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Vyāsa-pūjā 2021

Śacīnandana Karuṇa dāsa (London - Bhaktivedanta Manor - United Kingdom)

Dear Srila Jayapataka Swami Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my respectful obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.

All glories to Your Divine Grace.

All glories to His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

Since the last Vyasa Puja we have witnessed another year of miracles performed by your inconceivable personal spiritual strength. At the start of January your disciples and well-wishers were in turmoil upon learning that your servants and then yourself had tested positive for Coronavirus. In spite of your physical health vulnerabilities you continued with your responsibilities and classes. You were taking additional treatments on top of the existing therapies and medications. 

My observation was that you were so determined to proceed with your duties in Krishna consciousness amidst difficulties and maintained full dependence upon the prayers to the Lord. I could see how the Lord reciprocates with the desire of the devotees more clearly. 

Sadly, HH Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaj has left our external vision as per his desire which has been revealed in a former Vyasa Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada. The Lord fulfilled his desire in the guise of the Coronavirus to be reunited with Srila Prabhupada’s eternal pastimes. At the same time, it is our great fortune to witness your victory over the Coronavirus attack amidst the fragile health conditions you already live with. The Lord has seemingly fulfilled your desire to complete the instructions Srila Prabhupada has given to you, primarily to build the TOVP and the ISKCON Mayapur City. 

This has given me more faith in the words of the Lord (BG 9.22) with regard to how He sustains His devotees.

But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

Furthermore, I feel more closely united with your mood and mission in praying for your recovery to good health. I was asked to speak on this for the JSSS UK kirtans for your recovery. I wanted to address the notion that praying for the health of the spiritual master is something of a contradiction. How can one provide something to another whom he is dependent upon? How can the sheltered offer something to the one he is taking shelter under? How can the junior possess any power that is not within the grasp of the superior?

My realisation is that our collective effort to petition the Lord is more powerful than the Lords desire to act independently. In other words, Bhakti is more powerful than Bhagavan. As such the Lord's sweet will is under the control of the sincere Bhaktas. The Lord explains the same to Durvasa Muni who had misunderstood his Bhakta-vatsal nature (SB 9.4.63).

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brahmana: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.

Furthermore, in our elementary stages of bhakti, we are unable to sway the Lord so much as to get His full attention. We are not developed in our sambandhana or relationship, and are not adequately equipped to act in that relationship by abhideya, what to speak of having the attributes of steady prayojana or the goal to satisfy His pleasure potency.

Still, as we are not full-fledged devotees of the Lord, we are but sincerely identifying ourselves as the devotees of His devotee. Our relationship is to be bound to you, and that is our only hope to access the Lord's heart, wherein our desires may be fulfilled. In such a mood of calling for the Lord in a petition to restore your good health, the Lord who is known as dīna-bandhu, is inclined to fulfill all our desires.

In parallel to this I feel that that you are so dear to the Lord, that He wants your association so much. Even though He plans to be with you again and makes attempts to reunite with you, He is allowing us your association because of our petitioning Him so that you can stay with us.

So long as our desires are synchronized with your desires they are appropriately recognised by the Lord. We simply desire your good health so that you may continue your service to Srila Prabhupada and engage us in the same mission. 

Sri Maitreya Muni expresses that the Lord’s and His pure devotees are dīna-bandhu because they lead the fallen souls to the absolute truth (SB 4.12.51)

Persons unaware of the Absolute Truth can be led to the path of truth. Those who out of transcendental kindness take on the responsibility of becoming master (dīna-nāthasya) - protectors of the poor living entities (ajñāta-tattvāya) automatically gain the interest and blessings of the demigods.

Srila Prabhupada purports this further by stating

Pure devotees, out of compassion for the fallen souls, are kṛpālu, very kind to people in general; they distribute this Bhāgavata knowledge all over the world. A kindhearted devotee is called dīna-nātha, protector of the poor, ignorant mass of people. Lord Kṛṣṇa is also known as dīna-nātha or dīna-bandhu, the master or actual friend of the poor living entities, and His pure devotee also takes the same position of dīna-nātha.

Similarly, Srila Prabhupada sometimes summarised that the aim of the Krishna consciousness movement is to make the unfortunate, fortunate. 

So I pray that I may be able to remain fortunate, to be an instrument in your service to Srila Prabhupada, as your humble and dedicated, sincere servant. Yet I am always troubled by identifying with my wicked mind and materialistic senses which lure my intelligence into entanglement. I suffer from a weakness of heart driven by a thirst for material association and temporary positions of honour. Thus my intelligence is addicted to fault-finding being driven by envy. Therefore I am unable to fix my mind upon the sweet holy name of the Lord. 

My only hope is to depend upon your mercy, and the mercy of Srimati Radharani. I am begging for forgiveness for my countless sins and offences at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. By your divine grace I may rise above the condition of an unfortunate, fallen soul. Therefore I am indebted with gratitude to serving your lotus feet. I consider my complete good fortune to remain at the service of your lotus feet always and unfailingly.

Your servant,

Śacīnandana Karuṇa dāsa (diksa),

Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK