Hare Kṛṣṇa
To our dearmost His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja,
All glories to His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda!
All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga!
Guru Mahārāja, kindly accept my respectful and heartfelt obeisances unto your divine lotus feet.
Kṛṣṇa is glorious all the time—with or without glorification. Similarly, His transcendental associates like you are also always glorious, beyond our praise. But I cannot miss this once-a-year golden opportunity to offer a drop of glorification at your lotus feet.
Just like the sun and moon are the eyes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you are simultaneously both orbs for us. Just as vegetables grow by absorbing sunlight, my soul receives transcendental nourishment from your divine teachings and knowledge. And just as vegetables absorb the moonlight and gain flavor, you have given me the taste for service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Seeing you first on a screen on 27th December 2019, then having your darśana physically in Kolkata on 25th June 2023, and now regularly in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur—all these moments, especially the first ones, are framed forever in my heart, oh my dearest spiritual father.
As I pen down this offering, I see you passing before my eyes, going to give dīkṣā. My memory takes me back to the day of my shelter—when I saw you for the first time in the dīkṣā pāṇḍāla in Kolkata. It was a rainy day, and you said, “Today is an auspicious day because it’s raining.” After a long wait, you appeared at 10:52 a.m., and I cried my heart out throughout your whole dīkṣā lecture. I remember thinking, “When will my day come, like these fortunate souls whom you are accepting today?”
My only desire was to be your spiritual daughter, eternally bound to you—and you, being so boundlessly merciful, made that happen. Thank you so much, my dearest spiritual father. Until my last breath—and beyond—I desire only this: that all my thoughts, actions, and consciousness bring me closer to you.
Just like Mother Gaṅgā sanctifies all the lands she flows over, your appearance doesn't just purify this world—it refines all three worlds. You nourished our consciousness with the divine mellow of "Yadi Prabhupāda nā hoito, tabe ki hoito?" In the same way, I wonder—if you had not come to this particular universe, what would have happened to me?
You are the invisible roots of my shaky tree-like devotional life, helping me stay grounded in the paramparā and the Supreme Personality. You are the strong trunk that holds together the branches, giving shelter to this messy existence. You are the green leaves supplying the chlorophyll of life to move forward. You are the vibrant flowers that beautify the whole tree. And above all, you are the most desirable, sweet, ripened fruit of my existence—removing the hunger of my soul’s spiritual longing.
And I pray that all the storms that helped me grow closer to you return again and again, so that my roots grow deeper in your shelter.
Just like Lord Śiva drank the poison to save the world, you are accepting the burden of our sins and suffering all alone—just to keep us under the safest and most loving shade of your protection. Guru Mahārāja, we don’t even have the qualification to ask for forgiveness, yet you not only forgive—you cry and pray for us to Pañca-tattva daily.
Each day I wonder—how can I be so fortunate to have you as my spiritual father? How could I be so blessed to receive a Gaura-pārṣada as my dīkṣā-guru? Yet I remain such an unworthy daughter. Please forgive me, Śrīla Gurumahārāja.
Happy 76th auspicious Appearance Day, Śrīla Gurudeva. Please bless us that we may celebrate this joyful occasion year after year, for hundreds of years to come. May I one day become a worthy child of yours—recognized by devotees and common people alike, so that when they see my behavior and service, they will say,
“She must be the daughter of HH Jayapatākā Swami Gurumahārāja!”
Oh Victory Flag of Kṛṣṇa, please bless me that this desire may be fulfilled.
Your insignificant servant,
Anantalīlā Harikāntā Devī Dāsī (Kolkata)
Initiated in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, 2024