Testimonials - Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu

Srila Prabhupada (one of our great cultural ambassador) spread the message across the globe not confined to one country or one continent… The life of Swami Prabhupada, who had participated actively in Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India Movement is itself a story of dedication and courage.

In the 60's the world did not have various modern facilities which we possess today. In those times, a seventy-year-old sannyasi with forty rupees had embarked in a cargo ship to the United States of America. A land unknown to him, suffering two heart attacks among the way, faced various hardships.

He had only one dream to establish a worldwide movement to spread Hindu thought and heritage and ISKCON was born thus.

Today to globalization and technology the world has become inter-connected and multiculturalism is common. Much before all this Swami Prabhupada Ji had already built a bridge between the east and the west. That bridge was a cultural bridge. It allowed the west to experience the rich heritage of India. He established more than a hundred temples, cultural centers, farm communities and wrote commentaries over seventy-five books and traveled the world more than 14 times. All in the short span of just eleven years.

Now, there are more than 650 temples. In many ways, it is astonishing that a person who is seventy years old did all this. Sleeping just three or four hours a day and produced as many as books which have been translated into eighty-two world languages.

We find the message of Swami Prabhupada is very relevant today. The beauty of his teachings lay in the fact that united everyone under the banner of devotion and service without making any distinction of any pace, gender, caste, religion and social status…. We call it as Vasudeva kudumbam.  It is natural when we see the whole world as one family our care and concern extend to everyone. This was witnessed in the life of Swami Prabhupada Ji. He not only proved spiritual teachings but he equally cared for the wellbeing of others.