om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of Your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Even in my most unsteady and fallen state, I have come to realize that exalted devotees are truly a representative of Radha and Krsna. They wish for nothing more than to fan even the tiniest of devotional spark and elevate a living entity, however undeserving and unqualified, to the highest stage of devotional service. This I have personally experienced. For more than a decade, I have struggled to fully commit to devotional service, to take up sadhana with any level of determination, or associate meaningfully with devotees. Yet, You and Her Grace Prema-tarangini Mataji have tried to continually fan whatever tiny little spark You see in me, which I have failed to find in myself. You engage me in services for my benefit and have showered such unconditional love and support.
I do not understand Your transcendental love and qualities, Guru Maharaja. But there has been a longing to follow in Your and the Vaisnavas’ footsteps. I am humbled by all the Vaisnavas that I have known over the years. Their humility, sincerity, dedication, and compassion have all floored me, and I can only aspire for a tiny fraction of their purity. This year, I am praying to restructure my life to make it more favorable for devotional service. I am weak and the forces of maya are strong. Guru Maharaja, I pray for strength to stick to the path You have outlined with all my heart and soul in a consistent, steady, and regulated manner. I pray to be able to hear and chant qualitatively and offer my heart wholeheartedly in Your service.
Aspiring to be Your humble servant,
Pooja