nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
svāmi-śrī-bhaktivedānta-prabhupādāya te namaḥ
gurvājñāṁ śirasi-dhṛtvā śaktyāveṣa-sva-rūpiṇe
hare-kṛṣṇeti mantreṇa pāścātya-prācya-tāriṇe
viśvācārya-pravaryāya divya-kāruṇya-mūrtaye
śrī-bhāgavata-mādhurya-gītā-jñāna-pradāyine
gaura-śrī-rūpa-siddhānta-sarasvati-niṣeviṇe
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāmbhoja-bhṛṅgāya gurave namaḥ
I offer my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, who is Kṛṣṇa’s beloved associate and who came down to this plane from
Goloka. Taking the order of his guru on his head, he is the śaktyāveṣa (empowered)
avatāra of Nityānanda Prabhu personified. He distributed the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra all
over the Eastern and Western world, delivering and uplifting all fallen souls. He is the
best of millions of jagat-gurus because he is the personification of divine mercy. He has
distributed the sweet nectar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the transcendental knowledge of
Bhagavad-gītā all over the world. He is constantly engaged in exclusive devotional service
to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gaurāṅga
Mahāprabhu. I offer my humble obeisances unto Śrīla Prabhupāda, who is like a bum-
blebee always tasting the nectar of the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Govinda. (Written
by Śrīla Govinda Mahārāja upon request, and edited by Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja)
At the present moment, your intimate disciples have gathered in Śrī Vrindavan-dhāma to celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of your victorious offering to the sacred lineage of the Brahma-Madhva-
Gauḍīya-sampradāya, ISKCON’s Śrī Śrī Krishna-Balaram Mandir, notably featuring the teachings
of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; His personal associates such as Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, who
was His intimate private secretary; His deputed band of front-line preachers, the Six Gosvāmīs;
and Rāmānanda Rāya and other illustrious ācāryas. The heartfelt descriptions coming from your
own front-line generals, men and women, indicate that the time is ripe for a continuation of
Lord Caitanya’s ādi pastimes via your adroit vision and ardent adherence to the orders of Śrīla
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Who will write that tome from among ISKCON’s second
generation, while there is still connectivity with some of your original stalwarts? The Prabhupāda-
līlāmṛta, even with its faults and inaccuracies, delivers the essence of your transcendental pastimes
as you transform from a “Calcutta boy” into a world-recognized and famed ācārya, but there
remains an incredible storehouse of pastimes to be revealed, pastimes that will expand further,
expand on your glories as a śaktyāveṣa-avatāra.
The Krishna-Balaram Mandira rose against all odds at the time, being constructed and built
by foreigners in a remote part of Vrindavan, Raman Reti, outside the general Vrindavan village
itself, while giving leeway for the completion of Hare Kṛṣṇa Land in Juhu, another remotely
placed village outside of Bombay, on the seaside. The undeniable crest jewel of your crowning
achievements, Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, rising as your indisputable world headquarters, being the most
remote, the most off the grid, is the most fantastic part of your vision to spread the cult of Śrī Cai-
tanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement worldwide. It is the place where a glimpse of the Lord’s
prophecies would be seen in action during the first international Gaura-Pūrṇimā festival in 1972,
where fair- and dark-skinned foreigners alike danced and chanted haribol! haribol! through the
streets of Navadvīpa with youthful abandon.
Only you were not surprised by this occurrence due to your complete faith in the instruction
of your guru and full faith in the Lord Himself. You knew, without a doubt, that this would occur,
and you brought us along, introducing us to an amazing world outside time that we would have
never imagined existed. By your grace, we were given glances into the spiritual world, enough to
captivate us and keep us on track as your dancing white elephants, (as we were often called).
I am no longer much of a dancer, but I beg you to allow me to remain engaged in your service
during this closing chapter of my life. You told us that Vaiṣṇavas do not “retire,” and you were
that vivid example. You gave us that “real life, as Caitanya has wrought,” filled with a value that
can never be bought. You “purchased” our empty hearts with your genuine love, and while we
knew that we can never repay your selfless gift, our lives are still molded by our attempts to do so.
I have no other purpose for breathing.
May I ever remain your dāsī,
Mālatī Devī Dāsī

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