75th Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā offering to His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya Kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācaryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe
My Dearest Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances unto the dust of your divine lotus feet,
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda,
All Glories to your Holiness,
All Glories to your most auspicious 75th Appearance Day, Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā festival.
Before attempting to glorify you, I beg forgiveness at your lotus feet, which I am doing it for my own purification. Śrīla Prabhupāda once commented that Kṛṣṇa is already glorified, however He is more pleased when His pure devotees are glorified. Just like Ananta Sesha cannot glorify the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with his thousands of mouths similarly how can I glorify you with my single useless mouth? Trying to see your Divine qualities then it is like an ant that is trying to measure the limit of an ocean. Your Divine qualities are unlimited as Kṛishna’s and my material mind doesn’t have that capacity to even think of any particular quality to its highest extent. I beg to the dust of your lotus feet that in my stone like heart, at least I can try to realize some of your transcendental qualities and can always think to please you.
Kṛṣṇa attracts everyone and you being “abhinna-prakāśa” non different from Supreme Lord attract everyone by your transcendental qualities. You have appeared in this world to distribute the Love of Godhead, the presence of exalted Vaishnavas like Your Holiness is holding the planet intact, else it would have long back been sunk into rasātala on account of being overburdened by the sinful activities of today’s Godless civilization. If You didn’t come what would have happened to this world? What would have happened to me? Dear Guru Mahārāja we feel so blessed and protected because your Love and affection towards your spiritual children that makes us happiest. We didn’t see Kṛishṇa or Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu face to face but your love makes us feel that same as spiritual love. Your love and affection make us feel the Love of Śrī Caitanya Mahprabhu which is unlimited and unending.
This past year I have had countless impressions in my heart where I have personally witnessed and experienced your patience to listen to our struggles and problems, your compassion of wanting to help and inspire everyone in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your equipoised nature, your care for everyone in this world and how you feel others’ hearts and your unwavering determination to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda’s ISKCON even when there are obstacles and when it is so easy to step away. You are an ocean of good qualities that I have only begun to comprehend at a surface level. The more I hear about your glories and the more I receive your association, the more I realise how fortunate we are to be in your association, how fortunate we are to have in front of us the ideal example of what it actually means to be a devotee, how to love Kṛṣṇa, how to love the dhāma , how to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda and how to be a co-operative ISKCON member.
You are addicted to Gaura-līlā, you are addicted to service, you are addicted to serving Śrīla Prabhupāda and you are addicted to preaching. It is completely mesmerizing to witness your love for Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your presence alone inspires and transforms hearts. How could we not become inspired in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness when we are in front of you? It is impossible!
Dear Guru Mahārāja, for your pleasure I would like to inform you about the various spiritual activities of our ISKCON Youth Forum of Kolkata. There were quite a few spiritual camps to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, Habipur, Purī and Ekachakra dhāma encouraging not only the new devotees but also the 16-rounder devotees. Especially for the 16-rounder devotees a special monthly Sunday program has been organized since Janmāṣṭamī named as “ Gaura Bhakta Vrinda Saṅga” where senior and eminent devotees of our temple bless us with their association in order to guide us in our devotional life and after the class a nice feast prasāda is being served to every participating devotees. The progress of the Bhakti-śāstrī devotees is also going well. Many youth souls have registered themselves to our ISKCON Youth Forum during the Kolkata Ratha yātrā festival, who are being nicely taken care by our senior devotees. We are also planning for a Prerna festival within a few months in order to engage more and more youth souls in the mission of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Throughout the year we have been immensely blessed with the divine association of His Holiness Rādhānatha Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Subhag Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Lokanath Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Guru Prasad Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Bhakti Prema Swami Mahārāja, His Holiness Bhakti Prachar Parivrajaka Swami Mahārāja, His Grace Radheshyam Prabhu, His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu and many other senior eminent devotees of ISKCON. During our 52nd Kolkata Ratha yātrā, your divine association was like charging up the batteries of our devotional life, especially the question/answer sessions for the Youth Forum devotees. I have witnessed how much important the Kolkata Ratha yātrā is to you that you came straight to inaugurate the Ratha Yātrā festival without taking adequate rest after your 18 hours of flight journey all the way from London. Dear Guru Mahārāja, though I am a fallen soul, I have no qualifications but still you have very mercifully given me a little shelter at your lotus feet on the most auspicious day of Hera Pañcami 2023, for which I will be eternally grateful to you.
On this most auspicious occasion of your Divine Appearance, I pray to The Supreme Personality of Godhead for your good health and well-being so that we can get your divine association for many more years to come. Especially I will be eagerly waiting for your annual visit to ISKCON Kolkata during this year’s Ratha-yātrā festival. I beg for your causeless mercy on me so that I can fully surrender myself unto Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lotus feet and to serve your instructions to the fullest of my capacity.
Your most insignificant unworthy foolish aspiring servant,
Deepnil Biswas (sheltered disciple),
ISKCON Youth Forum Kolkata.