My Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Koṭi-koṭi praṇāms, Guru Mahārāja!
Please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
On this auspicious day, please accept my humble greetings at your lotus feet, Guru Mahārāja. I also seek your blessings, Guru Mahārāja.
Guru Mahārāja, you continue to inspire us daily, no matter the obstacles you face. I cherish the daily instructions and messages that you give us—they remind us of our true purpose in life.
You have always emphasized devotee care and the importance of avoiding fault-finding, especially among devotees. Recently, I have been struggling with many questions and confusions in my mind, which led me to compare the practices of some devotees with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings. These thoughts have been very troubling, Guru Mahārāja. I often wonder why certain devotees act in particular ways, and amidst these thoughts, I lost consistency in my sādhana and focus on my spiritual path.
Every day, I pray to you so that I may overcome these thoughts, and by your mercy, many devotees have helped me understand this matter. We also had an enlightening session on fault-finding, conducted by a senior brahmacārī in our yātrā program.
Through this, I have come to understand that we must always be deeply rooted in our sādhana and strive to purify ourselves before speaking about other devotees. I have also realized that sādhu-nindā can severely affect the creeper of devotional service.
In a recent class, you instructed us to be humbler than a blade of grass and to glorify the good qualities of devotees rather than seeking praise for ourselves. You emphasized that only by cultivating such humility can we always chant and remember the holy name. Thank you, Guru Mahārāja!
My sādhana has not always been the best, Guru Mahārāja. At times, I missed 3-4 rounds but tried to catch up the next day. However, by your mercy, I am now chanting my 16 rounds every day, reading Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. I am strictly following the four regulative principles and attending Nāma-haṭṭa every week in Gaurāṅga Deśa.
I sincerely pray at your lotus feet that I may increase the quality of my sādhana and sevā. I try to preach to my friends by giving them prasādam, and sometimes, we have meaningful conversations where I can share the teachings of the śāstras—all by your mercy, Guru Mahārāja.
This year, by your mercy, we have booked tickets to visit Māyāpur for Navadvīpa-dhāma Parikramā. I am very excited, Guru Mahārāja, and I pray that I may be of some service to the devotees and successfully complete the parikramā.
Guru Mahārāja, please forgive me for any offenses I have committed, knowingly or unknowingly. I beg for your blessings for my spiritual advancement so that I may serve you and the Lord in a better way. I aspire to take my spiritual birth soon, by your mercy, and to become more steadfast in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness by serving you and following your instructions.
Together with my family, I pray to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and aṣṭa-sakhī, Śrī Prahlāda-Nṛsiṁhadeva, Śrī Śrī Pañca-tattva, and Śrī Śrī Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā Mahārāṇī—that we may serve you and your mission eternally.
Once again, I offer my respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet, Guru Mahārāja, and I pray that we may celebrate many more such cherished occasions in the future.
Your insignificant servant,
Vaiṣṇavī Rādhākṛṣṇan (Sheltered)
Gaurāṅga-deśa yātrā (Dubai)