Hare Krishna!
My dearmost Spiritual father,
Please accept my most respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness!
This past year has been so trying and painful for our devotee community to have lost the association of so many wonderful pure devotees, many of them your Godbrothers and many your own disciples. And of course I cannot go without mentioning that you had to battle the virus too but as always came out victorious to all our relief. And this time too just like all these years you continue to set such an unparalleled example of extraordinary strength and determination.
So I was pondering over how you have gathered this power to be so fearless and just thinking of this quality of yours takes me to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s song - bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana abhaya-caraṇāravinda re (the lotus feet which make one fearless).
In actuality, chanting and constantly meditating on the instructions of Srila Prabhupada ( Srila Abhayacaranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) while tightly gripping on to them is why you are abhaya. Guru Maharaja, You have been telling all of us to do the same so we may start our journey on the road to becoming fearless. And to inspire us you have agreed to take up so many of the courses, exams, etc.
“Jayapataka’s life is not his own
It’s Prabhupada’s to do with as His own”,
This is something you wrote as one of your Vyasa Puja Offerings to Srila Prabhupada. I have only seen people say this in movies, and mostly they mean it in a very gross form. But Oh Gurudev, just reading this line from you has made me start to think of how immensely you love Srila Prabhupada and how much you would give to fulfill his desires.
This is also similar to what Srila Prabhupada wrote while on his way to Boston Harbour :
“boro-kṛpā kaile kṛṣṇa adhamer prati
ki lāgiyānile hethā koro ebe gati”
You have fully absorbed Srila Prabhupada’s mood and with your meditation on his instruction are fulfilling each and every one of those instructions so beautifully. And no matter what trouble comes your way you continue to keep working, not letting anything set you back.This is exactly what I read from one of your quotes too that one should absorb the mood of the spiritual master and that will lead to perfection of his life.
To understand this better I have been trying to read all of Srila Prabhupada’s letters to you and I came across one instruction :
“If you make it a first - class temple, there will be no lack of visitors for preaching, you will never even have to leave that place for preaching. And if you serve nice prasadam, the whole of India will come. “
Just reading this I realized that this is exactly what we have been doing this whole year! You have been in Mayapur, of course because of circumstances but still been preaching and there is never a lack of an audience. Not only that when there are festivals, it is almost like the whole of India is in Mayapur. This is unbelievable !! From how you struggled in those initial days for the land, facing the attacks to now having a whole community that is a point of attraction to the whole world.
And on top of this , to freely give Nityananda prabhu’s mercy just by chanting GAURANGA loudly, so everyone who follows will get inundated with Krishna Prema, all sitting in your room in Mayapur dham !
You have taken every little element and Krishna-ized it so every living entity can benefit!
I am really looking forward to your safari this weekend, and cannot wait to visit and learn about the significance of all the holy sites around the world.
I have always desired for direct specific instruction from you even though you have so many in your books, classes,etc. Despite my ignorance, you very kindly said just as we were leaving for Toronto that if I knew two or more languages Bhakti Vrikshas were the way to go ahead. Inspired by the way you hold Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to your heart, I have been trying to not imitate but to just make that the focus of my life. Please tell me how I can be of more service to you Guru Maharaj !
In just trying, its amazing what you have made possible. We have weekly online gatherings of :
1. One group of family and friends, reading Caitanya Bhagavat with my husband - Venkat Prabhu. They are coming to a close and are very eager to start Bhagavad Gita.
2. One group of youth boys from different places, reading Mahabharat with prabhu.
3. Prabhu and myself have a group with other couples that we initially started with the Bhakti Vriksha manual, and now we have moved to Bhagavad Gita.
4. One group of ladies from different places. We started with the BV manual, and now have started Bhagavad Gita.
5. One group of young girls/ladies, reading Science of Self Realisation now. By your mercy I am hoping I can make that a group to read Srimad bhagavatam.
6. One group of older grandmothers club, reading Caitanya Caritamrita.
Please bless us that we may be able to somehow facilitate all these wonderful souls in finding their spiritual masters and ultimately taking shelter of the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada.
On the design front, only by your causeless mercy I am being engaged in services with so many different devotees all over the world. I am learning so much by all of their association and it is all only because of your compassion that all this is happening.
For all this and everything good that I have been given credit for, you are the only cause. All that credit belongs only to you. I sincerely pray that this list keeps increasing so I may be always engaged in some service that will please you.
How else can I repay this debt that fills up a bottomless well to you, when you are constantly ignoring all my tardiness, slack and even disregard?
How else can I glorify you who shower me with the gifts of unconditional compassion and mercy?
How else can a daughter call for the father who has shown her everything she needs to know to survive this vast material ocean ?
There is no other way but for me to take shelter of your Lotus feet. And I know that by facilitating service, you are keeping me under your watch and well protected from the illusory energy of the Lord. It is my most ardent desire and prayer that Sri Sri Radha Madhava keep you close to them, and Srila Narasimhadeva gives you a long life with fantastic health so by your radiating energy and causeless mercy all of us may be able to climb in our spiritual path. I want to offer my life to your mission, so please bless me so that I may give up all unnecessary attachments and take the plunge into the transcendental ocean of bliss that you are swimming in.
Please bless my husband, Venkat Prabhu. its his birthday on the 15th of April and by your prayers and blessings may he be able to get clarification on his initiation situation. He has written to you about it and you have very kindly assured him too.However, he is just taking some time to figure it out and your mercy can definitely help resolve any trouble he may have in doing so.
Attached is a picture of our Krishna Balaram, who you kindly gave us permission to worship 2.5 years ago. It is only through you (guru) that we have literally received not just Harinam but also Krishna in our home, heart and lives. Please request them to bestow us with more spiritual strength so we may keep improving our service and do as they please, and also allow us to really develop unbreakable attachment to them as they will definitely listen to you.
Your loving daughter,
Snigdha Radhika Devi Dasi
