Hare Kṛṣṇa Dearest Gurumahārāja,
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate jayapatākā svāmin iti nāmine
nama ācārya-pādāya 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
Please accept my respectful obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
All glories to your glorious service unto him!
Happy Vyāsa-pūjā, Gurumahārāja!
On this most auspicious day, I pray deeply for your blessings.
Dear Gurudeva, as I reflect on all the events of the past year concerning your health and your unrelenting travels, I am both concerned and greatly inspired. Nothing ever stands between you and your service to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Recently, I had a very bad flu and missed chanting my rounds one day. I thought I would make up for it later. But the next day, I watched your class during Śravaṇa Utsava and was amazed to see you speaking with such energy despite your own health challenges. It immediately inspired me to get back to chanting. That class came just days after the news of your blood pressure and infections. You teach us to never give up—and I’m trying to follow that instruction.
I am so grateful, dear Gurudeva, for all the experiences and services in which you allow me to be your instrument. Sometimes it becomes difficult, but when I remember you, everything becomes easier. With your blessings, our Bhakti-vṛkṣa has expanded to several new locations near my home, and we’ve started a new group as well. Our kids’ classes now run in five batches, and the mātạjīs from Bhakti-vṛkṣa are helping me. We’ve also begun prasādam distribution once a month to homeless shelters with the Bhakti-vṛkṣa and local community. Ladies’ classes are going strong and helping to expand our preaching. It is all your causeless mercy, dear Gurudeva.
Yet as I meditate on the real spirit of Vyāsa-pūjā, I feel humbled. Instead of offering something to you, I find myself again begging—for your blessings, your guidance, and your mercy.
Dear Gurudeva, I pray that you will continue to shower your love, care, and protection upon me. Please guide me on my spiritual path, help me to overcome my shortcomings, and mold me into a worthy instrument of your service.
Looking back over the past year, I am filled with gratitude for the countless ways you've helped me grow in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. From the expansion of Bhakti-vṛkṣa programs to the growth of community outreach, it has been an incredible journey, and I feel honored to be a part of your mission.
My husband Ritesh is the reason I am even breathing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—please bestow your blessings upon him. My elder daughter Gehhna continues to chant and is preparing for college next year. My younger daughter, Garimā, attends classes by Aruddhā Mātạjī and also assists me in service. My father, HG Caitanya Candramohana Dāsa, is engaging my brother and sister-in-law in devotional service too. I feel so blessed, Gurudeva—it can’t get better than this.
Guru is truly a divine gift—an arrangement for our highest welfare in this material world. I only pray that one day I may truly honor you in a manner befitting your unmatched service, your teachings, your love, and your unflinching dedication to Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Kṛṣṇa, your disciples, and the whole world.
Please accept my repeated, humble obeisances, dear Gurudeva. I vow to continue striving to serve you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and our beloved Kṛṣṇa with every fiber of my being.
Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Gurudeva!
Your eternally grateful spiritual daughter,
Mitravindā Mamatāmayī Devī Dāsī