Gaurasundara dasa and Lavanya-keli devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to you and Srila Prabhupada.
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur-unmīlitam yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
On the auspicious day of your divine appearance, we seek love and devotion to you, Srila Prabhupada and Krsna. We are not qualified like our god-brothers and god-sisters who are experts in taking care of you and who serve you with their heart and soul, body, mind and words. We are easily affected by the three modes of material nature, and we constantly struggle to maintain our spiritual well-being. It is only because of your causeless mercy on us that we are somehow able to appreciate the value of love of Godhead and devotional service.
Svetasvatara upanisad describes who can qualify to be a disciple of Guru and Krsna.
yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah
“Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and to the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become automatically revealed.”[Svetasvatara upanisad 6.23]
This is the goal of our life which is to have implicit faith in both Guru and Krsna. Although we know this is the goal, we fumble most of the time and endeavor to re-align ourselves back on track on this goal.
As per the Purport to Srimad–Bhagavatam 7.15.28, further states that tusyeyam sarva-bhutatma guru-susrusaya and taranty anjo bhavarnavam “Simply by rendering service to the spiritual master, one crosses the ocean of nescience and returns home, back to Godhead. Thus, he gradually sees the Supreme Lord face to face and enjoys life in association with the Lord”. [Svetasvatara upanisad 6.23]
We have been trying to preach in the neighborhood last year but due to the pandemic, the weekly preaching at the nearby temple wasn’t very active most of the time. We have an online WhatsApp preaching group of about twenty-five people (gathered through book distribution) but they haven’t been actively participating. We are regularly doing Deity worship service at the local ISKCON temple, associating with devotees and also attending online Bhakti-vaibhava class conducted by His Grace Bhayahari prabhu from DC. This way, we try to be in touch with the devotees. His Grace Nityananda Pran Prabhu has been mentoring us and we are ever grateful to him for that. The local ISKCON temple now and then gives us an opportunity to give classes and we have been serving them in that capacity too.
The below is from Lavanya-keli dd:
On this wonderful occasion of your Vyasa-puja, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for showing us the path and supporting us through it. Since our move to India, there have been a lot of changes to our family life, new responsibilities have added and that has considerably affected my sadhana and seva. I am no longer able to participate in temple services and reading groups like before and the pandemic has only worsened the situation. Regular hearing of your classes has been the only solace as it is very helpful in keeping the connection even though we are far far away from your auspicious presence and that of your disciples. We are ever grateful to you for so kindly giving us these everyday classes while we cannot imagine the effort and time that you spend in preparing for these. Kindly bless us to remain connected and never give up the association of your divine vani.
Our prayer at your lotus feet is to always keep us engaged at your service and bless us so that we never forget you or Krsna at any point in this lifetime or next. May you bless us to have taste to offenselessly chant the Holy name.
Your aspiring servants at your lotus feet,
Gaurasundara dasa and Lavanya-keli devi dasi