Madhumangala dasa, Prema-rasa devi dasi, and Hari Charan

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

mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim
yat-krpa tam aham vande sri gurum dina-taranam

My dear and respected Guru Maharaja,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances unto the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We read in Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.14:

etac chusrusatam vidvan
suta no ‘rhasi bhasitum
katha hari-kathodarkah
satam syuh sadasi dhruvam

“O learned Suta Gosvami! Please continue to explain such topics to us because we are all eager to hear. Besides that, topics which result in the discussion of the Lord Hari should certainly be discussed in the assembly of devotees.”

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada writes: “Therefore literatures like Mahabharata, the Puraṇas and similar other literatures which are full of the pastimes of the Lord, are all transcendental literatures, and they should be discussed with full confidence in the society of great devotees.

The difficulty is that such literatures, when discussed by professional men, appear to be mundane literature like histories or epics because there are so many historical facts and figures. It is said here, therefore, that such literature should be discussed in the assembly of devotees. Unless they are discussed by devotees, such literatures cannot be relished by the higher class of men.”

As we receive the unconditional mercy of Your Divine Grace in so many ways, to me, your contribution as the representative of Srila Vyasadeva to propagate the messages of Srimad-Bhagavatam appears to be one of the most effective and prominent. With every passing day, week, month, and year, the amount of time and energy you invest in bringing down the mercy of Lord Krsna into our lives through these messages is most palpable.

We learn from you that to be effective means to be selfless. To be selfless means to be pure! It takes so much sacrifice on your part, as you demonstrate accepting discomforts at multiple levels, not just on bodily level, to facilitate the regular hearing and chanting of these messages, regardless of time, place, and circumstances (nityam bhagavata sevaya).

Pretty much on a regular occurrence, these days we come across messages and videos on social media, that claim to be the so-called words of God or scripture, including Bhagavad-gita. However, as we hear from you and read from Srila Prabhupada’s “as it is” purports, one could easily discern that such social media messages may be motivational at best and are devoid of true understanding of Krsna’s teachings. Unfortunately, such false messages mislead even a true seeker, what to speak of an innocent or ignorant person. Therefore, your sacrifices and pure efforts to transparently propagate the true messages of Godhead are more valuable now, than ever before.

When ISKCON celebrated the 50 years of incorporation, Your Divine Grace remarked “if you want to see ISKCON 100, please read Srila Prabhupada’s books. Conversely, if you don’t want to see ISKCON celebrate 100 years, then don’t read Srila Prabhupada’s books.” To me, your life is an example of this simple but most effective instruction. You not only preach this message but live by it every moment – by investing so much time and energy in bringing people closer to Krsna through your thought-provoking classes on Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, as explained by Srila Prabhupada and other great acarya.

So, as I was going through some of the social media posts claiming to be the messages of Bhagavad-gita, I thought how valuable it is for me to hear the real unadulterated messages from you, apply them in my life, and let other open-minded persons also come in contact with them. I also thought, for every false or misleading social media message out there in the garb of religion, dozens and dozens of Bhagavad-gita As It Is books need to be distributed, to overcome them and to make sure innocent and true seekers have an opportunity to come in contact with the real descending mercy (parampara).

We hear that one time, Srila Prabhupada was at Bhaktivedanta Manor, a mayavadi sannyasi came to visit. When the man departed, he left behind a big stack of his pamphlets that contained impersonal teachings. The next afternoon, Srila Prabhupada called for the pamphlets and asked that each devotee be distributed with each of the pamphlets. He then asked the devotees to use those pamphlets as plates for serving maha prasadam in them. Thus, he found use in Krsna’s service, even for the most unthinkable things.

My dear Guru Maharaja, Before knowing you, my life was like that of the pamphlet – full of impersonalism and atheism, and devoid of any true meaning, purpose, or goal. Somehow, now that I have the opportunity of your kind association, through your constant, relentless efforts and unconditional mercy, you are breathing true meaning, purpose, and goal into my otherwise useless life. Your teachings on Srimad-Bhagavatam are my only hope and I pray at your merciful lotus feet to kindly let me develop even the tiniest bit of attraction for those messages.

Thank you very much, Guru Maharaja!

Your aspiring servant,
Madhumangala dasa, Prema-rasa devi dasi, and Hari Charan Karri