My beloved eternal father Śrīla Ācāryapāda,
Well established in the remote transcendental dimension in association with the Lord in the heart; you shine forth like the radiant sun, dissipating the darkness of ignorance in the heart of those on whom you mercifully glance. Just as the sun evaporates all contamination without getting contaminated, you have burnt away a lot of impurity in my heart by the warmth of your compassionate glance. Your compassion for the bound jīvas is unlimited. In this way you are earning transcendental burden of Śrīla Prabhupāda and the previous ācāryas on your shoulders and continuing the paramparā.
Your preaching spirit is very exemplary. Last Vyāsa-pūjā day, here in Māyāpur, after a hectic day of hearing disciples glorifying you, swimming in the Ganges and honouring 1001 preparations offered by us, late in the night at 11.00 pm, on the terrace, you suddenly looked up into the sky. Pointing at the stars you said with great hope, “Unlimited scope for preaching”. We were all reviewing the day’s celebrations and in that context it was too difficult to, conceive how your mind suddenly reached out to the distant stars. This is a symptom of your transcendence, Śrīla Ācāryapāda. You are simultaneously dealing carefully with all the varieties of this material world and yet you are not the least attached to anything. You exhibit your unlimited preaching vision. You are definitely not an ordinary person if you are desiring to visit all those stars with all your disciples and inundate them with the Holy Name to the ecstatic rythm of your gleaming big brass whompers!
O Paramahaṁsa Śrīla Ācāryapāda, your being established in the position of Paramahaṁsa is evident from your complete surrender to the service of the Lord. During your Vyāsa-pūjā in 1984 you said with great confidence, “I am thoroughly convinced that there is nothing enjoyable in this material world.” These words have always been a beacon to guide me out of the dangerous waters of illusion. As a swan is expert in separating milk out of a mixture of milk and water, you are expert in discriminating and accepting Kṛṣṇa instead of Māyā in all situations. Because of this you are naturally qualified with all the good attributes such as pridelessness, freedom from vanity, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity, respectablity of worship, devotion and sincerity.
The epitome of your pridelessness was visible in you when you told us all, that we should not call you a Paramahaṁsa. This is because you genuinely feel that you are lower than a blade of grass, which is a true symptom of a pure devotee. Jaya Paramahaṁsa, Śrīla Ācāryapāda! Your perfect renunciation is shown by your constant renouncing of all dependence on the conditions of material nature and complete dependence on the mercy of the Lord.
In this world everyone is envious of his fellow being. Being a perfect Paramahaṁsa you are perfectly non-envious and you see every living being in relationship with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. You always glorify the good qualities however little they be, even in the most envious persons. Only a Paramahaṁsa can do this. Your readiness to give respect to ail living entities as part and parcels of Lord Kṛṣṇa is very pleasing to Him and thus you command the respect and love of all. Due to your deep rooted recognition of the individuality of every person anyone who relates with you experiences a quality of love not to be found elsewhere in this world. When your divine personality is decorated by jewels like qualities of an unalloyed devotee of the Lord how can we help but see you as a Paramahaṁsa.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is seeing in you a perfect instrument to take many conditioned living entities back to Him. He is confidently handing over more and more living entities under your care. This is the most confidential service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa is certainly captured by such devotion and sacrifice and has found your heart a suitable place to reside. That is why everyone is attached to your effulgent personality even if they have met you only for a few seconds.
Śrīla Prabhupāda says in his purport in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.53 as follows. “An uncontaminated soul or living entity can get a chance to meet the Paramātmā face to face. Just as one gets a chance to consult with Paramātmā within his heart, one also gets a chance to see Him actually situated before him. Then one can take instructions from the Supersoul directly. This is the duty of a pure devotee; to see the bonafide spiritual master and-consult with the Supersoul within the heart”. Śrīla Prabhupāda further Continues in connection with what to do in the physical absence one's spiritual master, “At such a time the Supersoul immediately appears, provided the devotee is purified in heart by following the directions of the spiritual master. A sincere devotee who follows the instructions of the spiritual master certainly gets instruction from his heart from the Supersoul.” O! Paramahaṁsa Śrīla Ācāryapāda, I know that you are always acting on this platform in the physical absence of Śrīla Prabhupāda and am perfectly confident of your eternal guidance and mercy.
Śrīla Prabhupāda says in another purport Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.24: “Lord Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotee, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtained directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as: gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsa or the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopī damsels at Vṛndāvana. A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly but tries to please the servant of the Lord’s servant, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasī leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is never found by becoming a great scholar in Vedic literatures, but is easily Approachable through His pure devotee. In Vṛndāvana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the mercy of Rādhārāṇī is available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once She recommends such devotees to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Lord at once accepts the devotees’ admittance into His association. The conclusion is that one should be more serious seeking the mercy, of a devotee than that of the Lord directly, and by one’s doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service the Lord will be revived.” O! Paramahaṁsa Śrīla Ācāryapāda, you are situated in the perfectional stage of devotional service because of being blessed by the dust of the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda, who is a great devotee of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
I consider myself as completely unqualified to have the good fortune of serving a Paramhaṁsa like Your Divine Grace. Please bless me so that I can render eternal loving service to Your Divine Grace. Without being blessed by the dust of your lotus feet I will be impotent to render devotional service. Therefore on this most glorious day of your appearance in this world reconfirm my eternal loyalty to Your Divine Grace and beg for your causeless mercy.
Your eternal servant
Madhu Paṇḍita Dāsa
