Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
This blessed day of your Vyāsa-pūjā is yet another wonderful opportunity to immerse myself in meditation on your lotus feet. They are the only shelter for all of us – the conditioned souls. In the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 19.151) it is said:
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going to the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.
On our journey, we have met many teachers, yet we have never become truly happy. For how can anyone find happiness without being connected to the source of all bliss?
Kṛṣ indicates “the all-attractive existence,” and ṇa indicates “spiritual pleasure.” Thus, only Kṛṣṇa can bestow true happiness upon us. How, then, can we establish a connection with Him? He answers this Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.34): tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā – “Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master …”
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you taught us devotional service and, by doing so, have given us real life, for can service to one’s own material senses truly be called life? Serving dead matter makes the consciousness increasingly material and condemns the living entity to descend into lower forms of existence. This is nothing other than spiritual death.
All of humanity today is following this false path. However, the Lord is most merciful to the fallen souls. He appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and gave the world His saṅkīrtana movement – the congregational chanting of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. This is the only method capable of dissipating the darkness of ignorance in this age.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, it was the Lord’s desire that you, specifically, should lead His movement in this world, and therefore you are our only hope. Since the moment your lotus feet stepped onto Western soil, the entire world has been given the chance to join the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya. Everyone can now, in one way or another, serve this movement and chant the names of Kṛṣṇa.
The mercy of Kṛṣṇa flows through your lotus feet. Anyone can find shelter at those feet and thus be delivered from the fear and suffering of material existence. Those feet are the only means to attain pure devotion and love for Kṛṣṇa. The only thing required for this is faith.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, please be kind to this fallen soul and grant me deep and unshakable faith in your lotus feet and in the mercy of the holy name so that life after life, I may serve you with pure love.
Your unworthy servant of your servants,
Vāmana Dāsa, temple president