Narahari dasa and Saumya devi dasi
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim
yat-krpa tam aham vande sri gurum dina-taranam
Our dear and respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our most humble and respected obeisances in the dust of your divine lotus feet!
All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Dear Guru Maharaja, just as a devoted father selflessly cares for his children—fulfilling their needs, nurturing their growth, guiding them, and lovingly striving to fulfill their spiritual wishes—you, our revered spiritual father, extend such care on a transcendental level, nurturing our souls and guiding us toward a meaningful, eternal life.
Dear Guru Maharaja, each year, you kindly take us for yatra, and every year we eagerly look forward to that cherished time—visiting holy places in your divine association, hearing from you about the pastimes of the Lord, His devotees, and the sacred places, while serving the Holy Dham and the Vaisnavas. One place we had never visited was Badrinath, and we often thought how wonderful it would be if you could one day take us there. In fact, during a previous Vyasa-puja festival, devotees expressed the same heartfelt desire—and this year, by your mercy, that wish was fulfilled. As soon as we heard about the yatra plans, we were overjoyed. We understand how difficult it is to organize such a journey—given the road conditions, environmental challenges, and the logistics of managing a large group—but still, you arranged it for us. By your blessings, we were able to visit Badrinath; without your guidance and mercy, such a visit would not have been possible. We are deeply grateful to you, to His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja, to the dedicated organizers, and to all the devotees whose association made this yatra truly special. Guru Maharaja, please bless us to serve the holy dhama and the devotees, life after life.
Dear Guru Maharaja, You often emphasize the importance of cultivating Vaisnava etiquette, and you stress this repeatedly in your lectures. This year, you mercifully arranged a seminar on this very topic, and you have already shared your plans to continue the focus next year. This clearly reflects how deeply you care for us and your earnest desire that we develop these qualities and live harmoniously—for the pleasure of guru and Krsna. In the seminar, His Grace Radha Krsna Prabhu presented a powerful discussion on the qualities of patience, tolerance, and forbearance, and how we can practically cultivate them in our lives. Guru Maharaja, to be honest, when we hear these teachings, they often seem simple or familiar—something we feel we understand theoretically. But when we face real-life situations, many times we fail, and only occasionally experience small successes. Dear Guru Maharaja, please bless us so that we may truly develop these Vaisnava qualities—for your pleasure, to serve the devotees sincerely, and to live harmoniously within the devotee community. May we become instruments of peace and joy, and when we stand before Krsna, may He smile upon us.
Dear Guru Maharaja, during this year’s Gita-nagari Memorial day retreat, You and His Grace Garuda Prabhu graciously shared many beautiful Vrndavana pastimes. Listening to those divine narrations built priceless treasures within our hearts. His Grace Garuda Prabhu’s vivid storytelling and your deep realizations brought the pastimes to life, it was very sweet to hear them again and again in the association of devotees. Dear Guru Maharaja, please bless us so that we may develop a genuine taste for hearing Krsna’s pastimes—incessantly and joyfully—without ever feeling tired or distracted.
Dear Guru Maharaja, during this year’s Festival of holy name retreat, Her Grace Hemangi Mataji beautifully explained the importance of calling upon the mercy of our previous acaryas in our lives. We are sincerely trying to remember and invoke the mercy in all our actions. We struggle, stumble, and only after failing do we remember to call upon their grace. Many inspiring devotees visited Chicago this year, including His Grace Hari Parshad Prabhu, who gave a powerful presentation on “Attention and Affection toward hari-nama.” We are doing our best to chant with attention and to cultivate heartfelt affection for the holy name. Dear Guru Maharaja, please bless us so that one day we may truly chant hari-nama with affection—not merely out of obligation or for spiritual benefits, but out of genuine love and longing for Krsna.
His Grace Nityananda Pran Prabhu and Her Grace Hemangi Mataji, despite their busy personal and professional responsibilities, are always thinking of all of us. With heartfelt care and eagerness, they continually reflect on how to share their own spiritual journey in ways that can support and uplift our devotional lives. They never miss an opportunity to offer guidance and realizations that are deeply relevant and helpful for our spiritual growth. Their sincere dedication to serving the devotees is truly inspiring. Dear Guru Maharaja, please bless us so we can sincerely apply these teachings in our own lives and be become benefited by them.
Guru Maharaja, at the dust of your divine lotus feet, we offer our humble prayers—that we may one day become sincere, humble servants of Your Divine Grace.
Your humble servants,
Narahari dasa and Saumya devi dasi