nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā-svāmin iti nāmine
namo ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpa-pradāyine
gaura-kathā dhāma dāya nagara-grāma tāriṇe
My beloved spiritual master, Śrīla Jayapatākā Swami, please accept my most respectful and humble obeisances unto your merciful lotus feet, all glories to You!
On this most blessed event of your Vyāsa-pūjā I would like to express my gratitude and amazement.
My gratitude for having accepted me as your disciple in spite of my many disqualifications. You always make me feel loved and taken care of, your unique way of being personal leaves me speechless. You always inspire me to engage in service and show me what it means ‘to give one’s best’.
My amazement in beholding your transcendental activities. Your life is the personification of His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words that devotional service cannot be checked by any material impediments. “Love of Kṛṣṇa cannot be stopped by any material reason. That is love. Nobody can say that "For this reason I could not love Kṛṣṇa." There is no reason. There is no impediment for anyone. Any circumstances... Just like flow of the river. There is no impediment in this world which can stop the flow of the river. Or the waves of the Pacific Ocean. There is no power in the material world which can stop the waves going on, going on, going on.”
Moreover, Śrīla Prabhupāda also says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.4.42, “Apparently Prahlāda Mahārājā was placed in circumstances in which he was always tortured by his father. In such material conditions, one cannot have an undisturbed mind, but since bhakti is unconditional (ahaituky apratihata), Prahlāda Mahārājā was never disturbed by the chastisements of Hiraṇyakaśipu. On the contrary, the bodily symptoms of his ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead turned the minds of his friends, who had also been born in atheistic families. Instead of being disturbed by the torments of his father, Prahlada influenced these friends and cleansed their minds. A devotee is never contaminated by material conditions, but persons subjected to material conditions can become spiritually advanced and blissful upon seeing the behavior of a pure devotee.” Śrīla Gurudeva, upon seeing you and your activities I always become blissful even if I am very fallen. I pray that holding tight your lotus feet I will be able to serve Your Grace and His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda to the best of my capacity.
Begging to remain always in service with my head under your lotus feet
Your unqualified daughter,
Devakī Rūpa devī dāsī