Year: 2025

Srila Prabhupada’s February 1966 letter reveals him as simultaneously humble and fearless, traditional and forward-thinking. Using the tools available to him — from the eternal scriptures of India to a portable real to real recorder — he carried forward the teachings of Lord Chaitanya into the heart of the modern world.

Even now, the sound of his kirtan, recorded alone in that small room, continues to awaken hearts across the world. His mission was not backed by wealth or institutional power, but by unwavering faith in Krishna and the holy name.

published by BTG used with permission Author: Suresvara Dasa Vyasa-puja 1972: A Guru of Gurus                          …

Interviewer: What do you recommend for those who find parts of Founder-Acharya’s writings confusing or disturbing?

Garuda das: First, absorb. Read. Reflect. If you don’t understand, acknowledge it. Then bring it into dialogue with others. Be honest. Third, only after that process, share it. Present it with integrity.

If something doesn’t make sense right now, put it on the shelf. Return to it later. Have faith that the realization will come.

Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books is not like reading a novel. It’s a sadhana—a devotional practice. If we approach it with that mindset, our understanding will deepen over time.

Srila Prabhupada’s opinion on war focused specifically on the protection of innocent, women and children, and, of course, devotees of Krishna Consciousness movement. On February 24, 2022, a brutal war broke out in Ukraine. Cities were bombed, civilians killed, and millions of innocent — including several thousands of devotees — were forced to flee their homes. The following selection of quotes from Srila Prabhupada answer the question of how devotees should respond to such a crisis.

by Suresvara Das The year is 1972. In New Vrindaban, West Virginia, it is Srila…

Srila Prabhupada flew to London in July 1977. Upon arrival, he was wheeled off the plane and driven directly to Bhaktivedanta Manor. When his disciples entered his room, he was “radiant, beaming.” Sitting in a rocking chair by the bay window, he looked out over the garden and said, “Western countries are so nice. If only they wouldn’t eat cow. Is there any other meat they can eat?” It was a statement filled with compassion. He was not condoning meat-eating, but lamenting the killing of the cow—the emblem of maternal service and sacredness.

At this stage, although he could not walk, Srila Prabhupada maintained great dignity. He would dress twice daily in fresh clothes, complete with clean socks and gold buttons. He insisted on being well-kept. “Most dignified person,” said one disciple. “He refused to let us carry him at first. I would stand behind him, lifting him under the arms while he moved his own legs.”

One of the early devotees I met at the temple was the artist and musician Marek Buchwald, whom Hamsaduta dasa had recruited in Montreal to design a cover for a reprint of Easy Journey to Other Planets and who had come to Boston to meet Srila Prabhupada for the first time. When Marek arrived—the same day I had met Prabhupada, the day after the Brandeis program—he said, “I could smell the incense from some distance away, and as I came up to the door of the temple and peeked inside, I saw two young women dancing in a circle, one strumming a dulcimer and the other playing small hand cymbals, just dancing around and chanting. I was very conscious that this was some kind of fulfilment, that a story was being fulfilled.

by Caitanya Candrodaya das

Many scholars agree that following the physical departure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, his International Society for Krishna Consciousness has passed through what some scholars call the “post-charismatic” period (Rochford, 2007; Ketola, 2008). This period, while necessary for institutional stabilization, has also brought into focus a paradox central to the movement’s identity: many of the externally charismatic successors have proven problematic, whereas the Founder-Acharya himself, who eschewed theatrical charisma, continues to attract, transform, and stabilize the movement even in his physical absence.

Urmila Devi Dasi: Recognising Srila Prabhupada as the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON has profoundly shaped the movement. While acknowledging him as founder is widely accepted, his role as acarya—an ongoing guide, not merely a historical figure—remains more challenging. Staying true to ISKCON’s mission requires adherence to its core principles, while adjusting secondary details according to time, place, and circumstance. Prabhupada himself stated that such adaptation is essential.

Interview with Bhakti Raghava Swami Interviewer: How did Srila Prabhupada envision the integration of Varnashrama…