My Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances again and again at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
During a recent gathering in Pandharpur with my senior disciples, managers, and leaders, we reflected deeply on the various instructions you had given me throughout my life – how I have endeavored to execute them, what still remains unfinished, and how many services, departments, projects, and preaching initiatives developed from those instructions.
A major focus of our deliberations was the future: how these services and responsibilities would continue after my physical departure, and how they could be preserved, expanded, and carried forward into future generations.
From these reflections emerged a clearer understanding of the legacy projects and initiatives that, by your mercy, have been established and brought to maturity as direct offerings of service to your instructions. This reflection on the legacy created in your service, forms the very essence of this Vyāsa pūjā offering.
I humbly pray that my followers, particularly those entrusted with leadership and managerial responsibilities, will protect, nurture, and perpetuate these legacy services, for your continued pleasure.
The single most inspiring instruction of my life began on Rādhāṣṭamī, 1 September 1976, at Śrī Śrī Rādhā Pārthasārathi Mandira in ISKCON Delhi.
“…You don’t need to travel on the bus in India. You can go by bullock cart.”(Room Conversation, Delhi, 1976)
You mercifully instructed me to begin the Bullock Cart Saṅkīrtana Preaching Program (Padayātrā). Later, during the inaugural gathering in Vṛndāvana on 12 September 1976, you again instructed me, concluding with the words: “Yāre dekha tāre kaha ‘hare kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.”
I always felt this was a personal and custom made instruction for me. Ordinarily the phrase is “kṛṣṇa-upadeśa,” but you specifically said “hare kṛṣṇa-upadeśa.” I understood from this that you were directing me to dedicate my life to propagating the holy name everywhere through Padayātrā.
These instructions, repeated through correspondence and personal encounters, became the sole direction and purpose of my life. You encouraged me:
“Yes. Go from village to village. It is a very noble attempt And if you sincerely preach, Kṛṣṇa will… buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. There is no doubt.” (Vṛndāvana, September 12, 1976)
What began as a single bullock cart gradually expanded into a worldwide movement of harināma saṅkīrtana. On March 16, 1977 you wrote, “We can introduce many millions of such carts all over the world.”
In 1991, the ISKCON GBC formally recognized Padayātrā’s global mission: “To bring the congregational chanting of the holy name to every town and village of the world through organized Padayātrā festivals.”
Your desire continues to unfold. During your Centennial celebrations, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Padayātrās were conducted in more than one hundred countries. Collectively they have now travelled over four hundred thousand kilometers, equivalent to circumambulating the earth sixteen times.
“Prasāda distribution and chanting and book distribution is sufficient for your program.”(Letter – Dec. 23, 1976)
Eight Indian states now conduct their own Padayātrās, which continues to be a leading contributor to book distribution, just as you instructed:
As a service to your instruction, it is my earnest desire to see the Padayātrā movement carried forward for the next ten thousand years, until the chanting of the holy name reaches every town and every village.
For more than forty years, devotees from around the world have participated in the Kārtika Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā. experiencing spiritual rejuvenation through thirty days of immersion in the holy dhāma.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you established the great festivals of Māyāpur and Vṛndāvana, and parikramā was always an integral part of those sacred festivals. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself performed this Parikrama and your Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, organised Vraja Parikramā in 1932, in which Your Divine Grace participated.
To help pilgrims understand the spiritual significance of each sacred place, I compiled Vraja-maṇḍala Darśana, a book that has now been translated into at least seven languages and counting.
Following your example and the tradition you upheld, I strongly feel that every single devotee should perform Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā at least once in their lifetime, and I pray that by your mercy, this tradition continues for thousands of years to come.
The whole of India and specifically your Maharashtra are enthused with Krishna. Now you have to revive their Krishna consciousness… So revive them by the process of the saṅkīrtana movement.”(Letter – July 30, 1977)
Inspired by this instruction, I initiated systematic preaching in Maharashtra, establishing temples and overseeing Deity installations so devotees could have stable centres for sādhana, kīrtana, preaching, education, festivals, and community life.
“Organize very solidly and thus increase the number of books distributed, the numbers of devotees made, and develop centers of Krishna consciousness everywhere.”(Letter – July 30, 1977)
Centers are flourishing in Maharashtra: Solapur (Śrī Śrī Rādhā Dāmodara); Beed (Śrī Śrī Rādhā Govinda-deva); Latur and Pachora (Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā); Ichalkaranji (Śrī Śrī Rādhā Śyāmasundara); and Amravati (Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhiśa). These are the principal temples, alongside dozens of extension centers and preaching outposts.
In Gautam Buddha Nagar District now known as Greater Delhi State, we have many temple projects – Noida, Greater Noida and Jewar to name a few. The opening of Noida International Airport has brought greater importance to our temple projects in the zone.
“You should train the one farmer from your native village so that he can actually become an ISKCON representative there.”(Letter – July 30, 1977)
The entire region has been spiritually elevated. Aravade, my birthplace, has become enthused with Krishna consciousness, and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Gopāla has become a cherished place of pilgrimage and worship.
All these temples, projects, and initiatives have been developed in accordance with your vision – keeping a succession plan and the next generation of devotees in mind. The foundation has now been laid, and I look to the Regional Secretary Assistants, leaders, and managers to carry this legacy forward to expand and maintain these efforts, and “ to revive Krishna consciousness by the process of the saṅkīrtana movement.”
In the early 1970s, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you had returned to India with your Western disciples. Looking at the map of India, you began identifying key locations for establishing centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You put your finger indicating Nagpur, marked by the historic Zero Mile of India.
Recognising its central position, you expressed your desire that a grand temple be established there. This instruction has taken form today as the beautiful lotus-shaped International Vedic Cultural Centre (IVCC), a majestic temple and cultural palace of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gopīnātha, a living embodiment of your wish and will.
Your affectionate statement, “Our Lokanāth Swami is just like Saint Tukaram,” deeply connected me with Pandharpur and my traditional spiritual roots. Pandharpur is the spiritual capital of Maharashtra and the abode of Lord Viṭṭhala, and under your encouragement I began my preaching career here.
Pandharpur also has a strong Gauḍīya connection – Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s eleven-day visit, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu’s initiation here by Lakṣmīpati Tīrtha, and Viśvarūpa winding up His pastimes and departing for the spiritual world from here.
The highlights of the new Bhūvaikuṇṭha Temple Project include: the iconic Prabhupāda Ghāṭa; magnificent temple; Prabhupāda museum; exhibition galleries; gośālā; international-standard guesthouses; restaurants; extensive pilgrim services; Rūpānuga Vidyāpīṭha (educational facilities); Bhaktivedanta Hospital; and a residential devotee community.
I pray that, by your mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the new Bhūvaikuṇṭha Pandharpur will develop into a grand international spiritual and cultural hub, becoming well known throughout India and worldwide, revealing its spiritual glory to pilgrims and future generations.
Near Nagpur in Maharashtra lies Kaundinyapur, the birthplace of Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī Devī, a sacred dhāma deserving global recognition. This holy dhāma is directly connected to one of the most beautiful pastimes of Lord Krsna – the “kidnapping” pastime of Lord Kṛṣṇa taking Rukmiṇī Devī away to become His eternal queen.
Our temple project currently under development stands on the site where Lord Kṛṣṇa’s chariot stood during the divine pastime. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava heritage and importance of this holy place call for it to be properly established, preserved, and revealed, so that it may become a recognized place of pilgrimage for Vaiṣṇavas worldwide. By your mercy and guidance, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and through my humble service, I aspire to see this sacred dhāma properly developed and revealed to the world.
In 2018 I established Zoom Harināma Mandir, to ensure that devotees, especially initiated disciples chant their rounds in the morning. Of course, it is open to all your followers and disciples of my god brothers who have been joining and also several of them give japa talks. Now seven years later, around two thousand devotees from across the world gather daily and the initiative has been recognized by the World Book of Records for three consecutive years of uninterrupted global mantra meditation.
I pray this non-sectarian online mandir continues long beyond my personal presence.
“There is need of making more Indian devotees. We have to make more men like you.”(Room Conversation, Bombay, 1975)
Through your own example, you taught us that spiritual leadership means caring for people, shaping character, and cultivating devotion.
…. train them according to your needs. Krsna has given you and your companions a very nice responsibility. If you like you can go all over India and make it more and more in that way.” (Letter – Dec. 14, 1976)
More than ten thousand of my disciples and of course they are your grand-disciples in over fifty-five countries are now serving your mission. Initiation was only the beginning. I have endeavored to train, encourage and gradually prepare them for meaningful service so they become spiritually strong, philosophically grounded, responsible, competent, cooperative, gentlemen and capable of serving with maturity and integrity.
“Keep your behavior right to the point, set a very good example and others will follow. Yes, I want you to concentrate on preaching.” (Letter- Dec. 23, 1976)
Devotees learn not only through instruction, but through association, conduct, standards, and personal example. I have especially encouraged simplicity, humility, sādhana, Vaiṣṇava behavior, preaching spirit, and loyalty to ISKCON.
My aim is to cultivate future servants, teachers, leaders, and caretakers of your movement. I am dependent mostly on them to continue, to maintain what has been created and of course further expand these various programs and projects, Padayātrās and publications.
“Although it may take long to master Sanskrit, once it is learned, the student passes through ‘the gateway to education.’” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 15,5 purport)
Through your books, you carefully preserved Sanskrit Devanāgarī, transliteration, word-for-word meanings, translations and introduced morning and evening recitations of Gita Bhagavat so that devotees everywhere could gradually hear, read, pronounce, study, and appreciate the language of the Vedic literature.
I want to encourage Sanskrit learning within ISKCON – academically, devotionally and practically so devotees may develop deeper appreciation and understanding of your books, prayers, mantras, and the original śāstric tradition. You repeatedly emphasized the importance of proper pronunciation.
“Every mantra of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is śabda-brahma… If the mantra is poorly articulated, then the sound form of the Lord is disfigured.”(Letter, April 5, 1970)
With this inspiration, I also prepared a Sanskrit Pronunciation guide to help devotees properly articulate Sanskrit sounds, chant verses carefully, sing prayers correctly, and gain confidence in approaching Sanskrit study.
We humbly seek your blessings for this initiative to promote learning Sanskrit including the correct pronunciation to understand scriptures better. A team of a selected group of learned ISKCON Sanskrit scholars will work with ISKCON’s Education Ministry to promote and propagate Sanskrit only to those who are voluntarily willing and competent to learn.
“The business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 19.132)
I have authored about a dozen books and have many more writing projects in the pipeline. Śrīla Prabhupāda, only you could simultaneously write and translate books while travelling, and managing ISKCON affairs worldwide. You instructed – “You do as I did”, but I am certainly not able to do as you did – this amazing and almost inconceivable feat. During the last leg of my journey I am trying to hand over my managerial responsibilities so that I may find time for writing. I have established a publishing house called ISKCON Padayatra Press. I once gain beg for your blessings for success with this herculean task. Book are a very special significant part of a legacy. The physical body may leave, but one stays behind in the form of ones books.
You had personally witnessed what happened after the departure of your own spiritual master. You clearly wrote: “Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next ācārya.”(Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 12.8, Purport)
You did not want individual gurus to assume the position of independent ācāryas and ultimate managers, thereby fragmenting the institution into competing factions. You clearly foresaw the dangers of guru groupism, and therefore to fulfill your spiritual master’s instruction and protect ISKCON you established the Governing Body Commission. In your final will, you stated: “The Governing Body Commission (GBC) will be the ultimate managing authority…”
I have personally endeavored to take practical and deliberate steps so that guru groupism and the Zonal acarya Syndrome may be checked and gradually eradicated, especially within ISKCON in India where guru groupism still prevails. During the recent ISKCON India Bureau meeting I put forward a proposal in this regard which was accepted and it was resolved “that the ISKCON Bureau constitutes ISKCON India Guru and Sannyasa Services Committee to process, coordinate and monitor the guru/sannyasa candidates and gurus/sannyasa” of which I am a member.
The essential aim is for many gurus, many leaders, and many services, but one heart and one unified mission under the GBC, as you envisaged.
On the occasion of your 130th Vyāsa pūjā, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I humbly offer this account of my imperfect efforts to serve your instructions. Many of these initiatives are still developing and have not yet matured. I therefore beg for your blessings: for strength, intelligence, and purity for myself, and for those who will carry these efforts forward for your pleasure.
Your servant always,
Lokanāth Swami
