New York, June 1st, 2022

Dear Vaisnavas, dear disciples, dear friends and all,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

My prayers for and blessings to my disciples.

Recently, as I celebrated my 69th birthday, I meditated on Srila Prabhupada who did such amazing things at the end of his life.

As for myself, recent health check-ups in both South Africa and London have unfortunately indicated cancer that has metastasized into my prostate and lungs from colo/ rectal origin. One doctor told me that although this is not the end of my body, it should be seen as the beginning of its end.

I understand that this news will be shocking, but I owe it to you to be straightforward, rather then to hide things.

Looking retrospectively at my life, I am amazed how much I have been blessed by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada,my spiritual master and all the Vaisnavas. I wish to thank each one of you seniors, peers, and juniors.

Dear devotees of Krsna, you have touched my heart with your dedication, your sincerity, your kindness, your courage, and your generosity. Your association has transformed and purchased me. I am your indebted servant.

So what to do? I have entered the last stage of my life and await to learn how much time the Lord will give me. Maharaja Pariksit was granted a seven-day warning, and my doctors indicate I will be given much more than that. I therefore have no cause to complain. I pray to follow in the footsteps of Maharaja Pariksit.

On a personal level, my desire is to make good use of my remaining time in hearing and chanting about Krsna. As long as I am able, I also wish to carry on full-force with my preaching. But my diminished health dictates that I lessen my traveling and that I choose carefully my remaining activities.

I am planning to discuss all of the projects in which I am involved with the leaders of those projects. I plan to meet all my disciples, maybe not immediately, but with everyone—either one to one,in group meetings, in person or online or in gatherings in Vrindavana etc.
I will be visiting the US from May 25 to June 13 to visit the Sadhu Sanga festival in Utah and the Ratha Yatra in NYC to meet with sadhus. There, I hope to have some fun and add whatever I can before closing my involvement in some remaining projects. Then I will return to London and Europe. I am not sure how the calendar will unfold. I may still attend some events that were scheduled earlier, but will see what my health will allow as time moves along. I think of going to Vrindavan for Radhastami.

Of course, I expect an avalanche of responses from this unexpected announcement. Some of you may simply reach out with affectionate messages born out of your kindness, and others may wonder how plans we have already made will be affected. Others may feel emotionally touched and disturbed by this news. All these responses will be greatly appreciated and considered worthy of fast replies. Meanwhile please have patience with me, as I will not be able to immediately respond to all the messages that you, out of your kindness and concern, may send me. I will try my best, but I will be unable to reply to all at once.

I will continue to offer you updates on my health.


Thank you very much,
Your servant,
Kadamba Kanana Swami