Sundari Radha devi dasi
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
On this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa-puja, I’m overwhelmed with immense gratitude for the opportunity to attempt to glorify You, dear Guru Maharaja. Following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja who, I learned from You, took the service of praising Lord Nrsimhadev when asked by his seniors even though he felt unqualified, I want to acknowledge my own lack of qualification in speaking your glories. I understand that I only have been given this grace by the mercy of my dear mother and father and my dear guides Hemangi Mataji and Nityananda Pran Prabhu. When one surrenders unto Lord Krsna, Krsna takes care of their whole family. I am so grateful to my parents and guides for their surrender and for their example. I am well aware that I am living off of their devotional credits. I pray to them, offering my respectful obeisances unto them and asking for their blessings that I may speak some words in honour of You that are worthy of Your attention.
Modern adjectives just don’t seem to do justice in describing Your qualities, dear Gurudev. Meticulous cannot even describe how you serve Srila Prabhupada with your complete being. Merciful cannot describe the kindness you show upon Your countless disciples, working non-stop to take us out of misery and back to the sweet shelter of our Lord Sri Krsna. Patient doesn’t describe how You wait for me to take steps towards Krsna even whilst I fall constantly, tumble, take steps backwards and even throw tantrums. Forgiving doesn’t capture the love You show, even when I struggle to keep my promises to You. Constant isn’t enough to describe how You are always available and ready to shower us with Krsna’s love. Maharaja your glories exceed what the English language can describe.
In the Gita, Krsna describes how rare it is to get out of this material world and go back to Him. He says it can take millions of births. However, if a devotee of the Lord, out of the kindness of their heart, glances upon a fallen soul then His mercy can take you back. How fortunate I am to have been a recipient of your loving glance. I pray I can constantly remember what a gift I have been given. I would be the greatest fool to waste it.
Last year at Vyasa-puja, You told us that the way to please You is to take sincerely to the process of devotional service. I have a long way to go to be able to say I am sincerely taking to devotional service, but I hope I can please You with my recent efforts in increasing my devotional service. I have started reading Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly. Your lecture series from Gita Nagari really inspired me to take advantage of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krsna Himself! I am also taking bhakti-sastri classes at the manor, delving into the wonderful Bhagavad-gita. This year I also pushed myself to go on book distribution more and started cooking for the sankirtana devotees regularly. This is just the beginning of the beginning. There is still so much more I would like to do in service to You dear Guru Maharaja. Please bless me so I can start inching forward. Please keep me in the shelter of Your lotus feet.
Your aspiring servant,
Sundari Radha devi dasi