Abhaya Carana dasa

Most Respected Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

On this occasion of your Vyasa-puja day, I am thankful to have the opportunity to express my appreciation of the descending mercy of the Supreme Lord through the disciplic succession.

The Vaisnava is often compared to an ocean of mercy. The ocean, with its characteristics of being limitless, deep, available to anyone on the shore, grave, ever tolerant, and undisturbed, makes this comparison appropriate – because it literally takes such an ocean to understand, convince, encourage, and maintain an erratic, stubborn, foolish and dishonest living entity in his position of devotional service to the Lord. Even for those who agree to make the effort to humbly commit themselves to serve the Lord, the number of mistakes they make can only be compensated for by such an ocean.

This compassion of such a Vaisnava often exudes through his instructions and such instructions empower the conditioned soul to control his sensual urges, overcome his ingrained faults and begin to manifest Vaisnava-like behaviour and even qualities. By the holy association of an advanced soul, our unholy tendencies get wiped out, and mysteriously, by his love without expectations, even the insane become sane, the untameable become tame, and the incorrigible become inspired to become rectified.

We have no strength to chant or render service in any way on our own accord. It is only the faith and strength induced by such mercy of saintly representatives that makes this great treasure of Krsna consciousness accessible to us. You are working so hard every single day to bring this mercy in the lives of so many people. Moved by the plight of the lost souls of Kali-yuga and with a desire to create a class of genuine intellectuals who are sold out to the parampara, Sir, undertook this great risk only as a loving service to you and the parampara. Sir is bringing the same descending mercy in our lives. It is only because of the empowering love and tireless compassion extended by Sir to me that devotional service has even become a conceivable possibility. It is my humble prayer to the Lord, therefore, to be given the necessary strength and intelligence to accept and utilize this wonderful gift in my life, thereby, achieving its ultimate purpose.

Your aspiring servant,
Abhaya Carana dasa