Image: Bhakti Vikasa Swami English / YouTube
The ISKCON guru, nearly 70, says his energy never came back after an illness this year. Most of his trips have been cancelled, and a facility is being set up in Mayapur for his writing and media work.
VELLORE, India — Bhakti Vikasa Swami has told his followers that his health has been declining, that most of his trips this year have been cancelled and that a facility is being set up in Mayapur for his writing and media work. In a 15-minute video published on 2 November, the ISKCON sannyasi and guru said he might recover or might not, and he answered in advance the objection that a sannyasi should not spend heavily on such a place.[1]
Born in England in 1957, Bhakti Vikasa Swami joined ISKCON in London in 1975 and was initiated that year by Srila Prabhupada as Ilapati Dasa. He took sannyasa in 1989 and has been based in India since then, lecturing in English, Hindi and Bengali and writing books.[2]
He opened the video by citing the Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tells his followers to speak only of Krishna, and then said that today he would speak on a different subject: “my own miserable, insignificant self.”[1] He gave his reason:
“There are some changes going on in my life, and devotees are asking about them, wondering about them, and there’s been some speculation regarding them. So this little talk is to clarify some points.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He described the change as the one that comes to everyone, noting that it has been “almost 70 years” since his birth and that many older people are in robust health.[1] His own has not held up:
“My health has been declining over the last few years, and especially this year after Rama Navami, I became quite sick and I never really picked up after that. My energy level has been consistently low since then. It goes up and down.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He named no diagnosis. He called low energy “a sign of old age” and added: “As we all know, old age precedes death.”[1] He then described his days:
“Some days it’s just difficult to get through the day. Just chanting my rounds takes all my energy. I used to be a stickler for the morning program, but nowadays I’m sleeping more than usual. I don’t get to Mangala-arati every day. I miss it most days.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He said he is not totally exhausted. He is giving a few talks online and doing what writing he can, and a couple of nights before recording he joined a local village harinama sankirtana for half an hour.[1]
He offered two examples from ISKCON’s history, one for each outcome. The first, which he said he heard from his Godbrother Basu Ghosh Prabhu, was Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj, a Godbrother of Srila Prabhupada. At around 90 he lay in bed in very poor health for about a year. After Ayurvedic treatment arranged by his disciples, he recovered enough to travel the world preaching for several years, and lived to almost 100.[1]
The second was Srila Prabhupada’s own last months in 1977, when news reached London from the Mayapur festival that he was in very poor health. Bhakti Vikasa Swami said he did not want to compare himself with Srila Prabhupada, but that “health-wise” it is common for older people to decline and pass away.[1]
“That might be the position with me, or I could recover. I don’t want to whine and moan. I’m not complaining, because whatever is going on with my body, I’m confident that I’m in the hands of Krishna.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He said several of his Godbrothers pushed on with travel and preaching despite poor health, which he called glorious, but that their health then “seriously deteriorated.” He has decided to take a different course.[1]
“For several years, I’ve been saying that I need to slow down for health reasons. I need to write my books. I need to reduce my travel and stay in one place. And now practically that’s forced upon me.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He said he has spent most of this year at the ISKCON center in Vellore, in South India, and that several planned trips have mostly been cancelled. Although many devotees offer medical advice, he said he has chosen to stay with one doctor, his disciple Keshavananda Prabhu, who is not with him but monitors his temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure and other details daily. The treatment is Ayurvedic medicine, a dietary regimen and light daily exercise.[1]
The main announcement concerns his base. He said Hrsikesa Prabhu, who has worked on his media for what he estimated as 10 or 12 years, came up with a plan for one place dedicated to his media and writing services.[1]
“I need to get a team together in one place so we can focus with whatever energy I can put into it for as long as I can. And therefore Hrsikesa Prabhu is making a facility in Mayapur so that we can have everything set up in a way that is optimal for maintaining my health and facilitating my services in speaking and composing books.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He said the studio in Vellore, where he recorded the talk, cannot reach the technical standard he wants, and that the BVKS Media team is scattered and would work better together. He also said that he hopes to travel more in future, but not as widely as he used to.[1]
“Now, whatever time I have left, maybe 10 years, 20 years, maybe considerably less, in that time, whatever time Krishna desires, there are many things I want to speak and write before I pass away from this world.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
If it were only for himself, he said, he would be “very happy” to prepare for death by living in Mayapur, doing bhajan and chanting, hearing and reading a lot. But he said he would not feel fulfilled at the time of departing without completing more talks and books, and pointed to his earlier works Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava and The Mood and Mission of Srila Prabhupada, on each of which he said he worked for years.[1][3]
Bhakti Vikasa Swami raised the likely criticisms himself, without naming any critic. The first was the cost of the media work: “Why do we need all this expensive, flashy technology?” He answered that it should be judged by its results, crediting Hrsikesa Prabhu with upgrading the quality of his recordings, building social media distribution, making apps and conducting podcasts. He said the message is not his own but that of Krishna, the parampara and Srila Prabhupada, and that it faces “huge competition” from “so many mayavadis and atheists.”[1]
The second concerned his renounced order. He said he has always wanted to be austere, and continued:
“I know many devotees are critical of sannyasis having fancy facilities and spending so much money on facilities. But again, this is being done not to facilitate my sense gratification, but in an endeavor to help keep my worn-out body in good enough condition that it can continue to function in a manner that will contribute to Srila Prabhupada’s mission in the best way I can.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He also acknowledged that many devotees who have served for years do not have such facilities. “That’s true,” he said. “We certainly don’t want to see devotees just abandoned.” He said he had decided to go ahead after “extensive discussions” with certain of his leading disciples and “enthusiastic feedback” from others.[1]
He said the project is meant to outlast him.[1]
“Even after I leave this world, the work on making books will go on. The media team will continue preserving, distributing and organizing my audio and video recordings.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami, “Some Changes in My Life”, 2 November 2026[1]
He said the team would keep producing content with whatever new technology becomes available, asked for devotees’ “blessings, appreciation and support,” and directed further questions to Hrsikesa Prabhu.[1]
The video description asks viewers to support “this service” through BVKS Media’s donation page.[1][4]
When checked on 6 November, the video had 19,434 views, 658 likes and 63 comments. The 40 comments that loaded were supportive, most offering prayers for his health. One viewer, signing as Phalini dd and calling him “my dear Godbrother,” wrote: “You look a little pale and weak in this video.” Another described the Mayapur facility as “a legacy building” for preserving his contributions.[1]
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