Dear Spiritual Father,
Please accept our humble obeisance’s on to your divine lotus feet.
On this auspicious occasion of your 74th. Vyāsa-pūjā, please accept our glorification unto your lotus feet.
We are highly obliged to the Lord who is fulfilling our desires by giving us your association and guiding us in our spiritual journey. We are also delighted to see you back in action as usual. Your glorious visit to Dāmodara Deśa last year has been quite memorable especially for both of us as we both were granted brahmnical initiation by your grace, despite my disqualification you have been so merciful to give this special mercy.
Guru Mahārāja, you have been spearheading the Māyāpur development and instrumental in bringing Māyāpur to the world map and making it as the world headquarters of ISKCON. Your dream of fulfilling the promise towards your Guru Mahārāja to build the worlds most amazing temple the TOVP is near completion and all of us are equally anxious to be part of this history that will be created due to your effort and dedication.
Guru Mahārāja, you exemplify how a pure devotees should lead one’s life. You have been tirelessly engaging disciples by broadcasting Caitanya-caritāmṛta daily, answering queries of the disciples, attending GBC and various other meetings apart from your rigorous travel. Recently, I read a post wherein you were instructing Mahā Varāha Prabhu on the occasion of Gaura Pūrṇimā how you want to take all the three classes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in multiple languages. This gives us a hint that how you are beyond this material realm and how fortunate we are to get your shelter and how unfortunate we are to not take that mercy and purify ourselves.
Guru Mahārāja, it’s quite inspiring to see how you were honored with Bhakti-vaibhava completion certificate and also accept our heartfelt congratulations. Though we clearly know that you don’t need to take such course, but you did it to inspire your disciples around the world and to take up śāstric studies and implement them for our spiritual progress.
Guru Mahārāja, our only hope is ‘‘lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya’’ which we are sure that whatever little association we have received from you either vapu or vāṇī will deliver us from the hellish condition that we have been experiencing yet ignorant due to our false ego and prestige.
Guru Mahārāja, my wife, Suguṇa Vṛndā Devī Dāsī stated a realization especially during the covid times and recently too when so many devotees had health challenges and few of them left us too and how all of us got worried for them and were chanting and requesting the Lord to save and protect them. In the Śīkṣāṣṭakam it says that mercy is already provided but myself and my wife have not taken this mercy seriously despite making it so easily available. We wish that out of those 16 rounds that we chant every day, at least 1 name we are able to take with purity, affection and devotion in our heart.
Guru Mahārāja, since last year, the covid restriction have been removed so we are back to the physical classes. However, it’s bit of a challenge to gather prospect devotees to assemble but we are sure, over a period of time, it will fall in line, and we are working towards achieving the Bhakti-vṛkṣa number to pre-2019 levels soon. In the meantime, my wife Suguṇa Vṛndā Devī Dāsī is engaged in giving classes online to various devotees across Middle East, India, US and other parts of the world at least 3-4 times a week apart from regularly studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Whereas I am been lacking in reading due to my pressing engagement of my material work pressure and other commitment. Since my job loss in 2018, I have engaged myself to a small venture to fulfil our financial needs though it’s not helping at the moment, but we are somehow managing.
During my brahminical initiation, I had promised you to complete my Bhakti-śāstrī course and I am pleased to inform you that, I have already enrolled in Bhakti-śāstrī course and have completed three units of Bhakti-śāstrī course conducted by Dāmodara Deśa yātrā devotees in association with Māyāpur Institute.
As we are advancing in our age, we both have decided to cover dhāmas within India before it’s too late and physically impossible. As a result, we could cover Jagannātha Purī, Dvārakā, Somnātha, Ayodhyā and Naimiṣāraṇya. We are planning to cover some part of divya-deśam this year and also planning to take along some few new devotees to these yātrās.
Guru Mahārāja, our elder son is about to complete his Pilot cadet program in few months. I beg your blessings unto him. With your mercy, he is now regularly engaged with Dāmodara Deśa youth programs. Our younger son is studying in Cincinnati and seek your blessing too.
Guru Mahārāja in the process of practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we have committed so many sins knowingly or unknowingly. Kindly forgive us, as we are your children needing your attention, guidance, and mercy all the time. Though we are incapable of glorifying you, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a blissful 74th. Vyāsa-pūjā.
At the dust of Your Divine lotus feet,
Vinaya Mukunda Dāsa
Suguṇa Vṛndā Devī Dāsī