Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Gurudeva…
Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!
It is an occasion of great joy and festivity that 71 years ago, on this day, Your Divine Grace appeared among us to deliver us and distribute love of Godhead to one and all. All these years, you were faced with fresh challenges, one harder than the previous and yet, you came out triumphant every single time, unfurling the great Jayapatākā of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Being a nitya siddha pārṣada of Lord Caitanya, you simply undertook all the pain in order to show us how to sail through this world of birth and death with firm determination, enthusiasm and patience.
You have handed to us the perfect package of attaining spiritual perfection, as given to you by Śrīla Prabhupāda. You keep everything so simple, yet deep and penetrating the heart. The Gaura Kathā conducted by you every night despite being tiringly busy, is full of unparalleled spiritual nectar. It is capable of transferring even the likes of a neophyte like me, who is trying to practice vaidhī-bhakti, to ecstatic Gaura-līlā. You give us a glimpse into the spiritual world, which is brimming with pure kṛṣṇa-prema, every day. By the bhakti-śakti infused in your words, and your strong spiritual life, our hearts are infused by great faith and loyalty to Lord Gaurāṅga. Your classes are a breath of fresh air in the day, freeing us of anxiety, distress and sadness. Just like Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda used modern means to preach, you follow in the footsteps of the acharyas so exemplarily and through the platform of social media, like Facebook, Twitter and Zoom, keep us engaged in the one of the most important aṅgas of devotional service – śravaṇaṁ.
Your compassion is just like that of Śrī Vāsudeva Dutta, who wanted to take on all the sins of all living entities in the material creation and send them back to Godhead. When Lord Nityānanda initiated Jagāi and Mādhāi, they came perfect brahminical vaiṣṇavas, never committing sin thereafter. Guru Mahārāja, you have shown us great compassion by accepting us despite the mistakes we commit after initiation. Dekha ore bhāi, tribhuvane nāi, emana dayāla dātā… We love you Guru Mahārāja, you are our inspiration. Just the mention of your name is enough to pull us out of nescience. Jayapatākā name ei bār, tari jābo re… Your remembrance encourages us to preach and share with others the invaluable gift of Kṛṣṇa consciousness that you have given us.
No vote of thanks is enough, no amount of service is enough either, to repay the debt we owe you. Simply praying at your lotus feet, that I may be eternally engaged in your service. Thank you, Guru Mahārāja, for pulling me out of hellish life in difficult times. I beg of your blessings to live a life dedicated to your service – of which preaching is the most pleasing to you. I pray that I may never do anything which is displeasing to you.
Your insignificant servant and daughter,
Snigdha Mādhavī devī dāsī (Dīkṣā disciple)
Sonipat, Haryana, India