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
Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda and to your divine appearance day!
I will always remain far from qualified to either glorify you or even be in your auspicious presence, but I take this wonderful moment of your Vyāsa-Pūjā as an opportunity to purify myself by engaging in your glorification.
As is the case with each Vyāsa Pūjā offering, I continue to falter and fall short of words to express my gratitude to you. Not a single day goes by without me pondering over what good service I may have rendered in my previous lives to have obtained your divine association all through my growing years and also have the good fortune of serving you as my Spiritual Master!
Your exuberant and steady attitude towards devotional service and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is something I will forever admire and look up to. No matter the circumstance, be it your physical health or external deterrents around you, you continue to push forward like none other. I am in awe of the number of souls you inspire with each passing day – across temples, your medical team, members of various hospitals, the list is endless. Kṛṣṇa says in Ch 18 of the Bhagavad-gītā:
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
[Bg. 18.66]
You see Kṛṣṇa in every move and action that you or others take which truly is a display of this śaraṇāgati – full surrender. You set an example each day of this behavior and how we must also be in this lifetime.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness seems attainable and doable when I see you or listen to your classes. I was blessed with a baby boy in October 2021 and since then my devotional service has been faltering. But each time I think of you in my heart and the promises I took in front of you, I am inspired to get back up and resume my service. Despite all my shortcomings, you continue to be as merciful and forgiving as ever, just as a father would forgive his child.
On this auspicious day of your 73rd Vyāsa-Pūjā, I pray to Their Lordships and to Śrīla Prabhupāda to bless you with good health and renewed strength to continue your wonderful service of inspiring so many souls to take up to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness and spread the Saṅkīrtana movement all over. I am filled with so much gratitude and joy knowing that Kṛṣṇa and the mercy of pure Vaiṣṇavas brought you into my life so that I may aspire to become a better soul and engage in service.
Vande Guroḥ Śrī Caraṇāravindam!
Aspiring to be worthy of your service.
Your fallen servant,
Sugopi Soumya devī dāsī