Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet, all glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
On this most auspicious occasion I am reminded of your extraordinary munificence, generosity and magnanimity. Recently I was reading in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a section in the fourth canto and it reminded me of you. I would like to share it here:
"Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa is such a great gift that it is impossible to repay the benefactor. Therefore, Pṛthu Mahārāja requested the Kumāras to be satisfied by their own benevolent activities in delivering souls from the clutches of māyā. The King saw that there was no other way to satisfy them for their exalted activities. The word vinoda-pātram can be divided into two words, vinā and uda-pātram, or can be understood as one word, vinoda-pātram, which means “joker.” A joker’s activities simply arouse laughter, and a person who tries to repay the spiritual master or teacher of the transcendental message of Kṛṣṇa becomes a laughingstock just like a joker because it is not possible to repay such a debt. The best friend and benefactor of all people is one who awakens humanity to It’s original Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (SB 4.22.47)
I think this paragraph sums up my inability to repay my indebtedness to you for everything that you have contributed to me personally and the contribution that you are in the world.
Today I spoke with my parents and my father asked me to relay his well wishes on this auspicious occasion.
Thank you Guru Mahārāja
Your servant,
Śacī Kumāra Nimāi dāsa
