Dear worship-worthy Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your merciful lotus feet.
Namo oṁ visnupadaya Kṛṣṇa presthaya bhutale śrīmate jayapatākā swamin iti namine
Nama ācāryapadaya nitāi kripa pradayine gaura kathā dhāma daya nagar grama tarine
Today is a day of great jubilation for your disciples and well-wishers, for it is the day when Kṛṣṇa kindly allowed two extremely special souls, John Hubert Erdman and Lorraine Erdman to facilitate your descent into this world! Countless souls are born every day in this material world because of karma. In your case, it is different. You are not one of the ordinary souls like us, who have come here to empty our karma baggage by suffering or experiencing some relief that is mistakenly referred to as “happiness” in this world. You are an extraordinary soul of purified intelligence. You have come not to empty any karma baggage but to aid us in emptying our karma baggage with the power of your pristine karma-free state of being. Although your existence is totally spiritual and free from all negative karma, you voluntarily accept suffering out of your causeless mercy by accepting disciples. You could so easily have had a very successful material life in the karmī world, as you were born the son of a millionaire! But you gave up that comfort zone of opulence for saving us hopeless conditioned souls! You therefore are the best example of selflessness and compassion!
I lost my parents when I was just a little boy of eight. And somehow, by Kṛṣṇa and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy, I was introduced to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in my teens, and soon after that, to Your Holiness. Ever since then, you have been both my mother and father, and you have never made me feel alone, whenever I needed to be sheltered by your association through vāṇī or vapu service. Of course, because of māyā, sometimes I distance myself from your elevating association, but a mere mention of your transcendental name injects my soul with the tonic of enthusiasm to continue putting up a good fight against māyā. Such is the glorious strength of your enlivening personality! Your rock-solid presence within ISKCON never fails to inspire me to try harder to advance spiritually What milk is to a haṁsa or swan is your beautiful lotus face to my heart and soul!
You are doubtless my spiritual father, but you are also like my father materially, because you have kindly allowed me to serve at your department Victory Flag Publications & Archives in the meagre role of an editor. In this sense, you are my Anna-data (rice provider) or maintainer! You have blessed me with a wonderful service of editing the transcripts of your enlightening lectures and compiling them into books. No words will suffice if I were to express the depth of gratitude, aI feel for engaging me in this beautiful service. All I can do is make an attempt to do so. I’m eternally indebted to you for compassionately engaging me in a service that allows me to materially and spiritually support myself and live in Śrī Māyāpur Dham! Thank you a million times for being both my Ātmā-data (giver of life) and Anna-data (giver of rice/livelihood)!
Last but not least, I implore Your Holiness with straw between my teeth to pardon the offenses I have knowingly or unknowingly committed at your lotus feet. All glories to the wonderful occasion of your Vyāsa-pūjā! All glories to your dedication to fulfilling Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness worldwide!
Always humbly Yours,
Sravan Kīrtana Dāsa
Victory Flag Publications & Archives
Śrī Māyāpur Dham, Nadia, West Bengal.