Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you!
On this auspicious occasion of Vyasa Puja, I have no proper words to express my gratitude to you. Just this morning in Bhagavatam class, we read a verse from Prahlada Maharaja:
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?” (S.B. 7.9.28)
I am still in the deep well, but by your instructions, I can at least see the process of getting out, and I have some determination to make it out in this life. Gurudeva, this year, for the first time, I experienced a little taste for chanting the Mahamantra. It was just a tiny bit, and it keeps coming and going, but it has given me renewed enthusiasm to move forward in Krishna consciousness, to see what lies ahead on the path. I know that I did not do anything to deserve this---I continue to struggle to be steady in my daily sadhana and to control my senses---so I am convinced that this is your causeless mercy.
HpS - More likely Srila Prabhupada's and ISKCON Bhakta-vrnda causeless mercy for the most part.
Indeed, during japa and kirtan, my gratitude for your instructions and affection becomes overwhelming. My faith is not yet strong, otherwise why would I struggle so much to develop nistha? But the enthusiasm is there, and I realize that nothing else will make me happy in this world.
Gurudeva, I owe everything to you. How to study Srimad Bhagavatam? Your mood and perspective in reading Bhagavatam provide the best example. How to attend the morning program? Your dancing and chanting during mangal arati are my main inspiration. How to give classes? I depend entirely on your perspective, clear analysis, humor, and striking analogies. How to control the senses? Your austerities in eating and sleeping are simply amazing. How to relate to devotees? Your humility, kindness, and personal dealings are the ideal example. Thank you, Gurudeva, for your Bhagavatam classes, kirtans, phone conversations, and personal instructions. Thank you for your association in Chennai, your instructions in Boise, and your caution about “Jesus Christ Superstar” in San Jose. I cannot repay you.
Guru Maharaja, I pray for the strength to follow your instructions and make myself steady on the path of bhakti. I pray that, when the time is right, I will have the courage to dedicate myself fully to Srila Prabhupada’s service. I pray that I can hear Srimad Bhagavatam in your association, eternally.
Your unworthy servant,
Radhika Ramana dasa
HpS - Thank you. Again, we are just like a stop light in Srila Prabhupada's kingdom, ISKCON, we try to do our duty but are not very good at it. So, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
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