Sri Vyasa-puja
23rd August, 2003
Publishing and Distributing Coordinator: Suradas
Copy Editors: Amrta devi dasi, Tulasi priya devi dasi
Kantapriya dasa (Hindi)
Typesetting and Layout: Tulasi Priya devi dasi and Kantapriya dasa
Cover Design and Printing: Kantapriya dasa
Photography:
Balarama dasa
Correspondence and Accounts: Varaha Rupa devi dasi
Assistance: Ananda Bhakti devi dasi, Madhava Mangala devi dasi and bhakta - Keyur and Amit.
For further details contact: Srila Bhagavatpada Sisya Samuhah,
C/o Suradas Bhakti Kala Kshetra, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049
Sri Vyasa-puja
The Appearance
Day Of Our Beloved Spiritual Master,
His Divine
Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-Sata Sri Srimad
Table of Contents
Sri Guru Pranama
Srila Bhagavatpada Pranama
Srila Prabhupada Pranama
Meaning Of Vyasa Puja
- Varaha
Rupa dasi
Profile Of His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami Srila Bhagavatpada
- Amrta
devi dasi and Yasomatinandan dasa
Nectarine Extracts
-
Compiled by Amrta devi dasi
Appreciations From Vaishnavas
-
Compiled by Gita devi dasi
Beyond Time And Space
-
Yashomati Nandan dasa
Guru Maharaja - Little Drops Of Nectar
- Nrsimhananda dasa
Srila Bhagavatpada’s Vani
- Vanamli Krishna dasa and
Kadambini Radha devi dasi
Sri
Guru Maharaja Uvacha
- Vidura
priya dasa
Fountainhead
Of Wisdom
- Time
of India News Network
The Perfect Condolence Message
- Amrta
devi dasi
Pleasing The Spiritual Master
-
Krishna mayi devi dasi
Vaisnave Vijnapti - Prayer to the Vaisnava
-(from
Prarthana)
Vyasa-puja Offerings
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.
namah om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate gopala krsna goswamin iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Srila Gopala Krishna Goswami Bhagavatpada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter of His lotus feet.
prabhupadasya sahityam yah prakasya vitirya ca
pracaram krtavana sadhu bhagavatpadaya te namah
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, you are publishing and constantly distributing the transcendental literature of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and preaching his message.
namah om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-swamin iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter of His lotus feet.
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya desa-tarine
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master,
servant of Sarasvati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord
Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western World.
MEANING
OF VYASA PUJA
There is no principle more essential and sacred to Vaishnava life than that of the relationship between the guru and disciple. It is the perfection of the relationship between a teacher and a student. Vyasa-puja is that day on which the Vaishnava student celebrates this most sacred of all relationships by specially honoring the guru on the day of his appearance. In every culture of human civilization the relationship between the ‘teacher’ and the ‘student’ is found. The function of any teacher is to transmit the knowledge of a particular culture to the student for the purpose of establishing a connection between the student and that culture. It is through this teacher - student relationship that every culture, material or spiritual passes down its knowledge and tradition. Since the educational aims and ultimate goals of cultures vary, the nature and quality of this teacher student relationship varies greatly from one society to another. In Vaishnava culture we find the ultimate teacher - student relationship, which is uniquely that of guru and disciple.
The literal meaning of guru-tattva is the ‘truth or reality of the teacher’. Because the connective power of guru-tattva originates in the Supreme, it is seen active in some basic form in all cultures. God Himself is the original Supreme teacher of everyone, and therefore this teacher - student relationship originating in guru tattva is universal. Indeed guru-tattva is one of the divine potencies of the Lord as represented by Nityananda Rama (bhakta svarupa) the ultimate source of all teaching potencies. However, guru-tattva is manifested incompletely within most cultures, because they lack the knowledge of the original supreme teacher. There are teachers in these cultures, but their knowledge is incomplete and distorted, replete with half-truths. The Vaishnava guru however, is the perfect teacher, because he comes in a line of spiritual teachers who have been recognized and authorized by their teachers and by Sri Krishna Himself, the source of all true disciplic successions. The following verse reveals this mystery of disciplic succession.
vyasa-prasadac
chrutavan
etad guhyam
aham param
yogam
yogesvarat krsnat
saksat
kathayatah svayam
Herein, Sanjaya, the narrator of the Bhagavad-gita, states that it is by the grace of Vyasadeva (Vyasa prasadat) that he has heard (srutavan) directly the divine conversation (sakshat kathayatah) and received the confidential and transcendental connection (guhyam param yogam) that is established by Krishna Himself. Although Sanjay was not present at Kurukshetra, he nevertheless heard directly by the grace of Vyasadeva. The mystery of the disciplic succession is that the guru is able to directly transmit to the disciple the teachings of Sri Krishna transcending time and space, exactly as Vyasadeva was able to transmit the divine conversation between Arjuna and Krishna to Sanjaya. (That is why the day on which we honor the appearance of our guru is called Vyasa-puja) The connection between the Lord and His devotee, and the continuity of teachings, which the guru reveals through the power of the disciplic succession demonstrates the oneness in guru tattva. It is in this sense that we can say guru is one.
On Vyasa-puja, we celebrate and glorify both the powerful connection that guru has with the guru-parampara and the guru’s transcendentally unique mission and super-excellent personal qualities. And now we may ask what stands out about the ‘meaning of Vyasa-puja’ on the appearance day of His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami - Srila Bhagavatpada, to whom this book of offerings is dedicated. It is this Srila Bhagavatpada’s unique mission in presenting the Vaishnava teachings, and his personal example of Krishna conscious realization, that has caused the celebration of Vyasa-puja to arise like a cooling spring, flooding the hot, dry desert-sands of Kali-yuga. Now, from this spring the rivers of pure devotion to Sri Krishna, and the sacred waters will flow down throughout this age. For time immemorial in history, “Vyasa-puja” is being celebrated around the world, introducing the transcendental relationship between the guru and the disciple to all cultures.
PROFILE
OF HIS HOLINESS GOPALA KRISHNA GOSWAMI
SRILA
BHAGAVATPADA
His Holiness Gopala Krishna maharaja appeared on the auspicious day of Annada Ekadasi, on August 14, 1944 in New Delhi, India.
After graduating from the Delhi University, His Holiness studied Business Management at the University of Paris in Sorbonne, and later studied Business Administration at the McGill University of Montreal.
His Holiness Gopala Krishna maharaja's life changed dramatically after he met His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada thirty-five years ago on June 1, 1968. In two weeks he knew that he would accept Srila Prabhupada as his spiritual master.
After taking a formal initiation from Srila Prabhupada on May 22, 1969, he was fully involved in serving him. Srila Prabhupada sent him to India after he had served him as his personal secretary in 1975.
In 1975 Srila Prabhupada also appointed His Holiness as the Governing Body Commissioner (GBC) of ISKCON, India, where he utilized his talents for promoting Srila Prabhupada's books all over the world.
In 1976 May Srila Prabhupada assigned His Holiness to go to Russia and concentrate on congregational preaching.
In 1982, His Holiness took sannyasa, the Vedic order of renunciation.
His Holiness is now GBC of over 30 temples around the world with disciples in Russia, America, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. He is actively involved in many of ISKCON's current projects.
On the auspicious day of Ram Navami in 1998, His Holiness successfully opened the multi-crore temple in New Delhi, India, known as the GLORY OF INDIA which includes a multi-media visual display, a Vedic cultural museum and an open air theatre. This was inaugurated by the erstwhile Prime Minister of India, Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
A very beautiful small temple was inaugurated last October, 2002 in guru maharaja's Southern Russian zone, in the city of Novorossiysk. In summer this year two Ratha Yatras had been held in his Golden Ring area. One - in Vladimir, another in Nizhni Novgorod. In Vladimir it was the 8th regular Ratha-yatra. Also under his inspiration there were two sankirtana festivals held all over the CIS during the month of January and July 2003 in Moscow.
A large centre was opened in Kisimu, Kenya in 2002. In Ludhiana a new centre has been opened, wherein approximately 200 people attend mangala-arati every day. At Panchsheel Marg, New Delhi, another centre has begun.
Srila Prabhupada also desired to have a temple at Kurukshetra where the holy Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Krishna. Presently His Holiness is concentrating on helping to open temples at Kurukshetra, Chandigarh, Mira Road-Thane, and in Juhu Mumbai the “HEAVEN ON EARTH’ temple project.
Besides all this His Holiness has been appearing regularly on television, giving interviews in newspapers and meeting with prominent leaders all over the world.
Thus His Holiness is trying to help Srila Prabhupada to fulfill Lord Gauranga’s prediction that the holy names of the Lord will be sung in every town and village of the world.
prthivi
te ache yatha nagar adi gram
sarvatra
prachar hoibe mor naam
Srila Bhagavatpada ki jaya!
- Amrta devi dasi and
Yasomatinandan dasa
NECTARINE
EXTRACTS
tad
viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena
sevaya
upadeksyanti
te jnanam
jnaninas
tattva darsinah
(B.g.
4.34)
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.”
Srila Bhagavatpada is a personification of this verse. Hence Srila Prabhupada was extremely appreciative of guru maharaja’s qualities of head and heart. A glimpse into the excerpts from Srila Prabhupada’s letters to gurudeva, shows us how glad he was with gurudeva’s mood of surrender and submissive attitude. Thus further submerging gurudeva with transcendental responsibilities.
v I am so glad that you want to chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna mantra every day. And you can chant immediately.
v You are so sincerely trying to push yourself in the matter of Krishna consciousness. Krishna is giving you some intelligence also and you are thinking in so many nice ways in the matter of serving the Lord. I am so glad to learn of it.
v Your desire for opening many temples is very laudable.
v May Krishna bless you with more Krishna consciousness activities, and you will feel a glorious life by Krishna's grace. I wish that all your good desires may be fulfilled without delay.
- Hawaii, 16 March, 1969
v Wherever you remain you chant Hare Krishna regularly, and your example may be followed by others. The world needs this benefit,
v So long I shall live I shall give you all assistance.
v I have already asked you to think on the project how you can push on our books and literature. I cannot suggest any other alternatives, but if you can execute this will of mine, I shall remain ever-obliged to you.
- New Vrindaban, 5 June, 1969
v You may take a little responsibility for organizing the sales, and wherever you will direct, they will dispatch the sample copies if so required. Or else we can send the copies to you in Montreal for you to do such propaganda. Work as you like.
- New Vrindavana, 21 June, 1969
v I am very pleased to note that in such things you consult me. This is a very nice habit. I shall try to guide you to my best abilities.
- Los Angeles, 31 July, 1969
v I thank you very much for your solemn assurance that you shall try to follow my teachings throughout your life. It is very encouraging.
v I thank you very much for your submissive mentality, and as it is stated in the Bible that God is for the humble and meek, similarly, Vaishnavas are taught by Lord Caitanya to become humbler than the grass and more tolerant than the tree. Thus one can seriously execute progress in Krishna consciousness.
- Hamburg, 3 September, 1969
v Krishna is giving you gradually more and more strength to serve Him. Just like a wrestler, simply by practicing wrestling amongst friends, gradually becomes stronger and the body is built up very nicely, Krishna consciousness is exactly like that: The more you serve Krishna, the more you get better strength to serve Him. Please remember this valuable advice and you will find it very convenient for your progressive march.
v The BTG French edition is very nicely done. Even if our endeavor is not always successful, because it is done for Krishna, by nature it becomes nice. We have nothing to do with material considerations.
- London, 16 November, 1969
v Regarding publication of French ‘Back to Godhead,’ for the present you are doing very excellently. My point is that BTG in French language must come out even irregularly. So you are fulfilling my desire in that way.
v There are many big schemes about our European preaching work, specifically advancing the sankirtana movement and publishing our literatures, but nothing has yet taken a practical shape. Under the circumstances, whatever you are doing is for the good. So until something practical is taking place in Paris, you continue to do this work--that is a great service to the Lord. I am very much pleased with your endeavor.
v Regarding sending me money, I thank you very much that you are always eager to spend for Krishna, and Krishna will give you more and more opportunities to utilize your hard earned money for Krishna's service.
v You can save money as much as possible for constructing buildings or Temples in India. The money saved in this connection either may be kept by you under separate fixed deposit in the bank, or may be sent to me for future utilization
v I am very glad to learn that you have prepared one long article for sending to the ‘Illustrated Weekly of India.’ That is very nice, and if possible write some further articles, either in Hindi or English, for being published in India.
v I have just heard from Gargamuni that you would like to print future issues of French language BTG in a small size about the size of our ‘Two Essays.’ So if you think that this will help increase the sales, then do it with my approval.
v Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter dated 5th July, 1970, along with the new blueprint of French BTG. It is very, very nicely done.
v Your practical service to Krishna consciousness movement is very much appreciated by me.
- Los Angeles, 15 July, 1970
v I very much appreciate the new edition of French ‘Back to Godhead’ enclosed, printed by our ISKCON Press. Overall the magazine was very nicely produced and I am pleased.
v I am very glad to learn that you are trying to distribute our books. Please continue with this program as it is so very important.
- Allahabad , 21 January,
1971
v I am very happy to hear of your new plan for forming the travelling Hindu sankirtana party. That is a very nice idea. So you may organize the party as you see fit, and if you yourself are able sometimes to go with them, you will be able to instruct them how to do it in the best way possible. You have got good experience for managing in business world, so why not you become also expert organizer for Krishna? That plan is very much liked by me, now do it nicely, and may Lord Krishna give you His all blessings more and more. Thank you very much for assisting me in this way.
- Compiled by Amrta devi dasi
APPRECIATIONS
FROM VAISHNAVAS
"Srila Prabhupada had displayed tremendous affection for
Gopala Krishna maharaja. Whenever Srila Prabhupada would see Gopala Krishna
maharaja, he would ask, "Where is book? Where is book?" and Gopala
Krishna maharaja would always meditate on Srila Prabhupada's instructions by
printing and distributing more and more of this literature all over India in
many languages."
- H.H. Giriraj maharaja
"I am amazed that among all the GBC’s, Gopala Krishna maharaja held the most compassionate position, cooling down the others who were just flaming. He was looking for every opportunity to save their spiritual lives - those people who did so much evil to him personally - more than anybody else...."
- Vaidyanath Prabhu
- Compiled by Gita devi dasi
BEYOND
TIME AND SPACE
In the First Canto, while describing his previous incarnation, Narada Muni mentions that at some point of his practice of devotional service he casually developed all eight mystic perfections. Srila Prabhupada confirms in his purport, that a devotee naturally acquires all mystic siddhis, but he is not in any way attracted by them. There are eight mystic perfections including becoming lighter than the lightest, smaller than the smallest, being able to acquire anything from anywhere, being able to do anything within the framework of universal laws and even beyond it. Somebody may be wondering or even doubting whether these statements by Narada Muni and Srila Prabhupada are really applicable to our day-to-day life. But the acharyas make no mistakes. We just have to keep our eyes open and try to see through these statements - sastra-caksus.
I am sure that everybody who ever came in contact with our guru maharaja felt something very unusual about him - something very light, brilliant and supremely independent. This is in great contrast to the inert, morbid and stringent laws of this material world. It is just like Krishna's smile. Here people can experience the turbulent waves of this horrible ocean of material existence with all it's whirlpools, sharks, timingilas and timi-timingilas but Krishna is always smiling, playing His flute. Those who are envious of Him feel offended by this smile but for the pious ones this smile is a saving light awakening them up from this nightmare to reality.
Guru maharaja is always with Krishna who is known as Yogesvara, the master of all mystic powers and supremely independent. Therefore he partakes in these qualities. Generally as one grows older his life airs tend to move slower and one tends to lack energy. With our guru maharaja it is all the year around. Every time I get a chance to travel with him I find that his schedule becomes more and more tight. Time is the supreme controller in this world, but it serves Krishna's dear devotee as a menial servant. The same with space. Space divided by time results in guru maharaja's travels all over the world. Just like in the months of June - July of this year guru maharaja travelled to over thirty cities in Europe, Asia, Africa and America – an average of two days per city.
It is his usual way of life and it is makes a laughing stock out of the laws of nature. The average breakdown of his 24 hours is something like this:
5.0 hours - taking rest out of which he sleeps for maybe 3-3.5 hours and the rest just lies down
1.5 hours - bathing, prasadam and catering to other bodily needs
0.5 hours - E-mail
1.0 hour - japa walk
3.0 hours - rest of japa, puja, aratis, gayatris, reading
4.0 hours - travel during which he chants, talks to devotees, works on E-mail, takes a little prasadam or rest
9.0 hours - preaching including lectures, kirtanas, darshanas, managing different projects and other functions.
With this schedule he increases his preaching year by year. Thus in the past one year he managed to visit America twice and maybe eight times he came to Russia. He completed the Bhagavad-gita section of the Delhi Museum which has now become the most high-tech religious museum in the world. With guru maharaja's tireless efforts many legal problems of ISKCON in India have been successfully solved. In Russia he held three Ratha-yatras in his Golden Ring area and two all-Russian sankirtana festivals.
An ordinary person would become extremely tired even after one week of this schedule, but guru maharaja is not bound by the laws of nature. He often says that most of our problems are simply mental. We think that it is tiring or that it is painful and our thoughts transfer themselves into the physical plane. So guru maharaja's spiritualized body does get tired but he himself is not affected by it. He never loses control over his mind and senses. This is what lets him go beyond the standard laws of material nature, beyond space and time.
If you observe guru maharaja carefully, you will see all asta-siddhis present in him. Look!
v He is so subtle (anima-siddhi) that he can find small holes in our stone-like hearts and enter into them. He can also find the most subtle ways to pass through the obstacles on the path of our spiritual advancement or ISKCON preaching all over the world.
v He is so great (mahima-siddhi) that he successfully manages the huge zones in India, Russia, America, Canada and Africa at the same time. His disciples and assistants act as his bodily parts but his consciousness spreads through all these areas. And actually even more. As a preacher he is concerned about the spiritual well-being of all living entities in the entire universe.
v He is so light (laghima-siddhi) that his chastisement is like a pleasant breeze. And also he physically spends more time in the airplanes than one can imagine. So to fly in the air is simply natural for him, and it takes him no extra efforts.
v He does possess prapti-siddhi. By this siddhi one can acquire anything from anywhere. So guru maharaja can very easily acquire everything he needs for his preaching activities. Somehow or the other Krishna always arranges everything for him - yoga-ksema vahamy aham.
v Through prakamya-siddhi he can experience any enjoyable object, either in this world or the next, but he immediately surrenders everything at the lotus feet of the Lord. Just look at the opulences of the Deities in Vrindavan, Bombay or Delhi temples!
v Through isita-siddhi one can manipulate sub-potencies of maya. Our guru maharaja is a great high-tech-swami, who uses the latest technology in his preaching activities - from computers and cellular phones to animatronics shows!
v Through vasita-siddhi one can bring others under one's dominion and guru maharaja brings everybody he meets under the dominion of his love and affection. One simply cannot resist his affection. Also through this siddhi one can keep oneself beyond the control of the three modes of nature. His travel schedule is a good example of this.
v Finally, through kamavasaita one acquires the maximum powers of control, acquisition and enjoyment. Yes, through his devotion and dedication to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna he keeps the Lord under his control, Krishna Himself becomes his only possession and he enjoys the unlimited bliss of pure love of Godhead. What can be greater than that!
This
is just a glimpse of the transcendental qualities of our gurudeva, and so, by
following his instructions, namely by attentive chanting, keeping good sadhana
and preaching, we can acquire all these qualities and without enjoying them, use
them in the service of the Lord. This is a challenge ahead of us. Hare Krishna!
- Yashomati Nandan dasa
GURU
MAHARAJA - LITTLE DROPS OF NECTAR
v
Guru
maharaja and his first Srila Prabhupada murti
We know that guru maharaja now has a large family of Deities. He began his Deity family in 1996 with the Srila Prabhupada murti that he still has today. We were in Vrindavan at that time, ready to leave for Delhi to catch a plane for Bombay right after Mangala-arati. As usual, time was tight and I was in anxiety that we may miss the flight. When we started driving out of the temple compound, guru maharaja said something to the driver in Hindi. I asked him what he said, and he replied that we need to go somewhere for a few minutes, to which I immediately replied, how can we, we will be late. But as I will never say it enough, guru maharaja is master of time.
Finally we arrived at Bhumipati Prabhu’s house, his godbrother. As we stepped inside the house Bhumipati Prabhu came to guru maharaja with a very beautiful murti of Srila Prabhupada. Guru maharaja offered obeisances and then sat down on the floor and started marvelling at the Deity. At that moment guru maharaja became like a child again. He was so excited, saying, “look Nrsimhananda, Prabhupada has come to me.” And as a child shares his joy he asked me “you are going to help me take care of him, right?” to which, I nodded. Then he asked me to go get some money so he may give a donation for the Deity. Guru maharaja is always so proper. We finally left, and as the story repeats itself, we rushed to Delhi, but just made it to the plane.
When
we arrived in his room in Bombay, guru maharaja with great enthusiasm started
calling all his godbrothers to show them his Srila Prabhupada Deity, saying that
Prabhupada had come to him. When Giriraja maharaja heard this statement, he
began to smile with great affection for his godbrother, our guru maharaja, and
said: “Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada is always in your heart”.
v
Guru
maharaja and no sleep
Many
times people wonder how guru maharaja sleeps only 3 to 4 hours a night.
Obviously since his heart problem, doctors have prescribed more sleep. I
remember when his heart condition was fully uncovered in Washington in 1995, the
doctors specifically asked him to sleep 7 hours. You can imagine what guru
maharaja replied to that when he first heard the doctors demand! So the next
morning after his angioplasty, we were both sleeping in the same room at the
temple, I was on the floor and guru maharaja was on the bed. At 4 a.m. he called
out to me saying, Nrsimhananda it is time to wake up. Then he continued to say,
I do not feel sleepy, but I will lie down for some more time as the doctors have
prescribed. Since then guru maharaja as most of us know, tries to take little
more rest but definitely not 7 hours! He is just a little more careful to make
sure his body will hold on.
Quite
some time ago, mid 80’s, I asked him how he was going on with so little sleep.
Guru maharaja told me that he was thinking the same question about Srila
Prabhupada. How is Srila Prabhupada going on with so little sleep? Then he
thought, I also want to be like that, sleep less and serve more. In this way due
to his great determination, Krishna fulfilled his desire, and he was able to
only sleep 3 to 4 hours a day.
v
Guru
maharaja preaches by example
Guru
maharaja has always and is always an example to follow. He makes sure he does
things properly for us to follow. Although beyond many small rules and
regulations, he always follows the proper etiquette. This pastime took place in
Mayapur in 1994. Guru maharaja took a bunch of us (disciples) on parikrama.
One of our stops during the parikrama was the hut of one of Srila
Prabhupada’s godbrothers, Puri maharaja.
It
was very small, so most of the disciples were out trying to see and hear what
was happening from outside of the hut. So here you have guru maharaja with about
70 of his disciples cramped in this small hut, while others cramped around the
door, teaching us how to approach a sadhu. He sat on the floor in front
of Puri maharaja’s bed, asked philosophical questions about the goal of life,
offered some daksina (laxmi), asked for blessings and offered obeisances
to Puri maharaja. As usual guru maharaja showed us the proper etiquette.
v
Guru
maharaja and his sense of humour
Guru
maharaja has a very profound and acute sense of humour. He is not a joker but he
presents things in a very humorous manner. Sometimes I think we should compile a
book of all his humorous presentations. The following displays a pastime of his
sense of humour when he answered a question my father asked him in 1984 in
Ottawa. Sorry for the following introduction, but it is needed for you to
understand the final point
The
context is that I had just joined Iskcon, serving guru maharaja in Canada. After
Montreal we drove to Ottawa. During our stay in Ottawa he asked me if I wanted
to go on sankirtana or stay with him. As I had never gone on sankirtana
in my life, I very confidently said I wanted to stay with him. Very sternly he
looked at me. So I understood the message and said, yes I will go on sankirtana.
It was in Canada during the period of the Pope marathon. The Pope was visiting
Canada, so the devotees followed him around selling Pope buttons using Christian
cards and wearing wigs. It happened that the Pope was in Ottawa at the same time
guru maharaja was there. So I put my karmi clothes on, and guru maharaja
got a devotee to drive us to my first sankirtana spot. Guru maharaja like
a general, accompanied with his danda took me across the field (I should
say battlefield) where people gathered to see the Pope, and began preaching to
me about sankirtana. After 10 minutes he left me there alone with my
first sankirtana assignment. No need to say that I was quite unsure of
what I really had to do. In any case the whole thing did not last very long. The
RCMP (Canadian Mounted Police) spotted me and brought me into a mobile home they
were using as a central, and started asking me questions. They even pointed out
that they saw me with a man in an orange robe and a stick (danda). To
come out of this situation I told them my father taught at the university and he
would answer for me. They called him and by Krishna’s grace he told them that
Iskcon was bona fide (I don’t think he knew about the Hare Krishna’s at that
time since I had not seen him since I had joined, as he had just come back from
Europe).
The
next day my father came to meet guru maharaja. They had a nice conversation, and
as usual guru maharaja was very friendly. At that point my father asked him a
sanguine question. He said: “what you do to collect money selling Pope buttons
with Christian cards and wearing wigs does not seem very legal and righteous”.
Guru maharaja looked at him smiling, as I was thinking…oh…oh…how would he get out of this one. Guru maharaja did not try to get out…he simply leaned towards my father as if to tell him a secret and said: “This is the most that we do”. And my father busted out in laughter. It was so funny, guru maharaja turned around saying, this activity may not seem very honest, but that is all we do, we do not do more seemingly dishonest activity.
-
Nrsimhananda dasa
SRILA
BHAGAVATPADA’S VANI
This
is a report from Sydney Australia of the influence guru maharaja has in Sydney
although he has not yet travelled here, since the last four years.
The following are some instructions guru maharaja has given us:
v When we asked guru maharaja how can we serve you? He replied, “preach in your area until all people become Krishna conscious. Practice humility. Put 12 Vaishnava tilaks on your body. Read Srila Prabhupada’s books. Read Bhagavad-gita As It Is. And read Srimad-Bhagavatam.”
v When I asked guru maharaja whether Kadambini Radha devi dasi could give lectures during preaching. He enthusiastically wrote back to us. “Yes, you both should give lectures.”
v Once after reading our preaching report in Sydney, guru maharaja wrote to us, “I am very pleased with your preaching program. I am sure Srila Prabhupada is very pleased with your preaching program.”
v At other times guru maharaja has exhorted us through email. “Go out and preach in houses of people. Give lectures in homes of people.”
v In email guru maharaja once wrote to us. “Support your Sydney temple President Atmarama dasa prabhu and support the temple. Attend the temple programs regularly.”
v Once guru maharaja after reading our Sydney preaching report wrote, “I am very pleased with your preaching program. PREACH LIKE A LION, THE MESSAGE OF LORD CAITANYA.”
This
was very invigorating for our preaching enthusiasm. Guru maharaja’s divine
power extends to this far off country called Australia without his being here
physically. To guru maharaja’s credit we have one new initiated disciple,
Satyasena prabhu, sent by guru maharaja to us, whose preaching is equal to an
army of preachers. We also have 4 new aspiring disciples and there are many more
who are joining guru maharaja’s group in Sydney. There are altogether 5
initiated disciples in Sydney, one in Adelaide, and one in Brisbane. We are
blessed in Sydney to feel guru maharaja’s presence here despite his physical
presence, and are in the process of arranging guru maharaja's visit to
Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
- Vanamli
Krishna dasa and Kadambini Radha devi dasi
SRI
GURU MAHARAJA UVACHA
These are a few anecdotes I would like to relate, in the course of my association with guru maharaja.
v I went to serve guru maharaja in Washington DC in February 2003 when he came there for his green card renewal. Just a week before I had lost my job in Dallas, and two days later found another one in Detroit. I went to message guru maharaja at night and he asked me about the job situation. He was very tired and was half asleep. Then a short time afterwards he opened his eyes and said, “Doesn’t matter if one is a devotee or non-devotee, if one doesn’t donate part of his money to Krishna one has to suffer the results.” And he closed his eyes.
v I had just received initiation and then went for the Vraja Mandala parikrama in 1999. There I met guru maharaja in the parikrama, and while walking with him he asked me why I don't move closer to the temple in USA. I mentioned that there is too much politics there, and hence I'm afraid that my devotional service will suffer. He replied, “Too much politics in the temple means more opportunity for you to do service”, and kept walking. I had to pause for a moment to let it sink in.
v When guru maharaja came to Dallas in July 2002, we drove him to Houston to attend the GBC Executive council meetings there. One evening a couple of ladies came to take guru maharaja's darshan and were talking to him. Guru maharaja asked me to sit in the room as well. During the conversation, one of the ladies, who was sort of aspiring from guru maharaja, but hadn't made up her mind, said that she would like her guru to be easily approachable and available. To that guru maharaja replied, "A guru is not a baby-sitter. He gives his instructions and expects the disciples to follow them", and ended the statement with his usual, "You follow". Then he mentioned that there are so many disciples of Srila Prabhupada who have had a little or none whatsoever association of Srila Prabhupada, but they served Srila Prabhupada by following his instructions.
v On the same trip while driving guru maharaja back to Dallas, he had changed his ticket to fly from Dallas, instead of Houston to Washington DC. When I asked him to not to do that as he had to sit through 5 hours of driving and we were going to reach only at midnight and next morning, as his flight was at 6:00 am, he said, "I do not like to waste Krishna's money, and this way I will save one coupon". (Those in the travel industry would know what it means to save a flight coupon!).
v On the same trip, on the way back to Dallas, guru maharaja asked me if I had helped during Tamal Krishna maharaja's Vyasa-puja celebration in Dallas. Tamal Krishna maharaja had just left his body in March, and his Vyasa-puja was in early July. I said, "yes", and sort of mentioned that somehow every time I met H.H. Tamal Krishna maharaja, I got chastised. Guru maharaja immediately replied, "Chastisement by a sadhu is always good". When I tried to make my point that I couldn't understand the reason behind the chastisement, and didn't follow as to what H.H. Tamal Krishna maharaja was trying to rectify in me. Guru maharaja sternly replied again, "Chastisement from a sadhu is always good", and ended the conversation.
v That night when we reached Dallas, and by the time guru maharaja was going to go to bed, it was 12:30 am. Guru maharaja asked me to keep his alarm clock next to his pillow. I said, "Guru maharaja there is already an alarm clock in your room with big, lighted, and easy-to-read-at-night digits", to which he laughingly said, "My alarm clock is my sleeping partner. I look at it at least ten times at night". I don't know where he was getting his energy from, to joke at that time of the night, after a whole days meeting in Houston, and 4.5 hours of driving back to Dallas, and then meeting two more people in Dallas. That's the specialty of our dear most guru maharaja!
Guru maharaja ki jaya!
- Vidura priya dasa
FOUNTAINHEAD
OF WISDOM
Trained manager and Iskcon guru Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja-ji's message to the corporate world is that philanthropy is essential
What do you do when you are armed with MBAs from two prestigious business schools? You stick to a high-flying corporate career, isn't it? However, His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja-ji, an MBA from Sorbonne, France and then from Mc Gill (Canada) was made for something better. The present Iskcon (International Society for Krishna consciousness) governing body commissioner was a market specialist with Pepsi while he met Acharya Prabhupada-ji, the founder Acharya of Iskcon in 1967. He left a cushy corporate career to join Iskcon to carry forward the message of Lord Krishna to humanity.
His Highness feels all our successes should be to serve the world. As He puts it: "All the resources are created by God, be it oil, water, gas, petrol, and so on. Let all of us realise that agricultural production is the basis of survival for any country's economic survival.
Here he goes on to quote "The Bhagavad-gita"
annad
bhavanti bhutani
parjanyad
anna-sambhavah
yajnad bhavati
parjanyo
yajnah karma-samudbhavah
“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna (sacrifice), and yajna is born of prescribed duties).
He goes back to the Vedic age to illustrate what philanthropy is all about. "In the Vedic age, you come across kings who were benevolent. They were more concerned about the welfare of their people, and not bound by their narrow selfish motives. And the result was abundance. To be precise, the Bhagavad-gita provides the real solution to the economic problem, that is, follow the laws of God."
Who could be better than His Holiness to explain ways to tackle stress in the corporate world-" Stress is the result of heavy pressure, and very high, unrealistic ambitions. On the other hand, if a person is willing to obey the principle of God consciousness with action for the praise of God, he can get relief from the stress automatically. We believe The Bhagavad-gita can offer complete guidance on how we should conduct ourselves in the world."
And he strongly believes resource crunch is at the root of all economic ills. "The problem is the world is running out of natural resources. "A country where millions of tonnes of food grains are rotting in the government godowns shouldn't take time to understand its relevance!
Interestingly, He feels one can't bring technology to the dining table, meaning the technology can't go far unless one has food to eat. He is also forthcoming while explaining some misconceptions about The Bhagavad-gita. For instance, how is The Bhagavad-gita's reason of being detached with the karma consistent with the corporate philosophy of maximising profits and revenue? Where will the incentive to earn profits come from? Explains Maharaja-ji: "A percentage of profit should be dedicated to serve the Lord. One should offer the results of labour, be it in the form of taxation or using a portion of profit for welfare activities and God consciousness." He cites The Bhagavad-gita here:
tasmat
sarvesu kalesu
mam anusmara
yudhya ca
mayy
arpita-mano-buddhir
mam evaisyasy
asamsayah
”Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krishna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.”
He concludes by saying that Krishna Janamashtami is no less than Christmas, and hence should be declared a national holiday.
-
Incorporated from the Times News Network Sunday, August 17, 2003 01:58:03 A.M.
THE
PERFECT CONDOLENCE MESSAGE
dehino smin
yatha dehe
kaumaram
yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara
praptir
dhiras tatra na
muhyati
(B.g. 2.13)
“Just as the embodied soul
continuously passes in this body from boyhood to youth to old age the soul
similarly passes to another body at the time of death. A sober person is not
bewildered by such a change.”
Janma,
mrtyu, jara, vyadhi, are inevitable occurrences for the material body. However,
saintly personalities are able to deliver every situation through the medium of
sastra caksus, or through the eyes of sastra.
This perfect condolence
message sent by guru maharaja on the event of the death of my mother, reiterates
this fact.
Dear Amrta,
Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I heard from Kishori Radha that your mother passed away at the Bhaktivedanta Hospital. No doubt this is painful, but from a spiritual vision this is unavoidable. One who takes birth has to die. The soul, as you know, is eternal. Your mother had the fortune of staying at the Hare Krishna land for years. I am sure that you gave her Krishna prasad and chanted to her also. She had the fortune of having had your association. Devotional service never goes in vain and it stands to one’s eternal credit.
Please convey my message to your father and sisters.
Your well-wisher,
Gopala Krishna Goswami
Being an eternal ‘nitya
siddha’, Srila gurudeva is empowered to spread his soothing rays of compassion
on ‘nitya-baddhas’, who are tightly shackled by attachment and bewilderment.
Thank you guru maharaja for always being with us as our eternal friend and guide.
Srila Bhagavatpada ki jaya!
- Amrta devi dasi
PLEASING
THE SPIRITUAL MASTER
We are so fortunate to have His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami as our spiritual father. There is no greater fortune than this. Every day during mangala-arati we pray 'yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado yasyasprasadan na gatih kuto pi' here Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is instructing us that, by the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted with the mercy of Krishna, without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement. It is by the mercy of the spiritual master one becomes perfect.
As devotees our only business is to please Krishna, because if Krishna is pleased then our lives become perfect, but it is not easy to please Krishna unless we please His representative, the spiritual master. So how can we please the spiritual master? In the Srimad-Bhagvatam (4.13.24) Maitreya Muni instructs Vidura. A disciple always inquires from the spiritual master and the spiritual master answers the questions provided the disciple is very gentle and devoted. The spiritual master is not inclined to disclose all the secrets of transcendental science unless the disciple is very submissive and devoted. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the process of receiving knowledge from the spiritual master entrails submission, inquiry and service. Isvara Puri gave the best service among his disciples. Thus Madhavendra Puri being very pleased with him, blessed him by saying, 'My dear boy I can only pray to Krishna that He will be pleased with you. 'Thus Isvara Puri by the grace of his spiritual master, Sri Madhavendra Puri, became a great devotee in the ocean of love of Godhead. Isvara Puri pleased his spiritual master by devoted service, and by the blessings of his spiritual master he became such a great personality, that Lord Caitantaya Mahaprabhu accepted him as His spiritual master.
When we accept a spiritual master one must be prepared to totally surrender oneself to him. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura further states in his Gurv-astaka, the spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord, because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. One must eternally carry the orders of the spiritual master in one’s heart, just as His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada did. So, by the blessings of his spiritual master and by the mercy of Krishna he was able to spread the holy names in every town and village of the globe. Srila Prabhupada instructs that a disciple is one who has voluntarily agreed to be disciplined in austerity by the spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada said, "you have no mind to follow austerities, but when you accept a spiritual master you have to carry out his orders.” That is austerity. The spiritual master’s order is final. So even if you don’t like it you have to do it. Whatever the disciple has, life, wealth, intelligence, words etc should be offered to the spiritual master as a matter of duty, with heart and soul not just to gain material prestige or adoration.
When Lord Sri Krishna and Balarama were in the ashram of Sandipani Muni, after They returned to Their teacher his son was revived. They asked if Their teacher had any thing more to ask from Them, but he replied "My dear sons, you have done enough for me, I am now completely satisfied. What further want can there be for a man who has disciples like you? My dear boys you can go home now. These glorious acts of Yours will always be renowned all over the world. You are above all blessings, yet it is my duty to bless You, I give You the benediction that whatever You speak will remain as eternally fresh as the instruction of the Vedas. Your teachings will not only be honoured within this universe or in this millennium, but in all places and ages, and will remain increasingly new and important. "Due to this benediction from His teacher, Lord Krishna's Bhagavad-gita is ever -increasingly fresh, and is not only renowned within this universe, but in other planets and in other universes also.
On this most sacred and auspicious appearance day of the appearance of our beloved spiritual master His Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami, let us, his servants, pledge to serve him whole-heartedly and offer ourselves completely to him, in whatever way we can, thus enable ourselves to gain his blessings and the blessings of Lord Sri Krishna.
VAISNAVE
VIJNAPTI
Prayer to the Vaisnava
(from Prarthana)
(1)
ei-baro karuna
koro vaisnava gosai
patita-pavana
toma bine keho nai
Vaisnava Gosvami, please be merciful to me now. There is no one except you who can purify the fallen souls.
(2)
jahara
nikate gele papa dure jay
emona doyala
prabhu keba kotha pay
Where does anyone find such a merciful personality by whose mere audience all sins go far away?
(3)
gangara parasa
hoile pascate pavan
darsane pavitra
koro—ei tomara gun
After bathing in the waters of the sacred Ganges many times, one becomes purified, but just by the sight of you, the fallen souls are purified. This is your great power.
(4)
hari-sthane
aparadhe tare hari-nam
toma sthane
aparadhe nahi paritran
The holy name delivers one who has committed an offense to Lord Hari, but if one commits an offense to you, there is no means of deliverance.
(5)
tomara hrdoye
sada govinda-visram
govinda kohena—mora
vaisnava paran
Your heart is always the resting place of Lord Govinda, and Lord Govinda says, "The Vaisnavas are in My heart."
(6)
prati-janme
kori asa caranera dhuli
narottame koro
doya apanara boli’
I desire the dust of your holy feet in every birth I may take. Please consider Narottama yours, and be kind upon him.
namah om visnu padaya krsna presthaya bhu-tale
srimate gopala krsna goswamin iti namine
prabhupadasya sahityam yah prakasya vitirya ca
pracaram krtavana sadhu bhagavatpadaya te namah
Ambalal K. Raval and Hema A.
Raval
Anantashesha dasa
Atmavan Krishna dasa
Caturatma dasa
Dhairya Desai
Dhananjay dasa
Dharita
Hiren Patel
Jay Prakash
Lilavatara dasa and Sradha Shakti devi dasi
Mahasringa dasa and Madhava Priya devi dasi
Mukunda Mala devi dasi
Paramjyoti dasa and Indulekha
devi dasi
Raivat dasa and
Kalandi devi dasi
Rukminipriya dasi
Shastra dasa
Vishnubhakta dasa
Visnunama dasa
Visvarupa dasa
Aditi Priya devi dasi
Balabhadra dasa
Bhaktivinode dasa
Bhawa dasa adhikari
Jyoti Krishna dasa
Kashyapi dasa
Keshava Hari dasa
Krishna Anuja devi dasi
Mahahari dasa
Mahajana dasa
Mahalakshmi devi dasi
Nanda Maharaja dasa
Pavitra Purush dasa and Kashyapa devi dasi and family
Praghosh dasa adhikari
Prataprudra dasa adhikari
Raksha Krishna dasa adhikari
Rasik Hari dasa and Karuna Murti devi dasi
Revati Raman dasa and Kaivalya Sunderi devi dasi
Rishabh Nandana dasa
Rukmini putra dasa
Rupa Madhava dasa
Satya Priya devi dasi
Sita Kanta devi dasi
Sita Kripa devi dasi
Vikas Kaushik
Virup dasa and Amrit Kanti devi dasi
Vishnu Kirtan dasa
Yashoda Mayi devi dasi
Acyuta Radhika devi
dasi
Advaita Hari dasa
Amrita devi dasi
Ananda Bhakti devi
dasi
Ananda Mohan dasa
Arjuna Hari dasa
Ashutosh Tarate
Badri Narayana dasa
Bansi Badan dasa
Bhakti
Bhakti Ratna devi dasi
Chandni Kalaje
Dhananjaya Pandit dasa
Dilip Dewan
Dwija priya devi dasi
Hari Vallabh dasa
Kamal Lochan dasa
Kanta
priya dasa Kantapriya dasa, Bhaktins Savita, Priyanka and bhakta Aniruddha
Keyur
Kishori Radha devi
dasi
Krishna Charan dasa
Krishna Kanchan
Krishna Prana Priya devi dasi
Krishnamayi devi dasi
Mahidhar dasa
Pancha Ratna dasa
Prabha
Prabhu dasa
Prana bandhu dasa
Prema Manjari devi dasi
Purna Brahma dasa
Radha Govinda dasa
Radhikesh dasa
Raghava Pandit dasa
Ramasundar dasa
Rsabhdeva dasa
Sanjaya dasa
Sevarathi dasa and Shyamala devi dasi
Shatrughna Priya devi dasi and family
Shradda
Soumitra Krishna
dasa
Srikanta devi dasi
Suchita P Verma
Sugriva dasa, Nandapriya devi
dasi, Neelam and Krishnadasa
Suradas
Tejomurti priya devi dasi
Tulasi priya devi dasi
Tulasi Vallabh dasa
Vaishnavanghri
sevaka dasa andVishnujana sevika devi dasi
Vanamali dasa
Varaha
Rupa devi dasi
Vasuman dasa and Divya Manjiri devi dasi
Vishnu datta dasa
Vrishabhanu dasa
Vrndavanesvari devi dasi
Yadava Hari dasa and Vrajapati devi dasi
Yadhunath dasa
Yashoda Sakhi dasi
Advaita Krishna dasa
Aneesh
Anil Patnaik
Aniruddha priya devi dasi and Acyuta Hari dasa
Ashwini
Chandra Deep Roy
Dwarka Priya dasa
Harikesh dasa, Priya Mukund dasa, Ambika dasi, Rukmani devi dasi and Radha Keshava dasa
Harsh Joneja
Keshava Krishna dasa
Khyati Joneja
Krishna katha devi dasi
Ksirodaksayi Vishnu dasa
Lata and Puja
Madhusudan Priya dasa
Mahamantra dasa
Nitya Kishore dasa and Shruti Priya devi dasi
Parthasarathi Mitra dasa
Radhika krpa devi dasi
Rasapriya dasa and Radhika krpa devi dasi
Rasik dasa
Rasikabandhu dasa
Sadhana-siddha dasa and Atulya devi dasi
Sakshat and Divya Chawla
Samba dasa
Shiva Rama dasa
Sita Mohan dasa
Sudama dasa
Vrajanath Krishna dasa
Yajur Dhawan
Brihad Kirtana dasa
Gauresh Ulhas Naik
Guruprasad Ulhas Naik
Hari Rani devi dasi
Jagannatheswari devi dasi
Janvi Radha devi dasi
Karuna Radhika devi dasi
Kaustubh Bhagwat
Keshikanta dasa
Krishna Rupa devi dasi
Madanamohini dasi
Mahavirya dasa
Namamrta devi dasi
Parthahari dasa
Parthamitra dasa
Pitrubhakta dasa and Vishnukanchi dasi
Pundarika Vidyanidhi dasa
Rakshak Krishna dasa
Saloni Kanojia
Saurabh Bhagwat
Shaasvata Krishna dasa
Shyamanand Gaura dasa
Siddha Yogi dasa
Sonali B Kanojia
Subal Krishna dasa
Suddha Madhava dasa
Upendra Hari dasa and Archrupini devi dasi
Adi Purusha dasa
Bhakti Gamya devi dasi
Bhakti Ratna dasa
Brjananda dasa
Ganapati dasa, Rasa Priya devi dasi and Leelashakti devi dasi
Govinda dasi and Radha-Mohana dasa
Janardana dasa
Mahatma devi dasi
Prabodhananda Saraswati dasa
Sachi kumar dasa
Satya Ananda devi dasi
Shyama Hari dasa
Suta Priya dasa
Vaishnava dasa
Ankur Goyal
Gopisvar dasa
Krishna Ganga devi dasi
Devaki Suta devi dasi
Madhu Kanta dasa
Shadbhuja Gaura dasa adhikari and Arti Prema devi dasi
Vishnu Yajna dasa
Acintya Leela devi dasi
Vrindavan Lila devi dasi
Nagpur
Rishi Kumara dasa
Rantideva dasa
Suta Priya dasa
Adi Gaura dasa and
family
Agris
Amrita dasa and Kaushalya devi dasi
Ananda Prema dasa
Anandapriya dasa
Aniruddha dasa, Taraka devi dasi and Vajranabha dasa
Arca Vigraha dasa
Arcita dasa
Ati-sundari devi dasi, Krishna and Radharani
Bal Mukunda dasa
Chandramukhi devi dasi
Dattatreya
dasa
Dima
and Marianna
Dvarakadhisa
Priya dasa
Gandhari Mata devi dasi
Gupta Priya devi dasi
Hemasundari devi dasi
Ira devi dasi
Isrita dasa
Krishna Priya devi dasi
Lalita Sakhi devi dasi
Lila Kirtan dasa
Madhupati dasa
Madhu-priya devi dasi
Mahavidya devi dasi
Nama-Punya dasa and Rostov-na-Donu
Nanda-gopi devi dasi
Natalya
Nitya
Krishna dasa
Ojasvi dasa
Olga Andreyeva
Prabhu Vijay and Padyavali devi dasi
Rasa Mandala dasa
Sergei Zaitsev
Taviza
Thakurani Isvari devi dasi
Tira Carini devi dasi
Umid
Valmiki Muni dasa
Vishnu-Kanta devi dasi and Lila devi dasi
Vishvamitra dasa
Vrindavana dasa brahmacari
Yamunapati
dasa
Yashoda-mayi devi dasi
Yasomatinandana dasa
Advaita Acharya dasa, Nayika Priya devi dasi, Hetal and Chintamani
Anantarupa dasa
April
Caitanyarupa and Radha Nila Madhava devi dasi
Deenabandhu
dasa
Gita Govinda dasa and Gita devi dasi
Gopala Hari dasa
Govinda Madhava dasa and Ketki Bulbule
Indradyumna
dasa and Gandharvika devi dasi
Jagadish
dasa
Kirti dasa
Krishna Saranam dasa and Bhakti Rasa dasi
Krishnananda dasa, Mitu, bhakta Shyam, Anant
Madhava mangala devi dasi
Nrsimhananda dasa
Parampara dasa
Shrestha dasa, Vishaka devi dasi and Dwarkadish
Sri Hari dasa, Shyama Sakhi devi dasi, Ayush, and Shatakshi
Sriman dasa and Nirguna devi dasi
Srinivasa and Sangeetha
Sushma Shenoy
Urmila dasi
Vidurpriya
dasa
Vanmali Krishna dasa and Kadambini Radha devi dasi and Tarun, Sarandha, and Rushmee
Rajat K. Bhowmik
Deva-narayana dasa
Nitai Rama dasa brahmacari
Rupanuga dasa and Krishna Bhakti dasi, Anjali, Rashi and Gopal
Vaishnavi devi dasi
Vishnupriya dasa, Shanti devi dasi , Krishna Caitanya dasa
and Vrajesh dasa
Caitanya deva dasa
Anand dasa
Divya Shakti devi dasi
Madhava dasa, Madhavi devi dasi, Bhakta – Pritesh and Dhananjaya
Panchtattva Krupa dasa and Madhu Rupa devi dasi
Pundarik dasa Adhikari and Radhakunda devi dasi
Rampatni devi dasi, Hari dasa,
Caitanya devi dasi, Kaajal, Nimai, and Jigna
Rukma dasa
Sri Gauranga dasa
Umapati dasa
Urvashi
Vishnu Murti dasa and Rohini devi dasi
Devaki Suta dasa
Asli
Acintya Tattva Dasa
Allabane (Rahul)
Atma Trupta dasa
Bhadracharu dasa, Parijata devi dasi and bhaktin Radhika
Guru Gauranga dasa
Lila Krishna dasa
Madhu-ha dasa
Nanda Gopala dasa and Mohan Priya devi dasi, bhakta - Balarama and Krishna
Pujapriya dasa
Radhapada dasa
Raghupati Priya dasa
Sanaa
Sanjay Aggarwal
Satish and Seema
Shyama Sundari devi dasi
Shyamkrishna dasa and Jayanti
devi dasi
Ugra Narsingha dasa and Hari
bhakti devi dasi
AHMEDABAD
Your Holiness Maharaja Srila
Bhagavatpada,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
anyatha
sharanam nasti tvameva
sharanam
mama
tasmat
karunya bhavena rakshasah
paramhamsah
We request you to bestow upon us your causeless mercy so that we can always remember Lord Krishna.
Hoping to be your obedient servants,
bhakta Ambalal K. Raval and
bhaktin Hema A. Raval
Gandhinagar
Respected Srila Bhagavatpada-ji,
om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai
sri-gurave namah
Please
accept my humble obeisance at your lotus feet. All glories unto you! All glories
unto Srila Prabhupada-ji! All glories unto Lord Sri Krishna!
‘Annada
Ekadasi’ is the day when your disciples offer you their feelings about you
in such nicely framed paragraphs. You are a person to be remembered every day,
every minute and every moment. By remembering you, we the disciples remember
Lord Krishna, renunciation, Vaishnava lifestyle and what not. I have very high
regard and respect for you, but I find it difficult to express my feelings in
the words. This is my weakness. I need your mercy to overcome such weaknesses. I
admit I am lacking in following some of your instructions.
You
are a powerful devotee of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada-ji.
You are not leaving a stone unturned to glorify Lord Krishna, to push forward
the mission of Lord Sri Caitanya, to bring the people on a spiritual platform,
by strongly convincing them to follow the Bhagavad-gita.
Srila
Bhagavatpada-ji, you have accepted me as your disciple. This is my good
luck. Having followed some of your instructions I feel a tension-free life, so
if I follow all your instructions then I am sure the way to Goloka Vrindavana
cannot be far away. I accept I am at fault.
On
this day I do admire your physical power, your ability to handle any situation
on the path of spirituality, your capability to spread the message of Lord Sri
Caitanya. I admire your spiritual strength, sincerity, knowledge, consciousness,
maturity, patience, etc. which are generally not found in those attached with maya
or material life.
It is
because of your effort ISKCON could expand the activities in Russia. I pray to
God to give you more strength and pure devotees to achieve your desire of
spreading the name and fame of the Lord throughout the world.
Guru-ji
you are my bona fide spiritual master, and I feel that you are always around me,
protecting me from evil. I am trying my best to come closer to ISKCON. But this
is possible only with your mercy.
I
have strong faith in you and Lord Krishna, which will help me to purify myself.
Although I am an unqualified and fallen devotee, I surrender unto you. Please
bestow upon me your causeless mercy to enable me to follow your footsteps.
With
warm regards.
Yours sincerely,
Most beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your divine grace!
On the very auspicious occasion of the Vyasa-puja of his holiness, I will try some words to glorify his divine grace, even though it’s impossible for me to glorify him fully. Please forgive me for any mistakes I may commit. Shastra says that guru – spiritual master is a representative of God. I do believe it firmly as I have experienced it. Even though I am a part and parcel of Lord Krishna, I am also the son of Lord’s representative - his holiness guru maharaja.
Guru maharaja is a God present on earth physically whom we can visualize by our limited senses. He always remains with us. I have experienced that when I am frustrated mentally; he clears my frustration ‘or’ makes arrangement that through some devotee he takes me out of the clutches of Maya. Whenever he meets me personally he identifies what is lacking in me, and pins out, as he knows everything like God. He then helps by guiding, and giving instructions, so that I can catch hold of his finger and go back home, back to Godhead with him. If at all I will proceed in this transcendental upliftment it will be only due to him. It is only by his mercy I am able to be his son even though I am lacking all types of requirements. He is a God for all most fallen persons like me on earth.
Guru maharaja on this special day I request you to shower your super special mercy upon me so that I get rid of maya and develop faster and faster in devotional activities. Also shower your mercy so that I can fulfill your instructions and serve you more and more unto your satisfaction.
All glories to you Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Nitai-Gaura Premanande… Hari Hari Bol!
Your most fallen servant,
My most beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness!
Once again, I have been blessed by the opportunity to glorify your divine grace. It is my most important day, as I have got a chance to glorify my beloved guru maharaja. In Vedic shastra, we often find the importance of glorifying a pure devotee, vede gaya jahara carita. Not only this, even God is looking for every opportunity to glorify His devotees. Although I am a fallen soul, I have neither bhakti, nor intelligence. I'm an ignorant soul, therefore, to glorify such a great Vaishnava like your holiness is out of my capacity. Still I am writing something on the strength of your mercy.
When Prahlad Maharaja had darshan of the Lord and Dhruva Maharaja had darshan of the Lord, both were unable to offer prayers to the Lord. However, God blessed them with His lotus hand and His Sankha; thus both the great personalities began their wonderful prayers. By your mercy, I'm also trying to glorify your holiness with my little words.
Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinode Thakura writes,
yadi
gaura na hoito, tabe ki hoito,
kemone dharitam de
radhar mahima, prema rasa sima
jagate janato ke
"If Lord Gaura had not appeared as the yuga-avatara in this age of Kali, then what would have become of us? How could we have tolerated living? Who in this universe would have ever learned about the topmost limits of loving mellows that comprise the glory of Sri Radha?" As per these lines, only by the mercy of Lord Gauranga today the whole world is benefitting by loving devotional service to Krishna, which awards eternal happiness and peace to all the living entities. He forecasted:
prthivite
ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
“In every town and village on this earth the glories of My name will be chanted.” Srila Prabhupada fulfilled this order and awarded us with a matchless gift in the form of the Krishna consciousness movement to the whole world. And your divine grace fulfills Srila Prabhupada's wishes and this great service in extraordinary ways.
O ocean of mercy, by traveling day and night all around the world your divine grace delivers millions of souls from the cycle of birth and death, grants them their lost Krishna consciousness and makes them free by accepting their sinful reactions. By repeating Srila Prabhupada's words, in a lecture given on Vyasa-puja, your divine grace said, "This is the only society which can save the whole world. What else can be greater service than this? vede gaya jahara carita: Vedas glorify such a guru maharaja very loudly.
O deliverer of the fallen, you have delivered a fallen soul like me by bestowing Krishna consciousness, which is only due to your causeless mercy. One can achieve bhakti neither by pious activities, austerities, nor by giving charity or sacrifice. Krishna consciousness can be achieved only by the mercy of the spiritual master. Bhakti sanjayate bhaktya. Bhakti can be achieved only by bhakti. Thakura Bhaktivinode-ji writes:
jogyata-vicare,
kichu nahi pai,
tomara karuna—sara
"If you examine me, you will find no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of." Every moment of my life is based on your mercy, guru maharaja. Please never neglect to show me your mercy.
My beloved guru maharaja, therefore, I'm begging your divine grace that I may remember your lotus feet always, and always follow your instructions. Please make this fallen soul fearless from maya. Please bless me with the strength that in a short period I can preach wonderfully. O Srila Prabhupadanuga, please bless me that I can chant attentively and be your instrument in the service of Srila Prabhupada. I beg for that mercy.
Always desiring to be your intimate eternal servant.
Your most fallen servant,
My most beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness!
On this most auspicious day, I struggle to glorify your transcendental qualities, as I am the most fallen. You are an ocean of mercy and the most beloved son of Srila Prabhupada. You constantly distribute the message of Lord Caitanya all over the globe. Gurudeva, I am fully engage in the material world. Only by your mercy, pure Hari nama can purify me. Therefore, please bless me so that I can chant purely.
When you came to Ahmedabad last year in December for Gita Jayanti Ratha-yatra mahotsav, I got your darshan for the first time. Your smiling face and merciful eyes are like Srimati Radharani who always blesses everyone just by one sight. For the first time in my life hopes raised to get mercy from your divine grace in the form of Srimati Radharani.
O gurudeva! Please give me shelter and make this fallen soul your disciple. I am very eager to be initiated by your divine grace as soon as possible. I beg you to forgive my offenses that I may have committed against the Vaishnavas and your divine lotus feet.
Your most fallen servant,
bhakta Dhairya Desai
Dear Guru Maharaja,
I offer my humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual guru, on the auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja. All glories to you! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
You have to work hard day and night to construct the Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi temple in New Delhi, which is 'The Glory of India' in this world. This is your tribute to Srila Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya and Lord Sri Krishna. Srila Bhagavatpada, the temple is indeed a brilliant monumental offering to Srila Prabhupada, to enable the propagation of Lord Caitanya's mission to deliver the fallen souls of this age. This architectural beauty is a direct by-product of yours, your one-track determination, and your zealous endeavour. You are so resolute in your purpose of executing the instructions of your spiritual master, that you tide all the hindrances and obstacles on your path, including an intermittent lapse in health, enriched by your sweet and earnest efforts. These are the sweet fruits of your earnest labor. The final touch of the Glory of India, the Ramayana experience, Mahabharata experience, Srimad-Bhagavatam experience, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta experience and Srimad Bhagavad-gita experience is the ultimate experience in human life.
Having taken shelter of Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet, you fervently aspire to always follow his instructions, and at the same time you make sure that things take place according to the Supreme Lord's desire. I pray that I may also obtain at least a little drop of this determination that you have in pleasing guru and Sri Krishna, so that I may also become instrumental in spreading Lord Caitanya's movement. This can only be obtained by your causeless mercy.
Guru maharaja, today is the day of joy and celebration, so please bestow your causeless mercy on this fallen soul, so that I can serve you until the last breath of my life, birth after birth.
Your most fallen servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
om
ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
Hare Krishna! I offer my respectful obeisances to your holiness Gopala Krishna Maharaja. All glories unto you guru maharaja! All glories to H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada! All glories to ISKCON! All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-ji! All glories unto Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-dhama!
The spiritual progress of a beginner in Krishna consciousness is only possible when he/she comes in contact with a spiritual master. I have not yet been initiated but have accepted your holiness maharaja as my spiritual master within my mind. I felt like that right when you, maharaja came to Ahmedabad, a day prior to Ram Navami Ratha-yatra and I got to take your darshan. The way you, guru maharaja spoke to us, was so humble and loving, that it touched me.
You, guru maharaja and your godbrothers were doing kirtan jubilantly in full ecstasy, which is possible only for Srila Prabhupada's disciples and pure devotees. Truly, Srila Prabhupada is always showering his mercy on such pure devotees and ISKCON I would consider myself fortunate only when you, guru maharaja, will accept me as your disciple and initiate me.
Your servant,
bhaktin Dharita
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
I have no knowledge what to write on the occasion of your Vyasa-puja. I was thinking of what to write, but you are all-knowing and easily understand your disciple's heart, so by your mercy I am writing something. Nothing is possible without your mercy.
O guru maharaja, you are an ocean of mercy. You are very merciful to this fallen soul, but I am so foolish that I am unable to serve you. I have for the first time realized the position of a spiritual master in spiritual life. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (4.34) that nobody can attain me without a guru. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says, sadhu sastra guru vakya, citte te koriya aikya: to understand the secret of spiritual life, one should follow the instructions of sadhus and guru. By Krishna's mercy, you had the opportunity to be a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who dedicated his whole life to the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. I also desire to be your disciple. Please give me the knowledge of how I should render devotional service by living in samsara and how to attain the Lord.
Due to your divine appearance many souls have attained Krishna-prema by your mercy, and are being freed from the problems of life - birth, death, old-age and disease, and have attained bliss and peace.
It is my great fortune that by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, I have got the shelter of your lotus feet. I have no faith or bhakti. Therefore, I repeatedly beg for your mercy. Because by your mercy, one can cross the ocean of material pangs and get the mercy of Krishna.
Please bless me so that I can maintain my bhakti and overcome all the obstacles that come in my devotional life. I'm trying to follow all the rules for initiation. Please let me know how to control my senses. My mind is flickering and never sticks to a decision. Please let me know how to engage my mind in Krishna bhakti.
I offer my humble obeisances on Vyasa-puja. Please forgive all my offenses. Hare Krishna!
Your fallen servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your divine grace!
By the mercy of the Lord I have got opportunity in my life to receive the mercy of a Paramahamsa guru like your holiness. Sometimes I wonder how a fool like me has come in contact with a humble and loving guru like you by the mercy of the God. I was wandering in the darkness of life. After getting your association, hope has arisen that I will now surely receive Krishna-prema by your mercy.
Guru maharaja, please shower your mercy upon this fallen soul, so that I can chant attentively and be initiated by your holiness very soon. Please accept my humble obeisances on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
Your fallen servant,
bhakta Jay Prakash
Respected Guru Maharaja,
om
ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur
unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave
namah
sri guru padanakha
manigana joti
samirat
divya dristi hiya hoti
dalen
moh tamasos prakasu
bade
bhag uravayi jasu
"Nail of the lotus feet of guru maharaja is like that an enlighten jewel, just by remembering which divine vision appears in the heart. It vanquishes the darkness of illusion and blesses with light of spiritual knowledge. That soul very fortunate who remembers the lotus feet of Sri guru maharaja in his heart." (Ramayana)
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious moment of Vyasa-puja.
I pray to Lord Krishna that this opportunity may come again and again. It is indescribable that your holiness works hard and showers mercy to deliver fallen souls like me. Your holiness is bringing unlimited conditioned souls like us out of this well of ignorance awarding us with the mercy to progress on the spiritual path - Bhagavad-bhakti.
Respected guru maharaja, please bless these conditioned souls so that we can progress on the path of devotional service, and are able to follow your divine instructions.
Your servant's servants,
Gandhinagar
Most beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness!
We do not have adequate words to glorify your holiness. However, kindly accept our offering on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
We are your fallen children. You have kindly accepted to deliver us from the darkness of ignorance. Your divine grace is always busy delivering all the fallen souls like us. You are tirelessly travelling throughout the world to spread the message of Lord Caitanya. Please utilize us for your service to Srila Prabhupada.
chaya
bega domi', chaya dosa sodhi',
chaya
guna deho' dase
chaya
sat-sanga, deho' he amare,
boshechi
sangera ase
Please teach us to control our six passions; rectify our six faults, bestow upon us the six qualities, and offer unto us the six kinds of holy association. Please bless us that we can be free from false ego. Please make us qualified to become brahmanas. Please forgive us for all our offenses. Please bless us to become sincere devotees. Please bless us with the right intelligence. Please bless us to have a taste for chanting the holy names. Please shower your mercy that we never deviate from your instructions. Please let us always remain attached to your lotus feet.
Your unworthy
servants,
Mahasringa dasa and Madhava Priya devi dasi
My most beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness!
It is very providential that a fallen soul like me is getting a good opportunity to glorify guru maharaja on his appearance day. On this most auspicious day I thank very much to Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-ji and Srila Prabhupada-ji that They made your divine grace appear on this earth to deliver a fallen soul like me. O ocean of mercy! You are mercy personified. Only by your mercy fallen souls like us have got an opportunity to bathe in the ocean of mercy.
My dear guru maharaja, this fallen soul has no proper words to glorify your greatness. You are very merciful. You have accepted me. You visit so many different countries for preaching without taking care of your health. You are an ocean of qualities. I pray to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda-ji, Sri Sri Sita-Rama Laxman Hanumana-ji and Srila Prabhupada to keep you always healthy and bestow you with a long life.
O ocean of mercy, we cannot glorify you fully, it is not sufficient. Today, that we chant the holy name, is only by your mercy.
If I have committed any mistake in this Vyasa-puja offering, please forgive me. Although we are fallen, ignorant and full of false ego, after all we are your children. If we have committed any offense in your service, please forgive us.
All glories to your divine grace!
Your most fallen
servant,
Mukunda Mala devi dasi
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
Kindly
accept our most humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to
Srila Prabhupada and to his sankirtana movement! All glories to Srila
Bhagavatpada on this most auspicious occasion!
It
is impossible to describe your transcendental qualities because they are
infinite and ever expanding. Sri Vyasa-puja gives us an opportunity to
meditate upon such qualities and activities of a pure devotee like you. It also
enables us to hear and draw inspiration from sincere disciples who are serving
you so nicely.
In
spite of our inabilities, you are always encouraging us. Sometimes a mother is
more caring towards a child who is weak, similarly, you are always more
compassionate and merciful to someone like me.
We
are very fortunate to have received clear directions from you. As a
representative of Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, whatever you desire is
definitely fulfilled completely. But we need to sincerely and wholeheartedly
dedicate ourselves in fulfilling them for our own purification and advancement.
Our perfection lies in acting as your instruments and to become completely
dependent on your mercy.
We
pray to you to kindly bless us so that we sincerely endeavor to follow your
instructions.
Your
humble servants,
Paramjyoti dasa and Indulekha devi dasi
Respected
Guru Maharaja,
Kindly
accept our obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious occasion. All
glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Our
best wishes and prayers for your good health to always remain serving Srila
Prabhupada.
Guru
maharaja, we are not very serious in serving your lotus feet. As per Sri
Gurv-astaka (yasya prasadad bhagavat
prasado...): we know that without satisfying the spiritual master we do not
have a great future. But we know that there is the limitless mercy of your
holiness. You always encourage your disciples to follow the teachings and path
shown by Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada. We are grateful to Krishna, because
we have such a spiritual master who liberates us from ignorance. You are only
our hope. Gurudeva! On this auspicious day blessed us, so that we become your
true servants, never forget Krishna, never forget our path of life and your
instructions. We have no words to thank you for the causeless mercy that you
have showered on us. If we can simply follow your instructions properly, we will
get out of this cycle of birth and death very easily.
Guru
maharaja, please accept these few words, as we do not have adequate words to
glorify your divine grace. We again bow down to your lotus feet and beg you to
help us to develop a pure and sincere desire to please your divine grace.
Your
unworthy servants,
My dearmost Spiritual Master,
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur
unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave
namah
Please kindly accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet on this auspicious ceremony of your Vyasa-puja.
It is stated in the shastra that it is not possible to describe the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna in full, even for Lord Sri Ananta Shesa. So how is it possible to describe the glories of Vaishnavas who are described as even more merciful than the Supreme Lord Himself?
What personally I could realize, within my very limited capacity and imperfect senses, is that guru maharaja is absolutely strict in following the lotus foot steps of Jagadguru Srila Prabhupada, but for all the disciples and other students You are so merciful that you neglect all the disqualifications and thus make Krishna-bhakti very easy by encouraging us to work hard for Srila Prabhupada's movement. You are like a caring father who is bearing all the scorching heat himself but is protecting his kids who are innocent (or foolish-like me) by holding a big umbrella for them. Please kindly bless me to become a good servant.
Hare Krishna!
Your foolish
servant,
Rukminipriya
dasi
My dear Srila Gopala Krishna Maharaja,
Our eternal master, Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet on this most blessed event of your appearance day.
1. We your disciple have gathered here to glorify you and express our gratitude, since you have accepted us as your disciple and assured us to lift us up from this degraded material life and induced our mind in Krishna consciousness. This is truly provided, if we follow your instructions in toto. Out of so many instructions to us, some are reaffirmed as below:
(a) To chant at least sixteen rounds very attentively wherever possible in the temple itself in the morning hours.
(b) To read Srila Prabhupada’s books on a daily basis.
(c) To spread Krishna consciousness through preaching and book distribution.
2. We gather here to follow the Vedic parampara of celebrating the Vyasa-puja of our beloved spiritual master, because you are coming from the same disciplic succession of Srila Vyasadeva, and because you are representing and reproducing the same teaching received through parampara. Thus you are a real acharya.
3. We gather here to get encouragement hearing about the untiring activities and miracles of guru maharaja.
We are unable to glorify or narrate about a pure devotee like Srila Bhagavatpada. However Gopala Krishna Goswami is the number one assistant of Srila Prabhupada, who was a real Saktyavesha avatara.
Looking at your active involvement in enormous activities and projects we feel his holiness is very much empowered and blessed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada to undertake and lead a great institution like ISKCON.
Due to your merciful nature like Lord Caitanya (Mahavadanyaya) your divine grace has accepted us as your disciples. We beg for your mercy and benediction for spiritual advancement. Save us from the clutches of maya.
We pray to Srimati Radharani and Their associates to bless you with a long life and good health, to enable Maharaja to uplift lakhs of fallen souls from sinful activities and expose them to new horizons of peaceful blessed life – Love of Godhead.
Your servant,
Shastra
dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories unto you Srila Bhagavatpada!
On this most auspicious day of your holy appearance, I feel completely unqualified to glorify your divine qualities. Still I am making a humble attempt. Please forgive me for all the mistakes that I make.
I cannot even imagine what I would have been doing if I had not got the shelter of your divine lotus feet. Due to your mercy I am able to understand my real position, i.e. I am part and parcel of Lord Sri Krishna, and I am His eternal servant. Your divine personality always inspires me to keep progressing in spiritual life. You are a real personified Bhagavata.
The transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was first uttered by Lord Sri Krishna to Brahma, the creator of this particular universe. From Brahma the knowledge descended to Narada, from Narada to Vyasadeva and thus in disciplic succession His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada gave this knowledge to the whole world. Because you are his true representative, the knowledge that I receive from your holiness is not different from that imparted by God Himself.
Personally I have no hope of coming for millions of births to receive the direct service of Lord Sri Krishna, but I am confident that due to your mercy, Srila Bhagavatpada, some day I will be delivered from the clutches of maya in which I am presently so deeply sunk. So I pray with all my heart for your mercy, to give me the strength to recollect and remember at every moment of my life that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.
Although I keep listening again and again about the glories of the holy name, still I have not developed any taste for it. Please bestow your mercy on this conditioned soul, so that I may develop some taste for the holy name, so that you can use me as your instrument in fulfilling the mission of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Your eternal servant,
Vishnubhakta
dasa
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
On
this most auspicious Vyasa-puja occasion I want to offer my most humble
obeisances to the dust of your lotus feet. This is the rarest opportunity to
purify ourselves. How fortunate is a person like me who receives an opportunity
and makes a small attempt to glorify your spiritual qualities, which are
unlimited. But this is possible only by your mercy. If you are merciful on
someone nothing is impossible. As it is rightly said:
mukam
karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim
yat-krpa
tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam
I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains. Your divine grace is the deliverer of thousands of souls around the globe. You are tirelessly busy serving Srila Prabhupada, and have been successful in spreading the divine instructions of Lord Caitanya. This is one place where your greediness is seen i.e. Your divine grace is never satisfied in spreading Krishna's glories. Every moment you think and engage yourselves in making plans to further spread glories of Srila Prabhupada. So I beg on this day for some dust of your divine lotus feet so that I get some inspiration to serve you. As Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura says:
suddha-bhakata-
carana-renu,
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva
parama-siddhi,
prema-latikara
mula
"Dust
from the lotus feet of pure devotees is conducive to devotional service, while
service to the Vaishnavas is itself the supreme perfection and the root of the
tender creeper of divine love. My only desire is to be somehow an instrument in
your divine lila on this earth in fulfilling the predictions of previous acharyas."
The
basic teachings you give is to be perfectly disciplined. That is to be perfect
in sadhana-bhakti, then and only then can one advance on the spiritual
path. So I beg your mercy to please guide me in my sadhana.
Therefore,
on this auspicious day, I, your unworthy servant, pray for forgiveness for my
many failures and shortcomings. I pray that I always remember you and your
instructions and never deviate from the divine path that you have given. I pray
that I may always remember you and serve your order. I beg for your mercy so
that I remain free from the various attacks by maya and remain free from anarthas.
All glories to your divine grace!
Your insignificant servant,
Visnunama dasa
My most beloved Guru Maharaja,
On this most auspicious day of your appearance, I beg you to accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. I also want to beg your forgiveness for not having the ability to adequately glorify your divine qualities. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your divine grace!
Please bless me with words to glorify your divine grace on this most auspicious day of your divine appearance.
Vyasa-puja is the most important day for the disciples. The disciples get an opportunity to glorify and worship Lord Vyasadeva through the medium of the spiritual master. The spiritual master is so merciful that, although to accept glorification from others is unnatural for a devotee, still guru maharaja accepts all the offerings from the disciples. However, for the disciples, they express their devotion to their most beloved eternal father and beg for blessings and mercy for their spiritual advancement. Therefore, I beg your divine grace to fulfill my spiritual desires to please your divine grace with my tiny service in the mission of Lord Caitanya.
Srila Prabhupada says, "To take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord means to take shelter of the pure devotees. The pure devotees whose only business is serving are honored by the names Prabhupada and Vishnupada, which indicate such devotees to be representatives of the lotus feet of the Lord. Anyone, therefore, who takes shelter of the lotus feet of a pure devotee by accepting the pure devotee as his spiritual master, can be at once purified. Such devotees of the Lord are honored equally by the Lord because they are engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for they deliver out of the material world the fallen souls whom the Lord wants, to return home, back to Godhead."
Your divine grace has accepted this fallen soul as your disciple. Thus your divine grace represents Lord Nityananda as deliverer of most fallen. "In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura and other unalloyed Vaishnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.46)
With the mood of Lord Nityananda your divine grace travels all over the world without taking care of your health to spread the message of Lord Caitanya, by fulfilling the desires of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada, with the strength of the holy name, went to the capital of Maya with the message of Lord Caitanya and established the Krishna consciousness movement.
Srila Prabhupada writes, "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu-ji wanted the Hare Krishna movement, with installed Deities, to spread to every village and town in the world, so that everyone in the world might take advantage of this movement and become all-auspicious in spiritual life."
To fulfill his wishes and to deliver all the fallen souls, your divine grace is spreading this movement tremendously. Once I heard from one of my spiritual uncles, "your guru maharaja is the busiest personality in the world." You teach us to consider time as Krishna's energy and thus it should never be wasted. Although you are most busy, still you never neglect anybody who comes to see you. Nobody remains unsatisfied by your divine grace.
Srila Prabhupada often said, "Whatever I have wanted to say, I have said in my books. If you want to know me, read my books." It is said that ISKCON is Srila Prabhupada's body and book distribution is his heart. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada gave the topmost priority to the book distribution, of all his missionary activities. Your divine grace has accepted responsibilities for publishing and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and you have taught us this greatest service.
Once Srila Prabhupada was asked by his disciple, "Can a guru stay always with his disciple as God is always present?" Srila Prabhupada replied, "Yes, if a disciple wants." I pray to your divine grace to bless me your divine association. I'm always hankering for that. I beg you to mercifully keep me at your lotus feet by always bestowing their soothing shade, calling me your own.
Please never neglect to show me your mercy! Making me your very own property, kindly keep me situated at the reddish soles of your lotus feet. I have no other shelter. I was supposed to be thrown into hellish conditions meant for those who have broken religious principles and must therefore suffer extreme miseries. However, my merciful father, your divine grace has delivered me from the greatest danger.
Therefore, on this auspicious day, I, your unworthy servant, pray for forgiveness for my many failures. I pray that I always remember you and your instructions and never deviate from the most auspicious path given by your divine grace. Please bless me that I may always remember you and serve your order. Please bless me with the right intelligence to make more devotees and spread this movement quickly. Please shower your mercy that I can be your effective instrument in the service of Srila Prabhupada. Please protect me from Maya and her agents. Please bless me with a taste for chanting the holy names.
The spiritual master is very dear because he is expert in assisting the gopis, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna's conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vrindavana. I offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
Always desiring to be your intimate eternal servant,
Your most fallen servant,
CHANDIGARH
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
I feel proud to write some words on the occasion of the Vyasa-puja of your holiness. You have come to this planet to deliver fallen souls like me. You are very humble tolerant and know all in and out.
You are the most popular preacher of ISKCON. You are always in full Krishna consciousness, distribute Krishna’s love to all and engage your disciples in reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s literature and encouraging us for Krishna’s service. You are a pure follower of Srila Prabhupada.
You have blessed us by giving us the eternal service of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Maharaja, please shower your blessings upon us so that we can continue the preaching work of Panchkula. Whenever there will be an initiation ceremony in the Chandigarh temple, please shower your mercy on Garg sahib. We would be very thankful to you. Whenever you come to Panchkula please come to our place to have darshan of our Deities. We will be very much encouraged by your presence.
Your disciple,
Aditi Priya devi dasi
Respected Guru Maharaja,
On this auspicious day please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
In this world of sense gratification, my knowledge of Krishna is very poor, but I am thankful to the Supreme Lord, that I have a spiritual master who is very dear to Krishna.
The Supreme Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita “One who follows this imperishable path of devotional service, and who completely engages himself with faith making Me the supreme goal, is very dear to me.”
Maharaja-ji, no one is more qualified than you, to be so dear and near to Lord Krishna. I have seen that you are always engaged in the service of Lord Krishna. You possess all the nine qualities of a brahmana perfectly. It is difficult to understand how you physically direct and construct new projects, temples, and guide the devotee all over the world. Even in this time of great economic depression you have managed to erect one of the most magnificent temples, which is a unique presentation of Lord Krishna’s teachings, the temple has attracted worldwide attention. In the process you have demonstrated how one can apply material technology in Lord Krishna’s service.
Maharaja, I relish your kirtana very much,. Whenever you sing you are so absorbed and you sing with such force that I feel ecstatic. You keep everyone alert during pravachan time. You welcome questions at the end of class, and if no one asks questions, you start making questions, which makes the class very interesting. Srila Prabhupada always wanted a beautiful temple in capital of India, and you have achieved that dream.
Now Kurukshetra and Ludhiana are some of your achievements. Your great efforts and non-stop hard work has set a great example for us to follow. The secret of your success lies in satisfying your spiritual master and thereby getting his blessings. Only by his satisfaction can one please Krishna. I beg your mercy so that I can always follow you properly and carry out your instructions and perfect your teachings, by preaching them without deviating from the path of guru-sisya relationship.
Please engage me in your service by showering your causeless mercy, which is unlimited, which you are showing so far on this wretched soul, so that I can engage in your and Srila Prabhupada’s service eternally.
Ever trying to serve you and still aspiring to be your sincere disciple,
Balabhadra dasa
Dear and respected Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Here once again is the all-important occasion in a disciple's life, the occasion of Sri Vyasa-puja of your holiness.
On this day while almost all your disciples are intent on receiving your mercy in every manner possible, by bathing your lotus feet, by garlanding, by words that glorify, by taking your remnants, and by offering themselves to your guidance. I hope to receive your mercy by asking for a piece of your devotional mind.
As a tridandi sannyasi and a dedicated Vaishnava spiritual master your holiness is fully focused on serving your spiritual master H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his beloved Lordships Sri-Sri Radha-Shyamasundara. Your holiness is entirely absorbed by body, mind and words in serving his mission The ISKCON.I am hard put to follow your guidelines. My mind is unwilling to engage in devotional activities. It is a stumbling block. The only remedy therefore is to beg for a piece of your devotional mind to be with me forever.
Your insecure disciple,
Bhaktivinode dasa
om
ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur
unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
Dear Guru Maharaja,
I was born in the darkness of ignorance, but my spiritual master Srila Bhagavatpada, has opened my eyes with the stick of spiritual knowledge. I offer my obeisances unto the divine lotus feet of such a gurudeva.
Srila Bhagavatpada-ji, I have no words to express or describe your transcendental nature and qualities. Your holy activities of distributing and spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world, which you are doing so beautifully, effectively, purposefully and so wonderfully, is a great job that you are doing for ISKCON. All these things are very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhagavatpada, you have appeared on this earth to spread the divine name and message of Lord Sri Krishna. I am fully aware of this, and we are all with you.
Srila Bhagavatpada, I want to simply beg at your lotus feet for spiritual strength, direction and your mercy, so that I can do some humble service for you.
I am fully aware that you are working very hard to please Srila Prabhupada. My prayer to Lord Krishna is, that you should live a very long, healthy, happy and Krishna conscious life, even at the cost of my life, which is useless without you.
I bow down to your lotus feet, and beg you to give me the mercy to serve you better, in every birth that I take. All glories to your divine grace!
Your humble servant,
Bhawa dasa Adhikari
My most respected Gurudeva,
I am so fortunate to be your disciple, though I do not deserve to be. You are so merciful that you gave me a new birth, with a new spiritual name, guidance and instructions, to a fallen soul like me.
Please accept my obeisances and offerings unto your divine lotus feet, on this most auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja. Maharaja-ji, during writing the offerings I memorized the days before initiation I always remember the day when I was doing parikrama of Srila Prabhupada and praying to Srila Prabhupada for his divine shelter so that I could get Krishna-prema, and at that very moment you reached there and decided to got initiation from you and I talked to you maharaja-ji for the same. That was a memorable moment of my life.
I also remember when you gave me initiation in my dream on the auspicious day of Lord Jagannatha Ratha-yatra held in Panchkula and I told you, guru maharaja, you gave me diksha in my dream that night. Please keep me at your lotus feet. I am always begging for your mercy. Without the mercy of guru this ocean of material existence can’t be crossed. Please give me bhakti, so that I can achieve my final goal of ‘Radha-Krishna-prema’ and can chant the holy name of Krishna without offense, and preach the glories of Sri-Sri Radha-Shyamasundara.
Srila Bhagavatpada-ji, thank you very much for making me, the most fallen soul, tuchh-budhi, your disciple.
Your most fallen servant,
Jyoti Krishna dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please forgive me Srila Bhagavatpada, for my ignorance, and help this conditioned soul to get out of the ocean of miseries.
Srila Bhagavatpada, it is your mercy, which can save me from mundane miseries. Without your guidance I cannot walk even a step. Treat me as you wish.
Srila Bhagavatpada, you are the sole owner of my body and soul, you are my eternal father. I am completely surrendered to you. You can motivate me in any direction. It is my desire to serve you as your personal servant. Whenever I sit in front of your picture or narrate a guru mantra, I feel energetic, stable, and closer to you.
Gurudeva!
kripa bindu
diya koro ei dase
trnapekha ati
hina
sakala sahane
bolo diya koro’
nija-mane sprha
hina
Your most fallen servant on this earth,
Kashyapi dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
I offer my obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga for guiding me to take Their shelter through you.
You are very helpful in lifting me from this material world. You have really shown mercy on me who am completely fallen. You are always worried about the disciples and are very kind in showing us the path for our spiritual advancement.
Only through your mercy am I able to chant the maha-mantra, and even the efforts I put in, is also due to your kindness towards me.
You are the navigator of this boat, who knows well how to adjust the sails to catch the wind favourably and steer the boat to its destination. I offer you my shata koti pranams on this very special day.
Your eternal servant,
Keshava Hari dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Kindly accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja.
“There
is no other sacred water like Ganga,
There is no
other Deity like Vishnu,
No other
primary principle like Guru”
You are
complete with humility-tolerance,
I am
incomplete with pride-prestige.
You are
simplicity personified,
I am
duplicity embodied.
You are a
symbol of cleanliness-steadiness,
I am
arrogant and ignorant.
My subtle
senses are very intelligent,
Trying to
throw me in an ocean of nescience.
You reach
the bottom because you are heavy.
Free me
from anxiety: I am lazy”
Your servant,
Krishna Anuja devi dasi
Best among Srila Prabhupada’s munificent disciples, Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
Myself like all the other souls in this material world is totally engrossed in sense gratification and always meditating on sense objects, considering myself as body. You came with the glittering sword of knowledge, with compassion for the entangled souls, obtained from your own spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You are so much dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, that all his compassion for miserable souls like me is manifesting through you. Your mercy is what even demigods will desire, to go back home back to Godhead.
You are shastras personified, just by seeing your activities one can learn how the pure devotees engage themselves in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. Srila Prabhupada says in Srimad-Bhagavatam, that there is the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata. You are the perfect example to follow. To get the shelter of the lotus feet of such a Bhagavata is real fortune for the soul.
Although Srimad-Bhagavatam says that the pure devotees of Lord need not follow the injunctions of shastras, but you like your spiritual master never ever fail to properly educate your disciples how to act according to shastras, however elevated you may be. When I see your offerings to Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara, my eagerness to offer you obeisances every minute reaches the peak.
The dust of your lotus feet is more precious than anything in the three worlds. If one gets even one particle of that dust, one will be free from all the illusions of the material world, and become fully absorbed in love of Godhead. I pay obeisances innumerable times at your lotus feet, which are always moving from one corner of the world to another to distribute the message of Lord Sri Caitanya, and tirelessly engaged in the service of Srila Prabhupada. Your lotus feet are endowed with such a nectarean ocean of the holy names, that under their shelter only can one actually realize the bliss of the holy name. The holy places are glorified, as they naturally get a soul remembrance of Krishna and pure devotees like you, who are traveling to the holy places going from one place to another, just to make forgetful souls remember Krishna. By the mercy of your lotus feet, that place becomes a place of pilgrimage, as the people there have tasted the divine nectar of the holy name in your divine association. You have manifested innumerable holy places in this material world, by making conditioned souls constantly glorify the Lord by showering your mercy.
Your lips are never resting, as they are continuously engaged in the glorification of the Supreme Lord Krishna, whether it is day or night, twenty-four hours, tasting divine mellows of the holy name, and distributing that nectar to every conditioned soul.
The mission of distributing the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to the entire world by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is achieving newer milestones day by day. Book distribution is going on continuously, as you are working hard to get this divine literature to be translated in every language being spoken in this part of the world. You are the force behind the Indian language editions of Srila Prabhupada books.
Guru maharaja, you have innumerable glories, and they cannot be described even in the span of this human life. I am so incapable and materially inflicted and engrossed in sense gratification, that I am not able to see and experience those qualities in you, guru maharaja. So please forgive me for any offenses made or mistakes done, as you are treasure house of mercy, (karuna sindhu) and shower some mercy on me, so that I will be able to follow your instructions and serve you.
I am really fortunate that by Krishna’s causeless mercy I become your disciple, but really unfortunate, that I am not able to serve and follow your instructions in full conviction.
Jaya Om Vishnupada Paramhamsa Parivrajakachraya His Divine Grace Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! Jaya Om Vishnupada Paramhamsa Parivrajakachraya His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada ki jaya. All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava!
Yours unworthy and degraded disciple,
Mahahari dasa
My dear Guru Maharaja Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet on this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja. All glories unto Srila Prabhupada! All glories unto Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!
Please give me the power and your blessings, so that I may be able to glorify the unlimited qualities possessed by you guru maharaja. Each and every disciple is being so affectionately cared for like a newborn child, to develop love for Krishna in one’s heart and to become Krishna conscious. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, that the sacred water of the Ganges purifies a person on his continuous using it for considerably long time, but by the mercy and association of a pure devotee like you guru maharaja, one can be purified from all the impurities and liberated from all sins. This is what you have been doing by accepting the fallen and bound souls as your disciples, without considering their qualifications or qualities, to get them liberated from this material world. Similarly, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed pure love of Godhead to everyone without any consideration, only on the pretext of one’s firm faith on Him.
On 22nd June, 2003 one of our godbrothers and your affectionate disciple, H.G. Ayodhyapati dasa passed away in a road accident and has settled in Goloka-dhama. He was completely Krishna conscious, and had fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. He was an example of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sri Siksastaka
trnad
api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna
amanina mana
dena, kirtaniya sada harih
These qualities, he could acquire only due to your mercy on him. Please pray to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava to accept him as a servant to serve His lotus feet, and we may be blessed to take a lesson regarding the excellent service he has rendered to please Lord Krishna and his guru and to become more and more Krishna conscious and fully surrendered.
Guru maharaja, we beg at your lotus feet to bestow upon us your unlimited mercy, so that we may be able to get more power, strength, and enthusiasm to serve you and Lord Krishna, and always remain engaged in devotional service and Krishna consciousness.
Your unworthy servant,
Mahajana dasa
His divine grace Gopala Krishna Goswami,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances.
It is Sri Krishna’s mercy that I’ve been blessed with the guidance of a guru with such a transcendental stature as yours.
Srila Prabhupada has written in ‘Nectar of Devotion’ that Rupa Goswami said that we all have a propensity to love and we need to direct this love to Krishna. I’ve also heard that a guru effects eternity. When I was first blessed with a glimpse of your divine presence in the Jagannatha Ratha-yatra at Panchkula in 2002 I realized that you would help me direct my love towards Lord Krishna and I knew then that you have also been my guru. Your serene and all pervasive presence emanates your immeasurable love and bhakti bhaav for Krishna, and has a heavenly tranquility that instills in your disciple some measure, if not all, of love for Krishna, that leads them to the blissful thought of Krishna.
Your blessings for me have been nothing short of a miracle in my life. After your divine grace initiated me I feel an immense escalation in the love I feel for Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, the tears and the shivers of delight, the fearlessness, and an inexplicable sense of faith I experience, be it at the time of arati, nagar-sankirtana, reciting the maha-mantra or simply while performing daily chores, re-affirms your kripa on me. It is Lord Krishna’s grace that you know me, as you do your other disciples inside out. I pray to Him that I may live upto the values and philosophy preached by Srila Prabhupada and you. I am a mere beginner and have a long way to go. But with your divine grace and guidance and a heaven called Iskcon, I am sure I can become a dasi of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava as you would wish me to. I pray always for your blessing and grace on me.
Your servant,
Mahalakshmi devi dasi
“Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, the Lord and Master of the devotees. O Master, be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.”
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
No one can estimate the extent of your mercy. The spiritual master is the incarnation of Krishna’s mercy, and Krishna Himself cannot measure His own potency, since it is always increasing. Your kindness upon us is always increasing, for you turn no one away, and you try to engage all in Krishna’s service. Accepting nothing for yourself, you are always striving in so many ways to entice and inspire, somehow awaken our desire to give more to Krishna. even on my retirement from my material job last year, I was not willing to give more time in Krishna’s service citing health reasons. But your divine grace as a perfect physician, knowing the right medicine for my eternal welfare, mercifully persuaded me to take some responsibility in ISKCON center Chandigarh. Now I realize that by engaging me in Krishna’s service you have given a meaning, a purpose to my existence, though at the fag end of my life. Thanks a lot Srila Bhagavatpada! I shall be eternally grateful to your divine grace for this mercy.
You are so kind to all living entities guru maharaja! Your concern is that everyone may become happy in Krishna consciousness. Being aptakama, you have nothing to do or gain. But still you are working so hard day and night to deliver all the fallen souls. You are just like Vasudeva Datta, who prayed to Lord Caitanya that he could not see the miseries of all living entities and he wanted to take away all their sinful reactions, so that they could go back home, back to Godhead. He said:
jivera
dukha dekhi, mora hrdaya vidare
sarva-jivera
papa prabhu deha’ mora ‘sire
jivera papa
lana muni karon narak bhoga
sakala jivera
prabhu ghucaha bhava-roga
(C.c. Madhya 15.162-163)
“My heart is tearing apart to see the plight of the miserable living entities of this world. O my Lord! Please give me all the sinful reactions of all the living entities of the world. Let me suffer in hell for their sins, but deliver them from their material diseases.”
When Lord Caitanya heard Vasudeva Datta’s prayers, His heart immediately melted, He started shedding tears and His voice faltered to see the compassion of Vasudeva Datta for all the living entities. You have similar compassion and concern for us all. Actually, it is not recommended in the shastras to take too many disciples, but you are going on making disciples so that more and more living entities can be delivered. This way you are taking a big risk since you are collecting so many of their past sins. But you are a true Vaishnava, Srila Bhagavatpada! And Vaishnavas live only to deliver others. You are just like Prahlad Maharaja, who prayed to Lord Narasimhadeva: ”My dear Lord, I have no problems and want no benedictions from You because I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy names. This is sufficient for me, because whenever I chant, immediately I merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. I only lament to see them bereft of Your love. They are rotting in material activities for transient material pleasures, and spoiling their lives toiling all day and night simply for sense gratification, with no attachment for love of Godhead. I am simply lamenting for them and devising various plans to deliver them from the clutches of Maya.” (S.B. 7.9.43)
You are exemplifying the compassionate nature of both Vasudeva Datta and Prahlad Maharaja. Preaching is your life and soul. And that is the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada, your beloved spiritual master. You are a genuine representative of H.D.G. A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada – the founder acharya of the great International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
You are our eternal father, Srila Bhagavatpada, and are caring for us like a parent. Recently when our dear godbrother H.G. Ayodhyapati dasa left this mortal world in an accident, you were in Canada on a preaching tour. On hearing the news you felt highly concerned and talked on the phone many times to H.G. Ayodhyapati dasa’s wife, who is also your disciple, and her son and solaced them. You asked the temple management to arrange Harinama kirtana and Bhagavad-gita paata at their house for a few days, and provide them all care, help and support. Through your message to H.G. Ayodhyapati dasa’s wife, you brought home the flickering nature and futility of material life and the eternal nature of the soul and our ultimate destination. You expressed that as H.G. Ayodhyapati dasa had been doing his sadhana very sincerely and seriously and as he had done Harinama sankirtana just before meeting with the accident, his life had been successful and he went under the Divine protection. Your message encouraged the family and us all a lot. How caring you are Srila Bhagavatpada.
How fortunate I am to have come under your diving protection. Therefore on this all-important day of your divine appearance, I humbly fall at your lotus feet with tears in my eyes and say your pranama mantra. All glories to you Srila Bhagavatpada! Please keep me at some small corner of your lotus feet.
In the end I pray to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava and Lord Narasimhadeva for your excellent health and a very long life, so that you may continue to guide countless souls from darkness to Divinity. Srila Bhagavatpada ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Your humble servant,
Nanda Maharaja dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva, guru krsna prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: “Only the most fortunate living entity, who wanders all over the universe impelled by his karma, may by the mercy of Krishna get an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master. By the mercy of guru and Krishna he gets the seed of devotion.”
My dear spiritual master, it is by the causeless mercy of Lord Krishna that we have had an opportunity to meet you, hear you, serve you and carry out your orders.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, please let me bow down to you, the authentic representative of Srila Vyasadeva and Srila Prabhupada. Guru maharaja, you possess all divine qualities. Please forgive my inability to glorify you, as my heart is very contaminated with material desires.
Gurudeva, thank you, please give us the strength to acknowledge our strong attachment to you. Thank you for the mercy that you have showered on our family by giving us your personal association. Dear guru maharaja, please give us strength and help, so that we may become attached to chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna and seriously follow your instructions.
We are very dependent on your mercy. Without your mercy spiritual advancement is impossible for us. Dear gurudeva, we wish you all the best on this illuminated path. We always wish and pray to Lord Krishna, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava and Lord Narasimhadeva to keep you healthy, vigorous and joyful always.
We hold on to your lotus feet and pray for your mercy, so that we may be able to please you with our services. All glories to you!
Always trying to stay in the dust of your lotus feet, and aspiring to become your most obedient servant.
Your most fallen son and daughter,
Pavitra Purush dasa and
Kashyapa devi dasi and family
My most respected Gurudeva,
On this very auspicious and eventful Vyasa-puja day, kindly accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your lotus feet, which are the shelter for many fallen souls!
Guru maharaja, I am unqualified to write anything about your divine grace, still I am aspiring for your causeless mercy.
I cannot express in words your great and unlimited qualities, due to my materialistic mind. I have seen that you are a person of strong determination and dedication to serve Sri Sri Radha-Madhava-ji and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. You are tolerant, merciful, and friendly to all living entities.
You are the most perfect acharya as you make others feel important. Gurudeva you are a real sadhu with all the qualities as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam by Lord Kapila deva to his mother.
titiksava
karunika suhrd sarva dehinam
ajat shatruvah
shantah sadhavah sadhu bhusanam
Guru maharaja you and your instructions are so pure and effective, that anybody who comes in your contact becomes your devotee. You always inspire your disciples to perform different kinds of spiritual activities, and you give them all credits. I always ignore your instructions, even then you have tolerated my offenses, and you still continue to shower your mercy on me. This highlights how compassionate and magnanimous you are.
Gurudeva, I am your most foolish and disobedient disciple who is not following any instructions given by you from time to time. I do not know when I will be completely surrendered to your lotus feet wholeheartedly. Please forgive any offenses made by me due to my ignorance. Please give me your blessings and causeless mercy, which I need most for advancing in spiritual life. I pray to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava-ji and Sri Narasimhadeva-ji for your good health on this auspicious occasion.
All glories to H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada! All glories to his holiness Srila Bhagavatpada!
Your most fallen servant,
Praghosh dasa Adhikari
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Maharaja, I do not feel qualified and advanced enough to write my realizations in this offering on my relationship with you. But one thing I know is that without guru one cannot approach Krishna. I do not know how to serve Krishna. By executing devotional service under your guidance and other senior devotees in Chandigarh temple, I am sure one day we would be able to purify our existence. I am trying to chant my sixteen rounds everyday as attentively as possible and I hope I would be able to improve the quality in the association of my godbrothers and other devotees in temple.
Maharaja, kindly forgive us for the offenses we might have committed knowingly or unknowingly at your lotus feet.
Your fallen disciple,
Prataprudra dasa Adhikari
Respected Guru Maharaja-ji,
Hare Krishna! Hoping you are in the best of health and enjoying yourself with excellent spirits. I hereby submit my humble obeisances on the eve of your Vyasa-puja. This is the auspicious occasion of your appearance. All glories unto your divine grace and unto Srila Prabhupada!
By your mercy, you have accepted me as your disciple this year on 14th April, 2003. I would always like to be in the shelter of your lotus feet, because you can liberate me from this cycle of birth and death. You are here to re-establish and awaken our lost relationship with Lord Krishna, by awakening our consciousness.
You are requested to give me strength, so that I can carry out your instructions. I want nothing but your service. Please never ignore me, I shall be grateful to you. God bless you with good health.
Yours truly, your disciple,
Raksha Krishna dasa Adhikari
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you and all glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
My dear gurudeva, as I was born in the darkness of ignorance, I did not have anything to do with Krishna consciousness. But due to your causeless mercy, I got a chance to do some service in Krishna consciousness. You are so humble and kind that even after committing a lot of offenses at your lotus feet, you have been forgiving me.
sadhu
sanga sadhu sanga sarva sastra kahe
lava matra
sadhu sanga sarva siddhi hoi
In Caitanya-caritamrta, it is described that only through the association of devotees can one attain all kinds of achievements and love of God in his life.
prema-bhakti
yaha haite, avidya vinasa yate
vede gaya
yahara carita
Srila Bhagavatpada, you have given me the gift of transcendental vision and you are my lord, birth after birth. By your mercy divine knowledge is revealed within the heart, bestowing prema-bhakti and destroying ignorance. The Vedic scripture sing of your character.
You are actually rendering service day and night all over the world to spread the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this is having a very nice result.
Because of my fallen state, I am not able to glorify you. So my humble offering is worthless to you on this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
My entire desire is to continue as your eternal servant in this life and the following lives.
Your humble and eternal servant,
Most respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our humble obeisance’s at your lotus feet on this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, your appearance day on this planet.
Once again we have an opportunity to glorify our respected spiritual master Srila Bhagavatpada. But still we are unqualified to glorify you. We cannot express your greatness and unlimited qualities. We feel so unworthy of approaching you, but due to your divine and most merciful nature you have again prompted us to take this liberty.
Your causeless mercy is our hope, otherwise we have no assets, no qualification, no purity and no desire for devotional service. You are serving thousands of conditioned souls. Without your grace no-one can make any advancement on the path of spiritual life. We have personally experienced several times this vacuum and void ness of remaining away from your instructions.
You have come to this material world with a divine mission of glorifying the Lord, preaching Krishna consciousness all over the world and delivering the fallen conditioned souls by giving us your divine association and instructions. Your unflinching faith and devotion to your own guru and Lord Krishna is a perfect example for us, your disciples to follow.
We are deeply impressed by your spirit of surrender towards the mission of Lord Caitanaya Mahaprabhu, your unlimited qualities, your compassion for all conditioned souls, your purity, your determination, your affection for your disciples, your complete dedication to devotional service, your humility and your enthusiasm.
Guru maharaja, although we are your unworthy and insignificant disciples, yet we are sure that due to your kindness you will bestow your blessings on us, so that we can follow your orders and serve the Vaishnavas and Lord Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava. Please give us the strength to serve you all our life.
We offer our most sincere feelings to you for a long and healthy life so that you can continue all the good work you have taken up to please Srila Prabhupada.
All glories unto Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories unto Srila Prabhupada!
Your eternal and most insignificant servants,
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
Kindly accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your holiness on this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja!
You are an inspiration to every devotee because of your humility, non-envious nature and your strict non-comprising attitude towards the principles of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada’s mission to spread Krishna consciousness on a large scale is widely propagated by your holiness. You always have a long and hectic schedule, touring tirelessly to spread this message and arouse fallen souls both in India and abroad. You are the perfect disciple of Srila Prabhupada, taking great pains to travel all over the world and to spread his message through his transcendental books. You always advice us to read more and more of Srila Prabhupada’s books and to follow the Vedic principles.
Gurudeva, I am such a fallen soul, so how can I glorify you? But it is my duty to glorify you on this auspicious day of your appearance. You are an ocean of mercy. That is why you have showered your mercy upon this fallen soul and given me shelter at your lotus feet. At present I am not your worthy disciple, but please continue to be kind to me, so that one day I can become your worthy disciple.
Gurudeva, you are so humble that you forgive our offenses and continue to give shelter like a kind father, who always worries about his sons. Therefore, I beg for your kind blessings that this attachment to your lotus feet remains strong and that I may improve my qualities by being a better servant.
Your most insignificant servant,
My dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Today is your appearance day and it is a very auspicious day for a conditioned soul like me.
Nitai-Gaura premanande Hari Hari bol. I was not qualified to become your disciple, but since you are a representative of God and you are ready to save conditioned souls, you gave me shelter.
Guru
mukha padma vakya, citete koriya aikya…
The words from the lotus mouth of guru purifies our consciousness, in that regard I have some experiences in my life. Once I got stones in my kidney, the doctor advised me for lithotripsy (operation). To get blessings from you guru maharaja before my operation, I came to you. Maharaja, you told me, as we have a material body, there will be problems. You asked me to remember Srila Prabhupada and carry a photograph of Lord Narasimhadeva. I went through the operation but it was unsuccessful. It happened three times and the pain went on increasing. But the fourth time of the operation I remembered and did what you said: that is, to remember Srila Prabhupada and to carry a photograph of Lord Narasimhadeva, and the operation was successful, without any pain, which was supposed to be there. I came out from the operation theatre, and everybody, the doctor, and family members were surprised to see that there was no pain and no kidney stone also.
From this experience I have come to know how powerful the words of my guru maharaja are. Therefore, one should have faith in the words of guru maharaja. In this way, if everyone remembers the words of guru maharaja with faith, there will be no problem in life.
Prati
–janme kari asha charner dhooli…
I beg for your mercy guru maharaja so that I can perform more and more services, and please give me the strength to perform services for you.
Your aspiring servant,
Respected Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories unto Srila Prabhupada!
It gives us pleasure to honour and offer our respect to you on your Vyasa-puja day. It is a matter of pride and joy, to hold our head high, in having a spiritual master of your status, who shows us in all our activities, the aim of doing selfless service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in turn achieving moksa, which is the aim of all human beings. We feel that we should be totally free of any desire from the materialistic world, ego free and only have a desire of being with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
We pray to the almighty for having the privilege of your guidance all the times.
Your humble disciple,
Param-pujya Guru Maharaja-ji,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet on this most blessed day. All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada, my most reverential spiritual master! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava-ji!
Your unflinching faith, devotion and your constant endeavours are an illustrious example for us who are fallen souls. You have initiated me into chanting the holy name of the Lord. I pray to you to keep showering your blessings upon me.
You are a paragon for the human race, and you have shown me the goal for which I can tirelessly toil till the end of my life. You have given me so much inspiration, that my heart is full of courage and confidence, that we are proud to put on Vaishnava tilaka and follow the Vedic way of life.
Your magnanimity knows no bounds, and the good fortune for all of us who have received this precious gift, is unparalleled! O gurudeva! You are the only crest jewel among all the disciples of Srila Prabhupada. You only made me realize that after obtaining this rare human form of life, our only concern is to realize our lost relationship with Lord Krishna and return to our eternal home.
Although, always so brief, your association brings utmost joy to my heart and the memories of your spiritually enlightening Srimad-Bhagavatam classes leave indelible impressions in my mind. Gurudeva, let me be your eternal submissive servant. Therefore, I beg unto your lotus feet to please give me your shelter, to guide me, to teach me and to reprimand me whenever I go wrong in fulfilling your divine instructions.
I pray to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava-ji to give your divine grace a very long life, so as to be able to spread the glories of Srila Prabhupada’s movement.
I beg for your blessings, and pray to remain your humble servant eternally. Please forgive me for my offenses.
Your ever-indebted disciple,
Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisance at the dust of your lotus feet.
Your appearance is greatest occasion for all of us, as you have appeared only to shower your mercy on materially entangled souls like me. Guru maharaja, your appearance, presence and remembrance takes away the inauspiciousness from our lives. You are a real sadhu as described in the scriptures. Lord Kapila said to his mother Devahuti in S.B (3.25.21)
titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah
sadhavah sadhu - bhusanah
The symptoms of a sadhu is that he is tolerant, merciful, and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is respectful, he abides by scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. You are an ocean of all such divine qualities, and all these are seen in your personality, your happy demeanor, kindness, tolerance and unalloyed devotion to Lord Krishna are all seen by your personal example.
Your grace is infinite. You are the most perfect representative of Lord Krishna’s supreme potency. You are an uttama-adhikari situated in suddha-sattva-guna. You are a real dedicated disciple of your guru maharaja, following his instructions tirelessly. By your personal example you have shown us how to serve the spiritual master in this life itself.
You are an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated:
sarva-loka
uddharite gaura-avatare
nistarera hetu tara trividha prakara
salsat darsana, ara yogya-bhakta-jive
avesa karaye kahan, kahan avirbhave
In his incarnation as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krishna descended to deliver all the living beings in the three worlds from Brahma-loka down to Patalal-loka. He caused their deliverance in three ways. The Lord delivered the fallen souls in some places by meeting them directly, in other places by empowering a pure devotee, and in still other places by appearing before someone Himself. Further, in the same chapter Krishna dasa Kaviraja states as follows:
ta-saba
tarite prabhu sei saba dese
yogya bhakta jiva-dehe karena avese
sei jive nija-bhakti karena prakase
tahara darsane vaisnava haya sarva-dese
“To deliver people in the regions throughout the universe who could not meet Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally entered the bodies of pure devotees, thus He empowered living beings (His pure devotees) by manifesting in them so much of His own devotion, that all people in all other countries became devotees by seeing them. From the above it can be concluded that you are an aveshavatara or a personality who is endowed with the powers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
You are constantly spreading the glories of holy name all over the world, to kindle the love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in millions of hearts. You understand your disciples and give them fatherly attention, and check for their spiritual and material advancement personally. I wonder about how much concern you have for the upliftment of your disciples. I want to constantly remember you, because by remembering your devotion brings spiritual strength in me.
I must admit that I am useless in all forms of spiritual activities. I am worthless, having no qualities, abilities, or devotion. You are my eternal spiritual father, and because of your causeless mercy, I am surviving in this miserable place. Please bless me to be tolerant and equipoised.
Once again I fall at your lotus feet and pray to you to engage me in your service. Please accept the humble obeisance of Gaurangi and her father also.
Your eternal servant,
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to our beloved spiritual master Srila Prabhupada!
It is very difficult to make this offering to you, because in my contaminated state of mind, I cannot even begin to realize and appreciate your divine attributes akin to Srila Prabhupada.
You are following on the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, spreading the transcendental message to whomever you meet and translating and distributing books to every town and village.
I beg to remain your humble servant.
Your dasi,
Respected Maharaja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet, my beloved spiritual master.
This is the very first time that I am trying to glorify you. I have no qualifications to do so, but it is due to your mercy that I am able to write something for your glorification. You have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation, because you have heard, understood, practiced, and realized the Absolute Truth. That is why your words are perfect, being freed from the defects of a common man. The instructions given by you enlighten us with true spiritual knowledge or Krishna consciousness. Thus what you offer us is a matter of eternal blissful life. Therefore your position is much higher than other relationships. You are actually “The Guru” because you are following your spiritual master ‘as it is’. You are following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada rigidly. You are very straightforward in cutting the knots of the material attachments of your disciples through your instructions. You are a walking example of the scriptures, as you are exemplifying all the teachings of the scriptures in your life. That is why you are an acharaya (who teaches by example). You are a sober person who can control all the urges. The word Goswami in your pranam mantra is very appropriate. You are very merciful, which is the very secret of spiritual life of those who strictly follow you. One who follows you strictly will not come back here again. This is the power of your mercy – being constantly engaged in Krishna consciousness. This shows your fixed determination. You always serve your spiritual master. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, one can see the Lord not by mental speculation, but through the transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master. And you are that bona fide and transparent medium to approach Krishna. Actually I cannot approach even you without your mercy. If I am fortunate enough to approach you, then there will be no more material life.
I pray to Lord Krishna that He mercifully gives me the opportunity to approach you, as you are being so merciful by giving me divya-jnana by which I can go home, back to Godhead. So please engage me in your divine service and give this fallen soul the opportunity to be delivered.
Your servant at your lotus feet,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our insignificant offering and our clumsy congratulations on this most joyful day of your appearance. The appearance day of your divine grace is a festival for us, who by your grace have seen the light of Krishna consciousness. You have appeared on the great day of ‘Annada Ekadashi’, the special day of Lord Hari. We bow down to the dust of your lotus feet on this auspicious day.
You tirelessly preach all over the world, thus showering your blessings on conditioned souls, by engaging them in the devotional service of Lord Krishna. You are an unlimited ocean of mercy, who brings happiness to anyone who receives even a drop of the ocean. You are a jagat-guru and patita-pavana, whom we were waiting for, for a long time.
Taking the responsibility of bringing all of us back to Godhead, you are constantly traveling from place to place, and preaching the glories of Krishna, His name, qualities and pastimes.
While we are living our lives, you are taking the burden of all our lives, and you are tirelessly trying to make us understand the importance of following the spiritual path that brings us to our real self, as a servant of Krishna.
His holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
We beg to remain your servants,
To my beloved Spiritual Master,
Please accept my humble obeisances as I prostrate unto your lotus feet with great awe and with a craving for spiritual bliss on this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja. I have no means to repay the debts for the kind mercy of yours to accept this fallen soul as your disciple.
My dear guru maharaja, you are a pure Vaishnava, very active, and out to bestow mercy upon anyone. How fortunate are those souls who serve your grace because you are a confidant of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. I beg Lord Krishna to let me remain your servant birth after birth. I am very happy for I have found what I was looking for, after so many years. It is exactly what every living entity requires to find oneself in the service of his master, and you are my master without any doubt. You are travelling all over the world saving us, fallen souls from this dream of ignorance and giving us love for Krishna. You are so attentive and kind towards your disciples that you constantly try to pay them your personal attention. That is why we, fallen souls, need you so much. We can be saved from this cycle of birth and death only by your mercy.
Your actions do not differ from your teachings. You tell us with assurance that by following guru, sadhu, and shastras, we shall purify ourselves from material desires. I know that my heart is full of material desires, my mind is like an ugly monster, which is almost impossible to control. Still I hope that one day I will get your mercy and begin to progress in my devotional service. I am just waiting for this mercy. May your glories spread all over the spiritual and material worlds from Patala to Goloka
Falling again at your lotus feet,
Most respected Guru Maharaja,
Vyasa-puja celebration is a spiritual activity and so is writing a Vyasa-puja offering by the disciples. While writing we meditate on our relations with our spiritual master on the devotional path.
Guru maharaja, your name Srila Bhagavatpada itself indicates that you are a representative of the lotus feet of the Lord, therefore honoured equally with the Lord. You are always engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for you deliver the fallen souls, (whom the Lord wants to return back home) out of the material world back to Godhead. Such a pure Vaishnava like you should be adored as vice-Lord, according to scriptures.
No selfish
motives
Such a
personality
Is more
than rare.
Maharaja,
taking shelter of your lotus feet can purify me at once.
In you I
trust
Despite the
fact
I am full
of lust.
Praying to
make
you satisfy
my goal,
is the only
thing
that will
nourish my soul.
Srila
Bhagavatpada,
Forgive my
neglect
In your
divine guidance
I will
become a little perfect.
You asked
us,
Read,
study, and distribute books
Preach
Krishna consciousness far and wide
But this
will be done
With your
blessings by our side.
You asked
us
Chant,
dance
Feast and
preach
Thus the
whole world
Your mercy
will reach.
Guru
maharaja,
Please keep
me
At your
lotus feet
Only this
will make
My lowly
life complete.
I always beg at your lotus feet for your mercy.
Your unworthy disciple,
COMMONWEALTH
OF INDEPENDENT STATES
Dear
Gopala Krishna Maharaja,
Please
accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
From
the bottom of our hearts we would like to congratulate you on the occasion of
your birthday. We wish you good health, a happy life of a sannyasi and
Vaishnava.
Let
all your disciples always please you with their success in Krishna’s service.
Yours,
Bishkek
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I am sending this letter as an offering for your Vyasa-puja celebration. I am showing the deepest gratitude for the hope you have given to me on having a hope in my heart to become your disciple. Your titanic work you have invested in dissemination of Krishna consciousness is making me fold my hands in a state of prayer in front of your photo, and desire only one thing - never to dissatisfy you in your hope about me as a good preacher of Krishna consciousness.
During moments of psychological difficulties I think about your undisturbed state of consciousness, then immediately I get the same state of tranquility and determination in Krishna consciousness. I wish to obtain the same attitude of a preacher you have in order to understand you more and to be established in the faith and to be established in inspiration and knowledge. For this reason I have gotten 20 CDs' with your classes for the last 10 years of your preaching. I think that this will also give me more deep understanding of you as a person.
With all respects to you, dear guru maharaja.
Your servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this auspicious day of your appearance, my heart gets filled with special happiness. You, my dear spiritual master are just like Varahadeva, who lifted planet Earth from the depth of the ocean and killed demon Hiranyaksha. You came down to uplift us from this dark ocean of ignorance, by destroying thousands of anarthas in our hearts.
You possess invaluable treasure, which has nothing to do with this material world in common. It is pure, unmixed loving service to the Lord. You got this invaluable treasure from Srila Prabhupada, and you, being a pure devotee, take nice care of this treasure and give it to all the fallen conditioned souls. But one of the qualities of bhakti is that the more you give it, the more you get.
Therefore you always teach us, your fortunate and unfortunate disciples. Our fortune is that you find a way to engage us in devotional service, even though we do not possess any qualifications to do service. Our misfortune is that although we stand near this huge ocean of mercy, we are unable to dive into this ocean with full determination, and drown in it, thus leaving behind the coast of material existence forever.
My dear guru maharaja, we beg you. Just like Varahadeva had pierced this fierce demon, and threw his body down into ocean, so you please mercilessly kill the demon of our material existence and throw him down to the ocean of love of Godhead.
Then only our life will have some meaning.
Your useless servants,
Amrita dasa and Kaushalya
devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Dear father and ocean of mercy, please accept my congratulations on the day of your appearance. Out of your greatest compassion for all living entities you came here with the only mission of saving conditioned souls.
You appeared just like the sun in the impenetrable darkness of material existence to light up the path of devotion, having given shelter at your lotus feet to all the suffering people, and especially to me, although I don’t deserve even a drop of your mercy. I am eternally indebted to you.
After initiation I understand how merciful and compassionate you are. You have granted me a chance to serve Krishna and to go back home, back to Godhead.
In order to somehow justify your confidence in me, and not to be a burden on your shoulders, I am engaged in sankirtana. Please bless me so that I can serve you and be useful for the Lord’s and Srila Prabhupada’s mission all my life.
I wish you good health and all the best.
Your eternal servant,
Bishkek
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this wonderful day of your appearance I want to congratulate you and wish you all the best. I wish you good health and success in future preaching of Krishna consciousness.
On this day of your appearance, spiritual light dawned on many unhappy conditioned souls of this world. We have a great opportunity to receive spiritual knowledge. I want and wish that your disciples please you by their new success in preaching Krishna consciousness.
Thank you very much for your love, care, tolerance and kindness, which you give me due to your causeless mercy.
Please forgive me for all the disturbances, which I cause you.
Please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet again and again.
Your foolish disciple,
Anandapriya dasa
Kovrov
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept our humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet on the auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this day of your auspicious appearance in this world, we would like to offer our humble effort to glorify your divine grace.
In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that only the most fortunate souls get the chance to meet a devotee of Krishna and get from him a seed of bhakti-lata. By some causeless mercy we received this most rare opportunity by meeting your divine grace. Dear Srila Bhagavatpada, you are a perfect gardener, who is expert in planting and cultivating the most rare plant in this material world, the plant of bhakti, bhakti-lata. This plant is capable of penetrating through the coverings of the material universe, and reaching the lotus feet of Krishna, producing there its fruit - Krishna-prema.
You gave us the seed of this amazing creeper in the form of your wonderful instructions, which are non-different from Srila Prabhupada's and all of the predecessor acharyas. Now our duty is to cultivate it very nicely, so that this bhakti-lata will grow steadily and finally reach Krishna's lotus feet. You constantly remind us about our eternal duty, since we, being conditioned by the material energy, are prone to forget about it. For this we are eternally indebted to you.
Thank you very much for not giving up pushing us back to Godhead, even though we stubbornly refuse to give up our petty material attachments. Our only hope is your unimaginable compassion. You continue to instruct us and care for our spiritual life, disregarding our repeated mistakes and offenses. You gave yourself fully to the service for the upliftment of the fallen conditioned souls. This is not an overstatement. This is really so. We got the chance to see it with our own eyes. The biggest inspiration in spiritual life is one’s personal example. We are so fortunate to have such a spiritual master as your divine grace, for you are the perfect example! You possess all the qualities of a devotee we read about in Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Caitanya-caritamrita. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that the formula to obtain Krishna-prema is humility. And humility is the quality that is most shiny in your divine personality.
On this day we pray to your divine grace to be able to obtain the same humility as well as other qualities favorable for spiritual advancement.
Please pour your mercy on these foolish jivas. Please forgive us for all our offenses.
Your useless disciples,
Aniruddha dasa, Taraka devi dasi and Vajranabha
dasa
Moscow
Dear Guru Maharaja,
On this blessed day I bow down before your lotus feet again and again, because this is the only way to attain perfection. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
By serving Srila Prabhupada, you tirelessly spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, thus saving us, fallen souls. I beg you for mercy by which I will have the chance to become your instrument. All your life is dedicated to one thing - fulfilling Srila Prabhupada's instructions. By organizing sankirtana festivals you give us great inspiration to distribute books, which the whole humanity needs so much. For me - you are an example of how one should follow the spiritual path.
Dear guru maharaja, I want to give you a nice offering which could please you, but I do not have either intelligence nor qualifications, and I beg you to forgive me. Instructions which you gave me are like a life buoy, and I should hold on to them tightly. You are very merciful by nature, and only by your mercy can I progress on the way back to Godhead. I beg you, please tie me to this life buoy in such away that I never get untied. I bow down to your lotus feet with great respect, and I beg you for a drop of your mercy. Please, engage me in the service of distributing Srila Prabhupada's books.
Your disciple,
Arca Vigraha dasa
Dear Srila Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
Your appearance day is coming another time. And all of your disciples are making their offerings to you. But I have nothing substantial to offer to you. The only thing I may offer to you is myself and continuing efforts to become a pure and humble servant of your lotus feet.
Dear gurudeva, please, bless me to never leave the path of devotional service and to always continue serving you and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
Your insignificant servant,
Moscow
Dear Guru Maharaja Gopala Krishna Goswami,
On this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja accept, please, my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Your causeless mercy is unlimited like light and warm like the sun. Each your lecture has huge spiritual force. By attentively listening to your lectures it is possible to learn the high level of culture of preaching Krishna consciousness. They contain all essence of transcendental knowledge. You skillfully show us obstacles, which obstruct our advancement in our spiritual way, and also give instructions how to remove them. You stress the importance of the correct usage of the human form of life, and also that the Krishna consciousness is a very serious process, though it is very tasty and joyful. You preach the glory of the holy name and glory of devotional service of Sri Krishna and His devotees. You rouse and develop a high taste for Krishna consciousness. You are making knowledge of Krishna accessible for everyone. You serve your spiritual master Srila Prabhupada in the most perfect way by executing all his directions. By your mercy it is possible to find the mercy of Krishna.
Dear guru maharaja, please engage me and my children in devotional service of your lotus feet. Please help us to come back to Krishna!
We are very grateful to you for your kind heart and care. You are our only reliable shelter. We love you very much. Maybe we cannot perform many things perfectly, but we are trying. We like very much the knowledge of Krishna, His devotees, games of the Lord. These are so natural for the soul and bring real happiness.
All glories to our perfect Lord and His pure devotees! All glories to the sankirtana movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
Your eternal servants,
Ati-sundari devi dasi,
Krishna and Radharani
Moscow
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this auspicious occasion of your appearance day, I beg you to bless me with a drop of your boundless mercy, your fathomless devotion, your spotless simplicity, your profound taste for the holy name, each so that I can be of the same feathers to fly with you together on this wonderful journey of devotional service to Srila Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya and Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.
Please guru maharaja, excuse me for all my inability and offenses and bless me for improvement so that I can be your useful servant.
Your servant,
Bal Mukunda dasa
Moscow
Dear Guru Maharaja
Please accept my obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Please let me express my sincere gratitude for your love, care, and patience, with which you lead us on the spiritual path.
Due to your mercy and blessings your disciples are able to be engaged in active devotional service. Bishkek yatra is now headed by your disciple Karandhal prabhu. Five new brahmacaris came to our temple from Karabalta town, where your disciple Naimisharanya prabhu leads Nama Hatta preaching. Ananda Prema prabhu with a group of sankirtana devotees went to Osh and Jabal-Abad regions (Southern part of Kyrgyzstan), where they distributed over one thousand books of Srila Prabhupada.
People showed their great interest towards devotees and bought books, even the militia. At the moment devotees distribute books at Issyk-Kul lake. Your disciple Tribhanga Nandini lives there, she, same as us, are all looking forward to your arrival and visit to Issyk-Kul. In June this year H.H. B.B. Govinda Swami Maharaja together with devotees performed kirtanas on the bank of this unique lake.
We have aratis regularly at the temple, which is under major repairs. Sunday programs collect upto 80 people. These programs are maintained by brahmacaris who everyday go out to collect donations in the streets of Bishkek.
Your disciple Gupta-priya devi dasi collects flowers from shops constantly, in spite of her age, her weak health and bad weather.
Srimad-Bhagavatam class is lead by Hemasundari devi dasi, Guptapriya devi dasi and Chandramukhi devi dasi. Sunday kirtana leaders are Bimal Krishna prabhu, bhakta Arat and Karandhar prabhu. Bimal Krishna prabhu and his wife Saltanat take part in B.B. Govinda Swami Maharaja’s preaching tours.
Mataji Nazira, who took an interview from you during your last visit, serves our Deities Sri Sri Nitai-Sacisuta. Gauradesa mata-ji, your disciple, conducts Food for Life programs.
We have finished major repairs of the altar room recently. Two months ago we completed repairs in the brahmachari’s room on the third floor. These repairs are conducted by me, your insignificant disciple, Chandramukhi devi dasi.
We are looking forward to your arrival. Please visit us as soon as possible.
Your humble servant,
Chandramukhi devi dasi
Bishkek
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
On
the day of your appearance I with deep gratitude decline at your lotus feet. All
glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
In
our iron century, when the majority of the people are engaged in sense
gratification, the truly holy persons, who carry to people the message of Lord
Caitanya, are a rarity. Thinking above, that how much energy and time you spend
to bring this message to the people, I have come to the understanding, that your
heart is completely full of compassion. Moreover, you always aspire to care for
souls who are going in the way of pure devotional service of Krishna. I know
that you are always praying for the spiritual progress of your disciples. It is
possible to see, how you endure our lackings, and softly correct them. You are
very correct, the instructions of Srila Prabhupada are in accuracy delivered to
us. I frequently heard from devotees, how your simple and deep instructions have
changed their lives. And I have such an experience myself. Thus I understand,
that you have deep spiritual realizations. Just as you are asked for a spiritual
boon from the people today, on this favorable day, we shall pray that your
preaching may always be accompanied by success, and may Krishna always protect
you.
Your servant,
Volgograd
Dear
Guru Maharaja
Srila Bhagavatpada,
Let
me on this day of Vyasa-puja bring you our respectful obeisances and wish
you to be in good health always.
You
are one of the most worthy disciples of Srila Prabhupada, as you continue to
serve his mission of saving the godless civilization from the ocean of
nescience. Guru maharaja, your pure and sincere service attracts many people in
the movement of Krishna consciousness, and because of your protection the
sincere disciples are firmly going on spiritual path to Krishna. Great thank you
for the mercy of your instructions, which you give us, your modest servants. To
deliver to you a pleasure, we shall make efforts to serve the Vologda’s yatra.
Yours,
bhakta
Dima and bhaktin Marianna
Vologda
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
Let
me offer my lowest bows on this day of your Vyasa-puja. I cannot fully
describe your glory, like the other disciples on this day usually do, but your
life and qualities are a source of inspiration for my spiritual life. Each
meeting of ours changes my perception of the world. Because of you, I and the
other disciples are beginning to realize the reality of spiritual life, and how
much in this it is possible to be happy. Your causeless mercy consists already
as you come to the disciples and direct us on the spiritual way. You are an
example of a pure devotee, and despite of occurrences around, and here something
occurs permanently, you are never confused with regards to the instructions of
your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. And your desire is that we follow you
by imbuing all our lives with your instructions, which you generously present
us. They are so simple, that everyone can follow them. But the trouble consists
in the fact, that there is not enough purity to follow them. But cleanliness
will come, chiefly it is to continue as far as it is possible and still slightly
more. And you promise such sincere disciples to bring them in the abode of Lord
Krishna. Association with you is most dear for me, and I can never pay this
back. Therefore consider me as your servant forever, because to be the servant
of such person like you is the highest happiness of all.
Your disciple,
Vologda
Dear Gopala Krishna Goswami,
Please accept my lowest obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace!
This day, the day of your appearance in the material world, I am falling at your lotus feet and trying to glorify you, though I don’t have enough deep understanding of your personality.
Since I became your initiated disciple I am always eager to offer my prayers to you. I should always listen to you! This is my hope and prayer. Please never stop preaching to me, otherwise there is no other hope for me.
Lord Paramatma cannot be influenced by time, and that is why He knows the past, the present and the future, as well as the thoughts and desires of all living entities. And you know everything what is happening in the hearts of your disciples, and so you are ready at any moment to do everything for your disciples in order to get them out of the traps of kala-rupa.
My duty is to listen to you, to listen uninterruptedly, because one who truly and attentively listens to his spiritual master, will never stop preaching.
I am wrapped by ignorance, and my only hope is to beg you again and again to let me become your eternal servant and stay as such birth after birth.
Your eternal servant,
Bishkek
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my lowest obeisances unto your lotus feet on this beautiful day of your Vyasa-puja. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It is impossible to evaluate your highest mission, which you carry by fulfilling the desire of your spiritual master.
You descended into this perishable world to give us, your disciples, the greatest knowledge coming from the Lord Himself. All glories to you, dear Srila Bhagavatpada!
You are very dear to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada!
Our dear spiritual master and father, by yours and Krishna’s mercy, we have a very high position, that is why we should always remember and pray to Krishna, so that He saves us from falling into the ignorance of material life. Then we will be able to attain the highest goal of life.
Dear Gopala Krishna Goswami, please accept my wishes of good health and most sincere words of gratitude for saving us, and dragging us out from the darkest kingdom of ignorance. All glories to you, our dear gurudeva!
Dear Gopala Krishna Goswami, you spread Krishna consciousness all over the world all glories to you! All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the personification of the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya, jagad-guru of the whole world!
Not having any knowledge, I still don’t lose hope (through your instructions) that my spiritual life will become perfect. I maintain my life only by your mercy. In any circumstance I try to follow sadhana and do practical service. All glories, all glories to you, dear guru maharaja!
I am absolutely and eternally indebted to you. Showing endless humility, patience and compassion, you help us to surmount all the obstacles on the path of devotional service. Your glories have no limit. Please forgive me that I bother you, guru maharaja.
Your most fallen and useless servant,
Bishkek
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
Please
accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to
Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you, guru maharaja!
We, your disciples, glorify this significant day of your appearance on the earth. It is due to you that extraordinary luck came to us, as we found a spiritual master.
I am so fallen, so deeply absorbed in the illusion of this material world, but still I was given a chance for spiritual advancement, and I know that until now I have not taken any advantage of it.
My japa (still unattentive) and three lectures on Srimad-Bhagavatam a week at the temple is all my service.
Every morning I pray for your blessings for attentive japa and that I, when giving lectures, don’t deviate form scriptures, and don’t offend Vaishnava’s lotus feet, I pray for a humble mood.
I wish I become a worthy disciple, I wish I become able to please you, my dear Guru, with my spiritual advancement.
That is why again and again I am asking for your blessings for devotional service unto your lotus feet, and the lotus feet of Vaishnavas and Sri Krishna. I understand it will only happen if there is your mercy. My own efforts are never enough.
Longevity and good health to you, dear Guru Maharaja!
Let Krishna always be with you, and you with Krishna!
Your disciple,
Bishkek
Dear Guru Maharaja,
On this significant day of your appearance I bow down with awe to your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada!
You mercy has no limits. You gave the opportunity to all fallen souls to obtain love of Krishna and to come back in the spiritual world.
And this event again and again puts the thought in my mind, how merciful is the Lord, who bestows upon us and saving us by giving us your association. You manifest this quality by forgiving your disciples their innumerous mistakes and fall-downs in devotional service.
Please, allow me thousands and thousands times to bow down before this quality of yours. All your qualities are spiritual. But I am so unfortunate that I can't do it with full sincerity, because I am not aware of your elevated position. But still I thank God that He bestowed upon me, fully addled living entity, His causeless mercy and I met you on my way of wandering in the darkness of material world. You constantly inspire us for devotional service. I know, how you worry about spiritual life of your disciples and which pain you feel, if somebody deviates from the way of spiritual service.
Once I was lucky to get the book of Srila Prabhupada. I read it and agreed with everything, what was written in it.
Your servant,
Ira devi dasi
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept my respectful obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you!
naivopayanty apacitia kavayas taveca
brahmayunapi katam addha-mudau smarantau
yo ’ntar bahis
tanu-bhatam acubhaa vidhunvann
acarya-caittya-vapuna sva-gatia vyanakti
O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science cannot fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they had the lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in two features externally as the acharya and internally as the Supersoul to deliver the conditioned souls by revealing to them your devotional service and teaching them how to approach you on the path of pure love. (Bhag. 11.29.6)
We can never pay our debts for this to the Lord or to you. These days I am trying to remember your excellent meaning in our lives. Sri gurudeva, you are a true acharya as described in Vedic literature:
acinoti
yau castrartham acare sthapayaty api
svayam acarate yasmad acaryas tena kerttitau
An acharya is one who fully understands the conclusions of the revealed scriptures and whose behavior reflects his deep realization. He is a living example for he teaches the meaning of the scriptures both by word and deed. (Vayu Purana)
You are an embodiment of all the qualities of a true guru as described:
kapa-sindhu
su-saapurnau sarva-sattvopakarakau
nispahau sarvatau siddhau sarva-vidya-vicaradau
sarva-saacaya-saachetta 'nalaso gurur auatah
One who is an ocean of mercy, who is fulfilled in all respects, who has all good qualities, who works for the benefit of all souls, who is free from lust, who is perfect in all respects, who is well-versed in the scriptures, who knows the science of Krishna, who can remove all the doubts of his disciples, and who is always alert in the service of Krishna is known as a genuine guru. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.45,46)
We can see and have experience that your deeds and words touch hearts and have power to change minds, hearts and the behavior of people. When I read shastras I find one interesting point. In "Bhakti-sandarbha"(Anuccheda 203) Srila Jiva Goswami describes guru on force of influence of his words on the disciple. He quotes from "Brahma-Vaivarta Purana "(was spoken by Sri Dattatreya to King Yadu):
vakta
sa-rago nerago dvividhau parikertitau
sa-rago lolupau kame tad uktaa han na saaspacet
upadecaa karoty eva na pareknaa karoti ca
apareknyopadinoaa yal loka-nacaya tad bhavet
kulaa celam athacaram avicarya paraa gurum
bhajeta cravaeady-arthe sarasaa sara-sagaram
"It is said that there are two kinds of speakers or teachers: 1. passionate and 2. dispassionate. (sa-raga and niraga, with attachments and without attachments). Passionate speakers are lusty and greedy. The words of the man "Without careful study to determine the truth, a passionate person gives instruction. Teaching without careful study brings the destruction of the people."
The dispassionate speaker is described in the following words: "One who desires to hear the truth should approach a bona fide spiritual master, whose words are like nectar and who is like an ocean of truth. He should not take into consideration the spiritual master's family, disposition, or performance of Vedic rituals."
The best of guru- spiritual master's eloquences and other virtues are described in these words from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana:
kama-krodhadi-yukto
’pi kapaeo ’pi
vinadavan
crutva vikacam ayati sa vakta paramo guru
"When hearing the spiritual master's teachings even a person filled with lust, greed, and a host of vices, even a miser, and even a person filled with despair, can enter light or the eternal spiritual world. A person who can beneficially and eloquently speak is the best of spiritual masters."
The meaning of this verse is clear, that you lead us(even such fool and full of lust, greed and so on) by giving nectar of instruction from miserable woods of the darkness of sin of vikarma, karma, jnana, and yoga to the supreme light of the nectarines of loving devotional service to Sri Krishna and His devotees. So, coming nearer to the spiritual teacher, the man feels peace, happiness and spiritual bliss.
In your association our problems cease to be problems, and torment – torments. It is the attribute of the spiritual master. By your words you awaken us from the painful deep dream of material existence and of miseries.
guravo
bahavau santi cinya-vittapaharakau
durlabhau sad-gurur devi cinya-santapaharakau
Many gurus take advantage of their disciples and plunder them. They exploit their disciples for sex, and use them to amass wealth, but a guru who can remove the miseries of his disciples is very rare. (Purana-vakya) And then further more, you remove suffering and afterwards give nectar, -
caitanya
lela-amata-pura, kanea-lela-sukarpura,
duhe mili' haya sumadhurya
sadhu-guru-prasade, taha yei asvade,
sei jane madhurya pracurya
The pastimes of Sri Caitanya are the abode of the nectarean, nectarean love of Godhead. They are like thick condensed milk. The pastimes of Sri Krishna are like camphor. When these are combined they are very sweet. By the mercy of the guru one can taste that sweetness un-limitedly. (C.c. Madhya 25.277)
We want to have loving friends and relatives, who help remove our temporary problems, but you are the best of all of them, because of your desire for our true benefit without any personal benefit, you help us to solve all our problems of material existence from the root and at once. Once Lord Caitanya told to His mother, Sacidevi about our supreme friend:
sei se parama bandhu, sei pita-mata
cre-kanea-caraee yei prema-bhakti-data
sakala janme pita-mata sabe paya
krsna guru nahi mile, bhajaha hiyaya
Under ordinary circumstances one's own father and mother are worshippable, but in every species one gets a father and mother. Far rarer is it to get guru and Krishna. The spiritual master can bestow prema-bhakti to those who have attained his mercy, therefore he is the topmost father, mother, and friend of everyone. (Caitanya Mangala, Madhya-khanda)
mata-pita yuvatayas tanaya vibhutiu
sarvaa yadeva niyamena madanvayanam
adyasya nau kalupater-bakulabhiramaa
cremat-tad-aighri yugalaa praeamami murdhna
I reverently bow down to the blessed feet of the first acharya, Gurudeva of our devotional family. His holy feet are bedecked with offering of bakula flowers. He is eternally united to us and all members of our family with a bond of love dearer than father, mother, sons, wealth, or anything else in life. (Stotra-Ratnam 5)
I ask your blessings to be useful to you in preaching of Krishna consciousness, - nectarean services in mission of Srila Prabhupada and never forget the excellent position of Sri gurudeva in my life.
Servant of your servants,
Nijny Novgorod
Dear Guru Maharaja,
I bring my humble obeisances to your divine grace on your appearance day. All glories to your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
As a perfect disciple of your perfect spiritual master, you spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, making preachers, who are able to share the Krishna consciousness with others. Strictly following all directions of your spiritual master, you give the effective method of spiritual revival of all humanity simply and practically. Possessed with great compassion you preach actively in different countries elevating conditioned souls. Spotless and not dealing in any compromise, devoted unlimitedly to Lord Krishna, you show us the high standard of purity. As a true spiritual master you help one to quickly find their lost judiciousness.
Conditioned souls begin promptly to revive their connection with the Supreme Lord, and they obtain a spiritual experience, and it become difficulty to confuse them. On this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja I am happy to express my gratitude to your divine grace for help in my spiritual life. May good fortune be with you in full. I beg you to forgive my offenses and mistakes. I beg for your mercy to continue, to serve you and to be under the defense of your directions. I am always at your lotus feet in the hope of your causeless mercy.
Your fallen servant,
Krishna Priya devi dasi
Sankt-Petersburg
Our dearmost Gopala Krishna Goswami,
I was born in the darkness of ignorance, but you, my dear spiritual master, have so mercifully opened my eyes with the torchlight of transcendental knowledge. I offer my most fallen obeisances at your divine lotus feet on the fifty-ninth anniversary of your auspicious appearance.
Your supreme devotional service unto Srila Prabhupada and Krishna is exhibited throughout your activities. Your every action is done as an offering to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, and every instruction is to help others come to Krishna. In a world filled with materialism and impersonalism, your devotion shines like the sunshine. You are the personified mercy of your divine spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, our paramguru, who was endowed with the power of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who came to establish the true teaching of Vyasadeva for the benefit of the suffering humanity, who was empowered by Krishna to take His message all over this planet.
You have done so much for us that we can never repay you in any way. Our most important duty is to follow your instructions strictly, because that will please you.
Dear guru maharaja, you are the guide for all our activities. Without your mercy, there is no possibility of solving any problem. Our happiness and advancement is dependent on our undeviatingly following your instructions.
On this most auspicious day of your appearance, I fall at your lotus feet and beg for forgiveness of my countless offenses. I beg to be forever engaged in expanding Srila Prabhupada’s movement birth after birth. I beg for the ability to always meditate on you.
You are a Vaishnava devotee of the Lord. You are like a desire tree, which can fulfill the desires of everyone, and you are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls. But on your appearance day you are especially merciful. I am ashamed that I have forgotten Lord for so many lifetimes. I am ashamed of my attempts to become happy in this material world. I have only one hope, and that is your mercy. I have a strong heart-disease. My heart is full of material desires. So on this auspicious day I beg you to keep only one desire in my heart: to satisfy you. I don’t want to have the desires, which are different from your desires. I beg you to allow me to serve your divine grace for the rest of my life and then to serve you eternally. I beg you to please be merciful to me and make from me a humble servant of your lotus feet. I do not want materialistic freedom. Please don’t leave me. I beg you, please give me the power to keep far from usual, deep seated in my heart conceptions of I and mine. Please be merciful to me and make it such, that they never grow in my heart, and my impulse to surrender you would not be a brief whim.
Begging to be forever engaged in devotional service at your lotus feet,
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Dear Guru Maharaja,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
On this day of your appearance, I particularly like to wish you good health, so that you can continue your preaching on the earth. Due to you people change their lives, get alive and become Krishna conscious.
Your are the one who is meant to lead the conditioned souls towards the light of love and understanding, that the self is Krishna 's servant. Who is able to describe your qualities that are spiritual and inconceivable to us and cannot be fitted into material scheme?
Only by your mercy can one realize something and go on with devotional service, which comes from you and nourishes our souls. All glory and honor and thousands and thousands obeisances to your lotus feet!
Let that day come when I am able to become like you and travel everywhere behind you!
Your eternal servant,
Lila Kirtan dasa
Ust'Kamenogorsk, Kazakstan
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please, accept my bows in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
Dear guru maharaja, you are an absolute example for me of the complete surrender to your spiritual master. You completely have given back yourself in the hand of Srila Prabhupada. You serve the mission and instructions of Srila Prabhupada for a minimum of 20 hours per day by preaching, giving instructions and being engaged in preaching projects. Sometimes you even have no time to take prasadam. You give all your energy during the day, then have rest for 4 hours. Each day like these. Your young servants strain themselves trying to follow your schedule. How is it possible for the human, who is almost 60, and whose body is very sick? How is it possible to travel every year worldwide only a short time staying in one place? And essence of all this activity - to elevate others and to solve their problems. Each time your arrival makes a great impression upon me. You always radiate so much kindness, and so much compassion. You are so eager to serve another that you approach devotees, being interested in their affairs with the desire to help them, if it is necessary. I remember, in Almaty after the Sunday program in a hall, you probably went around all, whom though you slightly knew, and many of them were not your disciples. And after that already on an apartment till one o'clock you gave a picture of Krishna to all who want it. I see this picture always, whenever you arrive. It is impossible to imagine how much cordiality, compassion, self-sacrifice, patience and humility are needed to serve others neglecting oneself. It's not a material level otherwise where can you get so much strength? You have volunteered to take on so much responsibility, inconveniences and sufferings, you permanently radiate so much joy, enthusiasm, happiness and energy. It is a level of pure love of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
Dear guru maharaja, you are a complete example for me. A true spiritual master is an ideal disciple. Your example of life clearly shows me, that there is a perfection of life and that I should achieve. I firmly believe, that if I'll develop even a drop of love for you, from that ocean of love of Srila Prabhupada which you have, I'll achieve all perfection in spiritual life and complete satisfaction of heart. But this is not enough for me. I want to achieve the same perfection in service to you as you have achieved in service to Srila Prabhupada. This is true perfection. And actually, only in this way one can achieve love of Krishna. Yasya prasada bhagavat prasada. And though I often become upset and it seems that there is no hope, in this all auspicious day I ask you, despite my dirty and spontaneous desire to criticize others, to engage me in pure devotional service to you and your mission. That someday when you have thrown your merciful sight upon me and I have achieved perfection.
Trying to be your servant,
Madhupati dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Lord Caitanya! All glories to the pure devotees of ISKCON!
Pure devotees are absorbed in pure devotional service and are connected with the Lord through loving transcendental service. A pure devotee has no material attachments because his body is spiritualized just like an iron bar becomes red-hot when placed in fire.
It is necessary to associate with pure devotees of the Lord in order to increase our attachment to the Lord. Through a bona fide spiritual master one is able to understand the authentic scriptures. A pure devotee always remembers that everything in creation belongs to Krishna. In such a mentality a sadhu chants the transcendental names and glorifies the Lord, because he is always connected with the Lord.
A pure devotee is a soul fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord. The Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Master and everybody else are His servants. Only your association can free one from all his fears. Association with a saintly person plants in one’s soul the seeds of devotional service. Hearing him makes one unattached to anything mundane. Devotional service is transcendental by nature, it is more efficient than artificial sense control.
Misguided living entities must recognize the supreme dominion of God and serve Him, because this is the purpose of human life. Without it one can have no peace. And the goal of pure devotees, saintly persons is to make one fully surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord.
My spiritual master is an ocean of purity, peace and love. By the mercy of the spiritual master the whole world can turn into a spiritual kingdom.
Your servant,
Yaroslavl
My dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my respectful obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this auspicious day of your appearance on this planet, please let me express my congratulations and bow down to your lotus feet with the greatest veneration.
Dear guru maharaja, no words can describe your transcendental qualities, activities and glories. You came to this earth as an eternal servant of Srila Prabhupada, who turned over the whole world and filled it with knowledge.
Guru maharaja, you first visited our country in the beginning of the 90’s, in order to fulfill the desire of your beloved spiritual master. Since then, you are teaching us, mlecchas and yavanas, how to become Krishna conscious. Your unlimited devotion to Srila Prabhupada’s mission and huge enthusiasm melt our iron hearts and inspire us to make endeavours to serve your lotus feet.
We received an enormous amount of luck, the chance to serve such an elevated soul as you. We constantly feel your attention, kindness, endless humility, patience and tolerance towards us. You teach and lead us by everything you do.
Guru maharaja, again and again I bow down to your lotus feet. Please let me serve you birth after birth and become deserving (at least a little) the dust of your lotus feet!
Your unworthy disciple,
Bishkek
My dear Guru Maharaja Gopala Krishna Goswami,
Please accept my lowest obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you, on your appearance day. It is the most bright event in my life. And this my birth, beyond any doubts is most successful, because by the causeless mercy of the Lord it becomes possible to serve you, my dear guru maharaja, though in a true sense it is difficult to call it service. In there are a lot of great and wonderful stars, great and wonderful teachers and preachers, but as soon as I have seen you, at once I understood, that my heart, though dirty, belongs to you. Your kindness, power and simplicity are all-attractive. Therefore I came for your darshan and requested you to accept me as your servant and disciple. You sat among many disciples, like the Moon among stars, smiling, pure and tranquil. After of little consideration you said: " Yes, you can chant my pranama". I left you completely happy, but unable to completely understand what is going on. Then you led me on spiritual, not easy path. As the skilled and careful pilot - captain, who knows visible and underwater stones and reefs, putting in my heart majestic transcendental knowledge. My dear Guru-ji, I wish to congratulate you with a majestic and perfect celebration of your appearance. Also I pray to you, that whatever happens to me, please, do not leave me in this horrible ocean of sufferings.
Yours lowest useless servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my lowest obeisances as a mark of my deepest respect for you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Guru Maharaja, if I have anything good in my life, it is only by your mercy. Krishna’s mercy can be attained only by the mercy of the spiritual master. Without his mercy any attempts to attain spiritual perfection are surely meant to be unsuccessful. That is why I should everyday, every hour remember you, my spiritual master, and glorify you. At least three times a day I should bow down to the lotus feet of my spiritual master with the deepest respect.
Srila Bhagavatpada, preaching the glories of Krishna, you travel all over the world to bring joy and happiness to conditioned souls.
You are ready to bear any discomfort in order to spread the holy name of Lord Hari. Even a second’s association with a pure devotee can confer unalloyed devotional service, and you are so kind to your disciples, that you always strive to pay personal attention and give your merciful association to every disciple. Please let me take safe shelter in the shadow of your lotus feet.
And, let my heart be bound to them with threads of love and devotion forever.
Your submissive servant,
Bishkek
Gurudeva,
I
bow down, and with deep respect drop at your lotus feet.
I
am probably one of the most happiest persons in our world. Lord Krishna has
spilled on me His mercy, and has enabled me to meet with you. After the first
meeting with you in January 2000 in Yaroslavl, my life has changed completely.
At first I did not realize it. Now I want to serve you, and try to carry out all
your instructions. I have understood the meaning of the human form of life.
All
glories to Srila Gopala Krishna Goswami!
With gratitude,
bhaktin
Natalya
Vologda
Dear
Srila Gurudeva,
Hare
Krishna! Please accept my respectful bows in the dust of your lotus feet. All
glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you!
On
this most favorable day of your divine appearance, let me please congratulate
you and try to glorify your amazing qualities. Dear guru maharaja, another one
(third) year has passed since you by your causeless mercy have agreed to give me
shelter near your lotus feet. I am more and more convinced of how extremely
fortunate I am, for Krishna has directed me to a really great person. I look
upto you, I listen to you, and I understand, that to serve the spiritual master
and Krishna like you, can only be done by the purest devotee. Listening to your
wonderful lectures it can be seen, that you in practice personify by yourself a
principle "nothing to add and nothing to reduce", delivered to us by
Srila Prabhupada. Never in your lectures I have heard something absent in the
books of Srila Prabhupada. Very frequently after lecture devotees set questions
to you: "In the lecture you have told, that ...", and you always
answer : "There is not I have told, it is Srila Prabhupada who speaks to us
... ". You constantly inspire all devotees to preach Krishna consciousness,
and you are a fine example of how this preaching is necessary to be carried out.
You do not spend even one day without lectures, meetings and darshans,
where without fatigue you preach the importance of seriously following the
practice of Krishna consciousness, and help by directing all devotees, to
quickly progress in spiritual life, and to non-devotees to become devotees. Your
enthusiasm and determination in preaching amazes not only such neophytes like
me, but even the most elevated devotees. I remember, how in the Divnomorsk
festival last year H. H. Srila Niranjana Swami had told, that he has arrived in
this festival for the purpose of being recharged by you, with your determination
to preach, regardless of anything. You never break your sadhana despite
huge amounts of various duties in the development of the movement of Krishna
consciousness in many regions of the world. Chanting of the holy names, puja
of the Deities, reading the books of Srila Prabhupada, is by far an incomplete
list of the integral part of your daily activities, filled up to the edges with
Krishna consciousness. You never break your sadhana, knowing well that
even the greatest devotee can fall if he is not observing this. Your servants
tell, that frequently you have not enough free time for reading the books of
Srila Prabhupada, and then you ask devotees to read to you at that time, when
you honour prasad. Quite often it happens, that you lie in the bed, thus
giving the servants, who cannot lie down earlier than you, an opportunity to
rest, and when they are already asleep, you without any disturbance, read the
books of Srila Prabhupada. You in a surprising way express your exclusive care
for all your disciples and other devotees, by showing them an example of true
relations in Krishna consciousness. Not missing anyone, you approach everyone
and always ask: " Is it good for you? " And because of only this, it
becomes really very special for devotees. Most interesting, that when you set me
this question, even if my material body at this moment feels very bad, my tongue
failed to tell - No, badly. Near you, the person, who realizes the spiritual
nature, I also begin to understand, that I am not this body and there is no
reason to feel miseries. And you always try to help devotees in the decision of
their problems, however insignificant. Frequently it is necessary to honour prasad
in the time of darshans, because another time for this purpose is not
present, and sometimes you even forget to eat, hotly wishing to help devotees in
their spiritual progress. I am well remembering, how frequently I have came to
you in darshan with something very important, in my sight, question,
which, actually did not require at all to take away your attention from the
really important service, and you, nevertheless, always have found time for
helping me to solve my insignificant problems. And I ask you to forgive me, that
I do not value your precious time and energy at all. I shall try to use
reasonable efforts to deliver to you, as it is possible, less anxieties and to
be more useful to you.
Dear
Srila gurudeva, I was beginning to write this gift at the day of my, not at all
divine, birth. That day many devotees tried to congratulate me on this event,
and I wondered and was puzzled, why they are congratulating me? You see it is
great grief to be born in the material world in Kali-yuga, time of enmity and
hypocrisy. Then Vipina Purandara prabhu approached me, and like many before, has
told: - "I congratulate you, prabhuji! " - " Thanks, but I do not
understand, for what ", answer I to him. - " But I explain you ",
and he has explained to me, that is the great happiness to be born in the
material world during the Kali-yuga, when in this world Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
has appeared, and to be engaged in His sankirtana movement. And I have
thought, that it is really great fortune - to take birth when this movement by
the mercy of Srila Prabhupada is beginning to be distributed worldwide. And more
large good luck of my birth consists in, that for me the great happiness has
dropped out to join this movement and to find you - my dear spiritual master. By
your causeless mercy now I have enough services, that there is no time for prajalpa;
there is enough quantity of prasada, for it would not be bhoga
desirable; the philosophy - for sufficient understanding, that in the material
world I cannot find anything good enough besides the holy names, for in general,
nothing is important except devotional service. Though something would be
desirable, but I believe, that by your mercy all material desires have left me.
Dear guru maharaja, I ask you, to give me an opportunity to remain near your
lotus feet eternally and to serve you with love and devotion, even if life after
life I remain in the material world, if that is your will. Just, please, do not
allow me to forget Krishna. No more I want to be born in the material world with
the mind of a master. Previously I have spent uncountable lives in this
consciousness, but this birth I want to learn to serve you and Krishna,
expecting nothing for myself.
Please
teach me this, and make me a valuable tool in your hands! How can I serve you?
Your unworthy servant,
Dear Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this day of your appearance please accept my clumsy attempts to try to glorify you, although it will be a description of only a drop from the ocean of your transcendental qualities.
You are a sincere and true disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who is an ocean of compassion. All your life is woven from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. You tirelessly preach pure devotional service to the Lord.
Lord Caitanya glorified Haridas Thakura for he had ideally preached and followed the principles of devotional service. Similarly like Haridasa Thakura you constantly preach the glories of the holy names and follow the regulative principles of devotional service strictly. That is why you are my idol whom I must aspire for.
In the ‘Nectar of Devotion’ Rupa Gosvami describes distinctive features of bhava-bhakta. One of them is that the devotee cannot live a second without pleasing Krishna. These features are presented in you.
On this wonderful day of your appearance I look for the shelter of your lotus feet and pray that my life would not pass for nothing, but would be filled with such a strong wish to perform pure devotional service to the Lord as you have. Though it seems to me that it is impossible for me, but by the mercy of a spiritual master a lame man may get over the mountains and a blind man may begin to see clearly. Hare Krishna!
Your useless servant,
Irkutsk
Dear Guru Maharaja,
On this beautiful and joyful day of your appearance for all your disciples, please let me offer my most humble obeisances and sincere congratulations. All glories unto Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada!
Dear guru maharaja, you are very dear to Srila Prabhupada, as, for so many years you have been singing the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, preaching and distributing the Vedic scriptures. One cannot count all the good you do for the fallen conditioned souls.
Dear guru maharaja, you are an endless ocean of compassion, friend of the fallen, and a master of devotees. I don’t know how to express all my gratitude to you for the selfless love and affection you manifest not only to me but to all living entities.
I beg the Lord that He lets me always stay in the association of devotee till the end of my life, and be a particle of dust at your lotus feet. It is only by your and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy that one can cross over the ocean of material existence.
Again and again I bow down to your lotus feet and beg you to show mercy to this fallen soul, so that I may be able to help you in spreading the glories of the holy name and distribute the books of H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada.
Your fallen servant,
bhaktin Olga Andreyeva
Yaroslavl
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Sri-Sri Radha-Golokananda! All glories to Sri-Sri Krishna-Balarama! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada!
On the occasion of your Vyasa-puja, we are very happy to write a few lines to express our gratitude you showered on us. Maharaja, I am still doing my services at the Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama Mandir at Bon-Accueil. I heartily hope maharaja, that your divine health is good. I know it is very late, but still I am sending my offerings for your Vyasa-puja. Maharaja, I would like to tell you, that due to your divine darshan and association, my prabhu has restarted to chant on the divine beads, completing his sixteen rounds daily and also reading Srila Prabhupada’s books with utmost sincerity and devotion.
Maharaja, I would also like to tell you that my marital life is filled with happiness and bliss very much because of our association with your holiness. We sincerely apologize to your holiness in case of any offense occurred due our ignorance at your lotus feet.
From your insignificant disciples,
Bon-Accueil
Dear Guru Maharaja,
All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai! All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to the sankirtana movement! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada Gopala Krishna Goswami!
Dear guru maharaja, please accept my sincere congratulations in honour of your Vyasa-puja. Let each day of your residence in this world more and more increase the number of devotees of Lord Krishna on this planet. So it is, and henceforth it will be, there is no doubts, because you, true devotee of Krishna, continuously travel all over the world and distribute Krishna consciousness, lightening with the teaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu the hearts of conditioned souls suffering due to ignorance thus proving, that you are a plenary portion and representative of Sri Krishna, the true follower of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, worthy disciple of Srila Prabhupada, having all blessings of his holiness and real friend of all living entities. When the disciple accepts a guru, he thus accepts the mission of guru, because guru and his mission are inseparable. The importance of the person is appreciated by his aim of life. Mission of your life is to rescue conditioned fallen souls from the clutches of death, just like Lord Krishna. Therefore guru and Krishna are united. By serving your mission I am serving your guru maharaja, Srila Prabhupada, and Krishna.
I am unlimitedly grateful to you for all your concern for us. I am unable to adequately thank you for your uncaused mercy to me, even if I shall spend a millions lives, therefore I try to thank you by eternal service to your mission unselfishly by distributing your mercy to other people. Your mercy is so boundless and wonderful, that distributing it to another, I feel that I receive it from you more and more. Because of your mercy the number of devotees have increased even in our region, which is usually considered as an extinct zone because of ecological crisis. Let those souls, who have received your mercy through us chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra in our territories, and become flowers in a modest garland, which I want to present to you on the day of your Vyasa-puja. I feel real happy only those minutes of my life, when someone receives your mercy through me, therefore I implore you to award me with distribution of your mercy to others, make me one of your tools in your noble activity.
Sincerely yours humble servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
After I met you my life became filled with profound meaning and after I became your aspiring disciple I became filled with pride and happiness. I attentively watch your life and cannot help admiring your humility, greatness and exemplary devotional service. Truly, you are the person whom I am ready to follow unconditionally, obediently and happily. Let me express my best wishes for your noble service as well as all my respect and dedication to you.
Your grateful servant,
bhakta Sergei Zaitsev
Yaroslavl
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, I sincerely offer you my low, low obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you my dear and beloved Srila gurudeva!
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada, your mercy, purity and love for Krishna is unlimited and your kindness is like a deep ocean and you are the most compassionate.
My dearest father, I am the most fallen soul, full of unlimited material desires. The strength of maya's effect is very powerful. Despite, the fact that the living entities always have the free will to choose between Krishna and maya, however maya is very tricky and expert at robbing the intelligence. Therefore gurudeva, please be merciful to your worthless daughter give her your blessings to be strong in cutting maya's force. Please forgive me for all my offenses and for troubles which we have caused to you.
Please guru maharaja, bless me so that I can seriously follow your instructions, thereby giving pleasure to you and Krishna and so that your and Krishna's lotus feet will always be my sole shelter.
Again and again I bring my lowest obeisances to your lotus feet with great respect and humility. Jaya Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!
Your most fallen daughter, desiring to follow your instructions sincerely,
Tashkent
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Please accept my congratulations from the very heart on your appearance day. May you always be surrounded by sincere, attentive and caring people.
By your causeless mercy your love of God is pouring like nectar in our hearts, giving us strength and faith that gradually our service to your lotus feet will become more and more desirable and sincere. Then we'll be able to hope of obtaining a chance to one day become worthy of your divine grace by preaching the glories of chanting of Lord Caitanya's holy name, which you are giving to us from your spiritual master - Srila Prabhupada.
Be always healthy. I wish you happiness.
Your humble servant,
Perm
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. Please let me congratulate you on this auspicious day of your appearance. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories unto Srila Prabhupada! All glories unto you!
You are always participating in the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna, beholding Their lotus faces and serving Their lotus feet. You possess such great love for Krishna and you are full of compassion for all living entities, because you give them a chance to remember their original relationship with Krishna. Thus you are satisfying your spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, and therefore you are very dear to Lord Krishna.
Let me serve the dust of your lotus feet and try to please you by following your instructions.
Due to you material desires are getting substituted by spiritual ones. By your grace and the grace of your disciples I have had the great fortune of chanting the holy names of the Lord and remaining in the association of devotees. Thank you for that.
Also let me thank you for giving me an opportunity to help you worship our Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai in Nizhni Novgorod. This gives me a chance to always remember you and better understand my true position. Let me always remain your servant.
Please bless me to attentively chant the holy name, always remain in the association of devotees, and continue to worship Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai! And also give me your blessings to go to the holy dhama. Kindly let me always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
Your servant,
N. Novgorod
My dear Guru Maharaja,
Though I am not very competent, but please accept both my sincere bows and congratulations. Because of you I have found the true aim of life and I am very grateful to you for this. By all my existence I am in a duty to you. I wish, that the number of your sincere followers increases more and more.
Yours unworthy and fallen disciple,
bhakta Umid
My
dear Guru Maharaja,
Please
accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I
wish you longevity for the benefit of your tireless preaching mission.
I
am so grateful to you for giving me shelter at your lotus feet. Please let me
prostrate myself before your lotus feet.
Your
eternal servant,
Bishkek
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please receive my compliments at the dust of your lotus feet.
On this favourable day of Vyasa-puja let me congratulate you and express the deepest gratefulness for your grace upon us. We have the greatest chance to be your pupils and it is the only thing of which we are proud.
You are very dear to Srila Praphubada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thanks to your boundless grace and the deepest compassion to the fallen and innocent souls the movement of Krishna consciousness has penetrated into our places and continues spreading all over the world. We know well how you are attentive, solicitous and kind to all your disciples. In spite of your being fully busy, you still find time to spare your attention for each of us. You know while starting the way of spiritual development we feel different difficulties because of our ignorance. Even in this case your darshans are really priceless for us. We can never realize your greatness.
Our dear spiritual teacher, please receive our deepest respect. We pray to you to shed a drop of your mercy on us, thanks to which we would be able to be free from all material desires. Our only desire is to serve your lotus feet forever.
Your humble disciples,
My dear Spiritual Master,
I am very happy to congratulate you on the auspicious day of your appearance.
Your devotion and courage in executing the mission of Srila Prabhupada inspires all your disciples to continue their service. We all hope to receive your blessings with pure devotion. It is for the forth time since my initiation ceremony that I am writing you a Vyasa-puja letter.
By the grace of Balarama prabhu and Yashomatinandana prabhu and my other godbrothers we can learn about your wonderful preaching mission all over the world. We are reading those letters that Srila Prabhupada wrote to you and see how great was your service from the very beginning of our movement. We can dream and pray to the Lord that someday we may also perform some significant service in your mission. But now we can only do our humble insignificant service.
To please Lord Krishna, we have to please the spiritual master. For me it is very difficult to please you personally, so I try to please your disciples who can render your divine grace more essential service: Amrita prabhu, Sadhu Priya prabhu and other devotees. Thus I hope to receive your spiritual guidance and blessings for devotional service.
Your fallen servant,
Vishvamitra dasa
Moscow
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Accept, please, my humble and respectful obeisances and let me congratulate you on the day of your Vyasa-puja. The day of the appearance your divine mercy in this world signifies for so many living entities, the revival of their mutual relations with the Supreme Divine Personality.
Very long I wandered in the darkness of ignorance, and Lord Krishna by His causeless mercy gave me an opportunity to realize my original position. He has sent me the bona fide spiritual master, His representative, the only person, who is capable with the torch of knowledge to dissipate a gloom, hiding from me the Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead. The true spiritual master possesses all elevated qualities, which make him attractive to all living entities. He is very dear to Lord Krishna because of continuous worship to Him and engaging his disciples. Mercy of the Lord is possible to receive only through satisfying the spiritual master, intimate servant of Krishna. Therefore I am intending always to remember directions of the spiritual master and to follow them.
Dear gurudeva, respectfully I decline to your lotus feet and submissively ask you to accept my obeisances. Hare Krishna!
Your servant,
Vrindavana dasa brahmacari
Dear
Guru Maharaja
Srila Gopala Krishna Goswami,
Please,
accept my humble bows at your lotus feet. Now I am with pension, live in home
and see you very rare. In the temple I am trying to come often as it is
possible. I am attending all feasts. Recently, together with devotees of our
Nama Hatta, I went to Vladimir on Ratha-yatra. There I saw you, heard your
lectures, and rolled the Deities in the chariots together with all devotees.
All has passed very well. I am trying to follow your instructions and to serve the devotees in the temple. If I have to perform with result something, it is only by your mercy. Very much grateful to you for these.
Your useless servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada!
Let me congratulate you on this wonderful day of your Vyasa-puja. I am tirelessly glorifying you for your kindness and attention which you are always giving to us.
Guru maharaja, you are a truly great soul, a mahatma, who gives all his energy to spreading Krishna consciousness. Whether you are healthy or sick, you are always ready to fight. Srila Prabhupada was also anxious to fight regardless of the condition of his health.
Guru maharaja, you are always ready to serve your spiritual master, and are always thinking how to better spread the Krishna consciousness movement in every town and village and to save as many souls of the Kali-yuga as possible. Thus serving your spiritual master you have developed many of Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual qualities, and one of them is the mentality of Prahlada Maharaja – compassion for all living entities.
Because of you we can serve Krishna, chant the holy name and thus purify our heats of the dust accumulated for so many lifetimes.
Thank you for coming to us and giving us the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Please excuse all my conscious or unconscious offenses.
Your unworthy servant,
Yaroslavl
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances on this holy day of your Vyasa-puja. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Once again we get a chance to meditate on your divine qualities and activities. You are a Vaikuntha man who has descended to this world just to shower the Lord's mercy on fallen souls like us. You are kindness and compassion personified. You have nothing to do with the three modes but you are always busy with different devotional activities of hearing, chanting, worshiping, and preaching. You want each and every soul to become a pure devotee of the Lord and you don't mind making any personal sacrifice to accomplish this. Your body is made of Srila Prabhupada's orders, and you offer it back to him in the sacrifice of preaching.
Preaching is your essence. Out of twenty-four hours of your day at least sixteen are dedicated to preaching. For you preaching means lecturing, singing kirtanas, giving darshans, meeting devotees and guests, pushing forward different preaching projects in your zones and helping push the movement wherever you are asked for.
Purity is the force, the vehicle which makes your preaching possible. Lord Caitanya said, krsna sakti vina nahi tara pravartana - without being empowered by Krishna nobody can preach the sankirtana movement. You are accomplishing multimillion projects like ‘Glory of India Vedic Cultural Center’ and other big projects. You convince people by your purity. Just your one glance, just your one smile is enough to win a person's heart and offer it to the soft, shining, lotus-like feet of Lord Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada's books are your foundation. You don't budge an inch from them. You always say that all we need to know is there in Srila Prabhupada's books and you actually mean this. So Srila Prabhupada's books are the foundation of both your preaching and your purity.
And utility is your principle. You inherited from Srila Prabhupada the art to act according to time, place and circumstances. Krishna gives you perfect knowledge of this material world and how to use it in His service, and you are doing so while being always detached and Krishna conscious.
There are no limits of how we can describe your transcendental qualities. This was simply a one millionth part of a drop of the ever-expanding ocean of your gunas. Again and again I offer my prostrated obeisances to your lotus feet, and pray that I may remain your humble servant birth after birth.
Your servant,
Yasomatinandana dasa
Yaroslavl
NEW DELHI
Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at
your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
I am really grateful to you to have
considered me as one of your disciples, although I am such a conditioned soul
probably qualifying or meeting ‘none’ of the standards of bhakti. In
fact, we are all so very fortunate to have you as our spiritual master, although
we are such fallen souls possessing not even one single quality to become your
servant. Although am in no capacity to glorify you, I am just making an effort
to do so with your blessings.
Guru maharaja, you have made the
mission of Srila Prabhupada your life and soul and have become an example for
all of us, as far as dealing with every individual is concerned. Your presence
is so pure and powerful, that it spreads its vibrations to impart energy and
motivate us to perform our spiritual activities. You always carry great humility
and maintain tolerance in any circumstances. Watching you perform the basic
principles of ‘simple living-high thinking’, as laid down by Srila
Prabhupada, one is greatly encouraged to practice Krishna consciousness when one
gets in touch with you. You are like a loving and caring father who does not
want any of your disciples to be left behind, and you take personal interest in
each and every disciples’ spiritual progress. Always enquiring about your
disciples and their families, you are deeply moved whenever you find a fellow
being in pain.
Your glories are unlimited!
You want to see your disciples always engaged in preaching and devotional
service and advancing in Krishna consciousness, but people like us who have
their clutches stuck deep into this material world of maya are so useless
and rotten that we do not even make an effort to follow your instructions.
Knowing that we can get liberated from this cycle of birth and death by
rendering unalloyed service onto the lotus feet of our spiritual master, we are
still unable to perform. The reason precisely being our selfish motive of
enjoying this material world and indulging in sense gratification rather than
devotional service.
I sincerely beg to be pardoned for all
my mistakes, so as to at least qualify to render service unto your lotus feet,
by making an effort towards fulfilling the desires of Srila Prabhupada with a
similar kind of devotion and dedication as yours.
Your humble servant,
Advaita Krishna dasa
Panchsheel
Respected Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Sri Sri Radha Parthasarati mandir is the ripened fruit of your intense desire and complete faith and surrender to Srila Prabhupada.
After coming to the spiritual hospital, Sri Sri Radha Parthasarati mandir, I was diagnosed as a patient of a very serious disease called Bhava-roga. By your divine mercy I along with many other suffering souls are getting treated under your guidance by an expert spiritual doctor.
By your mercy maharaja, I got the transcendental treasure of the holy name, Srila Prabhupada books, association of devotees, Mayapur and Sri Vrindavana dhama. - A debt I can never repay.
Thousands of suffering souls are getting spiritual benefit from the temple. The museum is so unique, once seen, nobody can stop glorifying. All this gives us a deep insight into your vast vision and compassion for the suffering souls.
All this in Delhi is just fraction of your potency. Your hard work and glories in Mumbai, Russia and other countries of the world are not unknown.
Maharaja, please forgive my offenses and please train me in the science of Krishna consciousness, to become an instrument in serving the desires of Sri Guru and Gauranga Mahaprabhu.
Your unqualified servant,
bhakta Aneesh
(IYF)
My beloved Maharaja,
Such an unfortunate soul am I that I don’t know how to glorify your qualities or reveal my mind and heart unto you. But still by the mercy and inspiration of your disciples I shall make an attempt.
I am beginning to realize that only by your mercy, knowingly or unknowingly, I came under the shelter of your sincere disciple H.G. Mohan Rupa prabhu and joined IYF-Delhi in the year 1999. Since then I started slowly, slowly understanding your mission as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada and Lord Gauranga. Whenever I see myself, I always find myself incapable to render service unto your lotus feet. But then again when I look at your instructions and your disciples then again I feel enthusiastic and inspired to give my all efforts to render some service unto your lotus feet.
I beg for your mercy. My aspiration knows no bounds when I think of taking initiation from you. But again it reminds me of the dedication I need to have at the lotus feet of Sri Guru.
So I bow down again and again unto your lotus feet on your blissful appearance day, and beg sincerely for your mercy to bless this insignificant fallen soul with dedication and attachment unto your lotus feet forever.
My situation is very dangerous and I beg you to protect me. Out of many, one of your qualities is that you are very merciful and loving to one who comes at your lotus feet. I am a very fallen soul with no good qualities.
I repeatedly beg for your mercy.
bhakta Anil Patnaik
(IYF)
Dearest Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi! All glories to you on this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja!
Guru maharaja, you do not have any other interest in life besides serving your spiritual master and engaging in Lord Krishna’s service twenty-four hours of the day. Our spiritual progress is equal to nil, because of so many material attachments. We want to follow your instructions and cross over this ocean of material existence. We sincerely request you dear guru maharaja, to please condone our imperfections and offenses at your lotus feet.
Please shower us with your causeless mercy. We have unlimited debts to pay to you guru maharaja, because you have pulled us out from material nescience. Therefore, kindly help us to remain constantly engaged in the service of Srila Prabhupada and yourself.
Guru maharaja, you always make us feel so very special, even though we do not deserve it even a wee bit. You are always concerned about our well-being all the time. You may be physically very exhausted but yet you give us your full attention whenever and wherever you see us. You never hesitate or ignore us. Moreover you are so humble that you are always thanking us so many times, which we do not deserve at all. You are a personification of pure devotional service.
Gurudeva, please help us fix our minds totally on your lotus feet, as we feel it would only then be possible to obtain pure devotional service unto Lord Krishna. We cannot forget that there was a day when we had no feelings for you and our contaminated minds could not understand your merciful association. Our heart glitters with joy on this most auspicious day of your appearance.
Gurudeva, we hope that some day you are able to make a glorious temple here in Gurgaon as well. We feel that many others in this city share the same amount of love and care we have got from you. The inhabitants of Gurgaon comprehend truly the meaning of a genuine guru by following in your footsteps. With your kind help, preaching programs can become more strong, so please guide us to become better Vaishnavas, and become worthy of your divine grace.
Your servant begging for your mercy,
Aniruddha priya devi dasi and
Acyuta Hari dasa
Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to you on this auspicious day of your appearance and to your unlimited services to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Srila Prabhupada!
Gurudeva, you are an ocean of transcendental qualities. Your devotional service is unparalleled. You are an unique example of complete surrender to Lord Krishna. You have great determination and dedication to serve Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi endlessly. You have a strong desire to fulfill the desires of Srila Prabhupada. You are very tolerant, kind, merciful and friendly towards every living entity. You are publishing and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books, so you are very dear to your guru maharaja.
In Siksastakam, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu writes the qualities of a Vaishnava.
trnad
api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna
amanina
manadena, kirtaniyah sada harih
You have all the qualities, namely humbleness, tolerance, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others and always chant the holy name of the Lord.
You are tirelessly preaching Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message and engaging thousands of human beings in His service. You practice whatever you preach. Srila Sanatana Goswami said to Haridasa Thakura in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 4.102:
apane
acare keha, na kare pracara
pracara karena
keha, na karena acara
Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Krishna consciousness, whereas others preach but do not behave properly.
acara,
pracara, namera karaha dui karya
tumi-sarva-guru,
tumi jagatera arya
You simultaneously perform both duties in relation to the holy name by your personal behaviour and by your preaching. Therefore you are the spiritual master of the entire world, for you are the most advanced devotee in the world.
You are a real guru of the whole universe according to Srila Sanatana Goswami. I am extremely fortunate to be under your kind care. I have neither any qualifications nor determination to serve Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi, Srila Prabhupada or your divine grace. Please bless me so that I can serve the Lord, Srila Prabhupada, you, and other Vaishnavas, and become an instrument in spreading Krishna consciousness. You are my only and ultimate means. I am under your refuge. I do not know how miserable this material world is, but I have heard about this from sadhu, guru and sastra. Please save me from this nescience, and lead me in the direction of getting Krishna-prema.
krsna
se tomara, krsna dite paro
tomara sakati
ache
ami to kangala,
krsna krsna boli
dhai tava pache
pache
Krishna is yours. You are able to give Him to me, for such is your power. I am indeed wretched and simply run after you, crying Krishna! Krishna!
I pray to Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi for your good health, and to fulfill all your divine desires.
A fallen soul, trying to become your humble servant,
bhakta Ashwini
My
dear Gurudeva Maharaja,
Hare
Krishna! Kindly accept my ‘Charana – sparsha’ unto your holy feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Maharaja,
I am happy here due to your mercy. My
devotion is also progressing by your mercy.
Maharaja, by accepting your advice to do bhakti on “as or where
basis”, I have started chanting my rounds while traveling in bus. This helped
me not only in completing my sixteen rounds but also in preaching to other
persons surrounding me. Also I
distributed ‘Srimad Bhagavad-gita As It Is’ to the persons who used
to play cards in the park and other small books also, which helped them in
joining Krishna consciousness.
Gurudeva,
please continue to bless me similarly so that I continue doing some service unto
you forever.
Your servant,
bhakta Chandra Deep Roy
Respected Guru Maharaja,
You are requested to please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace! Vande guroh sri-caranaravinda.
On this most blissful occasion I am getting an opportunity to explain my views. We, the disciples are sitting here in our homes and are getting your blessings from wherever you are in the world. I personally feel your presence spiritually whenever I remember you. I feel that spiritually you always remain anga-sanga with your disciples, whenever they remember you with true senses.
I pray for your magnanimity on most fallen souls like me, as you help me to realize who I am, from where I have come and what object is to be achieved.
In this Kali-yuga it is very difficult for simple ordinary human beings to remain free from the clutches of maya, but by your kripa I hope that your true disciples will cross the ocean of nescience.
You are also requested to please keep up your kripa on fallen souls like me. On this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, I beg at your lotus feet and pray to you to bless me with pure love for Srimati Radharani and Sri Krishna.
Obediently yours,
Dwarka Priya dasa
Rohini
Most respected Srila Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to this auspicious day of your appearance on this earth! We always pray to Sri Sri Radha-Govinda for your long and healthy life.
How can we please you with our imperfect and impure senses is a big question. How can we discharge our duty to serve you! When will we give up our animalistic attitudes! Please take care of us more and more, as there is no other person other than you who is so merciful. We do not have the ability to glorify your transcendental qualities.
We are all thankful to Lord Krishna Who has sent you to us as our spiritual master and guide. You are continuously engaged in setting us right, although by nature we are prone to tamo-guna. O karuna-sindhu, you have changed our lives. Despite our busy schedule, you have always been alert to see that each and every disciple of yours is engaged in serving Krishna.
As we are most fallen souls, we fall again and again into materialistic life, and you save us every time, like Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to save His devotees. Still we continue to commit mistakes without learning from our past mistakes.
You are a true representative of the Lord, carrying out the orders of your spiritual master H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada so expertly, that it is hard to imagine or believe this through our material senses. You are expert in using one’s ability to serve Lord Krishna. “Purity is the force, preaching is the essence, utility is the principle and books are the basis”, is always in your mind for spreading Krishna consciousness.
We cannot write your glories on a single paper. A whole book will be insufficient for this purpose, as your glories are endless as those of Lord Krishna.
Respected gurudeva, please arrange to provide a temple in Rohini and with your blessings. We feel, I repeat, only with your blessings and inspiration, we feel that we will be able to spread Krishna’s message.
On this most auspicious day, we pray at your lotus feet for your continued mercy and blessings, although we do not qualify, so that we can follow your instructions and help you in your mission of spreading Krishna consciousness.
Please forgive us and correct us for all our continued mistakes and offenses. Without you we will be nowhere.
Once again we offer our humble and respectful dandavats at your lotus feet, and beg you to please drag us out of this material world. Again we wish you a long and healthy life.
Your useless servants,
Harikesh dasa, Priya Mukund
dasa, Ambika dasi, Rukmani devi dasi and Radha Keshava dasa
Rohini
Our most revered Guru Maharaja,
Please accept this minute offering to you on this most auspicious day of your appearance on this planet. You have pandered all our basic needs to be a proper human being. I personally couldn’t have thought of having the pleasure of your association. Being in the 12th standard, I seek your kind blessings to help me get through the phase of elementary education. Kindly guide me what I should pursue after completion of school. Without your guidance I would be nowhere. Therefore please suggest to me what I should be doing.
Gurudeva, my mind remains totally contaminated. Hence, guide me towards righteousness. Materialist activities allure me. Please give me your causeless mercy to help me come out of the darkness of ignorance. Bless me so that I can increase my chanting and become regular in it and engage myself in devotional service.
Your aspiring disciple, a fallen soul,
bhakta Harsh Joneja
Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obesiances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
I am your insignificant servant. This is the most auspicious day of the year for me as it marks your appearance day. On this day I beg for your mercy so that I may be able to serve you and other Vaishnavas better.
I remember once while on a preaching tour you told me at the airport to preach to nearby student communities. "What else do we want? Just save as many souls as you can. That's our mission."
On another occasion during Jaipur Ratha-yatra when I told you that my parents are totally repulsive of my spiritual practice, you said, "This is the misfortune of the whole of Hindustan”. But ultimately Lord Krishna is our parent, and you know how to serve your real parents."
Guru maharaja, on this auspicious day I hope for your causeless mercy to be your real servant.
Your unworthy servant,
Keshava Krishna dasa
(Delhi college of engineering)
Pujya Srila Bhagavatpada,
On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja, please accept my humble obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your respected guru maharaja!
Guru maharaja, I am a totally unqualified person, and not even on the first step of bhakti. I get easily lured and carried off with materialistic bounces. I am living in complete darkness searching for your eternal shelter.
You are also called an ocean of mercy, and so, even a drop of that mercy will be enough to purify me.
I know that you are not at all happy or satisfied with me. Guru maharaja, please guide me so that if I sometimes deviate from following rules and regulations, what should be my act, as I am a very fussy and emotional girl. I realize my mistakes only after committing them.
Being clearly exposed to the vast knowledge of Krishna-bhakti, I can still say with confidence that I love my temple, I love dear Krishna and I feel proud to have you as my gurudeva.
I want you to give me your causeless mercy, so that I can advance in every area, especially in my studies and in your seva.
Knowing that ‘harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam’, still interest in chanting has not aroused. Seriously speaking, I am not regular in chanting.
Therefore, please help a fallen soul. Lastly, let me express my sincere gratitude to you for accepting me as your servant.
Your aspiring disciple,
bhaktin Khyati Joneja
My respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to my guru maharaja, and all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Your glories are spread throughout the three worlds. You have come to this world in order to save it, and to save the fallen souls from the darkness of ignorance. Guru maharaja, you are always merciful, and you don’t rebuke when others hurt you. You always guide me internally also, yet in spite of that, I have great weaknesses. I cannot tolerate when people talk in an unauthentic way, that there is no difference between Krishna and the demigods. I always take advise from Krishnangi mataji about how I can overcome this tendency. She said that my tolerance power is of a low level, and that I should have patience as you guru maharaja, are very merciful.
Gurudeva, you have unlimited qualities. You always shine with your soft smile in spite of so much of burden on you, while spreading the glories of Lord Krishna. You travel throughout the planet in order to bring real happiness and peace to the conditioned souls. You tolerate all inconveniences. You never bother about your prasadam, whether the prasadam is tasteful or tasteless. You always think of your guru maharaja Srila Prabhupada and how he will be happy.
Guru maharaja, your glories are countless. I can glorify you only in a small way, as I am not qualified to glorify you.
Gurudeva, without your mercy and blessings I cannot give service to you as well as Lord Krishna. As I have only your shelter, Lord Krishna will be compelled to accept me. Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. Please accept this offering on your Vyasa-puja celebration.
Your most humble servant,
Krishna katha devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace and all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
The goal of life of every disciple is to please his spiritual master. By pleasing you, everything is achieved.
sri-guru carane
rati ei sei uttama gati
If one pleases his spiritual master one obtains the dust of your lotus feet; which is most essential for our spiritual advancement in devotional service. Maharaja a pure devotee like you always thinks about the benefit of others.
bharat
bhumita haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthak
kari kara para upakara
One who has taken birth, as a human being in the land of India should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people. Dear guru maharaja, on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja celebration, my only prayer is to develop a sincere desire to serve your lotus feet eternally.
Your most fallen soul,
Ksirodaksayi Vishnu dasa
My
most respected and dearest Guru Maharaja,
Please
accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
On
this most special event of your Vyasa-puja, I want to tell you something
although I am not pure or perfect. Maharaja you are very humble, pure and a
perfect acharya.
Maharaja,
the day you told my brother (bhakta Mitra dasa) to join as a full time devotee,
I was very happy that day, because I know that was your mercy. Maharaja I need
your mercy and blessings because without your mercy I cannot grow in my
spiritual life. I pray to my Lord Krishna to give my maharaja a very long life
and good health.
Your unqualified children,
bhaktins Lata and Puja
Dear Srila
Bhagavatpada,
Please
accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet on this most
auspicious day of your transcendental Vyasa-puja. All glories unto you
Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories unto Srila Prabhupada!
Dear
gurudeva, please bestow your causeless mercy upon me, so that I always remain in
devotional service at your lotus feet. It is through your causeless mercy, that
you have given me this opportunity to perform transcendental activities of
attempting to write a ‘Sri Vyasa-puja’ offering.
I
am totally incapable of properly glorifying you. I know that I am the cause of
your anxiety and disturbance, still you are merciful to me. I have no strength
or intelligence of my own, therefore I beg at your lotus feet, to please help me
to accomplish the goal for the purpose of which spiritual masters appear in the parampara
system, to awaken prema-bhakti in the heart of a disciple.
Dear
Srila Bhagavatpada, I thank you very much for giving me the treasure of the seed
of devotional service. You gave me the chance to avoid the biggest danger in
this mortal world; that is repeated birth and death. I am eternally indebted to
you. My dear lord and master, transcendental prema comes from you. You
are a saintly person who is constantly shedding divine light on all living
beings, who have forgotten godhead, and who have lost their original position
and eternal contact with Godhead.
Guru
maharaja, please always keep this most fallen disciple of yours in the dust of
your lotus feet, like you have always done, although I do not deserve it. Please
let me extend some service to you with my inferior senses. Somehow keep me
tagging along. May I always see you imparting your spiritual strength to all
always!
Your most unworthy servant,
Madhusudan Priya dasa
My dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace on this most auspicious occasion of Sri Vyasa-puja!
By your hard work and constant blessings we have been able to complete the ‘Glory of India Project’ and Vedic Expo Museum to preach Krishna consciousness as Srila Prabhupada desired. We want to thank you on this day of Vyasa-puja and pray that Srila Prabhupada should benedict you with more power to accomplish more for him, and you may engage us in more service. We have now started the Midday Meal programme for children in Delhi. This will be a very great preaching program since it is the first of its kind for Delhi schools.
We can understand by your colossal accomplishments in Krishna consciousness that you are most dear to Srila Prabhupada. You have remained his most dedicated and determined disciple throughout your life, carrying out to the greatest perfection each and every detail of the most difficult tasks Srila Prabhupada gave you. We are amazed by the spiritual strength and intelligence he personally blessed you with, and can see that because of your sincerity you have received the full mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Therefore, I pray always for some chance to assist you in Srila Prabhupada's service.
On many occasions Srila Prabhupada revealed his mind to you and entrusted you with his most important projects. He ordered you to preach in Russia, and now see how many thousands of devotees have been created there. He made you G.B.C. for all of India and you have continuously developed the major temples here like Mumbai, Delhi, Vrindavan, Chandigarh, and the other temples throughout north and west India. Not only in India, you have developed Krishna consciousness in Canada from the very beginning of ISKCON, and are constantly traveling throughout the world to preach Krishna consciousness.
You have successfully fulfilled many of the instructions Srila Prabhupada gave you in your lifetime, and now you are constantly thinking about one more project he asked you to complete, which is a magnificent temple at Kurukshetra. We pray that by some divine manifestation of your mercy you will inspire us and allow us to assist you in this project. We are always ready to help you and remain eternally at your lotus feet in humility.
Your servant,
Mahamantra dasa
om ajnana
timirandhasya jnananjana salakhaya
Dear Spiritual Master,
On this bright day of your appearance please accept our innumerable obeisances and our miserable attempts to glorify you in the dust of your lotus feet.
Material words are faded and limited and cannot describe and glorify your divine qualities which you have got as an empowered representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.
What impressed us most is your boundless faith and devotion to your beloved spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, your constant absorption in the service of his mission and your incredible devotion to Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi. Your causeless mercy to us, fallen and unworthy souls is really unlimited. You are generously pouring your mercy upon everybody who gets in touch with you.
Guru maharaja, please give us your mercy so that we can subdue our false ego, intelligence and mind and have full faith in guru, sadhu and shastra. Guru maharaja, you are our eye-opener and our eternal father and guide. We therefore bow down at your lotus feet with all humility on this auspicious day. Thank you again for your kind blessings and please accept our humble apologies for our offenses at your lotus feet.
Jaya Srila gurudeva!
Your fallen disciples,
Nitya Kishore dasa and Shruti
Priya devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
The appearance of your divine grace is the greatest event. I am very happy and glad to offer you my most sincere congratulations on this wonderful occasion. The power of your divine person is completely unlimited and is spread everywhere. I am delighted and charmed by your numerous transcendental qualities.
By following your instructions and serving your mission, my mind will gradually get purified and I will part with material fears and desires just like all your disciples, so I beg for your mercy. I commit many mistakes, which bring pain to my soul. Therefore I humbly bow down to your lotus feet and request you to pour on me your spiritual strength. And maybe then I will be able to follow the path of spiritual advancement and become your worthy disciple.
Dear guru maharaja, please don't deprive this fallen soul of your mercy.
Your unworthy servant,
This is a poem offered to our guru maharaja:
A gloomy
sight
Stormy day
Dark, foggy
night
Turbulent
mind
Restless
body
Fearful
heart
Pensive
mood
Life in
turmoil
A sudden
beam of light
Sunny day
Moonlit
night
Calm mind
Restful
body
Joyful
heart
Life in a
peaceful swing
The bright
sunshine
Beloved
Guru Maharaja smiles
Surrender
begins
Mercy
showers
Happiness
flows
Vacuum
fills
Love
perpetuates
Faith
strengthens
Mission
accomplishes
Such is the
power of our beloved guru maharaja
-Composed by Radhika krpa
devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your divine grace!
It is our great fortune that we are sailing under your matchless mercy. Your love and care has made us shed all apprehensions. To serve your lotus feet is our endless desire.
guru
jaisa nahin koi dev,
jis mastak bhag, so laaga sev
These inspiring lines from the sacred Guru Granth Sahib state that there is no demigod equal to guru and those who are blessed get the opportunity to serve the guru.
Srimad-Bhagavatam too states in 5:18:12
yasyati
bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samaste
surah
All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation become manifested in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva
Such
is the personality of our guru maharaja.
The shelter
of your lotus feet has always aspired by us.
How can a
lotus bloom
without the
sight of the sun
and how can
man obtain salvation without a guru
These beautiful lines were spoken by guru Amardasa-ji (3rd sikh guru) when his quest for a guru was over. This is a declaration made by him recalling us to meditate upon the lotus feet of the spiritual master.
We pray to you for granting us the spiritual strength and intelligence to remain fixed in devotional service.
Your children,
Rasapriya dasa and Radhika
krpa devi dasi
Punjabi bagh
My dear Srila Gopala Krishna Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to your lotus feet! All glories to your preaching activity in India, which is the shelter for fallen souls like me! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I am very fortunate to have you as my guru, and it is the mercy of Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada that I have got a spiritual master like you. Service to, and the association of a pure spiritual master, brings about purity, enthusiasm, dedication in spiritual life, purification of consciousness, and God realization.
Srila Bhagavatpada, I am very thankful to you for allowing me to serve you. Please keep me at your lotus feet, and forgive me for my offenses.
Your fallen servant,
Rasik dasa
My dearest beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my most sincere and humble obeisances. Bowing down my head at your lotus feet and ardently appealing for your causeless mercy, this servant begs to take part in the celebration of your supremely auspicious appearance day. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!
One of your special qualities is that you are compassionate to the fallen souls even though their qualifications are meagre. You give them a chance to be initiated and receive the holy name. Such a soul as I feel so fortunate to have you as my spiritual master, guru maharaja.
From the very first day after taking initiation I'm sincerely trying to follow your instructions and your desire to preach the mission of Srila Prabhupada as envisioned by Lord Gauranga and the previous acharyas. In my attempt to please you, I'll try to engage my energy and myself in the propagation of this divine mission. Please forgive my offenses and engage me in your service.
Let your sweet words (instructions) resonate forever in my heart, inspiring me to continue with devotional service at your holy lotus feet.
I pray that one day, by your mercy, I may be fully engaged in your service.
Wishing to always be near your lotus feet,
Your servant,
Rasikabandhu dasa
Dear Guru Maharaja,
On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja, please accept our humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to our respected guru maharaja!
On this auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, we pray to Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi to give you good health and a long life. We can never express our gratitude you for bringing us on the path of suddha-krsna-bhakti, and saving us from the clutches of maya.
We are fortunate to receive an opportunity to make a small attempt to glorify your spiritual qualities, which are unlimited. You are so kind and merciful, that you have accepted us your disciples and given us the shelter of your lotus feet, although we are fallen and unqualified to receive the same.
Guru maharaja, you are a perfect acharya and spiritual master, and are always fully engaged in rendering spiritual service and the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to fallen souls, to fulfill the mission of Srila Prabhupada. ‘jare dekho tare kaho krsna upadesh.’ Whenever we meet you, we are inspired to improve our spiritual life. We always find you tirelessly working for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Please bless us so that we can also improve and advance in spiritual life.
We beg your pardon for our various mistakes and not attending and hearing you during your Delhi visit. Kindly forgive us and bless us to improve in bhakti, so that we can attain Krishna-prema, the ultimate goal of human life, thus getting rid of birth, death, old age and disease.
We once again pray to Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi to give you good health and a long life, so that you can uplift lakhs of fallen souls from sinful activities, and expose them to new horizons of peaceful blessed life, by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and following the four regulative principles.
Your fallen servants,
Sadhana-siddha dasa and
Atulya devi dasi
Our beloved Guru Maharaja,
Please accept the humble obeisances of these most fallen souls unto your lotus feet. All glories to you, Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories unto Srila Prabhupada! All glories unto Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi!
Dear guru maharaja, today is Ekadasi which is considered very auspicious, but this Ekadasi is all the more auspicious because today is the most holy day of your appearance. Please forgive us guru maharaja because we are so unqualified and worthless that we are not even able to glorify you properly, what to speak of understanding your lilas and causeless mercy. You are an ocean full of compassion.
Dear guru maharaja, by your undaunting faith in Srila Prabhupada and their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi, the last leg of ‘Glory of India’ project—Bhagavad-gita experience animatronics show was successfully completed on 13th February, 2003. It is by the dint of your hard work, enthusiasm, and complete faith in your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, that such a magnificent temple, Sri Sri Radha-Parthasarathi, has manifested in Delhi.
Dear guru maharaja, you are a true reflection of Srila Prabhupada. Just like him, you are travelling all around the world to preach Krishna consciousness and always engaging yourself twenty-four hours in transcendental devotional service. Maharaja, you are equally merciful to a small insect as well as to gross materialistic persons like both of us. You are in fact, mercy personified. We are not even initiated but you have been so much merciful towards us and have been giving us various types of sevas. Even if we would have millions of tongues, even then we would not have been able to thank you fully.
Dear eternal spiritual master, the blazing fire of material existence is burning us from all the sides, please shower your mercy on us and bless us with the dust of your lotus feet so that we may be able to serve you forever and ever.
Srila Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya!
Most fallen servants of the dust of your lotus feet,
Sakshat and Divya Chawla
Respected Gurudeva,
Please
accept our most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day
of your divine appearance in this world. All glories to you and your great
mercy, which is spreading throughout the entire planet.
O
what a gift you have given the world - Krishna nama! You also gave the
world Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, to make sure that all the fallen souls would
certainly attain love of Krishna.
You
are my father, my gurudeva and my guide. You give me shelter always, but why
don’t I take shelter more and more gurudeva? I don’t do much, but every day
I try to do something devotional for you my guru maharaja, and Krishna.
Guru
krpa paya nitya dhan. I am totally unable
to do anything by myself. On top of that, my heart is so full of false ego. I
have offered myself to you. Please use me in whichever way you want.
I
do not know Krishna. What can I do to repay you for everything you have done for
me? I beg to be allowed to remember you without cessation. Please bless me so
that I can become your true follower and attain Krishna-prema.
Ever
desiring your service, I remain.
Your humble servant,
Samba dasa
My
Gurudeva Maharaja-ji,
Hare Krishna! Kindly accept my dandavat pranams unto your holy ‘charana-kamala’. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I don’t know gurudeva, what to say in my offering on this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja. But, like a child says anything to his parents, right or wrong, they accept the positive sense of each word and extend their love only to the little child, similarly I know maharaja, that you will give me your affection always. I was told that you are very kind to not only your disciples but to all devotees or non-devotees. This I experienced maharaja when you suddenly extended your kindheartedness by initiating me, a fallen soul, on the eve of Purnima in Purushottam month. Also maharaja when you gave me little opportunity to serve you in Dubai, I was not able to serve you properly, and I was sleeping while you were awake. Despite my big aparadha, you did not say even a single word about my laziness maharaja.
When I look at your dedication to your guru maharaja to join his movement by relinquishing all-your position, comfort and wealth etc., and dedicatedly doing service for your guru Srila Prabhupada, it gives me a lot of inspiration. But, I feel ashamed to say that I am not doing even a tiny part of that service unto your holy feet. I am surprised to imagine how much love Srila Prabhupada must be having for you, as he has given his most important service of his book publishing and distribution to you. Everybody knows that Srila Prabhupada’s books have done wonders in the life of so many devotees including me, and brought the light of Krishna consciousness in their life. Your holiness is carrying on that service wonderfully, despite having so many other assignments of ISKCON on your shoulders. Maharaja you take care of all your disciples despite your very busy schedule, and keep everything in your sharp memory about them and discuss individually like a father with his son (although you have so many sons). I request you maharaja to give me strength to do some little service unto your holy feet. Since you are kind hearted Maharaja, so you must forgive my mistakes and extend your mercy upon me.
Yours useless servant,
Shiva Rama dasa
(Presently posted in Surat, Gujrat)
My most beloved Guru Maharaja H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami Srila Bhagavatpada,
Please accept my most humble and devoted obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada by whose causeless mercy we have received this priceless gift of your divine association!
By your causeless mercy the preaching of your disciples is becoming successful in every corner of the world, in this way your mercy is available to everyone. I am beginning to realize a little bit of your greatness Srila gurudeva, and your position as a very special and elevated Vaishnava. By your mercy (this least personified) I am also beginning to realize my position very clearly, that of a very fallen soul, devoid of any good quality. On this most auspicious day I have nothing to offer to you except insignificant efforts and the desire to try, desire to please you and I pray that I may one day become your true disciple. You are a perfect example of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. Please empower me to serve ISKCON.
Once I was traveling alone in a car with you, and I could really feel that I was really flying very high, as if on a different realm, very far away from any mundane sense, and could think that time that I am really beyond this body. But this state of consciousness could only continue till I was with you.
Once you gave me your brown carry bag to count the donations received and suddenly you told me, “Prabhu you did this seva for me earlier also.” It was almost two years ago, again alone in a car. Srila gurudeva gets donations almost everyday, and everywhere, and gets them counted through so many of his disciples, but he could still remember that. Amazing.
Once Srila gurudeva was listening to problems in my spiritual life. And he was in such rapt attention completely focused on me as if I was telling him about some big project like Mayapur or some big philosophical thing. This sincerity towards everything is so perfect that it really touches your heart.
If a pinnacle of this sloka, trnad api… can be reached, one will surely end up at the lotus feet of Srila Bhagavatpada maharaja.
You are the most expert personality I have ever met in my life. When you were about to go to Russia this summer, I came to your room to offer my obeisances there, and you praised me and Rukmini Krishna Prabhu in front of the devotees and politely instructed us to establish a youth forum programme in Ghaziabad also. All this in a matter of ten seconds, and that too when I interrupted that meeting, without a tinge of disturbance. I was breathless. Your life is an open book. You are so expert that you have time for everyone although you are always very busy.
Srila Rupa Goswami has stated in Upadesamrta:
susrusaya bhajana
vijnam ananyam anyanindadi
sunya hrdam
impsita sanga ladbdya
One should associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others.
My friend who is a full time devotee in Vrindavana was praying for years in front of Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama and ultimately could only see you in this sloka, such is your greatness.
Guru maharaja every time I have your darshana I am exposed, I feel ashamed and in spite of my non-stop nonsense you have never ever chastised me, this is really unbelievable. Thank you Maharaja for still allowing me to serve you directly, please give me strength as I am really becoming weak by the day.
It is impossible to comprehend how dear you are to Krishna, because you are spreading His glories everywhere. Please give me strength to have full faith in you and thereby serve the entire gaudiya sampradaya as I clearly know that it is my primary duty. I am always situated in the dangerous realm of maya. My spiritual life depends only on your mercy.
Your fallen disciple,
Sita Mohan dasa
Respected Guru Maharaja-ji,
On this most auspicious day, please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
You have completed the last phase in the construction of the temple’s museum, by making the temple the most spectacular temple in Delhi, truly exemplary! This feat exemplifies the fulfillment of your spiritual master Srila Prabhupada’s desire.
To have a guru like you is my great fortune and I am blissful. I am both proud and exuberant to be your disciple. I must have done good karma in the past to have a guru as divine as you. With your blessings and guidance I feel immense tribulation in my slow but steady progress in my spiritual advancement.
You spend all your precious time preaching tenaciously in every corner of the world, delivering fallen souls like myself. You are the saviour of fallen souls, and I beg you to keep me within the shelter of your lotus feet, and give me the strength to serve you with all my heart and soul.
I humbly pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna to make the best of your future. Hare Krishna!
Your eternal servant,
Sudama dasa
My dear respected Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances unto the dust of your lotus feet, All glories to you!
Today on this most blessed transcendental auspicious day in my life, being so insignificant, lower than the maha chandal, I am going to glorify you. I don’t have any qualifications. I read the letters which Srila Prabhupada replied, and see how dedicated you are towards the Krishna consciousness movement and Srila Prabhupada. How nicely you are serving Srila Prabhupada!
Guru maharaja, your every word and every step is full of the jewels of knowledge. It is for the betterment of all living beings. I was in Vrindavana and got your mercy to be with you on your morning walk. Suddenly you stopped and told me, “see there are small ants, be careful”, and I was totally surprised. Gurudeva you take care of all living beings, and want them to be in Krishna consciousness. It doesn’t matter whether it is a human being or other living beings, you teach us at every step. Gurudeva, when I came to know that you were giving initiation in Vrindavana, I ran and asked you for initiation and you gave me your permission.
You are an ocean of unlimited mercy, so kind, so humble and so merciful. Despite my shortcomings and weaknesses, you have excused me, as you are most merciful, showing exactly the path of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You know about each person, inside out! You are the Narada Muni of this world, continuously preaching every microsecond to each and every soul in this world, and you are so enthusiastic.
I am so fortunate that I found you as my gurudeva in this janma at last. Please forgive me for my faults and make me a servant at the dust of your lotus feet. Please use me in this transcendental holy sankirtana movement, the movement of Srila Prabhupada.
janme janme sabe
pita mata paya
krsna guru nahi mile baja ei
In this transmigration of the soul through species everyone gets a father and mother. The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Lord Krishna. Even dogs and cats have mothers and fathers but only in human beings can we get one eternal spiritual father. Gurudeva, you are my mother and father, my original parent. You guide and love me like a mother and teach and instruct me like a father. On this very holy blessed day, I pray to Lord Krishna to never forget your lotus feet and your association,
Gurudeva so many janmas I have passed from one body to another. Please don’t leave me. Now tears in my eyes I wanted to cry a lot. How merciful is Dayal Nitai Sachisutai who shows me the path and how merciful is Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas in Moscow. I got my dear spiritual master who I left in some previous janma. I left you but you are so humble you didn’t leave me. I am such a fallen and degraded soul, that I forget previous janmas, but I only pray to Lord Krishna now not to let me forget your lotus feet ever, and to follow your instructions and your teachings.
Gurudeva, please forgive me and excuse me for I am so fallen and degraded. By your mercy I am in this holy sankirtan movement. I want to cry a lot but tears have stopped flowing from my eyes. Please give me the power and knowledge to glorify you and please bless me with your only one glance on me. I pray to Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani and Srila Prabhupada, to give me knowledge and power to serve your lotus feet.
I beg at your lotus feet for forgiveness and for your blessing and mercy, so that I can execute your instructions and duties told to me by you. Please give me sharan at the dust of your lotus feet.
Srila Bhagavatpada ki jaya!
Your very insignificant fallen soul,
Respected Srila Bhagavatpada-ji,
Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to a big preacher, traveller and saviour of fallen souls!
On this occasion, I wish to say that I am not even fit to write Vyasa-puja offerings to you, and take initiation from you in the near future as I am so fallen and a big offender. Even then my dear maharaja, you are ready to give mercy to a fool like me. All I can say is keep on giving me continuous service and instructions so that my restless mind can remain engaged at your lotus feet eternally.
Your fallen servant,
bhakta Yajur Dhawan
(IYF)
MUMBAI
My
dearmost Guru Maharaja,
I
beg to offer my most humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet, millions
and millions of times on this extremely auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
I pray earnestly to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, to give you a very long and
healthy life, so that you may deliver many, many fallen souls like me, and lead
us back home back to Godhead. All glories to Srila Bhagavatpada! All glories to
Srila Prabhupada!
“I
only aspire to preach the message of Lord Caitanya throughout this life. Please
use me as an instrument in your hands, guru maharaja.” This was my sincere
desire in my last offering unto you. Somehow gurudeva, due to my offenses, I
have lost that mood for preaching. Though you have instructed me many times to
do college preaching, I have done absolutely nothing about it. My desire until
now was to just go to Sri Mayapur dhama and perform bhajana among
devotees. I was becoming inclined towards being a bhajananandi. Later by
your causeless mercy, I have come to know that to follow your divine
instructions is pure devotional service, whereas to listen to my tricky mind is
only pure sense gratification; even though apparently it may not seem to be.
I
came across a very interesting paragraph in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:
“Lord Brahma controlled his two grades of senses by means of sense perception
and sense organs because he had to engage such senses in the execution of the
order of the Lord. Therefore, controlling the senses means engaging them in the
transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord’s order descends in disciplic
succession through the bona fide spiritual master, and thus execution of the
order of the bona fide spiritual master is factual control of the senses. Such
execution of penance in full faith and sincerity made Brahma-ji so
powerful that he became the creator of the universe.” (S.B 2.9.8)
I
had heard this many times, but unless and until one has the mercy of the
spiritual master, one will not be able to realize its meaning. Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura has sung, Sri Sri Gurv-astaka 7:
saksad
dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas
tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu
prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande
guroh sri-caranaravindam
“The
spiritual master is to be honoured as much as the Supreme Lord, because he is
the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed
scriptures and followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful
obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide
representative of Sri Hari (Krishna)”
By
the mercy of the great acaryas in our line of disciplic succession at
present, I have come to know that your divine self is ‘Gopala manjiri’ in
Goloka Vrindavan! O Lord, what shall I say after this?
I
pray unto the dust of your lotus feet again and again that I may follow your
instructions perfectly and wholeheartedly till my last breath. Please forgive me
for all my offenses Srila Gurudeva.
Aspiring
to be a humble servant of your servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this blessed day of Sri Vyasa-puja, the day of the appearance of my spiritual master, the disciples try to glorify their guru and his transcendental qualities. On this day one can feel the dearness and mercy of the spiritual master.
Seeing your transcendental example, I get a stimulus for further spiritual advancement, for I would like to gain at least a drop of such an unlimited ocean of sublime qualities, which you have.
I am very much grateful to you guru maharaja, as you always inquire about my health and with your blessings I keep myself healthy. At times you tell me that age makes a person a little weak, but not weak in spiritual life.
Your servant,
Dearmost
Gurudeva, Your Holiness Gopala Krishna Goswami Maharaja,
Please
accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada!
Empathetic,
considerate, merciful, kind – friendly, tolerant, magnanimous, and the most
humble that one can find, are amongst just a few of the numerous attributes that
decorate your divine self. Of exemplary character, and a soft hearted nature, an
ever faithful crusader of your spiritual master, you stand out as one amongst
the most precious glistening jewels in the cosmic galaxy of Vaishnava saints.
The
continuous flow of your mercy and compassion having touched unlimited hearts has
changed the lives of innumerable conditioned living entities.
The
perfection of your purity being your ability to install most precious Krishna in
our lives, with the skill of a master craftsman. You are our divine physician,
shaping our gaping lives with a goal. You have gifted us with your divine
shelter, by bringing us under the cooling shade of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON
umbrella.
Thank
you guru maharaja for being there for us always.
Ever
endeavouring to serve your holy mission with your blessings.
Your
ever-indebted disciple and insignificant servant,
Respected
Guru Maharaja,
Hare
Krishna! Please accept my most respectful obeisances at the dust of your divine
lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja.
Guru
maharaja, Vedic scriptures are full of glories of the spiritual master. These
glories make one understand that spiritual life for anyone is the mercy of the
spiritual master. A disciple may be making efforts to follow the injunctions,
but fall out of these injunctions i.e. Krishna-prema, knowledge and
service to Lord Sri Krishna and His associates are bestowed on the fallen souls,
only, and only by the grace of the spiritual master. Your prowess is certainly
unlimited. Your divine grace holds a very supreme position and you are to be
worshipped as the Lord. Lord Sri Krishna repeatedly says in the scriptures that
“My devotees are to be worshipped as My very Self”.
Guru
maharaja, I am having a very difficult period with my spiritual life. It is your
mercy maharaja, that toady I am not interested in anything else but spiritual
life. Please give me yet another opportunity to get back to the spiritual path
with unalloyed devotion and attraction for Lord Sri Krishna and service unto my
Lord, according to the shastric injunctions. I want to serve.
All
glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to your divine grace! All glories to
the Vaishnava acaryas, and Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundara!
I
seek your causeless mercy and blessings. I most humbly request you to please
forgive me for my offenses.
Please
make me a servant of the servant,
My dear Guru Maharaja,
On this auspicious day of your divine appearance, please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to your divine grace and Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Sanatana Gosvami mentions in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa,
One
who is an ocean of mercy,
who is
fulfilled in all respects,
who has all
good qualities,
who works
for the benefit of all souls,
who is free
from lust,
who is
perfect in all respects,
who is well
versed in the scriptures,
who knows
the science of Krishna,
who can
remove all the doubts of his disciples, and
who is
always alert in the service of Krishna
is a genuine
guru.’
Maharaja, you have all the aforesaid qualities of the perfect spiritual master. I consider myself fortunate and privileged to have you as my spiritual father. Undoubtedly it is Krishna’s unalloyed mercy upon me.
Maharaja, there are no words to describe the unlimited mercy and compassion that you have bestowed on a fallen soul like me. It is only by your blessings that after the passing away of our dearest daughter Nandarani, Vrindavanesvari and me were able to tide over the situation and continue our devotional service. Also, with your causeless mercy, we were able to publish Nandarani’s memory book titled “Remembering Nandarani” and offer it to her on her first disappearance anniversary. You were very appreciative of the memory book.
Maharaja, recently with your approval and blessings, Vrindavanesvari and me have been involved in a global corporate preaching project viz. VAST (Vedic Academy of Spiritual Technology) under the overall supervision of H.H. Sridhar Swami and Raghunath Prabhu. In this context, here are a few extracts of your instruction to me:
§ This project of preaching to the executives is very very important.
§ Please take this job seriously and try your best to expand this program.
§ If the leaders of society become Krishna conscious, then the others will follow.
§ So we definitely have an important role to play in educating the leaders in business and government.
Maharaja, I quote Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.7
“This combination, the instructions of the spiritual master and the faithful execution of the instruction by the disciple, makes the entire process perfect. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes in his explanation of the verse in Bhagavad-gita, vyavasayatmika buddih, that one who wants to be certain to achieve spiritual success must take the instruction from the spiritual master as to what his particular function is. He should faithfully try to execute that particular instruction and should consider that his life and soul. The faithful execution of the instruction which he receives from the spiritual master is the only duty of a disciple, and that will bring him perfection. One should be very careful to receive the message from the spiritual master through the ears and execute it faithfully. That will make one’s life successful.”
On this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja, I solemnly assure you that I will consider your instructions to me as my life and soul and will try to faithfully execute them. Kindly bless me so that by your mercy and potency which is inconceivable, I am able to expand this VAST type preaching programme worldwide and please you with my insignificant service.
Your eternal servant,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you guru maharaja!
Vyasa-puja is an ideal day when we can express our feelings and gratitude towards our guru maharaja. Guru is an intermediary between Krishna and us. Gopala Krishna Maharaja is the one who has made me realize and understand the ultimate goal of human life, which is to return back to our father Krishna. Guru is the first step that we climb towards the golden stairs of Goloka Vrindavana. Maharaja has connected us to an elevator and we will be in no time standing on the magnanimous gates of Goloka. Maharaja has made our journey easier and faster through his teachings and instructions. All one needs to do is to obey them and thus obtain Krishna-kripa.
Guru maharaja has a divine and pleasing nature. He is so caring, lovable, cheerful and spiritually energized. Whenever we meet in Vrindavana, he always inquires whether we have had our prasadam and got accommodation. He has a charming smile. He always tells me to take a prior appointment and then come to meet him. He does not like his devotees to wait for a long time. Sometimes when he is late he starts apologizing.
“Don’t
be like stones found everywhere,
Guru maharaja is such a diamond which we need to preserve and realize his value. He is the only one who will help us to make spiritual advancement.
One special thing that I would like to say is that I really love his beloved Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and his chanting bag.
I once again offer my obeisances unto his lotus feet. Please bless me that this may be my last birth here. Keep showering your mercy on us forever. We all pray for your good health. Hare Krishna!
Your servant,
Dear Srila Bhagavatpada Maharaja-ji,
om
ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur
unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja, gurudeva, kindly accept this most fallen servants’ feeble attempts to glorify your most exalted personality, for our lack of knowledge doesn’t allow us to appropriately praise you.
Since I am an unqualified person, I do not know what to write and what to sing, I always try to remember your instructions and keep chanting the holy names of Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna says: tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya, upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah. “Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from submissively and render service unto Him. The self-realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.” (B.g. 4.34)
Guru maharaja, as I have no qualification, material or spiritual. You are the source of strength that keeps us pure. On the auspicious day of Sri Vyasa-puja, I beg you to grant me the boon that I may get attached to your lotus feet.
I am completely dependent on your mercy to have the strength to remain on the path of devotional service. You are the saviour of the fallen souls. I have searched in every direction for happiness, but all in vain. In the material planet there is so much suffering. Therefore I came to Krishna consciousness with the aim of self-realization.
Only you guru maharaja, can awaken my soul and take me back to Godhead. I was very lucky maharaja to meet you face to face, when you came here to our Sri Sri Radha-Giridhari temple at Mira Road in the year 2000.
Thank you a million times for showing me the path of devotional service. Please forgive me for all my offenses. This Vyasa-puja event is a wonderful opportunity for a disciple to deeply meditate on the limitless glory of his gurudeva. I see your glory in your surrender to Srila Prabhupada. Your life is a perfect example how a disciple must surrender to a saintly spiritual master.
When Prahlad Maharaja was asked by Lord Narasimhadeva to get a blessing, Prahlad Maharaja said, that his first duty was to serve his guru Narada Muni, who had saved him from material life!
I bow down in memory of your loving care and compassion, which surpasses that of a loving parent. Maharaja, you are a real Vaishnava and a genuine spiritual master with great qualities. You are so compassionate, that despite your tight schedule you can remember such an insignificant soul. How can I forget your divine grace even for a moment? Accept me in my lowly condition at your lotus feet, for without your mercy I am doomed.
With the association of your grace’s disciples like Vanamali prabhu and Kamal Lochan prabhu, I have come to know of your personality, which I feel is an embodiment of mercy in the form of pure love of Krishna who is constantly serving Krishna and Srila Prabhupada.
I have been engaged in serving the holy name to some extent, but I feel that by your mercy I will be able to make progress that will surely take me to Krishna. On this great occasion of your Vyasa-puja, I pray to Lord Krishna to give your grace the strength and mercy to open ISKCON centers all around the world and rescue fallen souls like me.
I again bow down at your divine lotus feet and beg to forever stay your humble servant.
Jaya Srila Bhagavatpada! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Your humble lowly servant,
bhakta Ashutosh Tarate
Mira Road.
Respected Guru Maharaja,
It is my request to you to accept my pranams from your wretched disciple.
Guru maharaja, you are an ocean of mercy. I am very grateful to you because you have accepted this disabled man as your disciple. Please bless me so that I can always do my service with full love and devotion life after life. Please forgive me for all my mistakes committed.
Your fallen disciple,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
On this day you have to accept millions of my pranam’s unto you. All glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai!
Guru maharaja, I am very grateful to you because you have accepted this mleccha as your disciple. This fool had nothing since day one, but the day you gave me shelter I have got everything, and everything that I never ever imagined even.
This fool begs you to always give me shelter and forgive me for my mistakes.
Your surrendered disciple,
Dear
Guru Maharaja,
Please
accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet.
Today,
your appearance day is a great mercy from Krishna to me. I realize that Srila
Prabhupada has appeared to me in the form of H.H. Gopala Krishna Goswami
maharaja.
Maharaja-ji,
I feel you are the ocean of humility and mercy. You are very loving and caring
to all the devotees irrespective of their spiritual qualifications. I am below
every one, fallen in this material world. On seeing you, I feel the sign of
hope; I feel Lord Krishna Himself is showering mercy on me. Maharaja-ji,
I am a fallen soul, please accept me and shower your mercy on me, because I
really need it, as a patient needs medicine to cure; same way a fallen soul
needs bhakti to get cured and reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Though
my name is Bhakti, but I am begging for bhakti in front of you.
Please
accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All
glories to you guru maharaja!
Your
aspiring disciple,
bhaktin Bhakti
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances .All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to guru maharaja!
On this auspicious day of Vyasa-puja we get an opportunity to glorify guru maharaja and share our spiritual experiences with fellow godbrothers and godsisters. I have no words to glorify him. However, by this glorification we can clean the accumulated dust in our heart.
Guru maharaja is the dearest servant of the Lord. Krishna wants us to surrender unto Him through the medium of a bona fide spiritual master. H.H. Gopala Krishn