From Back to Godhead
Personal Letters from Srila Prabhupada
As a genuine spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada takes personal responsibility for the advancement of each of his students in the spiritual life of Krsna consciousness. Although now his transcendental instructions are available in book form, when Srila Prabhupada first began the Krsna consciousness movement, the only way his new disciples could get the answers to their many questions was to ask Sri
“So far your question regarding women, I have always accepted the service of women without any discrimination” (Letter to: Gurudasa — Los Angeles 26 May, 1972)
In terms of our personalities and abilities, no two of us are alike. Why should we be? And why would anyone want us to be? Variety, Srila Prabhupada tells us, is the mother of enjoyment. Whatever our personality, whatever our talents, Prabhupada wants us to use them in Krishna’s service.
Yet when we learn from Prabhupada’s teachings th
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7: The Science of God Chapter 14: Ideal Family Life
Summary
Maharaja Yudhisthira inquired from Narada Muni: O my lord, O great sage, kindly explain how we who are staying at home without knowledge of the goal of life may also easily attain liberation, according to the instructions of the Vedas.
Narada Muni replied: My dear King, those who stay at home as householders must act to earn their livelihood, and instead of trying to enjoy the results of their work themselves,
A true spiritual master transforms lives not through external power, but through authentic devotion, personal example, and unconditional love, guiding others back to God.
This talk is a personal, storytelling-based glorification of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, emphasizing how a genuine spiritual teacher transforms lives through simplicity, purity, and deep love for God (Krishna).
Key Themes
1. Seeing the Soul, Not the External
Prabhupada saw everyone’s spiritual potential, even in small
B.g. Lecture 1969:
Devotee: Prabhupāda? Does Lord Jesus Christ appear in the spiritual sky with the body he manifested on the earth?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise how there can be resurrection? Ordinary body cannot be resurrected. He appeared in his spiritual body, certainly. Jesus Christ told, if I remember, that “Lord, excuse these persons,” who were crucifying him. Is it not? He knew that “These rascals, they are killing me, but… They are offending certainly. So they do not know that I cannot be
Interview with HG Satyanarayana Prabhu, a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, personally initiated in 1972, whose life’s mission was given to him by his spiritual master. As the Director of the BBT for the Far East and Middle East, he carries Prabhupada’s message to every corner of the world, including the Middle East and Vrindavan. With profound and even mystical experiences with Srila Prabhupada, Satyanarayana Prabhu will share his insights into the miraculous spread of Krishna consciousness
By Nitai Madhav Das,
As part of the ISKCON 60–50 global celebrations, and in alignment with the objective of increasing Śrīla Prabhupāda consciousness across the Society, the Śrīla Prabhupāda Introductory Course (SPIC) is being presented by the ICC 60–50 Education Committee. Based on the BBT publication Śrīla Prabhupāda: The Messenger of the Supreme Lord, this course is designed to gently guide participants toward a deeper, more personal appreciation of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, fost
The desire to see God, to touch God, to talk to God is in itself probably the strongest argument for His existence; besides the logic and evidences from the scriptures, this direct experience is very significant indeed. Bringing Deity Worship from the insiders circle of elderly pujari-priests and making it part of the congregational development is probably the only way it may become part of the positive future for many places in ISKCON. While everyone hankers for direct experience of God in per
The Deep Ecology movement is rooted in the conclusions of Professors Lynn White and Arne Naess. By the late 1960s, Prof White, a historian and university president who had studied the development of technology from medieval times to the present, published “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis”. In that influential article, he identified society’s mentality of anthropocentrism (human-centrism) as the root cause of the ecologic crisis. Shortly after that, Prof Naess, philosopher and enviro
By Srila Vyasadeva
SB 9.10: The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra
This Tenth Chapter describes how Lord Ramacandra appeared in the dynasty of Maharaja Khatvanga. It also describes the Lord’s activities, telling how He killed Ravana and returned to Ayodhya, the capital of His kingdom.
The son of Maharaja Khatvanga was Dirghabahu, and his son was Raghu. The son of Raghu was Aja, the son of Aja was Dasaratha, and the son of Dasaratha was Lord Ramacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
On the plane, this composition rolled out onto some paper:
A GURU IS OR WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A GURU
A guru is not a king
Perhaps the center of a ring
Moving on levels of dignity
Crowned by acts of humility
Sri Ramanujacarya’s Life History (By Sri Ubhaya Vedantha Anbil Ramaswamy)
Sri Ramanuja (1017 – 1137 CE), the most important philosopher-saint of Sri Vaishnavam and one of the most dynamic characters of Hinduism. He was a philosophical as well as a social reformer, displaying a catholicity that was nearly unparalleled in Hindu religious history before him. He revitalised Indian philosophy and popular religion so much that nearly every aspect of Hinduism has been influenced by his work. His life
We often get questions about surrender, like “how can we surrender”. Recently I was reading one old BTG, 2001, and found a nice practical statement from Srila Prabhupada. If we search “surrender” on the vedabase we find 7445 hits, so we know it is an important topic. And we all know the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami mä suca
TRANSLATION
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall de
Over the years I’ve come across various articles, statements and websites which have been critical or even downright offensive towards Srila Prabhupada. As a disciple — or should I say an aspiring disciple since being a true disciple is no easy thing — I find these writings to be intolerable and I’ll tell you why.
At great personal inconvenience, Srila Prabhupada left the peaceful and holy village of Vrindavan at the advanced age of 69 (almost 70) to travel by steamship across the Atlantic Ocea
In 1999, for ISKCON TV, Shyamasundar Prabhu recorded a series of experiences he had with George Harrison and with Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Prabhupada treated George Harrison like an old, old friend. I spent some time with George this summer. . . . [He] has reached a very high level of spiritual development, I am happy to say. He chants Hare Krishna every day. And he is totally serene, as he has accepted life as it is. He has actually achieved a much higher level of self-realization than I can
The Most Wonderful Day of the Year!
The most wonderful day of the year is fast approaching: Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day! Please sharpen your pencil or boot up your keyboard and let your love and appreciation flow for the most wonderful personality, whom we’re so fortunate to have as our eternal master.
Written homages are due by May 1, 2026. You will note that this deadline is later than usual, so please also be aware that NO homages will be accepted after this date!
Please email homages t
As the global ISKCON community prepares to celebrate the appearance day of its Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotees around the world are invited to submit written homages for inclusion in the 2026 Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja Book. Organizers have announced that submissions are due by May 1, 2026, noting that the deadline is later than usual this year but emphasizing that no homages will be accepted after this date. Offerings should be emailed to vphomag
By HG Srutakirti das
I was fortunate to be with Srila Prabhupada in 1975 when Prabhupada was here in Mayapur for Gaura-purnima in March. And what I wanted to try to do, although it’s not so possible to do, but I am going to try anyway to give just a little bit of an idea of being with Prabhupada and some of the things that Srila Prabhupada was seeing. Not that I know how he was seeing them, but what he was seeing. Because what he did was he traveled around the world in two months at the time. H
The world around us is changing at an ever-increasing rate. The notion of keeping up with the changing world may have relevance in devotional service. But is this perspective relevant in all areas of our practices of bhakti? Are there some elements of devotional service that must always be constant? Srila Prabhupada wrote:
The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities. … Whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact
By His Divine Grace ACBS Srila Prabhupada
A conversation about the Hare Krsna mantra between Srila Prabhupada and John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison
Montreal Star, June, 1969:
Reporter: Where do you get your strength?
John Lennon: From Hare Krsna.
Yoko: That’s where we get it from, you know. We’re not denying it.
In September 1969. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krsna movement, arrived as a house guest at Tittenhurst Park, the beautifu
