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Vyāsa-pūjā 2024

Mohinī Anurādhā devī dāsī (Bangalore - Whitefield - India)

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya Kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale

śrīmate jayapatāka svāmin iti nāmine

nama ācaryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine

gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe

Dearest Guru Mahārāja,

Please accept my respectful obeisances unto your divine lotus feet on the auspicious occasion of your 75th Vyāsa-pūjā.

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to you.

I am an unqualified fallen soul. My lack of qualification stares in my face before every Vyāsa-pūjā as I sit down to write a homage. I wonder how I can glorify someone who is not an ordinary human being, who is my connection to Kṛṣṇa, and who is an abode of mercy. While I am thoroughly unqualified to write anything in your glorification, I will still make an attempt for my purification.

Guru Mahārāja, it is evident that you are empowered by the Lordships to freely distribute mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu in this precarious Age of Kaliyuga. Personally, you have proved your merciful nature to me by giving initiation to an utterly unqualified, fallen soul like me. Despite your situation, you continue to make disciples. Recently, I was amazed to read your pastime wherein you initiated a devotee even in prison. Your mercy is unfathomable and inconceivable, Guru Mahārāja.

By your mercy and by hearing you regularly, I am developing some taste in hearing the nectarean pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and that has been the most marked change in me since my initiation almost 2 years back. I read and re-read your replies to my letters over the course of the past year or so, and try to follow the small hidden instructions in there, when you ask me questions like if I preach in my office, or if I am able to chant the Holy names even as I am doing other work. You mentioned in your first letter to me that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu are very merciful. At that time, I was yet to realize this, but I could see your statement bringing meaning over time, through the many ways in which The Lordships have been showering Their mercy and helping me make progress in Bhakti.

You travel the world Guru Mahārāja like no one else, and wherever you go, the spiritual quotient of the place increases and devotees are so encouraged by you. Even at a younger age without the kind of ailments that you have, I am unable to fathom doing something like this - the body just doesn’t support. Taking so much pain, you still go about traveling and preaching just to encourage and inspire souls into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You are living and breathing to fulfill the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Also pursuing projects such as installation of the footprints of Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the pleasure of our previous Ācāryas such as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

Just like a kindergarten teacher comes down to the level of the small kids to teach them ABCD, you are teaching your children such as myself, who don’t know even the B of Bhakti how to progress in spiritual life. You do this by your achara: reading SP books, taking all courses sincerely and fulfilling exam requirements even when you are the master of all these transcendental subjects. Whenever we all see your photos with the big certificates, it injects a new enthusiasm in us to do these courses. Inspired by you and impelled by the instructions that you gave us on the day of initiation, I am currently half way through my Bhakti-śāstrī which I will complete in the next 6 months, and I want to start Bhakti-vaibhava soon thereafter. At the time of initiation, 2 of the 3 instructions was to read all Śrīla Prabhupāda books and complete Bhakti-śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava and Bhaktivedānta. By giving me these instructions, you are helping me to understand the mood and mission of our dear most grandfather and founder Ācārya, and I am grateful to you for this.

⁠By your mercy, I am also trying to follow the 3rd instruction that you gave on assisting you in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I am serving in ISKCON Whitefield under the able guidance of His Grace Harikshetra Prabhuji and His Grace Kartikeya Prabhuji. Over the past year, I have been conducting a Bhagavad-gītā course in one of the apartment complexes in Bangalore. We also celebrated festivals such as Janmashtami and Deepotsav on a grand scale here with over 600 people from the society participating enthusiastically. I also actively participate in book distribution during the Marathon month.

I was reflecting on my good fortune: how fortunate are we to be born in this Golden age, just 5000 years after Kṛṣṇa enacted his earthly pastimes, only 530 years after Caitanya Mahāprabhu and only a few decades after Śrīla Prabhupāda. And then suddenly a realization came that I was born at a time when you are on this planet and you have given me the shelter of your divine lotus feet. A few realizations through your personal reciprocations with me is that for the smallest service done for you, you have given me your mercy unlimitedly. My connection to Kṛṣṇa is through you and Kṛṣṇa is guiding me through you. You are able to understand all my desires and questions, and provide guidance at every small step. Thank you Guru Mahārāja.

⁠The debt is immense, and I don’t know how many breaths I have remaining. I have to do more and more to fulfill your instructions given at the time of initiation. Additionally, in your visit to Bangalore for Whitefield temple Bhoomi Poojan, you asked us to protect our Bhakti tree and to develop Whitefield, like you developed Māyāpur as the kingdom of God. I have no power Guru Mahārāja but I am convinced that by your blessings anything is possible. You have mentioned in your lectures how important is the purity of the preacher for this movement to flourish, and that purity can be achieved by practicing what one preaches and by reading Śrīla Prabhupāda books. On this auspicious day, Guru Mahārāja, please bless me that I am able to do both of these, and preach effectively. I beg your forgiveness for all the mistakes and offenses that I have made in this journey. Please bless me so that I am able to dedicate my life from here on solely for your pleasure.

I pray to the Lordships to keep you in good health so that you may continue to inspire us for many many more years to come.

Your dear spiritual daughter,

Mohinī Anurādhā Devī Dāsī