The pranama-mantra of Srila Prabhupada was humbly recited by his followers in every conceivable instance such as when a disciple was introduced to another swami, or in the occasion of bowing down in any church of place of worship, and sometimes before parents and other startled relatives and friends. When Deity worship began in the temples, devotees bowed down before the Supreme Lord and recited the one mantra they were most sure of,

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine.

After three years, Srila Prabhupada composed and gave his disciples a second mantra,

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

I was in Boston when we received our copy in the mail. Bharadraja dasa, a musically talented devotee, quickly made a nice tune for the mantra, which is still sung by devotees today. A devotee in California wrote to Srila Prabhupada thanking him for the second mantra and commenting how we were such dependent neophytes that Srila Prabhupada had to himself supply us with prayers to our spiritual master. We were all very interested in the meaning of the new mantra. Out of all possible descriptions of his mission, Srila Prabhupada had chosen to state it as “delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.” Prabhupada’s mission was our mission-to assist him in preaching the message of Lord Caitanya by attacking the forces of nirvisesa and sunyavadi. The two mantras taken together are themselves a formidable utterance against impersonalism.

Living with the Scriptures by SDG, Chapter 15