Ananga-mohini devi dasi

Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances unto your lotus feet.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you!

Time flies. It has been nearly two years since you initiated me in Shunyi, Beijing. This year, I continued to attend the online Bhakti-sastri course. At present, I have completed Sri Isopanisad, Upadesamrta, and the seventeen chapters of the Bhagavad-gita. I am now studying the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and The Nectar of Devotion.

Meanwhile I’m also trying my best to participate in offline association. There were activities with local devotee groups. I also attended gatherings with senior devotees and spiritual masters such as Devamrta Swami, Krsna Baladeva Prabhu, Asita Krsna Swami, and others.

Whenever I had the chance to associate with devotees, I brought prasadam I had prepared myself to share with the devotees. To improve my cooking, I enrolled in the “Taste of Love” cooking course offered by the education and training system. I started with the beginner class. Later, I advanced to the intermediate class. In the second half of this year, I will move on to the advanced class.

Every time I met with the saints, I felt their positive energy. During kirtana with them, I especially felt the holy name dancing on the tip of my tongue. The sound of chanting filled the air with love for Krsna. As I continued to study and associate with devotees, I understood more clearly the importance of a service-oriented mindset. I also experienced more and more joy from devotion and service.

Dear Guru Maharaja, last National Day, you travelled all the way to Singapore. You kindly gave a special lecture on Madhurya-Kadambini for the Chinese devotees. I listened to your lecture online. I learned about the nine stages of development of bhakti: sraddha (faith), sadhu-sanga (association with saints), bhajana-kriya (devotional practice), anartha-nivrtti (removal of obstacles), nistha (steadiness), ruci (taste for devotional service), asakti (attachment to Krsna), bhava (spiritual emotion), and prema (pure love of God).

These nine stages may seem simple, but they are part of a long and difficult (thorny) journey. Even a small step forward requires our own effort, the guidance of the spiritual master, and the mercy of the devotees. Only by moving forward with enthusiasm and determination can the seed of bhakti grow and blossom into the flower of prema.

In March this year, you once again travelled thousands of miles to Hong Kong. I looked forward to having your personal association. With the support of my family, I went to Hong Kong with local devotee friends to join the study tour. During the event, you explained the importance of Vaisnava etiquettes in great detail. You spoke about how Vaisnava etiquette begins with showing respect, the model of humility, examples from gaura-lila, and the driving force for surrender. You also shared examples of Vaisnava etiquettes from the Ramayana and the Srimad-Bhagavatam expounding on the six aspects of submission.

This was the second time in my life that I had the opportunity to associate with you in person. Although the cold weather of early spring in Hong Kong kept me awake at night, your presence lit up my heart with each of your lectures. I realized how important it is to practice sincerely, be true to myself, set clear spiritual goals, and move forward steadily through the ups and downs of life. I also learned to deal with others respectfully and to share Krsna consciousness in a thoughtful and appropriate way.

I am eagerly looking forward to meeting you again in Sri Lanka during the golden autumn of October this year. This time, my husband will accompany me. I’m sure you will be very happy to hear this news.

Dear Guru Maharaja, you have not only given me spiritual life, but also a spiritual identity. Every day, I pray for your blessings and mercy. I pray that I may always remember your instructions: to chant the holy name sincerely, to be a qualified disciple, and to live in a way that pleases you. Without your blessings and kindness, I can do nothing.

Your eternal servant,
Ananga-mohini devi dasi