Nityananda Pran dasa, Hemangi devi dasi and Prahlada Nrsmha

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale

srimate romapada-svamin iti namine

mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim

yat-krpa tam aham vande sri gurum dina-taranam

Our dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept our humble obeisances at your most merciful lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and Srila Prabhupada.

Sri Vedanta-desika, a 13th century Sri Vaisnava acarya, spontaneously composed one thousand eight (1008) verses on the shoes of Lord Ranganatha, titled “Paduka Sahasram” in abject humility since he did not feel qualified to speak directly about His lotus feet. Following in his footsteps, we have been meditating on Your Divine Grace’s shoes and glorifying them as our inspiration for steady service.

Just as we revere and worship any item used in the service of Guru and Krsna as “tadiya,” certainly the shoes of the spiritual master are as worshipable as any other of his paraphernalia. This is authorized by the great acaryas beginning with Lord Siva who says, “…tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam.” [ref. Padma Purana]

Just as an iron rod in contact with fire carries the qualities of fire, these shoes having been in contact with Your Divine Grace’s spiritual personality have become spiritualized; they can be addressed as sentient beings. Today we offer our appreciation and gratitude to these shoes that serve you steadfastly and selflessly. We take our minds to a few of their qualities.

1. Dasanu-dasa: Every morning we place a flower on Your Divine Grace’s shoes on our altar with invocation of “esa puspanjalih.” These shoes hold the flower for the worship of Your Divine Grace’s lotus feet without thinking falsely that the flower is for them. We pray to these servants of the servant to awaken in us a similar disposition that any honor or accolades coming our way in reality are meant for Guru and Gauranga.

2. Sato vrtteh: Everybody needs role model devotees for inspiration in bhakti. We think these shoes of Your Divine Grace are inspired by Sri Hanuman and Sri Garuda by always being by the door ever-ready to carry you in your seva to your master, Srila Prabhupada.

3. Utsaha: We find you always enthusiastic in your service to Srila Prabhupada. One among the various observable symptoms of this enthusiasm is your speediness in going from one

place to another – be it to your room right after class or maneuvering through the airport aisles. Likewise, your shoes are enthusiastic to facilitate such speediness while they carry our Guru Maharaja through the maze of crowds or the variety of surfaces that you need to negotiate.

4. Balavan: A sober devotee can withstand the onslaught of many challenges. Your shoes similarly, carry you as you bear your burden of love – your luggage! As a sannyasi, you literally live out of a suitcase; you carry a very heavy briefcase, a backpack and a shoulder bag containing sacred Tulasi beads. These shoes not only safely carry our spiritual master but also everything he is carrying all by himself at the airport. O sober pair of birkenstocks, our spiritual master depends on you. We depend on you!

5. Abhaya: You are the trusted servants of our parivrajakacarya spiritual master in all types of conditions, be it in the Chicago snow, the jagged terrain in India, in an uncharted place of adventure like China, in the humidity of Houston or at the inclines of the Northeast. He is fearless in his service to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Radha Govinda, and so are you in assisting him.

6. Asraya: Your Divine Grace is the vessel of pure bhakti. Your shoes, in turn, are the vessels that carry unimaginable and unfathomable particles of mercy. While you do not allow anyone to touch your feet, the very storehouse of these many particles of mercy that can deliver a living entity across the Viraja river, yet Sri Prahlada Maharaja orders everyone to bathe themselves in these dust particles “Mahiyasam pada-rajo ‘bhisekam” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.32]. Therefore, we have no other recourse but to touch our heads to these shoes who freely distribute the dust of suddha-bhakti to anyone and everyone, freely without reservation. O merciful vessels of grace, you facilitate our bhakti to be free of obstacles (“Suddha-bhakata-carana-renu, bhajana-anukula”) [Song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura].

7. Dhvaja: Just as a flag marks a building in a specific or unique way, your shoes bring our attention immediately to the special and unique personality that graces us with his presence. As we walk into any home for a program, the darsana of your shoes first at the doorway reminds us to become present and aware that a pure devotee is in our midst. Such souls are rare on this earth, and associating with them is even more rare. “tulayama lavenapi…” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.13]

Even now, as we are all gathered here to celebrate Sri Vyasa-puja and enjoying the company of our dear god-siblings, Guru Maharaja’s shoes are outside the temple room ready for orders on their next service assignment.

May our bhakti make us genuine in expression, simple in execution, humble in heart, pleasing to you and Kisora Kisori, and helpful to others. Our aspiration is alive on the hope that Your Divine Grace may extend your kind mercy upon us.

your servants,

Nityananda Pran dasa and Hemangi devi dasi and Prahlada Nrsmh