How Prabhupāda Organizes His Disciples for Sending Resources Worldwide
As the International Society for Krishna Consciousness rapidly expanded into a worldwide institution, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully orchestrated a global network of resource distribution. He trained his disciples to operate not just as isolated, local centers, but as a deeply interconnected family, constantly sending funds, transcendental literature, and trained personnel wherever the preaching mission required them most.
Sending Funds for Major Projects in India
Śrīla Prabhupāda envisioned grand spiritual cities in Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana, and Bombay to serve as international places of pilgrimage. To realize this massive vision, he organized a centralized international fundraising effort. He repeatedly instructed leaders across the globe to send their collections directly to India, ensuring that these monumental construction projects had the constant financial backing required to succeed.
- Gurukrpa Maharaja is arranging to send you monthly $10,000 which can be used to continue the construction in Mayapur.
- All you can collect will go for building for Vrindaban, and Mayapur only, no question of 50/50 division. The books are being sent to you free, so you raise money.
- I may inform you that we have received the permission for constructing our Juhu temple. I want that your collection should be sent there so that the buildings may be completed as soon as possible.
- You have sent some money for Mayapur and Vrindaban projects and I am very much thankful to you. This money was properly utilized for development of the Mayapur and Vrindaban schemes.
Supplying the World with Transcendental Literature
The absolute backbone of the preaching mission was the mass distribution of transcendental knowledge. Śrīla Prabhupāda constantly coordinated the printing and sending of books, Back to Godhead magazines, and manuscripts between continents. He encouraged his disciples to receive unlimited quantities of literature and apply their intelligence to distribute them profusely to the public.
- Dai Nippon has agreed to take money in exchange of books. Whatever money you pay, you print books and send to India. You can also send to Australia or to USA if they want. You begin with Srimad-Bhagavatam and the small edition of Bhagavad-gita.
- We can send you unlimited number of books. You simply have to apply your brain how to sell them. Then you will have plenty of money.
- You can ask Brahmananda to send Teachings of Lord Caitanya which is now received and it is far superior quality book than anyone is get-up all binding.
- You secure an IBM composer and utilize it fully. Let Mandali Bhadra translate our magazines and books, and in the IBM machine you compose it, ready for being photographed and printed. You send the ready matters to Boston, and they will print the magazine.
Deploying Devotees to Expand the Mission
A temple was never meant to be a stagnant place of residence, but rather a training ground for spiritual soldiers. Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently sent his trained disciples to completely new territories to establish centers and spread the saṅkīrtana movement. Whether sending large groups to India or dispatching pioneers to remote islands, this strategic deployment of manpower fueled the movement's rapid growth.
- The temple is a place not for eating and sleeping, but as a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with maya.
- I may request you to send three men to go with Subaladas Swami to Fiji for preaching and opening a temple.
- We are arranging to send 60 devotees from different centers to India.
- The first thing is to recruit many devotees there in Australia and send them out to the outlying districts such as Manilla and Hong Kong and Djakarta and other places and build up strength in these areas.
Ensuring Cohesion Through Administrative Reports
To maintain transparency and spiritual health across hundreds of worldwide centers, strict systems of communication were instituted. Śrīla Prabhupāda mandated that temple leaders send regular, detailed reports to their respective GBC representatives. This constant flow of administrative information allowed him to oversee the massive society effectively without having to micromanage every localized detail.
- The system of temple presidents sending twice monthly reports to the GBC was devised by me to facilitate my receiving news of all the centers through the GBC.
- Send me a report of the Bombay affairs. You should send reports regularly. Copies of your letters may be sent to Los Angeles and New York during the next thirty days as I will be touring.
- Make copies and present its proposal to the different GBC members. Ask them to send their opinions to you. Then please summarize these opinions and send them to me. Then I can decide on this matter.
Distributing Spiritual Paraphernalia
Establishing new temples required more than just buildings; it required the proper spiritual equipment to maintain authentic worship standards. Śrīla Prabhupāda oversaw the sending of essential items like mṛdaṅgas, karatālas, tulasī plants, and even the Deities themselves. He was incredibly strict about this process, ensuring that Deities were only sent to centers where the devotees were fully qualified to serve Them.
- You should always inform me before sending the Deities to the Temples. We cannot send them indiscriminately to anyone who has the whim of worshiping the Deities.
- You take this copy immediately and make several photostat copies, and send to every center and one copy to me. Get mrdangas and karatalas from New York. Keep our books and magazines sufficiently, and make propaganda.
- You should induce other centers to cultivate Tulasi. One circular should be sent to every center that they should import Tulasi Devi from either St. Louis or Hawaii and at every offering of bhoga to the Deities there must be one Tulasi leaf on the plate.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda's immense genius in organizing a worldwide spiritual institution is clearly visible in his directives for sending resources. By maintaining a dynamic and centralized flow of funds, books, spiritual paraphernalia, and devoted preachers, he ensured that the purity and potency of Kṛṣṇa consciousness could systematically reach every town and village across the globe.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Our Sending (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.