November 29, 1971 : Vrindavan

Satsvarupa: Prabhupada had come to Vrindavana for more than just a pilgrimage; he had come to try and secure land for ISKCON. This time, however, Prabhupada was coming to Vrindavana as that city’s famous ambassador to the world, renowned for propagating the glories of Radha-Krishna and Vrindavana in the West. So when Prabhupada arrived in Vrindavana with forty disciples, the entire town heralded his presence.

The municipality of Vrindavana arranged a formal reception, attended by prominent local citizens and sadhus. A spokesman for the city praised Srila Prabhupada and his accomplishments. “O great soul! Today we, the inhabitants of Vrindavana, known as Brijabasis, all combinedly offer our humble welcome to Your Holiness in this holy place of Vrindavana, and in doing so we feel very proud…”

Then Srila Prabhupada spoke, beginning by explaining how the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is trying to establish daiva-varnashrama, or a God-conscious social order, with universal application. Prabhupada concluded his address by asking for land. He wanted to establish a temple for his society in Vrindavana.

Afterward, a Mr. Saraf, a motor parts salesman and resident of Vrindavana, offered Prabhupada a plot of land his family had been saving for some worthy religious purpose. Prabhupada smiled. Although he had only just arrived in Vrindavana, already Krishna was providing an opportunity for establishing his ISKCON center.