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
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
Beloved Guru Mahārāja,
On the occasion of your all-auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā, I offer my obeisances to you again and again. All glories to you, whose determination, enthusiasm, and passion for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness in all time, place, and circumstance astounds us all. All glories to your divine spiritual master, Śrīla Prabhupāda, our ISKCON Founder-Ācārya.
I was recently reflecting on an early memory I have of you, dear Guru Mahārāja. I thought deeply about the first time I met you in 2001 in Śrī Dhāma Vṛndāvana. I was staying in Nandan Kānana, Chittagong, Bangladesh, having joined our movement a few months prior and was one of 300 Bangladeshi pilgrims on a tīrtha-sthāna tour of India. You had invited me to your quarters after speaking with me at the end of the Bhāgavatam class. Just before climbing the stairs to meet you, I performed parikramā of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s samādhi-maṇḍira. At that time, I clearly heard Śrīla Prabhupāda’s voice: His Divine Grace said, “Tonight you will meet your spiritual master.” I was very encouraged by this message, having been in the association of your disciples already. On your suggestion I attended the Māyāpur Festival in 2002; this time proved to be extremely important in my development in and commitment to the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.
What began then was a deep and loving relationship with the Holy Dhāma. Since leaving Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur in 2008 to live in the United Kingdom and then reviving my attraction for the Dhāma since 2016 with regular visits, I have become more aware of how your taste for spreading the glories of Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma has shaped my desires to serve there. I will be 50 years old at the end of this month, and the acute need to reside permanently in the Dhāma is like a blazing fire in my heart. I frequently listen to a bhajana composed by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (sung by my favourite kīrtanīyā, Śrīpāda Subhadra dāsa Brahmacārī, a senior disciple of Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Cāru Swāmī) called Kabe Gaura-vāṇī. The final stanza of this powerful song gives rise to steadfast devotion to the Dhāma:
gauḍa-vraja-jane, bheda nā dekhibo,
hoibo vraja-vāsī
dhāmera svarūpa, sphuribe nayane,
hoibo rādhāra dāsī
I beg at your lotus feet, Guru Mahārāja, that you make my determination firm and my resolve pure when it comes to finding my place again in Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma. For the past year, I have been associated with a small centre in Koladvīpa-dhāma established by Subhadra Prabhu and managed by local devotees. Most beautiful Śrī Śrī Nitāi-Gaurasundara preside there, and Their service is most sublime. This place, these devotees, and Their service have become so very important to me.
Will you kindly bless this project and imbue the residents (including this aspiring dhāma-vāsī) with your preaching spirit? Subhadra Prabhu kindly outlined three specific services for me to render:
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Perform saṅkīrtana
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Study our sacred scriptures
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Serve the Vaiṣṇavas
Such straightforward and simple instructions—more than enough for me to be completely happy and satisfied eternally. Please, Guru Mahārāja, set our hearts ablaze with a spirit of cooperation, service, and surrender to Śrī Caitanya’s most important mission.
Your spiritual daughter,
Amṛta Gopāl dāsī
East Sussex, United Kingdom / ISKCON Hematpur