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Vyāsa-pūjā 2025

Śraddhāvatī Sucitrā Devī Dāsī (Sydney - Australia)

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

Hare Kṛṣṇa, dear Guru Mahārāja!

Please accept my humble and respectful obeisances at Your lotus feet.

All glories to You, Guru Mahārāja, on this most auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā day! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!

I am extremely thankful to You, Gurudeva, for arranging my visit to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur and granting me the opportunity to have Your personal darśana for the first time in my life! I had no idea how to come and meet You, except for having a strong desire to see You and receive Your blessings—at least once in this lifetime, Guru Mahārāja.

But You arranged everything through Your dear disciple, His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami Mahārāja. During his recent visit to Australia, he mercifully instructed, encouraged, and guided the godfamily to come together as a yātrā from across Australia to visit You at the dhāma, since You are no longer traveling due to advanced age. Everything was wonderfully arranged by Your disciples, and it was a dream come true for me. I used to happily run up to the Lotus Building rooftop every evening just to hear Your vāṇī personally. You fulfilled every desire I had—and even gave me special blessings I had never imagined receiving, Gurudeva.

I offer my heartfelt thanks and prayers for all Your wonderful disciples, without whom this darśana and mercy would not have been possible. I truly did not deserve it, nor was I ready for it, but You reached out to me through Your disciples and made it happen by Your endless compassion.

In my last year’s Vyāsa-pūjā offering, I mentioned ISKCON Bhodhan, a Telugu-speaking community of Your disciples in which many elderly ladies from my own family—my mother, mother-in-law, and three of my aunts—attend online every day and are making real spiritual progress. When I was recently in India at my parents' place, they requested me to preach something in their online class, but at the time I was in a lost state and could not do so. However, once I returned to Sydney, I remembered my promise and decided to fulfill it.

What started as a one-time class transformed—by the mercy of the devotees—into a weekly session where I now share what little I know, like verses from Brahma-saṁhitā, Vaiṣṇava prayers, and bhajanas. The devotees are very appreciative, and they inspire me deeply. There are around 60 elders who attend regularly, and even a 6-month-old baby joins with his grandmother, which moves my heart every time. These moments of service fill me with gratitude and a sense of protection. Thank You, Guru Mahārāja, for encouraging me throughout the past year not to be discouraged in my attempts to preach, and for allowing me to serve You in this small but meaningful way.

While these are just two specific memories I could share, I am immeasurably grateful to You for arranging everything in my life—my connection to Rādhā-Gopīnātha, Gaura-Nitāi, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy. Though I remain a struggling sādhaka and my sādhana is far from perfect, still You mercifully continue to help and guide me, Gurudeva.

I pray that by Your mercy, I may soon become a disciplined devotee and a worthy disciple. Kindly bless me and my family to progress steadily in our spiritual lives and always remain under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa and Guru.

Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!
Śrīla Gurudeva kī jaya!

Your spiritual daughter,
Śraddhāvatī Suchitrā devī dāsī (Dīkṣā)