Hare Kṛṣṇa, Dear Guru Mahārāja, Daṇḍvat Praṇāma, please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet on your 75th Vyāsa-pūjā! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Guru Mahārāja I recently got initiated from you on 11th Feb 2024 in Mumbai with your mercy and blessings. My spiritual journey has come on the right track, by getting new dīkṣā name “Caitanya Candramohana Dāsa”.
I took my baby steps in the world of ISKCON at Charlotte North Carolina in 2016 when I visited my daughter Mitravindā Mamatāmayī Devī Dāsī who became my first śīkṣa-guru! During my stay there in her company I used to attend Bhakti-vṛkṣa on weekends. I got the association of many senior devotees like Lalitāṅgī Mātājī Śyāma Gaurī Mātājī and Jānakī Viṣṇupriyā Mātājī. I was also very inspired by service attitude of Subuddhi Kṛṣṇa Prabhujī and Abhirāma Sakhā Prabhujī. I also read my first book “Gaurāṅga” by Your Holliness there and that ignited the hunger in me to know more about ISKCON. In one of the meetings there I had the privilege of having association of His Holiness Candramauli Swami Mahārāja and got his blessings.
After coming back to Mumbai India. I was fortunate to attend lectures of His Grace Kratu Prabhujī on line and met senior devotees Jayaśrī Kṛṣṇa Prabhujī who introduced me to Adbhuta Govinda Prabhujī. Who became my śikṣā-guru in Mumbai and attended his satsaṅga at Charkop group and ISKCON Śrī Śrī Rādhā Rāsa-bihārī, Juhu temple! I started chanting 16 rounds of mahā-mantra and followed four regulative principles set by Śrīla Prabhupāda! When in October 2022 you visited Mumbai, with the help of my śikṣā-gurus and guidance of Vaṁsīdhārī Viśāla Prabhujī I took shelter at your lotus feet. And after that I completed my IDC certificate under the guidance of Prādhāna Prabhujī and Rūpa Vilāsa Prabhujī. Mukunda Mādhava Prabhuji was kind enough to give recommendation letter to me for taking initiation from you! And finally, when you happen to visit Mumbai this year I got your mercy.
One miracle I would like to share here with you Guru Mahārāja after the initiation on one of the day when I had come to attend your lecture I had gone to pray at the feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Rāsa-bihārī temple, luckily you also came to worship the Deities at the same time, when you were doing ārati I was standing right behind you and felt elated and thought that you have come to take me back to God head in Goloka dhāma. Guru Mahārāja please keep your mercy and blessings on me so that I am able to take forward and spread the message of kṛṣṇa-prema and bhakti started by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and followed by Śrīla Prabhupāda and you! Again I offer my respectful obeisance’s at your lotus feet on your 75th Vyāsa-pūjā and pray to Lord Kṛṣṇa for your good health and long life, so that you can uplift many more fallen souls like me from this miserable world!
Hari bol!
Your humble servant,
Caitanya Candramohana dāsa