Hare Krishna dear Guru Maharaj,
Please accept my humble respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to you Guru Maharaj !!!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada !!!
For multiple generations of devotees, you have been a great inspiration for those around you, being the greatest Krishna conscious influence, I have had the opportunity of serving. Despite my fallen status, by your association, I am the most fortunate. Without the association of the guru, and without following the words of the guru as one's life and soul, a person's situation in the material world is futile, with very little hope. Guru Maharaj, you are shining light in a night of darkness, the only hope for spiritual development in a world filled with material distractions.
For myself, the best feeling of hope in this material world was the feeling of the first initiation from you, my dear Guru Maharaj. Those few seconds in front of you seemed to accomplish a lifetime of spiritual bliss. When my name was announced, finalising my initiation, all feelings of anticipation and anxiety were replaced with feelings of happiness and joy. At that point, it was made obvious that I was on an eternal journey to grab for Krishna consciousness and servitude to the Lord. Despite the great responsibility, I knew at that moment that I would have you beside me at all times, a guide to an infant just learning to walk on his journey. At that moment, I knew you would always be my father, I knew you would always be my teacher and I knew you would always be my inspiration.
If anything, you are teaching me to run, the wind blowing past my face, a feeling of bliss, as I progress further and further into Krishna consciousness. To run faster and faster on this journey, the blessings of the guru is a necessity, for without the teachings of the guru, how are we to progress spiritually? Dear Guru Maharaj, I am nothing without your blessings. With your blessings, I am confident that I will be able to serve your lotus feet with all love and devotion. I wish to serve Guru and Gauranga in an unparalleled manner and for that I beg for your blessings. I wish to assist you in spreading the message of Kirtan and bring ten million acharyas to your lotus feet. By these means, I hope to always bring a smile to your face, for it would be crushing to see a spark of sadness in you. To bring a smile on your face is to bring great happiness to the Lord. Visvanatha Cakravarthi Thakur says
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasya aprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi
"By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” You are the key to spiritual development. You are the reason for my spirituality and you are the greatest spiritual influence.
Your most fallen son,
Acyutananda Madhava Das (Diksha Disciple), Sydney, Australia
