nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatāka svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe
Dear Śrīla Gurudeva,
On this most auspicious day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, I offer my respectful and most humble obeisances unto your lotus feet.
How can I glorify you? The words of this material world are limited, but your glories are unlimited. You are a very dear servant of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and you are gaura-dhana-jana. I am not able to glorify you even in millions of lifetimes, but only by your mercy, Gurudeva, I am just trying to glorify your unlimited glories.
You are my savior. I still remember when I first heard about you in one of your glorification lectures on YouTube, which came to my feed by divine arrangement. At that time, I was very, very new—even eating onion and garlic—but by the divine plan of Lord Caitanya, I heard that video. After hearing it, I thought, Who is this person? How can anyone be this merciful? How can anyone accept the karma of lakhs of disciples? How? How, just for others, can he take on so much pain?
Even at that time, I did not know who you were or how you looked, but I was just feeling a very beautiful connection with you for the first time in my life. I was shocked. I don’t know why, but just hearing about your love filled my eyes with tears. I had never encountered such compassion and mercy before. It was the first time in my whole life I heard of someone so merciful to fallen souls.
I knew no one would accept me, but after hearing your lectures, I got a desire in my heart—I wanted to become your disciple for eternity because I had a strong feeling that you are the only one who can deliver this fallen soul and protect me from this dark well of the material world. Yet at that time, I still didn’t know how you looked.
So I prayed to you: Please accept me. After that, you did miracles in my life. I left onion and garlic—even though my parents weren’t supportive, you gave me the strength to give them up. And after that, by your mercy, I met one of your spiritual daughters who helped me get sheltered by you. That day was a miracle. I didn’t know in the morning that I would be getting shelter, but by noon I was sheltered! It happened so quickly—but it was all part of your divine plan for this fallen soul.
I seriously don’t know how I can glorify you. Even if I had thousands of mouths, I still couldn’t do justice to your mercy. Your merciful nature toward this fallen jīva cannot be described in words. Even though I am from a non-devotee background and my parents did not support me, still you accepted me. Who can be so merciful and compassionate?
O Gurudeva, I don’t know whether I am able to please you or not, but please always remain merciful to this fallen soul so that at least I may try to please you by sincerely and selflessly serving you, life after life.
I truly have no other shelter but you. You came into the dark life of this fallen jīva as a bright spiritual sun and filled my life with spiritual light. You vanquished all darkness. I cannot express how fortunate I feel that you have accepted me.
Now I am just trying to please you, but it is impossible without your mercy. This soul does not even have the capacity to do any service for your pleasure without your blessings.
So please bless me, Gurudeva, so that I can selflessly serve you—for your pleasure only.
At last, I admit I am incapable of glorifying your infinite glories, but by your mercy, I have tried to do so to some minute extent.
Your most menial servant,
Ādideva Gaura Sundara Dāsa