nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatāka svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācaryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe
Respected Guru Mahārāja, our Spiritual Father.
Please accept our respectful prostrated obeisances to your lotus feet.
All Glories to your auspicious appearance day on Kamada Ekādaśī.
Hare Kṛṣṇa,
We have no qualification to glorify you as our lives are full of various sinful activities (amara jivana, sada pape rata, nahiko punyera lesha) but we are writing this glorification just to purify ourselves.
Guru Mahārāja, O’ Ocean of Mercy,
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the most merciful benevolent incarnation of Godhead and delivers everyone who surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. And you are the order carrier of Mahāprabhu via your spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda by encouraging thousands and thousands of fallen souls to chant and empowering them in performing various kind of devotional services. Your appearance on this planet is your spiritual pastime to fulfil the orders of your spiritual master and the whole disciple succession leading ultimately to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī. For the pleasure of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava, Śrī Pañcha-tattva, Lord Narasiṁhadeva-Prahlāda Mahārāja and Śrīla Prabhupāda, you work incessantly and hold daily classes and take questions on Zoom.
Your overflowing mercy is revealed to everyone who meets you irrespective of age, gender, caste, creed or profession. You have personified Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words “Preaching is the Essence”, and everyone is a witness that preaching Holy name and about “Kṛṣṇa” is your life and soul. You have defied all your physical limitations for purpose of preaching, whether it is liver disease, transplant, COVID or internal bleed.
You are bestowed with all the qualities of previous Acharyas – you are fearless (Abhay) and are always serving the lotus feet of all fearless Kṛṣṇa (HDG Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda) and this is reflected in your preaching attitude in difficult and dangerous terrains of the world. You are personification of principles of devotional service (HDG Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Goswami Mahārāja) as is evident with your daily attending online Maṅgala Ārti and all the temple programs in whatever health condition you are. You have enticed the devotees in various parts of the world to start various programs and festivals based on scriptural evidence. You are always chanting “Gaura-Gaura” and the glories of Lord Caitanya with an enthusiasm like an adolescent (HDG Śrīla Gaura-Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja). You are always joyful and jubilant in performing devotional practices (HDG Śrīla Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura Mahārāja) and entice others to perform them. You are an eternal servitor of Lord Jagannātha at Rājāpur (HDG Śrīla Jagannath Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja).
As per Bhagavad-gītā (BG Chapter 12, Slokas 13-14):
adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ
maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca
nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ
sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī
santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī
yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
You live the above 2 Slokas – you are kind towards everyone and never envious, you are free from false ego and proprietorship, you are tolerant, satisfied, self-controlled and equal in both happiness and distress and always engaged in devotional service with determination and your mind and intelligence fixed always on Kṛṣṇa, and thus very dear to Him.
Bhakti-rasamrita Sindhu Śloka 1.2.255 says:
anāsaktasya visayān
yathārham upayunjatah
nirbandhah kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
yuktam vairāgyam ucyate
You have shown with your live example the actual meaning of Yukta Vairāgya – renunciation by accepting everything which is in relation to Kṛṣṇa, but at the same time not attaching to anything. You have utilized all the modern world scientific technologies for the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa and in this way reached to thousands of devotees sitting at their homes. Your online sessions have served to connect devotees from various parts of the world with you. You also started mobile App to regularly update your disciples about your activities.
As we are devoid of any power or intelligence and most fallen, hence we request you to please accept both of us (śakti-buddhi-hina, ami ati dina, koro’ more ātmā-satha) and bless us so that we would be able to take initiation and do some service together as per your instructions.
All Glories to the Spiritual Master!
Your insignificant servants,
Rajeev and Anju Khanna (Sheltered disciples)
ISKCON East of Kailash Temple, New Delhi