Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga. All glories to
Your Divine Grace.
For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to travel and teach devotees in South Amer-
ica, visiting Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay, and in Mexico. It has been such a deep and reward-
ing experience for me – meeting so many incredible Vaiṣṇavas everywhere I go. Some places,
like Patagonia in Chile, are so remote that they call them “the end of the world!” We even held
a Ratha-yātrā there at the start of this year, and it was a truly beautiful and uplifting experience.
Among the many other places I have visited are Cusco, Peru, high up in the Andes, and Manaus,
Brazil, in the heart of Amazonia. In all these places, Vaiṣṇavas are chanting the holy name and
practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and it is truly a reality that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra resounds
in every town and village.
I have been sharing your teachings with the devotees – about Vedic culture, varṇāśrama-
dharma, and Vaiṣṇava philosophy – all directly from your books, and they are eager for this
knowledge. I have been studying Bhagavad-gītā As It Is with the help of a study guide you wrote
in essay form, An Analysis of Bhagwat Geeta, based on sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana, from
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Daśa-mūla-tattva. It is such a powerful tool, because it truly deepens my
understanding of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and I see that many devotees are
eager to delve into it as well.
Lately, I have been reflecting a lot on the fourth and fifth verses of the Upadeśāmṛta. Rūpa
Gosvāmī presents them so beautifully, explaining how we, as devotees, should connect with each
other on a personal level to grow in devotion. The fourth verse really struck me – I feel that it
embodies the heart of abhidheya, the process of devotional service. Then, in the fifth verse, he
speaks about how to show respect to devotees, and what stood out to me is his emphasis on asso-
ciating with uttama-adhikārīs. They possess all auspicious qualities, yet Rūpa Gosvāmī highlights
just one: they have no propensity to criticize others. That realization deeply impacted me – it is so
powerful, and I am striving to live by it myself. I still have so much to learn.
I am deeply grateful for the association I receive through your books and lectures. Please bless
me with the strength to deepen my understanding of your mood and realizations so that I may
fully grasp and apply them throughout my life with all my heart.
Your humble servant,
Bhakti Ārjava Prīti Vardhana Swami

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