Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The first time I ever saw your grace was in the summer of 2009. I was travelling with the ISKCON youth bus tour as a 20 year old without any real goals in life- just going through the motions. So we were in San Jose on this leg of the tour and we had all been woken up to attend Mangala Arti. During Japa time I saw you as the only Sannyasi (obvioulsy) in the room. You were sitting on a cushion perhaps and your beads were out and on you lap. I am sure without intention you just sort of, with your head facing down, rolled your eyes up and gave me a glance almost like a teacher would to check his students are working and not goofing. You seemed a very curious personality to me at the time. I always carried this memory with me and years later when I decided to put my life in order and take spiritual life more seriously, this memory would come in handy. 

I was to choose a spiritual guide to mentor me and formally accept me into the big ISKCON family. A devotee gave me a tip: to pray to Krsna to reveal that teacher to me. So I tried it. And it worked. Immediately this memory of your manifested. I knew then that you would be my teacher. This was such a powerful experience. The power of prayer attracted me more to Krsna. 

I has been 10 years of a guru-disciple relationship. Some challenges have appeared before me over the recent years in my spiritual practice but I always remember you and know that I should not disappoint you and always pray to improve. I thank you for your quirky words of wisdom and your forever guidance.  On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa puja I thank you for changing my l ife around for the better.Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Your aspiring servant,

Rasa-mandali dasi

ps. Attached is a delayed photo of our third child Isavasya, a baby girl.

HpS - AgtSP.... Paoho. . .   Thank you for this news.  It is so perfect to see ourselves through the eyes of others, Krsna and His devotees, sages like Maitreya Muni, blades of grass in Iskcon. We don't see you too much!!  Where do you live? With whom do you work? How much does your family weigh, total? How long are your intestines, combined? Who are you each, individually in Goloka?  . . . Isavasya looks very intelligent, no joke.