Dear Śrīla Guru Mahārāja,
Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please accept my most respectful obeisances. All glories to the most auspicious occasion of your 74th Vyāsa-pūjā celebration.
Śrīla Guru Mahārāja,
I read your daily transcendental activities and I get so much of spiritual strength to keep me enthused in my spiritual life. You are inspirational not only to me, the entire world, especially the entire community of Vaiṣṇavas. My heart is full of contamination, but verse 1.2.18 of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam provides the remedy to remove all inauspicious things within the heart, that is by the association of the Bhāgavatas, namely the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that “Both the Bhāgavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee Bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical. The devotee Bhāgavata is a direct representative of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee Bhāgavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhāgavata.” We, as your disciples are very fortunate that both the Bhāgavatas are present in our lives. You are very compassionate and merciful to us, how fortunate for a person as unworthy as me to be sheltered at your lotus feet.
I recently read an interactive transcript in English from a book distribution zoom lecture in Bengali by Śrīla Guru Mahārāja, for the Bangladesh devotees from the JPS Archives website. In that lecture Śrīla Guru Mahārāja said:
“This way, everything can be understood if we read the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is why we have to study the scriptures. When we read these scriptures, we will realize that these are invaluable assets. And my desire is that the ordinary people also get this knowledge. If these scriptures are possessed by many people, as many of them will get this knowledge. To read one scripture it would take many hours. That is why the devotees who distribute the books, if they read the books or scriptures, then they will be especially empowered.”
>>> Ref. His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 7 Oct 2020 in Śrī Māyāpur, India
In recent messages, you have repeatedly emphasized that we should get our Vedic degrees, to help us establish a solid foundation in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and through this way we would read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books to help preach the message of Lord Caitanya. Although I dedicate some of my time reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books daily, the Vedic examinations is something that I am yet to do, due to time, commitments and services, but I want to keep trying, it is my utmost desire to take the Vedic degrees and I seek your blessings. You want all your disciples, in all ashrams, in accordance to their capabilities, whether a man or a lady, to preach the message of Lord Caitanya and to help in the mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I remember last year, at the KLIA airport when you were leaving Malaysia to preach in Chennai, you asked me “Where is your book place?” A devotee told that, I asked her the same thing, she is wasting her time here and not distributing books. It became a joke, many devotees were laughing, but later I reflected on your message, I thought that Śrīla Guru Mahārāja wants me to not waste any moment, and this is to help me to overcome māyā, to always think of methods on how to expand book preaching. Yes, I am a fallen soul, unworthy of anything, but by the mercy of the spiritual master, even the dumb becomes an eloquent speaker and enables the lame to cross mountains.
For the pleasure of Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja and all Vaiṣṇava Ācāryas, here are my book scores for 2022:
7 sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
1 set of Caitanya-caritāmṛta
295 Mahā Big Books
46 Big Books
143 Medium Books
271 Small Books
Total distribution for the year 2022 : 890 transcendental literatures
In the year 2022, during Śrīla Guru Mahārāja’s visit to Malaysia, I got the most wonderful opportunity to offer to Śrīla Guru Mahārāja, our book scores (both me and my mother) in person at Johor. I didn’t meet my targets, my mind was in anxiety thinking on what Śrīla Guru Mahārāja would say, but who am I to know in such a conditioned nature and state of mind and what’s my qualification to know this. Śrīla Guru Mahārāja gave me all blessings and encouraged me by saying that Lord Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad-gītā that there is no one more dear to Him (Lord Kṛṣṇa) than those who preaches His message. Everytime I had an opportunity to talk to Śrīla Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja would encourage me on book distribution and I will carry this throughout my life! I feel very blessed that I have a direction in life, in my humble attempt of fulfilling the orders of my beloved spiritual master, in the capacity that I can, as your simple lady disciple. Without book distribution, life is hopeless. Although 2023 started off with some challenges, I pray that we will go through this, always carrying your instructions in my heart: “Sets of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam going out from all centers will bring me great joy because I know it pleases Śrīla Prabhupāda very much” and I humbly seek your blessings to distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books profusely in every nook and corner of the world as it pleases Lord Caitanya.
All glories to your divine appearance Śrīla Guru Mahārāja!
Your spiritual daughter,
Mālinī Prīti Devī Dāsī (dīkṣā)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
