Alarka devi dasi
In this world of dualities, everything and everyone is always changing. It becomes even more important to find a constant. Throughout the beautiful springs and harsh winters of my life, my constant has been Guru Maharaja.
For the love of his disciples and the love of Sri Sri Radha Krsna, Guru Maharaja has left us countless instruction videos, ranging from krsna–katha to bhakti inspiration. He always knows how to encourage each one of us to love Krsna in our own unique ways. The best of all is that he encourages us to be decent human beings in the first place.
Ethics generally change from culture to culture and from era to era. What was considered immoral yesterday might be moral today, and vice versa. But some things do not change. Guru Maharaja has taught us how to be steadfast in the face of adversity and remain humble, respectful, and kind. If everyone could follow his teachings, we might witness an early Satya-yuga!
Guru Maharaja has been a beacon of light in my life. Not the kind of blinding light that causes one to hide the eyes, but more like the light of the morning sun: serene, soothing, beautiful, and quiet. In a world that is always screaming and shouting, he appears like a quiet oasis.
I am not at all a fast-paced person. I like silence, peace, and doing things on my own. In Kali-yuga, everything needs to be done right away. But Guru Maharaja has shown how to maintain peace and quiet even while fulfilling one’s duties in the small constraints of time we have to work with.
I still have so much to do and learn and I have not even fully adopted even a quarter of Guru Maharaja’s personal examples. But I want to thank him for still having some hope in a person as small and disappointing as me. I want to thank him for giving me his Radha Krsna, whose presence is the only thing that can soothe my turbulent heart. I want to thank him for accepting me in the first place, although I was neither qualified nor worthy of his mercy. I want to thank him for not throwing me away like most end up doing when they realize how disappointing I can be.
Yours for eternity,
Alarka devi dasi