20240824 Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā Address (Prahlāda Sunday School)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I am very happy that the Prahlāda Mahārāja Sunday School is celebrating Śrīla Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā, so I have come here to Gītā Bhavan. Śrīla Prabhupāda A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is our Founder-Ācārya, so we are all organizing his Vyāsa-pūjā festival. And in the future also he will be our Founder-Ācārya and we will continue to observe his appearance day as Vyāsa-pūjā festival. And I am very, very grateful to all of you for offering dramas and other homage to Śrīla Prabhupāda. The youth will be the future leaders of ISKCON. And in the future, it is very essential that we carry Śrīla Prabhupāda consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda even though he was quite old, he tried to spread and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He had the far sightedness that what Lord Caitanya had predicted would be fulfilled in the future. Kṛṣṇa had come as Lord Caitanya, as a devotee, so that everybody can be delivered. And to preach that mood, Śrīla Prabhupāda tried. Our previous ācāryas say that Śrīla Prabhupāda is our Founder-Ācārya and will also continue to be in the future as well.

In Māyāpur, we get the opportunity to observe Śrīla Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā from Balarāma Pūrṇimā onwards. I am very grateful that the Prahlāda Sunday School is also observing Śrīla Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā. Śrīla Prabhupāda took up many difficulties to establish ISKCON. And Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision was that everyone, men and women, all will take part in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Amongst the students also, the boys and girls will be in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. In ISKCON we have this facility to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness together. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, I established 108 temples. If you can increase those but please do not at least decrease them and try to take care and maintain them. Now there are more than 1000 temples of ISKCON all over the world.

Anyway, I welcome all the students and parents of the Prahlāda Sunday School and grateful that you are observing Śrīla Prabhupāda Vyāsa-pūjā festival today. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Kṛṣṇe matir astu! I offer my blessings to all of you!