nāma oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate Jayapatākā -svāmin iti nāmine
namo ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpa-pradāyine
gaura-kathā dhāma dāya nagara-grāma tāriṇe
nāma oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
nāmas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Please accept my respectful obeisances Guru Mahārāja,
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda,
All glories to Your Divine Grace, who has given light in our life and took us out of darkness.
Lord Caitanya while explaining the process of devotional service, gives the essence of sādhana-bhakti or devotional practice as:
guru-pādāśraya, dīkṣā, gurura sevana
sad-dharma-śikṣā-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārgānugamana
(1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master.
(2) One must accept initiation from him.
(3) One must serve him.
(4) One must receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service.
(5) One must follow in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master.
The essence of the abhideya is given out so freely that many of us are completely unaware of the invaluable gift which Your Divine Grace is awarding us. Śāstras say that a disciple eternally remains fool in front of the spiritual master, but I know I will remain a fool in front of You. Everytime I try to estimate how merciful You are for us I fail because it increases every time. Like Kṛṣṇa, His pure devotees’ qualities are also exhibits every increasing mellows. For one to experience any rasa one need to be having basic qualification, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu explains that for a devotee to experience any mellow in devotional service one needs to be in sthāyi-bhāva which is impetus for all other bhāvas but one rasa even a conditioned soul can experience is audhārya mood, mood of magnanimity. Lord Caitanya made the topmost, available for the most fallen, so the qualification is most fallen so I being in this category very much received the topmost mercy very easily by Your Divine Grace. Being unqualified and ignorant of how to hold this mercy which you bestowing upon me, I again fail myself badly. But every time you lift me up. Many times I am ignorant of the fact that You lift me.
Anyone can appreciate the mercy aspect so Your Divine Grace made Yourself so easily available that anyone can appreciate your mercy and thus they are getting connected to Kṛṣṇa through Your Divine Grace. Many of us would not have least idea that we have been performing the most essential principle of sādhana-bhakti. Just by getting attracted to Your mercy aspect people just become devotees.
You pray for us everyday, You gave us the most sublime principle in a most easy way still we are lacking…
We pray to their Lordships for giving us enough intelligence and enthusiasm to serve your mission.
On this auspicious occasion of Your Divine Grace 71st Vyāsa-pūjā I would like to beg Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava to bestow upon fallen souls like me to bestow the vision to see the sacrifice which You are doing for all of us to be in devotional service.
I pray that I sacrifice my life in every possible way in Your mission to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda, Lord Caitanya and previous ācāryas.
I pray to Lord Narasiṁhadeva and Prahlāda Mahārāja to bestow upon Your Divine Grace long healthy life
Rasapriya Gopikā devī dāsī
Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India