Sri Vallabha dasa and Rucira devi dasi
Our dear and respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept our most humble obeisances to the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
I was sifting through the pages of His Grace Bhurijana Prabhu’s “My Glorious Master” not long ago. The writing was so vivid. The mood of Srila Prabhupada was evident in every page. I felt like I was traveling with Bhurijana Prabhu as he made his way to Tokyo and then to Hong Kong to start the first Bhaktivedanta center there. I was amused by mention of the clipping that his newly wed wife, Her Grace Jagattarini’s mother had sent her from the local newspaper in Australia, “Weird Cult Forces Famous Actress to Marry Japanese Monk”. Jagattarini Mataji (aka known as Janne a priori) was an actress in Australia before she met Srila Prabhupada and taken his shelter. Her marriage to Bhurijana prabhu was arranged by Srila Prabhupada and performed in Hong Kong. I was amazed by Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual influence even on the most far removed and the seemingly unlikely to his movement. However, what struck me the most was when I read that Srila Prabhupada, sitting in deep thought in England, shed tears thinking about this couple for doing everything against all odds to serve him in faraway Hong Kong. I felt a rush of blood to my head trying to comprehend Srila Prabhupada’s unfathomable compassion, his genuine care for his disciples, and his infinitely merciful nature of being that “Glorious Master” as Bhurijana Prabhu so beautifully recounted throughout his writings.
Upon reading this, my thoughts immediately went to you, my dear Guru Maharaja. You’ve been there for us even before we knew that we needed you. Your attention to our growth in Krsna consciousness especially during the various reversals in our life, were nothing short of extreme compassion that can only come from the spiritual father you’ve been to us. The sacrifices you make even to this day to be with your disciples the world over by way of vani and vapuh is truly extraordinaire. COVID, travel, age, health, and even “mama-suras”, seem not to deter you and your will to serve your spiritual master. Your lectures, even when you are in distant lands, seem to transcend time zones and jet lags as we know it with a sense of freshness, eagerness, and most importantly, with a sense of urgency.
In Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Amrta–vani, he says, “Only one who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and the spiritual master is able to act as a guru”. Your life and your dedication speak for themselves about your love for your guru and Krsna. We sometimes marvel at how anyone could be so dedicated day after day, every single day, for their entire life. We can’t seem to get through even a few hours without getting bogged down by the pervasive material energy. Yet, we see you, and hear you, and feel the enthusiasm that seems unflinching in every way … no matter what is thrown at you by this material world.
Guru Maharaja, we kneel before you in complete appreciation and gratitude for what you do for us.
Please accept our humble and sincere thanks as we realize the urgency of taking to your shelter more seriously and relishing the Holy Name more than ever before. We thank you for your unwavering presence in our lives, in our children’s life and now in our grandchildren’s lives as well.
As always, 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