My Dear Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my humble obeisances unto your divine lotus feet.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
All glories to Your Holiness.
Today is the very auspicious day of your divine appearance. In the life of a disciple, what can be a sweeter day than the appearance day of his beloved spiritual master, who is the life and soul of the disciple? For singing the glories of the spiritual master, what can be a better day?
Today is the day when a disciple opens his heart and, with great feeling, sings the glory of the spiritual master in a loud voice. So how can I glorify Your Holiness? I am just like the small child who is always busy with his own self and doesn't even try to realize what kind of troubles his father is going through to maintain and protect him.
I am always absorbed in the struggle of sustaining my own spiritual life. Although I know clearly that whatever spiritual life I am talking about has no existence without you, still I don’t have any such emotions. Then what is my hope? Just like the father never rejects the son—rather, whatever demand the son makes, he happily grants it—similarly, today on this very auspicious day, I have come to you with some humble, selfish demands.
The Bhāgavatam says that although it is condemned, still such material desires can also be fulfilled by the mercy of the Lord. And here is my fear: please never let them be fulfilled. I honestly confess today—I am unable to deal with these desires driven by the anarthas. Therefore, I request you: please take charge of my mind and never allow these desires to be fructified. Rather, please destroy them and replace them with spiritual desires.
Similarly, O dear Gurudeva, I don’t have anything to show my gratitude to you. You please be satisfied by your own mercy. My only aspiration and inspiration is just to serve your instructions. Please bless me with success in this mission.
Your insignificant humble servant,
Rāja Rāo Koganti
Kṛṣṇa-kathā-deśa