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Vyāsa-pūjā 2025

Alaṅkāra Mādhavī Devī Dāsī (Moscow - Sri Jagannath Mandir - Russia)

Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of Your lotus feet.

Today, all of Your disciples are celebrating Your 76th Vyāsa-pūjā, striving to please You and writing their offerings. And I thought, what kind of offering can I present to You on this day? After all, the most valuable thing I have is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And it was You who gave it to me. The mercy of Lord Caitanya that showers upon me also reaches me through You. And even my desire to please You with my service is merely a reflection of Your boundless enthusiasm in striving to satisfy Śrīla Prabhupāda.

What can I offer You besides my imperfections, which You mercifully accept out of Your compassion for me, and which You, by Your grace, transform into service to Lord Caitanya?

You once said that Śrīla Prabhupāda often quoted the words of Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura: “The order of the spiritual master must be accepted as one's very life and soul.” And You have accepted this principle, making service to Your Guru—Śrīla Prabhupāda—and to Śrī Śrī Nityānanda-Gaurāṅga the very purpose of Your life.

It is my great fortune to be Your disciple. Your spiritual potency is incomparable to anything in this world. Not only do You serve Your spiritual master Yourself, but You also empower and inspire Your 70,000 disciples to serve as well! You pray for each of us, and I continue to pray that You may stay with us for a long time to come.

Your talent for giving people knowledge of Kṛṣṇa and engaging them in His service is truly unique. You effortlessly attract people's hearts and direct them toward Kṛṣṇa! In this way, my heart was also once attracted to Your association and has forever remained bound to Your qualities as an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya.

You melted my hardened heart with Your sincerity and desire to help when, during our first meeting, You asked me: “Do you want to be my spiritual daughter? And I will be your father.” You then prayed for my return to Kṛṣṇa and even wrote letters to me, answering my questions and telling me about Kṛṣṇa. It was an extraordinary experience, unlike any other interaction. You are so great, yet at the same time, so approachable. So wise and so caring. How do You find room in Your heart for each of us?! And how do You always find the time to guide and support us?

I remember the feeling of peace, protection, and tranquility that I experienced upon meeting You for the first time. That feeling remains in my heart to this day. And I also remember our second meeting when You radiated such light and joy. Everyone was drawn to that light and happiness. There were so many devotees around You that it was impossible to even come close. But suddenly, at one moment, You turned to me and said: “Are you chanting japa?” (At that time, I struggled to say Hare Kṛṣṇa at all). “You must chant! You are my daughter!” Then, You embraced me with a garland. And my life changed forever.

I realized that I was ready to follow You by accepting Your instructions. And I truly desire to bring You joy through my service. Therefore, I pray to Kṛṣṇa to give me this opportunity. Because without You and Kṛṣṇa, my life has no meaning.

On this day, I want to promise You that I will try my best to make You pleased with me. I sincerely wish for Your health and happiness. And I pray that this spiritual connection between teacher and disciple will never be broken.

Your insignificant daughter,
Ālaṅkārā Mādhavī Devī Dāsī
Moscow, Russia