Dear Guru Maharaja
Please accept my respectful obeisances at you lotus feet
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and your tireless service to him
I had the opportunity a few days ago to glorify you to a group of godfamily based in Bangalore.
It was such a relief to be able to speak openly my love for you amongst the devotees. It's one of the difficult elements
serving in ISKCON; that we are not always able to speak about our Spiritual Master in a candid way without upsetting
institutional concerns.
It was also a daunting task, attempting to express your glories in a few minutes - and that in front of others who surely
have given themselves more to you than I have.
vede gay yahara carito
So what is the value of this guy (me) saying something?
Still I took advantage of the special request by those devotees headed by Anadi Jagannatha prabhu and prayed something worthy of their faith in you would come from it. I can't speak of their experience, but something became clearer for me that day I wanted to share with you in celebration of you Vyasa Puja.
One of the great gifts you have given me is the permission; and even insistence - to approach other great devotional personalities for their mercy
and guidance. In onese sense this isn't so profound, as its certainly part of our siddhanta. But you have given such compelling evidence for your desire we do this by your own example.
You have Jagad Guru Srila Prabhupada as a direct initiating spiritual master, so who would fault you if you only approached him?
Yet he himself said 'the secret to success in devotinal life is to please the previous acharyas.' And being a true disciple yourself, you have
shown me and your other sisha to take that opporunity very seriously, by doing it yourself.
As you lay on a bed of arrows you yearly inspire tens of thousands of devotees to worship Grandfather Bhsima by observing
the Bhisma panchaka vrata.
Every year you relish recreating the atmosphere manifested by Srila Raghunatha das Goswami at New Panihati Dhama - teaching
the deep lessons of the festival of punishment - and I can taste your commradarie with Das Goswami. As a fellow son of a rich man, who
ran away from the world and all its allurements (which you were uniquely primed to receive) for the joy of joining
Lord Caitanya's sankirtan mission instead.
Your hearts desire to please the previous acharya's is dripping from every word of the commentaries in Sri Godruma Kalpatavi and Vaisnava Ke. How pleased Srila Prabhupada must be with you that you have rendered such intimate services to his own Spiritual Master and his father.
Considering how you so brilliantly and effectivley manifested Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakurs plans for the nama hatta it almost seems offensive to call
you anything but a dear and direct servant his also.
Sri Guru karuna sindhu
And what is that ocean made of? The Vaisnavas. Present and so called past - for the devotees are eternal and so is the opportunity to serve with them and for them.
I sadly see so many sadhakas trying to isolate one or another sadhu and make them their salvation. Living or from the past - these unfortunate people say
'THIS IS IT!'
'THEY ARE IT!'
'NOTHING MORE AND NO ONE ELSE MATTERS!'
When Srila Prabhupada has personally given you an enormous list of instructions, and tremendous amounts of his personal association, who could blame you had you taken such a mood? Only a person in your position could ever do so honestly.
Yet you've achieved the fulfilment of all that Mahajanas desires for your service, and more - by striving to be a servant of many other Mahajanas also.
In material life we suffer more in the hands of multiple masters. But in spiritual life we thrive the more hands hold our chains.
I bow to your feet today for teaching me how to bow at the feet of so many others.
Thank you Guru Maharaja. Please never void my account no matter how large the debt becomes.
with love
by your mercy
Deva Madhava das