Vyāsa-pūjā Homage – 2025
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatāka svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācārya-pādāya nitāi-kṛpā-pradāyine
gaura-kathā-dhāma-dāya nagara-grāma-tāriṇe
Gurudeva, my spiritual father,
Please accept my most respectful obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet.
This year, despite your health challenges, you continue to inspire all your disciples, well-wishers, and new members with great enthusiasm. You are setting an extraordinary example of serving Śrīla Prabhupāda with heart and soul under all circumstances. Your dedication will be recorded in ISKCON's history as an exemplary relationship between a spiritual master and a dedicated disciple.
In May 2024, we had your darśana in Delhi, and on behalf of the Kṛṣṇa-kathā-deśa yātrā, we invited Your Holiness for the 30-year celebration of our yātrā. During that time, we also received your permission for my daughter’s wedding.
For the 30th-anniversary celebration of Kṛṣṇa-kathā-deśa in Tirupati, you kindly sent His Grace Mahāvarāha Dāsa and His Grace Śyāma Rasika Dāsa to represent you. Additionally, you graced us with your live presence from your dialysis room, addressing all the devotees of our yātrā. It was a great pleasure for all of us. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude for your kindness.
You also encouraged us to support the Janmasthāna project of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Birnagar. I was fortunate to serve in this project under the guidance of His Grace Vaikuṇṭhapati Dāsa.
You also virtually blessed my daughter’s wedding, and many senior disciples were present to give their blessings. You provided a detailed message on how to properly lead a gṛhastha āśrama life. My entire family and I are deeply indebted to you, Guru Mahārāja.
My situation is exactly as described in the bhajana of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura:
hari hari! biphale janama goṅāinu
manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā,
jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu
O Lord Hari, I have wasted my life. Although I have taken this rare human birth, I have not served Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and thus I have knowingly drunk poison.
Please bless me so that I may overcome my shortcomings and serve Śrīla Prabhupāda with enthusiasm under your guidance. My aspirations are as follows:
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To develop our congregation and train devotees to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission. At present, 197 Bhakti-vṛkṣa groups exist, and I aspire to expand this to 225 groups by next year.
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My daughter, Amṛtā, has completed her vivāha-saṁskāra and is now residing in the UK. Please bless the couple so that they may progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and all their endeavors.
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I seek your special blessings for my son, Aniruddha, who is in his final year of studies. May he be successful in his engineering studies and further education in Melbourne, Australia.
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My mother, Varadhātrī Paurṇamāsī Devī Dāsī, your initiated disciple, needs your mercy to continue her sādhana.
Guru Mahārāja, my entire family—my wife, Ujjvala Kālindī Devī Dāsī; my children, Amṛtā and Aniruddha; and my mother, Varadhātrī Paurṇamāsī Devī Dāsī—joins me on the auspicious occasion of your 76th Vyāsa-pūjā in offering prayers to Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva, and Pañca-tattva for your good health. We pray that you may always remain in the best of spirits and continue your unwavering commitment to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission.
Your insignificant servant,
Rādhāpati Śyāma Dāsa
Dīkṣā Disciple
Kṛṣṇa-kathā-deśa