperial College London which doesn't yet exist and
would need a lot of your blessings and mercy to be able
to start one. Something which we are trying to focus on
this year is get a more diverse community for the sessions
because till now we have been having more of the Indian
population attending the events.
Please shower Imperial College London with your mercy
so we could get more people to be involved in Krishna
Consciousness and make them know more about the real
goal of the life which is to serve Krishna. We need your
blessing in order to not get involved in Maya and keep
our Krishna Consciousness developing while in a student
life. Please endow Imperial with mercy from your lotus
feet so we can start a KCSoc this year.
Your aspiring servants,
Imperial College London Devotees
Launchpad Team
Dear Srila Prabhupada
Please accept our most respectful obeisances again and
again. All glories to you and your wonderful service to
your beloved Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakur.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Sri Krishna, He who is the
source of all spiritual and material worlds, explains that
out of millions of people, only one will want to search for
a deeper meaning, and out of those millions who want to
search for a deeper meaning, only one will come to know
Him in full knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada, if you so desire, by your compassion
and mercy, please allow all the souls of Launchpad a
chance to know Krishna in full. There is no doubt in our
minds that by your mercy you can allow all those souls,
each and every individual one of them, to take shelter of
the Lotus Feet of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha
Shyamsundar.
By your mercy, you can come through to help them to
enthusiastically take to the path of Bhakti-Yoga, and to
perform wonderful loving devotional service to Lord
Hari, the one who takes away all distress and miseries.
By your mercy, you have given millions of people the
experience of pure love for Krishna.
By your mercy, you can come through to help each soul
to be like 1-in-a-million's.
We kindly ask you to be our speech.
We kindly ask you to be our intellect.
We kindly ask you to act as our will
We kindly ask you to say everything you wish through
us.
We kindly ask you to say whatever you desire, in
however way you desire for it to be said.
We kindly ask you to engage us as an instrument only of
your instructions, your compassion, your inspiration,
your influence and your love.
23
We kindly ask you to play the part of the violinist, as we
so desperately try to play the part of the violin
For this seminar, we no longer desire to be an instrument
of our own thoughts, whims, and wills. We've made so
many external arrangements thinking them to be perfect
but without your presence, nothing is perfect. So we
kindly ask you to come through as we try to assist you in
inspiring everybody to again make contact with the
Supersoul within, and as we somehow attempt to serve in
the mission of the most magnanimous Sri Sri Gaura-
Nitai.
Your aspiring servants,
Launchpad team
University of Leicester
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te saraswate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
To our Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories unto
You.
We would like to thank you for giving us this
opportunity to come together each week. Fun, games and
delicious prasadam is what we try to offer and by Your
Grace, ultimately the attendees may receive some
spiritual transformation. Tuesday nights
wouldn’t be the same for so many if You hadn’t stepped
foot onto the Jaladuta and fought Your way through
hardship, to bring the wonderful gift of Krishna
Consciousness into our lives. In fulfilling Your Guru-
Maharaj’s instruction, You said: ‘I am eighty years old, so
travelling is not a very good job for me but still I do it –
just to encourage them.’ This encouragement is not only
wide spanning but has directly made us somewhat
‘Krishna confident’.
If it weren’t for Your tireless, unwavering efforts in
translating books, giving lectures and singing the glories
of the Lord, then the darkness of ignorance would be
greatly present in all of our lives. The unfortunate
situation lies that we are unable to replicate Your
enthusiasm for pleasing the Lord. We, alone, cannot give
Krishna to the people directly; it is only by Your mercy
and staunch example which gives us some encouragement
- else we are alone.
Thank You for giving us what we need to try and spread
this unique experience of Krishna Consciousness to
students.
We beg for Your blessings so that we may attempt to
fulfil Your mission and guide as many souls back home,
back to Godhead. We hope that in our small endeavour,
we will bring a smile to Your face.
Let us always remain in Your service and forever be
attached at Your lotus feet.
Your ever-grateful servants,
The Krishna Consciousness Society, University of
Leicester
24
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
University of Nottingham
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances on this most
auspicious day of Vyasa Puja. All glories to Your Divine
Grace.
Through your teachings and dedication, Krishna
Consciousness Societies across many UK Universities are
successfully running and spreading Krishna consciousness
to hundreds of students. It is truly wonderful to
experience and share the teachings of Krishna here
in Nottingham by the blessings of Your Grace as well as
being able to observe the devotion to Krishna
consciousness by all the other Krishna Consciousness
Societies around the UK. Thank you for your guidance
and books which have opened our eyes to the purpose of
life which we are gratefully able to share with students
through interactive discussions at university. Please bless
us so that we can continue to serve you and spread
Krishna consciousness to even more people.
Thank you!
Pandava Sena
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to you.
By your mercy many things have happened in your
ISKCON Pandavasena since last year. IPS, started and
maintained by many amazing and intelligent devotees of
yours has been a place where many young people can
come and get connected to the culture of devotion, and
your ISKCON. Young people from temple goers, to
university students, to people shopping in the streets
have been touched by the philosophy and science of
Krishna Consciousness that you shared with the western
world. Many people are connecting to IPS and beginning
their journey in re-establishing their forgotten
relationship with Krishna because of the hard work done
by devotees over 18 years ago, when setting up this youth
group.
Over the last few years, we have been very fortunate to
have many blessings from your dear servants and in
particular HH Sacinandana Swami who has invested a lot
of time into IPS. We understand this to be your mercy
and are very grateful for such undeserving mercy.
We are taking guidance from your dear disciples such as
HH Bhakti Caru Swami and HH Sacinandana Swami in
order to try and develop and grow from the foundation
that has been laid by the devotees who began, and
maintained IPS for almost 2 decades.
Srila Prabhupada, your ISKCON movement and
presentation of the science of Krishna Consciousness is so
wonderful, that it allows people from every background,
with any interest to be connected to Krishna in some way
or another.
In that spirit we are trying to connect people to Krishna
and yourself through aspects of life they resonate with.
We are trying to engage people according to what they
enjoy, so they will be happy in Krishna Consciousness
and hopefully move closer and closer to coming back to
you. Please give us your blessings that we may be able to
25
extend ourselves to the innocent souls who are looking
for Krishna but haven't found Him yet in this lifetime.
Please also give us your blessings that the devotees
engaged in service can be well supported, enjoy their
service and move closer towards remembering our
forgotten relationship with Krishna.
We are really trying to establish a mood of love and care
amongst the devotees, and an environment where every
devotee feels happily engaged, cared for and supported in
their Krishna Consciousness. Please Prabhupada, guide
us and bless us to serve your movement in a way that will
please you.
Thank you Srila Prabhupada for saving us.
Your insignificant servants,
ISKCON Pandava Sena
Pstudios
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
This year we've began a project called PStudios which
acts as a creative media division of sena. Sena projects
always need posters/video's so we hope to be able to help
them represent sena in a creative and dynamic way, but
mainly create videos, photos, music, and interactive
games from a creative subtle/bridge preaching angle.
We have a skilled team who can really push the
boundries and are very enthusiastic for the project.
Krishna Caitanya who wants to create interactive media
which sena have never done before.
Nandu who is a photoshop genius and is concentrating
on helping KC socs with quality posters.
Kavi who is our out-of-the-box thinkiner, is working on
designing logo’s for different areas of sena.
Arjun’s musical talent will come into use for video’s we
create and also music production.
Rahul is taking time out from his studies to make things
easier for the team such as creating a request form on the
website, he’s silently working away at creating a web
space for all our work to be shown.
Daya is our animation expert and has made Krishna
pastimes in the past and is helping with ideas and
animations for kc concepts on a generic level for anyone
to grasp the understanding.
Brooke works with special effects and video editing.
She is our go-to person if we ever need ideas and
feedback, and helps anywhere we need it.
Jigna is managing the project, distributing the projects
and bring all the ideas together as well as being
responsible for all of Senagetaway's media needs.
As well as all their talents, each person brings a different
flavour of their own passion and drive to create ‘less
ordinary’ material for Pandavasena.
This team has just begun and we hope to go forth with
many project through the year and hopefully present
some innovative ideas surrounding Krishna Conscious
values that you will be pleased with. Please guide the
group in the right direction to create powerful media and
enjoyable experiences from serving in your army.
Thank you for giving us everything we have.
26
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
Queen Mary’s University
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Please accept our humble obeisances. We would
like to grasp this opportunity to say thank you very
much for introducing the Krishna Consciousness
movement to us which you began so many years
ago. By your mercy we hope to become a little
more Krishna conscious and Krishna confident.
At Queen Mary University, we have attracted a
small but dedicated group of students who have
shown much interest in the society. We sincerely
hope and pray we are able to continue to inspire
such individuals.
Lastly, thank you for allowing us to serve you and
lead this wonderful society. Please provide us with
the strength and intelligence to be able to perform
our own spiritual practises with sincerity and
enthusiasm. Our objective is to assist you in
spreading good words about Krishna and assisting
others to become Krishna confident.
Your servants,
Queen Mary Krishna Consciousness Team.
27
In the early days at 26 Second Avenue, Kirtanananda tried to
impose austerities on everyone. Every Sunday there'd be a lot
of sweetballs left over from the feast and for Monday's
breakfast we'd drop those sweetballs in our hot farina cereal.
It was a delightful breakfast. But Kirtanananda insisted that
we couldn't have more than two sweetballs each and that
became an issue we haggled over at istagosthi. We couldn't
resolve it, so it came to Prabhupada's attention. Everybody
assembled. The problem was laid out before Prabhupada and
Prabhupada said, "So everyone can have as many sweetballs
as they like. But Kirtanananda can only have two."
That was Prabhupada's sense of humor.
“
”
28
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
29
Abhishek Joshi
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories unto
you!
Spending time with my peers, on a sincere Krsna
conscious level, with the motive to genuinely advance in
spiritual life is called real association. The mistake I have
always made in my life is that I have never appreciated
my peers. Appreciating them, respecting them and
honouring them is called real association. My false ego
doesn't allow me to actually want to learn from them.
Becoming a student in every interaction I have with
people is called real association. I create so many offences
in both my mind and in person because I constantly try
to find faults in others Glorifying them from the heart,
and realising the amount of faults I have myself is called
real association. So therefore Srila Prabhupada, please in
order to learn and apply real association, give me your
blessings. I beg for your shelter, I beg for your mercy.
I have never really been able to pray in my life with a
clear conscience, The whole idea of chanting the Hare
Krsna maha-mantra is to be constantly praying. I can't
even think of Krsna properly when I chant, so what hope
is there for me?
Opening my heart and mind out fully to Krsna is known
as real prayer. Opening my heart and mind out fully to
some of my seniors is also known as real prayer. Reading
the Acharya’s prayers and trying to understand their
mood, without imitating their exhaulted actions is real
prayer. Understanding that ultimately everything is upto
Krsna is real prayer. The only prayer I am qualified to
make is to pray to Krsna to give me strength and
empowerment, so that I am able to carry out the
instructions of my spiritual master; so that I can follow
your instructions.
So therefore Srila Prabhupada, please in order to learn
and apply real prayer, give me your blessings. I beg for
your shelter, I beg for your mercy. I get so caught up in
the world around me, and everything happening in even
Krsna consciousness, that I don't get time to even reflect,
which is one of the most under-rated aspects of spiritual
life.
Bhaktivinoda Thakur said as a minimum to reflect every
ekadashi, and I can't even reflect truly every year. Krsna
wanted me to understand this, and so he put me through
so much pain that I was physically not able to do
anything. He gave me this time to reflect and introspect,
to take time out, slow down, and make me realise all my
problems and faults in Krsna Consciousness. Seeing
every chastisement, obstacle and problem as an
opportunity to advance is known as real introspection
Thinking about others more and of myself less is known
as real introspection. Seeing myself as the root cause of a
problem before blaming someone else is known as real
introspection.
Respecting the advice I get from ANYONE and applying
it to my life is known as real introspection. So therefore
Srila Prabhupada, please in order to learn and apply real
introspection, give me your blessings. I beg for your
shelter, I beg for your mercy.
I have always wondered why there is so much emphasis
in waking up early, and doing things in
regulation. Regulation is so important, that such small
30
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
details when adjusted, can lead to an improvement in
spiritual life. I have a tendency to always think I can chant
my rounds later rather than now, when the whole idea
should be that I should have already planned when to chant
my rounds, so that these questions don't even come into my
head - that is the power of regulation. Understanding
hearing, reading and chanting play an integral for my
spiritual advancement, and prioritising them to be done at
the beginning of the day is called real regulation. Putting
aside time, and doing every activity in a Krsna Conscious
mindset systematically is known as real regulation.
So therefore Srila Prabhupada, please in order to learn and
apply real regulation, give me your blessings. I beg for your
shelter, I beg for your mercy.
Every service I do, I always have a selfish desire of either
gaining name, or fame or prestige, or even attention from
others. The idea of devotional service is to selflessly give your
time in order to please the devotees and ultimately Krsna.
The mentality should solely be, 'What can I do to please the
devotees?', because I understand that by pleasing the
devotees, Krsna is pleased.
I have such a long way to go to get to that stage, as I am fake,
selfish hypocrite that only does a service if he wants to.
Sacrificing my life for the movement like you did is known
as real devotional service. Seeing any service that comes my
way as an opportunity to advance rather than an opportunity
to achieve recognition is known as real devotional service.
Understanding that ISKCON is a family and that You are
the head of that family and serving in that mood is known as
real devotional service. Wanting to receive no credit or glory
for anything I do, and only wanting the credit to go to you is
known as real devotional service.
So therefore Srila Prabhupada, please in order to learn and
apply real devotional service, give me your blessings.
I beg for your shelter, I beg for your mercy. Srila
Prabhupada, although I never met you, I can always feel your
presence over my shoulder. I want to always pray to Krsna
only for help to follow your instructions, and the instructions
of your devotees. It's about time I admitted to myself that I
am not taking Krsna Consciousness seriously. There have
been many moments in my life where I have pretended to be
a devotee, and expected Krsna to care for me. I am a fool for
even trying to doubt the philosophy. In fact, I have not right
to make judgements on the process or even on other devotees
who are all trying to hard to follow the process. This is
because I haven't even started to follow the process and your
instructions to heart properly. I often start criticising others
for what they are doing, but I am not in a position to think
like this.
So therefore Srila Prabhupada, please look after me, and help
me to try and start taking Krsna Consciousness seriously. I
beg for your shelter, I beg for your mercy, and I beg to
always stay near your lotus feet.
your unqualified beggar,
Abhishek
Akash Thakrar
nama on visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
---
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
cakshur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
---
mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
shri-gurum dina-taranam
---
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
31
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus
feet. All glories to you on this most auspicious
appearance day of your divine grace.
At the most unexpected intervals throughout my week, I
catch glimpses of the reasons why I have a sense of
gratitude and appreciation for you. Even though I never
have had the opportunity to be in your physical presence
I feel intimately connected with you via video footage I
have seen of you, lectures you have given and most
importantly your books you have written to save the
fallen souls ,of Kali.
By teaching us by personal example, Prabhupada, you
truly make the world’s ideal acharya. Despite being
empowered by Lord Caitanya to spread the holy name of
Krishna throughout the world, you perform your
devotional service strictly following the instructions of
your spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. By your personal
example you teach us to accept all austerities to carry out
the order of the spiritual master. Furthermore, by your
tapasya, you have given the incredible gift of this Krishna
Consciousness movement to the whole world. You have
produced not just one successor, but many. I am seeing
you shine through more and more in your sincerest
followers. You have a number of disciples who have been
strictly following your instructions for over forty years
now and clearly are empowered souls. They are touching
the hearts of thousands of people all over the world. This
is another proof of you being the empowered Acharya for
this age. Last week I was thinking the process you have
prescribed for the path of self-realisation is so simple and
systematic. It is not a process that even requires an
individual to speculate. In the approach to your Tribute
Festival, I have been contemplating what my relationship
is with you and what exactly it is I have to be grateful for.
Is it your appearance? Is it the incredibly amazing work
you did and service you rendered on this planet despite
the age of quarrel and hypocrisy we live in?
The temples you set up? The devotees you created,
nurtured and nourished?
The fact is Prabhupada, from this I came to the simple
conclusion that, you have given me everything that is
worth having in my life.
I pray to you, Prabhupada, to always keep me in the
loving association of your devotees across the world and
help me to flourish in Krishna Consciousness and
hopefully inspire others to become devotees of the Lord.
With endless love and gratitude from your ever aspiring
& undeserving servant,
Akash Thakrar
Arjun Belaid
All Glories To Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai, Srila Prabhupad,
thank you so much for bringing this beautiful movement
to the western world and opening everybody's eyes to the
eternal truth within Krishna Consciousness, this
movement has changed the life of thousands thanks to
you, despite having three heart attacks on your journey to
the west you kept on fighting and opened the first
ISKCON temple in America, ever since then our
movement has been growing,
So thank you Prabhupada, Hare Krsna! All Glories To
Srila Prabhupada!
32
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
Avnish Popat
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to you!
This is my first offering I have written in many years to
you and this is partly down to my inability to put into
words how indebted I am to you. You have rescued
thousands of vaishnavas from this ocean of material
suffering and I hope one day this poor ignorant fool will
also be rescued.
If it wasn’t for yourself, bringing this eastern philosophy
to the west, acting on your spiritual master’s orders, I
would be wasting my life indulging myself in maya. For
this, and many other reasons, I am eternally grateful. I
just wish that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prediction
comes true very soon and the Hare Krishna mantra can
be heard every town and village.
The Warwick Krishna Consciousness society is going
very well this year. We have been getting more diverse
crowds and hope to make a few western devotees by the
end of the year. Please give us your blessings, so the
society continues to blossom and we can welcome more
people to join our ISKCON family.
One thing that upset me is the fact I never had your
association. However, after reading Prabhupada Nectar, I
feel I know you on a personal level. I hope to read more
of your books soon to get to know you even better.
Your eternal servant,
Avnish Popat
Beatrice Baiden
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri
Guru and Sri Gauranga.
Anything I can scrape together to make an offering is
woefully short in terms of really acknowledging
everything you have done for me. I was in the mire of
material life, sinking fast in that swollen ocean of material
desire. You lifted me out with your books and guiding
hand. Your presentation of the siddhanta cuts through
my material attachments in a sharp yet sweet and loving
way.
Lately I have been watching the 'Following Srila
Prabhupada' film series your dear most disciples
Yadubara prabhu and Visakha devi dasi created. I feel
that through seeing the appreciation of your disciples I
can achieve some semblance of appreciating your glories.
Through the series and the many recollections your
disciples presented, I gained a sense that like Krishna you
interact with the individual according to their level of
realisation, according to their advancement of
consciousness. At the same time you retain such a distinct
personality. And all these moods are simply external
manifestations of your deep love for Krishna and His
devotees. You are love in action. Sometimes you would
convey this love with one glance at your disciple. Just as
one glance of Krishna's impregnates the material world
with living entities, one glance from you would plant a
deep seed of bhakti within your devotees hearts.
Now I am trying to hear from you. I am trying to read
your books daily. Please bless me so that I may continue
33
this offering and follow the three step process of vijnana,
realisation. That I may read your books, genuinely
contemplate the message and apply your teaching to my
life. I pray that I may serve you in any way pleasing to
you and Krishna. Thank you very much.
Your aspiring servant,
Beatrice
Bhaktin Milati
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine Lotus
Feet! All glories unto your divine grace!
In desiring to write something to glorify you on this
wonderful occasion in celebrating your Vyasa Puja, one
of the key things that comes to mind is firstly your
undivided compassion to save the fallen conditioned
souls and secondly unconditional first class devotion to
the Supreme Lord.
The question that i often fathom upon is "how could one
ever unreservedly love and simultaneously distribute it to
everyone in abundance?"Deeper and deeper i try to
contemplate on the nature of this love, i find the answer
lies in your nectarian words which are beyond the
understanding of many layers of this material creation.
That is, the pure absolute love that everyone is truly
hankering after is contained within the Lord Himself,
after all He is the fountainhead of all spiritual love!
However, by the grace of Guru and Krsna, when the seed
of devotion gets planted in the heart and is watered
carefully with the process of bhakti, one gradually
develops that love. As they go on unconditionally serving
the Lord in the mood of pleasing Him, then one is able
to relish ecstatic love for Krsna. And whilst unable to
restrain it from within, it overflows from the core of their
heart inundating anyone who comes in contact with it
even for a fraction of a second.
When i think of the above statement, i think of you only
dear Srila Prabhupada! You had such faith in your Guru
Maharaj that upon hearing on his instruction to preach
worldwide on your first meeting, you completely
surrendered your body, mind, words and actions just to
make his vision your mission. Since 1922, with that
vision engraved in your heart for the decades to come
upon, you worked towards it with great
determination, enthusiasm and patience not once
deviating from the goal no matter how many difficulties
you had to endure. At the end when you had ultimately
found your happiness and serenity at the abode of Sri
Radha Damodara temple, you decided to even leave
those comforts behind and embarked onto a new journey
that you had been longing for just to save us all from the
darkness of ignorance forged over countless of lifetimes.
And in so doing this you bestowed us with the crest jewel
of Lord Caitanya's one of many ripened fruits - param
vijayate sri-Krsna-sankirtanam! You had envisioned
magnificent Radha Krsna temples, transcendental books
in various languages, devotees singing, dancing and
distributing this fruit to others worldwide but at that
point mentioned that only time separated us! How great
was your vision, how great was your love and sacrifice for
us, how great was your faith in Krsna and the result is the
manifestation of ISKCON. All this could only be
possible by the mercy of Guru and Krsna through your
complete surrender and dependence on the Lord.
34
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
Due to my many shortcomings and anarthas i have no
appreciation and gratitude for what you have given us.
Therefore, my humble attempt lies in making the focus
of my life into a reality which is to be fully absorbed in
the instructions of your books, always chanting the
glories of the holyname and receiving Krsna’s darshana.
Reflecting on how i could execute this, i think of the
following verse from Srimad Bhagavatam:
sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto
bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā kan ānilah
smrtim punar vismrta-tattva-vartmanām
kuyoginām no vitaraty alam varaih
"My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses
uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your
lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the
transcendental vibration from the mouths of great
devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your
lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers
his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus
gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of
life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other
benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth
of Your pure devotee." (SB
4.20.25)
Srila Prabhupada, this explains why your words are so
potent, and to access this mercy one must sincerely take
shelter of them through the association of Vaishnavas. As
your grandchild who is lost in the nescience of this
material existence, I humbly beg to you at your Lotus
feet to please empower me to be an instrument of your
compassion by continually inspiring and guiding me in
helping to understand how i can responsibly
distribute these fruits of love. Unfortunately, i do not
possess an ounce of love and devotion but through your
causeless mercy I can be qualified to receive the
intelligence and bhakti to assist my Guru in his mission
who whole heartedly has given his entire lifetime in
Krsna’s service, a desire which i know will never fade if i
always take your shelter! I humbly request you to kick me
when i lose my focus and deviate from the path of
bhakti, for all i ask is to make an insignificant servant like
me to be perpetually engaged in being a servant of the
servant of the servant in your loving service to Krsna!
This is the only way i can one day hopefully develop
some love for my Guru and Krsna! Although i could
never repay the debt of your mercy in full, please at least
let me be a speck of dust at your Lotus feet, birth after
birth.
Your most insignificant servant,
Bhaktin Mitali
Bhavik Patel
Thank you Prabhupada for this life you have given. When I
am at the manor, I meet lovely people all helping and serving
one another. This is why it attracts me again and again.
Listening to Kirtan helps to solve all problems and also
enlightens and energizes me. I can't thank you enough and
just hope you bless us all with happiness and prosperity.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Haribol,
Bhavik Patel
35
Bhumi Agravat
Dear Srila Prabhupad,
What can i say?
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus
feet. Every year when its time to send an offering I
remain speechless. You have inspired me to take up
Krishna Consciousness, I feel so much more happier and
I find myself a lot more at peace.
You have made me understand what the real purpose of
life is, and have made me want to become a better
devotee and always try to improve myself. You have
cleared all the questions and doubts I've ever had and
made me want push myself to the limit to attain spiritual
happiness.
I pray to Krsna that He gives me the strength to keep on
serving devotees with your blessings.
Ys
Braja Vadhu DD
nama om vishnu-padaya
krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
shrimate bhaktivedanta-
svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve
gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-
pashcatya-desha-tarine
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of
your lotus feet.
On this auspicious day of your Vyasa Puja, I sit here and
reflect upon the last year. Once again, I am reminded
that time waits for no one, and you of course knew this.
You wasted not a single moment, treating time like a
precious jewel, always aware of the urgency to fulfill the
order of your Guru Maharaja. Not only did you achieve
so much with your time, but you also made time to build
such personal relationships with your disciples, each of
them feeling cared for and nurtured.
This year, I was fortunate enough to visit Sri Vrindavana
dham, and Sri Dham Mayapura. I fell in love with the
pastimes, their Lordships, and the mood of pure bhakti
and service that overflows here. I found peace in your
Samadhi, and pictured you here, reading, writing and
connecting with our beautiful blue Lord. It is from this
room in The Radha Damodar Temple in Vrindavan that
you developed the strategy for ISKCON, and today we
see a worldwide movement with temples, restaurants,
cow sanctuaries, preaching centres, out reach initiatives
and many devotees! Never have I heard of such a
personality that has achieved so much in their life, what
to speak of the profound influence on thousands of
people decades after your physical
disappearance.
Just as a father takes pride in seeing his children grow,
you take great pleasure in seeing us, your children and
grandchildren, grow in spiritual life. To grow in my
spiritual life I need to be free from selfish and material
desires, for this I beg for your mercy. Please help me to
clean out the dirt from my heart, only then can I become
a valuable instrument in your cherished service of
preaching the glories of your beloved Lord. Only by
serving this mood of yours here in the world of matter
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will I become eligible for the compassion you have
unlimitedly showered on this useless soul.
Your ever indebted grand daughter
Braja Vadhu devi dasi
Brijesh Vadhvania
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisences. All glories to you!
Recently I have been working on a service that requires
faith and long term vision which often brings me to
remembering what you achieved and what this has
provided for us.
We draw on the knowledge in your books in all aspects
of our service; you worked night after night translating
scripture and writing illuminating purports. We can call
upon senior devotees for their guidance and support; you
nurtured and inspired these individuals personally and
made them dedicated to Krishna’s service.
We feed people Krishna prashad; you set the example of
cooking for Krishna and emphasized the importance of
eating only prashad.
We draw strength from our temples and use them as
spiritual sanctuaries where we can recharge before we go
out and preach and as places to take newcomers to give
insight into Krishna Consciousness; you were the
visionary that opened so many temples in such a short
time for us. Srila Prabhupada, it seems to me that you
worked so tirelessly to lay the foundation that enables us
to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world in so
many different ways, that we have no reason to not take
this challenge and make you smile in the spiritual sky.
Please allow me to remember this every morning and
every night and offer my life to you.
Thank you so much.
Your servant,
Brij
Chandrika Coyle
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Thank you for teaching me that with enough
determination and faith, anything is possible. You
touched thousands and thousands of lives with your love
for Krsna, I feel so incredibly blessed to be one of those
lives.
At a time now, when Maya's pull is stronger than ever, my
only desire is to follow in your footsteps wholeheartedly. I
long for the strength to concentrate my mind and body on
their Lordships, as you did. Your good qualities are
countless, you are the perfect example of what it means to
have faith. You are such an inspiration me. To gain even a
tiny fraction of the wonderful dedication you have for the
Krsna Consciousness movement would make my material
existence worthwhile.
All I wish is take shelter of your lotus feet. With your words
and your boundless mercy, I hope one day I will have that
good fortune.
Your fallen servant,
Chandrika
37
Deenal Patel
om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
“I was born in the darkness of ignorance, and my
spiritual master opened my eyes with the torchlight of
knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Your Divine Grace.
For the past few weeks now, I have been trying to write
my very first offering to you. As I sit here trying yet
again, I have realised that there aren't enough words in
my dictionary to describe such a great soul like yourself.
I'm not a talented writer so all I wish to say is: Thank
You, Srila Prabhupada. Through your books, recorded
lectures and kirtan, you have brought your divine
presence into my life. Life itself would have no meaning
if it weren't for You.
Thank You, Srila Prabhupada. Thank You.
The unworthy servant of your servants,
Deenal
Devanshi Pancholi
Please accept my humble obeisance!
All GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA
Dearest His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedant Swami Srila
Prabhupada,
Three years ago I was just a naive, ambitious and
extremely adventurous rebel who was set on a challenge
to change the world with the help of so called ‘scientific
discoveries’. In 2010, with blessings of yours and Sri Sri
Gaura-Nitai’s mercy I got introduced to Senagetaway-
Kirtan fiesta trip to spain that
changed my life for GOOD!
I have no idea whether I’m following the instructions in
the right manner but always try to make humble
attempts to chant attentively and read now and then.
Trying to unfold mystic SCIENCE OF SELF
REALISATIONS. LOVE KIRTANS,chanting, reading
Your books, listening to Your lectures that are filled with
straight examples would make perfect sense in my tiny
brain and associating with great devotees from such a
wonderful family of yours who are willing to offer any
kind of help to make an individual grow in his/her
spiritual practice.
When I attend mangal aarti feel happier and content
than ever.
My trivial prayers to YOUR LOTUS FEET PLEASE
ALWAYS help me to stay engaged in yours and Their
Lordship’s services without any doubts or a pinch of ego
and grow in this Krishna conscious movement with pure
mind, body and soul so that I can share the nectar in
appropriate manner to serve the others.
Please forgive me for any of my naïve offences and I beg
for your causeless mercy.
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All my love to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Srila Prabhupada
Yours aspiring servant,
Devanshi
Dhani
Please accept my Humble Obeisences all Glories to Guru
and Gauranga
Dear Srila Prabhupada
There are a lot of idiots hanging around and everytime I
see them I point the finger back at myself, clearly I have
not progressed and am in good company; trying to move
forward from Kanista status please accept our endeavours
to serve your mission.
And yes I like prasadam because it helps me think clearly
may I move closer back to Godhead with each mouthful,
especially when made at home.
Your Aspiring Servant
Dhani
Hope your day is filled with peace and bliss
Dharmaraja Das
Dear Srila Prabhupada.
Please accept my humble obsciences & all glories to your
Divine Grace.
Every year in Krishna Consciousness I realise more and
more the importance of your exalted & important
position in our lives. How you arrived in USA from
India with hardly any money or assistants yet with
resolute determination spread the teachings of Krishna
Consciousness for our benefit. You made it absolutely
clear that all Devotees most read your books daily which
you worked tirelessly on to clear the confusion in our
minds and hearts. I have no qualification yet somehow
by your mercy I am serving in your ISKCON, and have
received initiation from your disciple HH Sivarama
Swami in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya. I
feel so fortunate & grateful that I have access to your
books, classes, your disciples, devotees and society. For
without them I would be lost in material illusion.
The best way I can replay this debt is to remain a servant
in your movement, trying my best to preach to others
about Krishna. This is the legacy you have passed on to
us and it is our most important duty & service.
I pray for your blessings always.
Your Servant
Dharmaraja Dasa
Dharmesh Nayee
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to your
lotus feet.
Thank you for blessing me with the gem of Krsna
Consciousness. There are approximately 7 billion people
on this planet. Out of this 7 billion only a small
percentage knows about Krishna Consciousness. I
39
consider myself very fortunate to be one of the few who
has received this gift from you, but at the same time I
know I don’t deserve it. It is simply your causeless mercy
by which I have been given this opportunity. You have
reached out to me through the medium of your books
and the medium of all the devotees who guide and take
care of me. Although I have been given this rare gem of
Krishna Consciousness I do not know the value of it,
because if I did, for sure I wouldn’t let it out of my sight.
I would always protect it within the core of my heart.
Prabhupada, please give me the faith by which I will be
able to understand this golden opportunity I have in this
life, please don’t let me waste it. May I ask for your
blessings to always give me shelter at you lotus feet.
Please give me the enthusiasm to read your books daily
and chant attentively.
Please make me your instrument to give others the gem
of Krishna Consciousness on your behalf. I want to be
the devotee that you intend me to be, please help me
become that.
Your undeserving servant,
Dharmesh Nayee
Dhiren Patel
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Hare Krsna.
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to your Divine Grace.
On this most blessed occasion of your Vyasa Puja, I
would like to submit a small offering to you.
Thank you for being so benevolent and selfless Srila
Prabhupada. Out of some unknown good fortune I came
in contact with your teachings which changed the way I
perceive and think. However, being the neophyte that I
am, I neglect to reflect on those teachings from time to
time, but nevertheless I am forever grateful to have been
given access to such transcendental knowledge. Thank
you for coming into my life Srila Prabhupada and thank
you for being there, in whatever shape or form, during
the ups and downs of my life as well.
Through trials and tribulations I am beginning to realise
just how saturated with misery this material world is. Yet
I foolishly still strive for some possibility of happiness
knowing full well that all attempts are futile. Such is the
strength of Maya’s influence. But, knowing that Krsna is
the strongest, and that you show us to be in His shelter
rather than the shelter of Maya, I feel some sense of
reassurance. But only when I learn to take full shelter will
I experience complete and proper reassurance. I
pray for your mercy in allowing me to see that day.
Srila Prabhupada, please kindly grant me the courage and
strength I need to keep me going in life and please kindly
give me the intelligence to reinforce my faith in Krsna in
times of tests. Please kindly forgive me for my countless
shortcomings.
Begging to remain in your service,
Your lowly servant,
Dhiren Patel
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Dilan Halai
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to You!
I would first of all like to apologies for my offering made
last year. I feel it did not reflect my mind last year and
would like to reinstate the statements that I made then.
The chanting has improved as I try and do it in your
association by seeing your pictures and hearing you
chant.
Now that I can see the instructions that you present, I
take guidance from the devotees on which I can adhere
to at the present moment and which ones will take a
little more time. I would like to thank you for starting
this International Society, I am eternally indebted to you.
I would never have found such saintly people to associate
with, to converse with and to learn from.
I have seen that I ‘begged for the blessing that I never
leave the transcendental abode of the spiritual master or
the inspiring devotees’ last year. I can now see my
ignorance manifested in writing. I have no vision to see
your transcendental qualities, but I know you have them,
so all I want to do is serve you so I can one day have the
vision to see beyond the material energy.
Please Master! Humble me! I can’t alone pour water on
my burning ego, please extinguish it!
I stated last year that the most I could do for you are to
spread the holy name, and glorify you, the eternal
spiritual master. I have made progress on this by
preaching and repeat the knowledge you have passed
down. I have tried to glorify you,
whenever I do an activity; I end it by saying, Jai
Prabhupada!
Your insignificant servant,
Dilan
Ekadashi Ryan
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories at your
lotus feet. If you hadn't come to the western world, if
you hadn't brought krsna consciousness out of India, the
lives of all the devotees worldwide would be completely
different today:
there would be no rathayatras
we wouldn't have Kirtan
no blissful dancing
and no harinama,
we wouln't have prasadam
or any paneer
we wouldn't have tasted halava,
or even any keer,
there would have been no temples
or any deities
we wouldn't all be chanting
or having mangal arti
there would be no maharajas
giving morning class
there'd be no caranamrita
41
and no Ekadasi fast
no vaisnava association
or psena getaways
no kirtana fiestas
on our holidays
there would be no Gaura Purnima
or Krsna Janmastami
and no Govardhana puja
or celebrating Radhastami
we wouldn't know of Krsna's pastimes
His killing of Putana,
His dancing with the Gopi's
or Rama's killing of Ravana
The list of things is endless, I have only named a few,
and for this I offer my deepest gratitude and my most
humble obeisances on to you.
Your servant Ekadasi.
Geena Pattni
He is strong,
He is funny,
He's like my mummy and daddy.
He is powerful,
He is humble,
He's as soft as an apple crumble.
He knows all,
and speaks the truth,
Which is guiding me through my youth. He's a perfect
example,
Of a devotee,
And came to set us all free!
He is our protection,
He is our shelter,
He's even Krishna's little helper.
Who can it be?
No need to look further,
Its none other than Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
Your Eternal Servant Geena
Henal
Dear Prabhupada,
I would firstly like to offer my respects to you. Dandvat
pranam. I offer you a promise. I promise to serve the
mission of Lord Caitanya all my life and in every
situation
You are the most merciful devotee of the Lord because
you delivered love of God to me, a fallen soul. Your
constant effort, determination and practise of giving
Krsna consciousness to people has left me inspired. You
have transformed my life, saved me from drowning in
the ocean of material desires. You have given me Krsna. I
thank you from the depths of my heart, without you I
would have never realised the need of Krsna
consciousness in my life. You have given me knowledge
of Krsna, a way to stay connected with Krsna and how to
love Krsna. Thank you. I pray to Krsna today that may I
be able to fulfil my promise to you and I pray to you,
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Prabhupada, to always be with me and teach me how to
serve the mission of Lord Caitanya just the way you have.
My humble respects to your lotus feet, oh eternal
spiritual master.
Hare Krsna,
Henal.
Jahnvi Raniga
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
shrimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi pashcatya-desha-tarine
To My Dearest Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada,
Please allow me to pay my most humble obeisances unto
the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine
Grace. All glories to Your service to the Sankirtana
movement of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By Your mercy, please allow
me to glorify you with my such ordinary words in the
form of this offering.
Over this last year leaving home and going to university
has really reinforced the power of devotee’s association
and the chanting of the holy name. Up till now I have
been
extremely privileged in always being brought up in
Krishna Consciousness with both family and friends.
However being isolated made me realise the hard way
that it is not to
be taken for granted and without your spiritual guidance
surviving in this material world is impossible. It is
unbelievably easy to be absorbed into the black hole of
maya.
As a small token of my appreciation I would like to
humbly offer to you my gratitude from the bottom of my
heart for delivering Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s
message to the western
world. I can not imagine life without the Lordships Sri
Sri Radha Gokulananda, your spiritual guidance and
instructions.
This year I have also experienced and been able to relate
to some of the greatest teachings from the Bhagavad Gita
and your instructions. I have learnt that the only way to
remain sane in this distressing material world is to realise
and accept:
avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto mama bhuta-mahesvaram
“Fools deride Me in My divine human form, unable to
comprehend My supreme nature as the Ultimate
Controller of all living beings”.
I cannot express in words how much I relish your
teachings and guidance as they help my lost and fallen
soul. Dearest Srila Prabhupada I would like to sincerely
thank you immensely for all you have done for the
mission with the highest humility.
Your most fallen servant,
Janhvi Raniga
43
Janaki Desai
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. Where do I even
begin? There is so much to say, there is so much to be
grateful for, there is so much further to go when it comes
to my spiritual journey. I would not be here if it was not
for you, and I certainly would not be the person I am if it
were not for you. I am forever indebted to you, my
spiritual master, my guider, my inspiration.
You repeatedly said, “In this age, only one yagna is
recommended: chant the Hare Krishna mantra and
dance in ecstasy, only then you shall go back to
Godhead” Krishna has given us an easy, direct route to
him. Chanting. Simply chanting. So why is it that I find
this so hard? Why is it that I still get caught up in sense
gratification and materialistic desires? Srila Prabhupada,
please please please keep me chanting in this lifetime and
continue to guide me throughout and engage me in the
service of their Lordships.
I have just started studying Medicine at university, please
do not let me stray and get too wrapped up in the desire
to become a doctor. I want Krishna to be in the centre,
always. One of my favourite things that you have said
that never fails to bring a smile to my face every time I
walk into a hospital is: “This Krishna consciousness
temple is the hospital for the diseased spirit soul. And
everyone is diseased. Come to this hospital. We shall take
care of you and cure your material disease.”
I am such a fortunate soul, to have Krishna
Consciousness is a gift like no other. Please do not let me
waste it.
Your servant forever and always,
Janaki Desai
Jay Krishna
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
nama om visnu-pädäya krsna-presthäya bhü-tale
srimate bhaktivedänta-sväminn iti nämine
namas te särasvate deve gaura-väni-pracärine
nirvisesa-sünyavädi-päscätya-desa-tärine
When writing an offering to you, I straight away reflect
on how you have so causelessly bestowed your divine
mercy upon me. You have so kindly helped me go deeper
in to my Krsna Consciousness, by blessing me with a
spiritual master from whose teachings, I can re-establish
my long lost relationship with Radha and Krsna.
However due to my ignorance and immaturity, I still
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have not realised that I am in a much better position in
my life than ever before.
By going on the Sacred Street party every Saturday, I
realised that this is the prime and most important duty of
each and everyone in this movement, to give everyone
the Holy Name so that we (the fallen conditioned souls)
can go back home, back to godhead in this life. By going
out on the street, I realise that by doing this, it not only
benefits me but also others. The prime necessity is to
perform the Yuga Dharma, Harinama Sankirtana and by
going every Saturday, with the devotees who also share
and live the same thought as I do, I want to surrender
completely to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission and I
come to you to humbly beg you that you give me your
blessings and shelter that I can one day chant purely and
sincerely, with full heart.
I would like to ask for a blessing, which your beloved
disciple, HH Sacinandana Swami, also asked you in his
offering to You. “O most merciful master, please cast a
compassionate glance upon me. Please ignore my
numerous disqualifications and engage me more and
more in your’s and Sri Caitanya’s mission of spreading
the holy name. For this end I beg you to empower my
dry heart so that I can chant the holy name with love and
affection. Then my efforts will be effective and I may
please you so that you smile happily in my direction.
That’s all I want.”
This year, a lot of difficulties have come into my life, and
for some time I was struggling, but by yours and Krsna’s
mercy you have given me hope, strength and so much
love. And I know the only way I can thank you is to
surrender unto yours and Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s
mission.
Please allow me to serve you by serving my spiritual
master and please forgive me for my offenses. I am still
young and immature, but deep in my heart, I know that
you are my only shelter.
Your servant of servants,
Jay Krishna
Karishma Paun
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
I am eternally thankful to you for enabling me to get
involved in Krsna Consciousness. Your incredible work
in such a short time has changed my life, it has motivated
me to try my very hardest to serve you and Krishna. I
want to show you gratitude for bringing this magnificent
movement in to light and giving my existence meaning
and purpose. My time in Krsna Consciousness has been
short and at times uncertain, but you continue to inspire
me.
Yours Gratefully,
Karishma Paun
Karunamoya Krsna Das
Your Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila
Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisance.
45
I am not a sentimentalist ...but you have been the single-
most inspiration and life-changing cause in my life.
And I am not the only one who can say that you have
made Lord Krishna and His teachings accessible to me.
You have single-handedly brought Krishna
Consciousness – the culmination of Vedic civilisation –
to the world platform; you alone have inspired so many
to become devotional; and you alone have changed the
fate of so many lives, despite so many challenges.
All in the space of a few years.
There is nothing like this in the recorded history of the
entire world. And it wasn’t just philosophy that you gave
us, but culture, for anyone who knows your dealings and
interactions.
I cannot imagine my life without your influence.
If there is some devotion to Krishna, it is because of you.
If there is some service rendered, it is because of you.
If a devotee befriends me or guides me, it is because of
you.
If one day Lord Krishna decides that He wants me, it will
be because of you...
In my short life that appears and disappears in the blink
of Lord Brahma’s eye, all I can do is to try to remember
how much I owe to you.
...What would I do without you?
Hare Krishna,
Karunamoya Krishna das
Kasturi Manjari DD
Dear Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeicances. All glories unto
your divine lotus feet.
ohe! vaisnaba thākura, doyāra sāgara,
e dāse korunā kori'
diyā pada-chāyā, śodho he āmāya,
tomāra carana dhori
O Vaishava Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, O ocean of
mercy, be merciful to me, your servant, and purify me by
the shade of your lotus feet. Your feet I humbly hold.
Although I feel quite inadequate to express my gratitude
in words, I will attempt to say a little something.
Over the past year I feel that I have grown somewhat in
appreciating the treasures in your books. I remember
hearing that you instructed one of your disciples, that by
even understanding one word of the Krsna book, one’s
life can become perfect. O Vaishava Thakura, Srila
Prabhupada, please bless me so that I am able to develop
more depth in understanding and realisation to
confidently share and apply the knowledge you have so
kindly given.
My husband and I are continuing with our Sacred Street
Party service. I am still amazed to this day how members
of the public have a natural attraction to our outdoor
kirtan, which reminds me of the potency of the Holy
Name which you brang to the West.
O Vaishava Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, if you so desire
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please give us the intelligence and ability to expand this
project. Please allow us to encourage more congregation
to participate, to present Krishna Consciousness in a
professional and dynamic way and to develop more long
term friendships with those that are genuinely interested.
ohe! vaisnaba thākura, doyāra sāgara,
e dāse korunā kori'
Your servant
Kasturi Manjari devi dasi
Khush Chaudasama
“There are many societies and
associations of pure devotees, and if
someone with just a little faith begins to
associate with such societies, his
advancement to pure devotional service is
rapid.” Prabhupada is the reason why
Krishna Consciousness is in the west, he
has established societies around the world
to ensure people in the west can engage
in pure devotional service and progress in
spiritual life. We must thank Srila
Prabhupada for his causeless mercy he
has bestowed upon us and gave us the
real the formula, not to work out a maths
question, but the formula to God (Krishna)
– Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare. We must thank
Him now in this life so that we can thank
Him in person in the spiritual world of
Goloka Vrindavan.
Thank you
Kinjal Jhutani
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories unto your lotus feet,
All glories unto you,
During this very special time of the year I want to
gratefully reflect on the incredible gifts you have given
me over the past year. I began the year with the desire
study your books through the Bhakti Shastri course,
hoping that I would be able to complete it. With the
encouragement of your devotees I began the course. With
your blessings I have almost completed it and studying
the course has been the foundation for deepening dear
spiritual friendships. Please bless me with the enthusiasm
to really take shelter of your writings.
Without any sincere endeavour of mine, you have given
me unlimited kindness this year. You have given shelter
47
to my whole family and I pray that we can increase our
dedication to you and remain steadily at your lotus feet.
I have received some clarity on how I can balance my
duties in a way that will allow me to develop my Krishna
consciousness. Please continue to guide me as my true
aspiration is to serve you. Through the blessings of your
merciful devotees I have received your blessings to
continue onwards in my journey. I pray that I can always
remember these experiences and they continue to remind
me of how much to love us.
Your aspiring servant,
Kinjal Juthani
Kishan Paun
Dear Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my humble obeciences
at your lotus feet. All glories unto you.
For the past year Prabhupada, I’ve been thinking what to
write to you. There is so much I would like to say but I
wouldn’t even know where to start. It just hit me whilst
writing this how amazingly fortunate I am to have even come
into contact with a devotee let alone even to having the
chance to chant the Lord’s holy name. I could have wasted
my life away doing anything, but due to your mercy
Prabhupada, you have guided me to the only way of life, and
for that I sincerely thank you.
This past year hasn’t been the easiest Prabhupada. I have felt
myself struggling in terms of the basic ABCD. But as the
year has gone on, through the mercy of you and your
devotees, it seemed to improve. Chanting has improved
significantly and I am appreciating the association of your
devotees much more.
However Prabhupada, I always think to myself: ‘What if I
was alive when you were, I would have given anything to
meet you’. But recently after speaking to a devotee, I realised
I was just limiting you to your bodily form. I realised that
you are always with us, whether through your books, your
lectures, your deities, you will always be there. I heard one of
your disciples’ say that ‘the reason that people do not
advance in Krishna Consciousness, is that they are not
reading Your books’. And after hearing this Prabhupada, I
immediately took up to reading the nectar that you left for
us in the form of your books. You have left so much
knowledge for us, something that I’ve been lazy with, but I
promise now that I will read and share as much as I can,
which is essentially what you taught us all to do.
Through your mercy Prabhupada, I have been given the
Harrow Jammin service which I absolutely love! If I have
ever not been enthusiastic about it then please forgive me,
and allow me to serve with as much enthusiasm as I can.
Even though I do not deserve to Prabhupada, Please
continue to allow me to serve you and your devotees to
ultimately please Krsna, this is all I ask from you.
Prabhupada, I’d like to end on a quote that an old man once
told his young son: “My son, there’s a battle between two
wolves inside of us. One is EVIL. It’s anger, greed, jealousy,
resentment, inferiority, lies & ego. The other is GOOD. It’s
joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness & truth.” The boy
thought about it and asked: “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”
The old man quietly replied:
“The one you feed”. So Prabhupada, I humbly beg you to
allow me to associate with all that will feed my good
side, keep me in your movement and allow me to continue
chanting the glories of Lord Hari.
Your Aspiring Servant, Kishan.
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Komal Parekh
Please Accept My Humble Obeisance's
Dearest Srila Praphupada,
You were sent on a mission to spread Krishna
Consciousness alone, without friends or family. You
only had a few things but You still managed to spread
the Krishna Consciousness movement. I thank you very
much Srila Prabhupada, you put all your effort in just
so we all can hear and enjoy this beautiful movement;
just so that we can have a good understanding of
the Supreme Personality Of God Head.
If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have the realisation that
there's more to life than just trying to enjoy material life
and focusing how to overcome suffering. After listening
to inspirational classes and lectures, reading your books
and associating with the lovely devotees has made me
aware of what life's really about. It's about realising why
we are in this material world and who gave us
everything we have today.
Before I got introduced to Krishna Consciousness I used
to fear death and death of loved ones however I would
be upset to be detached from a close family members
because I am used to living like I'm going to live
forever. Furthermore, I now think in a different way, a
way in which I know I am going to pass on one day so I
try to live my life pleasing Krishna in everything I do. I
also want to please you and do my best to spread
Krishna Consciousness further. I've never been able to
see a relationship
between me and God, I used to always ask for things for
myself and would promise to do things in return. But
Prabhupada you have really made me see and realise
that we can have a relationship with God. By your effort
and hard work it has helped a lot. Words cannot
describe how much I am
thankful.
Hare Krishna,
Your servant,
Komal Parekh
49
Krishna Dattani
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- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
Krsna Kirtan Das
To my dearest ever well-wisher Srila Prabhupada,
Hare Krishna. Please accept my most humble obeisances.
All glories to your divine grace.
golokera prema dhana
harinama Sankirtana
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has descended to give us secret
treasure of Vraja bhakti, namely spontaneous loving
devotion to Sri Krishna in the mood of the residents of
Sri Vrindavan Dham. The primary activity is
congregational chanting
of the holy names of Sri Sri Radha Krishna.
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha
O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all
benedictions to living beings, and thus You have
hundreds and millions of names like Krishna and
Govinda. In these transcendental names You have
invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not
even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my
Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach
You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I
have no attraction for them.
Srila Prabhupada, you have extending the mercy of the
predecessor acaryas by sacrificing your personal bhajan to
display a living example of how one can attract the mercy
of the holy name. Your selfless service has humbled
thousands
of people around this world, and perhaps still today you
are attracting many more in your new place of preaching
work. I get enthusiasm to sincerely surrender to the
transcendental sound vibration of the holy names, when
I associate with your purports. I gain courage to preach
this science of Krishna Consciousness with others on the
sacred street parties, when I reminisce how much book
distribution would make you happy and smile. I find
reassurance to face my anarthas when I remember you
are my ever well wisher.
I was once told that every possible activity has the higher
spiritual taste – because everything emanates from
Krishna. We don’t need to find our taste – it is already
there. We have to simply and humbly surrender to the
activity with full devotion and then Krishna will provide
the inner joy. But we need purified senses to really attract
that pure devotional seed. I was thereafter instructed that
this purification, or anartha nivritti, comes by selfless
sacrifice to your will, Srila Prabhupada.
So today on this auspicious occasion of joyously
celebrating your appearance anniversary to deliver us all,
let me submit this for your pleasure: I have neglected
your will for so many years, but from this day on, I am
your servant. Kindly allow me to assist you in your
preaching mission by inspiring myself and
others to purely worship Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu under
the shelter of your lotus feet.
Harer Nama Harer Nama Harer Namaiva Kevalam
Kalau Nasty Eva Nasti Eva Nasti Eva Gatir Anyatha!
51
May you award me the gift of the pure holy name,
suddha nama.
Humbly I beg,
Your servant,
Krsna Kirtan Das
Lakhan & Hasita
‘An Interview About You’
K: After hearing of the moment it seems rather sensible//
Now can you tell me about its leader, was he at all
respectable?//
R: The leader of the movement or the origin of the
philosophy?// Because the Vedanta stems from the Supreme
authority// That one person from whom comes all other
personalities// And from whose form stems the basis of all
realities?//
K: Not the original creator but the propagator in the west//
Please describe him for me, do try your best//
R: Very well very well, lets not dwell on it any longer//
For what I have to say continuously makes me stronger//
It makes me convinced in my belief that what this man
began//
Will lead to the ultimate relief and perfection of all plans//
K: I’m listening I’m listening and I’ll be commissioning this
paper// For the curiosity of the public requires more than
just a flavour// You’ve set the scene// Now tell me what he
means to you// Tell me of those moments which God helped
him get through//
R: So we know that stars twinkle but what about the
people?//
In this world he came bright like the moonlight//
Torch in hand to understand the situation//
The glow of The Gita to reveal our occupation//
Amidst the darkness he walked with all clarity//
He fed the heartless with the hand of bhakti//
Slowly but surely he watched them grow//
Orange saffron now we watch them glow//
He is the source of it all everything that we know//
He taught us to hold his hand and never let go//
See life is like a show and he removed the curtain//
When you know you’re the soul you can see for certain//
Our lives are like a burden with many obligations//
On the rise to the top we dwell in dark situations//
And down we go below human civilisation//
Working like an animal for sense stimulation//
If you want to be an animal be shrewd like the fox//
Don’t chew on the chewed, find the key to the blocks//
That are tying you down to drown your life away//
It’s because of A.C.B that I’m alive today//
He opened my eyes to a life I never knew//
And now I’m on my way to see that boy in blue//
Whose hue is everlasting and smile forever glancing//
At those whose toes are always dancing//
When the Lord is glorified that is their chanting//
Just to see Him pleased is the reason for action//
He is Krsna the object of attraction//
The Supreme whole of Whom we are just a fraction//
We look everyday for signs of jubilation//
When life with Him is one big celebration//
One state, one nation these ideas we’re glued to//
52
- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
We can’t even communicate without using Bluetooth//
Or whatever it is that technology brings//
He taught us the chorus to our whole life//
To sing with our hearts and remove this strife//
To step out of the crowd and speak aloud about our
purpose//
And have faith that our Home exists beyond this circus//
When you realise this, all else seems worthless//
Because in the end my friend you’ll be all alone//
No friends, No family just you on your own//
All your plans and possessions tossed into the unknown//
Leaving that patch in the past you called your throne//
But in the spiritual zone there’s no need for a blade//
Just open your mind, unwind and listen to this sage//
He was one man, one dream, with one big stage//
The deliverer of the fallen in this age of misery//
Where we walk in the shadows and our words are a
mystery//
How we miss to be young and all that came with it//
Wanting every success we achieve to have our name on it//
We search for so much yet look in the wrong place//
One glimpse at the gold – it goes without a trace//
But he gave us hope and told us of this space//
Take a look at his face, he spoke with all conviction//
When he said we’re not the body, sorry we’re just
conditioned//
We take permission from the modes whose roads are
rotating//
Allowing us to act without deliberating//
Too busy protecting others when it’s you who needs saving//
Hit with distress when it’s happiness you’re craving//
A fancy dress for the contest of life to avoid aging//
It’s amazing that amongst the material compression//
He broke though it all with the disciplic succession//
He came to the west and with the best of his ability//
Showed the silver lining by finding their identity//
Bestowed a way of life and showed how it’s supposed to be//
the only – way to
ever reach Him//
In this age is to engage or be a victim//
The symptoms he exhibited, we were all riveted//
A man in his prime for whom no rhyme can be accredited//
Feelings there maybe, but there are no words//
Arms open and in the air he flew like a bird//
The letters were his feathers – K.R.S.N.A
With His faith in Him alone He was never led astray//
We may fade away but he will always be here//
Through his books and pastimes he will always be near//
Those who follow in his footsteps are seen to be so dear//
By that individual who always believed//
That by the seed of devotion you will be freed//
To succeed in this world means no other business//
Than to pursue your ever true eternal interest//
There is no better friend than your internal witness//
Impersonal philosophy he cut clean like a scissor//
Always know that wherever you go, he’ll be your well-
wisher//
The story of this saint will go on and on//
All glories all glories to the founder of ISKCON//
K: I was wrong this whole time to think of him less//
When from the very beginning he seemed to be blessed//
So much I’ve learn what you’ve said//
Instead of a small caption, it’ll be on a double page spread//
I await for the fortune to see you once again//
For I wish to know more about this gem//
53
This jewel in the crown, this star amongst men//
I will continue to think of him until then//
Lakhan Shah & Hasita Raja
Lalita Sakhi DD
Dearmost Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my sincere obeisances unto your lotus feet. All
glories to your spiritual master! All glories to you!
Oh where to begin
Since you, Srila Prabhupada, are the origin
How to describe your magnanimity
Which exceeds the universe, making it your dynasty
You have come to this material world
just to give us Krsna
And educate us on how to beg for
the mercy of Sri Radha
Without the transcendental knowledge you have given us
Life would be nothing but a gigantic fuss
You have shown us the way
By making it so simple for us that we just
cannot go astray
And become maya’s vulnerable prey
To be honest, sometimes it feels impossible
To at all times serve the Lord’s devotees,
while being humble and amiable
And makes me wonder, will I ever be free from
all these incessant material desires?
Will I ever only long to please the Lord
unconditionally without failures?
These perpetual desires seem like insurmountable obstacles
But you Prabhupada, have made Krishna Consciousness
accessible to even the rascals
It is so easy for me to be a false pretender
As well as an offender
But with your devotees as our spiritual mentors
Nothing can go wrong when Krsna remains the center
You have shown us unlimited kindness
in so many different ways
Transcendental books, deity worship, delicious prasadam,
and the chanting of the holy names
All this can make our faith incredibly strong
And also reminds us of where we truly belong
You revealed to us that our eternal home is in the magical
land of Sri Vrindavan Dham
Where everyone is happily loving Krsna and listening to
Him play his flute under a bamboo palm
No matter what, I know for certain that if we sincerely hold
on to your instructions By your mercy, we will attain Krsna’s
lotus feet without too many obstructions Dearmost Srila
Prabhupada, I am eternally indebted to you For changing
my entire world view! You have always been there, from the
very first day
If I imagine my life without your presence, all I can see is
misery and the color grey I often feel like a spoiled grand-
daughter who is taking everything for granted Not realizing
how fortunate I am and how I should always be enchanted
You are guiding us on how to reawaken our true spiritual
identity This brings to mind your analogy of the two birds
sitting in a tree One of them eating the fruits, which
represents the living entity And the other, the Lord,
witnessing all activity We have a wonderfully intimate,
loving and eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord and
you have so kindly come to remind us, thus enabling us to
move forward Unless directed by a pure devotee, one cannot
attain Krsna, you explained Hence, we are forever grateful to
you for giving us sweet shelter and keeping us so happily
maintained Leading us with great care, thanks to you, we are
sustained You have made Krishna Consciousness for the
youth extremely lively and fun That by your grace, our days
are so bright just like the glittering sun We now know that
wherever there is Krishna, there is sunshine No darkness can
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- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
there be, that is the bottom line You are a genuine well-
wisher of all living entities Doing everything for the higher
purpose despite the infinite austerities Just by seeing how
much faith you have in the LordCan keep us forever on
board!
You have dedicated every single moment in the service of
Gopinath And have taught us how to escape the vicious cycle
of birth and death The lives of thousands of people are
changing wonderfully Just by hearing one story, one sentence
or one word from you, even accidentally! You have
understood the mood of unconditional loving service And
you are so kindly imparting it on us, without any injustice
Reading and hearing about the sweet exchanges with the
devotees when you were physically present Allows us to
attempt to realize your immense dedication and always
making me so content It is very touching to hear how you
were bold, yet
affectionate and loving
Caring greatly about our spiritual
and material well-being
One of your disciples explained that late at night
You peeked into the devotees’ rooms
to ensure they were alright
Just like a devoted father You wanted to be certain they were
comfortable and without bother Srila Prabhupada, please be
merciful unto us all And bless us to become true and sincere
servants, however small.
Our love for you, you said, will be shown through our spirit
of cooperation Please help us to pursue this with enthusiasm
and firm dedication Bless us so we can serve as a successful
team And fulfill your divine dream
By pleasing the Supreme Thank you so much Srila
Prabhupada for everything You are so compassionate and
always accepting
Forgiving, faultless and truthful Fixed, grave and peaceful
Your wisdom and your love We never fall short of
You have brought us joy By introducing us to the most
beautiful blue boy I pray that one day I may be able to
faithfully contribute to your divine mission And forever serve
my Gurumaharaj with chastity and much conviction Please
help me to truly become humble And realize I am nothing
but a little dust particle Belonging at your lotus feet Where
my heart lies and is complete
With gratitude,
Your aspiring servant,
Lalita Sakhi devi dasi
Madhurananda Das
Dear Srila Prabhupada
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
cakshur unmilitam yena tasmai Sri -gurave namah
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate Bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
Every year when I sit and speak with you, I often start
with a sorry tale of my own shortcomings or my inability
to serve the wonderful devotees of Krishna. This year, I
am more drawn to you and your endeavours. These have
helped me to see my own little life with increased clarity.
Who can say they have sacrificed as much as you have?
When I think about the small austerities that I often
complain about, I see that they pale in comparison to
yours. I never left my home to a distant and strange land.
I wouldn’t even have to think about a long boat trip in
55
this modern age of technology and travel. I don’t have to
consider the frailty of my body in old age either. While
we struggle to even speak to our familiars about our own
spiritual practice, I have never gone to a country where I
was alone and explain myself to everyone. Where I was
surrounded by strangers and where I had to start a
mission. Where the very mention of an anti-materialistic
lifestyle would be frowned on and where I had to be a
walking example of those teachings.
I have never had to look after thousands of people and
teach them an almost alien way of life. Convince them of
a foreign and exotic philosophy which had already been
tarnished by many ‘so called’ Gurus. I have never had to
stand out so far from the norm and yet be confident
enough to speak the truth in a world full of lies. I have
never had to deal with so many worries, complaints,
questions and reports and still remain merciful and
positive. I have never given up my sleep, time, energy
and health in the way that you have. Lived selflessly and
taken every moment as an opportunity to teach others.
Although I may read, have I developed the faith that by
sharing these teachings, all the world’s problems will be
solved?
When I stop to wonder how you managed to tolerate so
many difficulties and hardships, I am forever drawn to
how you see Krishna in all situations and remain so
focused on your mission. One of the many times you
highlighted this crucial point is a letter to your German
Disciples in Bombay, dated May 6, 1977:
“A devotee is pleased when there is difficulty, for in these
difficulties he is forced to remember Krsna. We cannot
expect that the people of Kali-yuga will welcome our
attempt to spread Krsna consciousness. It is just like a
lunatic asylum: The patients are running around madly
and when the doctor tries to give them treatment, they
insist that they are not crazy. Sometimes the patient even
strikes the doctor. So our task is like that. We cannot
stand to see people suffering due to ignorance. What is
that ignorance? They do not know that they are not their
body. This Krsna consciousness movement is meant to
deliver people to the proper understanding that they are
not their body, that they are pure spirit soul. We may or
may not be appreciated, that is not our concern. We
must execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu …”
“Go on spreading the sankirtana movement more and
more. I am only one person, but because all of you have
kindly cooperated with me, this movement has now
become a success all over the world.” With awe and
amazement, I watch you walk, head held high as if
oblivious to the world. Floating over our lunatic asylum
with clarity and vision, holding the cure in your hands.
I pray that I will always be amazed by you. May I never
forget your sacrifice, may I never forget your endeavour
and may I never forget what you accomplished.
Thank you for capturing our minds with your actions
and our hearts with your words.
Your servant
Madhurānanda das
Madhvi Mulji
Happy vyasa puja!
I can't believe the year has already flown by and the time has
come where we unite to remember You, and Your glorious
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- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
qualities. Currently sitting here in Vrindavana Dham, in
front of Sri Radha Shyama Sundar, Sri Krishna Balaram, and
Sri Gaura Nitai, I begin to reflect on the past year, and my
mind is empty. I try again, and reflect on how much I have
spiritually progressed in the past year, how much I actually
listened to you in the past year, and yet, my mind is void.
The only thing I can think of is the present. Our vaishnava
teachings, that You have so nicely presented to us, educates
us, that time in the material world acts as a master and time
in the spiritual world acts as a servant. Being blessed in Sri
Radha and Krsna's sacred land has opened my eyes and
allowed me to peak through the window of the spiritual
world. In the material world time is always in the past or the
future. We are always thinking of the past, and when the
past goes, we immediately think of the future. Whereas in
the spiritual world, time is ever present, because every soul is
engaged in the loving devotional service of Sri Radha and
Krsna constantly. Being in Sri Vrindavana Dham, the sacred
place where You lived and will always live, has left me with
the feeling of just being present, in this moment, engaged in
chanting the Holy Names of Krsna.
I came to the realisation that even receiving a tiny fraction of
a drop of Krsna's mercy once in my lifetime, is enough for
me to offer my life to You and surrender onto the lotus feet
of Sri Krsna. The only force that will inspire and guide me to
do that is You. Without You, I wouldn't have even got the
opportunity to aspire to become a better person. Without
you, I would not be feeling what i am feeling right now.
Without You, I am nothing. Without Your mercy nothing is
possible. You make the impossible, possible. I am ever so
grateful to have You in my life. I pray to Sri Sri Radha
Shyama Sundara, to always keep me by your side as it is by
far, the safest place in the world. Thank you so much. For
everything.
Your grateful servant
Madhvi
Michael Olabode
Dear Srila Prabhupada.
Please accept my most respectful obeisances again and again
and again. All glories to you and your wonderful service to
the lotus feet of the Beloved, Ghanashyam. By some
seriously fortunate mercy you have given me the chance to
try and appreciate you and remember you and show you
gratitude on your Vyasa Puja. You have given us everything.
In one sense you have given us more than everything. You
have given us access to happiness, which you have described
as being hundreds and thousands and millions of times more
than the happiness Krishna experiences- the happiness of
being the servant of the servant. In one sense you really have
given us more than everything.
You descended just to give us access to love of God, bhakti,
which controls Krishna. And you have clearly outlined how
in just one lifetime, despite the age, despite the atmosphere
of quarrels, despite the atmosphere of hypocrisy, despite the
polluted ether, despite the dullness of our minds, we can be
fully equipped and responsible to hold that bhakti, that pure
unending love. If what you have given us compares to the
sun, I can’t even lamp a torch for you in gratitude. If what
you have given us compares to the desert I can barely give
you a grain of sand in appreciation and if what you have
given us compares to the unparalleled depths of the titanic
oceans, I can barely offer you back a teardrop.
57
In Canto 2, Chapter 7, Verse 23 you elaborately highlight
the philosophy behind Ravana attempting to take away and
enjoy Sita. Initially when I heard of this pastime, it occurred
to me as a thrilling and exciting story about a demon up to
mischief, and the Supreme with his superhuman acts and
spirit saves the day. But even despite all that you have given I
continue to live my life like Ravana. You explain that the
energy of the Lord, should be worshipped alongside the
Supreme Himself. Practically speaking, by not properly
prioritising morning japa sustainably, by not trying my very
best to hear the Holy Name of the Lord, by not reading your
books to save my spiritual life I am not properly worshipping
the Supreme, and certainly not his energy and hardly
thanking you with my full effort.
How much time do I think I have left? I am going to fizzle
and die, regardless of whatever I try and do to stop it or
forget about it. I’m simply trying to learn all sorts of tools
and techniques to better manipulate the material energy and
influence people, but factually speaking, at no point in time
am I ever in actual control of the Lord’s energy. And that’s
what you have repeatedly said. I rudely think it doesn’t apply
to me just because I chant. As Ravana attempted, if I try to
enjoy the Lord’s energy separate from Him, I will simply be
busted like Ravana. And by not looking deep enough into
the rotten anarthas in my heart, or making sure I carefully
execute sadhana-bhakti with the attention its due, I’m simply
trying to control the material energy again, through
products, places, people and results of work.
You don’t want a society of casualties; you want a society of
pure devotees. Every society starts with one’s own internal
society. During this period of special remembrance of you, I
wish to take the time to closely inspect the thoughts and
feelings and desires I am cultivating and entertaining
moment by moment in my internal society. You came to
give us Krishna consciousness, to transform our internal
society into a fully spiritual environment and for this I am
deeply indebted to you, life after life.
It breaks your heart when you hear that your books are not
being studied. It breaks my heart when I hear of your upset.
From now I will aspire to study (and not just read) your
books in the mood of what are you really trying to say here?
How can I fully explain these points to others? And your
books are here to save my spiritual life from becoming a
casualty.
Your struggling but determined servant,
Michael
Mihir Kara
If Prabhupada asked what I’ve done for him, what would
I say?
Have I strived to fulfill his mission in every possible way?
Or have I just left it to one side while I focus on my own
desire?
Thinking that I’ll take it more seriously after I retire.
When will Prabhupada’s mission become my life, not
just a hobby?
If Krishna Consciousness is on the top floor then I’m still
waiting in the lobby.
I seem to leave my obligation to Prabhupada for
whenever,
It’s most convenient for me and doesn’t require much
endeavor.
But was there ever a moment where Prabhupada gave up
his dedication?
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He followed his Guru’s instructions without a moment’s
hesitation.
Would you or I have left Krsna to come back down here?
But Prabhupada came back to deliver us without the
slightest fear.
I know for certain that in this material condition,
The only thing that can save us is service to Prabhupada’s
mission.
So I hope when I’m asked what I’ve done for His Divine
Grace?
My reply can bring a smile to Prabhupada’s face.
59
Meera Gajj
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- Srila Prabhupada Tribute Book -
Mohini Mistry
My Dear Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances and all glories to you
Srila Prabhupada.
I feel as though I could never be able to glorify you fully
enough. There are not enough words, nor are there enough
pages of paper in this world for me to appreciate or be
thankful to the unlimited degree which you deserve. If it
were not for you to fill our hearts with pure love of Krsna
and our minds with transcendental knowledge, who knows
the way my life and millions of others you saved could have
unfolded. Who knows how the horrors and state of
consciousness of my already flickering mind would have
been. You ever so fearlessly travelled to this corrupted
western world and fought numerous mishaps. Your
dedication and motivation is incomparable. Dear Srila
Prabhupada, whilst reading about Your glories and
wonderful qualities, I felt unbelievably grateful for all the
hardships you fought to bring Krsna Conscious to the
world. All Glories to you Srila Prabhupada!
When I was reading about the conditions which you had to
put up with and the deralics, its so saddening to hear that
you, the Founder-Acharya, who has given meaning to my
life and millions around the world had to suffer through
such conditions, yet You are so humble and patient. You
didn’t mind. You were just sincerely spreading Krsna
Conciousness and you were amazingly detached from your
surroundings.
Srila Prabhupada being born within the movement, I often
take it all for granted and foolishly don’t appreciate the
nectar that is right infront of me. I have a sincere desire and
now a source of motivation to become active in your
mission, to read your books and to preach. Reading the
lilamrta and hearing from your disciples of your infallible
dedication to books and translating has really deeply
affected me. It has urged and reminded me of the
importance of reading your books. I am sincerely grateful
deep within my heart and thankful to you Srila Prabhupada
for enlightening the western world and demolishing their
ignorance. You have given me this incredible and amazing
Krsna Conscious family. Within this beautiful interlace
network of devotees, we all try to encourage one another to
continue chanting, and practising and to never give up no
matter how strong Maya’s trickery and illusion may be.
There will never be a shortage of devotees, all through the
world in all countries, devotees will now have association-
we will have support. This wonderful tree of devotees;
although branched out across the world all have the same
root, and that is you Srila Prabhupada. Our God
consciousness is solely dependent on you. Thank you Srila
Prabhupada. Thank you. .Thank you.
Srila Prabhupada- I was a little hesitant to write this
offering as there is so much for me to say, an ever flowing
ocean of words. I felt that my offering could never really
appreciate you sufficley. You’ve given me everything Srila
Prabhupada. Everything I own which is worthy of anything
is simply due to Your dedication to fulfil your guru’s
instruction. I will aim to try and thank you through service,
through preaching and through not being ‘ a bum in
Krishna Consciouness’ as my Guru Maharaj says!
Just like a grandchild tries to please their grandfather- I will
try wholeheartedly to make you happy and proud.
Your fortunate grand-daughter,
Mohini
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Murlidhara Priya Das
Dear Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories at your lotus feet
Recently I have been in touch with someone who is
taking his steps towards spiritual life - in a slow manner
as he tries to mentally speculate his way to the
conclusions of the ultimate aim of life. This person is one
of the most materially intelligent person I’ve come across.
Almost on the level of a genius I’d say. However, when
speaking to him, I realised how reading a page of any of
your books equates to the sum-total of all his extraneous
self endeavours to try to understand spiritual life. How
fortunate are we, that you taught us the useless labours of
mental speculation. How can a frog in a well understand
the vastness of the pacific ocean. Simple, but clear.
I have a family member, who is at the fag end of his life.
A successful business man with a fabulous bank balance.
A strong and healthy man, whose power of influence
used to cast over all his children, grandchildren and those
who came across his path. Now as he approaches 80, he
is barely able to walk without facing exhaustion. Petrified
of travelling long distances in fear of his bladder giving
way. Out of frustration, he welcomes death to put him
out of his miseries. How fortunate are we, that you
taught us from the very beginning of the temporary
nature of all material endeavours. How can anything
material possibly, deeply satisfy the self, the soul. A
simple lesson, that will save us from a wasted life.
I have family members, who in their spiritual pursuits
come across varieties of pseudo-spiritual paths, cheating
them of the highest realities of spiritual realms and bliss.
Their misguided endeavours limit themselves to perhaps
popularity, wealth and at most attaining a ticket to a
heavenly planet. How fortunate are we, that you taught
us the basics in understanding the genuine from the
counterfeit, and to aim for the highest, a relationship
with Krsna in Goloka Vrindavana.
You have made us fortunate in so many ways. The list
goes on. We truly are blessed by the best and you have
given us everything there is to know to perfect our
existence. The question is, what will we do with this
great fortune. Will we use our God given independence
to take heed to your instructions and perfect our lives
and make you smile or will we simply give lip service and
waste your time.
I pray to be able to remain in the association of devotees,
be free from the tendency of committing offence and
sincerely attempting to progress in spiritual life. If I am
able to succeed in this supreme endeavour, surely I will
bring a smile to your face.
Your servant
Murlidhara Priya das
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Neha
Nikhil Padiar
Dear Prabhupada,
I have never met you and thus have never had the
pleasure of getting to know you personally. However, i
feel as if i am getting to know you better and better
purely through deepening myself through your
movement. If it wasn't for you i would still be a
confused, frustrated soul searching for an absolute truth
within a reservoir of indefinite misleading sources and
ultimately would have given up on realizing the truth
and Krishna. The experiences and emotions
I have felt and still feel within the early days of my
spiritual life are unexplainable, even to myself. You had
to suffer many tribulations on your voyage to the west
simply to give us this greatest truth, and for that i am
truly humbled. Your endeavour strengthens my faith in
Krishna consciousness so much that just the thought of
you eliminates any demonic doubts i have running
through my mind about the path i am about to take. It is
because of you that I have the association of so many
wonderful devotees to guide me through your movement
and give me the oppurtunity to serve you. Showing me a
life of true eternal happiness and satisfaction, I cannot
begin to tell you how grateful and thankful I am. Infact,
a simple few words cannot justify my feeling, so i will
humbly thank you through my actions and endevours in
serving your truly inspiring movement. Please accept my
gratitude and please help me gain the strength to save
myself against this Maya...
Your Servant Always,
Nikhil Padhiar
Nilee Joshi
Hare Krsna,
I want to say how grateful I am for all your achievements
of establishing Krsna Consciousness, the way you spread
the Movement to the West has inspired me immensely,
you travelled miles to increase the understanding of The
Holy Name by your books and your lectures, which are
so incredibly moving, because without all your wisdom
and dedication, I would be lost about who I am, and
about who and what I’m living for. Your knowledge and
intelligence gave me the opportunity to make my life
more spiritual, as well as to make a new best friend who
is always going to be there for me: Krsna. You have given
me Krsna Consciousness, which I believe is the best path
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to bliss, you have taught me how to attain eternal
happiness, and you have taught me how to go Back to
Godhead, because only with your mercy and Krsna’s do I
hope to be able to gain even just a partial amount of
happiness that you are experiencing right now.
Therefore, for all of these realisations and opportunities
that you have given to me through your humble,
indescribable insights, I Thank You.
Nilee Joshi
Palika Raniga
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to
Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master,
servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the
message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western
countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dearest Great Grandfather Srila Prabhupada,
Thinking back over the last year, there is so much that
needs to be said to you however you already know that i
do not know where to begin but i will try. I owe you my
life, everything i have, the relationships, experiences,
everything is a shower of your blessings. For the past few
months i have been thinking about this topic of gratitude
a lot. It sounds so easy to do but i realised I do not do it
that often. I know that chanting is important, reading is
important, taking prasadam is so important but i keep on
forgetting to do one other thing which i should do every
day and that is to thank you, thank Radha Gokulananda,
thank all the devotees! For without all of you the thing i
call normality which is coming to the manor, going to
sangas, jammins, trips, doing worship at home would not
exist. If it were not for you and the order of your spiritual
master, my father would not have bumped into devotees
in central London and joined the family of ISKCON.
Gratitude or to be grateful is such a wonderful thing, the
selfless act of saying those words that touch someones
heart, the smile from within that takes over and brings
out the love for the simple act of kindness. Srila
Prabhupada there are not enough words for the kindness
you have showered on me and my family.
I always think of me, me, me, me, me. What i want,
what i want to do, what i want to have. Me me me me
me.
As i sit here today near you in the darshan room, i
cannot think about not having you in my life, even
thinking about it makes me feel like the life has been
taken away from me. It has become empty, nothing to
do, nothing to think about. Just a few days ago i was a
guest at a school and they called me in to answer a few
questions the kids had on Hinduism. One of the kids
asked me, what do you feel when you go to the temple,
what do you think about? I thought about the question
and then smiled. I answered in a different way and said
“imagine you have been in school for days and want to
go home (she gasped at the thought which made me
laugh) then imagine going home and being around
happy people, family and friends. (she smiled at the
thought). I said this is how i feel when i go to the temple.
Happy and i think, wow now i am at home.
ou have made this temple my home for the past 23years.
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I cannot imagine my life without coming here and seeing
the deities and devotees. This past year has been an
eventful one for me. Going to Vrindavan for kartika in
2011 had really awakened my desire stay in Vrindavan
dham. My desire of serving Vraja Dham is somehow
becoming a reality. My service for the past year has been
to help coordinate festivals in Pandava Sena. The actual
team are amazing and have been doing wonderful service
in inspiring others. I pray I can have the same mood as
them when it comes to service. Oh my dearest great
grandfather, I have actually got the chance now by the
grace of Radharani and your blessing and blessing of all
the vaishnavas to stay in Vrindavan and serve Braj dham.
I leave on the 5th December and beg you for your
guidance so i can serve in a humble state of mind and
not be attached to my material desires. Thank you so
much for your constant guidance and bless me that
whatever i have here in London, i can utilise that to help
serve srimati Raharani and Shyamsundara and the
inhabitants of Vraja Dham.
Your servant in the making,
Palika
Prayag Thakrar
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories unto your
lotus feet.
When I started thinking about what to write, I didn’t know
where to start. How do I start appreciating the difference
you have made in my life? I can say without a doubt this
past year has changed me an incredible amount. So what is
it that has been the cause of this change? I remember
writing my offering last year from the ashram in
Chowpatty, but at that time, I was in the process of
transforming my life to add Krsna to the centre. As my
mentor told me, when there is a room which hasn’t been
cleaned for years and years, it is full of dust. And by slowly
cleaning this, a lot of dust flies into the air, but you tolerate
because you know that by your cleansing, the dust will
eventually be rid. And there is a lot of dust within the heart.
Now I am really feeling the effects of the association which I
was fortunate to receive.
Despite my next trip not being spiritually motivated, I feel I
made leaps and bounds in South America and can honestly
say Krsna allowed me to go both to fulfil my desires as well
as to become stronger in my Krishna Consciousness.
Throughout my travels, it was very evident that people were
essentially looking for Krsna, but they just did not know it.
And I was able to witness all the things which people
perceive that will bring them happiness but whilst it gave
pleasure, ultimately it was only temporary. It allowed me to
be very appreciative of what I had, and that we could really
try to dedicate this one life to Krsna. Now I feel much more
confident to give Krsna to others.
I guess what I am trying to say is thank you for giving us
Krsna because who knows what we would be doing without
Him? When I look around me and see how much you have
transformed all of our lives to give us something of real
value, my heart warms inside. Thank you Srila Prabhupada.
Your servant,
Prayag
65
Priya Ghelani
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Only once a year I sit down to appreciate you and your
immense efforts in creating your movement by writing a
short offering.
I pray to remember everything you have done for us
more often so that I can remember how fortunate we are
and how rare this opportunity we have been given really
is.
I pray that I can read your books, hear your lectures and
truly absorb your teachings. I pray that I can really
associate with your devotees and learn from their
exemplary moods with a pure heart. I pray that I can
serve your devotees and serve you, even in some small
way. You have given us so much. We are indebted to you
but we are fortunate enough to serve you through this
movement you have created for us.
Lastly, I pray that I can always remain in the association
of your devotees and I never leave your movement.
Your servant,
Priya Ghelani
Raaj Raniga
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Radha Vinod
67
Radhika Joshi
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your Divine lotus
feet. All glories to you on this most auspicious day.
I can not express my gratitude towards you Master,
words are just not enough to glorify you by. Just
thinking about it, where at a time i could place myself in
this dark misery. So many around you, yet you don't feel
like apart. There were many different directions
which could have been taken, but which path to go on???
So many questions arising in our mind
Where to go? What to do? As the darkness has covered
you completely, But is that the way of life?? are you really
attaining something from that?? Could not get an
answer. Though then i see a small light coming on the
side, where i could see you Master. Always there to help,
giving push, making me see and realise whereby i should
flow. Just by leaving your wonderful books and devotee's
to inspire us, which then just goes and erases or
blanks our darkness.
A small saying for you Master:
Thanks for doing what you did;
You are kind beyond belief;
Your help and caring calmed me down,
And gave me soothing relief.
Master over the years as time goes by, i feel more and
more close to you. Even the feeling of serving you and
all is totally different now. Just keep this insignificant
soul going with your mercy. Pull more and more towards
Lord Sri Krishna. To keep me going on this path, only to
walk following your way.
Back to Godhead Back to Godhead Back to Godhead
HARE KRISHNA...
Your servant of the servant
Radhika
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Rahul Popat
69
Rangadevi
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my most humble obeisances, all glories to
your magnanimous self. I wonder why I hesitate and
delay to write to you some words of thanks and
glorification.
Srila Prabhupada, my life without you would have been
so different... a life without spiritual direction, in
pursuance of common goals and pleasures; somewhat
empty and unclear in purpose. Yet now by your bright
words, by your kind and wholesome example and by the
depth of your love, I find myself enriched, revelling in
ever fresh treasures, subtleties and heartfelt realisations.
This path of surrender, self purification and self
awakening is difficult and often bittersweet but always an
adventure, a discovery. A path of intelligence and
introspection, of coming close to that which uplifts and
purifies us whilst distancing from that which does not. I
struggle with basic things, yet still you reciprocate with
experiences that are far beyond my qualification.
Thank you Srila Prabhupada for being there for me,
when I'm conscious of you and when I'm not, for
speaking to me when I make the effort to hear
you.Thank you for your shelter that makes me feel so
safe. I pray that one day I will not struggle with
foundational things in my spiritual life and will live a life
that is perfectly aligned with your words and rooted in
your heart's desire.
I struggle on trying to outgrow the confines of my
conditional self and pray to be more intimately
connected to your words within my mind and heart.
Hoping to always please you,
Your spiritual grand daughter,
Rangadevi devi dasi
Ravi Pattni
nama om vishnu-padaya
krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta
swamin iti namine
namaste saraswati deve
gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi
pashchatya-desha-tarine
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisance’s,
All glories to Your Divine Grace,
Words of gratitude are few and never of the heart when I
make my attempts to write an offering to You.
Glorifying You is benign of feeling and my attachment
for you is fleeting and only present when I need help. I
try so desperately to cry out to You for help in my
Krishna conscious attempts, but crocodile tears are all
that pour from my eyes.
This year has been filled with Your mercy, and
opportunities have been plentiful to perform devotional
service. From Senagetaway to University Societies, I have
tried to please You in the hope that at some point I will
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be able to offer something worthy at the end of this
lifetime. These opportunities have been tainted with my
need for acknowledgement, yet still, You guide me through
your books, lectures, letters and example - which always
seem to give the right advice at the right time.
Having left the association of those whom I regarded
friends previously, I have been forced somewhat into
surrender, and despite me realizing until now - Your
movement has provided me with an ocean of happiness
beyond the few drops I was receiving previously. You
describe this world as a place of misery and only now have
I seen this.
You have also guided me towards my spiritual master who
instructs me so nicely so as to find my way back home.
May these simple words please You on Your glorious
appearance day, which brought the sun of Your divine
presence into my desperate life.
Your humble aspiring servant,
Ravi
Ravi Talsania
My Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
I am writing this offering to you from Harki Pauri in Haridwar
during my first trip to India! I have had the most amazing
experience so far from bathing in the Holy Ganga to walking
across the Ram Jhula bridge and seeing the magnanimous
Himalayas in Rishikesh! Today we drove from Haridwar to
Vrindavan- it took 10 hours! But finally around midnight we
arrived. I felt this overwhelming sense of contentment. I felt
overpoweringly emotional and knew that I was in the right
place. We drove passed Your temple. I saw Your Samadhi. I
felt so close to You and am very eager to actually step into it
and be in the same place as Your divine vapu. You have truly
blessed us with so much. So much that we couldn’t even
possibly require or need, yet You gave it to us. All we really
need is the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. That’s suffice for us to
develop our love of Godhead. But due to Your unlimited
mercy; Your
boundless love; Your unconditional commitment for delivering
souls back to Krishna, You have given us a society. A society
full of beautiful devotees and exquisite deities; of nectarian
books and soul-satisfying prasad.
Today I walked into the Krishna-Balarama Temple. Seeing the
very same Radha-Shyamasundara that You yourself took
darshan of just before Your descent back home sent shivers
down my spine and I really understood why people are so
attracted and addicted to Sri Vrindavan Dham. I understand
the potency of these deities and why people cry in their
presence.
It is now the 30th October. I visited 4 out of the 7 main
temples of Vrindavan Dham. I saw Sri Sri Radha Damodar.
They were a lot taller than I expected them to be. Four sets of
the divine couple! It was a very awe striking sight!
They had beautifully painted cheeks with yellow dots and
swirls and large glowing eyes beaming with love for Their
devotees. There was also a Jagannath deity to the left and a
Goverdhan shila containing the footprint of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead as well the hoof outline of a surabhi
calf. On the right hand side as I entered the temple, I saw the
rooms which
You stayed in before You left for America. The very same place
You hatched out the plans for spreading Krishna
Consciousness in the west. I really felt Your presence there. I
71
saw the exact place where You would translate the
Bhagavatam whilst looking out the window across to Srila
Rupa Goswami’s Samadhi. Across this room was Your
kitchen. It was a very simple room which had a counter and
a gas cooker. The floors were charcoal concrete and the walls
were faded and cracked. To think that You- the Founder-
Acharya of an international propaganda lived in such an
austere environment really puts everything into perspective.
You lived so simply because You were detached from any
material considerations and were simply intent on Your
devotion to Sri Krishna. I thought I knew a lot about You.
In reality I really don’t. There’s so much to learn about You.
It’s like a life long learning process. As we advance, more
knowledge is bestowed unto us and revelation of Your
character and Your mood becomes more accessible. Urmilla
Mataji said to me that “how can we love somebody that we
don’t even know?” It’s such a simple yet crucial point. The
Christians attempt to glorify God through their Bible
however the bible doesn’t give any references to the form or
the
pastimes of the Supreme. How can they love Him other than
through blind faith? I have made a conviction to myself that
I will get to know You beyond a subtle level. Through Your
books, Your lectures and Your disciples. I want to know You
so that I can love You. And then when I love You, I can
attempt to love Krishna .
There is a side to You which I was entirely unaware of.
Initially I was completely ignorant as to how much India
meant You - especially the charismatic village of Vrindavan.
How You could have left this place and delved into the
humdrum western hemisphere- I will never know. I have
only spent 10 days here and I am so in awe of everything.
But- You lived here! So you truly understood and relished
the potency of Vraja Dham. For You to leave this place in
the latter part of Your life, simply for us is something I will
never be able to fathom. I just can’t comprehend how much
love You have in Your heart. For us? Who are we? Simply
mlecchas and sense gratifiers. Yet You sacrificed Your
sadhana for us. Even Your own God-brothers turned their
backs on You. Its the single most selfless act anybody on this
entire planet has ever committed. You are definitely not from
this world. You can’t be. Even Mother Theresa, through all
her humanitarian work for the people of Calcutta and her
attempts to distribute the Catholic philosophy to the
uneducated, lost her faith in God towards the end of her life.
Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami says in the Caitanya
Caritamrita that if we consider the mercy of Lord Caitanya,
our hearts will be struck with wonder. In the same way if we
examine the qualities and achievements of Your divine grace,
we cannot but be amazed. Many people in this world are
labelled as great, but the greatness of a Vaisnava Acharya can
never be compared to the insignificant ‘greatness’ of these
people. If we look at the history of our parampara, we see an
ocean of variegated magnanimity amongst the Acharyas.
They were so focused in their efforts to challenge the non-
devotees and preserve the bhaktas. They gave their lives to
God propagation and underwent severe penances to
enlighten those around them. Hundreds and thousands of
years later, their legacies continue and their teachings prevail.
However none have been bearers of Krishna Consciousness
in the quantity that You have.
None spread this cult to the wide extent that You did. None
constructed temples and attracted disciples in countries
outside of India. You spread Krishna Consciousness in an
environment which was bereft of Vedic Culture. Yet You
undeniably saw Yourself as their servant. They were Your
masters and You established their assertions through Your
own books and lectures. By knowing You, we got to know a
5000 year long legacy of Vaisnavas! Without You my life
would be considerably insignificant. Despite being in
ISKCON- it still is. However I have a glimpse of hope that
something I do will make a constructive contribution to
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Your mission to please Your Gurumaharaj. Regardless of
knowing deep within my heart that this is the ultimate
reality, foolishly I still make mistakes and procrastinate when
I should be chanting Hare Krishna and reading Your books.
Please bless our attempts to glorify You through this
‘Prabhupada Tribute Festival’. If You so desire. All I want to
do is make you smile, truly.
With gratitude,
Your foolish grandson
Sahil Agarwal
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to you.
In the last year many things have happened by your mercy. I
have had the rare fortune to be surrounded by many serious
devotees who have saved me time and again. The society of
devotees you created is so powerful since it provides
protection and a spiritual oasis from the constant attacks of
the material world. Please Prabhupada, allow me to remain
in the association of such sincere and serious devotees, for
without their guidance and protection I would definitely not
be aspiring to follow your instructions.Thank you
Prabhupada, for giving us a mission, the mission of the
greatest welfare work. This mission drives the devotees and
also their sincere desire to please you, and because of their
mercy they engage me in your service too.
You are so merciful that you give even such an insignificant
soul the mercy to be happy in his service, and the blessing of
being constantly engaged in devotional service. Thank you
Prabhupada for the blessing of being engaged in devotional
service, which is most glorious. Over the last year by your
mercy there have been some challenges in my life. For a
period of time the challenges were very external and physical.
However after that distinct period of challenges, by your
mercy immediately there were more internal challenges and
because of good guidance and support it really forced me to
try and go slightly deeper into the practice of Krishna
Consciousness and really try and pray and beg Krishna, and
Radharani for Their mercy. So thank you Prabhupada for
your mercy, since your mercy is all the I am made up of.
Prabhupada please allow me to be an instrument of your
compassion, and please use me as you like.
Please give me the blessings that I can strive to be the servant,
of the servant, of your loving servants and offer this life to
you.
Your insignificant aspiring servant,
Sahil
Sejal Bhundia
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
I offer my humble obeisances to you. I cannot thank you
enough for starting the Hare Krishna Movement. I don't
know what I'd do if it didn't exist. Through this movement,
I have learnt so much about spiritual life and the route to
eternal happiness. I have learnt the importance of seva and
helping others around me. Being a part of this movement has
enabled me to have strength during the most difficult times
of my life. Having faith in Lord Krishna has saved me from a
a potentially fatal summer this year and I am forever
thankful.
All my love,
Sejal
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Shankar Punn
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please Accept My Humble Obeisances
Thanks to your unlimited mercy, which you have bestowed
unto a completely undeserving spirituality immature
neophyte, I feel I have been able to take my spiritual life
more seriously this year. In what has been an unpredictable,
enlivening and sometimes difficult year you have been so
kind to put extremely exalted devotees in my path which has
helped me to come to the realisation that everything is which
happens good or bad is Krishna’s mercy. Although I often
forget this point, I know deep inside my heart that sri-guru-
carane rati, ei se uttama-gati, je prasade pure sarva asa is all
that matters.
By your causeless mercy and Krishna’s inconceivable
arrangement I have had the honour of meeting many of your
disciples this year and have heard your glorious pastimes
from them directly. Having also read about your early
struggles, triumphs and sheer dedication to fulfil your
spiritual masters instructions you have inspired me to not
waste this precious human form of life by taking this process
of Krishna Consciousness more seriously. You have also
given me the greatest gift of all this past year, which is an
opportunity to engage in devotional service. Thank you Srila
Prabhupada for allowing me to execute some small service
for the devotees in the movement. I pray at your lotus feet
that I can continue to have the privilege to perform
devotional service for many years to come.
I cannot imagine, and somewhat fear what my life would be
like without Krishna Consciousness and although I have so
much more still to learn and so much more purification to
still go through, I know I can always take shelter from this
material world in your books. In your purport for Chapter
18, verse 66 of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, you state ‘One
should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Krishna. His
name is Krishna because He is all-attractive. One who
becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent
vision of Krishna is fortunate’. Although I know I am no
where near the level of even beginning to understanding
Krishna, I do understand how fortunate I am to have access
to your books for guidance, instruction and access to the
mercy of the Lord.
A phrase, which resonates in my memory, is ‘Books are the
basis, purity is the force, preaching is the essence and utility
is the principle’. This simple yet powerful statement is what I
will endeavour to meditate on this coming year to hopefully
develop the consciousness to serve you in the way which you
have so kindly prescribed all conditioned souls.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Srila Prabhupada. I
pray that I am always engaged in your service.
Your Servant,
Saahas Shanker Punn
Shiv Shingdia
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All Glories to You.
Prabhupada I cannot even begin to glorify you as I don’t
even understand the greatness of what you have done. I
am so foolish that even after you doing the greatest
things possible I ignorantly cannot even appreciate them.
Of the little I know I will try to make some cherishing
points. Not until recently did I ever quite comprehend
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why you always said you were never alone when you
came to the west. You always stated your spiritual master
and Krishna were with you at all times. I took what you
said for complete granted and didn’t try to understand it.
However, after trying to connect with you I now see that
24/7 you are completely absorbed in pleasing your
spiritual master and Krishna. Now I can slightly see that
similarly we are always connected to you and always have
you with us when we are trying to serve you. You are
directly with Krishna yet so lovingly you come to save us
all.
I am slowly realising ISKCON is everything. The
wonderful devotees due to your books and teachings
keep me going. Despite being so fortunate to have time
with so many wonderful devotees who are such amazing
examples and teach me so much, I continuously take
them for granted. I cannot
imagine life without ISKCON as this movement has
given me endless mercy. I am not worthy of asking you
for anything more as you are giving Love of Krishna Srila
Prabhupada, however to stay and progress I must beg
you to always keep me under your wings. I am stupid
and Maya is very strong, however pleading out to you is
the only way I can be saved.
You have all amazing qualities as you have complete
Krishna Consciousness. I will never completely
understand what you have done for us all; however I will
give it my best to serve you so that when that one day
comes I can truthfully say I tried to please you
Prabhupada and really attempted to make you smile.
Please always keep me under your guiding wings, where I
feel secure.
Trying to be your servant,
Shiv Shingdia
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Shyam Dattani
Sona Shah
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you.
Of all the amazing things you have done in the last few
years of your life, setting up this movement across the
world on your own, is so inspirational. With all the
hardships you faced in the process, it is really remarkable
how much you managed to accomplish, in such a short
space of time. It shows that anything is possible if you
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really desire and work hard to achieve it. Whenever I
think about this work you have done, it makes me want
to work harder in what little I can do. If you can achieve
such great things, we can at least make our best attempt
to achieve even something small in our lives too!
Please continue to give us your blessings and guidance so
that we may try to serve and make a small input in your
mission to spread Krishna Consciousness around the
world.
Your Aspiring Servant,
Sona
Sunil
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus
feet. All glories to you on this most auspicious
appearance day.
Every year we write tend to write these offering but no
matter how much we write or say we can never and will
never be able to comprehend how much you have done
for fallen conditioned souls like myself. No matter how
much we glorify your efforts it still feels short of how
much you have given to us. By your books, association
through your instructions- the entire world was turned
on its head, such power you had yet so humble and we
are eternally grateful for your appearance here in the
material world.
I continue to struggle so much to advance in krsna
consciousness mainy as I continually fall short of
following the process given by you. I pray that you
continue to shower your love, attention guidance and
ultimately your unlimited mercy upon all conditioned
souls so that one day they can return back home back to
godhead. I thank you prabhupadha for the many times
in my life that I feel your words have guided me to
decide between right and wrong and helped me to try to
remember the lotus feet of krsna. I feel like the entire
material world is grateful for your appearance and
sacrifice by leaving the spiritual world, I pray that
somehow or other I can one day repay a minute amount
of your transcendental love by serving others. I humbly
beg you to continue to shower your blessings on me to
make me an instrument in serving your mission and
please forgive my offences.
Your eternally indebted fallen servent, I beg that I can
remain under the shelter of your lotus feet always.
Sunil
Umeeka
Dearest Srila Prabhupada,
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Please accept my utmost obeisances.
I would like to seize this wondrous opportunity to say
thank you for the inspiring and magnificent journey you
began a long time ago. You have initiated and developed
a blanket of pure snow over the world uniting people
from different cultures and backgrounds to believe in
one faith- Krishna Consciousness.
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With your support and rich wisdom I hope to attain an
untainted and content soul. With your pure knowledge
and my capabilities we are able to progress in eradicating
suffering and immense delusion on this material world.
This academic year, I shall be helping to lead the Krishna
Consciousness Society at Queen Mary, University of
London. Please help me to persevere and preserve the
motivation, confidence and strength to sustain the
Krishna Consciousness movement, forever. Please accept
me as your student so that I may also continue your gift
of wisdom through my journey in life.
I am forever grateful to you.
Yours sincerely,
Your eternal servant,
Umeeka
Vedant Pandya
My dear jagat guru,
I sometimes think of your glories and only wish I was
present in your pastimes on earth, i wonder if you're in
goloka vrindavan or preaching in another universe,
regardless of that my only wish would be to have a
moment of your association. I reckon I'd be a stronger
devotee right away.
In the service of guru and Gauranga,
Your fallen servant,
V
Vishal Popat
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Every year we thank you for what you have given us and
left us with, and over the last year much has happened
and Krishna Consciousness has taught me so many
lessons which nothing or nobody else could've taught
me. I've met many new people and the times I've had
within Krishna Consciousness have been priceless, and it
has got me through the worst of times, for which I can't
do enough in return, but what I can do is make my best
effort to constantly persevere to develop my
consciousness, and to learn to devote myself to Krsna, by
your example, with your voyage to look up to as an
inspiration to better myself.
Your servant,
Vishal
Vrinda Kishori Devi Dasi
To the great founder Acarya, dearest Srila Prabhupada…
After all you have done, I find appreciating you so hard.
The deadline draws to a close, yet I have nothing to write
It makes me feel morose, and I feel a sense of fright.
Why am I so selfish and my heart made of stone?
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I feel no love or gratitude… in this regard I am alone.
The devotees beam at the thought of your personality
They are so keen… all of them but me
Although the sentiment is absent and dry
I love what you have given and I really want to try
To hear and chant with love, the glories of the Lord
This I’m unworthy of, it wouldn’t be a just reward.
I know what I am, what I think and what I do,
To give a small taste to a rascal, why would you?
Completely absurd is what thinks me.
Then I think of the words: causeless mercy
Thank you dear Acarya for all you have done
In appreciation, I will try not to shun…
any devotee that has entered ISKCON,
By selfless service we can hit the home run!
The servant of the servant of your servants
Vrinda Kishori Devi Dasi
Vrindavan Bihari Das
nama om vishnu padaya krishna presthaya bhutale
srimate bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto
His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami
who is very dear to Lord Krishna having taken
shelter at His lotus feet.
namaste sarasvati deve gaura vani pracarine
nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desha tarine
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master,
servant of Saraswati Goswami.
You are so kindly teaching the message of Lord Chaitanya
and delivering the Western countries
which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Dear Srila Prabhupada
In terms of spiritual realisations or advancement,
unfortunately this year has not been very progressive,
fortunately I still feel connected with you, you have been
the bedrock of my spiritual life, even when I didn’t have
full faith in Krsna, I trusted you and was inspired by you.
Like a gentle and generous grand father your presence
particularly through your books as well as you’re
devotees keep persons such as my lowly self connected to
Krishna Conciousness, a hope one day that just as a child
matures at adolescence, one day I will mature in Krishna
Conciousness.
You’re patience with us struggling with our anarthas
gives me hope. You’re determination that it is possible to
develop love of Krsna in this life gives me hope. In your
books you’re as soft as a flower and as hard as a
thunderbolt. A perfect spiritual doctor giving us what we
need. I can imagine you cutting through all my
nonsense. The fact of the matter is although difficult to
admit is I am lazy and comfortable with the status quo.
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Someone sleeping is easy to wake up but someone
pretending to sleep can not be easily woken up. I pray
that I take your instructions with the surrender and
vibrancy of a simple, sincere, innocent and determined
new fresh bhakta.
I have nothing of any significance to offer you, except my
desire to do so.
Your aspiring servant
Vrindavan Bihari dasa
Yaajan Govindia
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances and all glories to
you're lotus feet! Srila Prabhupada, you have so delicately
wrapped Krishna Bhakti into Krishna Consciousness and
gifted it to the world for our benefit. I beg that you help
me to never forget this knowledge you have given to us
through you're books, and forever help me aspire to
become the servant of the servant to please you. You have
given me so much, and I simply wish that I may use any
situation, whether in times of hardship or comfort, in
you're service, just with the hope of making Krsna smile.
Please help me to maintain and grow my faith and
sadhana, so I can share with others the love of Sri Krsna.
I need guidance in order to soften my hardened heart
from greed, envy, anger and many more unwanted
qualities in order to touch others hearts. Prabhupada,
you're my saviour, you saved my soul. Please lead me in
the right direction, towards the ultimate goal.
As put so perfectly by mother Teresa, "I simply want to
be a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is
sending a love letter to the world.."
You're fallen servant,
Yaajan
Yash Karia
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
On a recent Pandavasena trip to Radhadesh, Belgium, I
learned how you fulfilled so many roles: as a teacher,
providing insights on the most profound texts ever
written; as a leader, assisting the development of a global
society; and even as a medical practitioner! Yet despite
undertaking such great responsibilities dedicating so
much time and effort in a worldwide revolution, I have
also heard how you would very often merrily quote,
“what is the difficulty”.
Having recently taken up a little bit of responsibility with
the Krishna Consciousness society at university, I
sometimes find myself caught up between my studies and
having to spend time for the society. Yet very often,
neither aspect is completely fulfilled. In your very own
life, you exemplified how a whole multitude of tasks can
be accomplished especially when Krishna has been firmly
placed in the centre. However, what I really find
inspiring is the fact that in the face of great
responsibilities, there was always time for you to relate to
others in the most personal and loving way possible. This
is truly evident by the society you leave behind as your
legacy where people genuinely care and are concerned
about the welfare of others.
Your servant,
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Yash Karia
Your incompetent
servant
"This ISKCON Movement is complete. We should
never neglect this point. We should never
misunderstand, under some illusion and bewilderment,
that we don't have all the facilities for complete
protection at the feet of Srila Prabhupada in this
ISKCON Movement. This ISKCON Movement is
complete, because everything is here" - Aindra Prabhu's
Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja Offering 1997
Dear Prabhupada,
There comes a time in my life where I stop what I'm
doing and detach myself from the business of my daily
life (not doing much) to focus on You. Its when I do this
that I realise how little I think of You, how little I reflect
upon Your achievements and Your infinite, divine
qualities. Not too long ago, I used to witness the love my
fellow devotees used to have for You (and still do), would
sit and listen to their stories, would watch them glorify
You again and again. But I would never understand this
love, this admiration. my thoughts were "Sure, He
established many ISKCON centres worldwide,
established such a large and successful movement. So?
Surely someone else would have done it, if not Him." I
never shared these thoughts with anyone. I guess I was
worried about offending. I was baffled as to why I saw
tears in peoples' eyes when sitting in Your katha. I guess
I did the right thing and channeled my confusion
in Your books, in Your lilas and this is my small
opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for giving me
that which I never really hankered for until this lifetime
(and even then, do not hanker enough for). I take
everything you have done for us for granted.
Your advice, Your literature, Your processes.. I go
through phases where I know it's there and it isn't going
anywhere so I forget You. Thoughts of You go so far
back into my mind and ego that I forget, if I have any
sanity at all, it is because of You. Please forgive me.
Please never take Your hand off my head. I'm sorry.
Your incompetent servant
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Thus ends the offerings presented to
Your Divine Grace for the 2012 Tribute Celebration
by the youth of Your movement.
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“I am Indian, but I have come to western countries to teach love of God. It
is not that I am satisfied only in myself that I love God, that's all right. But
due to my love to God I love others also, so I am trying to teach them to
love God, the same philosophy. So if people take seriously this movement,
how to love God, then human society will be first-rate.”
-His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada-