“So my Guru Maharaja ordered me long, long ago, when I was twenty- five years old, my Guru Maharaja ordered me to go to the foreign countries and preach Lord Caitanya’s message. But somehow or other I could not assimilate his order until I was seventy years old.
But it was better late than never. So also I was trying how to make a successful tour for preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. So by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and by your blessings, I went to the Western countries and had such a very good response, very good response. I went there empty handed with forty rupees in my pocket and free ticket, return ticket, by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. And for one year I had no place to live, I had no money to eat; still I was going here and there.
Then in 1966… I went in America in 1965. After struggling for one year, in 1966 I incorporated this Krishna consciousness, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So some of our friends suggested, “Why not make ‘God Consciousness Society’?” and “No. ‘Krishna Consciousness.’ If I make ‘God Consciousness,’ that will be a big task.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore this distinctly should be the society for Krishna consciousness.
So these boys, when I started my class, 26 Second Avenue, some of these students were coming, and then I started my kirtana at the Thompkins Square Park, sitting on the ground floor. These boys and the girls were coming. That was the first publicity, make in the New York Times, about my kirtana, and gradually it developed.
Next branch was opened at San Francisco, then at Montreal, then at Boston, Buffalo. In this way now we have sixty-five branches all over the world, and each branch there are maximum two hundred devotees like these, and minimum twenty-five devotees at least.”
Arrival Lecture
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
New Delhi, November 10, 1971
When some one comes to think about it that in such a short period of less than 13 years with no any financial support, how HDG. Srila Prabhupada in his retired age of 70 years has been able to establish world wide Hari Name Sankirtan movement with 108 established temples and trained devotees to run them and published as well over 80 volumes of Books of the ancient Vedic Literature not only in to English language but also several others languages of the world, that is itself a MIRACLE because no body ever had done so on this planet earth.
This indicates that HDG. Srila Prabhupada is indeed a Shaktiavesha Avatara empowered by the Superior forces.
That is why HDG. Srila Prabhupada is the Jagat Guru on this Planet Earth.
Jagat Guru Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya.