Hare Krishna
My dearmost Gurumaharaj,
Please accept my most humble obesciences unto your divine lotus feet.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All Glories to Lord Chaitanya and His eternal associates.
All Glories to Sri Krsna Sankirtanam.
All Glories to your holiness.
In your introduction by a senior devotee, His Grace Srinath Prabhu, he mentioned that Srila Prabhupada had made a phenomenal statement which he still remembers as he was a witness to it as he was standing there. And His Divine Grace had said that you, as a young man at that time you were called Jayapataka prabhu is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya! You will always be in India, you will preach in India, you will have thousands and thousands of disciples who will be Indians. They will be from Bengal, you will preach in Bengali language.
Now after over 53 years of your sanyas, on your 75th Vyas Puja, the divine celebration of your appearance day to deliver fallen souls like me, I see that Srila Prabhupada's words have fulfilled, all glories to Srila Prabhupada and you Gurumaharaj.
The last year was very eventful in my life both spiritually and materially. Your mercy in form of your vani, my counsellor His Grace Puridas Prabhu, devotees and your reciprocations saved me. Gurumaharaj, in 2023 during the Kolkata Ratha Yatra Festival, I recieved Guru Charanashraya under your lotus feet. You showered your unalloyed mercy throughout the Rath Yatra Mahotsav. I am currently undergoing systematic Bhakti Shastri Study inspired from your desire that all get these degrees.
In September, I had joined Tata Consultancy Services as Assistant System Engineer at Indore. I was very reluctant to shifting to Indore, but your arrangements made it smooth. With heavy heart of separation from Gaura Mandala bhumi and Srila Prabhupada's Dham, Kolkata, I stayed under the loving care of His Grace Ramcharan Prabhu and ISKCON Ujjain. I got association and love of senior devotees in Ujjain and Indore, made new devotee friends and got the most valuable personal association of His Holiness Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaja and HH Candramauli Swami Maharaja. Every day I felt your loving care, your mercy and your arrangements. And in two and a half months, I could get a transfer back to Kolkata, again by mercy of Devotees, at management of my company and also the dhamvasis of Kolkata.
Gurumaharaj, Currently I am doing Bhakti Shastri and first 2 units and their evaluation has been completed. I am reading Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 too. Since few months, I am learing to play the Mridanga to please vaishanavas and Lordships. I am trying to be in sync with the inner mood of selfless service to ISKCON by being a happy and contributing devotee.
Gurudeva, I got the opportunity to be one of the editors, in the 2nd revised edition, under the guidance of ISKCON Kolkata, in the book "The Hidden Treasures of Kolkata" wherein there is foreward by Your Holiness.
Gurumaharaj, His Divine Grace had given you some Responsibilities and every time you advise your disciples to help you fulfill them. Actually those are to be fulfilled, because Srila Prabhupada had said, and you have been entrusted, but you want to empower us to be puppets in the hands of Krsna so that we gain some spiritual potency. I want to be your puppet, your dog, and work to fulfill the upcoming 53rd Kolkata Ratha Yatra with body, mind and words. Please bless me that I learn under my extremely exhaulted seniors.
On this auspicious day of your Divine Appearance, I beg this from you, please do not manifest your ill health pastimes, my immature heart trembles with fear, agony and fright. Please be my shelter for lifetimes to come and may I be eligible for being your servant. I am filled with anarthas and incompleteness, but you are the lifter of fallen, please take me in your shelter, and give me initiation in my path to Krsna Conciousness and make me fortunate.
"Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service."
Your aspiring unworthy servant,
Arnab Banerjee