Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances.
All glories to You, dear Gurudeva, who every minute excels in fulfilling Śrīla Prabhupāda’s divine instructions in every possible way.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, who will be the glorious spiritual master that this universe has ever witnessed.
I am writing this offering on this auspicious 76th Vyāsa-pūjā as a note of gratitude.
One more year of amazing achievements in the history of ISKCON, thanks to your untiring contributions.
Many times I have wondered how you just keep going, nothing could ever stop you at any time. I heard that astrologers predicted that Your Divine Grace would showcase such a determination that nothing could stop Your service to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
The ācāryas in their lives have envisioned glorious activities to please Guru and Gaurāṅga.
In recent times, the activities that have amazed me are many, but there are a few I would like to meditate upon:
Completing the Caitanya book — This book is going to be a historic one for mankind, which will easily deliver them from the cycle of birth and death.
Lord Caitanya’s Lotus Feet Installation –
kathañcana smṛte yasmin
duṣkaraṁ sukaraṁ bhavet
vismṛte viparītaṁ syāt
śrī-caitanyaṁ namāmi tam
Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 14.1
Just by remembering Lord Caitanya, difficult things become easy.
This activity of Lord Caitanya's lotus feet installation is helping people understand who Lord Caitanya is, and then they talk about Lord Caitanya, meditate on Lord Caitanya, and thus this universe is on the verge of being delivered.
Your Divine Grace always mentions one particular instruction of Śrīla Prabhupāda that “Preach unlimitedly.” This statement seems very generalized, but You make it happen. We can hear and see that, just by Your desire to fulfill this instruction, You have created a major impact on this world, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is being preached in varied ways.
yeṣāṁ saṁsmaraṇāt puṁsāṁ
sadyaḥ śuddhyanti vai gṛhāḥ
kiṁ punar darśana-sparśa-
pāda-śaucāsanādibhiḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.19.33
Simply by remembering You, our houses become instantly sanctified. And what to speak of seeing You, touching You, washing Your holy feet, and offering You a seat in our home?
The holy dhāma is glorified by the presence of great devotees like You. You act as a disinfectant for the holy dhāma. If someone can understand a bit of the glories of Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, it is simply because of Your presence here.
kali-kālera dharma — kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana
Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 7.11
The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.
Simply by hearing, people are attracted to the holy name. Wherever You go, the holy name is vibrated all around.
I heard from some senior disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda how Kali is trying to stop You in many ways by giving different physical difficulties. People in Kali-yuga are not naturally attracted to spirituality, but through Your varied methods, You are defeating the principles of Kali despite all odds.
ei kali-kāle āra nāhi kona dharma
vaiṣṇava, vaiṣṇava-śāstra, ei kahe marma
Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 9.362
In this Age of Kali, there are no genuine religious principles other than those established by Vaiṣṇava devotees and the Vaiṣṇava scriptures. This is the sum and substance of everything.
Your Divine Grace is the pillar of these religious principles, and You are inspiring hundreds of thousands of devotees to do the same.
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 7.128
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way, become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”
This instruction of Lord Caitanya has been one of the core principles You have been inspiring everyone to follow. You have also taken a step further to make devotees into gurus, making them responsible for this mission.
I am so insignificant and helpless to glorify Your unlimited glories, but by Your Divine Grace, mercy is upon me, which keeps me going. Personally, I have been nurtured and cared for by Your presence in many ways, which has kept me in Kṛṣṇa consciousness until now. I am very, very grateful if You could provide me the opportunity to serve in some insignificant way. Please bless me.
Recently, I have been doing some service to teach young children (from the age group of 4 to 12) Slokas from Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Viṣṇu-sahasranāma. I have completed one batch of Nāma Rāmāyaṇa and am planning to start some sessions on Sankṣipta Rāmāyaṇa and Brahmā Saṁhitā. Whenever I feel broken, You have been uplifting me in many different ways and helping me keep going. The above service was started by Your inspiration when I was completely hopeless, and it helped me come out of my slumber.
Myself and my husband are planning to homeschool our daughter Madhuśrī. The task seems very huge, so I would like to seek Your blessings for her, that she may somehow contribute to this great mission of Lord Caitanya.
Thank you once again, Guru Mahārāja, for being with us and for us. You have always been encouraging and caring for me in many different ways.
Yours,
Insignificant spiritual daughter,
Raspriya Gopikā Devī Dāsī (Dīkṣā, Śrīdhāma Māyāpur)