Padma Priya

Respected and dear Guru Maharaja,

Hare Krsna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Your Divine Grace!

On this most auspicious day of your divine appearance, I want to thank you very much, Maharaja, for bringing me to this most beautiful process of Krsna consciousness through your most beloved servants. Thank you very much for helping me to sustain my enthusiasm in this process despite all odds, by your kind prayers, by opportunities to hear and chant regularly in the association of devotees, and by several opportunities to engage and assist in very small ways in services with devotees from ISKCON family to spread this most glorious mission of Srila Prabhupada and his most beloved disciples.

Thank you, Maharaja, for givin gme the vision to see life from the perspective of reality, in its entirety, especially when I feel lost and wonder how to fit into this wonderful process of striving for pure devotional service. Subduing the false ego and stubborn mind, which bring so much unhappiness in the environment within and without, is our herculean task. The gift of chanting the Holy Names of the Lord in the association of sincere souls gives me a lot of strength, Maharaja, day in and day out.

I recently heard this analogy, that just as a bride needs training to learn how to serve her groom, the jiva similarly needs training to serve Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and Their most beloved servants. The spiritual master is the most expert trainer, who trains each jiva in a suitable manner so that she acquires all needed qualifications to serva Them.

Trying to assist in a college environment all these years, I’ve been realizing how much time and energy it takes to train each and every student in the mundane knowledge and skills required for each to become successful in his or her chosen career. What to speak of the training requried in the spiritual, more subtle aspects of life, especially when the jivas are all lost, endlessly distracted, ever-confused and trapped in the race for worldly success! One cannot imagine the time and energy that goes into unbinding a soul from such a fallen condition and bestowing upon her the highest fortune of Krsna consciousness. Without the mercy of Lord Krsna and His representatives, no ordinary trainer can do this service. I was saved from such a situation by special souls, trained by your grace, Maharaja, and I remain ever-indebted for this most kind act that a jiva could ever receive in this human form of life.

At BCNA college here in Pune, a few devotees have started a monthly forum called ‘Educators For A Change’ (EFAC), similar to ‘Vedic Vision Society.’ This EFAC is a teacher’s forum in which students also participate in order to become systematically acquainted with Krsna consciousness. I try to assist devotees in setting up this event every month at the college, and it reminds me of all the training His Grace Nityananda Pran Prabhu and Her Grace Hemangi Mataji had given me while I was studying at IIT, in Chicago. Sometimes it becomes so difficult to set up things single-handedly, when others are not bothered to help, but I receive so much strength in just thinking how those two empowered souls, Mataji adn Prabhuji, used to come all the way from the suburbs with so much hot prasadam for all of us hungry souls at IIT. It is unforgettable. Trying to assist, to the best of my ability, these very sincere souls in spreading the mercy of Srila Prabhupada’s mission is a very, very humbling and joyful experience, Maharaja. Thank you so much for giving me such meaningful experiences in life. I pray to be able to assist in a mood that pleases you, always.

I recently heard a devotee share an exercise that she did to help her understand the pure qualities of the spiritual master, as given in the eight prayers that we recite every morning (Sri Gurvastakam). I have been trying to remember these qualities and wanted to share the same, Maharaja.

The guru is the ultimate teacher and a servant-leader in the parampara, which we conditioned jivas are blessed to have access to. Lord Krsna Himself, by His causeless mercy, assigns this ultimate teacher for each of His parts and parcels.

Verse 1:
If one has ever been to the Burns ward in a hospital, she can imagine what it means to be literally afflicted by the blazing fire of material existence! The pain, the loud screams, the tormenting anxiety—endless is the description of suffering. Painkillers are no antidote, so intense is the pain! The spiritual master IS OUR SAVIOUR! He uplifts the jiva from such an afflicted consciousness, washes away her tears of endless sorrow and benedicts her with an ocean of auspicious qualities that he himself exemplifies.

Verse 2:
The spiritual master BESTOWS TRUE HAPPINESS! He trains the jiva to shed tears of gratitude and no longer those of frustration. The jiva learns from him various ways to gladden Lord, which include chanting His Holy Names, dancing, playing, singing and learning to relish within our mind that it is pure devotion ALONE that can touch the Lord’s heart.

Verse 3:
The spiritual master SCULPTS THE HEART—bringing out its real beauty! The spiritual master trains the jiva in the art of decorating the Lord, by which automatically the jiva’s own heart gets decorated with divine qualities. By teaching her how to decorate and worships her Lord, the spiritual master bestows the best of engagements that the jiva so desperately needs.

Verse 4:
The spiritual master IS ALWAYS SATISFIED! The spiritual master trains the jiva in the most exquisite art of cooking, offering bhoga to the Lord and serving the maha-prasadam to one and all. Seeing the jiva serving others joyfully brings tremendous satisfaction to his heart.

Verses 5 and 6:
The spiritual master trains the jiva to serve and assist in this great mission of Lord Caitanya, following in the footsteps of our acaryas and the gopis of Vrndavana, the most intimate servants of the Lord. The spiritual master trains the jiva in the ART of HEARING krsna-katha constantly.

Verse 7:
The spiritual master is a TRANSCENDENTAL MESSENGER and the most confidential servant of the Lord. The jiva, simply by following this most bona fide teacher, can become a bona fide student by his grace.

Verse 8:
The spiritual master IS ALL MERCIFUL! Without the mercy of this most honorable teacher, without remembering his divine, tailor-made instructions, without gratitude for his very presence in the jiva’s life, there is NO WAY the jiva can capture the gentle heart of the Lord of her life.

All glories to Your Divine Grace! Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja.

Seeking your prayers always,
Aspiring to be your servant,

Sincerely,
Padma Priya