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Vyāsa-pūjā 2023

Vidvān Gaurāṅga dāsa (Mayapur - India)

Dear Guru Mahārāja,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers. All glories to Your Divine Grace and the Vaiṣṇavas.

The second verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam talks about non-malicious saints (nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ) being capable of understanding the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And in my experience, I have never seen any malice in Your Divine Grace. I had the opportunity to serve Your Divine Grace as an assistant for some time, and of course, there are no secrets in ISKCON ultimately, but I have never come across Your Divine Grace ever wanting to put someone down, not “even in the service of Śrīla Prabhupāda”, or “for the mission of Lord Caitanya,” and so on. Whether it is a manager who wants to be worshipped by those who happen to be under him or one who wants to put on a show of being a great spiritualist with the desire “to make many devotees” who should certainly submit to him or her first of all and forever, or the personification of jāti-buddhi annoyed over Your Divine Grace’s unavoidable charisma, Your Divine Grace has always been compassionate upon such control freaks. You would peacefully and informally explain in private situations that as one continues in the practice and preaching of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, over a period of time, he/she would gradually get to understand everything by the mercy of guru and Gaurāṅga – these devotees just need to be sufficiently engaged in the Lord’s mission and gradually they will understand everything about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I haven’t noticed Your Divine Grace become alarmed by the rising popularity of even one of your own disciples, what to speak of your godsiblings -- on the contrary, you would just casually remark something to this effect: “What’s the problem? It would be good if he is made into a respected authority!”

Another feature of Prabhupāda that we see in Your Divine Grace is spiritual pragmatism. Your Divine Grace is absolutely convinced that anyone and everyone can factually attain the highest state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by carrying out the very practical instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda and his predecessor ācāryas. “Everything will be revealed in the heart when we surrender to the service of Lord Caitanya as shown by Prabhupāda and his predecessor ācāryas.” I heard that both before and after the stroke. In answer to the question, “How can I move from nāmāparādhā chanting to nāmābhasa chanting to śuddha-nāma chanting?” you said “Superservice leads to superchanting. Serve the practical instructions of Lord Caitanya. It will lead to pure chanting.” For those who worry, “But, but what about rāgānuga-bhakti? How do I get to enter into that?” you have a stock and practical answer – that we should patiently follow the sequence outlined in Gaurāṅga bolite habe – and everything will come out well and good. Where are you getting this idea from? It is from Cc. Ādi 8.31 purport, a point made by Prabhupāda and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. No, this is not just Your Divine Grace “marketing” Kṛṣṇa consciousness as ISKCON’s brand ambassador, it is something you really believe in because it is a fact -- and therefore you maintain genuine respect for Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas outside of ISKCON (and who will never ever join ISKCON). We saw and continue to see that in your dealings with those devotees for the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust.

Now, with your stress on the study of Prabhupāda’s books through the four levels of Bhakti-śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta and Bhakti-sārvabhauma, your teachings to ISKCON have completed the circle of śuddha-bhakti-vicāra, śuddha-bhakti-ācāra and śuddha-bhakti-pracāra that Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura often spoke about. By accepting the lifetime duties of studying, applying and promoting pure devotional service to Lord Caitanya as taught by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī on a daily basis, one actually progresses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not a rocket science, really, but there are terms and conditions to be applied, terms and conditions clearly outlined in The Nectar of Instruction that we study at the entry level study program Bhakti-śāstrī.

So kindly consider blessing me to stay steadily focused on the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and their predecessor authorities and do the greatest good to myself and others while progressing without regressing from sraddha to prema.

Yours ever in the service of Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Your Divine Grace and the Vaiṣṇavas,

Vidvān Gaurāṅga dasa