Hare Kṛṣṇa Gurudeva
Please accept my respectful obeisances
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda
All Glories to Guru and Gaurāṅga
Nama Oṁ Vishnu padaya Kṛṣṇa presthaya bhutale
Śrīmate Jayapatākā swamin iti namine,
Nama Acharya padaya Nitāi kripa pradayine
Gaura kathā dhāma daya nagara grama tarine”
Nama oṁ vishnu Padaya Kṛṣṇa Presthaya Bhutale
śrīmate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine
namaste sarasvate deve gaura vāṇī pracharine
nirveshesh sunyavadi pashchatya deśa tarine
Today is your most auspicious 73rd Vyāsa-pūjā. We are immensely indebted to you for your presence in this material world to help us. You are staying here only for the sole purpose of engaging us in the mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I was meditating on all the sufferings you have accepted this year and it was very inconceivable to me. I could not understand why you have to suffer so much and why Kṛṣṇa allows this to happen. But then I read the following verse from Śrīmad-bhāgavatam in relation to Lord Shiva drinking poison to save the whole universe and I was amazed.
ŚB 8.7.44
tapyante loka-tāpena
sādhavaḥ prāyaśo janāḥ
paramārādhanaṁ tad dhi
puruṣasyākhilātmanaḥ
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.
After reading the above verse I was able to get a small insight into your life. Your suffering also is your worship to Kṛṣṇa (Parama Arādhānam). Everything in you and about you is for serving the Lord and Śrīla Prabhupāda. To help us you accept all these suffering. You are truly the descendant of Vasudeva datta. How truly amazing you are and your characteristics are truly spiritual in every sense. How can any of us ever repay even an insignificant amount back to you and our previous ācāryas. How deep is your service and how extraordinary your activities are.
Out of causeless mercy only, I was shown this verse when I had a question on your suffering. I have only understood the surface level meaning of this verse and even that has touched my heart deeply. Please bless me to understand this verse more and more in relation to your life and lives of all our previous ācāryas. Bless me to be constantly inspired by this verse.
O Master, Please engage me in your mission. I can never voluntarily accept suffering to serve others. I am not even able to accept sufferings caused by my sins. So on my own I can never ever truly follow this verse. But if you are merciful and engage me, then Kṛṣṇa will consider me as an insignificant contributor in lines with this verse.
Gurudeva, I have to engage in Bhakti deeply. I have to engage in pure bhakti devoid of any material desires. I truly need to be engaged in the service of Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. Only possible way to do this, is to assist you. Any service to Śrīla Prabhupāda under you will definitely reach Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. You have many times mentioned that the past times of Śrīman Mahāprabhu continues under Śrīla Prabhupāda and by serving Śrīla Prabhupāda we are participating in the pastimes of Mahāprabhu. So, I need to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda, but I am listless and inconsistent in my service. I truly do not have even single good attribute that can be used in divine service. Unfortunately, I have many attributes that are obstacles to my spiritual life. All the bad qualities are part of three modes only and hence it can be easily defeated through your mercy. Gurudeva, please raise me to true service. Because of my bad qualities I will resist your mercy, but still your mercy shall prevail. Hence I need your mercy immensely.
I am also a complete idiot. I do not understand what is good for me. Kṛṣṇa has tried to help me so many times and being a complete moron, I have ignored all these good advice in the past. Hence please provide instructions to me that will guide me and also give me the strength to follow them purely. Please help me truly understand the instructions and relish them as well. On this Vyāsa-pūjā day which is the most auspicious and fortunate day of a disciple I beg you, Please stay with us for a long time. If it pleases you, please revive back your health completely free from all material sufferings.
Your fallen son,
Saṅkīrtana Narottama Dāsa