nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā-svāmin iti nāmine
namo ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpa-pradāyine
gaura-kathā dhāma dāya nagara-grāma tāriṇe
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to you.
Today we are celebrating your 75th Vyāsa Pūjā. On this day, a disciple shows his extreme gratefulness to his spiritual master. You have a given a new meaning to our life. You have given more than 56 years to this movement of saving the human civilisation which today needs you more than anytime before. Please continue to guide us and we pray to the Lord that if He may so wish then please be present among us for many more years to come.
Despite your physical limitations you are pushing on this movement. You have helped me come out of many difficult situations by your mercy. This life is entirely at your service. I moved to Bangalore about a year back. Few months back when you came to Bangalore for doing Bhoomi puja for temple construction in Whitefield, you blessed me to work for the temple construction. I take this as a personal instruction from you and I am doing my best to fulfil your desire. There are many hurdles in this path but due to your mercy many of the hurdles are slowly moving away. Devotees in charge of getting the approvals have seen the miracles happening after your visit. However, the main approvals are still awaited, the government agencies are dragging feet.
Bangalore has been in your vision to be a Kṛṣṇa conscious city. This temple will be one of the hubs of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with thousands of devotees working harmoniously to give the city folks a place for practising spirituality. However, the challenges are huge and with every passing day the challenges are getting tougher and tougher. The city is reeling under water shortage, rising prices is making every day more and more difficult and we are also seeing national elections. A state of uncertainty is staring us on the face. We devotees have to rise to the occasion to face these challenges. And the solution I see is, reinstating varṇāśrama in society.
The gap between the present situation and the varṇāśrama system is so large that it is difficult to talk about it but varṇāśrama has the solution to this. It has been the way of life in Vedic times. We don’t know from where to start. However, we have full faith in your mercy and the solutions to the problems will come. As various people have different propensities, they can fruitfully serve the society by working in the way that they can contribute the most. The 4 varṇas - social order is scientific and created by the Lord as a way of smooth running of the society. The 4 āśramas – spiritual order of brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa is meant to slowly elevate the society to God consciousness. Here in our Iskcon society the 4 orders work together and we have to replicate this in the larger society.
Your servant,
Indra Kṛṣṇa Das.
19th April 2024.