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Bhadra Purnima 2026

Saturday, September 26, 2026 — Srimad Bhagavatam Dana

Bhadra Purnima is the full moon day of the month of Bhadra, and in the Vaishnava tradition it is the day the Srimad Bhagavatam itself is honoured and given in charity. Each year ISKCON Naperville marks the day by inviting devotees, friends and well-wishers to sponsor complete sets of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam so that they reach homes, students, libraries and temples that do not yet have one.

You can sponsor a set for your own family, gift one to a friend here in the United States, or have sets delivered to family and friends in India.

Bhadra Purnima 2026 Srimad Bhagavatam sponsorship flier — ISKCON Naperville

Pay by Zelle: [email protected]

Why this day is special

Just as the full moon lights up everything it falls on, the Bhagavatam lights up whoever reads it. Bhadra Purnima is the day set aside for making sure that light reaches one more home.

The Bhagavata Purana highlights the special significance of Bhadra Purnima, stating:

“If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and donates it, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.”
Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.13

A sacred day

The full moon of Bhadra closes the month in which both Sri Krishna and Srimati Radharani appeared. Tradition treats it as the day the Bhagavatam itself is worshipped.

A day for giving

Of all the gifts that can be offered, the Vaishnava tradition places the gift of transcendental knowledge highest, because it keeps giving after the giver has forgotten it.

Wisdom that stays

A festival lasts an evening. A set of books placed in a home can be opened by three generations.

Your part in it

Every set sponsored in this campaign is dispatched on your behalf, and the offering is made in your name and your family’s before the Deities on Bhadra Purnima.

Why the Srimad Bhagavatam

The Bhagavatam is the book Srila Prabhupada worked on for the whole of his teaching life, and the one he asked his students to read above all others. It describes itself, at 1.3.41, as “the cream of the cream of all knowledge” — not philosophy alone, but the character and pastimes of the Supreme and of those who loved him.

Eternal wisdom

Twelve cantos and eighteen thousand verses on the soul, the world and the Supreme, with Srila Prabhupada’s word-for-word translation and commentary throughout.

Clears the heart

Reading it settles the mind. People who begin with a single chapter usually find the rest of their day has become quieter.

Strengthens families

Read aloud at home it gives children stories and parents philosophy, and gives a family something to talk about that is not the news.

Awakens devotion

The Bhagavatam is not only information. It is the character and pastimes of Krishna, and reading it naturally turns knowledge into affection.

Why buy & read this book

A set of short reflections on the Srimad Bhagavatam and the place it holds among the scriptures. The slideshow moves on its own, or use the arrows and dots; tap any card to read it full size.

Card 1 of 20 · tap a card to read it full size

From your gift to someone’s first verse

A sponsorship is a short transaction at this end and a long story at the other. This is roughly how it goes.

You sponsor

You choose how many sets, and where they should go.

It reaches a home

The set is delivered here in the States, or hand-delivered to your family in India.

Someone opens it

Usually out of curiosity, and usually at a random page.

A verse is read

One purport is enough to make a person put the book down and think.

Something shifts

A question that had no answer suddenly has one, and the reading continues.

A life turns

Most devotees you meet at the temple can name the book that started it.

18,000verses, each with translation and purport

12cantos in a complete set

1set is enough to change a household

Pay by Zelle: [email protected]

Bhadra Purnima special offering

The rates below are the special Bhadra Purnima rates for 2026. A set is the complete Srimad Bhagavatam.

Hardcover set — delivered within the United States
1 set	$275
5 sets	$1,250
10 sets	$2,250
20 sets	$4,000
50 sets	$9,000

Hardcover set — delivered to family and friends in India
1 set	$150
5 sets	$750
10 sets	$1,250
20 sets	$2,000
50 sets	$4,500

E-book and audiobook set
1 set	$54
10 sets	$450
20 sets	$800
50 sets	$1,750
100 sets	$3,000

Sponsoring sets for India is for donors here in the United States who would like the books hand-delivered to relatives and friends back home. Larger quantities, institutional donations and custom amounts are all welcome — please just call us.

How to sponsor

1. Decide how many sets you would like to sponsor, and whether they should go to you, to someone here, or to family in India.
2. Tap Sponsor Now below to pay securely by card. It takes a minute and an emailed receipt follows straight away.
3. To pay by Zelle instead, send to [email protected], or scan the Zelle code printed on the flier above.
4. If you would like to talk it through first, call or WhatsApp Rochana DD at (630) 699-3037 or Ratna Vilasini DD at (763) 447-5407.

Pay by Zelle: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is a “set”?

A complete Srimad Bhagavatam — all twelve cantos of Srila Prabhupada’s edition, with the Sanskrit, the word-for-word meanings, the translation and the purports. It is the full library, not a single volume.

Who receives the books I sponsor?

You can keep a set yourself, name someone to receive it, or leave it to us. Sets we place go to families new to the temple, to university and public libraries, and through our outreach volunteers to hospital and prison libraries.

How does the India option work?

It is for donors here in the United States who want books delivered to relatives or friends in India. The set is supplied and hand-delivered there, which is why the rate is lower than the US rate. We just need the recipient’s name, address and phone number.

Can I sponsor in someone’s name?

Yes, and most people do — in memory of a parent or grandparent, for a child’s birthday, or in gratitude for something. Tell us the name and we will read it out when the offering is made on Bhadra Purnima.

What is the difference between the hardcover and the e-book set?

The hardcover set is the printed edition. The e-book and audiobook set is the same content delivered digitally, which is the practical choice for students, for people who travel, and for anyone who would rather listen than read.

How can I pay?

Three ways. Tap Sponsor Now anywhere on this page to pay securely by card. To pay by Zelle, send to [email protected] or scan the Zelle code printed on the flier above. If you would rather arrange it by phone, call or WhatsApp either of the numbers listed below.

Is my sponsorship tax deductible?

ISKCON Naperville operates under ISKCON Temple of Greater Chicago, a religious non-profit organisation. We will issue a receipt for your sponsorship; please check with your own tax adviser about how to treat it on your return.

When will the books be delivered?

Sets for the United States are normally dispatched within two to three weeks of the festival. Sets for India take longer, and we will keep you updated until the delivery is confirmed.

Can I just buy a set for myself?

Of course. Sponsoring one set and keeping it is how most people start, and the Bhadra Purnima rate is the best rate of the year.

For additional information

Rochana DD — (630) 699-3037
Ratna Vilasini DD — (763) 447-5407
Pay by Zelle — [email protected]

About Bhadra Purnima

The month of Bhadra is the most festive stretch of the Vaishnava year. It opens with Sri Krishna Janmashtami, continues through Srila Prabhupada’s appearance day and Radhashtami, and closes on the full moon. That closing full moon is Bhadra Purnima, and it is kept as the day of the Bhagavatam.

The tradition comes from the Bhagavata Mahatmya, where the merit of hearing, reciting and donating the Srimad Bhagavatam on this day is described at length. Temples across India place the book on the altar, read from it through the day, and encourage everyone who can to give a copy away. Srila Prabhupada carried the same spirit into ISKCON: his instruction was simply to print the books and get them into people’s hands.

At ISKCON Naperville the day is observed with a reading from the First Canto, an arati offered to the Bhagavatam, and the sponsorship campaign you see on this page. The sets sponsored here go to new families in the Chicago suburbs, to university libraries, to hospital and prison libraries through our outreach volunteers, and — for donors who ask — to relatives in India.

If you have never read the Bhagavatam, the simplest way to begin is to sponsor one set and keep it. Read a page a day. It is how most of the people standing beside you on a Sunday evening started.

Pay by Zelle: [email protected]

Past observances

Photographs and reports from earlier Bhadra Purnima observances at the temple will be added here. If you have pictures from a previous year, please send them to us and we will include them.