Respected Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
We had a very nice celebration of your Vyasa Puja here in Williamsburg/Richmond, Virginia. We read your instructions about Guru-tattva from the ASA archives and also watched the japa-tree powerpoint.
All of us at the Richmond Bhakti-vriksha are very eager to have your association in the near future. Is there any time between February and May that you could visit us? I will be returning from India on January 18th, and then leaving for the summer on May 13th. We would make every effort to arrange nice programs. The opening of our new preaching center will be on March 3rd. Would you be available that weekend by any chance? We would be most fortunate to have your presence then, although I realize it is just before Gaura Purnima. Any other time would also be okay.
Also, I wanted to offer a few words for your Vyasa Puja. Please allow me to offer some humble appreciation of your good qualities and all that you do for us. I don’t know where I would be in spiritual life without you, Gurudeva. Every time I feel down in my spiritual life (and therefore all other aspects of life too), you will call or send an email, and just hearing about your preaching activities encourages me to pick myself up and try again.
My mind is always very complicated and too analytical. Your simple, straightforward, and urgent perspective on Krishna consciousness is like the morning sun or a fresh breeze. I remember recently someone asked on the blog about how to develop more faith and taste in Krishna consciousness. Your answer was memorable—faith comes from performing austerity for Krishna, and when we see the results of that austerity, our faith becomes stronger. How to do austerity? Again, your answer was not complicated or grandiose: do small, simple things like control your lust a little bit at every meal you eat and see the results!
Another time on the blog, someone was explaining the managerial problems they were facing, and you gave counsel that I will never forget. If we are doing our sadhana nicely than we have empowerment from Krishna to deal with difficult situations, and it becomes devotional service; otherwise, everyone is simply acting based on whatever good and bad qualities they may have received from the modes of nature, and that is a dangerous situation.
Guru Mahārāja, your answer to every question is the same—chant your rounds nicely and Krishna will reveal everything—and yet every time you say it, it so fresh and it makes so much sense. This is because you have truly realized this fact: krsna-bhakti kaile sarva karma-krta haya, everything is present in the holy name. Gurudeva, I beg you to bless me so that I can have a little practical experience of the same.
Your fallen servant,
Rādhikā Ramaṇa dasa
HpS - Ooof! AGTSP paoho. We have a headache the size of a horse. Ha! Ha! Ha! So many Vyasapuja Offerings to read. Many in Spanish. We don't seem to have lotus feet. We are struggling to just do any service. It is like hour to hour we get something to do and then we are engaged. It is like Krsna sees that we are devoid of Bhakti and so He just sends us some Karma-yoga to keep us moving in the right direction. Ha! Ha! It will work! Even we will go back to Godhead and be animals for Krsna!
We are traveling in USA and S. America all of February and March and April! May we may go to Europe for Yadu Swamis wing-ding!! Yet, that is doubtfull because it is not developing with any punch!!! Have a very, very, usefule trip to India. May every moment fill you with eternal energy for Krsna!!!