oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatāka-svāmin iti nāmine
namo ācārya pādāya nitāi kripa pradāyine
gaura kathā dāma dāya nagara grāma tariṇe
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namaste sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Srila Guru Maharaj,
Please accept my most respectful obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupad.
On this Vyas Puja day, I pray to Lord Krishna for your health and long life.
You are the embodiment of mercy, grace and divine love.
In Jan 2020, I visited Atlanta for your 50th Sannyas Anniversary celebration. It was the first time in my life that I met a true spiritual master, and it was overwhelming for me at that time. I am not qualified to appreciate you, but I can at least try to understand your greatness. I feel extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to be in your presence.
I consider meeting you the turning point in my life.
I feel I am the most fallen soul in the universe, and it is only because of your causeless mercy that I am able to chant. I have been chanting 16 rounds daily since meeting you in Atlanta.
Meeting all the Vaisnavas and being part of the 50th Sannyas Anniversary program was a momentous point in my life. It made me realize the purpose of life, till then I was feeling lost and confused and bewildered. I was endlessly searching for happiness in temporary material relationships and was getting frustrated constantly in that endeavor. I was trying to control the situations around me to try to achieve happiness, but it would not usually succeed.
While in Atlanta, HG Susevini Mataji enrolled me in the New Bhakti Vrksa class which was about to start. It changed my whole perspective on life, spirituality and happiness. That is when I learnt that we are in a “Dukhalayam Asasvatam” in this material world.
I started reading Srila Prabhupada books and Gurudeva Krpa Bindu Diya magazine.
I was really struck by several of the pastimes narrated in the books like your first visit to India, early struggles to get enough food and prasadam and how you would preach in villages by cycle.
At this time, I am still deeply entangled in material world and feel trapped sometimes in a never-ending work cycle. I pray and hope that I can devote more time to your service and come out of this tough time successfully.
Your humble aspiring disciple
Kishore Dubagunta
Minneapolis, MN, USA
