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,
The most auspicious moment of the year and the most awaited one after Sri Krsna Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, has come again in the form of Your Divine Grace’s divine appearance day – Vyasa-puja. Days, months and years are moving swiftly in my life, with the only hope to render some menial service at the dust of your divine lotus feet. Your divine grace is very kind and merciful to remember me and reply to my letters regularly even though I am regularly irregular in writing letters.
The commitment and reciprocation are transcendental and sublime. Your divine grace’s love, guidance and care is unprecedented which is a hope to keep moving towards the ultimate goal of life, regardless of time, place and circumstances. With my on-going busy and tiring schedule, I am trying to get strength from Your Divine Grace’s exemplary life of devotion and surrender to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.
Even at advanced age, your super busy schedule has remained unchanged. Age is just a number for the pure devotee of the Lord. Recently, we celebrated Balarama Purnima at Ahmedabad temple. So, as I am contemplating on the merciful and benevolent nature of Lord Balarama on His appearance day. Being the representative of Lord Balarama and Lord Nityananda, Your Divine Grace is carrying the same mood with more sweetness and reciprocity.
Through the agency of spiritual master only, one can attain pure devotional service unto Krsna’s lotus feet. Krsna instructed to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita 18.66
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
But Your Divine Grace is very merciful to deliver disciples even without full surrender as described by Krsna.
Govardhana is known as hari-dasa-varya, the best amongst the servants of Lord Hari(Krsna). He took the fierce rain boulders for seven days and seven nights and served the Lord in protecting the residents of Vrndavana.
On the same note, spiritual master is also known as hari-krpa-varya, the best or topmost devotee who has received the mercy of the Lord. Expanding further, spiritual master is the most confident messenger of the Lord and also one who is giving the fullest of Lord’s mercy. The causeless transcendental mercy is constantly flowing from Your Divine Grace’s lotus feet, lotus mouth and through exchanges of letters. The onus is upon me on how eagerly and enthusiastically I am tapping into the mercy.
At the moment, my heart is filled with tons of anarthas, false misgivings and illusion of material energy. On this most auspicious occasion, I am praying at Your Divine Grace’s lotus feet to please bestow some mercy so that I can also fully dive into the transcendental ocean of mercy and serve at your lotus feet forever.
The relationship of spiritual master and disciple is eternal, such as the relationship of living entity with Krsna. I am begging for your forgiveness and pardon me, for 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