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
nama ācaryapādāya nitāi-kṛpa pradāyine
gaura-kathā dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma tārine
Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to you dear Guru Mahārāja!!!
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!!!
Śrīla Gurudeva, on the occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā this year, I pray to Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gopīnātha, Gaura Nitāi, Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā and Narasiṁhadeva to protect you and bless you with good health.
Yet another year of your selfless dedicated service to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission of spreading Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana movement throughout the world. Everyone is amazed at how you continue to serve with various ailments and your determination to serve only keeps getting stronger and stronger. Those who do not understand the concept of soul and body will only be bewildered looking at you. Due to your causeless mercy, we can at least theoretically understand the difference between the body and the soul.
You are showing us practically that no situation can be a deterrent to serving Guru and Gaurāṅga if we have the desire to do so. Even at a very old age, Śrīla Prabhupāda showed practically how to perform devotional service perfectly. Imbibing the mood from your spiritual father, you have taken that responsibility to show your spiritual children. We can truly understand the meaning of the term “Like Father, Like Son” by seeing you. Gurudeva, it is my desire to imbibe your mood so that I can try to please you and make you proud. I beg you to please lift me from this rotten condition and force me to take your mercy.
Every week on Saturday, everyone eagerly awaits your momentary glance and get your blessings. While it is a joyous moment for us, it is also one of the most anxious moments for me. Many times, I have felt ashamed to stand in front of you because of my unlimited faults, my pride, my ego, material desires etc. Although I have not done anything worthy of getting your blessings, I understand that without your blessings I will not get out of this condition. Gurudeva, I know that you can see through me and despite my faults, you have accepted me as your spiritual son. I beg you to please lift me from this rotten condition and force me to take your mercy.
In trying to follow one of your instructions and inspired by your śāstric studies, myself and my wife have been doing Bhakti Śāstrī and by your mercy, we hope to complete it in a few months. Also, we have been trying to implement new ideas to preach and get new people to take Bhakti-vṛkṣa and Mañjarī classes.
Once again, I am repeating the same wish that I place before you every year. Myself, my wife Śrīguru Bhakti devī dāsī and my son Acyutānanda Mādhava Dāsa are trying hard to bring many souls unto your lotus feet with the help of our Bhakti-vṛkṣa devotees. Everyone is very sincere to please you except me. My sincere heartfelt prayer to you to bestow your mercy upon them so that all of us can be fixed in your service.
On this auspicious day, it is my sincere prayer that please help me, my wife and my son to remain in the service of your lotus feet without succumbing to the materialistic pleasures. I also sincerely pray to Lord Narasiṁhadeva to always protect you so that more and more conditioned souls can be delivered by your mercy.
your fallen and unworthy servant begging for your mercy,
Ānandamaya Gopīnātha dāsa (Dīkṣā Disciple)
Australia (Sydney)