Ananga-mohini devi dasi

Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my most sincere obeisances to your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and you!

You are a true spiritual master, and the footsteps of spreading Krsna consciousness have never stopped. From the United States to China to Singapore to India, the pure love for Krsna is widely spread. You light the eyes of every disciple with the torch of knowledge, and comprehensively and systematically narrate Srimad-Bhagavatam, teaching us to appreciate the transcendental love between Radha and Krsna as lovers, and live out our true selves.

On July 16, 2023, in Shunyi, Beijing, you kindly gave me my first initiation and bestowed upon me an incredibly enchanting spiritual name, Ananga-mohini devi dasi. A year has passed, and with your kindness, I look inward, listen to my inner voice, and appreciate the beauty of life.

Since August 2023, thanks to the kindness of the devotees, I have undertaken the service of bookkeeping for our association group, recording every income and expense, summarizing and publishing the accounts to the devotees who come to participate in the association every month. Although this service may seem simple, it is indeed not easy to achieve clarity and transparency in the source and destination of every account. In the income account, in addition to the regular small-scale donations from members, there are also individual large-scale donations from contributors. In expenditure accounts, due to the involvement of multiple layers of relationships and objects, complex and difficult to handle situations may also be encountered. Whenever I am at a loss, I turn to my daughter for help, and with her assistance, I am able to quickly organize my income and expenses. My daughter’s help always moves me deeply. This service allowed me to see my own weaknesses and shortcomings, and also gave me the opportunity to practice doing every small thing with a humble and service-oriented attitude.

Our group has had both joy and setbacks throughout this year, but with the support of the devotees, our association has always been able to be maintained normally. Sometimes the devotees who come to give lectures cannot attend the appointment due to reasons, and the group leader will take the initiative to take on the task of giving lectures. At the beginning of the year, a core devotee encountered a major dilemma. The group leader led several close devotees to pray daily for her to offer lamps to Krsna, until with Krsna’s kindness, the dilemma was resolved. These experiences have shown me the protection that Krsna provides to devotees, as well as the faith that devotees have in Krsna and their spiritual masters.

In addition, I continued to participate in bhakti-sastri courses through the Internet this year, and have completed most of Bhagavad-gita and Sri Isopanisad. In this learning process, I have come into contact with and met devotees from all over the country, of all ages, and from various industries. I feel very lucky to have their friendship and have benefited greatly from it. Through continuous learning and networking in the group, I feel more confident and candid in my interactions with relatives and friends. I can better grasp myself and empathize with others, and convey Krsna’s blessings in an appropriate way.

Guru Maharaja, during the initiation ceremony, I promised you I will never leave ISKCON. You replied with a smile, ‘That’s to never leave me, because I won’t leave ISKCON.’ Yes, you represent ISKCON, you represent the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna, I will never leave you. I pray for your blessings and kindness, which will give me stronger faith in Krsna, and more determination to move forward on the path of loving service. Let me serve you taking senior devotees as role model, with a completely devoted and selfless attitude, always remembering your teachings: to devote myself wholeheartedly to reciting the holy name, to be a qualified disciple, to be a disciple that satisfies you. Without your blessings and kindness, I would be powerless.

Your eternal servant,
Ananga-mohini devi dasi