Vyāsa-pūjā 2023

Hare Kṛṣṇa Dear Guru Mahārāja, please accept my most respectful obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda and all glories to your Holiness.

I want to begin my Vyāsa-pūjā offerings to you with lots of gratefulness to you for accepting this very fallen jīva as your spiritual daughter. You have drawn me towards you like a magnet and bestowed your causeless mercy upon me and my family by blessing us.

I try my best to attend your Holiness class on Caitanya-līlā every day on Zoom. This is something I wait for and plan my schedule around it. I try to listen very sincerely to the words coming from your lotus mouth. I know the value of those words and pray sincerely that they purify me so that I can do better to please and satisfy you.

Two of your instructions have touched my heart Gurudeva,

1) Śrīla Prabhupāda wants every gṛhastha to become a paramahaṁsa. Whenever I listened to that instruction, I felt I had no chance of going anywhere near that lofty demand, but you gave some ways to follow in reference to this instruction.

Chant morning, noon and night

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda books everyday

Honor Kṛṣṇa Prasāda

Train your children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

When I heard these, I felt happy that I can at least try. Thank you Gurudeva for simplifying those lofty instructions for simple brains like mine.

2) Read Śrīla Prabhupāda books every day and take exams.

I have cleared my Bhakti śāstrī exams from ISKCON Silicon Valley and have enrolled myself in Bhakti-vaibhava course from Govardhan Eco Village. I have just started this.

Every day on weekdays, I read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for 30 minutes in a reading group and I read Caitanya-caritāmṛta on my own. I need your mercy to do this without fail.

I love to read Śrīla Prabhupāda purports and relish it. Hopefully someday by your causeless mercy I can start applying those instructions in my life.

I teach kids from ages 9-16, we finished Bhagavad-gītā important verses with little philosophy and stories. We, under the guidance of Her Grace Lalithangi Mātājī, have become a part of Māyāpur Institute to teach Bala Bhāgavatam to these kids, this is yet to start. I also have a small group of moms with whom I read and then explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They are all very interested. I seek your blessings for all these activities and I should act only for your satisfaction.

By devotees mercy I give classes occasionally in Bhakti Sanga on Caitanya Bhagavat. I don’t have any qualification for this, but I do it on senior devotee’s instructions. The last class was on a few verses where Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu marries Mother Viṣṇupriya and in that context I took all the points from a lecture given by Your Holiness in Narasiṁha safari on March 16 2004 in Tirumala Hills about the wedding of Lord Venkateswara with Mother Padmavati. This class touched all the devotees’ heart and I felt very happy that your Holiness used me, a very insignificant jīva for this purpose as a tool.

I also give classes on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in ISKCON of Charlotte Sunday program whenever given an opportunity to serve Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I need your blessings that I always stay completely aligned with Śrīla Prabhupāda and your teachings and not a single word rises from my mental concoction anytime during my class. I sincerely pray for your blessings for this, Gurudeva.

My son Dhruva, 11 years old, who has been so fortunate to receive your blessings attends my classes and also learns Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Her Grace Aruddha Mātājī. He loves to make power point presentations on various topics and present to ISKCON of Charlotte youth programs and also adult forums. By your causeless mercy he is good at it and does a very detailed job by going through Śrīla Prabhupāda purports.

My family has been very fortunate to receive your Holiness blessings again and again on Zoom, you have visited our home so many times virtually, in deed we are blessed. My sincere prayers everyday are I should somehow please and satisfy you, Gurudeva, that is all I want. Without your causeless mercy this cannot happen, so please give me the right intelligence, knowledge, courage and strength to please you.

I beg forgiveness at your divine lotus feet for all the offences and mistakes I have committed.

Your very insignificant spiritual daughter,

Cinmayī Vrajapriyā Devī Ḍāsī.