Projects » Book Distribution
Srila Prabhupada’s books are flooding South Africa
2025 OVERVIEW
Download the 2025 report for the full overview of all African preaching projects.
From the annual report by Vibhu Caitanya
For Kadamba Kanana Swami, book distribution was never a side activity or a campaign to be switched on and off. It was the quiet backbone of everything. Wherever he traveled, whatever project he encouraged, the books of Srila Prabhupada were always close by. He often reminded us that these books are not ordinary literature. They are meant to travel, to be placed carefully into people’s hands, and to work patiently over time. In Walking with Prabhupada, there is a recurring image of movement. Roads, malls, campuses, pauses between conversations. The book moves because the books themselves move. Kadamba Kanana Swami lived with the conviction that if Srila Prabhupada’s books were present, something lasting could begin, even if it was not immediately visible. The distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books therefore remains foundational to all outreach efforts supported by The Peacock Tree NPC. Books give depth to chanting, context to prasadam, and continuity to spiritual curiosity. They allow people to return, reflect, and grow at their own pace.
ANNUAL BUDGET
The annual budget for book distribution is R40.000 (€2100, £1812, $2398).
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Srila Prabhupada's Books
Based on the BBT Annual book distribution report
Visit BBT Africa for a full overview
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is practically built on books— many books. Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote and dictated volume upon volume, establishing them as the Society’s primary reference point for conclusive truth. His disciples, granddisciples, and great-granddisciples continue this literary tradition to provide translations of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava texts, commentaries on Prabhupāda’s books and vision, study guides, articles, poems, and more. This dynamic and ever-growing body of literature sustains a vibrant literary culture, fulfilling ISKCON’s mission to “systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life to check the imbalance of values in life and achieve real unity and peace in the world.”
ISKCON’s foundation on books—and the commitment of successive generations to producing Kṛṣṇa-conscious literature rather than ordinary works—resonates with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s vision:
It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples.
(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.132, purport)
The primary mission is to translate and publish Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books in African languages—an enormous task! Prabhupāda once remarked that “one book is not very impressive,” and by extension, publishing in just one African language isn’t enough either. The vision of the BBT Africa is to see all of Prabhupāda’s books translated and printed in every African language. And they are making steady progress. A major milestone was the publication of the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in Kreol Morisyen (Mauritian Creole) in 2024. The book was launched in Port Louis, Mauritius, in the presence of His Excellency Prithvirajsing Roopun, former President of Mauritius. This was the first Bhagavad-gītā As It Is translation produced and published by the team, and five more are on the way: Afrikaans, Amharic, Igbo, Xhosa, and Zulu. Additionally, the Amharic Śrī Īśopaniṣad is currently at the printer, and in 2024, they reprinted The Science of Self-Realization and The Handbook of Vaiṣṇava Songs and Practices by Rāmanujācārya Dāsa in English.
