Sneha-valli devi dasi

My dear most Guru Maharaja and my eternal spiritual father,

Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you!

Guru Maharaja, thank you for giving the wonderful seminar on “Sri Manah-siksa – Splendid Instructions to the Mind” by Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. The book only has twelve verses which are very deep, concise, conveying a strong message, and showing a direct pathway towards Krsna in raganuga-bhakti. Out of all these verses, my mind is captivated by the part of the first verse which reads – “O mind, I grasp your feet and beg you with sweet words: Please cast away all hypocrisy and develop intense, unprecedented love for my spiritual master.”

I contemplated on these words and wondered how can I develop strong attachment towards you?

Recently, while listening to damodara-lila narrated by Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja, I heard a verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.10.38) which begins with vani gunanukathane sravanau kathayam. This is a prayer by Nalakuvara and Manigriva to Krsna and is translated by Srila Prabhupada as:

“Henceforward, may all our words describe Your pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories, may our hands, legs and other senses engage in actions pleasing to You, and may our minds always think of Your lotus feet. May our heads offer our obeisances to everything within this world, because all things are also Your different forms, and may our eyes see the forms of Vaisnavas, who are nondifferent from You.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.10.38]

Here Nalakuvara and Manigriva are praying to Lord Krsna for their attachment towards Him to get stronger. They are exemplifying this by praying to Krsna to let their senses be engaged in His service by words, by aural reception, by performing actions which are pleasing to Him, and by always meditating on His lotus feet. These are the ways described by Nalakuvara and Manigriva.

In this verse translation Srila Prabhupada says that Vaisnavas are nondifferent from Krsna. I admired this verse because it provided me the answer to my above question. My desire to increase my attachment towards you can be fulfilled by absorbing the message of Nalakuvara and Manigriva in my heart, which is – engaging my senses in your service, being in your close association by vani or vapuh, and meditating on your lotus feet! 

I remember hearing from you several times how Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Ramananda Raya and other great acaryas glorify the dust of the lotus feet of the pure devotees.

Prahlada Maharaja while responding to his father’s question, uses the word pada-rajo-‘bhisekam indicating that unless one smears the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee one cannot be attached to the Supreme Lord. [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.32]

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura in his famous bhajana states “I am the servant of the Six Gosvamis, and the dust of their lotus feet provides my five kinds of food.” [Sri Nama-sankirtana, Verse 6]

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his commentary to the verse 7 of Sri Manah-siksa states: “The pure Vaisnava devotees embrace the dust of their (Supreme Lord’s beloved devotees) lotus feet, their food remnants, and their sacred instructions, for these all have the transcendental potency of impregnating one’s heart with the divine hladini-sakti.”

Guru Maharaja, there are many, many references which glorify the dust of the lotus feet of pure devotees. Without being attached to the dust of the lotus feet of the pure Vaisnavas one’s success in spiritual life is not guaranteed. This is the path prescribed by all our predecessor acaryas. I pray that may I always be attached to your lotus feet and always get an opportunity to be engaged in your service with all my senses and derive the pleasure of service to my heart’s content.

Thank you. Hare Krsna!

Aspiring to be your humble servant,
Sneha-valli devi dasi