For many years the letters Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote to his disciples were hidden from the devotees but in 1987 some devotees got access to a microfiche copy of all of Prabhupāda’s letters and they produced a limited edition [500 copies only] of five volumes containing all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letters to his disciples. You can download PDF files of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s original letter books here.

It was simply a matter of time before these letters would be published. After the departure of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the Founder- Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, there was a coordinated endeavor to publish his biography; funds and human resources were made available for this purpose. But many of his followers wished that similar facilities had been given for the publication of his correspondence. Although the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust initiated a program to gather and preserve a complete collection of the letters, no attempt was made to make them widely available. Almost ten years later, this has remained the BBT policy.

For guiding ISKCON and educating devotees after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disappearance, the importance of the letters is indisputable. They contain the timeless teachings of a pure devotee to his disciples. It is interesting to note the many pertinent instructions on conducting ISKCON affairs in his absence. Many major mistakes within the Movement could have been avoided by a more widespread dissemination and thorough understanding of these letters. In addition, this journal offers the new generation of devotees the personal association of His Divine Grace, thus giving them an opportunity to gain a transcendental sense of judgement and the ability to recognize true Krishna Consciousness. Therefore, the need to make the letters available to all is unquestionable. We hope that all devotees will welcome this journal as an important contribution to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Movement.

Every effort has been made to present the original material unchanged, even with regard to incorrect spelling, punctuation, and grammar. These letters are archival; therefore, in order to facilitate devotees and scholars in their research, it was felt that it would be inappropriate to edit or “correct” the text in any way. However, letter headings and addresses have been shortened in order to save space.

We want to thank all the devotees who made their private collections of letters available for this publication and those who worked selflessly sorting them and producing the books. They are too many to name here; however we would like especially to thank Niscinta Prabhu, Govinda-bhāṣya Prabhu, Rasamanjari devī dāsī and Amṛta devī dāsī for their contributions and assistance in making this publication possible.  [from the Preface]