Check to restrict your search with:
Menu

Vyāsa-pūjā 2025

Harṣavardhana Gaurāṅga Dāsa (Ujjain - India)

I offer my respectful obeisances to my merciful spiritual father, His Holiness Jayapatākā Swāmī Guru Mahārāja.

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā-svāmin iti nāmine
namo ācāryapādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe

On this sacred day of your Vyāsa-pūjā, I am offering you my respectful homage, Guru Mahārāja.

By your mercy, Gurudeva, I am striving to follow the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness strictly, while also attempting to understand and fulfill some of your desires—which are, in fact, the very instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Your Holiness has taken on the tremendous responsibility of continuing and expanding the mission of Lord Caitanya, and you expect your disciples to also share in this divine work.

Last year, under the guidance of my counsellor and superiors, I had the opportunity to serve by preaching to students at IIIT Surat and SVNIT Surat. This was a blissful and transformative experience. Specifically for IIIT Surat, we opened a BAce (Bhakti Academy for Cultural Education) near the college. Initially, five boys moved in, and we began nurturing them in spiritual life. Currently, we are also cultivating the next batch of first-year students—among whom five to six boys are chanting at least one to two rounds daily.

Meanwhile, as I am residing in Gandhinagar while pursuing a PhD at IIT Gandhinagar, I assist with preaching services here as well, under the guidance of the devotees from ISKCON Ahmedabad.

By your mercy, my father and one of my cousin sisters are chanting 16 rounds daily and sincerely practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I humbly seek your prayers that all my family members may soon wholeheartedly embrace the path of bhakti.

Recently, I had the immense good fortune to visit Śrīdhāma Māyāpur with some devotees from Ujjain, and by your mercy, I received some of your services there. I am eternally grateful for that opportunity, Gurudeva.

At present, I am reading one of your books, "Gaurāṅga", and have also begun Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, after completing all twelve cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam once. I pray for your blessings, Guru Mahārāja, that I may imbibe the qualities described in these sacred texts and preach them with full conviction.

You once said, “Do not commit violence, but preach. If a preacher has the knowledge and is able to assist someone to go beyond birth and death, but does nothing to help, he is committing violence to that person.” I am trying to take this instruction to heart and aspire to assist and expand preaching sincerely to fulfill your divine desire.

I had taken some vows in last year’s offering—some of which I have completed, and others I am still working on. I will update you about these soon through email.

I am always seeking your blessings and association.

I humbly beg forgiveness for any offenses I have committed—knowingly or unknowingly—toward Your Holiness and the Vaiṣṇavas. I pray to become a humble, transparent servant of Your Holiness and the paramparā.

Thank you so much, Gurudeva.

Eternally indebted,
Your fallen and unworthy disciple, praying for your mercy eternally,
Harṣavardhana Gaurāṅga dāsa
Connected to ISKCON Ujjain, India
(Writing from Gandhinagar, Gujarat)