Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa on this earth, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Today I was appreciating the Vedic culture in which you took your birth, for its foundation was knowledge. Even a simple farmer born within it was naturally blessed with wisdom that escapes the current world’s intelligentsia. So deep was the embedding of knowledge within the culture that, as I’ve read in the Bhāgavatam, even the asuras Hiraṇyakaśipu and Kaṁsa could utter words indicating the self’s eternal existence beyond the body, speak of material detachment, and warn that one’s current actions affect one’s future births.
Yet the words of asuras, as well as the wise words of most others graced with a birth in this ancient culture, were far different from yours, for their intentions mostly remained selfish and lacked even a hint of a desire to please Kṛṣṇa. No concept of the soul’s inherent nature as loving servant of Kṛṣṇa decorated their words. Nor even a hint of surrender to Kṛṣṇan escaped from their minds through their mouths. Generally speaking, none had a sesame seed’s worth of kṛṣṇa-bhakti, the land in which you continually reside.
Your words, often quite similar to the infrequently spoken but wise Vedic truths spoken by others born from the same Vedic cultural soil as you, overflow from your bhakti into your actions, which twenty-four hours of each day match your words that stress the soul’s only true need as love for Kṛṣṇa.
Your words, your actions, but especially your books reveal your bhakti-filled heart. In following Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s example and guidance, you see Kṛṣṇa in every śāstric verse. They reveal Kṛṣṇa’s glory in each pastime you translate, and cause you to boldly condemn every attempt at happiness devoid of Kṛṣṇa’s guidance and service.
Your words also speak of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s gift of hidden Vedic truths. They offer in an open yet still secret way the sweetness of eternal life in Goloka Vrindavan. They instruct readers in that narrow path of service to Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, of surrender, and of separation, just as Mahāprabhu taught by His ecstatic example of full absorption in love for Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, at great cost and in your superhuman way, your actions and both spoken and written words place before me – and everyone else – an opportunity to have everything, even things of inconceivable value.
What can this servant of yours offer in return, for I am incapable in so many ways? I pray, though, to hold tightly to your feet, offering to you whatever you have blessed your undeserving servant with. I consider your service as my greatest fortune and your greatest gift.
With full respect, affection, and undying appreciation for your tolerance,
Eternally yours,
Bhūrijana Dāsa