Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, I am filled with gratitude, realizing that it is by your mercy – and your mercy alone – that we are attempting to lead our lives in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way. We can never truly imagine the darkness we would be in had you not brought the light of the holy name to the world.
I am immensely blessed by the association of my spiritual father, His Holiness Jayapatāka Swami Mahārāja, who is a living testament to your empowered mission. He is constantly meditating on your instructions to him and the GBC, showing us how to fulfill your vision despite all odds. Through his mercy, and the mercy of the wonderful devotees of ISKCON, I find the strength to serve.
You painstakingly created ISKCON and headed it for twelve years, setting a perfect example for an organization that continues to grow sixty years after its incorporation. Your disciples followed the instructions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.30–31 to the letter, giving 100 percent of themselves to you and your mission. Specifically, I am moved by the principle of sarva-labdhārpaṇena ca – offering everything one has acquired to the spiritual master. They have shown us that through guru-śuśrūṣayā (service to the spiritual master) and saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām (association of devotees), all success is achieved. Following in their footsteps, we strive to emulate that dedication, supporting ISKCON’s growth while trying to grow in our own Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Currently, I am serving in the GCC area (Damodar Desh). As you know, the circumstances here are tough for open preaching, and we mainly reach out to the expat community. We continue to seek your special blessings so that we can improve our outreach and, by your grace, one day establish a beautiful temple in this region.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, handling even a small yātrā is so intense and all-consuming that it makes me realize your true position. You are undoubtedly a śaktyāveṣa-avatāra; only a soul directly empowered by Kṛṣṇa could have managed such a massive global empire at your age, winning the lifelong dedication of those fifty years your junior.
I beg for your continued blessings to serve Your Divine Grace, the institution of ISKCON, and the current leadership with sincerity and steadiness.
Your spiritual grandson and servant,
Śrī Vallabha Dāsa and the devotees of Damodar Desh