Paramananda dasa Atita-Gamana devi dasi
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
My dear and most respected Guru Maharaja,
Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your most merciful lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and Śrīla Prabhupada.
With all the gratitude that my stone-like heart can muster for your acceptance of my wife and me as your disciples, and for everything that I learn from you, and for all the mercy and inspiration from you, I write this Vyasa-puja offering today. Thank you for taking us under your shelter and ultimately under the Supreme Lord Krsna’s shelter via the parampara.
I would also like to specifically thank you very much for having faith in and engaging us in the college preaching service. This COVID year when the world has been reeling from severe loss of human life (4.6 M persons dead globally!) and the associated suffering, I reflect on how someone like me as your menial servant should align as much as possible with Srila Prabhupada’s and your mission of spreading Krsna consciousness to as many persons as possible in this horrible world. This is the only way to minimize suffering in this place of no real happiness.
Even though I am totally and uttering incapable of helping even an iota in this ultimate mission, I still strive hard by your encouragement and inspiration trying to follow in your footsteps like a small infant trying to run fast behind and catch up with its strong and powerful father.
By your blessings, your direct guidance and leadership, our meager preaching efforts are bringing in handful of new persons into ISKCON here in Singapore. Yet, there are so many out there whom we have not been able properly impress upon the seriousness of taking up the path of bhakti. This is all because of the lack of qualification and maturity on my part, Guru Maharaja. I will strive to improve but it is only possible by your mercy that I will be able to bridge this gap. I sincerely seek your blessings that Atita-Gamana dasi and I can serve to bring many persons to your lotus feet via this college outreach service!
I have been very fortunate to observe how continuously and in a causeless manner you have gone about the preaching services. This “ahaituki apratihata” standard that is given in verse 1.2.6 of the Srimad-Bhagavatam that you exactly follow, Maharaja, is very inspiring. We see you land in Singapore after a long flight and almost immediately, not minding severe jet lag, you are off to serve the devotees and the common people! You give lectures at the ISKCON center here in the morning and evening and in between you come with us to universities and home programs. You even plan such that you are present to lead the Ratha-yatra annually in Singapore. In addition, you also take time to meet with your disciples and other persons 1-on-1 to provide spiritual guidance. In just 4-5 days in Singapore, you are able to achieve so much preaching objectives and spread Lord Caitanya’s mercy liberally and widely. Just like you wrote about Srila Prabhupada, you are also the embodiment of living by the words “Sarve sukhino bhavantu” – Let everyone be happy!
Finally, I will finish with the best news for us this year which is the arrival of our first child after nine years of marriage. Over these years, you have so graciously helped us by counseling us through disappointments and even putting us in touch with ayurvedic doctors to help conceive. Now, you mercifully have accepted our daughter under your spiritual wings and given her the wonderful name – Malini. We sincerely pray that she will grow up to take your guidance and serve Srila Prabhupada in every way possible.
Praying to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna that they keep us in your service always.
Your undeserving servants,
Atita-Gamana devi dasi and Paramananda dasa