Rama-kanta dasa
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
“I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Srila Romapada Swami, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.”
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.”
mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim
yat-krpa tam aham vande sri gurum dina-taranam
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains.”
My dear eternal spiritual master and spiritual father,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at the dust of Your Divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and Srila Prabhupada!
We have been given one more opportunity, one more chance again this year to glorify Your Divine Grace with one’s heart’s content. This year passed by very swiftly with lots of opportunities to serve Your divine grace in various ways. Personally, for me it’s been contemplation of your instructions and gathering courage and intelligence to fulfill them.
For some time, I have been trying to focus on my chanting. Though, mind wanders as soon as, my fingers reach the beads. My motivation to bring back my mind is Your Divine Grace’s loving, caring guidance and instructions.
In whatsoever, turmoil and disturbing situations, Your Divine Grace’s classes, sound vibration, pragmatic instructions are the oasis in the dry and barren dessert of my life. They are like a gigantic tree which provides shade and coolness from the heat of material nature. As trees, give shade and coolness from the extreme scorching heat, similarly Spiritual master is taking away the sinful reactions of Their disciples which are like scorching heat and gives the amiable conditions to practice and progress in Krsna consciousness.
There are times, when I don’t wake up early in the morning and finish my rounds before going to work. It’s happening quite frequently nowadays, so frequent that it’s the new normal in my life. My contemplation is that, when my spiritual master at an advanced age wakes up early in the morning to chant His rounds, so why I cannot do that at a relatively younger age? I have the same contemplation and motivation, while fasting on festival occasions.
It’s been more than two and a half years, since I had the opportunity to have your physical association. At the same time, Your Divine Grace is very kind and benevolent to reply to my letters which gives me a thrust to continue on my spiritual journey in whatsoever circumstances.
I consider myself to be a very fortunate soul to have been accepted by Your Divine Grace – who represents the bona fide disciplic succession within Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition. I am very much grateful to Your Divine Grace for introducing me to the realm of unalloyed devotional service to devotees, Srila Prabhupada and Krsna.
Recently, I came across the Bhaktivedanta purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.5.7), which signifies the importance of a Spiritual Master in one’s life.
Excerpt from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.5.7) Purport
“A living entity takes birth in this mundane world due to the union of male and female. A human being is born due to union of the father and mother, but a civilized human being has another birth by contact with a spiritual master, who becomes the actual father. The father and mother of the material body are so only in one birth, and in the next birth the father and mother may be a different couple. But the bona fide spiritual master, as the representative of the Lord, is the eternal father because the spiritual master has the responsibility to lead the disciple to spiritual salvation, or the ultimate goal of life. Therefore, a civilized man must be twice-born; otherwise, he is no more than the lower animals.”
This gives me an opportunity to contemplate on the kindness, compassion, and genuine caring of Your Divine Grace.
As it is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, that saintly persons, visit holy places to eradicate the sins accumulated by the people in general at the holy places. I am just contemplating that, just by mediating on Your Divine Grace, by taking your shelter, my sinful tendencies are getting eradicated and getting the much-required enthusiasm to continue practicing Krsna consciousness.
I am begging for your forgiveness and pardon me, if I have done any offenses knowingly or unknowingly at your lotus feet on the most auspicious day of your divine appearance day.
Please engage me in some service at your lotus feet.
Your ever indebted and aspiring servant,
Rama-kanta dasa