Damodara Vilasa dasa and Priti-krt devi dasi

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

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

My Dearest and Most Respected Guru Maharaja and eternal father,

Please accept our most humble and respectful obeisances in the dust of your most merciful lotus feet! All glories to your divine Grace! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Guru Maharaja, Your appearance day Vyasa-puja is day of great celebration and Joy because we get opportunity to hear and share the glories of our loving spiritual master from many senior devotees, God brothers and well-wishers which brings us closer to You. Here in Indore we celebrate Your Vyasa-puja on 26th January holiday – Republic day of India – from many years.

Glories of the spiritual master are sung in the three worlds and no one can completely describe because they are unlimited. Guru Maharaja due to my faulty material vision I can not see them fully but one thing is so clear that You have given me meaning of life to live. I was in dark well of ignorance but You sent some of your representative to reclaim and given Your kind shelter.

As in Saranagati song Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes how one can know spiritual master by offering all respects –

sakale samman korite sakati,
deho’ natha! jathajatha
tabe to’ gaibo, harinama-sukhe,
aparadha ha ’be hata

“I offer you all respects, for thus I may have the energy to know you correctly. Then, by chanting the holy name in great ecstasy, all my offenses will cease”.

Guru Maharaja, You are such a loving teacher, master and father that even once one who comes in contact with You, he becomes Yours and he can never forget those moments in his life. Your love is very deep and You care for Your students in every possible way.

You have always been present in my life wherever there was no hope, no light, Your presence removed all darkness and shown the path of devotion. As there is proverb that “Friend in need is friend indeed”, the greatest benediction or treasure in my life is to have You as my spiritual master. You have so kindly given Your kind shelter in spite of knowing all disqualifications.

Guru Maharaja, Your commitment to Your disciples is limitless. Though we do not get a chance to have Your physical association so often but we feel Your direct presence through Your vani teachings and by hearing your lectures in association of devotees. The arrangement made by Jagadananda Prabhu for everyday online hearing with translation and sharing is a great help. Still we miss Your vapuh presence.

By Your grace we do book distribution during marathon and those who joins we facilitate bhakti-vrksa. Thus, the community is growing and mercifully many senior devotees are also coming to our Sunday program. Some of my godbrothers and old devotees are shifting to other cities for occupation. So in this scenario we humbly seek for Your blessings and necessary strength to serve the community as a service unto You from where we have received so much.

Guru Maharaja, among your unlimited teachings what I wish to imbibe – “Don’t try to become big try to be sincere”. Your personal behavior is personification of this. You always remains in humble mood of service. In present conditioned stage it is very difficult. This requires spiritual strength for tolerance and patience. Thus on this blessed day of Your appearance I humbly beg for these necessary qualities to follow Your instruction. As in saranagati song Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes –

gurudev!
krpa-bindu diya, koro’ ei dase,
trnapekha ati hina
sakala sahane, bala diya koro’,
nija-mane sprha-hina

Gurudeva, give to this servant just one drop of mercy. I am lower than a blade of grass. Give me all help. Give me strength. Let me be as you are, without desires or aspirations.

Thank You very much for Your kind shelter.

Begging to eternally remain Your humble servants,
Damodara Vilasa dasa, Priti-krt devi dasi and Surabhi