oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatāka-svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācaryapādāya nitāi-kṛpa pradāyine
gaura-kathā dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma tārine
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to you Guru Mahārāja!!!
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda !!!
Śrīla Gurudev, on the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā this year, I pray to Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gopīnātha, Gaura Nitāi, Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā and Narasiṁhadeva to protect you and bless you with good health.
We were able to get your association when we visited Chennai earlier this year. We were so elated to be able to see you in Chennai few times. The first time I came to see you this year, I could not listen to class you were giving. I was just thinking how much suffering you are going through to fulfil Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions to you. I was listening to Śrīla Gaura Govinda Mahārāja lecture one time and he was explaining that “At the cost of our life we must serve Śrīla Prabhupāda, so the success of your life will be assured.”. I was able to see clearly how that statement fits you. Kṛṣṇa has no other choice than to give you what you desire since you are so fixed in serving your spiritual master Śrīla Prabhupāda. Gurudeva, as your spiritual son I am bound to have that quality to be fixed in your service. Unfortunately, due to my own attraction to material sense gratification, I am struggling to be fixed in your service. Please bless me so that I can develop that quality soon and I can serve you.
The second time I saw you was during Chennai Ratha-yātrā. I saw that you were so ecstatic especially when you were in front of Baladeva. Please bless me so that I can also relate to the deities similarly and taste the nectar. My anarthas are innumerable that I am unable to come out of them. Only by your mercy I can get out my anarthas. On my own, I cannot win this battle. Please help me so that I can be a good son to you.
The third time I saw you was during my second visit to Chennai. This was the time when I was able to talk to you for a minute. Once again, I was so engrossed in thinking about myself that I did not glorify you. Gurudeva, please help me to get out of this self-centredness and remind me that there is nothing more important than to glorify my beloved spiritual master who is my life and soul.
This year, my wife Śrīguru Bhakti devī dāsī and I have been asked to improvise Bhakti-vṛkṣa in Sydney yātrā. We are clueless where to begin and what to do. Lord Brahma’s instruction stands out to us.
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
By the mercy of the guru, even a dumb man can become the greatest orator, and even a lame man can cross mountains. We feel so inadequate and completely unqualified. But who else we can go to and seek mercy except you? You are the only one who knows what is right for us. Please bless us and give your mercy so that we can bring many souls to your lotus feet.
Dear Gurudeva, based on your classes, I can clearly understand that independence has been my undoing and I have misused my free will. Please help me so that I can completely surrender to you and despite my hesitancy and possible unwillingness, force me to accept your causeless mercy.
Once again, I am repeating the same wish that I placed before you last year. Myself, my wife Śrīguru Bhakti devī dāsī and my son Bhakta Acyuta are trying hard to bring many souls unto your lotus feet with the help of our Bhakti-vṛkṣa devotees. Everyone is very sincere to please you except me. My sincere heartfelt prayer to you to bestow your mercy upon them so that all of them can be fixed in your service.
I am struggling to be a good father to my son Acyuta and a good husband to my wife. Please help me so that I can guide both of them materially and spiritually.
On this auspicious day it is my sincere prayer that please help myself, my wife and my son to remain in the service of your lotus feet without succumbing to the materialistic pleasures. I also sincerely pray to Lord Narasiṁhadeva to always protect you so that more and more conditioned souls can be delivered by your mercy.
Your fallen and unworthy servant begging for your mercy,
Ānandamaya Gopīnātha dāsa (Diksa Disciple)