Sri Vallabha dasa and Rucira devi dasi
Our dear and respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
As the doorbell rings, I make my way towards the door but someone is already there. The next thing I see is a group of young adults with bright tilakas walking into the living room. We greet each other briefly and I find them making a beeline toward our effulgent Sri Sri Nitai Gaura Candra deities. I close the door behind these young guests thinking to myself that not too long ago these were toddlers pulling the roof down. My thoughts are hardly in motion when I hear the sounds of the mrdanga and kartalas playing in perfect unison. Sure enough there sitting around our deities were these completely absorbed individuals … absorbed in chanting the Holy Name with so much relish that even an ordinary bystander would be compelled to join in … and yes, pull the roof down!
That’s transformation!
Let’s face it, how many homes can you go to where teenagers meet to discuss matters that mean the most. Matters that are eternal in nature. And doing this not under any duress or coercion, but with relish.
Rewind to 15 years ago, these young adults were barely off their feet. Guru Maharaja, it was your deep compassion and extreme care that got them started on this path of transformation. It was your unlimited love and guidance that nurtured them every day since. They now have a foundation that will keep them undeterred from the attractions of maya. In an age where parents are constantly worrying about their children, and where children are constantly being pulled into sense gratificatory pursuits, the security of your shelter will remain invaluable.
Your vision to take this up decades ago to grow the young ones into strong Krsna conscious practitioners and leaders is truly unprecedented.
And talking about your vision, I remember the day back in 2010 when we were assembled for a Sunday program in Oswego and had a new real estate listing show up in Naperville. Without any hesitation you saw something that we weren’t even sure would work, and had asked us to put an offer in before 2 p.m. Fast forward, last evening we announced to a growing congregation in Naperville that we not only have raised over $100k in just a few months but ready to move forward with an expansion of the Naperville project that will accommodate over 300 devotees under one roof! We couldn’t but help think of you and what you’ve done for us. We couldn’t have even started without your vision and conviction. You’ve helped us take a handful of devotee families to a thriving congregation to chant and hear the names of Krsna. That’s transformation!
No matter how many of these illustrations are described and shared, they would not say enough of your commitment to your spiritual master, your purity, and your innate ability to be that sparkling instrument of Krsna in transforming our lives and our hearts.
You are our strength in everything that we do. We are aware that it is due to your blessings only that Krsna even reciprocates. We beg to always remain in the warmth and security of your shelter.
Your aspiring servants,
Rucira devi dasi and Sri Vallabha dasa