Hare Kṛṣṇa beloved Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
This is the most auspicious day in the life of a disciple because everything in spiritual life runs on the mercy of Śrī Guru, be it faith, strength, even sustenance. Māyā is formidable- very strong, very huge. But Guru is heavy, Māyā is light. Embodying that tattva is the greatest empowerment. Being accepted as his own by such a Gaura priya jana is the greatest fortune.
There have been so many influential philosophers, scholars, revolutionaries and leaders in world history, laying their -isms, doing activism for change. In front of Guru Tattva, everyone becomes so small. Śrī Guru shines bright above all, divya jñān hṛde prokāśita. Not only do you dispel all ignorance by the sword of knowledge, you bestow freedom from anarthas and cast away all illusion, fear and insecurity – prema-bhakti jāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa jāte. You open up the pathway for prema bhakti. Your kathā is so generous and simple yet profound, it directly establishes affinity with Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. In this big, bad world, if not for your lotus feet which are the only shelter for the parched jīva disciple, one would be up for existential pointlessness, despair and endless torment. Shelter of your lotus feet is the desire tree. Śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati, je prasāde pūre sarva āśā.
You are a larger than life figure, Guru Mahārāja, who can give shelter to and take responsibility of thousands of disciples, instil faith wherever you go and simply by your good wishes, people become favorable to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These are humanely impossible tasks, coupled with a heavy load of missionary and management responsibility. Generally in the material world when people do such heavy duty work, they take refuge in abominable things. But your purity, sādhana and highest, uncompromising standards are an ideal for generations to come regarding leadership, disciplehood and service in increasingly tough times of Kaliyuga amidst opulences of all kinds that were at your disposal.
All the glorification of a pure devotee that Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava and Mahāprabhu elaborates, comes to life in your person. It is extremely rare to have such a pure, empowered devotee for a guru. We are beyond fortunate that we have you to take shelter of. As Rūpa Goswami says, kenāpy atibhāgyena! How expertly, simply, practically and mercifully you guide devotees, spiritualising the mundane, Kṛṣṇaizing the consciousness in every aspect of life.
You are a numero-uno disciple, always carrying Śrīla Prabhupāda in your heart and meditating on and carrying out his instructions exclusively. You are a devotee par excellence, always absorbed in nama, rūpa, guṇa, līlā of Mahāprabhu, despite gruelling travel, ill health and a load of duties. Just like the Lord's glories are unlimited, His pure devotee’s are too. There is a lot to unravel and realise with time.
For sure, we are surviving and sustaining on your mercy. That is our only hope, our greatest asset. On this most auspicious day in our lives, I seek forgiveness for innumerable mistakes and offences committed knowingly and unknowingly, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja. I never intend to hurt you, I want to be a good disciple. Seeking your blessings to be one. Love you, dearest Guru Mahārāja.
Your unworthy daughter,
Snigdha Mādhavī devī dāsī (dīkṣā)
New Delhi, India
