Hare Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances at Your Divine Lotus Feet.
All glories to Your Divine Grace.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
This year, we were eagerly anticipating your visit to Australia, especially as your tickets had been booked. We were deeply disappointed to miss you. However, we were immensely blessed to have the association of His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottama Mahārāja. We experienced the same profound bliss as if you had personally come, and it reminded us of the timeless truth spoken in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.30.34):
tulayāma lavenāpi
na svargaṁ nāpunar-bhavam
bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya
martyānāṁ kim utāśiṣaḥ
"Even a moment’s association with a pure devotee cannot be compared to being transferred to heavenly planets or even merging into the Brahman effulgence in complete liberation. For living entities who are destined to give up the body and die, association with pure devotees is the highest benediction."
Mahārāja emphasized that rather than waiting for your visits, we should eagerly come to you whenever possible. That instruction was a true awakening for me. We have resolved to make regular efforts to visit you moving forward.
We also had the great fortune of receiving the association of His Grace Śrīvāsa Praṇa Prabhu, your personal assistant. His presence felt like your very own extension. He sweetly shared many of your pastimes and encouraging words, demonstrating once again your constant care and spiritual nourishment for all your disciples.
Guru Mahārāja, your personal example continues to inspire my study of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Witnessing your steadfast dedication to reading has motivated me to overcome my own hesitations and begin Bhakti-vaibhava study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, under the guidance of His Grace Gaurāṅga Darśana Prabhu. I humbly request your blessings to successfully complete Bhakti-vaibhava, and to continue progressing through Bhakti-vedānta and Sarvabhauma. Your inspiration has opened my eyes to the true depth of this path.
I am also grateful for the mercy of your beloved disciple, His Grace Ghānaśyāma Govinda Dāsa (Meghāśyāma Dāsa, as you affectionately call him), who kindly trained me in performing havana, fulfilling my long-held desire to chant mantras. I consider this a special blessing from you, through him, and I pray to serve the community with the sincerity this sacred task deserves.
We are also engaged in preaching the Bhagavad-gītā to a small group of new devotees, with hopes of expanding this to larger gatherings and diversified programs in the near future.
While studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I was deeply moved by Vṛtrāsura’s prayer:
na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca pārameṣṭhyaṁ
na sārva-bhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
samañjasa tvā virahayya kāṅkṣe
“O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets, or the planet where Lord Brahmā resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly or lower planetary systems. I do not desire mastery of mystic powers, nor even liberation—if I must be without Your lotus feet.”
Seeing the intense longing of great devotees for service to Guru and Gaurāṅga, I ask with great humility—may I also aspire to such service?
Guru Mahārāja, I beg your forgiveness for any offenses I have committed at your lotus feet. I sincerely pray for the strength to avoid such offenses in the future. My only desire is to imbibe the humble spirit expressed by our ācāryas:
tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa“To serve the feet of the devotees and live in the association of devotees—this is my desire, birth after birth.”
Your insignificant servant,
Śrīvāsa Nītāi-gaura Dāsa