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
My Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
All glories unto Your Divine Grace!
Gurudeva, you never fail to inspire the world at every single moment of your life. Your firm faith in Śrīla Prabhupāda and your pure desire to serve him keep you active on the battlefield, even though you have been injured and stopped by different forces. Your activities, which are open for the world to see, are truly inspiring and amazing, even to those who are not devotees. Every moment of your life is an example in some way or other and continues to astonish everyone.
The scriptures say:
“By the mercy of the spiritual master, one gets Kṛṣṇa, and without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make advancement in spiritual life.”
Gurudeva, words fall short in expressing my gratitude for pulling me out of this material ocean and giving me the opportunity to serve you, despite having no qualification. As the years pass by, I am realizing my good fortune more and more, and I am always amazed at your causeless compassion for conditioned souls like me.
You not only picked me up, but by your abundant mercy, you have given me such wonderful opportunities to serve Your Divine Grace and pave my way back to Godhead. Not only did you grant these opportunities, but with your grace and blessings, you also gave me the intelligence and ability to carry out those services.
By serving Your Divine Grace, one can be easily purified and make quick advancement in spiritual life. I cherish all the opportunities I had and have to serve Your Divine Grace, but particularly in Māyāpur, I had wonderful experiences, despite the challenges and intensity. I was very fortunate to work closely under your guidance and have wonderful, inspiring, and instructive interactions with you. These memories are etched in my heart forever. Those golden days will always inspire me and keep me enthusiastic and determined.
Last year, on Vyāsa-pūjā, by the mercy of the organizing committee, I got the chance to glorify Your Divine Grace on stage in Māyāpur, and I was very grateful for that opportunity. I later heard from a devotee that you listened to my offering online from the hospital in Delhi, and that it was the only offering you heard from Māyāpur. The devotee said that this was a special reciprocation, not just a coincidence, and I feel extremely blessed.
Gurudeva, your reciprocation and inspiration, both externally and within my heart, have kept me going despite many difficult situations. I hope to always remain connected to you in some way so that I can remain steady in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Māyā is always ready to attack us, and if we do not remain alert, our bhakti can be destroyed. But by your mercy and by being engaged in your service, I am able to survive in this mad world.
Gurudeva, currently, I am putting more effort into the Vaiṣṇava marriage service. My desire and dream is to make significant progress for your pleasure. To start, our new website went live in February, and we are also planning to offer more pre-marital training, which may help candidates make intelligent decisions.
Currently, candidates are very fearful and choosy, to the extent that they reject many proposals. There is a great need for education and support systems to help young devotees get married and maintain their marriages in this age of quarrel. I pray that I can make a significant breakthrough this year by your divine mercy.
On the personal front, I have been facing some challenges, but I am surviving by your blessings. I just take these challenges as stepping stones—opportunities to become a better devotee. Amidst these challenges, I also received the blessing of becoming a grandmother to a baby boy named Jīva, born to my daughter Snigdha Rādhikā Devī Dāsī.
Kindly bless our family so that we may always remain in your service and become more dedicated to serving you.
I pray to the Lord for your good health and hope to receive more of your association.
Your insignificant spiritual daughter,
Saci Jananī Devī Dāsī