In just 480 days, Vanipedia has achieved a significant milestone—500 YouTube shorts on its channel Vanimedia Mayapur, which was first launched in 2013. These concise videos, typically lasting no more than one minute, have played a crucial role in expanding the channel’s reach and engagement with a surge in viewership—from ten million views to an impressive 31 million within just one year and six months, alongside a subscriber base of 126,000.

Vanipedia, started by Visnu Murti Das, is an online encyclopedia of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings compiled on their website in a very user-friendly format.  Vanipedia has six interconnected “petals,” namely Vanisource, Vanictionary, Vanimedia, Vaniquotes, Vanibooks, and Vaniversity. Amongst these, Vanimedia is the “petal” that contains all the audio and video compiled by the Vanipedia team. 

The content strategy on the YouTube channel began with longer clips, ranging from five to seven minutes. However, with the rise of platforms like TikTok and the subsequent popularity of Shorts on YouTube, Vanipedia adapted its approach. The team of seven to eight devotees started producing one Short every three days, then increased the frequency to every two days. By March 2023, they were committed to releasing a new Short daily. Looking ahead, Vanipedia aims to scale up production to two shorts per day. The mission of Vanipedia is to establish a formidable online presence for Srila Prabhupada’s voice, believing in its transformative power. 

Visnu Murti Das said, “Prabhupada’s voice is so important because while hearing Srila Prabhupada, we feel his presence. When we read something, we tend to interpret and analyze it. But when we hear, it is a natural kind of attentive and submissive approach.”

By making Srila Prabhupada’s teachings accessible, Vanipedia is fostering respect and love for him among a broad audience. This audience has to grow.

To expand the efforts, Vanipedia is actively seeking talented and committed devotees whose services can translate into impactful content. Securing funding is vital to engaging more devotees who can sustain Vanipedia’s mission. Visnu Murti Das concluded, “We are very happy with our results, but we want to grow Vanipedia to become the number one spiritual website on the planet. Srila Prabhupada’s teachings merit it, and the world needs it.”

To learn more about Vanipedia, visit their main website and YouTube channel. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.  Additional websites include Vaniquotes and Vanisource. 

Photo credit Jeremy Levin.