Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.
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
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
This year again has been a year of action in spite of your confinement in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur for almost first 9 months of this last year. Covid was making its rapid progress, and you were impacted also, and so many around you. We lost His Grace Paṅkajāṅghrī Prabhu, your dear godbrother, so close to you and long term dhāma-vāsī.
Your health had many ups and downs but was largely well managed.
You remained in touch with your disciples, world over by your online presence, visiting more houses than ever before and giving classes almost daily and continuing with Caitanya-līlā compositions.
The last quarter of this last year had so much action, worry-some moments, but all culminating in your resuming travel for essential purposes.
The rise of Omicron gave us so much worry about your health, and somehow it creeped into your fortress, and you were affected by Omicron. Many of your servants were impacted by Omicron. But none of this impacted any of your enthusiasm to preach.
Situation got worry-some, and we had to airlift you into Chennai. At every stage you gave so many sevā opportunities to so many from around the world, and I was fortunate to be able to support you through connections by your mercy, Guru Mahārāja.
Hospitals in Māyāpur to Kolkata to Chennai all had your merciful visits and you got safely docked into Dr. Rela and Dr. Dinesh safe care as always in Chennai. There were ups and downs, but your enthusiasm and determination to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda and Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava is what got you clear of all these calamities, again and again.
You returned to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur for the 50th anniversary of the Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava Deities installation and were so keen to take the bold move of travel. The last two years, were total confinement in Māyāpur and only an emergency travel happened to Chennai and back. But here you were willing to take big risk to travel to Dubai and onwards. While we were all happy to facilitate your visit, we also noticed how difficult it is to travel for you in this condition but were still trying your best to make it happen to again only fulfil your support to TOVP Exhibits.
You proceed with full determination on all things you want to do in service of Śrīla Prabhupāda and Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava, and all becomes possible in spite of us all thinking it is impossible.
If someone things that your stoke 14 years ago was a set back, it was not, if someone things that your situation of needing transplant was a set back, again it was not, if someone things that Covid and ill health is a set back, repeatedly you prove that you are unstoppable.
That is definitely an important lesson all of us need to learn from you, dear Guru Mahārāja, and we are all fortunate to be live witnesses to this miracle.
You are clearly not this body, and you fully realize you are not this body. We may theoretically say we are not this body, but we can never come to the real platform of understanding that we are not this body.
Your constant thoughts in and prayers to Lord Caitanya is the clearly the reason for this success.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 14.1
kathañcana smṛte yasmin duṣkaraṁ sukaraṁ bhavet
vismṛte viparītaṁ syāt śrī-caitanyaṁ namāmi tam
Translation: Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.
We had immense mercy when you stayed at your house in Dubai – Victory Flag – for 10 clear days and the house was surcharged with your presence and many, many who flocked to victory flag to have your darśana. We now await your return trip to be able to serve you better.
On the short glimpses that I had of you, you have given many instructions to me and I will try to follow these to my level best.
From the angle of JPS Sevā-committee, there are many incomplete tasks and we need strength and determination to make rapid progress. From the perspective of congregation, there are many more things to be improved and I shall take it up to improve. From the perspective of family, we hope to soon have addition(s) to the family, to enable to serve you better. From our gośālā activities also, we are launching on new projects and seek your blessings to my mother and all of us.
Please forgive us for our frailties and empower us with your blessings to serve.
We pray to Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava and aṣṭa-sakhi, Śrī Prahlāda Narasiṁha, Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva and Śrī Śrī Jagannātha Baladeva and Subhadrā Deities and all the holy dhāmas and devotees to continue to give you improved health and for us to serve you in person and serve your mission forever.
Your servant,
Śrī Vallabha dāsa
Congregation Leader – Dāmodara deśa