In this auspicious pilgrimage place of Maha Kumbh om Vishnupad Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has spread sanatana dharma all over the world. To honour this unparalleled achievement His Holiness Kailashanand Giri Maharaja, His Holiness Ravindra Puri Maharaja, Acharya Avadhoot Arun Giri Maharaja, and Mahant, Mandaleshwar I offer my respects and speech in this gathering. Srila Prabhupada spread the sanatana dharma all over the world, it is said in the scriptures that, 

kali-kālera dharma — kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana
[CC. Antya 7.11]

In Kali-yuga, the main process of spiritual realisation is the chanting of holy name of Krishna. Without Krishna’s empowerment nobody can preach the glories of Krishna all over the world. Today, we know that Srila Prabhupada has established the Hare Krishna Movement all over the world successfully. 

Undoubtedly, Srila Prabhupada is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s shatyavesha kripa murti avatara. In the advanced age of 70 years, Srila Prabhupada’s journey to the West is extraordinary and anybody who hears becomes amazed. How he began this Hare Krishna Movement? How in the advanced age of 70 years, Srila Prabhupada went to America. Srila Prabhupada did not have funds to travel abroad, he had only forty rupees in his pocket. There were no contacts with him in America either. At that time, he approached a Cargo ship company to travel to America for free, but the owner, Sumati Morarji said, “You are an old man.” and the living conditions are very harsh, and even said, “You are going to die.” Srila Prabhupada said, “No! My guru has ordered me to share the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with the English speaking people, I need to fulfill the wishes of my guru-maharaja. In the end, Sumati Morarji, agrees to provide a ticket. This voyage went on for 40 days. In the ocean, there were severe storms, due to which Srila Prabhupada suffered from 2 heart attacks. After the second heart attack, Srila Prabhupada got a dream, Lord Krishna was rowing the boat personally and Srila Prabhupada was in the boat, the ocean was calm and peaceful throughout the the voyage. 

Srila Prabhupada did not have funds, contacts, as a result, in a park in New York, Srila Prabhupada began the kirtan programme under a tree. Gradually the young boys and girls began to come and participate in the kirtan by chanting and dancing. Srila Prabhupada taught the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to these youngsters. In this way, in New York, in a very simple way the Hare Krishna Movement began and in a span of 11 years Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times, and lakhs of people became the followers of sanatana dharma, Srila Prabhupada’s preaching of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam made thousands of of young boys and girls surrender their lives to Lord Krishna. These fortunate souls not only accepted Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam but also became followers of sanatana dharma. Waking up every morning during Brahma Muhurat, worshipping the Deities, chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, and serving the propagation of Krishna the whole day. All of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples vowed to take only the Lord’s prasadam. Before he gave Vaishnava initiation, Srila Prabhupada made every disciple of his vow to follow four regulative principles lifelong. The four regulative principles are: abstain from intoxicative substances, along with tea and coffee; no meat-eating; no gambling; and, no illicit sex. 

Srila Prabhupada not only gave the philosophy of Krishna, but also taught his Indian culture and lifestyle. Men wore dhotis, had shikhas; women wore saris. They wore tilak and Tulasi neck-beads. The most important thing was that thousands of young men and women dedicated their lives entirely for the propagation of the message of Bhagavad Gita. Due to Srila Prabhupada, today in the western countries, crores of copies of Bhagavad Gita have been distributed in more than a hundred languages, and are still being distributed.

In 1967, Srila Prabhupada returned to India. The Indians were amazed to see hundreds of foreign devotees with him, wearing dhotis, saris, tilak etc. In a very big Pandal program at Mumbai’s Chowpatty Beach where lakhs of people had gathered, a person from the audience asked Srila Prabhupada, “Can you demonstrate a miracle such as walking on water?” Srila Prabhupada answered, “When you can hire a boat for some money to cross a river then what is the greatness in walking on water?” Then Srila Prabhupada gestured towards all the foreign devotees sitting on the stage and said, “This is called a miracle.” Srila Prabhupada said that the real miracle is when the hearts of people are transformed, and immediately quoted from the Kali-santarana Upanishad,

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanaṁ
nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate

Srila Prabhupada humbly said, “I have not performed this miracle. This miracle has been performed by Lord Sri Krishna Himself through His incarnation as the sound vibration of His Holy Name.”

Once in London, the press asked Srila Prabhupada, “What have you come to give the English people that we do not already have?” Srila Prabhupada answered, “I have come to give you this thing, which your forefathers could not loot from Indians. This is the spiritual wealth of India.” Srila Prabhupada said, “Your forefathers could not loot this spiritual wealth, because they did not know its value.” He continued, “I have come to teach you the importance of this spiritual wealth of India, by which the whole world can take advantage. Although the West is wealthy in material facilities, it is bereft of spiritual vision. If the West and the East work together, then as a world we all can progress towards peace, prosperity and happiness. Like if a blind person carries a lame person on his shoulders, both of them can complete each other, and can run fast in the right direction.”

In 1977, Srila Prabhupada entered samadhi in Vrindavan. Since then till today, his books totalling more than seventy, have influenced crores of people to take to Krishna Bhakti, and are influential even today. Even today, it is only Srila Prabhupada who exists as the sole Acharya of the Hare Krishna Movement, the result of which this Sankirtana Movement is continuing throughout the world.

All the followers of ISKCON, or the Hare Krishna Movement, express their gratitude towards Akhila Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, which has decided to honour our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, by decorating him with the title of ‘Vishva Guru’. We also thank His Holiness Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj for his special affection upon us, due to which all this is possible. And expressing my heartfelt gratitude to all of you saints, I end my speech here.

Hare Krishna.