Dear Guru Mahārāja and my Eternal Master,
Please accept my humble and prostrated obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to your glorious lotus feet.
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
Guru Mahārāja, the year 2022 is very special in my life. The reasons are many. The most important, aspects of many, is that you have very mercifully nominated me to receive guruship training. To represent paramparā system is most glorious and highest responsible service of all services. Without this paramparā system existing in this material world and without anyone being connected to the such disciplic line there is no truth at all in one’s life. Both formal and heart-heart connection must be there between guru-disciple. In other words, recognizing descending mercy in one’s life is so crucial in advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so much so that without recognizing it and expressing gratitude to the received mercy then Lord Kṛṣṇa will never consider to bestow devotional loving feelings. As sadhus say that the gratitude must manifest in the form of following components.
1) Resonance of heart with what is being gifted, the devotional gifts.
2) Recognize those devotional gifts and feeling utter dependency on them to come close to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
3) Responding to that mercy in the form of services to the giver of that mercy. In other words, channelizing all services through the agency of that giver of mercy is so important to implement and act in that way. Otherwise, Bhakti Devī will never manifest devotion in one’s heart.
After you have gifted Harināma mantra to me, I felt so much upliftment in my devotional practices. It is because you have accepted me as your disciple, so Lord Kṛṣṇa is bestowing His mercy in my life. There is no equal service or charity in all worlds than gifting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. I am feeling to be eternally grateful to you.
Another one of your many gifts, is Lord Caitanya’s mood. The explanations on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that you are giving for our practical applications are so relevant to us. Your statements look very simple but so profound in message. You are very wonderful example of Rūpa Goswami’s teachings, nindādi-śūnya-hṛdam īpsita-saṅga-labdhyā. In one class you said that, even indirect criticism will bring so much suffering. (In relation to Gopīnātha Paṭṭanāyaka criticizing son of King Pratāparudra in sarcastic, indirect manner.) You said that to please Lord Nityānanda we should serve Lord Caitanya. Very touching to my heart. Your absorption in Gaura-kathā is so heart rendering.
One who thinks his spiritual master is an ordinary person will immediately become a fallen person. Bhakti-śāstras proclaim that whatever Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to give mercy, He will give it through the agency of spiritual master. The heat of materialism can only be mitigated by the soothing cool rays of mercy of lotus feet of spiritual master.
More and more I am understanding how hypocrisy works, how false ego traps, how the subtle snares of māyā captures the hearts of souls, how finely intertwine the three modes to facilitate the finest material desires etc. But the tip of the toe of Nama Prabhu can mitigate all these ill effects.
There is no separation between Holy Name and Spiritual Master. There is no separation between Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Spiritual Master. There is no separation between Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. All are same and one in purpose. If anyone disregards even one of these three, if one fails to understand this Absolute Truth then he is risking his devotional life. All the three come as package in delivering a soul from this material world. At different situations all the three or two or one takes very merciful stance in uplifting conditioned sincere soul. You are that manifestation of mercy in my life. On this auspicious day of your appearance in this world, I am promising that the legacy of Śrīla Prabhupāda will move forward down the generations and my commitment to that is your order to do so. So, I am taking guruship training process very seriously.
Seeking blessings from the dust of your lotus feet,
Your eternal servant,
Śrīnivāsa Śrī Hari Dāsa.