The TOVP Communications Department has collected a large number of Srila Prabhupada’s known quotes relating to the Mayapur project and the TOVP taken from lectures, conversations, morning walks, his books, and other books. It covers a wide range of topics and illustrates how important and dear ISKCON Mayapur, the World Headquarters of the Hare Krishna Movement was to him. He personally said of Sridham Mayapur, “Mayapur is my place of worship.”

There are over sixty quotes in the current collection and they are inspiring to read and instructive for our further understanding of the practical application of Krishna consciousness and the establishment of Prabhupada’s mission. We hope devotees will read them with great eagerness and joy. And if they inspire you to help the TOVP project and support the TOVP 2024 Marathon to open the temple and relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their new home by 2024, please go to the Seva Opportunities Page to find out how.

Selected Quotes

The more you help develop Mayapur, the more Lord Chaitanya will bless your area of the world and it will flourish.

Letter to Hari-sauri

I have named this temple Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, the Rising Moon of Mayapur. Now make it rise, bigger and bigger until it becomes the full moon. And this moonshine will be spread all over the world. All over India they will come to see. From all over the world they will come.

Letter to Ramesvara – October 25, 1974

In 1971, as a young devotee in Calcutta, Giriraja Swami approached Srila Prabhupada, “I have been trying to understand what your desire is, and two things seem to please you the most: distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Prabhupada’s face lit up, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled, saying: “Yes, you have understood…….If you all build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”

Srila Prabhupada to Giriraja Swami

I have given you the Kingdom of God (Mayapur). Now take it, develop it and enjoy it.

Morning Class – 1975, Mayapur

Now you all together make this Vedic Planetarium very nice, so that people will come and see. From the description in the Srimad Bhagavatam you prepare this Vedic Planetarium. My idea is to attract people of the whole world to Mayapur.

Conversation – June 15, 1976, Detroit

Prabhupada: Yes. So we… We are… We have got very good scheme so that people from the world will come to see the Vedic idea of planetary system. This is the ambition. So you kindly help us.

Conversation with Vedic Astronomer, April 30, 1977

Sources (of funds) means we get contributions from all over the world. All of our branches will gladly contribute. Practically this institution is the real U.N. We have the co-operation from all nations, all religions, all communities, etc. It will be an international institute. To see the planetarium and how things are universally situated has nothing to do with sectarian ideas. It is a scientific presentation of spiritual life.

Letter to Jayapataka, June 26, 1976

We are going to exhibit the Vedic culture throughout the whole world, and they’ll come here. Just like they come to see the Taj Mahal, the architectural culture, they’ll come to see the civilization culture, the philosophical culture, the religious culture by practical demonstration with dolls and other things… Actually it will be a unique thing in the world. There is no such thing all over the world. That we shall do. And not only simply showing museum, but educating people to that idea. With factual knowledge, books, not fictitious.

Morning Walk – February 27, 1976, Mayapur

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He appeared in this land of Mayapur; therefore He is said here as “the moon.” Therefore we say candra, Mayapur-candra. Now, as Sri Mayapur-candra is rising… Rising. Rising means He is to distribute the moonshine all over the world. This is the idea, moonshine. Sreyah-kairava candrika-vitaranam. Sreyah-kairava. Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally said. Don’t keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu compact in your room and take some monetary profit. This is not required. This is not required. You must allow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to rise more and more so that this sun, moonshine, may be distributed all over the world. That is wanted. Therefore, this temple is situated. Of course, we shall try to construct a very nice temple for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This morning we were thinking of this. So, from this place, this moon, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, will distribute. Sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam. The Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Hare Krsna movement… Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. This is spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

Morning Class – CC Adi 1.6, March 30, 1975, Mayapur