Iskcon - Edinburgh Nama Hatta

01/10/2026

29/09/2026

September 29, 1976 : Vrindavana
Hari Sauri: A little later in the conversation, Hansaduta offered to print books in India, and although Prabhupada confirmed that it is his main concern to get huge quantities of his books printed in Hindi and English, he told Hansaduta to simply concentrate on the guest house for now. He spoke at length, saying that having a guest house was actually his Guru Maharaja's idea. "I am just following the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura." He chuckled as he spoke about his spiritual master's strong desire to preach and spread Krishna consciousness. He said that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had so stressed the importance of having people come to the temple, that he said even if they had to be served meat, by any means they should be induced to come and hear about Krishna.

Hansaduta and I were quite amazed to hear this. We must have looked a little shocked because Prabhupada reassured us, "We will never serve meat. But the idea is that if visitors feel too much inconvenience from our rules, then arrangement can be made for tea or coffee, or even betel or beedi. Not exactly in the guest house, but some kind of shop in the front of the gurukula building where they can get these things. We can even bring them tea into the guest house if need be. But we want that people will come. We want to give them the opportunity for spiritual life, and therefore we have temple and guest house combined."

We left the garden appreciating once again how Srila Prabhupada has inherited the revolutionary mantle of his Guru Maharaja. He is prepared to go to practically any length to induce people to take to Krishna consciousness.
Reference: A Transcendental Diary Volume 4 - Hari Sauri Dasa

29/09/2026

Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 16 Verse 9

22/09/2026

September 22, 1965 : Butler
Satsvarupa: It was a fact that Srila Prabhupada was immediately a great curiosity for whoever saw him. In anxiety, Mrs. Agarwal decided that instead of having people speculate about the strange man in orange robes who was living at their house, it would be better to let everybody know about him from the newspapers. So Sally Agarwal hurried Srila Prabhupada off to a Pittsburgh newspaper office, but unfortunately the first woman who interviewed him simply wasn't able to comprehend why Mrs. Agarwal thought this person would make an interesting story. Mrs. Agarwal then took Srila Prabhupada to the local Butler Eagle, where he was interviewed more avidly.

On September 22, a feature article ran in the Butler Eagle. "In Fluent English," the headline read, "Devotee of Hindu Cult Explains Commission to Visit the West." A photographer had come to the Agarwals' apartment and taken a picture in the living room, showing Srila Prabhupada standing in front of a wall plaque decorated with Chinese lanterns. In this first news photo in America he is holding an open volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the caption reads, "Ambassador of Bhakti-yoga."

The article begins, "A slight brown man in faded orange drapes wearing white bathing shoes stepped out of a compact car yesterday and into the Butler Y.M.C.A to attend a meeting. He is A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swamiji, a messenger from India to the peoples of the West." The reporter refers to Srimad-Bhagavatam as "Biblical literature" and quotes Srila Prabhupada as saying, "My mission is to revive people's God consciousness. God is the Father of all living beings, in thousands of different forms. Human life is a stage of perfection in evolution; if we miss the message, back we go through the process again." The article ends, "If Americans would give more attention to their spiritual life, they would be much happier, he says."
Reference: Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Volume 2 - Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

21/09/2026

Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 16 Verse 8

15/09/2026

September 15, 1974 : Vrindavana
Srutakirti:Srila Prabhupada was extremely ill, so we were in tremendous anxiety. It appeared he may leave us at any moment. He had eaten very little for a prolonged period of time and as a result, he had very little strength.

He was sitting up in his bed. "You can make me some upma like I have shown you," he said in a soft voice.

It was also difficult for me to understand why he wanted me to do it since Yamuna was present and was more qualified than I to cook for Srila Prabhupada. I went to the kitchen and told her his request and asked if there were any vegetables available. Unfortunately, there were no fresh vegetables in the kitchen, but she did have some dried peas. Since time was of the essence, I made the upma with the dried peas, after I rehydrated them as quickly as possible. We were excited that Srila Prabhupada had asked to eat something cooked since he had been eating only sliced oranges.

When completed, I brought Srila Prabhupada the upma. Placing it on the chowki, I placed the small table in front of him on his bed. I offered my obeisances and left the room. After about five minutes, Srila Prabhupada rang the bell. I hurried back into his sitting room and eyed the scarcely eaten upma.

"This upma was first-class," he said. "I couldn't eat very much because I have no appetite, but I want you to know that it was very good. I thought that if you prepared something I liked, I could eat, but it is not possible. I ate a little bit and it tasted very good."

"Thank you, Srila Prabhupada," I replied with great appreciation.

Srila Prabhupada, I was always amazed by the kind way you dealt with me. Throughout the world, there were thousands of devotees engaged in 24-hour kirtan and praying to the Supreme Lord for you to stay with us. Still, you took the time to see that your lowly servant was not upset because you didn't eat the upma. Even though you were ill you encouraged me.

Reference: Srila Prabhupada Uvaca - Srutakirti Dasa

15/09/2026

Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 16 Verse 7

08/09/2026

September 8, 1966 : New York
Satsvarupa:At six o'clock, Prabhupada came down and was about to give his morning class as usual, when one of the boys asked if he would read from his own manuscript. Prabhupada appeared shy, yet he did not hide his pleasure at having been asked to read his own Bhagavad-gita commentary. Usually, he would read a verse from Dr. Radhakrishnan's Oxford edition of the Gita. Although the commentary presented impersonalist philosophy, the translations, Prabhupada said, were ninety-percent accurate. But this morning he sent Roy up to fetch his manuscript, and for an hour he read from its typewritten pages.

For observing Janmashtami there were special rules: there should be no eating, and the day was to be spent chanting, reading, and discussing Krishna consciousness. If anyone became too weak, he said, there was fruit in the kitchen. But better that they fast until the feast at midnight, just like the devotees in India. It was a mental and physical strain to go all day without eating. Most of the prospective initiates spent several hours that day stringing their shiny red wooden beads. Having tied one end of the string to a window bar or a radiator, they would slide one bead at a time up the string and knot it tightly, chanting one mantra of Hare Krishna for each bead.

Prabhupada said that devotees in India chanted at least sixty-four rounds of beads a day. Saying the Hare Krishna mantra once on each of the 108 beads constituted one round. At first, some of the boys thought that they would also have to chant sixty-four rounds, and they became perplexed: that would take all day! How could you go to a job if you had to chant sixty-four rounds? How could anyone chant sixty-four rounds? Then someone said Swamiji had told him that thirty-two rounds a day would be a sufficient minimum for the West. Then Prabhupada offered the rock-bottom minimum: sixteen rounds a day, without fail. Whoever got initiated would have to promise.

The bead-stringing, chanting, reading, and dozing went on until eleven at night, when everyone was invited up to Swamiji's room. As his followers sat on the floor, contentedly eating prasadam from paper plates, Swamiji sat among them, telling stories about the birth of Lord Krishna.

Reference: Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Volume 2 - Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

08/09/2026

Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 15 Verse 19