VP Book 2022 en - Spreads

The Most Blessed
Event The appearance day

of our beloved
Spiritual Master
HIS HOLINESS SRILA

NIRANJANA SWAMI
2 0 2 2
VYASA PUJA
CONTENTS
Introduction.............................................................13
My Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada........17
Abhinanda Dasa......................................................24
Acandala-priya Dasa...............................................30
Acarya-nidhi Dasa, Sarad-viharini Devi Dasi..........31
Adi-radhika Devi Dasi..............................................32
Ajitananda Dasa......................................................33
Aksara-gopala Dasa................................................35
Aksara-nitay Dasa...................................................37
AlinaKozakova ........................................................39
Amala-priti Devi Dasi...............................................42
Amaravati Devi Dasi................................................45
Ameyatma Dasa......................................................49
Amrita-lila Devi Dasi................................................51
Amrita-malini Devi Dasi..........................................55
Amrita-vilasini Devi Dasi.........................................57
Amsumana Dasa.....................................................58
Ananda-manjari Devi Dasi, Krishna-kirti Dasa.......60
Ananda-vilasini Devi Dasi.......................................63
Srila Niranjana Swami

Vyasa Puja Book 2022
Anandini Devi Dasi..................................................65

Ananga-gopi Devi Dasi............................................67
Ananta-krishna Dasa...............................................68
Anantapriya Devi Dasi.............................................71
Andrey Shurshin......................................................73
Anjana Devi Dasi.....................................................75
Srila Niranjana Swami 3 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Arjuna-bandhu Dasa...............................................78 Gadadhara-prana Dasa.........................................178
Arjuna-sakha Dasa..................................................82 Gaurangi-seva Devi Dasi.......................................182
Arjuna-vallabha Dasa..............................................86 Gaura-purnima Dasa, Sitala Devi Dasi.................186
Arnika Shanti...........................................................91 Gauravani Devi Dasi..............................................194
Aruna-krishna Dasa.................................................93 Gauri-radhika Devi Dasi.........................................196
Ashta-sakhi-lila Devi Dasi.......................................94 Gauri-sakhi Devi Dasi............................................198
Auliya-caitanya Dasa..............................................96 Godavari Devi Dasi................................................202
Brhat-sloka Dasa...................................................102 Godruma-vihari Dasa............................................205
Candrabhanu Dasa...............................................104 Govinda-candra Dasa............................................208
Citrarekha Devi Dasi..............................................107 Govinda-vallabha Devi Dasi..................................209
Citta-hari Dasa.......................................................112 Govinda-vilasini Devi Dasi....................................214
Citta-harini Devi Dasi.............................................118 Govindesvari Devi Dasi.........................................216
Daivi-kumari Devi Dasi, Syam-karuna Dasa.........122 Gunavati Devi Dasi................................................220
Daksina Devi Dasi.................................................123 Harakanthi Devi Dasi.............................................222
Dayanidhi Dasa.....................................................124 Hararata Devi Dasi................................................224
Daya-sagara Dasa.................................................128 Harikatha Dasa......................................................230
Devaki-priya Dasa..................................................132 Indranuja Dasa......................................................236
Dhanistha Devi Dasi..............................................136 Indravali Devi Dasi.................................................239
Dhira Dasa.............................................................138 Indu-kanti Devi Dasi..............................................241
Dinadayadri Devi Dasi...........................................141 Irmantas................................................................243
Dmitriy Markov......................................................149 Isvara-krsna Dasa, Lavanga-gopi Devi Dasi.........245
Doyal-govinda Dasa..............................................151 Jagat-tarini Devi Dasi............................................248

Draupadi-rani Devi Dasi........................................154 Jahnava-sundari Devi Dasi...................................250

Ekacakra Dasa.......................................................158 Jiva-gosvami Dasa................................................252
Ekantita-buddhi Dasa............................................166 Kadambari Devi Dasi.............................................254
Ekesvari-radha Devi Dasi......................................170 Kalindi Devi Dasi...................................................257
Felicia.....................................................................172 Kamalakantha-pandit Dasa..................................259
Srila Niranjana Swami 4 5 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Kamala-sundari Devi Dasi....................................262 Mangala-vaisnava Dasa.......................................344
Karuna-purna Devi Dasi........................................264 Manibandha Dasa, Syama-manjari Devi Dasi......347
Kaveri Devi Dasi....................................................267 Manjari Sundari Devi Dasi....................................351
Krishna-katha Dasa...............................................271 Manmohini Devi Dasi............................................354
Krishnakund-devi Dasi..........................................272 Manmohini-radha Devi Dasi, Ananda-vigraha Dasa.356
Krishna-lila Devi Dasi............................................278 Mohini-radha Devi Dasi.........................................358
Kristina Strelets.....................................................280 Murari-krishna Dasa..............................................359
Kundalata Devi Dasi..............................................284 Nama-priya Devi Dasi............................................366
Laksmipriya Devi Dasi...........................................290 Nandita-gokula Devi Dasi.....................................367
Laksmi-sundari Devi Dasi.....................................296 Narangi Devi Dasi..................................................370
Lalita-hrdaya Devi Dasi.........................................299 Natalya Korablina..................................................371
Larisa Kozina.........................................................303 Natalya Lysak........................................................373
Larisa Povalyaeva.................................................305 Natalya Sevostianova...........................................374
Lasika Devi Dasi....................................................307 Nikunja-rani Devi Dasi...........................................376
Lilananda Devi Dasi...............................................308 Nikunja-vilasini Devi Dasi......................................379
Lilavati Devi Dasi...................................................310 Nila Devi Dasi........................................................381
Lilesvari Devi Dasi.................................................312 Nirakula Devi Dasi.................................................384
Loka-lila Devi Dasi.................................................314 Nirmala-bhakti Devi Dasi, Ananta-nitai Dasa.......390
Loka-pavani Devi Dasi...........................................316 Nitya-kisori Devi Dasi............................................391
Luybov Yurkina......................................................320 Nitya-priya Devi Dasi.............................................399
Madhuvrata Dasa..................................................324 Nitya-rangini Devi Dasi..........................................403
Mahabahu Dasa, Radhika Devi Dasi....................328 Nitya-rupa Devi Dasi..............................................405

Maha-laksmi Devi Dasi.........................................333 Nitya-sakhi Devi Dasi............................................407

Mahamana Devi Dasi............................................334 Nitya-seva Devi Dasi.............................................410
Mahaprakasa Dasa...............................................336 Olga Avdeyeva.......................................................414
Maheshvara Dasa.................................................340 Olga Beleva............................................................415
Mandakini Devi Dasi.............................................342 Paramananda-puri Dasa.......................................422

Parvati Devi Dasi...................................................423 Sastra-krit Dasa.....................................................503
Pavel Alyashev......................................................425 Satakula Dasa, Anusmrti Devi Dasi......................505
Prabhupada Dasa, Bhagavati Devi Dasi, Satarupa Devi Dasi................................................510
Radha-raman Dasa...............................................426 Satya Devi Dasi, Rasamandala Dasa...................513
Prana-sakha Dasa.................................................428 Sofia Leleko...........................................................516
Pranesvari-radha Devi Dasi..................................430 Sridevi Devi Dasi....................................................519
Prema-lata Devi Dasi.............................................434 Sridhama Dasa......................................................524
Prema-manjari Devi Dasi......................................436 Sri-nathaji Dasa.....................................................526
Radharani Bhaktin.................................................440 Sripati Dasa...........................................................528
Radhika-kisori Devi Dasi.......................................448 Subala Dasa..........................................................531
Ragalekha Devi Dasi.............................................454 Subhangada Devi Dasi..........................................532
Rasanath Dasand, Saci-sundari Devi Dasi...........461 Sudarsana Dasa....................................................537
Rasa-sthali Devi Dasi............................................463 Sudhira Dasa.........................................................540
Rasa-vilasini Devi Dasi..........................................464 Sukeli Devi Dasi.....................................................545
Rasayani Devi Dasi................................................466 Sukesi Devi Dasi....................................................546
Ratnagarbha-acarya Dasa....................................468 Sukumari Devi Dasi...............................................548
Ratnalekha Devi Dasi.............................................470 Sundara-rupa Dasa...............................................553
Ratnavali Devi Dasi...............................................473 Svetlana Yullinen...................................................554
Ratnavati Devi Dasi...............................................476 Syamarupa Dasa...................................................555
Sacidulal Dasa, Ramadevi Devi Dasi....................482 Syamasundara Dasa.............................................558
Saci-dulala Dasa...................................................483 Tamal-krishna Dasa..............................................562
Sacimayi Devi Dasi................................................492 Tara Devi Dasi........................................................564

Sadbhuja Dasa......................................................492 Tarini-radha Devi Dasi...........................................568

Sahasrajit Dasa.....................................................494 Taruni Devi Dasi....................................................572
Sakti-svarupini Devi Dasi......................................499 Taruni-priya Devi Dasi...........................................574
Sanjaya Dasa.........................................................500 Tarun-krishna Dasa...............................................575
Saradiya Devi Dasi................................................502 Tatiana Novikova..................................................577

Tetiana Palamarchuk............................................578 Vrajakisor Dasa.....................................................651
Tetiana Uhlenko....................................................580 Vraja-manjari Devi Dasi.........................................660
Tilakini Devi Dasi...................................................587 Vraja-vilasini Devi Dasi..........................................662
Trigunamayi Devi Dasi..........................................591 Vrajendranandana Dasa........................................666
Tulasi-sundari Devi Dasi.......................................593 Vrajesa Dasa.........................................................669
Tungavidya Devi Dasi............................................596 Vrkodara Dasa.......................................................670
Tungavidya-sundari Devi Dasi..............................599 Vrndavana-rani Devi Dasi......................................672
Vaidarbhi Devi Dasi...............................................602 Vrndvan-prasad Dasa...........................................675
Vaijayanti-mala Devi Dasi.....................................604 Yaduraja Dasa.......................................................680
Vanamali-kaviraja Dasa........................................607 Yasasvini Devi Dasi...............................................681
Vani-krishnadas Dasa...........................................609 Yasoda-jivana Dasa...............................................683
Varadesvari Devi Dasi...........................................614 Yasodamayi Devi Dasi..........................................686
Varuni Devi Dasi....................................................617 Yasoda-sakhi Devi Dasi........................................689
Vasanti Devi Dasi..................................................621 Yasodhara Dasa, Rangavali Devi Dasi.................691
Vedagarbha Dasa..................................................624 Yelena Bauer.........................................................696
Vedapriya Devi Dasi..............................................627 Yogamata Devi Dasi..............................................704
Venu-rati Devi Dasi................................................629 Yuga-avatara Dasa................................................707
Vera Yakusheva.....................................................631 Yugala-kisori Devi Dasi.........................................709
Vidagdha-siromani Dasa......................................632 Yuthesvari Devi Dasi.............................................713
Vidyanidhi Dasa....................................................636
Vijay-gopal Dasa...................................................639
Vijay-hari Dasa......................................................639

Vijay-laksmi Devi Dasi............................................642

Vinayak Maheshwari.............................................644
Visvajita Dasa........................................................646
Visvavasu Dasa.....................................................648
Vitanka Dasa.........................................................650

INTRODUCTION
Dear Guru Maharaja, we would like to thank
those, without whom this Vyasa Puja Book
would never have appeared.
First of all, of course, it is you. You are our never-end-
ing inspiration and a ray of light in the dark realm of
the material world! Without you, there would be no
these offerings - neither realizations, nor revelations,
nor grateful words or emotions, nor outpourings of
the heart, nor expressions of reciprocity from the
jivas, in whose hearts you have kindled faith, placed
hope and have been nurturing love.
Every year without exception you express your
gratitude to your spiritual master Srila Prabhupada
in the form of a written homage. We, your disciples
and followers, try to follow in your footsteps.
The precious moments we devote to contemplat-
ing and writing our offerings are your gift to us:
we receive an opportunity to look back and see

how we have served you, Srila Prabhupada and all

the Vaisnavas in the past year. Surely, it is also a
chance to serve devotees who will read the offer-
ings after you, and receive realizations, encourage-
ment and inspiration. Thank you!
Srila Niranjana Swami 13 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Also our huge gratitude goes to your god brothers and editing); Ananga-gopi devi dasi, Belene Tes-
and sisters for being dear to you. To Srila Prabhu- faye, Draupadi-rani devi dasi, Kaumari devi dasi,
pada, our guru in all things. To all guru parampara, Sivananda-sena dasa (english proofreading and
which accepted us into their family because of you. editing), - they offer their humble obeisances to
To Lord Caitanya, whose message you preach. And you, Guru Maharaja, and all devotees.
to Lord Krishna, because we know that not a single
All glories to you!
blade of grass moves without His sanction. There-
fore, if it weren’t for his will, there would be no book
of offerings either.
Our heartfelt gratitude and lowest obeisances to
all the devotees who are like wish-fulfilling trees.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve and be in-
spired to spiritual practice and preaching.
All the devotees, who have contributed to the work
on the book of offerings, viz:
Gaurasundari devi dasi (service coordination);
Amala Gopi devi dasi (design and layout); Natalia
Volchetskaya (announcements); Acyuta-priya devi
dasi, Draupadi-rani devi dasi, Dvija-govinda dasa,
Godruma-vihari dasa, Krishna-lila devi dasi, Maha-

rani devi dasi, Manjumukhi devi dasi, Nitya-manjari

devi dasi, Oleg Martynov, Prana-sakha dasa, Taraka
dasa, Vijay-laksmi devi dasi, Vraja-priya devi dasi
(translators); Induvati-gopi devi dasi, Locana-sund-
ari devi dasi, Rasesvari devi dasi, Trayadhisa devi
dasi, Vraja-priya devi dasi (russian proofreading

MY VYASA PUJA
OFFERING TO SRILA
PRABHUPADA
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust
of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
I’m writing this Vyasa Puja offering to you a few
days before the 126th anniversary of your divine
appearance in this world.
The year is 2022, and certain events of this year
have created an unprecedented disturbance in the
lives of thousands of your servants, many of whom
have had their faith shaken from all that you both
taught us and perfectly demonstrated to us about
every living entity’s eternal relationship with Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada... your faith in Krsna, your purity,
your conviction in the order of your Guru Maharaja,

your example as an ideal Vaisnava, and especially

your instructions have formed the bedrock for the
movement you began in 1965.
“Back to Godhead” was the goal you personally set
for everyone who would take shelter in your move-

ment. You then left this movement here in this But because the material world is a place of for-
material world into the hands and into the hearts getfulness, we tend to forget that there can never
of your followers when you returned to your eternal be any real shelter here in this material world. We
service in the spiritual world. tend to think, “Oh, the calamities about which Srila
Prabhupada was talking were about some distant
However I have observed that it has become very
future events and certainly not something that will
difficult for some of your followers, including
happen in my lifetime.” We also tend to think that
myself, to prepare ourselves for all the warnings
“Back to Godhead” is to be thought about at the
you also gave us about calamities yet to come in
end of this lifetime.
this world. You consistently reminded us, not only
about the temporary and miserable nature of the Devotees have recently asked me, “Why does Krs-
material world, but about the inevitability of hard- na make it so difficult here in the material world?”
ships human civilization would face due to sinful I believe I could give and have already given an-
activity and exploitation of this planet’s resources swers to this question philosophically. But on
simply for economic development and sense grati- such auspicious days as the anniversary of your
fication. divine appearance in this material world, I prefer to
respond to this question with another question...
The following is only one such short example:
“Why has Krsna made me so fortunate to have
Similarly, this world... Nobody wants war, come into contact with Srila Prabhupada in this
nobody wants famine, nobody wants lifetime, here in this material world?”
earthquake, nobody wants disease, no-
Our good fortune is incalculable. Not only have you
body wants death, but these things hap-
given us all the tools required to handle events yet

pening. It will happen. Even if you do not

to come, but you have given us the instructions and
want, you cannot, I mean to say, combat
hope to achieve the shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet in
all these, I mean to say, attacks of the
this life.
material nature. That is the way of mate-
rial nature. [Brandeis University Lecture This one Srimad Bhagavatam verse and your pur-
– April 29, 1969, Boston] port says it all, Srila Prabhupada:

svayam samuttirya sudustaram dyuman One can achieve the seed of bhakti-lata, devotion-
bhavarnavam bhimam adabhra-sauhrdah al service, by the mercy of guru and Krsna. The
bhavat-padambhoruha-navam atra te duty of the guru is to find the means, according
nidhaya yatah sad-anugraho bhavan to the time, the circumstances and the candidate,
[SB 10.2.31] by which one can be induced to render devotional
service, which Krsna accepts from a candidate
TRANSLATION
who wants to be successful in going back home,
O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You
back to Godhead. After wandering throughout the
are always ready to fulfill the desire of Your
universe, a fortunate person within this material
devotee, and therefore You are known as
world seeks shelter of such a guru, or acarya, who
a desire tree [vancha-kalpataru]. When
trains the devotee in the suitable ways to render
acaryas completely take shelter under Your
service according to the circumstances so that the
lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean
Supreme Personality of Godhead will accept the
of nescience, they leave behind on earth the
service. This makes it easier for the candidate to
method by which they cross, and because
reach the ultimate destination. The acarya’s duty,
You are very merciful to Your other devo-
therefore, is to find the means by which devotees
tees, You accept this method to help them.
may render service according to references from
PURPORT sastra. Rupa Gosvami, for example, in order to
This statement reveals how the merciful help subsequent devotees, published such de-
acaryas and the merciful Supreme Person- votional books as Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Thus
ality of Godhead together help the serious it is the duty of the acarya to publish books that
devotee who wants to return home, back will help future candidates take up the method of

to Godhead. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in service and become eligible to return home, back
His teachings to Rupa Gosvami, said: to Godhead, by the mercy of the Lord. In our Krsna
consciousness movement, this same path is being
brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
prescribed and followed. Thus the devotees have
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
been advised to refrain from four sinful activities –
[Cc. Madhya 19.151]

illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling – Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for all that you have
and to chant sixteen rounds a day. These are bona done for us.
fide instructions. Because in the Western countries
Your eternal servant, follower, and debtor,
constant chanting is not possible, one should not
Niranjana Swami
artificially imitate Haridasa Thakura, but should
follow this method. Krsna will accept a devotee
who strictly follows the regulative principles and
the method prescribed in the various books and
literatures published by the authorities. The acarya
gives the suitable method for crossing the ocean
of nescience by accepting the boat of the Lord’s
lotus feet, and if this method is strictly followed,
the followers will ultimately reach the destination,
by the grace of the Lord. This method is called
acarya-sampradaya. It is therefore said, sampra-
daya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah (Padma
Purana). The acarya-sampradaya is strictly bona
fide. Therefore one must accept the acarya-sampr-
adaya; otherwise one’s endeavor will be futile. Srila
Narottama dasa Thakura therefore sings:
tandera carana sevi bhakta sane vasa

janame janame haya, ei abhilasa

One must worship the lotus feet of the
acarya and live within the society of dev-
otees. Then one’s endeavor to cross over
nescience will surely be successful.

ABHINANDA DASA dered everywhere, crossing thickets and forests, it
literally magically influenced me.
Dear Guru Maharaja! I continued to read and to my amazement I noted
Please, accept my humble obeisances that an idea appeared inside me that I also must
in the dust of your lotus feet. leave home like Narada Muni. While reading the
A
idea grew exponentially. My desire became so
I would like to write an offering to you without men-
strong that I could not think about anything else.
tioning myself. I hope that one day Krsna will fulfill
So, whatever the cost, I decided to leave home
this desire of mine. However, now it is vice versa.
immediately.
My “I” involuntarily penetrates into the offering
against my wishes. So, I write as I can. The streets were getting dark, but I did not wait.
Near the house, where I lived, there were forest
In my first days, when I knew nothing about the
plantations that had an ill fame. It was Donetsk
movement of Krsna consciousness, someone
town in the beginning of 1990-s. To go there at night
distributed several Srila Prabh-
was dangerous. Though it was warm outside I felt
upada books to me. I started
chilled because of the expectation of uncertainty.
to read and could not stop.
Unforgettable feeling of drastic I said nothing to anyone and secretly went into
change in my paradigm of all those woods. Like Narada Muni I did not take any-
values and my world view. All thing with me. I was deeply impressed by the read
the following events and my and was ready to abandon everything.
whole life are connected with
I went deep into the forest plantations in the dark-
you.
ness, getting through thorns and suffering from
I remember, when I just began mind anxiety; because of the sharp turn I did not
A
to read Srimad-Bhagavatam understand what to do further.
about how Srila Narada Muni
Dead of night fell, I was alone in this dark place
left home and fearlessly wan-
inducing melancholy and fear. Gradually I began to
Vyasa Puja Book 2022 24 25 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

freeze. I was waiting for some miracle, manifesta- which upset me somehow. On the cover Srila Pra-
tion of something extraordinary. But nothing hap- bhupada surrounded by his disciples was depicted.
pened. There was a strong feeling of someone’s The photo was taken from the back and I had an
presence. Thus, staying awake for the whole night I impression that they were leaving me!
was exhausted and decided to come back.
I was staring at the photo and it was becoming
At last, I cautiously went to my house. With plea- more and more clear to me that they all are leaving
sure I noticed that nobody detected my night with Srila Prabhupada but I stay. In some sense, I
absence. Having quietly passed to my room I fell felt absolutely alone. While reading books I got at-
A
to my bed clothed. Little by little I was warming tached to Srila Prabhupada and wanted to join his
up. My attempt to find God failed. I decided not to society. So, I started to look for devotees.
go to work that day, but to stay at home and rest.
I found devotees and settled at the temple as a
Because of cruel fatigue I wanted to sleep, but
brahmacari. One day I met you and then my life ac-
overexcitement made it impossible to do so. So,
quired a real meaning. Gradually, step by step Srila
I took a small book and began to read. I read the
Prabhupada was revealing himself to me. Though
book “Perfect questions, perfect answers” in one
you lived serving your jagad-guru, though at every
gulp and on the cover of the book I saw a photo,
moment you gave him to anyone and everyone,
thus revealing your infinite love, nevertheless, I was
still far from understanding the role of Srila Prabh-
upada in my spiritual life.
Dear Guru Maharaja, you succeeded in making
the impossible, to give Srila Prabhupada to such a
closed soul like me. It is a miracle to me. In some
sense I began to catch up with devotees, who were
near Srila Prabhupada in the photo; that made me
search for association with devotees. As though I
was following you and you lead me to where Srila

Prabhupada is loved, where he gives Krsna to ev- all united for there is a great gurudeva in their cen-
eryone, where everyone is happy. ter, it is like a whole world, like a revealed spiritual
world. It is you who opened the door there for me.
During several years I listened to only your lectures
Now it is important to be a qualified servant. To be
and was happy because of it. At one of darsanas I
satisfied with an opportunity of any, even the most
asked you, whether it is good to listen only to your
insignificant service to these great souls. You are
lectures. Remember that you answered, “And what
the one, via whom one can serve Srila Prabhupada
about my god-brothers?..”
himself and his surrounding!
After the darsana I continued to listen to your
I am overfilled with ambivalent feelings: on one
lectures and also began to listen to your god-broth-
hand, great joy that the dream came true, on the
ers. Recently, I watched a set of video-interviews
other, disappointment that I am not qualified to
“Remembering Srila Prabhupada”. I watched ev-
serve, I have no necessary qualities and my faults
erything translated to Russian and did not want to
are my permanent companions in my spiritual life.
stop, so, I began to watch it for the second time,
With tears in my eyes I ask you to correct every-
then for the third. It was a discovery to me that
thing I do incorrectly and offer the parampara per-
not only you, my dear spiritual master and spiritual
fect service from me. On this auspicious day I pray
father, love Srila Prabhupada a lot, but your great
to Your Divine Grace to accept my huge gratitude
god-brothers also love him very much.
for your care and infinite tolerance.
I write the lines and remember how at the very
In an attempt to surrender to your mission, your
beginning, sitting on my bed in deep perplexity, I
insignificant servant
looked at the photo of leaving devotees and did
Abhinanda Das
not know where to search for them, and moreover,
where to find Srila Prabhupada. Just now, many
A
years later you have fulfilled my innermost desire.
I have found those I searched for so long. All these
devotees, who love Srila Prabhupada so much.
They are many, they all are so different, but they are

ACANDALA-PRIYA ACARYA-NIDHI DASA,
DASA SARAD-VIHARINI
Dear Gurudev! DEVI DASI
Congratulations on your Vyasa Puja!
All glories to You and Srila Prabhupada! Hare Krishna.
Dear Gurudeva,
I want to express my immense gratitude for Your
Please accept our sincere Dandavat pra-
care and support.
nam unto your lotus feet on this auspicious
Your mercy and your instructions help me to go on and divine appearance of yours!
with my devotional service.
Our utmost gratitude to you not limiting only on
A
Once again, thank you for everything you have been this appearance day rather it’s for everyday of our
doing for us. life! We are very happy because you always keep
us in your prayers!
Acandala-priya dasa
Riga Your selfless dedication for the humanity and for
ISKCON is unparal-
leled!
We also beg Lord
Krishna for your good
health and long life!
A
Now that Covid-19’s
restrictions are over
and we can see each
other in person, we

would appreciate it if you could give us your physi- ed me as your disciple and gave me spiritual bless-
cal darshan soon in Canada. ings. May your services in enlightening all people
with true knowledge bring spiritual happiness to
We hope to see you soon, Gurudeva!
you.
A
Your humble servants
Sincerely Your servant
Acarya-nidhi Das and
Adi-Radhika devi dasi
Sarad Viharini DD
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Calgary, Canada
November 9, 2022
ADI-RADHIKA AJITANANDA DASA

DEVI DASI With deep respect I offer my obeisances
to Srila Niranjana Swami, who is very
Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble
dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shel-
obeisances. All glories to Guru
ter at His lotus feet. I offer my humble
and Gauranga! All glories to Srila
obeisances to my spiritual master,
Prabhupada!
whose constant and continuous efforts
All glories to Srila Niranjan Swa-
are directed toward advancing Srila Pra-
mi Maharaj!
bhupada’s mission.
Dear Gurudev Srila Niranjana
namo niskama-bhaktaya
Swami Maharaja. With deep
sarva-bhakta-hitaya te
love, I congratulate you on your
krishna-kirtana-pranaya
jubilee Vyasa Puja. I wish you
niranjana-svamine namaha
good health and strength for
your spiritual service. I am in- Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my
finitely grateful that you accept- dandavats on this auspicious day for all

of your disciples. Please let me express my grati- his servants. Please give me at least a drop of
tude for all of the service that you do, that helps us qualification, so I can understand and accept those
to make advancement in Krishna Consciousness. high values in my life and I can skillfully share them
Please forgive me for not writing my offering to with other devotees and living entities.
you for a few years.
I am falling to your lotus feet and praying that you
A
When I think about you, I want to express grati- will continue giving me your mercy.
tude for all of the incredible effort that you make,
Trying to become your disciple,
so that we can understand the greatness of Srila
Ajitananda das
Prabhupada. During the pandemic almost everyday
I was listening to 3-4 memories about Srila Prabh-
upada from his disciples. I was very inspired and
full of desire to listen more and more about him.
AKSARA-GOPALA
Sometimes I wished that I could hear this nectar
all the time. I also got some understanding of how
DASA
Srila Prabhupada was acting and seeing Krishna in
Hare Krishna, Dear Guru Maharaja,
everything. I felt great respect towards all devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances
who were and still are serving Srila Prabhupada.
in the dust of Your lotus feet. All
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaja, for being a living glories to You, Dear Niranjana Swami
example of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and compas- Maharaja, and all glories to Your spiri-
sion. I would like to say more, but I don’t want to tual master Srila Prabhupada.
waste your precious time as I know there will be
On this most auspicious day of Your
many offerings for you to read.
divine appearance You cannot escape
Recently I accidentally switched to Srila Prabhupa- glorifications. But I always have prob-
da’s class in English. I understood around 40% of lems finding the right words on such
it, but I was able to deeper feel Srila Prabhupada’s occasions. So please forgive me my
spirit and I got the desire to become a servant of not adequate words.

This year was on one hand the most terrible I could So much compassion! So much patience! And so
think of in my life, with the burning down of our much determination to follow Your spiritual master
home in Mariupol and now living in a kind of dias- Srila Prabhupada, and so much taste for the holy
pora. And on the other hand the best thing of my name. An example for everyone on how to perform
life, because a new life began through Your mercy: devotional service: ahaituki apratihata. Let me say
You accepted me as Your disciple. This material that while I don’t know You personally, I do know
burning and the spiritual rebirth happened almost some of Your disciples a little bit. And having
simultaneously, in the spring. Bittersweet times. such high level disciples like Yaduraja Prabhu, who
Let me say a very big thank You for accepting me has just agreed to be my mentor, says everything
as Your disciple, accepting me even without be- about You. If I could achieve just one percent of his
A
ing qualified. During online initiation in the Zurich level in my life, this would make it successful.
temple You asked the question, “Where is he?”.
Thank You for letting me come on the boat over
You did not see me, because I was on the floor and
the ocean of ignorance, dear Guru Maharaja.
made a dandavat outside the camera view. It was
funny and everyone laughed. I also ask myself this Your eternal debtor, Aksara Gopala das
question „Where I am?“. By Your causeless mercy Mariupol, Ukraine (now diaspora Augsburg, Germany)
I got the chance to begin the journey back home
to Godhead! I hope that in the future I will not hide
anymore and become a disciple You don’t have to AKSARA-NITAY
be ashamed of.
My endeavor is to follow in Your footsteps as much
DASA
as I can. Every morning during Guruvashtaka I hear
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Maharaj,
that the spiritual master is a direct representative
please accept my humble obeisances in
of Lord Krsna in the material world and he con-
the dust of your lotus feet upon the day
nects his disciples with the Lord and brings them
of your divine appearance. All glories to
to His lotus feet. Dear Guru Maharaja, You give us
Srila Prabhupada!
the evidence for this through Your perfect example.

On this glorious day I thank Lord Krishna, Srila tunity to achieve Krishna-prema and return home,
Prabhupada and you, my beloved Gurudeva, for forever done with the material world’s duality. Vidu-
the causeless mercy I received – the matchless ra in the 17th verse of this very chapter, as well as
gift of Krishna Consciousness. In Srimad-Bhagav- Prithu Maharaja (SB 4.22.47) says that it’s impos-
atam 3.7.20 it is said, “Persons whose austerity is sible to repay debt to the spiritual master. All I can
meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure do is to be a joker or offer to you folded palms con-
devotees who are progressing on the path back taining water, because you “can be satisfied only by
to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikunthas. Pure your own activities, which are distributed amongst
devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying human society out of your unlimited mercy.”
the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods
So, I’m ready to be a joker. And if my worthless at-
and the controller of all living entities”.
tempts to serve you cause your smile, I’ll be happy.
There’s no doubt that this rare opportunity to serve I have no other hope but serving your lotus feet.
you, the pure devotee who gave half a century to
Entirely dependent upon your mercy,
incessantly glorifying the Lord, was given to me
your eternal servant Aksara Nitay das
not because of my austerity. That’s the fruit of your
causeless mercy only. My only innate tendency is
sense gratification for my own, which is just the
opposite of austerities.
ALINA
But you are so merciful and devoted to the order of KOZAKOVA
your spiritual master, that you have been tirelessly
distributing the message of Lord Chaitanya for 50 Dear Niranjana Swami Maharaja,
years and giving to each and everyone, even to the please accept my obeisances,
most unqualified persons, the opportunity to taste all glories to Srila Prabhupada.
the sweetest nectar of Krishna-katha and harina-
Thank you for the mercy that you shed
ma-kirtan.
on all who are close to you. A great
How can I repay my debt to you? I’ve got the oppor- miracle happened this year, you visit-

ed Ukraine. For the first time in my life, I realized find answers. Thank you so much for sharing your
what real miracles are. In such a difficult time, it is stories, a living example from your life, these are
fortunate to see you and the beautiful advanced the most memorable facts that you can store and
devotees at the festival: Madhavanada Prabhu and draw parallels for a long time, remembering the
Bhakti Vaibahava Swami Maharaj in Iski. important points that are there. It is difficult to talk
about your qualities that you possess, because the
You love the devotees with such love and gen-
very thing that always amazes me is your good-
tleness that it is impossible to put into words.
will towards everyone, the tact, the wisdom. Also
Thank you for your example of compassion and
is your service and devotion to Srila Prabhupada.
eagerness to talk about Krishna, about Srila Pra-
A
The way you appreciate him and have given your-
bhupada, for your determination to come to the
self to him completely is incredible. His mission is
festival and share Krishna Consciousness with
so important for you!
others. Your presence is a spiritual reality. Time
flows differently, calmly and there are no worries. It is difficult to imagine, but it is felt out of love for
Your kirtan is the best that goes straight to the Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for sharing all of this
heart. Thank you for the opportunity to listen and and for being a source. I was always worried about
see you - it’s a great success to be in your soci- the question - what will happen to the Movement
ety. in Vaishnava society. These couple of days next? Having found the answer in your lecture with
were a gift of fortune; sometimes I don’t believe Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj, my curiosity
that it was a reality! You treat everyone so warmly, went away. Thanks to you and your godbrothers
your smile ignites life inside everyone who sees who have the same mood, stories about Srila Pra-
it. Emotions of happiness overwhelm me when I bhupada will live forever! We are very fortunate to
see photos from the festival again, as everyone have the opportunity to come into contact with Sri-
seems to be inspired by being next to you. The la Prabhupada’s disciples, thank you for this mercy
importance of quality communication is its val- that you shed, it is a great fortune. Thanks for your
ue. Thank you for sharing this great value. It’s so innermost stories and emotions, for your taste. It
amazing when there are answers to questions in is so difficult now, but by listening to you, my faith
your lectures on YouTube. One can turn it on and and chances to become better grow.

are an amazing person. Thank you for these amaz- within me. In your lectures, you often speak about
ing miracles and transformations, for your will- the importance of preaching. You also stress the
ingness to serve others and give the feeling and importance of caring for new devotees. Kindly let
presence of the spiritual world. me tell you about the service I have this year.
Sincerely, This year started with the idea to create a club for
Alina Kozakova Mataji, where we can share practical experiences
Ukraine, Krivoy Rog and spiritual questions. We meet every Wednesday
on Zoom. Together we are 30. In summer I wel-
comed them to my home to get acquainted with
AMALA-PRITI each other closer and to discuss the necessity of
A
Krishna consciousness.
DEVI DASI In our little town, two new devotee families ap-
peared. Our family have decided to take care of
Hare Krishna, Gurudeva!
them. That is why by organizing and celebrating
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
the Vaishnava celebrations we think about ways to
Please kindly accept my re- show them an example and to get them more fa-
spectful obeisances to you on miliar with the Krishna consciousness movement.
this day when many years ago One of the families helps me to create videos in
you appeared on this earth to Latvian. These stories are about Krishna, Narada
serve your teacher, Srila Prah- Muni, and events that give insight into spiritual
upada, and with your example values. We put them on a YouTube channel titled
to help us to go on the path of „Stāsti ģimenes sarunām” (Meaning ‘Stories for
spiritual development. conversations in the family’).
A year has passed, and when Meanwhile, another family opened a shop in the
writing to you I can think about city center to give people an opportunity to ex-
my service and the changes change all kinds of everyday things and spiritual

books. They study the Bhakta program at our
home.
AMARAVATI
I am grateful to the husband of my daughter who DEVI DASI
studies Bhagavad-gita and teaches it to us. This
helps get more acquainted and get a deeper in- Dear Guru Maharaja, Srila Niranjana Swami!
sight into the essence of the Bhagavad-gita. I bow down before you in deep respect.
I am happy about the online meetings organized
in the dust of your lotus feet.
by Visvavasu Prabhu every Tuesday. We study
Shrimad Bhagavatam twice a month, chant Japa Dear spiritual master, thank you for that we have
together with him once a month, and discuss mem- you and thank you for teaching us.
ories about Srila Prabhupada also once a month.
The spiritual master is the Ocean of Mercy. He
They motivate and inspire.
saves the world afflicted by a material disease. You
Thank you for the opportunity to listen to you engage everyone who comes your way in service.
online. This helps to think about spirituality and You, like Srila Prabhupada, give your Mercy to all.
material desires becoming less relevant. Thank you
Only by the Mercy of one’s spiritual master one
for the opportunity to meet you in Lithuania, enjoy
can receive Krishna’s blessings; we get connected
your kirtan, and get inspired by your lecture.
with Krishna exactly and only this way, and without
May you be healthy! May your pure devotional ser- your Mercy any attempts to achieve perfection are
vice strengthen our faith in Krishna! doomed - they are all just failure, because a human
being situated in the material world is conditioned
Your humble servant
and blind. In other words, one is under the influ-
Amala-priti dd
ence of:
A A
Lielvarde, Latvia
1. the three modes of material nature;
2. the four defects;

3. duality; Then there was a question from other devotees:
“Why didn’t the Spiritual master respond? Why
4. the threefold miseries (caused by mind, body,
weren’t those people punished?”
other living entities and natural disasters);
My answer: ISKCON, created by Srila Prabhupada,
5. one’s conditioned nature (one is quarrelsome,
is open for all people, with no exception. It is the
lazy, sinful; has no positive qualities or skills
original and natural activity for all living beings, and
- one is just a two-legged animal who eats,
the method of Krishna consciousness is the only
drinks, defends itself and copulates).
perfect, accurate, and transcendental method. And
And here are the examples of who we are. One day the path of devotional service is not difficult, it is
someone called me and said, “Do you know what sublime and available for everyone. If you put a lot
A
is going on in ISKCON?” That person started to list: of ghee into the fire at once, it will go out, but if you
sex, drugs addiction, etc. To which I replied that I do it gradually, it will light the fire up, and all the
am even worse than them, judging by my circum- negativity will go away.
stances. I have two sick children, they are thieves
Spiritual knowledge is a purifying fire in which all
of my time. No one has such terrible karma as I
material desires burn to the ground. And the lack
do. Apparently in the past life I fell down, or rather
of spiritual knowledge is the only reason for the
fell to the bottom of life, and was going straight
existence of false perceptions and the influence of
to hell. They are at least in the Holy Dhama, and I
lower gunas. Only spiritual knowledge determines
am far away. And only by the Grace of Saint Nara-
the correctness of understanding actions. Then a
da Muni, who is so merciful that first he gives his
pure awareness of one’s negative actions will lead
mercy to the most fallen, sunk to the bottom of
to the repulsion of those actions.
life. He gives them mercy to join the society of
Krishna Consciousness, realizing the total abhor- And most importantly, without Krishna’s Grace, not
rence of the material world. This is the condition even a blade of grass will move, and what happens
for surrendering oneself to Krishna! And as soon to us all in ISKCON is a test for all devotees. Every-
as I said that I was worse than them, the conversa- thing is under Krishna’s control, and if one rejects
tion broke off. some things without realizing that they are related

to Krishna, then renunciation is not perfect or there Please, give me your blessings! I fall at your Lotus
A
is no renunciation yet. Feet with great reverence, with great awe, with
great gratitude, with deep appreciation, and with
Therefore, the silence of the spiritual master
a plea to apologize, to change, to reform, and to
means that:
become a devotee-servant.
1. There is agreement in everything with Sri Krishna;
All glories to the Lord, my obeisances to Sri Krish-
2. The Vaishnava sage recognizes by his vision na, All Glories to You!
the one who speaks, and it is not yet time to
All glories to Sri Krishna Caitanya! All glories to
give them an answer - they are not yet ready to
Srila Prabhupada!
receive it;
Your disciple,
3. One is far from recognizing Krishna’s servant
Amaravati devi dasi!
because he sees everything separately from
God.
Time is fast - Srila Prabhupada Marathon is in full AMEYATMA
swing, and my goal is to be more active, that is
what I live for, I want and long to serve and be a DASA
servant for the Spiritual master, i.e. for Krishna -
that is Happiness, there is nothing else and nothing Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja!
else is needed. I wish with all my heart that we may Please accept my humble obeisances
all become devotees and attain love for amazing in the dust of your lotus feet.
and beautiful Krishna!
On this auspicious day of your appear-
All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to Your ance I want to try to glorify one quality
Divine Grace! of yours from the ocean of your good
qualities. In Bhagavatam (1.1.2) it is
Happy Vyasa Puja to you, Srila Niranjana Swami,
said that devotees are not only free
from the bottom of my heart!

from material envy, but also wish good for every- for progress in spiritual life, but just need to try to
one, trying to create a god-centered society without serve one’s spiritual master.
any competitiveness in it. We see that the world is
Dear Gurudeva, for us, your disciples, you are such
full of rivalry and jivas, the parts of Krsna, try to ex-
an example of a devotee, who has dedicated all
A
ploit each other. Because of this there are conflicts
his life to the satisfaction of the spiritual master,
and as a result everyone suffers. However, without
and you are ready to take any risk for this sake. I
heartache real devotees like you cannot see oth-
think that Krsna appreciates such devotees a lot,
er’s, particularly devotees, suffering.
those who are always ready to step out of their
Inherently all sufferings of all living beings remind comfort zone to serve guru and Krsna. We cannot
us that we have forgotten our eternal relations imitate this level of commitment, but your example
with Krsna. Despite many difficulties and inconve- inspires so much and gives hope that someday
niences for you, you go to places of hot conflicts, this pitiful and insignificant Ameyatma Das will be
completely forgetting your own needs, in order to able to sincerely surrender to your lotus feet and be
maintain devotees’ faith in pure devotional service useful in serving you.
regardless of the external ever-changing condi-
Your eternal servant Ameyatma Das
tions of this material world. You give us the most
Sri Dhama Mayapur, 2022
valuable remedy for all peripeteia of the world. It is
sraddha, firm and deep conviction that transcen-
dental loving devotional service to Krsna compris-
es all the rest activities. Such a faith is necessary
AMRITA-LILA
for one to be able to serve the Lord faithfully (C-c,
Madhya, 22.62).
DEVI DASI
Once a disciple of Srila Prabhupada told him that Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept my
he feels no spiritual progress, for which Prabhupa- humble obeisances in the dust of your lo-
da replied, “Do not worry, just be near me.” The next tus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and
day in the lecture he said that one must not aspire all the Vaisnavas!

On this auspicious day, the day moment, it is the transcendental reality! It has
of your Vyasa Puja, I would like become available to us, westerners, who are far
to express my gratitude to you from Vaisnava culture and traditions. Gratitude and
for your shelter, instructions, affection for Srila Prabhupada can be felt from all
prayers, and for your kind eyes. Vaisnavas of all nationalities: from Hindu to Chi-
Being connected to the param- nese, African, and Russian. It doesn’t matter what
para is a debt that cannot be body you are in, all the devotees are united by the
overestimated and cannot be spirit of preaching and the desire to get something
repaid. innermost... something that is described by guru/
sadhu/sastra. That’s how we were brought up.
By the grace of the Lord, I am
now in Mayapur, and a month I was especially touched by the morning Guru Puja
ago I was in Vrindavan. The in Vrindavan at the Krishna Balaram Mandir. All of
greatness of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were putting garlands
the very process of devotion- around his neck so that Srila Prabhupada was all
A
al service, and the Vaishnava covered with flowers. One had to take the previous
culture is revealed in these ones off to put the others. Three containers full of
places even more! Srila Prabhu- petals are emptied by the end of the prayer.
pada has given us so much! He
There are harinamas every evening. I counted
arranged everything in a perfect way, opening such
several of them in one evening: outside the gate, in
amazing, beautiful, graceful, and pure temples,
front of the gate, in the samadhi, near the temple,
where the whole vector of attention is directed to
in the temple, and I am sure that’s not all... The
the Deities. There is no doubt that the Lord is in
Holy Name is sung everywhere, and all of this is
the center. He installed the Deities of unimaginable
meant to please Srila Prabhupada. How is it possi-
beauty! The worship is done at the highest level.
ble to fully express one’s gratitude for this priceless
One can feel the atmosphere of love and devo- gift? It is just impossible... That is why, one wants
tion in the air. You can feel that right now, at this to share this innermost, but also natural for a living

being, process of devotional service with others.
The Lord does not impose Himself, but relies on
AMRITA-MALINI
the Vedas and the Vaisnavas, as you mentioned
in your lecture on Brihad-Bhagavatamrta. If Lord
DEVI DASI
Caitanya notices a living being showing even the
Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my
slightest bit of interest in bhakti, it can be assumed
respectful obeisances at your lotus feet.
that he is not lost!
I also wanted to mention that it is in the process
On this joyful, for us, day of your Vyasa Puja, please
of worshiping the Deities that I felt a particularly
accept my gratitude for your care and help on this
deep connection with you and dependence. I am
spiritual path back to Godhead. I beg your pardon,
small and I need help. The Vaisnavas are extremely
but the more I want to express
compassionate!
gratitude from the bottom of my
I am offering prayers for your well-being, and I hope heart, the more I realize that it is not
to bring you joy through my sadhana and participa- enough to express it in words. And,
tion in the mission. I am immeasurably grateful to if it is possible, then I present to your
you, your god-brothers and sisters, Srila Prabhupa- lotus feet a flower garland of grati-
da, and all the Vaisnavas. tude of the heart! Thank you for the
spiritual experience and all the spir-
Respectfully,
itual realizations that are revealed
Amrita-lila d.d.
through your causeless mercy!
Sevastopol
And I apologize for all my ignorance
and insults that I could have com-
A
mitted. Forgive me for having to
wait for my awakening from igno-
rance, I’m so slowly waking up. But
in my heart there is hope that this

miracle of awakening will someday happen, and
also only by your causeless mercy.
AMRITA-VILASINI
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for setting DEVI DASI
the example of an ideal disciple of Srila Prabhupa-
da. Thanks to your example, I draw inspiration for Dear Gurudeva,
spiritual life. You give strength to go on despite so Please accept my humble and most respect-
many external and internal obstacles. Even if these ful obeisances at your divine lotus feet.
obstacles are already less painful, the suffering All glories to your divine appearance day.
A
faced by like-minded devotees is still hard to bear.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-Puja, I
But thanks to your example and your preaching, I
can only pay prostrated obeisances at your lotus
gain the strength to overcome this too!
feet again and again.
My lowest obeisances to Srila Prabhupada for his
In the past three years, it is only through your mercy
example of pure devotion to the Lord! My lowest
and instruction that I can continue firmly doing my
obeisances to Srila Prabhupada for his books! He
services and sadhana in my daily life. Through you I
had to go through so many hardships to give us
have come to explore the amazing
this priceless gift! The priceless gift of pure love
world of Bhakti step by step…
for the Divine Couple and Their holy names! Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare I am a very ignorant and weak
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!!! soul, I pray that Gurudeva can
kindly forgive me and guide me
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!! All Glories to you,
constantly. My dear Gurudeva, I
dear Guru Maharaj!!!
miss you greatly and hope you will
Desiring to become your worthy disciple, be able to visit us here in Taiwan in
A
Amrita Malini devi dasi the near future.
Your humble servant,
Amrita Vilasini Devi Dasi

AMSUMANA DASA this life... And this is no exaggeration, and I could
only describe a small part of it! That is how you
show how to truly preach, care, and pray... for those
Dear Guru Maharaja!
who are entrusted to us... for those who somehow
Please accept my humble obeisances in
take shelter of us, even of such an insignificant and
the dust of your lotus feet!
ungrateful person as me. Thank you for this! I really
For the first time, I have had the opportunity to have hope, thanks to this, that someday my heart
thank you! It is difficult to find appropriate words will become softer! Thank you for this rare opportu-
since Your Grace is not from this world, nothing nity!!!
like this can be found here. Almost every day I ask
Guru Maharaja, please give me the strength to
myself a deep question, “How is it possible that I
achieve the goal, to remain in Krsna Conscious-
have such great fortune - to
ness for the rest of my life and always be faithful
become your disciple?” This
and honest to you and our Srila Prabhupada! I have
is really a miracle for me, I
no doubts about you, I have many doubts about
have been looking for you for
myself, about my honesty, loyalty and gratitude,
so long, but you came into my
maya is so strong! It always seems to me that you
life unexpectedly! All glories
have already saved me more than in one lifetime...
to you, all glories to Srila Pra-
yet I constantly make unforgivable mistakes... but
bhupada! All glories to your
you aren’t leaving me! If it is your will, please let
disciples! From the moment I
this life in the material world be the last one! How
came in contact with you, my
can I serve you?
life was filled with true piety
and prosperity, and most im- Your eternal debtor, Amsumana Dasa
portantly, I have no doubt that Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia
A
all this is only by your mercy! (now I temporarily live in Ireland)
I remember well how I used
to live before meeting you in

ANANDA-MANJARI us try to express our thankfulness for having this
opportunity to write You this unqualified homage.
DEVI DASI, As never before this year we are unqualified to say
something to glorify You. But we see it as our duty
KRISHNA-KIRTI to at least make some attempt to do so. All these
years we have been trying to write something “spe-
DASA cial”, something You “never heard before”. But the
best words and prayers are already said, and we
cannot be even close to them.
Dear Niranjana Swami Maharaj, dear gurudev!
Please accept our humble obeisances in the In the Vedic culture, the one who has a birthday
dust of Your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine does not receive gifts, on your birthday you give
Grace. All glories to Srila Prabhupad! gifts to others. Krishna celebrated his birthday by
giving us and the whole world Srila Prabhupada.
nama om visnu-padaya
We are very grateful because Krishna couldn’t give
krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
us a more valuable gift than this. By this analogy,
srimate niranjana-svamin
Srila Prabhupada gave us You, Gurumaharaj. You
iti namine
are the heart and soul of each of us. Our guide to
anahata-prayasena
understand Srila Prabhupada and through Him, to
prabhupadasya tustaye
understand divine couple.
A
sankirtana-pravrtty-artham
ihate gurave namah yasya yat-sangatiḥ pumso
namo niskama-bhaktaya maṇivat syāt sa tad-guṇaḥ
sarva-bhakta-hitaya te sva-kūlarddhyai tato dhīmān
krsna-kirtana-pranaya sva-yūthyān eva samśrayet
niranjana-svamine namah
“A man will attain the qualities of the
On this auspicious day of person with whom he associates, just as
Your Vyasa Puja, please let a crystal takes up the color of the object

next to it. Therefore, the wise man will take Paraphrasing exalted Vaishnava`s words, we ask
A
shelter of those who have qualities similar You to take all of our love for our families , attach-
to his own for the prosperity of his family.” ments and put it in the dust of your lotus feet.
(BRS 1.2.229)
Forgive us for all the disturbances which come
For us you are this crystal, who is shining with the with our wish to serve You and Vaishnavas.
beautiful color of love to Srila Prabhupada. The
Your eternal servants, followers, and debtors,
color of Brihad Bhagavatamrita and Srimad Bhaga-
Ananda Manjari devi dasi and Krishna Kirti das
vatam. Even though You by nature are very humble
Riga Latvia
as a true Vaishnava and will never agree with this
statement, but this shine You can not hide from
others. This Love overflows you and we are lucky
to hear these drops from you.
ANANDA-VILASINI
We can not but appreciate your effort and endeav- DEVI DASI
or to melt our hearts with Krishna Katha by reading
Brihad Bhagavatamrita online. You raise a high Dear Guru Mahārāja!
standard of knowledge. We can see how deep You Please accept my humble obeisances!
are in this topic, how you can beautifully connect All glories to Śrīla
Brihad Bhagavatamrita and Gopa Kumar`s journey Prabhupāda!
with other scriptures and practical life. All glories to You!
Please hold us as your puppet, beg you to keep us om ajñāna-timirāndhasya
close to your association, to guide us in our spiritu- jñānāñjana-śalākayā
al path, to always stay in association with exalted caksur unmīlitam yena
senior Vaishnavas. Keep us close so we can take tasmai śrī-gurave namah
up Your qualities as was mentioned in the verse.
“I was born in the darkest
Without it and your guidance we can’t progress.
ignorance, and my spiritual

master opened my eyes with the torch of knowl-
edge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him. “
ANANDINI DEVI DASI
This wonderful day has arrived again when we Dear Guru Maharaja,
glorify You. I thought a lot about what I could offer Please accept my humble obeisances.
to You on this special day. Maybe my words, but All glories to your divine appearance day.
they are too hard to describe Your infinite humility. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Maybe my thoughts, but they are still covered by
Only due to your causeless mercy am I still practic-
the illusion. Maybe my service, but You deserve so
ing Krsna consciousness,
much more than I can ever give You. I’m not rich,
I’m not educated and I don’t have any good quali- Your class about the Holy Name in Budapest has
A
ties. I am so fallen that I have nothing to offer You been a great support and inspiration to chant my
but my heart and my life. japa more focused on the Holy Name.
Please accept my heart and the desire in it to be All your lectures are sublime and are giving me
Your better disciple than what I am now. Now I’m insights about how to act in this material world.
just a pretender, but I hope one day the day will
Since you left Mayapur, you are again selflessly
come and by Your mercy I will be able to sincerely
travelling to encourage the devotees in their devo-
cry for Krishna.
tional service.
Please accept my life, which is insignificant now,
With your compassion and deep love for Krsna, you
but by Your mercy may become valuable through
are uplifting the devotees
service to Gaura-Nitāi and Rādhe-Śyāma.
spirit, giving them faith
Your sympathy is my only hope! in Krsna, despite all the
challenges they are going
A
Your fallen servant,
through.
Ananda Vilāsīnī Devī Dāsī
Budapest, Hungary You are a true spiritual war-
rior for Srila Prabhupada.

A
You are also encouraging me to continue from my insignificant and useless and can only be useful
level of Krsna consciousness, without judgment with your mercy.
and not forcing me, understanding my nature of
Your servant Anandini dd
how to serve Krsna and you give me full confidence
that I am on the right track. A lot of my friends are
searching for the truth and are finding their ways
but it’s all based on speculation and it has no foun-
ANANGA-GOPI
dation. Without the guidance of a bona fide spiritu-
al master, there is no clear direction and the mind
DEVI DASI
and senses are guiding them on the wrong path.
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Why did I get this mercy to meet you at the right Please accept my humble obeisances.
moment when I was desperate and didn’t know All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
where to go? Why did Krsna pick me
On this auspicious day I would like to thank you for
up when I was drowning in this mate-
accepting me as your disciple. It is said that one’s
rial existence and had no hope? It’s a
real birth is spiritual. I do not know for how many
miracle and an incredible blessing.
lifetimes I had been wandering throughout the
I want to relieve others from drowning infinite number of material bodies, until in this body
but they are not yet wet enough. So I finally received a drop of mercy and
unfortunate… Slowly people are waking could get in touch with Krishna’s devo-
up but it takes a lot of patience and tees. And then Srila Prabhupada shed
guidance. I am praying that I can be- his mercy upon me, and I got some faith
come a better instrument and become in you. Then, you gave me a chance, and
a puppet in your hands so you can by your mercy I was able to take it. I did
make me dance. Please give me the not deserve this mercy, it is causeless.
intelligence to guide these fallen souls
I want to thank you for my English. If
back home back to godhead. I am so
it were not you, I would have had no

interest in learning it. Now, I can tell others about Dear Guru Maharaja,
Krishna in English, and it expands tremendously please accept my
the scope of my preaching opportunities. congratulations on
this auspicious day of
I want to thank you for all the opportunities to
your Vyasa-puja.
preach I had in the past, and for those to be. That’s
real life. That’s how I can love Krishna now - by On this day, I would
talking about Him, treating people to prasadam, like to express my
sharing the happiness of devotional service and gratitude to you for
knowledge on how to remember Him and talk to accepting me as your
Him every moment by chanting Hare Krishna ma- initiated disciple. By
hamantra. By chanting together. doing that, you show-
ered incredible mercy
I pray to be of some service to you and Srila Prabh-
upon me. I am forever grateful to you, and under-
upada.
stand that I will never be able to thank you enough
Your servant, for this mercy. Because only by mercy of the spir-
Ananga-gopi Devi Dasi itual master, we will be able to restore our eternal,
yet lost relationships with the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Sri Krishna. You are praying for us, and
ANANTA-KRISHNA that helps us to go through obstacles in our spiritu-
al life. Just by mercy of the spiritual master, we can
DASA stand against maya and break the cycle of material
existence.
Dear Guru Maharaja!
I am listening to your classes and kirtans all the
time. Your classes make my faith stronger and
the dust of your lotus feet.
inspire me to do devotional service. In addition,
they are helping to fight against my flaws and

weaknesses of the heart. When I am listening to Mahaprabhu’s mission. Your unconditional devo-
your classes, difficult philosophical topics become tion to your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and
clear to me. to his mission to spread Krishna consciousness
around the world is very inspiring to me.
Guru Maharaja, in your classes you are giving
important instructions, and every time reminding I want to become your real disciple and bring joy to
A
about the need of surrendering ourselves to Krish- you with my service. So I am asking for your bless-
na. Your instructions are full of important details ings.
and explanations. They are deep and based on
Your disciple, Ananta Krishna das
Srila Prabhupada’s books, previous acharyas and
shastras. You also share with us your priceless
experiences from your spiritual life. And on this
day of your Vyasa-puja, I want to say an enormous
ANANTAPRIYA
thank you for the instructions that
you are giving us through your
DEVI DASI
classes and by answering ques-
Dear Guru Maharaja,
tions.
Please accept
Whenever I try to understand what my humble obeisances
a Vaishnava is, I always remem- All glories to Srila Pra-
ber Srila Prabhupada and you as bhupada!
examples of total surrender to the
Thank You very much for shar-
spiritual master.
ing Gopa Kumar’s journey.
Dear Guru Maharaja, thank you for
Life is like a dance on a blade
your service to Srila Prabhupada,
of sword and one wrong step
because in that way you are show-
will slice you and will make you
ing us an example of how to fully
fall into depths of the material
dive into his mission and Caitanya

world. It is a careful balance of austerity and spiri-
tual journey and tempting material desires.
ANDREY SHURSHIN
Scriptures have so many warnings on where flirting My dear spiritual master,
with material energy will take you and there are Srila Niranjana Swami! Please accept my
so many examples of those who push too hard on humble obeisances in the dust of your
austerity and harden their hearts. lotus feet! All glories to Your Divine Grace!
I fall to Your Lotus Feet and cry for Your mercy and
blessings to not stray from Bhakti path. I pray for The past year, like the previous one, was filled with
A
Your mercy to carry the Lotus Feet of Sri Sri Radha many different situations that somehow affected
Govinda on my heart’s altar. every person living on our planet. With every year
of my life, I am more and more convinced that this
Thank You very much for the Gopa Kumar journey,
world is full of suffering and anxiety. One type of
it is so beautiful how each of our paths is so deeply
suffering replaces another
individual.
one and it does not stop.
Thank You very much for allowing me to follow And we consider tiny breaks
Your lectures through the years. I pray that Your between these changes to be
words would fall in my heart like seeds in a fruitful happiness.
soil.
Now I try to remember more
Please allow me to follow Your words with an open and more often that amaz-
heart. ing argument between Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thank You for everything.
Thakura and our dear Srila
Anantapriya dd
A
Prabhupada, where Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura conquered Srila Pra-
bhupada. He said that Krsna

A
consciousness is transcendental and does not Thank you very much!
depend on who governs India, and its dissemina-
Your hopeless disciple, Andrey Shurshin
tion is of paramount importance. Bhaktisiddhanta
Ufa, Russia
Sarasvati also explained to Abhai that all earthly
governments are temporary while Krsna Con-
sciousness is eternal. No political system invented
by people is able to help humanity in solving its
ANJANA DEVI DASI
problems. Krsna consciousness is transcendental.
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Srila Prabhupada explains in the book “Teachings Please accept my humble obeisances!
of Queen Kunti” that bhakti is apratihat: nothing All glories to Srila Prabhupada
can hinder the development of bhakti. The same and all Guru Parampara.
statement is made in the purport on the Nectar of
When we give our respect to our
Instructions. No mundane material interference
spiritual master, we glorify his
can completely destroy devotional service.
transcendental qualities. Srila
And then he instructs us: “Therefore, a devotee Prabhupada said so in one of his
should be sure that he has chosen the correct path lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam,
and must not show interest in what the karmis, in which Suta Gosvami praises
jnanis and yogis are doing.” And just your example Sukadeva Gosvami. It is a very
helps me to be confident in the path chosen! important part of every devotee’s
life to praise one’s Spiritual Mas-
This year on Radhastami you gave such a wonder-
ter for what he does. And one
ful lecture that has penetrated so deeply into my
thing can be said at one’s level of
heart. The point of the lecture was that I need mer-
understanding of the guru-disci-
cy. It is impossible to understand the inconceivable
ple relationship - it is impossible
on your own. Forget it! Only thanks to you, I still
to glorify the qualities and deeds
have hope that someday I will be able to come to
of the spiritual master to the end.
such a realization.

Dear Guru Maharaja, you inherit all the character- is the topmost example of your service to Srila Pra-
istics of a pure devotee Krishna is saying about in bhupada and your longing to help all your disciples
the Bhagavad Gita – purity, truthfulness, patience, and followers to come back to the Spiritual world.
humility, austerity, calmness etc. However, today I It is only by your Mercy and thanks to your hard
would like to glorify two of your qualities, which, as labor in Krishna Consciousness that such a fallen
for me, are manifested to the utmost degree, e.g. soul of Kali Yuga as me gets the hope of one day
your compassion to all the living entities and devo- escaping the ocean of birth and death and immers-
tion to the Lord and Srila Prabhupada. ing myself into pure devotional service to the Lord
and his devotees.
Your compassion is manifested in your never-ceas-
ing eagerness to preach and care for all the souls Also, I really want to glorify your devotion to Sri-
sent to you by Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. la Prabhupada. In one of the talks you said that
I am deeply moved by your determined desire to you live to see Srila Prabhupada’s smile. I was so
pass down through your lectures principles and astonished that it made me seriously contemplate
rules of association in the society of Srila Prabh- the real service of a disciple to their Spiritual Mas-
upada, of serving Lord Krishna in His Deity form, ter. Now, watching your life completely devoted to
giving encouragement to each other by the dev- your Spiritual Master’s instructions, I am realizing
A
otees in difficult situations, and spreading Lord that all your words and actions are done just to
Caitanya’s mission. Your lectures on chanting the please Srila Prabhupada.
Holy Names give rise to a taste and inspire a con-
Once a devotee asked you what question you
centrated plunge into the ocean of chanting of the
would ask Prabhupada if he were here now. You
Holy Name and understanding that all the prob-
replied that you would ask Prabhupada: “How can
lems can be solved through a sincere prayer and
I serve you?” That devotee continued: “What if
realizing the Lord’s plan. Your personal approach
Prabhupada let you ask him one more question?”
to every devotee, your eagerness to bring devotees
You smiled and looked at Srila Prabhupada’s murti
back to the society, your patience while dealing
and said, “Can I serve you eternally?” There was so
with difficult situations, and your desire to inspire
much love for Prabhupada, appreciation, humility,
devotees to profound studying the holy scriptures

separation, and desire to serve in your answer. All bhupada’s books, associating with devotees – I do
your life was in those words. Now, being situated not feel any distress or inconvenience. There is just
in the dust of your lotus feet, I humbly ask for your simple happiness and relief.
blessings to serve you and Srila Prabhupada in
satām prasangān mama vīrya-samvido
such a way that you will be pleased with me.
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasāyanāh kathāh
Humbly bowing at your lotus feet, taj-josanād āśv apavarga-vartmani
Your aspiring serant, Anjana devi dasi śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramisyati
“In the association of pure devotees,
ARJUNA-BANDHU discussion of the pastimes and activities
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
DASA is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear
and the heart. By cultivating such knowl-
edge one gradually becomes advanced on
Dear Srila Niranjana Maharaja! Please accept my
the path of liberation, and thereafter he is
prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
freed, and his attraction becomes fixed.
Then real devotion and devotional service
This year has gone by very begin.”(Bhag. 3.25.25)
quickly. My reality is shaking
The power of the process of purifying is working.
very frequently. Every time
It is really working. But there is another point. I am
I unconsciously try to find a
suffering very hard when I don’t have devotees’
more reliable foundation. I have
association for a while. It drives me crazy. I don’t
experienced a huge variety of
see any value in this universe without devotees and
feelings this year.
A
Krsna-katha.
But one thing captured my
This year I tried one more taste. One day devotees
attention. When I am chanting
asked me to lead harinam in the park. Earlier that
my rounds, reading Srila Pra-

day we distributed books for several hours. It was universes come into existence and then again are
amazing. I dived into the ocean of nectar. The re- dissolved. Instead of bothering with that work, He
ality changed significantly. My legs buckled. It was now plays in the dirt making roads, homes, and
hard to stand and chant – I was like a drunk man. I villages. Although He is becoming exhausted from
was so happy. Of course, it was only a tiny drop of doing this, He does not give it up.” Krsna’s perplex-
the ocean. I recall those emotions frequently. ing pastimes captivated the minds of the demi-
A
gods. While Krsna delighted in the dirt, He looked
Also I learned to be stable in my practice. I am
like the sun shining in the sky. The housewives of
keeping balance between my health, service, asso-
Vrndavana, full of motherly affection, addressed
ciation and work.
Krsna with sweet words, “O darling boy! Please
Book distribution became my life air. If I can’t go on come to our beautiful courtyards, play with our
sankirtan for 2 weeks – all I am thinking about is children, and take some food.” Hearing this, Krsna
how to go out and show some books to the people. smiled and replied softly, “I cannot come because I
It’s like a disease. But I am happy that I am ill. do not have any spare time.”
Recently I’ve been listening to your readings on On the recording you started laughing when Krsna
Janmashtami 2021. I really appreciated one quote: said: “…I do not have spare time”. These pastimes
are very sweet. And your laughing is not ordinary.
“Sometimes Krsna quarreled with the gopas and
Thank you for your example. That kind of laughing
gopis and beat them, and other times they beat
shows the soul who is genuinely happy. I want to
Him. Krsna responded by laughing, getting angry,
have the same ability to appreciate Krsna’s pas-
or by not reacting at all. Playing in the dirt, Krsna
times in the association of devotees and naturally
built houses, a toy wall, or a small town. Other
laugh, enjoy as you have. It is the most precious
times He broke the dirt houses of His friends and
jewel. Please, bless me to follow in your footsteps
they broke His. When Krsna rebuilt His house, they
and gain that jewel.
would break it again. While curiously observing
these antics from the sky, the demigods thought, Desperately trying to become your sincere servant,
“Simply by His glance thousands of unlimited Arjuna Bandhu das

ARJUNA-SAKHA DASA You said in your lecture on October 9, 2022, as Srila
Prabhupada often emphasized, the best way to
earn Krishna’s attention is to serve His devotees.
My dear Guru Maharaj,
It is a great mercy for us to be able to serve you
Please accept my respected obeisances.
as the representative of Srila Prabhupada and our
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Guru Parampara. You often inspire us to follow in
mukam karoti vacalam the footsteps of the previous acharyas and serve
pangum langhayate girim them and this is another powerful way to attract
yat-kripa tam aham vande the attention of Sri Krishna. When you talked about
sri-gurum dina-taranam bhajan Gaura-pahu in America on September 25th
about the qualities of acaryas, about how exactly
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my
they attract Krishna’s attention - I was amazed. On
spiritual master, the deliverer of the fall-
one hand, you realize how sublime they are and
en souls. His mercy turns the
how far you are from these qualities, on the other
dumb into eloquent speakers
hand, you are very inspired - because these quali-
A
and enables the lame to cross
ties are amazing.
mountains. “
This year I was fortunate to be with you almost
“O spiritual master, O giver of
the whole year and absorb your instructions
divine wisdom, O friend of the
even more. Of course, it was great luck. Sri May-
fallen, you are the giver of your
apur-dhama is a wonderful place where Sri Chai-
own bliss and you are the only
tanya Mahaprabhu is very merciful and quickly
ocean of mercy. “
satisfies desires. I had a desire to somehow serve
Thank you very much for an- you, and this desire was fulfilled here. Srila Prabh-
other amazing year. You have upada writes in the 38th chapter of Krishna-book,
shared a lot of inspiration where Akrura resides in Vrndavana, the following
through your lectures and words: “One should serve both the spiritual master
kirtans. and Krishna at the same time and thus advance

in Krishna consciousness. Service under the guid- service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the un-
ance of a spiritual master is real service, for the changeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose
spiritual master is the representative of Krishna.” service vanquishes one’s material distresses.”
I was very happy that there was an opportunity to
The Lord is very difficult to understand, but one can
serve both Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and my spiri-
approach Him by serving His pure devotees. Just
tual master.
as by approaching the fire, one gets relief from
When you allowed me to serve you in the summer, I darkness, snakes and wild animals, by approaching
was very happy - because I always dreamed about pure devotees, one can be freed from darkness
A
it. I was so absorbed in this that it was not difficult of materialistic life. Pure Vaishnavas are our true
to see how material desires, gunas, did not bother friends.
me much.
I have received so much valuable guidance from
Against the background of this service, I learned you during this summer of service, both in the form
how to communicate with devotees and be more of your words and simply by watching how you
attentive. Sometimes when you chastised, I still felt act, how you interact with others. It was especial-
your care and wanted to serve more. Brihad Bhaga- ly lucky that this happened in the summer, when
vatamrita 7.14 says: “Such are the most amazing there was no need to work at school, because
glories of contact with a great saint. By that con- there were holidays and I could devote more time
tact, the brahmana suddenly achieved perfection, to the service. Undoubtedly, my affection for you
realizing his eternal identity.” has increased manifold. Very often I had dreams
where I continued to serve you, as my mind was
An amazing commentary on this verse describes
constantly absorbed in it.
the benefit that even an ignorant person receives.
One of these benefits: such a person becomes A great grief came on August 14, when we saw you
nihsanga - free, free from attachment to matter. leaving at the airport. After saying goodbye, you
There are also the words of Vidura, which he says took your bags, went to the airport and quickly dis-
to his siksa-guru: “By serving the feet of the spiritual appeared from sight. I found that you also took my
master, one develops transcendental ecstasy in the heart with you. I could console myself only with a

verse from the 5th chapter of the 10th song of the On this auspicious day of your appearance here
Srimad Bhagavatam, which says: “Many planks and in the material world, your disciples and followers
sticks, unable to stay together, are carried away by glorify you with great love in their hearts.That is
the force of a river’s waves. Similarly, although we why I ask for their blessings for what is impossible
are intimately related with friends and family mem- for me, at least somehow I try to express my love
bers, we are unable to stay together because of our and respect for you.
varied past deeds and the waves of time.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Kalyana Kalpataru, 2-3
Nevertheless, this separation only showed how verses:
A
important it is to be absorbed in the service of the vaisnava thakura aprakrita sada
spiritual master. Through such service, even a fool nirdosa anandamaya
like me can be purified and attached to service. krsna name priti jade udasina
Thank you very much for such mercy, Guru Ma- jivete dayadra haya
haraj. I pray that I will always have the opportunity
abhimana hina bhajane pravina
to serve you.
visayete anasakta
Your unworthy disciple, antara bahire nisapata sada
Arjuna-sakha das nitya lila anurakta
“Such a revered
ARJUNA-VALLABHA devotee is always
transcendental, free
DASA from all faults, and
fully joyful in spiritual
bliss. Being lovingly
Dear Guru Maharāja!
attached to the holy
Please accept my humblest obeisances.
name of the Lord, and
All glories to You, all glories to Śrila Prabh-
always disinterested
upada!
and callous towards

worldly interests, he is always melted with mahat-kripa vina kona karme ‘bhakti’ naya
compassion for all souls. krisna-bhakti dure rahu,samsara nahe ksaya
Devoid of any trace of false ego, fully “Unless one is favored by a pure devotee,
experienced and expert in bhajana, the one cannot attain the platform of devo-
pure devotee is completely detached from tional service. To say nothing of krishna
all types of sense objects. He is always bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from
straightforward both internally and exter- the bondage of material existence.”
nally, and he is completely attracted to
On the first day of the month of Kartik, there was
relishing the eternal pastimes of the Lord.”
a program in Krishna-valley held by Radha Krish-
You are the one who sacrifices your life, often at na prabhu. He spoke about the sixth verse of Sri
the cost of your health, just to do good for oth- Gurvastaka.
ers. You travel the world, give online lessons, and
nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhai
bhajans. Spread the message of Lord Sri Krishna
ya yalibhir yuktir apeksaniya
for the benefit of all fallen souls. You don’t choose,
tatrati-daksyad ati-vallabhasya
you just pull everyone back, beautifully following
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam
His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. You have been
doing this out of duty and with your enormous “The spiritual master is very kind because
heart for 50 years. Your love overflows wherever he skillfully helps the gopis, who on var-
you go because you are an ocean of mercy. With ious occasions make various wonderful
your presence, you cleanse the material world of arrangements for the perfection of Rad-
all its impurities and make misled people aware of ha and Krishna’s loving pastimes in the
God. You are limitless and generous. In our miser- groves of Vrindavana. I offer my humblest
able lives we need such great souls as you, by your obeisances to the lotus feet of such a
A
causeless mercy, so that we too can be freed from spiritual master.”
the grip of birth and death.
The spiritual master is an authorized person who
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.51: is qualified to help the gopis in such a way as to

arrange their pastimes in such a way that Krishna was there before, and the soul’s natural tendency
is pleased. He inspires us by his own example to to surrender to the Lord will be fully manifested. In
become the servants of the servants of the ser- these surrendered hearts, the eternally manifested
vants. He is the representative of the entire guru truth of the transcendental world will spontaneous-
parampara. If we do our service well, the whole ly reveal itself.”
parampara becomes proud and thus they recom-
The spiritual master is very kind. Guru Maharaja,
mend us and our service to Krishna.
please place me next to your lotus feet and keep
In the spiritual world, many millions of gopis serve me there forever. Whenever we meet, you always
Krishna. In the material world everything can and give me the opportunity for personal conversation
should be offered to the service of Krishna, thus and service, for which I am very grateful and thank
A
becoming spiritual and transcendental. We must you very much.
offer our service to Krishna and in this spiritual
I hope that your words gain deep meaning in my
master helps us, guides us, supports us.
life and thoughts. In our sadness we can find
Guru Maharaja, you are like a loving father who al- consolation in your words, in our joy our happiness
ways forgives the mistakes of his child and corrects increases even more by listening to you. You are
them again and again. You are always by his side. our shelter, everyone’s friend and well-wisher.
The dearest to Krishna is Srimati Radharani. And
Your insignificant servant
we want to serve him and those who serve them.
Arjuna-vallabha dāsa
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur says: “We New Vraja-dhama, Hungary
must hear about the Supreme Lord from his agent.
When we hear these things, all material experience
and inclination to false arguments must be closed. ARNIKA SHANTI
When we hear about the Supreme Lord from a liv-
ing sadhu who can deliver these speeches boldly, Dearest Guru Maharaj,
vividly, inspiringly then every weakness disappears Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to
from our hearts. We will feel a kind of courage that Srila Prabhupada, Sri Guru and Gauranga.

On this auspicious occasion I would like to glorify
your kindness, devotion and determination. I would
ARUNA-KRISHNA
like to thank you for your unlimited mercy and
compassion. Only by your mercy the anarthas in
DASA
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my heart and obstacles in devotional service fade
You, Dear Master, Niranjana Swami, is receiving
away.
benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a
Your care and love guides me cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish
daily towards Krishna. Your it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially
words and teachings echo in afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of
my ears. material existence.
When I am in a difficult situa- I haven’t written to You for a long time. Serving in
tion and a decision needs to the kitchen, together with other devotees we try to
be made you guide me in my prepare bhoga in the best and
dreams. most delicious way. I purify
my heart by remembering You,
Thank you so much for choos-
chanting Holy names, chanting
ing this path, for your faith
Gayatri, reading Prabhupada
and hard work. Words can’t
books, associating with dev-
express the gratitude I feel. Thank you for taking
otees. Sometimes I hear a
care of yourself and prioritizing your health and
discontented voice, then I try to
wellbeing. By taking care of yourself you are tak-
fix it. Of course, my efforts are
ing care of all of your disciples.
tiny, since by remembering You
Always in your service, I receive parampara`s strength.
A
Arnika Shanti Only then I can get purified and
Houston, TX USA change the situation. What re-
ally helps me is my friendship

with Visvavasu Prabhu, Doyal Govinda Prabhu and grab that hand. It is a shame that sometimes I
other devotees. I try my best to value it. forget about it.
I thank You. Thank you for your blog on a website. Thanks to it
I can be invisibly present in your life, freely observ-
Your disciple, Aruna-krishna Dasa
ing the spiritual life of the person, who has Srila
Prabhupada in their heart. I can think what I can do
ASHTA-SAKHI-LILA today, so I can be in connection with you and Srila
Prabhupada.
DEVI DASI I feel as a small living entity, who wants perfection
of yoga, siddhi. I would really like to engage this
Dear Guru Maharaja, please ac- desire of yoga in Srila Prabhupada’s movement.
cept my obeisances. All glories Srila Prabhupada promises that if you are serving
to Srila Prabhupada. Krishna, time will come for you to become akama.
My only hope is to continue to think about you as a
Purnachandra Maharaja
personality and listen to you, and because of that,
brought me to you. I feel him
I will be able to purify myself and to get closer to
as if he is built-in my DNA (my
this state.
assumption is that in past
lives he was my close rela- In the purport to Bhagavat-Gita (9.3) Srila Prabh-
tive, and because of that I am upada is stating: “It is only by faith that one can
practicing). And for me, you advance in Krishna consciousness”. Please stay
are someone who gives me a with us for as long as possible, so we can absorb
helping hand, when I am down this faith from you. Faith that means that devotion-
A
on my knees, almost fully ab- al service is the best path.
sorbed in something viscous,
We miss your online classes, your visits to Sad-
that holds me in a miserable
hu-sanga and being able to see you in person. You
state. My only chance is to

are an extraordinary person, who has given their on this planet, the blessed atmosphere of the spir-
life to the true representative of God. I offer my itual realm descended to this Earth, and all more
obeisances to your feet that are cooling down the or less pious living beings felt this atmosphere
desires of my heart. and began to look for the path and the cause, the
path to understanding self and true knowledge
Offering my obeisances to your feet,
and the cause of endless suffering. I was born in
Ashta-sakhi-lila devi das
this body in 1972 in the USSR when Prabhupada
Sochi, community “Balaramovka”
was still on this planet in his physical form, and I
remember that although my family lived in pover-
AULIYA-CAITANYA ty and I was raised only by my mother (my father
died in a mine), nevertheless, my childhood was
DASA carefree and there was always a kind of peaceful
atmosphere and the care of “higher forces.” Now,
after so many years, I think that it was due to Srila
Dear Guru Maharaja, please
Prabhupada’s presence at that time that there was
accept my obeisances to Your
such an atmosphere on this entire planet.
Lotus Feet! All glories to Srila
Prabhupada and all Vaisnavas! The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is hidden “under lock
and key” from “prying eyes” (living beings who
Srila Prabhupada’s magical
want to be independent from Him) and He simply
dance, the magical sounds
enjoys His Divine pastimes in Goloka and never im-
of His mridanga playing, the
poses His association on disinterested jivas. Nev-
sweet sound of the karatalas
ertheless, He does not deprive us of the chance to
and His enchanting voice filled
return to Him.
with blissful love for the Divine
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Couple awakened this entire Dear Guru Maharaja, when I got Bhagavad-gita
universe sleeping in a dream of came by Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy, I began to sin-
oblivion! While he was present cerely pray that Krsna would “send” me a true Spir-

itual Master (because in his purports Prabhupada They are few and far between! After all, only those
always emphasized the importance of accepting a who are directly connected by loving relationships
true Guru). Then, after some time while my spiritual with Supreme Krsna can be on this level. To my re-
consciousness was being shaped, you appeared gret, I have a very complex mind that always “runs”
in my life. I will never forget my first meeting with ahead of intelligence and is biased towards others,
you, when, passing to vyasasana through a room trying to look for all sorts of imperfections in every-
crowded with devotees, you stopped right in front one (and I know for sure that this is the cause of
of me, bowing in reverence, and how I raised my my troubles and failures in spiritual practice). But
head and saw a Radiant Personality right in front no matter how much it tries to find these imperfec-
of me. I have always tried to see Krsna’s hand in tions in you or other pure Vaisnavas, to my great
everything and, probably, at that moment it was joy, it does not succeed! All glories to Sri Krsna and
the most significant sign in my life! I also remem- Srila Prabhupada for sending us you, the cintamani
ber that despite the fact that I was not ready to gem that turns everyone into Sri Hari’s devotees!
be initiated (it was difficult for me to do sadhana),
All glories to you, Gurudeva, for the fact that after
nevertheless you personally instructed Bhavata-
so much time I am finally beginning to understand
carya Prabhu (he was the president of our brah-
that the safest and at the same time the happiest
macari ashram at the time) to introduce me so that
and most blissful position in this terribly unpredict-
I would be initiated. And it has always been like
able world is simply to serve the devotees of Sri Sri
this, so many years have passed, but these sweet
Radha Krsna with love and without any prejudice.
moments of associating with you and feeling your
Only then can we get this mercy - first your mercy
constant care until now warm my soul all the time
and Vaisnavas’ mercy, and then, if we get the great-
and melt my stone heart.
est fortune, Srimati Radharani’s mercy.
Billions of living beings inhabit this planet, not to
I realized that in the spiritual realm, no one has
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mention the entire universe. But how many pure
enemies because no one is jealous of each other
devotees are there in this world, that is, persons
and no one is trying to cause any trouble to anyone
who are actually unaffected by the modes of ma-
- just everyone has a mood of service. No wonder
terial nature, who are in unalloyed pure goodness?

it is described that the six Gosvamis of Vrndava-
na were dear to every living being and every living
being is dear to them. That is, even flies and mos-
quitoes which constantly cause us anxiety were
treated with love and respect. Now I remember the
diary entries of a devotee who personally served
you in Mayapura (I think it was Arjuna-sakha pra-
bhu), where he describes that when he was enter-
ing the room, a large fly also got into your room.
Personally, my reaction would have been to just
slap that fly, but you said you didn’t want to kill it
and better just try to get it out of the room.
Dear Guru Maharaja, I have so much more to learn
from you in order to develop the same firm determi-
nation in Krsna consciousness, I am still attached
to sense gratification, but still you are always ready
to give again and again a chance and I am very
grateful to you that you give me the opportunity to
serve the devotees and I am very glad to see that
the devotees really like to come to visit me (take
a steam bath, relax, enjoy Gopal-prasad, and, of
course, read about Sri Krsna and chant His glories!)
Please bless me that the dancing Srila Prabhupada
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will always be in my mind and heart and I will never
lose my taste for chanting the holy names!
Your disciple, Auliya-Caitanya Dasa
BRHAT-SLOKA DASA
obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
very good result! On our own, each of us is just
a vegetable. However, when we join, it becomes a
sabji prasad, accepted by Krishna!!! Any dish is a
result of cooperation, sometimes of very different
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All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!! individualities, and all of them simply compliment
each other at this point, remaining personalities in
Here I am, yours, good for nothing rascal servant
simultaneous oneness and difference! Of course,
(or, rather a disciple than a servant, since being
if the cook wasn’t a mayavadi and watched the
a servant already requires some qualification)
process of cooking, and did not turn everything
Brhat-sloka dasa. And here is my humble offering
into mahat-porriage, looking at his smartphone’s
to you - my realization and firmest conviction with-
screen. And, of course, salt and sugar of those
in my heart, churned by harinama-sankirtana-yajna
wonderful moments of collaboration is our deep
winds, by your mercy and the mercy of Guru param-
gratitude to the founder-acarya of the International
para!
Intergalactic Society
Manifesting my offering in 3D format in these pho- for Krishna Conscious-
tos and comments on them ness, mega-maha-raja
Srila Prabhupada, and
Potatoes of the variety gypsy (a
to you, His Dear Ser-
type of purple starchy potato),
vant.
boletus mushroom, a carrot,
cauliflower, cheese and spices! Morning walk with
I cooked today, on Ekadasi, Brhat-sloka dasa
and a revelation came from my The bright sight of the
heart by itself! Cooperation!!! Moon
Whenever jivas unite under the
flag of Acarya Srila Prabhupa-
da for his mission, it gives a
CANDRABHANU DASA By your mercy I managed to maintain my main two
services: Studying Bhagavad-Gita and giving reg-
ular lectures on Bhagavad-gita in Irkutsk temple,
Dear Guru Maharaja,
and participation in harinamas in Irkutsk. By your
On this bright day of your
mercy this year my wife and I could render more
Vyasa-puja I am in hurry to glorify
service for harinamas in Irkutsk. We undertook the
you and offer you my homage.
service to arrange regular harinama along with tak-
This year I have witnessed the greatest magic of ing emotional care of its participants and treating
your personal care of devotees. This care trans- them with prasad.
forms hearts. Many of your disciples and devo-
This year you have given shelter to many disciples
tees from the area of your personal responsibility
within the family of Srila Prabhupada. And my wife
found themselves in hard material condition.
Citrarekha devi dasi and I are among them. Un-
Without distinguishing devotees you inspire them
fortunately my spiritual practice has not become
to serve and care for each oth-
deeper since the initiation ceremony. And I cannot
er by your instructions and ex-
boast of any considerable progress on the power
ample. Despite any challeng-
of your mercy. But I have gotten some deep sams-
ing material conditions you
karas and new revelations in Krsna consciousness
have accepted many disciples
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and I want to offer them to you.
all over the world and poured
your mercy on Ukrainian dev- In my heart I felt your trust in me as a disciple. I
otees and gifted them the felt entrusted to make my service more profound.
festival with participation of Externally it manifested in trust that I feel from
their guru and the opportunity devotees of my community and their respect for
of personal service to him. I my initiatives. Internally I feel confidence that my
thank Srila Prabhupada for small service is required for Srila Prabhupada and
granting me a particle of that devotees around me. I heard from you at the ini-
mercy. tiation ceremony that I am accepted by you and
Vaisnavas into the family of Srila Prabhupada. active service to devotees and Srila Prabhupada
At the same time, I feel that my responsibility to would continue for many more years.
you, Vaisnavas and all living entities for my words,
All glories to you and Srila Prabhupada and Guru
thoughts and deeds has increased.
Parampara!
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I cannot say that I have seriously improved my
Please accept obeisances
practice this year. I am not satisfied with it. My
mind is still rather my enemy than my friend. Some
Your Candrabhanu das
progress in self-discipline is balanced by my mind’s
from Irkutsk
flights and chewing topics not connected to Krsna.
Listening to your message of the last year I have
realized that I have practically no taste for hearing
about pastimes of the Lord. You can speak about
CITRAREKHA
reciprocation of the Lord and His devotees for
hours, but I’ve focused on working on my mind.
DEVI DASI
Although I theoretically understand that only higher
Dear Guru Maharaja!
taste can turn my mind into a friend.
All glories to Srila Pra-
Dear Guru Maharaja, please go on sharing your bhupada!
taste for studying pastimes of the Lord so that I All glories to Sri Ni-
could focus on the highest aspect of the Absolute tai-Gauranga!
Truth and be more mindful of the Lord, whom I am Please accept my hum-
trying to please with my service. ble obeisances.
Dear Guru Maharaja, this year I have strongly ex- On this auspicious day of your
perienced dependence on the quality of my spiri- appearance, let me congratu-
tual practice from your mercy and mercy of Srila late you and thank you for set-
Prabhupada. This experience was stronger than I ting an example of how to give
had ever felt. Therefore I pray to the Lord that your yourself wholeheartedly to Srila
Prabhupada’s mission, which of course you are I was very glad to hear that after diving into reading
doing. By your example, you are showing a mood, Brihad Bhagavatamritam and previous acharyas, you
which every sincere devotee should accept, so they became even closer to Srila Prabhupada and started
can achieve the perfection of life. It is a mindset of to understand his greatness even deeper. The fact
full surrender to the will of the Lord, and self-sac- is that I do not think I will be able to dive into philos-
rifice for a higher goal and service to the spiritual ophy that deep, so I will not be reading other books
master and Vaishnavas. besides Srila Prabhupada’s. And I felt relieved to hear
from you that he gave us everything. You are saying
Most of all I was impressed by your compassion,
that we should keep Srila Prabhupada alive in our
mercy and fearlessness, to come and offer help to
lives and that the same instructions that disciples
those who were actually in trouble, that you showed
of His Divine Grace were getting, are available for us
in the second half of the year, when you went travel-
now through books, classes and instructions in his
ing through different cities and countries, especially
letters. Realization that there is not much difference
visiting Ukrainian yatras and Vaishnavas. I assume
between the generation that caught Srila Prabhupa-
that your other trips are also austere and require
da alive, and nowadays generation is strengthening
a lot of effort from you. For me this is a shining
faith and giving enthusiasm. That our dear Found-
example of a compassionate heart of a Vaishnava,
er-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna
and a reminder that these qualities should develop
Consciousness will be always alive and we can feel
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due to practice of devotional service.
our connection with him, if we are serious in our
Over the past year I have heard so much that has practice and want to develop relationships through
stuck in my mind from your lectures and answers to reading and serving our spiritual master.
questions from your disciples. Particularly what res-
There is much more I have heard in your talks and
onated was the relationship with Srila Prabhupada.
meetings with Vaishnavas, many other things that
I am very thankful that you are sharing your price- continue my thoughts and answer my inner ques-
less experience of your service to your spiritual tions. For example, that Srila Prabhupada could be
master and your relationships with him and previ- very different and at times gave different instruc-
ous acharyas. tions. And that should not cause contradiction in
us, but should teach the wisdom and depth of to actively participate in different services. There is
Krishna Consciousness. We should learn to use no credit to me and I am happy to be an instrument
our intelligence independently, relying on the spirit in the hands of my spiritual master.
that our Acharya gave. I understand that it is not
I understand that only with your unlimited mer-
a cheap thing, that takes constant meditation and
cy, this year my husband’s and my meditation to
internal spiritual and personal maturity. I would like
participate in harinama sankirtana yagna went on a
to ask for your blessings, so I would be able to gain
new level. Since May, we began organizing harina-
that qualification and become a good instrument in
ma, and we are also trying to support and partici-
your skillful hands.
pate in kirtans and other activities in our city.
In pursuit of a healthy spiritual life I am trying to read
Thank you for guiding us to the right understanding
Srila Prabhupada’s books every day, as well as listen
of the path of devotional service, and serious and
to his classes and read about him in the books and
sincere practice, leading us to the lotus feet of Srila
memories of his disciples. I am also trying to make
Prabhupada. I can feel that you are doing it with
efforts in chanting my rounds, to be attentive in my
great love and sensitivity, giving serious instruc-
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prayers and in relationships with devotees.
tions and at the same time sincerely caring for us
It is hard to find words to express my gratitude as souls and eternal servants of Lord Krishna.
for your mercy to accept my husband and me as
Please accept my heartfelt wishes, first of all, for
your disciples and in Srila Prabhupada’s family in
your good health and spiritually strong disciples,
March. For it is the most important step as just
who will assist you in spreading the mission of Lord
through spiritual master we can find gates through
Caitanya. Because only His mercy and compassion
which we can come into service to Krishna. I feel
of Vaishnavas can awaken in the hearts of people of
great appreciation and responsibility to you and
Kali yuga the dormant love for the Lord, which alone
guru-parampara.
can be the basis for the peace in the whole world.
Now everything that I do has gained real meaning,
Sincerely trying to become your disciple,
because I do it for your satisfaction. For the past
Citrarekha devi dasi (Irkutsk)
few months, I have had the power and inspiration
CITTA-HARI DASA I not love them for this? I have no other reason to
stay in this world but to serve Srila Prabhupada,
and the disciples, who help me in it, are very dear
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Guru Maharaja!
to me. Even the fact that you are crying now, is also
Please accept my respectful obeisances in
service.”
All glories to Его Divine Grace Srila Prabhu- I want to express my gratitude both for such an
pada and you, Your Holiness! intimate question of Mataji Vrndavanesvari and for
your, dear Guru Maharaja, very personal, deep and
At guru-katha Mataji Vrndavaneswari mentioned
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inspiring answer.
your answer to the question: “You most likely love
your disciples. If it is so, then why?” The question Any soul wants to love and be loved. Not only to
was asked at the darsana on January 11, 2003 in hope, to think that you are loved, but also to feel
Dnepropetrovsk. and, as a confirmation, to know, to hear from the
mouth of a beloved person. It is like a wife needs
Your reply was very inspiring,
verbal daily affirmation from her husband that she
“Most likely? Yes, most likely!
is loved. Actions alone, that demonstrate love, are
And why? Because they are
insufficient. For completeness the words are need-
very dear to Krsna. And why
ed, words that inspire, give energy and stimulus to
they are dear to Krsna, you
continue living, serve and love.
must know yourself. Guess. Be-
cause they decided to go back Reciprocal love of Krsna is proportional to that
to Krsna, develop their relation- one, we invest. For Krsna Himself says it in “Bhaga-
ships with Him, they want to vad-gita”, 4.11:
satisfy Him. So, they have be-
ye yatha mam prapadyante
come very dear to Krsna, how
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
can I not love them? Moreover,
my disciples help me to serve “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them
Srila Prabhupada. So, how can accordingly.”
But we are just learning how to love. So, the per- love you. It makes me uneasy. I have no
cent of our love is always lower than the percent of love they have. When they met you at the
love we expect. airport I saw everyone dancing, singing,
crying… And it was just me who did not
Sometimes it seems to us that we have no love,
have a single tear in my eye. I spend so
and that makes us upset or feel disappointment,
much time associating with you, but I do
that may impede or become an obstacle in devo-
not have the kind of love they have, not
tional service (hands go down).
even something like it.”
For example, Srutakirti Prabhu remembered the
I hoped he would somehow console me. But Sri-
following [back translated from Russian]:
la Prabhupada did not say a word in response.
Love that Srila Prabhupada and his disci- It made me even worse. Somehow after having
ples shared was most pronounced during finished the massage I went to my room to finish
meetings at airports. During several min- cooking lunch that was cooked all the time in Srila
utes devotees jumped in rapture thus Prabhupada’s steamer. Meanwhile Srila Prabhupa-
greeting their guru and it seemed that da began chanting gayatri. After having completed
their feet did not touch ground. Ecstatic gayatri he invited me to his room. I entered, bowed
tears were poured as fluxes. No one could down and began to look at him in expectation. He
forbear tears but the single fallen soul—it was maximally serious.
was me. I could not forgive myself: every-
“Do you like to serve me?” he asked unex-
one loves our guru so much andonly I have
pectedly.
not a droplet of love for him. “Cheater,
pretender, hypocrite,” I reproached myself “Oh yes, Srila Prabhupada, I like it a lot, to
diligently. At last, having plucked up the serve you,” I answered sincerely.
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courage, I seized the moment, when I was
“It is love. To sing, to dance and to jump is
massaging Srila Prabhupada’s back and
what everyone can do. But you do some-
was not obliged to look into his eyes, and
thing really useful. Isn’t it love?”
asked, “Srila Prabhupada, all your disciples
“Most likely,” I agreed with relief. After having talked to her and devotees, who knew
her, you have manifested your immeasurable com-
“So, just continue with your job. Nothing
passion and mercy by accepting her as a disciple
else is needed. Love means service.”
and thus filled her heart (and also our hearts) with
Dear Guru Maharaja, by recalling the story I thought a lot of enthusiasm and, consequently, faith. Krsna
to myself that I can just sing, sometimes dance (as does not need rightness, but love. You manifest the
long as my body allows), but to serve so sincerely love, dear Guru Maharaja. Krsna reveals Himself re-
(i.e. to love) as your disciples do I cannot. However, sponding to our love. This way you teach us to love
despite my clumsy attempts to manifest at least and feel loved by you and Krsna. Thank you, dear
some love through serving you at least sometimes, Guru Maharaja. I hanker and hope to learn from
you with such gratitude and compassion accept you at least some time to manifest at least some
my attempts and reciprocate with immeasurably resemblance of such love you have.
more your love by caring (both personally and via
Your negligent and trying to be a disciple,
your disciples) that in percentage your love sur-
Citta Hari Das
passes the lack of mine. So, Krsna accepts the
offering just due to you. I see that you do this to
P.S. I have written a poem to Srila Prabhupada’s
everyone, who in any way approaches you or tries
disappearance day. [Author’s translation from
to establish a relationship with you.
Ukrainian.]
One resolute devotee mataji wanted to get initi-
O Prabhupad, I bow to you,
ation from you so much. She appealed to senior
I touch Your lotus feet,
devotees of our yatra, they reminded her that she
You are the director of the divine drama
had just received your pranama-mantra and with
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You melt the ice in my heart.
all the desire they have no right to recommend
her. (She had her own arguments: the war, no one Around misfortune, war, a lot of malice,
knows what may happen.) The only hope was a Ignorance and passion pull down,
resolution by Guru Maharaja, relying on you. She The only save—your books and speeches,
was told so. Consciousness is cleansed like a breeze from the sea,
Your faithful disciple is my spiritual master, Like every disciple, I have a desire to please a spiri-
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He inspires by His own example, tual master.
For me, He is like a holy place,
I will try to bring you the following gifts for your
Shelter, protection and a reliable home
Vyasa puja:
Everything He says has already been said by You.
1. When I saw (and heard for the first time) the
Without changes, He only convey this,
explosion at the end of February, I immediately
And these words are like majestic temples
grabbed my karatals and started chanting Hare
They have Krishna’s voice and His face
Krishna. Then I quietly cleaned the broken glass in
Let these sounds sound again and again, the next room.
Let souls be awakened in all corners of the Earth,
2. Living in the temple, we had a very small group
Bless this holy speech
singing kirtan, reading Bhagavad Gita, and discuss-
To be heard in every city and village,
ing it a little bit every day.
That I could also join it,
3. The devotees suggested as
And could convey your words without changes
a service to give a lecture on
And could clean up, reborn in the heart
Srimad Bhagavatam: on the 8th
As the servant of the servant of the servant of the
Canto I had the chance to give
Lord.
5 lectures, in which “Mercy in
instruction” and “Analogies for
CITTA-HARINI preaching” were actively used.
Thank you!
DEVI DASI 4. Two matajis, our nama-hatta
members, received initiation,
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaja! All glories to your
then one of the members took
divine master, Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my
the course Discipleship in
humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
ISKCON, another one took the
Bhakti Yoga course, and one more devotee has
already read most of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
5. I wrote to you about the Harinamas in a note at
the festival, and we are still conducting them.
Thank you so much for reminding me to listen to
Srila Prabhupada’s lectures daily. It is very enlight-
ening, as are your books.
I have been chanting my 32 rounds, I haven’t
stopped. And I study Sri Nama-bhajana (practical
recommendations of the acaryas on nama japa,
published by Yuga Dharma Press) to improve my
japa.
Trying to become your servant
Citta-harini Devi Dasi
C
DAIVI-KUMARI DAKSINA DEVI DASI
DEVI DASI AND Dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept my humblest
SYAM-KARUNA DASA obeisances to Your lotus feet.
Dear Guru Maharaj, All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Please accept our humble obeisances.
Dear Gurudeva, please accept my sincere congrat-
ulations on this holy day of Your Vyasa Puja. I want
bhupada!
to give you my tremendous gratitude for your love
We want to congrat- and genuine care for your disciples. In this time of
ulate you on the day hardships you are looking for any opportunity to
of your Vyasa Puja. see and support devotees of Ukraine, shower them
Thank you for your with the mercy of your instructions, and give them
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kindness, patience a chance to touch your feet.
and mercy to the fallen
I am grateful for your instructions, for giving us
souls. You are a living
the most precious thing - Krishna and Radharani,
example of devotion to
who, by your grace, are becoming more and more
your spiritual master! We wish you many years of
important and dear to me. And my heart is thawing
service and good health! Let us be the dust at your
and getting purified step by step.
lotus feet.
I admire your unconditional devotion to Srila Prabh-
Daivi Kumari d.d.
upada, and the way you follow his instructions and
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Syam Karuna Das
his mission. Dear Gurudeva, you are an example of
Rokiskis
uncompromising devotion to your spiritual master
and the Holy Name. Thousands and thousands of
obeisances to your lotus feet. Thank you for your portion of support. This support is expressed first
love, kindness and patience. Please, forgive all my and foremost in your ability to impart transcenden-
offenses. tal knowledge not merely as information, but as a
firm faith in the eternal spiritual reality.
Hare Krishna!
Your disciple Daksina Devi Dasi In this difficult time, full of hardships, so often I
Krasnodar, Russia. 2022 wanted keenly to seek such support in the books
of Srila Prabhupada; and also by listening to you
and being convinced, thanks to you that, “Yes,
DAYANIDHI DASA Krishna is real. Yes, Krishna is sweet. Yes, Krishna
is God. Yes, devotion to Him is the surest eter-
Dear Guru Maharaj, Srila Niranjana Swami! nal shelter for everyone without exception.” yāre
From the core of my heart, I offer my obei- dekha, tāre kaha ‘krsna’-upadeśa:
sances to you!
“Whomever you meet, simply talk with him
about the instructions given by Krsna or
Let me express my deepest appreciation, gratitude tell him of narrations about Krsna.” krishna
and respect to you, on this bright festive day of mata krishna pita krishna dhana prana:
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your Vyasa Puja. “Krishna is your mother, Krishna is your
father, Krishna is your life and soul...”
This past year has been a very difficult one for us
Ukrainian people. In the midst of war we had to live It is so important, so essential to see and hear
through all kinds of fears and hopes. In such cir- from someone who has established himself with
cumstances, your spiritual support was especially all his soul and mind in this state; and our salvation
tangible for many of your disciples and followers. from the “frantic dance of the three gunas of ma-
I myself, feeling a strong need to seek refuge in terial nature” that has gripped our consciousness
Krishna and His Holy Name, turned many times in since time immemorial is exactly in that. You, Guru
an inquiring state of consciousness to your instruc- Maharaj, have the magical ability to share real faith
tions and always received from you the necessary with those who seek it, with those who need it. Not
every preacher can so clearly persuade and instill travels, festivals, meetings. I want to believe that.
such faith in the hearts of his listeners as you do I wish it would never end, that it would last forev-
by the grace of Srila Prabhupada. You are the per- er. But, alas, we all experience the warning that it
fect messenger of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, able won’t last forever in the material world, that there
to convey it to every recipient in its entirety and will always be some hardship, some or other. It
safety. teaches us to appreciate time and to try to make
the most of it, to have time to finally take shelter
And you too, no doubt, are filled with compassion
under the shadow of your instructions about the
for all of us who have not yet reached that height
sweetness of the Holy Name and Krishna con-
of Krishna consciousness, that happiness that
sciousness. I wish that all of us were given as
comes from REAL faith, REAL Krishna conscious-
much time with You as possible! And that this
ness, when one is convinced that Krishna is real,
association may continue forever in the eternal
that Krishna is God. We may sometimes, over the
world in the form of spontaneous glorification of
years, feel that we have this conviction. But it can
Krishna and His eternal abode, Vraja-dhama, and of
also be a false feeling. It can also be disproved.
Srila Prabhupada, the messenger and giver of our
Life tests us, our faith in Krishna. But You come
not yet fully understood and not yet fully realized
to the rescue, dispelling doubts with Your genuine
eternal fortune and eternal happiness.
conviction of God’s existence and Your ability to
present everything as it is, in the light of Krishna With a feeling of gratitude to you, in an effort to
consciousness, without doubting it. become your keen disciple
At the end of this year you finally interrupted Dayanidhi Dasa
your “quarantine confinement” and resumed your Vinnitsa, Ukraine
preaching tours for the benefit of all of us who
need your support and inspiration. By God’s grace,
D
sooner or later this whole coronavirus-war night-
mare that began three years ago will come to an
end, and everything will return as it was before -
DAYA-SAGARA DASA
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during the Panca Tattva abhiseka in 2005. It has
had a tremendous devotional effect on me up to
today. During a recent lecture in Budapest, you
Dear Guru Maharaja,
mentioned that kirtan (or japa) is meant for Krish-
Please accept my humble obeisance unto
na’s pleasure alone. Guru Maharaja, your devotion
the dust of your lotus feet. On this auspi-
in kirtans is a testimony to this fact. Since your
cious appearance day of your Holiness,
kirtans are satisfying to Krishna, they leave a deep
please permit me to say a few words in glo-
imprint of the consciousness of the listener. All
rification of your magnanimous personality.
the years I listened and chanted along that tune; I
I have been praying to Panca Tattva to give
did not know who the chanter was. It was in 2018
me the intelligence so that I may be able to
at the Bhakti Center in NYC when you had sung
say something appropriate.
the same melody in the same voice that I realized
It is said in the sastras it was you I was attracted to all these years. I feel
that a disciple can very fortunate and always thank Srila Prabhupada
never repay his debt for bringing me under the shelter of your lotus feet.
to the spiritual master.
Dear Guru Maharaja, your love for Srila Prabhupa-
The only thing we can
da is deep and infectious. Just hearing you speak
do is try to please him
about him and the services you have done for him
with our attempts to
and his movement overwhelms me. It gives me
sincerely serve the
strong faith in your instructions and a firm convic-
instructions of Guru.
tion in Srila Prabhupada and the parampara. In this
I first had your asso- connection, I recall one lecture where you talked
ciation through your about how you’d distribute Srila Prabhupada’s
kirtans in 2009. There books for 14 hours a day outside in the bitter snow.
was a video wherein Onlookers would often comment while passing by,
you chanted the tune “I hope you are getting paid very well to do what
of the Mahamantra you’re doing? ”. Your only joy and sustenance were
to please your spiritual master. I have no such journey, you mention of a peculiar characteristic
devotion and conviction but just by hearing about that makes him an ideal candidate for Vrajabhumi
your example, I know such selflessness exists, and – dainya (humility). To be honest, Guru Maharaja, it
I can aspire for it. was this quality of genuine humility that I observed
in your every dealing that got me so attracted to
In your most recent in-person initiation lecture in
your lotus feet. How can a person be so exalted
the U.S. you referred to a verse from Srimad Bhaga-
and yet so humble ? It’s only a pure devotee, I rea-
vatam which encourages you.
soned.
Pure devotional service rendered to the
I have no love or devotion for Sri Krishna (and I
Supreme Lord is spiritually so potent that
don’t mean to be humble), but at least I see your
simply by hearing about such transcen-
exemplary qualities which gives me hope and faith
dental service, by chanting its glories in re-
that I am in the right place – Srila Prabhupada’s
sponse, by meditating on it, by respectfully
home.
and faithfully accepting it, or by praising
the devotional service of others, even per- Thank you very much for saving me. Ever since I
sons who hate the demigods and all other had your brief association in Mayapur, I have nat-
living beings can be immediately purified. urally been inclined to read more of Srila Prabhu-
(S.B. 11.2.12) pada’s books. Please bless me that I may continue
like this. And please forgive me of any offense in
For me, pure devotional service is so far out, but I
my feeble attempt to write my first ever Vyasa-puja
am blessed to see direct example in your person-
offering.
ality. Your commentary on the verse gave me so
much hope that simply by seeing and meditating Your disciple,
on your example of pure devotional service, I may Dayā-sāgara das
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one day attain it by mercy. You said, “It may take Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.
some time, but it will come someday”.
Guru Maharaja, in your readings of Gopal Kumara’s
DEVAKI-PRIYA DASA and then, suddenly, everything stopped. I thought
so, but there was a little hope in my heart that you
would not leave us, your aspiring disciples, in such
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a difficult time when our faith was being tested.
prostrated obeisances in the dust of your
I was told you were so personal and always con-
lotus feet!
sider the time, place and circumstances. Yes, pure
Let me try to compose a few warm words of grat- devotees manifest all Sri Krsna’s qualities! And it
itude for your causeless mercy to me and other just so happened that a few days later I found out
conditioned souls like me of the age of Kali on about the upcoming online initiation. Thank you so
the most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, your much for accepting me as your disciple!!! I am sure
70th anniversary! Of course, I want to show you that this is the day I started my journey home, back
the depth of my gratitude and devotion to you with to Godhead!
my deeds, not with my words.
To be honest, choosing a spiritual master was not
However, I think it would be
an easy task for me. Many times my shaky faith in
appropriate to try to express
you was destroyed by the words of unjustified crit-
what is there in my heart with
icism. I prayed a lot to understand who my guru is.
this letter.
I first heard your kirtan seven and a half years ago,
Dear Guru Maharaja! I am and it penetrated my heart so deeply that my unre-
immensely happy that I be- strained mind and critical words directed at you by
came your disciple; it was on ISKCON detractors could not drown out the words
February 28, 2022, the initiation of Paramatma. From the moment I started associ-
took place in Zoom. Four days ating with devotees, your disciples would support
earlier a war broke out in our me materially and encourage spiritually the most.
country. I found out that the The warmth of their hearts melted my cold heart. I
programme in Kyiv had been know that a disciple acquires all the best qualities
canceled. I was waiting for my from his master, and so I was really happy that by
initiation, counting the days left becoming your disciple I will obtain them too and
will be able to take care of the future young genera- mistake, I would like to ask for your blessings once
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tion of Krsna’s devotees! again!
And also I remember that on the eve of my initi- Thank you for your classes and kirtans at the
ation ceremony, chanting my morning rounds of retreat! For your lively emotions, sincerity, being
japa, I felt how that day Nama became different; straightforward and simple! For distributing fruits
I felt some mercy, and asked mysel f a question, with fatherly love, when we were seing you off! For
“What happened, what is the reason for it?” I im- your always proper, refined sense of humor, and at
mediately realized that Guru Maharaja chanted on the same time, for your seriousness, determination
my beads. It was confirmed the same day - I read and firmness in Srila Prabhupada service!
about it on your website! Since that day I have
I really want you to be pleased with me, I don’t want
noticed more and more how you are manifesting in
my initiation to be reduced to just getting an Indian
my life, empowering me.
name. I want to as much as possible, as much as
The president of our yatra once said (after my my current psychophysical nature allows me, as-
kirtan during the morning program) that he also sist in your service to the mission of Sri Guru and
felt I had gained spiritual strength from you. I led Sri Gauranga, assist you in serving your guru! If the
kirtans before, but after my initiation I felt so much Lord lets me do so, then my life will be successful!!!
more connected to Krsna through His holy name. I hope that as I get stronger and mature in my spir-
Yes, it is a fact that my only wish is to become an itual life, I can also get guidance from you on how
ideal medium of Your love for God, to engage in more specifically you would like me to assist you!!!
Krsna-kirtan as many living beings as possible, to
With deep respect I bow down to your lotus feet
bring as many jivas as possible to the lotus feet of
and pray that your feet may forever be my only
Sri Caitanya, Sri Nityananda and Their Associates!
shelter! Following your instructions will be the pur-
At the Carpathian Retreat in Izky, I received such
pose and meaning of my life!
a blessing from you; I hope it was translated cor-
rectly for you from Russian. Since this is my most Your disciple, Devaki-priya Dasa
cherished desire, just in case a translator made a Ukraine, Kharkiv
DHANISTHA Guru Maharaja, I am happy that I have you and Srila
Prabhupada and Krishna! It’s great Fortune! But I
DEVI DASI am aware of my inability to properly evaluate the
mercy of God. I have no answer to the question:
“For what?” I just understand that it is causeless
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja.
mercy of Krsna and that my existence in this body
Please accept my prostrated obeisances in
would have been of no sense, unless Krsna sent
me his faithful representative.
All glories to your infinite mercy. All your life in Krisna consciousness proves that
you are the bona fide spiritual master. You have
I repeatedly bow down unto you with deep feeling
always been a loyal follower and servant of Srila
of gratitude for your selfless uninterrupted service
Prabhupada and his sincere humble servant, thus
to the mission of Srila Prabhupada, the Savior of
teaching us devotional service. Your purity and
fallen souls.
deep genuine compassion to any suffering living
You teach by your example, inspiring me to follow being strengthens our faith in Guru and Krsna. You
the path and to overcome various obstacles. do not have to learn neither Russian nor Chinese,
because you speak the language of love. And this
language is understood by any jiva. And by your
mercy we will definitely learn this language.
I wish you many long years of life for the joy of all
your followers.
Not giving up my efforts
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to become your sincere servant
Dhanistha devi dasi
DHIRA DASA engage people in becoming members of Prabhupa-
da’s ISKCON. You also kindly allowed me to travel
far and wide with you, training me to preach and
Dear Niranjana Maharaja:
represent Srila Prabhupada’s legacy with enthusi-
Please accept my humble obeisances.
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asm and kindness. On many occasions, you asked
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories
for and actually listened to my opinions on what
to you on this Holy Day of your appearance
course of action to take, which is something to
in this world!
which I was not accustomed based on my experi-
The main thing that comes to mind every year on ence with others. This made me
this transcendental occasion is gratitude. When I feel both validated and valued
was struggling with temple management and had by you, something I have al-
a desire to sell sets of books, plus engage in con- ways cherished.
gregational preaching to those who were actually
When I finally married, you kind-
interested in practicing Krishna
ly gifted us your own preaching
Consciousness after working
Deities, Sri Sri Radha Mad-
hard for 10 years distributing
ana-Gopala and blessed us with
books to so many who had
your continued guidance and
little to zero interest; instead of
association as the years have
chastising and condemning me
continued on.
for those feelings, you encour-
aged and facilitated my desire I can never forget your kindness in our time of
for service, offering me shelter crisis two years ago, very kindly asking devotees to
at the Boston Temple. You then pray for and financially assist us when I almost left
worked closely to make sure I the body due to coronary arrest. Now I have recov-
stayed on track, allowing oth- ered and have almost finished your kind gift, “The
er devotees to go with me to Nectar of Lockdown” Volume 2. It’s a fantastic trea-
people’s homes, sell sets and tise on the process of developing pure, unalloyed
Love of Godhead, based on your hearing from Srila
Prabhupada teaching the devotees at 26 2nd Ave.
DINADAYADRI
back in 1966. What a fantastic way to spend your
time while isolated due to the pandemic!
DEVI DASI
All in all, I am simply grateful to have your good as- Dear Guru Maharaj,
sociation in this lifetime and hope to emulate your Please accept my humble obeisances
incredible example of serving the Vaisnavas, which in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories
according to sastra is the utmost way to please to Srila Prabhupada.
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the spiritual master, Lord Caitanya and Sri Krish-
It’s been around two and a half months since I left
na, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I hope
Mayapur. And it’s been about 5 days since you
I will have more opportunity to assist you in your
have returned.
many services again in this lifetime, even though I
have proven pretty useless thus far. Thank you for I’d truly give anything to be there again, and serve
your unlimited tolerance, compassion, kindness you somehow or other. This
and friendship. I pray that you will always remain was truly the spiritual world
healthy, prosperous and full of joy in preaching when I was there near you. The
Krishna Consciousness all over the world, giving ten months flew by like two
Srila Prabhupada so much bliss in spite of the weeks.
many challenges and obstacles the material ener-
I’d give anything to be there
gy may present.
again. Just to travel in time and
I beg to remain, live through those ten months
Your humble servant, once again. When I chant Tulasi
Dhira dasa prayers in the morning, that’s
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what I’m thinking. I remember
Mayapur.
This was most natural to live
there, at the same apartment complex where you would be practically no interaction. But I would feel
lived. I didn’t deserve it, and practically every single your direct presence in my heart, seeing you inside
day a thought would cross my mind — just where my heart with eyes closed, and seeing you physi-
I am! Just how close to you! Engaged in serving cally with the eyes opened, my heart overwhelmed
you… I couldn’t believe it, I was realizing I didn’t with your causeless mercy and undeserved approv-
deserve it. But at the same time, this felt most nat- al. When others would lead, you’d sit aside chant-
ural. Most natural. ing, and not wanting to make you uncomfortable
by staring at you, I would sometimes stare ahead,
mor ei abhilas, bilas kunje dio vas
not at you, but seeing the bright saffron silhouette
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nayane heribo sada jugala-rupa-rasi
with my peripheral vision, so dear to my heart. I
I pray to Tulasi Devi, that I want to always reside would absorb in the thought again and again, that
in Mayapur, in that very same apartment complex although I don’t look directly at you, the image of
where you live. I have no other desire. If I travelled your figure is touching directly the retina of my
in time, I’d again be engaged there in your service. eyes, and I would feel most fortunate. How many
I’d again chant japa right below Vrsabhanu Pra- more times will I get to see you again in this short
bhu’s windows. I would hear the sound of lec- life? I’d ask myself again and again.
tures, as if from the distance, coming out from his
In the mornings sometimes I would hear someone
window, sometimes yours, sometimes Sivarama
passing by my window, vibrating the holy name, and
Maharaja’s, sometimes Prabhupada’s memories,
I would be completely sure and thrilled that it must
and I would hear of the spiritual world. Chanting,
be you, and then I’d doubt that maybe I just imag-
and thinking about you. Simply by looking at your
ined it. And upon looking out of the window thiev-
windows, I’d remember how intensely you are
ishly, afraid to be seen, I’d find that you’re already
absorbed always in serving Krsna, and seeing the
gone, with your fast pace. I’d bow down to the floor
light coming from your rooms, my heart would
and cry, realizing that my spiritual master is right
resound with aching.
near me, and I would feel so ashamed for my own
I’d come to the roof on the days of kirtans. You’d chanting, and I’d want to absorb in Krsna conscious-
be chanting in complete absorption, and there ness, and change, and try harder, just for you.
Throughout the day I’d meditate that you’re very To be in Mayapur would not be my proper service
near. Perhaps 300 or 400 meters away. And this to you. I accept it, even though it’s painful. And be-
thought would strike me with realizing that I’m very cause I realize that I don’t deserve to be given ser-
far from truly knowing you. I’d feel very unfortu- vice by you, I take very seriously what did transpire.
nate, that even while being near, I can’t know, and Somehow it all manifested, by your desire and will,
associate with you, and this despair would make and even though I am lame and inadequate, even
me sometimes a little more sincere in trying to though I shouldn’t have been given any responsible
realize Krsna, even if only a bit more sincere. task, shouldn’t have been given any attention, still
this happened, and I feel very responsible to do
While being there, I couldn’t believe all this was
what it takes to try to please you by some results.
happening. And yet, it felt most natural.
Indulekha shared with me today in detail how she
Now I’m very far away. I am one insignificant disci-
saw you after lunch, how she didn’t expect it, but
ple. I don’t deserve your attention or love. And yet
you talked to her and asked if it was ok that you
you’re everything to me. I don’t know what will be in
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were taking lunches at Sivarama Maharaja’s place,
the spiritual world. Will I know you? Will I live near
how you looked, how bright your eyes were, how
you? Will you give me service? It’s very painful to
you smiled mercifully and laughingly but kept
be far away, after knowing what it’s like to live near.
walking slowly towards your home as you spoke.
But I was asking you for service. I was asking how I imagined very vividly, she was very merciful. I ex-
I can experience this absorption in the missionary pressed to her how I wished I was there. She said,
spirit of the early days. And that’s what transpired, Just come for Vyasa Puja if you have money. And
enthused by your desire and consciousness. Mis- described in detail the flat opportunities.
sionary spirit is meaningless without direct con-
I have money. My dad would buy tickets. There’s an
nection to the order of one’s master. What is mis-
available room in Rasamrita Kunj. But I can’t go.
sionary spirit if it’s not for Prabhupad? And in my
heart, your and his presence is equally prominent. I can go, but I don’t want to do that which won’t
I don’t have anyone but you and him. And I know please you. I see clearly, so clearly, that this won’t
how much for you he is everything. I wish I knew. please you. This would be sense gratification if I
went. I’d see you. You’d naturally flood my heart not my own whim and imagination. Then I can go
with causeless mercy. I’d not be able to believe on forever. But just give me that realization, that
my fortune. I’d touch again with my head the rich, it’s pleasing you. For this I can sacrifice the sense
moist with mercy Mayapur soil. I’d fall intoxicated. gratification of coming to see you personally.
I’d pray to Krsna to surrender and love Him. I’d beg
What is preaching without relationship with your
to become finally sincere and serious. I’d breathe
order? Simply talking. Who am I to preach? I have
in cold and moist Mayapur air. But this would be
no love, so I have no compassion. I can only repeat
sense gratification. I can’t go.
Prabhupad’s words, and act on your order to dis-
Will I regret this decision after years go by? I told tribute his books to people so that they come in
you about my prayer. Krsna can take any one any contact with him and become most fortunate. I can
time. We have seen this with many devotees. But only beg to be an instrument, that these books go
still, how long will I have to continue to live after out, one by one, inundate the area, and purify each
you go? And will I helplessly regret that I didn’t flat they get to, simply by their presence. I can sim-
come to see you when I could? It strikes me to ply use my life air as much as I can to try to explain
realize that this opportunity is not going to always to people just what these books are and beg them
be there. But relationship with the spiritual master to take time and read them. To do this is perfection
is bigger than space, time, physical distance. It’s of life. To menially serve this order, distribute these
beyond this world, beyond time and space. In the books, one by one, one by one, one by one. I am
eternal present, there’s no time and space. But I not a preacher. I’m simply to deliver these books
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haven’t reached this depth of realization, and I feel to people and give all my life air to try to convince
separated and misfortunate. Therefore I pray to them to read them. This is perfection. Please let
you to kindly always manifest in my heart the real- me simply do what is pleasing to you, forgetting
ization of my service to you here in Moscow being my own self. I feel helplessly separated, I feel
more important to you than coming to see you in insignificant, but I can take solace in trying to serve
Mayapur. Every one of those books, may it be clear your desire. I’d give anything to be in Mayapur right
to me that this is what you’d want me to do, and now, and forever. After these ten months, I realized
this is what would please you the most, and it’s that Mayapur is my home. I realized that Mayapur
is a person, and it accepted me, and it became my
home. It’s dear to me only because it’s dear to you.
DMITRIY MARKOV
Without relationship with you, it wouldn’t mean this
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Maharaj!
much to me. And Mayapur wouldn’t be so merciful
to me unless I was counted among your aspiring
the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to
servants. Maybe you’d consider this an exaggera-
your Divine Grace! All glories to Srila Prabh-
tion. But I say it’s true. To me, Mayapur is in rela-
D
upada!
tionship with you. It’s your home.
Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita:
So I’d give anything to be there, now and always.
But I remember always thinking about Moscow tad viddhi pranipātena paripraśnena sevayā
streets during those months in Mayapur. My desire upadeksyanti te jñānam jñāninas tattva-darśinah
is to sacrifice my own desires to serve yours and
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual
Prabhupad’s. I want to take shelter in serving your
master. Inquire from him submissively
will. It felt most natural to live there in the same
and render service unto him. The self-re-
apartment complex near you. Most natural. Will I
alized souls can impart knowledge unto
eternally be engaged in your service to the masters
you because they have seen the truth.
of your heart in the spiritual world? I can only pray.
Meanwhile, please reveal in my heart the under- I am just starting my spiritual journey,
standing — that this is the way you’ve engaged me and maybe I have not even started.
in your service now. Book after book, book after
I listen with an open heart to your in-
book, book after book, and all that serves this book
structions and try hard to understand
distribution. Then I’ll drown in this service, as pain-
them, to follow them, to serve you. But
ful as it is to not be in Mayapur near you.
I am so inept and stupid that I do not
Always begging to remain at your feet, understand anything and feel that I am
Your insignificant aspiring servant, not worthy to occupy the position of
Dinadayadri dd your servant.
You show unlimited compassion for conditioned
DOYAL-GOVINDA
D
souls by giving them Srila Prabhupada’s message.
I see your disciples, their service, their mood, their DASA
efforts in the sankirtan mission - and I understand
how much you change and fill people’s hearts. Dear Gurudev,
Seeing this, I want to know your desires and your Please accept my humble obeisances at
instructions even more, I want to be your faithful the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to our
servant! I live in hope that by your grace my heart savior, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
and soul will be awakened to life and I will be able Swami Srila Prabhupada!
to serve you and Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
Usually I write my offering in the last days just be-
I hope that you will not reject me, a lost soul who fore the deadline, set byVP offerings team, but this
is full of material desires and contamination. I see year I decided to write much earlier, as I wanted to
for myself one way in life - to become your servant. share the experience
I myself cannot get out of the darkness of igno- after the unique event,
rance, but you have already dispelled the darkness which happened in
in my heart, as well as for many souls in this world. September. When a
My meeting with you, although not personal, but dream became reality…
through the sound of your preaching, is the mercy
This was completely
of Krishna and the answer to my prayers.
unexpected. Thus the
I just have to follow you, and then my life will be- impact of this event
come meaningful. I beg you: bestow your mercy was even more relish-
on me, grace me with your glance, guide me back able. These are some
home, to Godhead and let me engage in eternal reflections on your brief, but consciousness con-
devotional service to you. verting visit to New Gokula. No doubt, your kirtans,
your lecture, a glimpse of a few personal exchang-
Your servant, Dmitry
es, sanga of many vaisnavas were very touching.
But what amazed me the most – the unique atmo- relationships on all sides. No doubt it emanated
sphere, which was created in New Gokula. Even from Vaikunthanatha Prabhu, who is the main
from entering it from a general road we felt as if we inspirational leader for this project. On one hand
were arriving on another planet, another plane. And it was sad, that I had no qualification to remain
after leaving it after the program, I had the same there and was thrown out back to material abode.
feeling, which was felt after our week-long vaish- On the other hand I was very happy to have such
nava festivals – that I have to return to the material an exalted godbrother, who had accomplished so
world to continue my tiring existence. The only much in such a short period of time. If it weren’t
difference was that this feeling came after a much for him and New Gokula, we wouldn’t have had the
shorter, six hour program… We had to leave despite opportunity to have your darshan, God knows, for
the fact that you were planning to give Bhagavat- how long.
am class the next morning. Most probably Kaliya
Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for your wonderful gift
had felt the same, when despite getting Krishna`s
of this unparalleled devotee. Thank you for other
mercy he had to leave Vrindavan and return to
wonderful godbrothers and godsisters, so many
snake “paradise”… I was so moved by the unique
unique souls among them. This is great help for
atmosphere of the event, that I couldn’t even take
me, still struggling in the grip of maya, and also
a feast, which was completely uncommon for this
leaves a great hope for attaining your causeless
prasadam addict…
mercy also.
While returning “home” and during the next day I
Your eternal debtor
deeply contemplated the unique achievements of
Doyal Govinda dasa
New Gokula devotees with Vaikunthanatha prabhu
in ahead. After a few years from my last visit, the
place was transformed significantly and such a
D
unique atmosphere was created that even inspired
you to come, despite the tiring 17 hour drive. It
was evident that it was really a Vrindavan atmo-
sphere, with no any signs of malice, with loving
DRAUPADI-RANI Your determination to preach and faithfully execute
your spiritual master’s mission, no matter what
DEVI DASI dangers or perils might be on this path is so poi-
gnant and inspiring because it is genuine, selfless
and because it is truly your life and soul. Thank you
Dear Guru Maharaja,
for the fact that your first and foremost priority is
Please accept my most humble
to give people the taste of pure devotional service
and opportunity and encouragement to render it.
All glories to you. You are so merciful that you make it your mission
to inspire others to take to this matchless gift; not
Yet another year has passed; each year, I become
only do you set no conditions whatsoever explicitly
more and more humbled and amazed by the depth
or implicitly, but you proclaim loudly, “no nothing,
of your Krsna Consciousness, true love, care and
just serve.” Pure and unalloyed devotion that has
concern for the devotees you know and know of
nothing to do with selfish gain, mental specula-
and people in general. You are always immersed in
tions or other contaminations. What else can be
bhakti and whoever is fortunate enough to see it,
more magnanimous? I am praying to be able to
appreciate it and follow your mood or at least try
meditate on such pure mood whenever I am trying
to do so can delve into the most valuable treasure
D
to do something to please you.
you so magnanimously share.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that
You have often quoted Lord Caitanya’s words that
bhakti only arises from bhakti. Your bhakti is un-
Srimad-Bhagavatam is about pure devotional ser-
paralleled; that is why you have so many serious
vice in the beginning, in the middle and in the end.
and faithful disciples and followers who take your
Whenever I listen to your lectures, read your books
mission close to their hearts and preach the purest
or otherwise come in contact with you, I always
Krsna Consciousness as you do. This purity and
see the same pure devotional service in your in-
faithfulness to the disciplic succession you mani-
structions and exemplary behavior.
fest is the most generous blessing, hope and stick
of mercy that one draw strength from when trying
to follow this path. Thank you for drawing our at-
tention again and again to the boat that the acaryas
have left behind for us to cross this fierce ocean of
nescience and for training us how to render service.
Connection to you is our chance that the Lord might
be willing accept the service we try to render.
I have always been convinced that your mercy has
been the crucial factor in my life. This year’s events
fully corroborated this conviction. My whole life is
made from your mercy only. I know for sure that
whatever words of gratitude I say will not even
touch the surface of what you are doing to take
care of all the devotees. I can only try to thank you
for your kind and compassionate heart and for
the fact that you have never been transcendental
to others’ suffering and difficulties, but you have
primarily given eternal spiritual solutions.
Dear Guru Maharaja, on this auspicious occasion
I am begging you for what is the most important
for me. Wherever I am and whatever the external
circumstances are, may you please always some-
how make me useful in your mission and in Srila
Prabhupada’s mission.
Hoping to be given the opportunity to serve you,
Draupadi-rani Devi Dasi
EKACAKRA DASA
E
stumas tam caitanyakrtim
ati-vimaryada-paramad-
bhutaudaryam varyam vraja-
namah om visnu padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
pati-kumaram rasayitum
srimate niranjana-svamin iti namine
isuddha-sva-premonmada-
anahata prayasena prabhupadasya-tustaye
madhura-piyusa-laharim
sankirtana-pravrtyartham ihate-gurave-namah
pradatum canyebhyah para-
nama om vishnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale, pada-navadvipa-prakatam
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine.
Let us glorify the infinitely merciful Supreme Lord,
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine,
the prince of Vraja. In order to enjoy the intoxicat-
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
ing sweet waves of the nectar of transcendental
Dear Guru Maharaja, love for Krishna, and also to distribute this nectar
Please accept my obeisances. to others, He now appeared in the transcendental
All glories to Srila Prabhupada abode of Nabadwip as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
In deep humility I offer my obeisances to the true drstah sprstah kirtitah samsrto va
servants of Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami dura-sthair api anato vadrto va
Srila Prabhupada, who gave all their desires to premnah saram datum iso ya ekah
satisfy him, and distribute to others the nectar of sri-caitanyam naumi devam dayalu
the transcendental message of the eternal associ-
To His devotees who contemplate, touch, glori-
ate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is an ocean
fy, remember, bow at a distance or worship Him,
of bliss and the embodiment of the pure love of
Sri Caitanya bestows the nectar of pure love for
Madhurya Rasa of Sri Vrindavan Dham.
Krishna. Let me glorify Sri Caitanya, the merciful
In his divine poem Sri Chaitanya Candramrita, Srila Supreme Lord.
Prabodhananda Saraswati Thakura glorifies this
namas caitanyacandraya
all-merciful avatar of the Supreme Lord:
koti-chandranana-tvise
premanandabdhi-candraya of pure love for Lord Krishna. I bow before You in
caru-candramsu-hasine deep respect. I bow before You in deep respect.”
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord He also glorifies His pure devotees, who are man-
Caitanyacandra, whose face is as splendid as ifestations of His internal energy and are fully
millions of moons and whose smile is as enchant- engaged in the service of the divine Couple:
ing as moonlight. He is like the moon that has just
bhrantam yatra muniswarair api
risen from the ocean of bliss of pure love for Lord
pura yasmin ksama-mandale
Krishna.
kasyapi pravivesa naiva dhisana
yasyaiva padambuja-bhakti-labhyah yad veda no va sukah
premabhidhanah paramah pum-arthah yan na kwapi krpamayena
tasmai jagan-mangala-mangalaya ca nije ‘py udghatitam saurina
caitanyacandraya namo namas te tasmin ujjvala-bhakti-vartmani
sukham khelanti gaura-priyah
O Lord Caitanyacandra, by devotional service to
Your lotus feet, one can acquire pure love for Lord The wonderful path of pure devotional service
Krishna, which is the ultimate goal of all aspira- bewildered the great sages of the past. It is in-
tions. O Lord Caitanyacandra, O great boon of the comprehensible to the material mind, Sukadeva
world, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I Gosvami was unable to understand it, and even
bow before You in deep respect. the merciful Lord Krishna never revealed it to His
closest friends. Dear devotees of Lord Gaura fol-
ananda-lilamaya-vigrahaya
low this great path of pure devotional service while
hemabha-divya-chavi-sundaraya
enjoying merry pastimes.
tasmai maha-prema-rasa-pradaya
caitanyacandraya namo namas te tavad brahma-katha vimukti-
E
padavi tavan na tikti-bhavet
O Lord Caitanyacandra, Your form is filled with
tavac capi visargkhalatvam
blissful pastimes, Your body color is as splendid
ayate no loka-veda-sthitih
as gold, and in charity You distribute the nectar
tavac sastra-vidam mithah kala- hrdi sattvojjvale badham
kalo nana-bahir-vartmasu svadate sa raso matah
sri-caitanya-padambuja-priya-
That which cannot be imagined, that
jano yavan na drg-gocarah
which is permeated with amazement and
Talk of impersonal liberation will not become bitter, felt in a heart radiant with goodness, is
the shackles of blind adherence to social and Vedic called rasa.
customs will not be weakened, and noisy debates
Without any doubt, Srila Prabhupada experienced
by Vedic scholars about the merits of various
boundless compassion while living in Vrindavan,
useless spiritual paths will continue until devotees
being immersed in the service of the lotus feet of
appear before their eyes, who are like bees drinking
the Divine Couple.
the nectar of lotus feet of Lord Caitanya.”
While living in the Temple of Sri Sri Radha Damoda-
Every living entity, being by nature ananda mayo
ra, he asked Srila Rupa Goswami to help him carry
‘bhyasat, craves for this bliss, transcendental rasa,
out the instructions of his Guru Maharaj, and thus
which descends to this material world along with
E
Srila Prabhupada received the blessings of the
the personality of the Lord manifesting the blissful
entire Sri Guru Parampara.
rasa lila in Vrndavana. But being conditioned by
contact with material nature, one tends to mistake How can we fully appreciate the blessings that
the false rasa of lust, distorted by the material cov- have come upon us and develop the necessary
ering, for true love. qualities to become qualified in the service of the
spiritual master? In an attempt to repay Srila Pra-
What is true love, the eternal need of the soul to
bhupada, we want to understand the essence of
experience bliss? To explain the term rasa, Srila
his instructions.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quotes the following
verse: Srila Prabhupada brought the transcendental mes-
sage of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the West and
vyatītya bhāvanā-vartma
engaged us in the service of Srimati Radharani with
yas camatkara-bhara-bhuh
his presence, purity, spiritual strength and cause-
less mercy. Based on his instructions, avoiding I consider myself just a servant of the
offending the Holy Name, serving the Vaisnavas servant of the servant of the lotus feet of
and preaching the glories of Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Sri Krishna, the patron of the gopis.
we can hope that Srila Prabhupada will be pleased (Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 13.80)
with us.
This is the right mindset. Promote others. And
In one of your lectures on Radhashtami in New Radharani gets ten million times more pleasure by
Vraja Dham you quoted: promoting others in relationship with Krishna. This
is how we can get Radharani’s attention. It’s not
Prabhupada explains this point here. He
cheap. Don’t think it’s enough to raise your hands
says: “No matter how foolish I am, if we try
to get attention.
to get the mercy of Radharani, everything
will be very easy. If you want to get Her attention, understand Her
mood. “Let others go ahead. Let me stay behind.
Prabhupada continues, “Therefore, in Vrindavan
Let me push them forward. Let me please Her, let
you will notice that the devotees chant the names
me stay further back. She knows. She recognizes
of Radharani more than Krishna. Wherever you go,
us.” We will receive her mercy.”
the devotees will greet you with “Jai Radhe”. You
will see this in Vrindavan. They glorify Radharani. In an attempt to express gratitude
Because however fallen I may be, if somehow or Ekacakra d.
other I can please Radharani, it will be very easy for
me to understand Krishna.”
Therefore we should meditate on Radharani in this
way. We should meditate on Her mercy, Her gener-
osity and compassion. And her mood. Her mood is,
E
“Let me promote others to the service of Krishna.”
gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor
dasa-dasanudasah
EKANTITA-BUDDHI and photos on your site. I was very happy and
grateful then for my efforts having been accepted
DASA and I continued to preach with more enthusiasm.
I was sending my reports to you and once you even
Hare Krsna! said that I did it too often. So, I began to send one
Please, accept my obeisances letter a week. I was very happy that you read my
in the dust of your lotus feet. reports, I felt a deep connection. This also was
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! manifested on the street during book distribution:
your presence and care.
This year was a complete sur-
prise for many devotees includ- I wanted to go to Mayapur a lot and to serve you
ing me. I have bought a ticket personally or outlive this time in the dhama, but
to dhama and wanted to get the Krsna had His own plan, and I am grateful so much
second initiation in Mayapur. for the opportunity to be an instrument in spiritual
It happened so that a week be- master’s hands.
fore the departure the war start-
When I came to Lviv on Janmastami, I was very
ed and I had to go to the west
happy and glad of that two-day-long festival, and
of Ukraine. I was in perplexity
was glad to see devotees I know and my spiritual
and did not know what to do,
master again. Thanks a lot for coming! Reading
how to practice and preach
their offerings, many devotees cried with gratitude.
further. Your senior disciples
convinced me to stay, where I And I also came with a question, where I should be
was, and try to be useful. and serve now, and you said to me to go where you
told me—to Kiev.
E
At last Krsna had heard my prayers and sent my
favorite service to me—to distribute books. Since There I continued to distribute books for gu-
March I have been sending you my reports on ru-parampara satisfaction.
sankirtana and you even published my realizations
Later, when I moved to Kiev, you posted news When I had just come to the retreat, Acyuta Priya
about sankirtana after a rocket attack. It was half a Prabhu said that you have brought a gift for me.
year after your previous post about sankirtana, and I was very happy and was foretasting of what it
I was very happy to have your attention again. could be. And here I got to know that it is your altar
with Panca-tattva and a photo of Srila Prabhupada
As it is said in your pranama-mantra: you constant-
that you used for 3 years when you were a brah-
ly aspire (anahata-prayasena) to expand sankirtana
macari. To me it was so touching and important
mission (sankirtana-pravrtty-artham) for satisfac-
that Krsna and the spiritual master accepted my
tion of Srila Prabhupada (prabhupadasya tustaye),
service.
it is like a slogan to me that one permanently
repeats several times a day. And meditates on As Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati said, “Do not try to
sankirtana. see God, try to be seen by Him.”
Also your lectures on Brhad-Bhagavatamrta helped This altar became an object of everyday meditation
me all this time and I tried to be present online and on sankirtana.
not to miss the sessions, even being outside on
I am very grateful to you for your care, attention
sankirtana.
and this matchless gift. I am going to further serve
Also, I asked you questions online, both anony- the sankirtana mission.
mously and openly, and you answered very careful-
I am also thankful for the opportunity to share this
ly, accurately, heartfeltly and inspiringly.
offering and describe my emotions and feelings in
Culmination of all was the retreat in Izky. It was immediate connection with you.
like a breath of air, like a ray of the Sun through the
Trying to become your servant,
dark sky (as, by the way, it was when you gave a
Ekantita-buddhi Das
E
class and it was raining with the Sun). I was very
glad with the retreat and the opportunity to feel
the Bhakti Sangama atmosphere. Thank you once
more for coming, it is very important to all of us!
EKESVARI-RADHA And you always emphasize your dependence on
Vaishnavas. This impresses me very much be-
DEVI DASI cause you are already a Guru yourself.
Also I want to express my great thankfulness to
Dear Guru Maharaj! you for the help that you give to the devotees in
Please accept my humble obeisances the military situation in Ukraine, giving us spiritual
in the dust of your lotus feet! support with your instructions, prayers and having
All glories to you! All glories started the program of financial support for the
to Srila Prabhupada! devotees.
On this day of your appearance I would like to Dear Spiritual Master, I am a forgetful conditioned
thank you that this year you have accepted me as soul, and I pray to be able to remember you all the
your initiated disciple. time and to remain connected with you, to see
manifestation of your mercy in everything that sur-
Also on this day I want to say
rounds me, especially in Vaishnavas around me, to
that your attachment to your
stop criticizing them and being envious of them.
spiritual master Srila Prabhupa-
da is a great example for me. Thank you for everything!
For so many years you have
Trying to become your disciple,
been expressing your gratitude
Ekesvari Radha devi dasi
and devotion to him continuing
his work.
Also a very important example
E
for me is how you appreciate
your friendship with His Holi-
ness Radhanath Swami Ma-
haraj and other Vaishnavas.
FELICIA I can strongly support what I said, as I have had
the opportunity to serve devotees dear to you while
you were with them, and I can strongly say that,
Hare Krsna dear Maharaja,
these qualities together with others, for example:
compassion, prioritizing Srila Prabhupada’s Mis-
All glories to Srila Prabhupada, all glories to the sion, tact in dealing with disciples and with your
devotees of the Lord located in the three worlds. All confreres, and many other aspects are fundamen-
glories to this day on which we all celebrate your tal traits of your character.
appearance together, godbrothers and godsisters.
From this random list of characteristics, I focus on
All glories to the wonderful day, the day you met one in particular: the careful observation you offer
Srila Prabhupada sitting on the shelf of a book- each one.
store.
In recent years we have had the good fortune (in
F
All glories to you, Maharaja, misfortune) to be able to see and hear from you
who knew how to respond with regularly, at first, with a support lesson, later, with
determination and constancy very good lessons, on a very good text, some-
to that special meeting we times perhaps a little complex to understand at
had with our Founder-Acarya, first glance. So, putting yourself in our shoes, you
qualities that you knew how to understood that not everyone could understand
cultivate and expand exponen- everything, therefore, you instituted “Q&A Wednes-
tially. You didn’t limit yourself days” so that we could stay with you in the reading
to developing these qualities you were giving us. The same also in the difficult
(and many others) just for you, situation in Ukraine. You have been very close to
but you made a real mission the devotees in an effective, practical way, not just
so that we, your disciples (or with theories or fresh philosophies, but feeling their
almost disciples), could have a suffering firsthand, supporting them with practical
permanent, convincing model. advice. Consistency, simplicity, positive insistence,
physical presence, leaving your physical health 2019 vyasa-puja that I was able to taste it all, I had
aside and putting others, the devotees, first. the opportunity to find myself in a “concentrate” of
qualities that are very similar to you; kindness, grat-
Maharaja, you are giving us the essential part of
itude, acceptance, attention, concern for the other,
your life, the sweetest and easiest part, as Srila
to name just a few. On that occasion, on Sunday,
Prabhupada has proposed: you are giving yourself
after the offering of letters by the devotees and the
for the love of your Master. This is the wonderful as-
offering of cake, I found myself in a room prepared
pect of my “Spiritual Grandfather” family; never back
for prasada observance. I was dazed, slightly tired
down when there are difficulties in spreading the
and in a storm of wonderful emotions. I had sat
Holy Names of the Lord “in every city and village”.
down on the floor, in a corner, with the intention of
I have no credit for all that I have received, I am only gathering myself in a great sense of gratitude for
a soul floating from one universe to another, from the entire time I spent in the temple. Happiness was
one living form to another, without knowledge of written on my face. Near me there was a long table
cause. Now I have your mercy, and with you, also the set up for devotees who could not remain seated
mercy of the parampara, as the only rope on which I on the floor (another little trick, very sweet!), a table
am hanging. Of course, my strength is worth nothing, surrounded by chairs. They had already sat down
but I am firmly convinced that, with your mercy and devotedly, so there were no more free seats. The
that of the spiritual family that our Founder-Acarya two devotees who were right next to me became
F
has given us, they will be able to support me on this aware of my presence. One of them went to get a
journey, an easy and difficult path at the same time. chair (I have no idea where she popped it from!)
and, making room, arranged it and started calling
As a form of humble acknowledgment of Srila
me. Naturally, all in Ukrainian. I, who don’t under-
Prabhupada’s great gift, I have begun translating
stand an iota, at first looked at the scene and then
“The Nectar of Education” into my own language
moved on, believing that there is a need for more
and hope that, with your blessings, I can send the
space for those who were due to arrive. The devo-
manuscript to the Romanian BBT for printing soon.
tees, seeing my reaction, became more convinced.
And finally, on a slightly more cheerful note: in the They began to show me to sit down with them, in
the same very distant language as mine, however,
in a friendly and familiar way. I sat next to them. I
was happy, they were happy as they continued to
explain and ask me questions. Embarrassed and
in a faint voice I told them not to speak Ukrainian.
For a moment they stopped, almost amazed, and
then went back to looking for the best way to make
themselves understood and not make me feel
uncomfortable. I will not deny that, at that moment,
I would have liked to have a word with these won-
derful devotees, even if only to thank them for the
great effort they made to make me feel part of the
party. At that time, I saw in them your desire to
welcome and bring everyone to Srila Prabhupada.
Your instructions were made into people. Smiles,
gratitude, happiness, enthusiasm, mirth floated
throughout the room. At one point I was invited to
another setting and the two devotees, seeing me
leave, greeted me with fantastic human warmth
“Hare Krsna mataji, Hare Krsna” as I walked away.
My gratitude that you have accepted me as your pro-
spective disciple will never be enough, because Srila
Prabhupada has already stated that “Master is good
fortune”. So please help me stay in this Good Luck.
Your aspiring disciple
Bhn. Felicia (Bologna, Italy)
GADADHARA-PRANA Recently, in one of the classes of Madan Mohan
prabhu, I heard one story, how Srila Prabhupada
DASA was asking his disciples: “Which verse is the most
important in all of the Vedic scriptures?” In their
attempts to find the correct answer, devotees were
Hare Krishna! Dear Guru Maharaja,
remembering different familiar verses from shas-
please accept my obeisances.
tras, but no one could say what Acharya wanted to
hear. In the end, Srila Prabhupada quoted following
On the appearance day of the spiritual master the verse:
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best daksina that the disciple can present is their
yasya deve parā bhaktir
own particular spiritual qualities and devotion,
yathā deve tathā gurau
which they can gain only with mercy of their guru.
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāh
However, with deep regret, I must confess that in
prakāśante mahātmanah
this regard I have nothing to present to you, as I
was not able to stand underneath the shower of Only unto those great souls who have
your mercy. implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master are all the imports of the
Therefore, the only thing
Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.
that I can do on this day is
(Svetāśvatara Upanisad 6.23).
glorify your spiritual qual-
ities of devotion to your That way Srila Prabhupada distinguished devotion
spiritual master, found- to guru as the most important quality needed to
er-acharya of the Interna- succeed in spiritual life. And by his own example,
tional Society for Krishna he showed the importance of this, as his only ques-
Consciousness, Abhay tion to the spiritual master was: “How can I serve?”
Charanaravinda Bhaktive- After getting the same answer, he dedicated all of
danta Swami Srila Prabhu- his life trying to realize on practice Bhaktisiddhanta
pada, as my daksina. Sarasvati’s wish to preach in English.
The mood of the disciple, shishya-abhiman, con- That is why I am kneeling down before your devo-
sists in it. We need to understand the mood of the tion to Srila Prabhupada. Because you were able to
spiritual master, his bhava, and by inheriting this develop an inner connection with him, everything
mood, try to serve this mood (to become anubha- that you do is a manifestation of this love (anub-
va) that way, so the desire of the spiritual master is hava). Even though I admire your example of love,
non-different from my heart. at the same time I feel great disappointment in my
own inability to become a receiver of that love and
guru-mukha-padma-vākya,
fully reflect it in the dusty mirror of my heart. I re-
cittete koriya aikya,
gret my failure to accept this gift that we have been
G
ār nā koriho mane āśā
given from above.
And you, Guru Maharaja, in the highest degree, are
At the same time, I am trying to meditate on your
showing this mood of the disciple, because you
mentality, that a few years ago at the retreat in
understood the mood of Srila Prabhupada and are
Magdalinovka you expressed the desire that dev-
continuing to serve him, giving your whole life to it.
otees would have a future in our society, devotee
Undoubtedly, you have reached perfection that has
care in every sense of the word. Definitely, you are
been mentioned in the verse above.
an example of that care and that is your bhava.
For the last year I have been coming back to the Now, while writing those lines and thinking about it,
thought, that to serve truly unconditionally, com- I would also want for my worthless life to become
ing out of your material abilities that are based on an embodiment of service and care for devotees.
the false ego, and cultivate in yourself necessary
Thus, taking advantage of that in Vedic culture the
spiritual qualities, can be done just for someone,
person, who has a birthday, serving on this day
for relationship with some particular personality,
more than accepting service, I would like to ask
connection with whom you can feel all the time in
to pray so I can find love for Srila Prabhupada and
your heart. To change to some abstract idea of the
dedicate the rest of my life to services to devotees.
spiritual world for a long time is impossible. We
need some connection to a certain representative krsna se tomāra krsna dite pāra
of the spiritual world. tomāra śakati āchhe
āmi ta’ kāngāla ‘krsna’ ‘krsna’ bali’ The day of your Vyasa-puja is the most confidential
dhāi tava pāchhe pāchhe and most important day in the life of your disciples,
and in my life too. On this day, we gain special mer-
Krishna is yours. You are able to give
cy which is necessary for spiritual life.
Krishna; you have that power. I am very
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poor. Calling, ‘Krishna!’ ‘Krishna!’, I run It is difficult to overestimate the importance of a
after you. (Ohe Vaishnava Thakur) spiritual master on the bhakti path. I remember
very clearly my first meeting with you. That blessed
jogyatā-vichāre, kichu nāhi pāi,
day, that incredible fortune.
tomāra korunā-sāra
korunā nā hoile, kādiyā kādiyā, I met you via your book Letters
prāna nā rākhibo āra to Disciples. In 2019, we were
planning to go together with
If you examine me, you will find no quali-
devotees to the Bhakti San-
ties. Your mercy is everything to me. If you
gama festival. In the evening
are not merciful unto me, I can only weep,
before leaving, I found your
and I will not be able to maintain my life.
book in the temple and we were
(Gurudev).
reading it. And at the festival, I
Trying to become your disciple, saw you in person.
Gadadhara prana das
At that time I was at a loss and
did not know who my spiritual
GAURANGI-SEVA master was. I prayed to Srila
Prabhupada to show me. After
DEVI DASI mangal arati, you stayed in the
pandal and chanted japa. I tried
to come early to the mangala
Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble
arati so that I could take a seat
in the front row and be next to
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you when you chanted japa. When I chanted japa in touch with you and thanks to your prayers and
next to you, tears flowed from my eyes in a stream. blessings we all returned home safely.
And I could see that your glance was strict all the
Also, by your mercy, in 2021, I again happened to
time.
come to Mayapura and I am still here, to this day.
The devotees told me that it is very auspicious
Your example always inspires me and many oth-
to ask for the sadhu’s blessings. And one day I
er devotees. I can see how compassionate you
decided to approach you and asked for blessings
are and how you give yourself completely to Srila
so that my desire to serve the devotees would be
Prabhupada’s mission every day without fail. Your
irresistible. After returning home after the festival,
lectures and books have all the answers to ques-
I started reading your letters to your disciples and
tions that disciples may have. Your counselor sys-
listening to your lectures.
tem to take care of devotees is a solid foundation
In 2020, I had the good fortune to go to the holy and platform for the spiritual practice intended for
dhama with the group of your disciples guided by many thousands of devotees.
Yuga-avatara Prabhu. It was in February. By that
I know that I am not a worthy disciple and that I do
time, I was already meditating on you as a spiritual
not deserve the great mercy that you bestow on me,
teacher. The trip to dhama finally dissipated my
yet I try very hard. I know that it is necessary to work
doubts.
in Krsna Consciousness so that your magnanimous
In Mayapura I went to Nabadvipa-mandala parikra- blessings come true. I also know that you say that
ma. I did this parikrama as an offering to you. I the best service one can render to you is through
thought that it would satisfy you that throughout one’s ears; I try to do it. I always feel like I’m not do-
the whole parikrama, I was completely immersed ing enough. And I try to immerse my mind more in
in chanting with devotees, in katha with devotees, chanting and listening. I try to do service conscious-
in service, in listening to sadhus. This parikrama ly, realizing that this is a huge mercy and that I have
was full of mercy and miracles. That year, COVID this mercy in my life thanks to you. Despite various
broke out and our entire group of pilgrims was on difficulties and obstacles, I feel enthused to contin-
lockdown in Rishikesh. Yuga-avatara Prabhu was ue, and my faith is growing stronger.
I hope to someday understand the insignificance jana Swami who was singing and he was happy.
of my position and dependence on the mercy of He was saying very simple things and you thought:
gurus, Vaisnavas and the Lord. I try to develop a if being a devotee means this, then I must become
humble attitude of a servant. I try to build every- a devotee. After that you met Srila Prabhupada and
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thing in my life around the holy name. I know I can gave your heart to him.
never repay you for this priceless gift of spiritual
Actually, a similar story happened to me 26 years
birth. But I try to be very attentive to the holy name
ago. When I was invited to teach a foreign Hare
and to the devotees.
Krsna man Russian language, I came to the tem-
Your eternal, unworthy servant, ple and the first person I met there was Acyuta
Gaurangi-seva devi dasi Priya prabhu. I was amazed by his look. He was
Sri Dhama Mayapura radiant and happy. I thought that I had never met
such people before, it was a fundamentally differ-
ent breed of man. I thought: looks like these guys
GAURA-PURNIMA know something. I should try it. And the next devo-
tee I saw were you. At that point I was really taken
DASA, SITALA aback. In my
life I’ve seen a
DEVI DASI lot of so-called
“cultural peo-
Dear Guru Maharaj, please accept my ple”. Among
humble obeisances in the dust of your my friends
lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! were writers,
poets, musi-
During Zoom conference you once said that the
cians, journal-
best way to attract people to Krsna consciousness
ists, film-mak-
is to be attracted to Krsna consciousness oneself.
ers. In other
You were telling how you were sitting near Vishnu-
words, people
who were considered the cream of society. But I and was surprised to notice that the Hare Krsna
have never seen anyone like that among them or mantra sounded in my head. I guess I liked it. I
among other people. You were like celestials who, came to the bus stop and took out a pack of cig-
in some incomprehensible way, appeared in this arettes, looked at them and thought: why should I
gray reality. do it? I threw it away and never again even recalled
I used to be a smoker. Before that, I tried dozens
Then there was a month of classes with you. I
of times to quit smoking, but in vain. And here,
didn’t tell anyone about it in full. Only some frag-
as cut off. And I understood that this determined
ments to some devotees.
mood, obviously, was somehow connected with
That month my whole life turned upside down. I our conversation. It turns out that I did not deceive
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began to have strange dreams in which I washed you, from the moment I said that I did not smoke, I
your feet. I did not understand them, but for some never smoked again.
reason I liked it.
I remember many wonderful moments. I walked
Once, when we were studying, I showed you differ- without a hat, although it was already December.
ent pictures, which you called in Russian. I pointed It’s not that I couldn’t buy one for myself, I just
to the picture where the meat was depicted. You couldn’t find one that I liked. Once you asked me
said “meat” and grimaced. You joked: “killbasa”. I why I am not wearing a hat? Looks like we were
laughed at the joke and you said you don’t eat it. going for a walk. I said I can’t find the one I want.
You had a pink knitted hat. I’m ashamed to admit
I was also a vegetarian and said I don’t eat it either.
it, but I suddenly wanted this hat. Although it abso-
“Really?” - you asked. I nodded happily and decided
lutely did not fit my wardrobe, but I thought: what if
to show off saying that I do not take alcohol and
you give it to me? And I imagined how I would wear
drugs either. You asked: “Do you smoke?” Of course,
it and remember you. And I will keep it.
the question was rhetorical, because I smoked then
and, obviously, I stank unbearably. But I was embar- You said: do you want me to give you my hat?
rassed to tell you that I smoke and I said: “No.”
I felt like a child who was caught in some kind of
That evening I was walking down Belitskaya street crime and immediately began to resolutely refuse:
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“No, no, not at all! It’s yours”. communication with you. You never preached to
me, we talked about anything, even the Doors,
You said: “I have more. Take it.”
which I liked then, and you listened to it in your
But I firmly denied that I really wanted it, and you youth. You mentioned only once that when you met
just read my mind. So I didn’t take it. I later regret- the Bhagavad Gita your life changed. You did not
ted it, though. preach with words, we just sat at the same table
with you. But my life has completely changed.
As we went for a walk and walked down the stairs,
About 2 months later I bought japa beads and be-
a recorded kirtan was playing. I really liked it. I
gan to chant the mantra. You inspired me simply by
asked: Who sings so beautifully? You answered:
your presence.
“It’s me.”
It is said of uttama devotees that in their presence
At that time, I was still thinking of building a career
other people begin to chant the holy names. I don’t
as a writer, and it was during this period that I began
need any proof. Vaishnavas, glorifying the guru, say
to write a novel, the main idea of which was that
that he rescued them from the bondage of material
people live in a virtual illusion and are not aware of
existence, that the guru saved them.
it. Every evening when I came home after classes
with you, I felt extraordinary inspiration and wrote Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur writes that “the
this book. However, later “The Matrix” movie came spiritual master extinguishes the blazing fire of
out, in which this idea was revealed in a perfect way, material existence and saves the people engulfed
and I left my book unfinished. There were also mo- in this flame.” And Narottam das Thakur sings, “He
ments when you reminisced a bit about your past. opened my darkened eyes and filled my heart with
transcendental knowledge and therefore he is my
How amazed I was when I saw your Oxford Rus-
master birth after birth.”
sian-English Dictionary, which contained obsceni-
ties. I had never seen these words printed before. I In my case, you literally, in the true sense of the
was so amazed that I began to show you... word, personally pulled me into the light and
showed me the way. From the very beginning, you
And then the month ended. And I felt that I lack
conquered me with your peaceful look and happi-
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ness emanating from you. And although I still have a disciple for a teacher.
not become a happy person, I know for sure that
Maybe it’s even more than love”.
I continue to try to follow this path only thanks to
your prayers and the mercy of devotees. This year was not the easiest in Ukraine. There
were many different realizations and disappoint-
In that zoom conference, when you talked about
ments. But when you first came to Janmastami in
your acquaintance with devotees, you said that
Lviv, and then to the Nitai Gauranga festival, it was
after meeting Vishnujana Swami, you met Srila
a real reset for us. It was a breath of fresh air, it
Prabhupada and gave him your heart.
was like a release, it was better than any all-clear
I have never met Srila Prabhupada, but I can see and ceasefire. I couldn’t believe my luck.
the fruits of his preaching. You, your godbrothers
Until the last moment, I doubted and was afraid
and other devotees. And I see how much YOU want
that something would happen and YOU would not
us all to give our hearts to Srila Prabhupada.
be able to come. But you, like a caring father, came
You give us instructions, and through you a con- and simply transferred us to the spiritual reality,
nection is established with our acarya. Many little where there are no wars and everyone loves only
threads from devotees through your heart go to Krsna.
Srila Prabhupada’s heart. We are grateful to you for
My wife Sitala was very frightened when I told her
this experience. My wife asked me to add, “Krsna
that she would cook for you. Although she is con-
has an infinite number of qualities that I cannot
sidered a good cook, she was very afraid that she
understand. Similarly, I am unable to comprehend
would not be able to satisfy you with her cooking.
Srila Prabhupada’s infinite compassion and mercy.
But you were very merciful and with just a few
But thanks to you, I can get under this flow of mer-
words inspired her so much that now she talks all
cy and compassion.
day long about what she will cook for you next time.
I’ve been looking for perfect love all my life. And
I want to write about how grateful I am to you for
when I listen to you glorify Srila Prabhupada, I be-
everything. But I understand that even if I find the
gin to understand that this is It. The perfect love of
best and most accurate words to express our
gratitude, it will still not be enough and we will still I have never written offerings to you, even though I
remain eternally indebted to you. But we are ready have been your disciple for 20 years. Not the most
to continue paying this debt life after life. obedient, not the most exemplary, not always fol-
lowing your instructions. In a year I will be 70 years
Your unworthy servants Gaura Purnima dasa
old.
and Sitala devi dasi
The sastra says that a person is prone to fall into
illusion, to make mistakes, to be deceived, to
GAURAVANI deceive others, and that our senses are imperfect.
For 20 years, all these things have happened to me,
DEVI DASI and are still happening. And the fact that I can be
in the company of devotees and think more or less
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaj! clearly is only due to your mercy.
Please accept my respectful obeisances.
From the very first moment, when I realized that
I was your disciple, you helped me in my spiritual
I congratulate you on the day and material life in the most wonderful way. No
of your appearance! matter what happens, you are always there. I un-
derstand that I have no merit in this, it is exclusive-
This is your round-number
ly your mercy.
anniversary. Ordinary people at
this point sum up the results of Your disciples in the Murmansk Yatra - Vanamali
their lives. Kaviraj Prabhu, Nagapatni Mataji, Prtha Mataji, Am-
ritamalini Mataji. For me they are examples of how
But you are an unusual person.
to serve a spiritual teacher. Now life has scattered
There is still a sea of service
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us into different cities. I live in a community of dev-
ahead for you, and we, your dis-
otees near Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory
ciples, really need you in your
called “Varshana”.
instructions, lectures, kirtans.
In your lectures, you emphasize the importance of Hare Krishna! Dear Guru Maharaj, Srila
listening and chanting in the association of devo- Niranjana Swami, please accept my humble
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tees: “One who tries to do this will certainly reach obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
Krishna. The more we hear about Krishna, the more All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
we want to engage in devotional service. This is
“Unless one is favored by a pure devo-
the life of a devotee - to listen about Krishna and
tee, one cannot attain the platform of
remember Him.”
devotional service. To say nothing of
Being in the community of devotees, I was able to krsna-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved
see how your instructions are being implemented from the bondage of material existence.”
in practice. (CC. Madhya 22.51).
Always your servant, I do not have enough words, piety and lofty qual-
Gauravani d.d. ities to express my gratitude to you for what you
have done and continue to do for me personally, for
all the devotees in the mission of Srila Prabhupada.
GAURI-RADHIKA You are the clearest example of devotion to your
spiritual master and boundless mercy, care, kind-
DEVI DASI ness, attention, self-sacrifice in serving the devo-
tees of Lord Krishna. By your example, you change
vancha kalpa tarubhyash cha kripa sindhubhya eva cha the hearts of your disciples and they become purer,
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah softer and more compassionate. You bestow all
nama om visnu-padaya krishna presthaya bhu-tale godliness, perfection and bliss.
srimate niranjana swamin iti namine
Certainly, many imperfections can be found in my
anahata prayasena prabhupadasya tustaye
humble attempt to serve you and the Vaishnavas,
sankirtana-pravrtty-arham ihate gurave namah
so in the hope of someday becoming a real servant
namo niskama-bhaktaya sarva-bhakta-hitaya te
of a servant of a servant, I implore my dear spiritual
krisna-kirtana-pranaya niranjana-svamine namah
master Niranjana Swami Maharaja, Sri Krishna and
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all the devotees of blessings to continue to do this not attend this lecture as I had to do some service
service better and better and better. Our attitude to- at the temple.
wards other spiritual people shows how we relate
4 different devotees came to me after this home
to the Lord. Again and again I pray: “Dear Spiritual
program was over and told me a story that this
Master, who bestows love of God, please engage
preacher had shared about you. This preacher (Vra-
me in pure devotional service to Sri Krishna, the
ja Bihari Das prabhu) conducts youth programs in
source of bliss for all Vraja.”
India and he shared this story. He regularly tells the
Please accept my obeisances in the dust of your newcomers not to share too much of their ISKCON
lotus feet. experience with their families so as to not alarm
them for attending programs at ISKCON. Parents in
Your eternal servant,
India often fear that their kids will become sanyasis
Gauri-Radhika dasi,
due to their association with ISKCON devotees. But
St. Petersburg
one particular student was very enthusiastic and
excited about the preaching and shared his joy with
GAURI-SAKHI his father. His father, who was on a business trip
at the time, cut short his trip and told his son he
DEVI DASI was coming home early. This young student later
shared that his father was very
happy that his son had con-
Dear Gurumaharaja,
nected with ISKCON devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances. All
and he took his son to the attic
Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
where he opened a box which
I am writing this offering today to express my grat- had an old Krishna book and
itude to you for accepting me as your disciple. A chanting beads. He told his son
preacher recently came to Boston from India and that when he was a student
gave a lecture in a devotee’s home on a week night in Boston, a young brahm-
– a workshop on appreciating devotees. I could achari preacher used to bring
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maha prasadam to him quite often and he was at “You remember?” And then you said, “Wait, wait,
that time chanting 16 rounds every day to please Chetan?!”
this loving and kind brahmachari. His name was
This incident happened in 2015 which was 36
Niranjan das brahmachari. He told his son that he
years later but you still remembered his name. The
stopped chanting etc. after he moved back to India
father fell on the floor crying like a baby. He is now
and got married to his mother, but told his son to
chanting 32 rounds to make up for lost time.
not leave his spiritual journey incomplete. He said,
please follow sincerely and do what I could not do. This story was told to make the point that you were
So this young student was very happy and encour- treating this young man like a spirit soul with Krish-
aged and came and told this to Vraja Bihari Das na in his heart. You were appreciating this young
prabhu. The young student asked where he could man. You were not getting anything from this man
meet this nice brahmachari. but you were giving him everything of yourself. You
were preaching to him by appreciating him as a
When the preacher heard this story he was very
spirit soul.
moved and decided to surprise the father. By some
coincidence/ or Lord’s arrangement you were I did not tell anyone of these devotees who were
visiting Chowpatty. He told this student to invite excitedly sharing this story about you with me that
his father as a chief guest to an upcoming youth I had already heard this from someone. I enjoyed
program where you were going to be the main hearing it again and again. I then requested the
speaker. The father was not told that you would be host to share the recording of this program with
speaking at this program. The preacher watched me so I could hear it for myself.
the look of surprise on the father’s face when he
Thank you, Gurumaharaja, for all that you do for
saw you speak.
us. I am very grateful that you accepted me as your
After the program the father made his way to disciple. I am not worthy but you are kind and I so I
where students were surrounding you and he start- am grateful.
ed to wave at you saying, “Swami ji”. You stared
Your servant,
at the father and said, “Boston?” The father said,
Gauri Sakhi Devi Dasi
GODAVARI DEVI DASI changes have taken place in my heart, it is only
thanks to your causeless mercy and your prayers.
I beg Krishna’s mercy to deal with the anarthas in
Dear Guru Maharaja!
my heart so that I can unwaveringly follow your
instructions and develop deeper relationships with
the dust at your lotus feet.
devotees. For one should always remember that it
is only by the mercy of a pure Vaisnava a disciple
All glories to you, the perfect servant of
can maintain the right frame of mind and advance
Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda!
on the path of devotional service. You are a pure
On this important and joyful day in the lives of your Vaishnava and a living example of following in the
disciples and all devotees - the day of your Vyasa footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, teach us how to
Puja, I am trying to appreciate the changes in my purify your heart from the oppression of material
life that have taken place during your presence desires, fill it with spiritual energy and transcenden-
in my life and think about the tal knowledge, and how to strengthen the determi-
degree of attachment to your nation to act without doubt in the process of devo-
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lotus feet. You are the only one tional service.
I would like to get attached to
Guru Maharaj, in one of your Srimad-Bhagavat-
in this world, get close to you
am lectures, you said, “Pure devotional service is
and have a real sincere attach-
the only means that attracts Krishna. What does
ment to your instructions. But
this mean? This means that when you surrender
I also realize that my desire
to Krishna, Krishna surrenders to you and fulfills
to satisfy the spiritual master
all the desires of your heart. This is the highest
is very small and my hope of
position of the Supreme Lord.” Guru Maharaj You
becoming worthy of attaining
are completely following the Srimad-Bhagavat-
the necessary qualities of piety
am and have all the qualities of a pure devotee
as real sincere disciples with
as described in the Bhagavad-gita. You have so
pure hearts is small. If positive
much love, kindness, mercy and compassion, and
your attitude towards the holy name causes great
admiration. At a time when, due to the pandemic,
GODRUMA-VIHARI
we were limited in movement around the world and
were in remote communication via the Internet,
DASA
you supported us with live broadcasts of your daily
Dear Guru Maharaja!
lectures and kirtans. Thank you very much for this
opportunity to see many of your wonderful nectar On this remarkable day of your jubilee Vyasa-puja
lectures, even if we are very far away. please accept my prostrated obeisances in the
dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhu-
I thank you a thousand times for your boundless
pada and you!
kindness and infinite compassion. My son Govinda
Madhava, whom you gave a spiritual name when Numerous times have I pointed out that you are a
he was a student at the St. Petersburg Gurukula, compassionate devotee, genuine acarya, teaching
joins in the congratulations, bows respectfully with your example, that you are constantly ready to
at your lotus feet on your Appearance Day with self-sacrifice and selflessly serve all of us… I even
boundless gratitude for your transcendental mis- do not remember exactly what I wrote then. All this
sion of Srila Prabhupada. is true, but now I want to mention one more quality
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that I would reference as “magic”.
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaj, for the chance to
restore my heart to love for Krishna and get out of In the very beginning of my getting acquainted
the labyrinth of material existence. with Krsna consciousness I liked kirtanas and
bhajanas sung by Harikesa Swami and the book
Your wishing to become a real disciple,
by Satswarupa Dasa Goswami “Readings in Vedic
Godavari devi dasi
Literature”. I was not ready to accept all this and
St. Petersburg
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my spiritual life began about 10 years later in 1998,
when Harikesa Maharaja left ISKCON. (Up till now
I hope that he will return.) Later, due to association
with former Harikesa Swami’s disciples, I under-
stood why the Lord led me in such a strange way. If Not once I heard from less experienced devotees
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I accepted the way of bhakti then, I would become that they have a problem of choosing a guru. By
a disciple of Harikesa Swami and I would not bear the mercy of Krsna and your mercy I even had no
his leaving and thus I would abandon association doubt in it. It was the third miracle.
with devotees.
Years passed. By your causeless mercy I got the
Some time, quite long ago, I heard your voice from pranama-mantra and later due to the mercy of dev-
audio-cassette and it conquered me. Then I could otees quite spontaneously and without any confi-
not understand what you were singing and why it im- dence in success I had prepared the recommen-
pressed me so. Then I knew only Maha-mantra and dation for initiation. One of the senior devotees
Panca-tattva-maha-mantra, but there [on the cas- instructed me to ask my guru about my mission.
sette] were perfectly recorded bhajanas. I was most- Before the initiation I asked about it Mataji Anub-
ly amazed with “Gurvastaka” on evening melody. hava, with whom we cooperated when making your
books. Mataji Anubhava answered that she and
I sing it for many years but cannot do it like this.
Kholaveca Sridhara Prabhu had been asking you
Now it is clear: it is bhakti. True bhakti that directly
the question for years unsuccessfully. I accepted
penetrates one’s heart. When my counselor phoned
the instruction and decided not to bother you.
me and said that Niranjana Swami would sing bha-
jans in the temple, I visited the temple for the first The initiation day was full of rapture to me. I ex-
time. Your voice was the first miracle to me. pected that my god-name would be somehow con-
nected with Jagannatha. However, that name was
In the temple I waited for the sounds of the very
given to another devotee, who was initiated before
“Gurvsastaka”, but instead of it there were a
me… Again (as it was with the bhajana) I was in
“strange” bhajana “Dalaler-gita”. Because of my
anxiety. Later a miracle happened. You gave me
stupidity I was dissatisfied then, I expected “Gur-
the name that determined my mission afresh as if
vsastaka”. Later I sang it by myself as a hymn of
you heard my conversation with Mataji Anubhava.
nama-hatta and bhakti-vrksa. It was the sign: what
service I will have to render. It was the second About 10 years ago I wrote about my preaching on
miracle. a train after my initiation. It was also a miracle.
The list of such miracles may be continued. Thank chastised me, even if there was a reason for it. And
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you for them, for these implicit instructions, for the I beg of you, oh please, on the day of your appear-
signs that are clear even to me. Signs, which Krsna ance, bestow mercy on your useless servant…
sends, are often not so easy to unriddle, but, as it
Always your servant,
is said, devotees of Krsna are more merciful than
Govinda Candra das
Krsna for His mercy comes via them.
Your ineffective disciple
Godruma-vihari Dasa GOVINDA-VALLABHA
DEVI DASI
GOVINDA-CANDRA
DASA humble obeisances in the dust of your
lotus feet. All glories to
Hare Krishna! Srila Prabhupada! All
Please accept my obeisances in the dust of glories to your appear-
your lotus feet! ance!
On my desk I have a loose-leaf
Dear Guru Maharaj!
calendar with your quotes. Nov.
I’m a hypocrite and villain, and 18, 2022 I read: “Faith in the
honestly trying to be comfort- words of the spiritual master
able for people. Probably they and in the Supreme Personali-
think that I’m serving. Some- ty of Godhead is the secret of
times praising, and if they see success”. It’s a quote from your
I’m sad - they can say some- lecture given on Nov 18, 2001 in
thing kind, but nobody ever Moscow.
I’ve always thought where do I get strengths to con- always looking forward to, so that we could finally
tinue practicing devotional service? Because one can together with Gopa Kumar reach Goloka Vrinda-
get really unsettled especially after all these events vana and hear the joyful voice: “Gopal! My life and
like pandemic, international conflicts, conflicts soul!” All the stories about Vaikuntha inhabitants
between devotees from different countries, conflicts just came alive, we imagined what the Vaikuntha-
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within yatra, within a temple, conflicts between dev- vasis looked like, we were laughing together with
otees around me. I sometimes lose heart, I feel so you, we were amazed and inspired.
bitter as I think: what would Prabhupada say?
And your recent lecture given in Budapest and
And amid all of that I realize that it’s just the mis- dedicated to Mahabharat, just struck me. I am
sion of Maha-maya – to create discord, distract us ready to listen to you for hours. You were speaking
from Krsna, and lead far away from Him. But I no- about Pandavas as if you knew them personally or
ticed that you are always alert. Whatever happens, as if you witnessed their lilas. And your “Attractive
be it pandemic, war, conflict between devotees, you pastimes of Krsna” lecture given in America takes
always help us turn our face to Krsna and you just the listeners to the wonderful spiritual world which
give us Krsna. we forgot. So much nectar one can get from your
lectures! Thank you for that.
I am grateful to you for that. All my fears are gone
when I have such a spiritual master behind me. I Frankly speaking, by the mercy of Krsna it was in
offer you my obeisances again and again. You con- Mayapur that I was fortunate to listen to several of
vince us that whatever happens now in the world is your lectures every day. I was not just listening but
temporary and is based on a misleading premise listening attentively and consciously. I made a lot
of identifying oneself with a material body. of discoveries. I didn’t know you at all. Whatever I
knew about you was just shallow. But your lectures
Recently you were speaking about how you prac-
revealed your soul to me. So now not a single day
tice. When you found yourself in Mayapur during
without your instructions.
lockdown, you bravely started studying the writ-
ings of Goswamis of Vrindavan. You started giving Every single day you either warn me, or chastise
lectures on Brihad Bhagavatamrita which we are me or answer a burning question I have or guide
me, but always in an inspiring way. ually visitors started coming to his room but Pra-
bhupada’s mood was the same. Suddenly in the
You even come to me in my dreams and in the
doorway there were two of his lady disciples who
dream you know everything about me. One can’t
came from America. They were traveling by car as
hide anything from you. I often even feel ashamed.
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traveling nuns and were distributing Prabhupada’s
I could see you in a totally new light. Even if you
books. Like all other traveling sankirtan devotees
are not near me physically, you are always with me.
they were living a very austere life and they were
That is why I am absolutely sure that sooner or lat-
taking shower and resting at the gas stations.
er you will take me to Krsna and will engage me in
pure devotional service under your guidance. That’s At that moment Srila Prabhupada’s face changed,
real happiness. As a soul I strive for happiness, it is he became radiant like the sun, he got enlivened.
my nature to be happy. He made room for his disciples, seated them and
everything he said thereafter was in a completely
In support of this idea I will quote a sloka from SB
different mood. Sikhi Mahiti noticed it and many
11.3.21: “The qualification of the bona fide guru is
years later he told one of the lady disciples who
that he has realized the conclusions of the scrip-
caused this change in Prabhupada’s mood about it.
tures by deliberation and is able to convince others
of these conclusions”. I was stunned by this story. I also felt a desire to do
something to please you as long as I have strength
Because you convince me of it, I have a deep faith
for that, as long as my body hasn’t fallen apart. I pray
in your words and in the words of the Supreme Per-
to Krsna and to you so that I can make it! I want to
sonality of Godhead. And faith in the words of the
never make you feel sad but to always please you. I
spiritual master is the secret of success.
want to apologize for all my fall downs, mistakes, for
Today at the Sunday program Sikhi Mahiti prabhu the fact that I started practicing Krsna conscious-
told a story about Srila Prabhupada that he had ness so late, for so many lifetimes I resisted.
witnessed. It was 1977. Srila Prabhupada was
One and a half years ago Kadamba Kanana Swami
sitting in his office in Mayapur, he was very sick
was giving a lecture in our temple. He was so con-
and sad. He was thinking about something. Grad-
vincing as he was speaking about pushing oneself
that I wrote down his instruction and I meditate on it your lectures which I had not known of before. I
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every day: “Push yourself to do something for Guru, also want to thank our godbrothers and sisters for
for Krsna”. He said our society is the society of push- their dedicated services and for guiding me with
ers. One should find someone who will push you. my journey to being Krishna Conscious.
Dear Guru Maharaj, you push me closer and closer Your readings from Brhad Bhagvatamrta, and your
to the spiritual world, you give me the stick of mer- lectures posted on the blogs have been inspiration-
cy and the rope of hope. And I do my best to push al to me, and thank you for showing me what Krish-
myself to do something for you, for Srila Prabhupa- na consciousness and devotional service are about.
da, for the mission of our parampara and for Lord I have a lot to learn as I am a work in progress.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Each time I think I am falling and you steer me with
From the bottom of my heart I wish you a happy your teachings and lectures. You had shown me
Vyasa Puja day. May your body be healthy, may you that chanting Hare Krishna is the way to be happy
be inspired and strong to give new seminars and and I am so indebted to you, my
lectures, and I pray to the Lord to protect you. Guru Maharaj. A fallen soul I
am and not worthy and fit and
Desiring to please you,
so insignificant but you showed
Your eternal disciple, Govinda Vallabha d.d.
mercy on me by taking me as
your disciple.
GOVINDA-VILASINI I also learned from your teach-
DEVI DASI ings and readings that you
show intense devotion to Krish-
na in different places around
Dear Guru Maharaja,
the world to make us all sinful
Please accept my humble obeisance.
persons become happy. In my
little way, I have been distrib-
I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear uting books but each time I am
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thrown with a question I find myself knowing very On this auspicious day of your Vyasa Puja, let me
little and like a child running to my Guru Maharaj’s try to glorify you and your service to Srila Prabhu-
lecture to seek the answers. pada and Lord Caitanya’s mission.
Oh, Maharaj, how can I thank you in this lifetime? To my regret, I can offer you as a gift only my pitiful
You gave me the opportunity to be Krishna Con- attempts, and nothing more, I have nothing else;
scious and be successful in life and be happy all at all the good things I have in my life, all the positive
the same time. I am so indebted to you. and pure things I have - all these I received by your
and Srila Prabhupada’s grace. Just because out
I remain humble and beg for your mercy to allow
of your profound compassion you do not notice
me to serve you to be worthy to obtain the abso-
all these impurities in my heart, accumulated over
lute truth of Krishna Consciousness. I pray that
many lifetimes.
Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada will allow you
to be with us in good health, for a long time to By your causeless mercy you
guide us fallen souls to obtain the transcendental have planted into my dirty heart
position from your teachings and guidance. the seed of devotional service,
and you are doing everything
Hari Bol.
possible and impossible, try-
Your humble servant, Govinda Vilasini ing to help me, and all of us, to
cultivate this delicate seed of
bhakti by unceasingly instruct-
GOVINDESVARI ing us, giving lectures, inspiring
by your impeccable example.
DEVI DASI And all this done with great
love, patience, humility, be-
Dear Guru Maharaja,
nevolence and a sincere de-
please accept my obeisances!
sire to give us the true good,
Krishna consciousness, and
nothing else. Maya, Krishna’s sincere servant, is And with your whole being you show us, dear Guru
very strong, and the hardships and sufferings of Maharaja, how to do this. Perfect instruction and
Kali yuga come again and again. But you show by perfect example, that’s all about you. And I realize
your example what to hold on to in this world. Only that this is the way my life should be, or at least I
your instructions, non different from those of Srila have to make an effort to make it so. And I’m even
Prabhupada and all our acharyas, are my only sal- ashamed to ask for your blessings on this, because
vation. Every time I try to listen to you sincerely, it all the blessings are already given to us by You,
is as if I am wading out of the abyss of ignorance, in Your instructions, there is all the mercy, all the
and I see clearly what I should do, how I should act spiritual power and all the inspiration. I only beg of
in such a way as to please you. And a pure devotee you and Krishna, that I will not stop listening and
is always pleased when we think about Krishna, or hearing from you, dear Guru Maharaja. As you said
at least try to do so. in one of your lectures, quoting Srila Prabhupada,
to hear means to act.
In a letter to your disciple you wrote: “We must
understand that the main purpose of our life is to Very long ago I lost my memory, the memory that
think of Krishna twenty-four hours a day. This is I am a servant of Krishna, that I love Him, and that
our goal, and we must endeavor to achieve it. We I always want to serve Him. Listening to you, my
should not imitate the paramahamsas - as long memory is coming back, and there’s still a chance
as we identify ourselves with our body, we have for recovery. Your instructions, the best cure for the
to take care of it. However, we must remember disease of material existence. And it is not even
that we maintain the existence of our body only in bitter, it is surprisingly sweet, because it comes
order to listen about Krishna. In other words, we from a loving heart given to Sri Krishna and His
should praise God, but not for giving us the oppor- beloved servant, Srila Prabhupada...
tunity to live in this world (and in this body), on the
Trying to be your servant,
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contrary - we should maintain life in the body for
Govindesvari Devi Dasi
the sake of constantly praising the Lord (whether
in this body, the next one, or already in our spiritu-
al body)...”
GUNAVATI
DEVI DASI
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept my obeisances!
I cannot find the right words to express my grat-
itude to you for changing my destiny. My life has
acquired meaning thanks to you! Thanks to you I’ve
learned to distinguish false values of life from gen-
uine ones. I know for certain that it is absolutely
not my credit that my heart has got cleansed from
many anarthas and got saturated with yearning to
hear about Radha and Krisna; that lectures of Srila
Prabhupada have become my vital necessity; that I
feel growing love for all devotees and compassion
towards other living beings.
I take these transformations within my heart as
your mercy that I have not deserved, but it brings
me to tears of gratitude and desire to surrender to
this generous mercy emanating from you and Srila
Prabhupada.
Your servant
Gunavati devi dasi
Kishinev
HARAKANTHI And when I listen to you, I come in contact with this
example and my doubts end.
DEVI DASI On this auspicious day I would like to humbly thank
you for the opportunity to see the lighthouse in the
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaj! material world which offers so many activities, en-
Please accept my humble obeisances! All tertainment, pursuit of false happiness, temptation.
glories to Srila Prabhupad! Thank you for the opportunity to be sure that this
lighthouse exists. Thank you for the opportunity
When I listen or read your disciples’ Vjasa puja
to see what Prabhupad meant when he said that
offerings, I realize that I do not have even a half of
devotees are perfect gentlemen and ladies. Your
their experience of serving a spiritual master. This
service to your spiritual master, your deep under-
is my responsibility and my weakness which keeps
standing of Prabhupad’s words makes it visible. I
me from deep understanding what a real relation-
am extremely fortunate not only to assume it as
ship with a spiritual master is.
a theoretical idea but to see a specific example of
I am at the very beginning of
yours.
my way so what I have is just a
hope to keep on moving. In the dust of your lotus feet,
Your disciple,
In one of your autumn lectures
Harakanthi devi dasi
you mentioned that a disciple
should not think of himself or
herself as a Vaishnava but only
as a candidate to a Vaishnava.
That was a statement uttered
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by Prabhupad. But what can
give us an enthusiasm to be-
come a Vaishnava is an exam-
ple, a pure devotee, a sadhu.
HARARATA krsna-kirtana pranaya
niranjana-swamine namaha
DEVI DASI I bow down to you, the unselfish devotee,
who acts for the benefit of all devotees
nama om visnu-padaya and whose life is krsna-kirtana. My obei-
krsna-presthaya bhu-tale sances to you, Srila Niranjana Swami!
srimate niranjana-swamin
Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept my most
iti namine
humble and respectful obeisances in the dust of
With deep respect, I bow down your lotus feet! Congratulations on your appear-
before His Divine Grace Srila ance day! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and
Niranjana Swami, who is very guru-parampara!
dear to Lord Sri Krsna for he
On this remarkable day of your appearance with
has no other shelter but the
great sincerity I want to express my gratitude to
lotus feet of the Lord.
you for your infinite mercy and tolerance that you
anahata prayasena manifest toward all your disciples and in particular
prabhupadasya-tustaye to me.
sankirtana-pravrutyartham
You, as a real representative of Srila Prabhupada
ihate gurave namaha
and Lord Caitanya, brightly transmit Srila Prabhu-
I offer my humble obeisances pada’s desires and request not only to preach the
to my spiritual master who al- holy name of the Lord all over the world, but also
ways tries to expand sankirta- to distribute His mercy and knowledge via books;
na mission for the satisfaction of Srila Prabhupada you also underline and instruct us to take care of
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and does this with constant and immutable zeal. ourselves and of all devotees that are near us, and
also support our spiritual consciousness via joint
namo niskama bhaktaya
krsna-katha at devotees’ sanga. It inspires me a
sarva-bhakta hitaya te
lot to continue and completely dedicate myself to In our uneasy time with each year living in the
serving devotees and sankirtana mission. world is not getting any easier, but it is getting
more and more complex and morose, and this
I understand that however much I try to preach
drastically emphasizes and confirms the truth of
with inspiration and follow your footsteps, the
holy scriptures, claiming that one must sooner get
steps of a genuine spiritual master, however many
rid of gunas of nature and come back home, back
efforts I invest in serving you and Srila Prabhu-
to Godhead in order to serve His lotus feet and
pada, my success completely depends on your
please Him with one’s unalloyed devotional service
infinite mercy which you bestow upon me. To me
eternally.
your faultless selfless constancy in serving Lord
Caitanya’s mission and following Srila Prabhupa- Dear Guru Maharaja! I want to open my heart and
da’s instructions is the source of inspiration and a share with you that every day by listening to your
guide to the place where genuine devotion and love lectures and kirtanas if feels like I “fly to another
to a spiritual master is, a spiritual master bestow- world”, the spiritual world and as though stop my
ing a ray of light in this feuding, aggressive and life here on Earth. These minutes are especially
envious human society. innermost and anxious. There is so much ruci,
bhava, prema in your lectures, so much knowledge
During my 38 years of practice in Krsna conscious-
and revelations! It is such a happiness to hear you,
ness by the mercy of the Lord, I more and more
see you and feel the spiritual realizations that you
understand how important our sincerity and self-
share with us so generously. Thank you a lot for
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less service to our spiritual master and his instruc-
everything! All glories to you, all glories to Srila
tions are. I have understood that all spiritual boons
Prabhupada who has gifted you to us, dear Guru
and knowledge, taste to service and attachment to
Maharaja!
Krsna that we get from you, day after day bring us
closer to pure devotional service, help us to com- I humbly ask you, please be in good health and
pletely give ourselves to the process and inspire till the end of this your life let us serve you and
others to carry the knowledge and preach Krsna properly follow your divine instructions and obe-
consciousness everywhere where people are. diently follow you in order to be happy and return
to the spiritual world, to Radha-Krsna. Recently, I to serve you and your instructions and carry Krsna
often think that there, in the spiritual world, there consciousness, Srila Prabhupada’s books wherever
is no place for unhappy jivas. I think that until we my fate leads me.
become happy here in Krsna consciousness we
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaja! Thank you for your
are not able to get to the spiritual world. If here,
service and all your instructions.
on Earth, we obtain true happiness in serving our
guru, Krsna and devotees, only then will the gates Your support and benedictions help me also to
of Goloka Vrndavana open before us. There is no take care of younger devotees and sankirtana dev-
place for sufferers there. otees, to be a spiritual support to them, and give
them emotional and maternal care and also love
Dear Guru Maharaja, thanks a million to you for you
which can help them to improve themselves on the
the fact that you follow the example of your spiri-
path to God. All this is due to your mercy.
tual master and our dear acarya Srila Prabhupada,
convey the supreme knowledge and bhakti to us, Thank you once more for the opportunity to stay
thus melting our hearts with your love and toler- in Krsna consciousness and be engaged as much
ance to our faults. Please forgive us when we are as possible in serving you, your instructions, all
so clumsy in serving you and Srila Prabhupada! devotees, Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya’s
mission!
I shall do my best and pray so that your example
of preaching and serving Srila Prabhupada helps My sincere and humble obeisances, grateful to you,
us to be purified and become instruments that are Your servant, Hararata Devi Dasi
“tuned” and not “out of tune” in your hands in serv-
ing Lord Caitanya’s mission.
In this life, I have got one more chance to purify my
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consciousness and heart. By the mercy of devo-
tees, your mercy and the causeless mercy of Srila
Prabhupada, dear Guru Maharaja, you became my
spiritual master and to the end of my life, I shall try
HARIKATHA DASA pada gave us the standard and preached it by his
own example and that the way to please him is to
distribute his books. Then you said how in 1975 in
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Atlanta, one devotee holding up a book asked Srila
Prabhupada, “What pleases you the most?”. Srila
the dust of your lotus feet!
Prabhupada answered, “What pleases me the most
is that you love Krishna”.
All glories to you on your auspicious Vyasa
puja day! You gave that example to show us how Srila Pra-
bhupada was setting things in order again because
In October this year, I had the
that is what acharya does. If things get out of or-
great fortune to hear you in
der, he is there to set them back in order. You said
person reminiscing about your
how we often give examples that he is like a cap-
spiritual master and glorifying
tain of a ship. And if the captain of the ship says
him.
to the navigator, “Turn left! Turn right! Turn left!”
You spoke about how Srila and he is trying to avoid an iceberg upfront... then
Prabhupada was in Atlanta in nobody questions these decisions… “You just told
1975, and how that year the me to turn left and now you are telling me to turn
book distribution really came right, will you make up your mind?”… No, there was
into focus. You said how Pra- an iceberg and he was navigating to avoid hitting it.
bhupada was stoking up competition and how he
It was nectar to my heart to hear how you glorify
would speak about competition in the spiritual
your spiritual master, comparing him to an expert
world. How Srila Prabhupada was explaining that
captain of the Bhakti ship. You elaborated on how
in the spiritual world there was never any anger
sometimes he would say one thing and sometimes
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or malice and everyone is always thinking about
say something different, but there was no duality
how they can do better for Krishna, without ever
and devotees didn’t think that Srila Prabhupada
thinking that “to do better” means to see others
was contradicting himself.
do worse. You then continued how Srila Prabhu-
“Prabhupada was navigating the ship”, you con- ly leaving this method for other devotees to use.
cluded.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains in the
You emphasized how we should take to Srila Pra- commentary that the words used in the commen-
bhupada’s instructions and how we should apply tary mean that acaryas left behind the boat so that
them according to time, place, and circumstance others can cross the ocean and cross to the other
as a universal principle. side.
You said, “Sometimes if we’re not careful we might You said how the boat is the Bhakti movement and
start picking different quotes from different places how if we read carefully Prabhupada’s books we
to put them together to build our argument. And will see in so many places, how Prabhupada said
we use this in a way to push Prabhupada down that the mission of the spiritual master is to take
people’s throats. But Prabhupada was not like that. his disciples back home, back to Godhead.
Prabhupada never pushed himself down people’s
Srila Prabhupada left his movement on this side,
throats. He navigated. Prabhupada always under-
but we should not forget his mission is on the oth-
stood that the way to inspire, enliven, to encourage
er side. It is on the other side what he wants us to
his disciples is by his example. He knew when to
accomplish in this life.
be strict. He knew when to be soft like a rose. He
was perfect in everything he did because he was a Dear Guru Maharaja, thank you infinitely for being
person. And because he was a person, we should my expert captain and for allowing me to board
H
not reduce him to a set of absolute rules. As a cap- and take shelter on the Bhakti ship. Thank you for
tain, he understood the hearts of his disciples.” inspiring, enlivening, and encouraging this wretch-
ed soul to embark on this journey to fulfill Srila
You spoke about how in the 10th canto of Srimad
Prabhupada’s mission.
Bhagavatam there is a verse with prayers of the
demigods glorifying the Lord as a wish-fulfilling Thank you for accepting to be the navigator of the
desire tree because He is so kindly accepted the ship Srila Prabhupada left you. Without you, I would
method by which acaryas crossed the ocean of be completely lost. I have no doubt in my heart
material existence and also because He is so kind- that you can bring me to the other side as I can see
how much you took instructions of your spiritual
master to your heart. My only desire is that I cher-
ish your instructions in the same way and please
you by loving Krishna and His devotees. It is only
through your kind heart, that it is possible for me to
really get to know your spiritual master and meet
Krishna.
All glories unto you, Niranjna Swami!
I just want to serve you in whatever way you find
this useless soul useful.
Please always keep me in the corner of your lotus
feet.
Your eternal servant,
Harikatha dasa
H
INDRANUJA DASA express my gratitude to Your Grace. I THANK you
for your mercy to all the souls into whose life you
have come. Thank you!
Hare Krishna! Dear Guru Maharaja,
Srila Niranjana Swami! Thank you for bringing up such wonderful disci-
I
Please accept my humble obeisances ples, my seniors, spiritual brothers and sisters. At
in the dust of your lotus feet. first, I wanted to name them personally, but I real-
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! ized that the list would be huge, and listing their
qualities could take a lot of time, and I’m afraid of
So the day of your appearance on this planet has
forgetting someone, thereby depriving them of at-
come. This year there were many different events
tention. And yet I will list, these are devotees from
in the life of all the devotees and your disciples,
Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the Baltic
and in mine too. The brightest event of this year,
states, and in general, to be precise, from all over
the day of your Divine appearance, the 70th year of
the world. In this difficult time, we are united by one
your appearance on this planet.
thing, we are all your disciples, your children. Srila
Thank you very much for being with us. I will be ful- Prabhupada’s children and grandchildren, I mean
ly honest and I confess I was not planning to write your Godbrothers and sisters and their disciples.
an offering. Today is the last day when I can writing We all have the mission of your spiritual master,
and send it. I remembered how you were going to Srila Prabhupada. Now that the world is divided
write an offering to Srila Prabhupada; there was into two camps, I ask Lord Krsna that Srila Prabh-
very little time left and the former police chief in upada’s children and grandchildren do not take the
Toronto, Canada did it for you if I’m not mistaken. side of the country where they live. After all, in our
He inspired you with his story, full of admiration own way, we all rely on your instructions, we try
for Srila Prabhupada’s personality and helped you to bring the mission of your Divine master to the
glorify your spiritual master. With your story, you in- world. And I thank you for teaching us not to draw
spired me and gave me the topic for glorifying your these boundaries, dividing us into Russians, Ukrai-
Divine appearance. It was impossible for me not to nians, Americans because we are souls that do not
write an offering. It was impossible for me not to belong to any state. Realizing what difficulties you
may expect when entering Russia, I am glad that
you have decided to conduct an online Vyasa-puja,
INDRAVALI DEVI DASI
although I am very sorry that I will not be able to
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami,
see you personally. I am glad that you do not have
to make a difficult decision which country to go to
in the dust of your lotus feet!
because of the problems that the country’s author-
ities create by obstructing your entry. We will all
have equal opportunities to watch the event from I want to say a few words about my life after initia-
the screen. And that should bring us all together. tion.
I
You cannot be far from us, you are in our hearts.
It so happened that a few days after initiation our
Thank you very much for this. Please forgive me
family left Ukraine because in early March it was
for such an unusual glorification of Your Divine
very dangerous to live near Kyiv. We were living
Grace, I am writing these lines with all my heart,
close to Bucha and we were
and I really hope that I did not offend any of the
afraid that our place might also
devotees with my offering. In this difficult time, I
be occupied.
must take responsibility for my actions. We need
to gather around the holy name of Lord Krsna and Our whole family went to France
Srila Prabhupada’s mission, bringing you joy. The because my husband’s rela-
motive for writing these lines was the desire to tives live here and they invited
please you on the day of your Divine appearance, us long ago. It was painful for
forgive me if I did not succeed. I wish you good me to leave my home, besides
health, stay with us for as long as Lord Krsna and I expected our fourth child. On
Srila Prabhupada want. Thank you! March 31 I gave birth to a son,
we named him Edward.
I
Your eternal and not yet humble servant,
Indranuja Dasa I have by now adjusted a little
Moscow 11/20/2022 to my new surroundings. But
it is not easy at all to live in a
different country, and every day I understand that I news on her Instagram blog @tarunitulsidasi
wouldn’t be able to handle it without Krsna’s support.
In tough times, I always feel your support. Thank
I do hope that we will be able to come back home you for all the service and for all the mercy that you
to peaceful Ukraine! I keep in touch with devotees shed on your disciples and not only on them. I want
online. I graduated from bhakti school where I to become better, follow your example, and one
studied with Ukrainian devotees. I really wanted to day please you!
come in October to visit the festival in Zakarpattia,
Trying to become your servant, Indravali Devi Dasi
but with a baby, it is rather difficult. My soul was
Kyiv, Ukraine
I
with you and with devotees.
At the end of spring, we had devotees visiting us,
the family of Mataji Kadambari and Vedagarbhi INDU-KANTI
Prabhu. It was great to see people we know very
well. Now, unfortunately, I live far from the temple DEVI DASI
and I really lack live association with devotees.
Just recently I met devotees from Bangladesh. Dear Gurudev! Congrat-
ulations on yet another
Basically, I keep in touch with the devotees from
anniversary of your
the Kyiv Yatra who now live in different countries.
service to Srila Prabhu-
I tried to preach in French to my teacher and to a
pada!
few other open souls. I spoke about Bhagavad-gita
and my pilgrimage to the holy Dhama. It is only through your prayers
that I am making progress in
It was evident that it resonated in the hearts of
my spiritual life. I also admire
people. I am also supported very much by a friend
I
the fact that you started your
who lives in Vrindavana. We still read Srila Prabhu-
service to Prabhupada at a
pada’s books - we record voice messages and send
young age. I really like your deli-
these recordings to each other. She shares spiritual
cacy in lecturing and answering
I
devotees’ questions. I thank you for sending me good health and more intelligent disciples!
help in the form of devotees in difficult moments
Your disciple Indu-kanti dd
of my life. They gave me answers to questions on
Moscow
how to understand and accept my current situa-
tion. I repent for paying attention to the mistakes
(in my opinion) of the devotees. Please continue to
send me your blessings in my spiritual life!
IRMANTAS
I feel this is a very auspicious time for my spiritu- Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obei-
al life. My husband (Vrajesha das) and I are now sances in the dust of your lotus feet.
living at the Radha-Govinda Temple in Mangalore,
On this extraordinary day of your appearance on
South India. We also tried to serve the winter
this planet Earth, I would like to thank Lord Krsna
months of 2018-19 and 2019-20 at this temple. We
for being so merciful as to allow me to meet you.
plan to be here until March.
My life in this body is gradually approaching its
This year, everything about the service goes very
second half. Very soon I will be on the threshold
easily and is very enjoyable. During the pandemic,
of my next birth. Reflecting on all the things I have
there have been significant changes in this tiny
experienced in this life, I realize how fortunate I
temple. For example, thanks to online preaching
am that Lord Krsna has mercifully allowed me to
the number of congregational members increased
meet the devotees. When I watch a video docu-
a lot. The temple purchased land and is building a
mentary with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
temple! The conditions of our stay are amazingly
Swami Srila Prabhupada, His lectures, or His morn-
good. They do not invite us to cook in the tiny and
ing walks, I involuntarily pay attention to the date
hot kitchen, as the congregation’s desire to SERVE
when it happened, seeing the devotees who were
has greatly increased ... And so, we have to look for
close to him and their success, and I feel shocked
service, good that it’s not that hard.
because I could have been with them. Looking at
I am trying to be brief, as I understand that you the date, I wonder where I was at that moment. As
have many such offerings as mine. I wish you a rule, either in some previous body or in the one
I
that I had just received. I was about four when His that I was just robbed and I wasted my time.
Divine Grace left this planet.
I would like to thank Lord Krsna once again for
I remember the environment and the events of mercifully allowing me to meet you. I do not con-
that time. I am horrified by the atmosphere that sider myself worthy of trying to describe your qual-
surrounded me, and the consciousness I had. I ities, your experience, and your feelings. I feel like
can also feel that if I am careless, naive, and not no matter how hard I try, it won’t be enough. I will
decisive enough, I will again find myself on some be like a fool trying to light the sun with a candle.
planet, at best, in the womb of some woman, and On this auspicious day, I pray to Lord Krsna that by
I will get into the circumstances that I had created His causeless mercy I may satisfy you. I pray that
myself in my previous lives, all it really lies ahead I become somehow useful in your service to Srila
of me. This carousel has no meaning; it is a mean- Prabhupada.
ingless carousel of suffering.
Bhakta Irmantas
I understand that this birth is the gate to my home.
I was very fortunate that not only did I get a human
body but also met devotees, met Srila Prabhupa- ISVARA-KRSNA DASA
da’s instructions. Somehow or other the Lord is
very kind to me. But that doesn’t mean that I am AND LAVANGA-GOPI
qualified to associate with devotees, I am aware of
it all the time. At some moments I do not feel that DEVI DASI
I am worthy of the human form of life, I see how I
succumb to the influence of the body, mind, false Dear Guru Maharaja!
ego, and other constituents of matter. Please accept our obeisances in the dust
of your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabh-
When I try to find a compromise with the matter, I
upada!
just see that I am just not moving anywhere, hop-
ing that we will come to some agreement. All these On your blessed Appearance Day, let us offer you
compromises make me completely unhappy, I feel our hearts and all our love and gratitude.
Guru Maharaja, for us you are the very living ex- For us, these qualities are the most clear evidence
ample of a pure devotee described in all Vedic that your heart is pure. They also make us always
scriptures. Such a devotee is always satisfied, full remember you, listen to your instructions, your
in himself, and absolutely happy in serving Lord katha, and remember your merciful form and the
Krsna and he longs for as much association with sound of your compassionate voice.
Рis sincere devotees as possible.
Dear Guru Maharaja, let me once again express our
We admire your genuine enthusiasm for Krsna con- love and gratitude to you. We pray to the Lord to
sciousness. Almost daily preaching, both online please you at least someday.
and live. Now you have re-
Your servants,
sumed your long-distance trips,
Isvara-Krsna Dasa and Lavanga-gopi Devi Dasi
which certainly cause body
St.Petersburg
issues, but you still did this
service no matter what. There
is no doubt that the Lord sheds
His mercy on you and gives
you the necessary strength and
health.
It is Vaisnavas like you, dear
Guru Maharaja, who are able to
give people what they lack so
much - the joy of Krsna con-
sciousness.
I
You are always joyful in your lectures and conver-
sations. This amazing state of your consciousness
is completely transmitted through any distance and
computer monitors and evokes genuine admiration.
JAGAT-TARINI the link you suggest to your disciples when giving
classes; I asked you, “How to glorify one’s guru
DEVI DASI properly?” For Srila Prabhupada says that when we
love someone, when we are grateful a lot, then we
want to glorify, we want to tell everyone about our
Dear Guru Maharaja!
happiness. However, relations with a guru are very
confidential and full of secrets that one must keep
J
in the dust of your lotus feet!
carefully and open only to those who can under-
stand and accept.
By your mercy, so many devotees are attracted to
I hanker to become your worthy disciple, and
Krsna! It is such great luck to be close you - in your
deserve your mercy - all mercy. This year you have
kirtanas, in your lectures, in your love for Krsna…
given the second initiation to me. I want you to
Thank you very much for once know that it was the purpose of my life, for which
making this luckiest choice in I have been aspiring for many years. Though I
your fate and dedicating your understand that there is much to come and my
whole life to the mission of Sri- life and spiritual desires do not stop with it. The
la Prabhupada. You have been most important thing I want to thank you for is that
giving the world so very much. you personify the verse by Srila Raghunatha Dasa
I pray that each and every one Gosvami from “Sri Mukta-carita”. You give every-
who comes in contact with you thing described in the verse via your classes on
can appreciate the gift properly. “Brhad-Bhagavatamrta”, via answers to questions,
via your example of supporting devotees, via your
All your kirtanas and lectures
relations with devotees and, of course, via your
are full of such sweetness of
faith and attachment to the holy names.
the spiritual world that one can-
not describe with words. Once nama-srestham manum api saci-putram atra svarupam
I asked you a question using rupam tasyagrajam uru-purim mathurim gosthavatim
radha-kundam giri-varam aho radhika-madhavasam Prabhupada and all the devotees for the fact that
prapto yasya prathita-krpaya sri-gurum tam nato ‘smi our family and myself has this opportunity to be
here, in the society of such wonderful devotees of
(Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, Mukta-carita, 4)
the Lord. I heard You saying that there is nothing
“I bow my head again and again to the holy pre-
in this world that You would exchange this family
ceptor, through whose most celebrated mercy I
for. Trying to follow in Your footsteps I do my best
have received the best of all names, the initiation
to value this society, to be helpful and serve the
mantra, Sri Sachinandan Mahaprabhu, Svarupa,
devotees.
Rupa and his older brother Sanatan, the extensive
J
dominions of Mathurapuri, a dwelling place in the I cannot count, dear Guru Maharaja, how many
pasturing grounds [of Krishna], Radha Kund, the precious things I have received by Your mercy, how
chief of all mountains, Sri Govardhan, and most many lessons I have passed and how much it is
pointedly of all, the hope of attaining the lotus feet there to be passed.
of Sri Radha Madhava.”
Thank You, Guru Maharaja, I
Your disciple, Jagat-tarini Devi Dasi am so grateful for Your instruc-
Latvia, Riga, 11/14/2022 tions, for Your prayers that
come from Your lips for all of
us, thank You for Your fatherly
JAHNAVA-SUNDARI caring glance which blesses
everyone who needs it.
DEVI DASI In the most sacred minutes I
am praying to the Lord that all
of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples
humble obeisances at Your lotus feet.
could stay on this planet as
All glories to our dear Srila Prabhupada!
long as possible and continue
As an offering on the day of Your Vyasa Puja I preparing us for mature life. I
would like to express my gratitude for You, Srila pray that we have an opportuni-
ty to serve You, receive the remnants of Your food Krsna. It encourages me to take my chanting more
and caranamrita from Your lotus feet. seriously, which I must admit could be better.
Thank You, thank You for everything, especially for Again and again, I am bowing down to your lotus
the personal association that I received from You! feet; again and again, I am praying for mercy that
someday I will be closer to this realization. And I
Your disciple,
firmly believe that with the spiritual master’s mercy,
Jahnava Sundari dd
all desires of the heart will be fulfilled.
I am not capable to express my gratitude on paper,
JIVA-GOSVAMI DASA but you know how much love and devotion are
there in my heart.
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Always trying truly become a servant of the servant,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and gu-
Jiva-gosvami Dasa
ru-parampara!
On the day of your appearance, I would like to offer
my meagre attempts to glorify you.
I was thinking about which of your countless quali-
ties I should glorify because I would not be able to
mention all of them, given that I am not even capa-
ble of doing that. So Krsna reminded me of one of
your classes that you gave in Kyiv. Bhagavat-acarya
Prabhu asked a question I do not remember, but
J
I remember your answer, “It took me 30 years to
realize that Krsna and his holy name are identical.”
From that, we can conclude that this realization,
by chanting the holy name now you associate with
KADAMBARI lifted the veil of illusions regarding that. And it’s,
actually, a great mercy as it brings even more value
DEVI DASI to the philosophy and practice of Krsna Conscious-
ness. How right was and is Srila Prabhupada, how
sharply had he given the definitions to the process-
es in this world, how caringly had he provided the
humble and respectful obeisances in the
spiritual solutions to its problems!
dust of Your lotus feet. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada! This year I and my husband received great fortune
and mercy: we have become Your initiated disci-
So, the day has come when we
ples and obtained shelter at Your lotus feet! It’s
can glorify You and express our
hard to express in words how great was this mercy
gratitude to You.
for us and how it became that straw we could hold
This year has become for many on to at the beginning of the war.
residents of Ukraine, and not
We are enormously grateful to You that the initia-
only them, a year of change,
tion took place then, at the end of February, as no
new challenges, and new
one knew what would happen the next day and
conditions for life and spiri-
would we live till the morning. It was a time of
tual practice. We live through
complete uncertainty in Ukraine, and accepting the
a period in our lives when the
K
shelter at Your lotus feet had become a lifebuoy in
dependence on the Holy Name
the raging ocean.
and the Lord’s protection has
become even more obvious I wanted to express my special gratitude for the
and, in essence, our only hope two wonderful festivals this autumn! The first gath-
and support. Never before, for me personally, have ering-gift took place in Lviv where You mercifully
Srila Prabhupada’s words about the dangers of the presented us with the nectar of the festival and an
material world been so relevant. Before, I couldn’t immersion into the spiritual world! We were so glad
apprehend it so seriously, but now the war has to see You, to see all the devotees with whom we
were long separated, to hear Your kirtan! It was not sion, deep understanding, and kindness. Thank You
just a breath of fresh air - it was the meaning of life for displaying an example of these qualities!
and hope that, no matter what, life, and spiritual
Just as I’m writing this offering, in Kyiv there’s an
life, in particular, in Ukraine is actively going on and
air raid alert, the explosions are heard, and the
we have a chance. Thank You, dear Srila Niranjana
windows are trembling. The war continues, and the
Swami, that despite serious difficulties connected
war inside every one of us also goes on - the war
with coming to Ukraine, You have done it and have
for purity of the consciousness and the heart. I re-
made so many devotees happy at once.
ally hope that thanks to Your instructions and with
The second festival in the Carpathians for me was Your support, we’ll be able to live through these
an opportunity to immerse myself in service in the times with dignity and strengthen our faith.
children’s program. I have to confess that I am very
I offer You great gratitude and respect, dear spiritu-
attached to this service, so the opportunity to serve
al master!
little Vaishnavas and their parents was very inspi-
K
rational. By the grace of the Lord and the devotees, With hopes of becoming Your worthy disciple and
it was possible to gather the team over a very useful in Your mission,
short period of time, and the program happened. Kadambari devi dasi
From the festival, I have carried great happiness
in my heart that I could serve and be useful to the
devotees. And, besides, the nectarine lectures and KALINDI
kirtans, the wonderful festival of Govardhana Puja
filled me with spiritual samskaras and gave me a DEVI DASI
feeling of happiness. All that has become possible
due to Your grace and care for the Ukrainian yatra, Dear Srila Niranjana Swami,
because You have expressed a desire and come to Please accept my humble
Ukraine again, despite all the difficulties. Your visit obeisances in the dust
was very valuable and important to the Ukrainian of your lotus feet.
devotees, we have felt Your care and love, compas- All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I know you have a book full of sweet offerings from
all your disciples, so I will make mine short.
KAMALAKANTHA
Please accept my appreciation and deep gratitude -PANDIT DASA
for all your unlimited preaching and contributions
to spreading Krishna Consciousness worldwide. Dear spiritual master, I bow to your
You are doing it with total dedication, love and hu- lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
mility to please your spiritual master Srila Prabhu-
I remember at your Vyasa-puja back in 1995 in your
pada. You are capturing so many conditioned souls
class for your disci-
and leading them on their path in Krishna Con-
ples, you were indig-
sciousness. All glories, all glories to your amazing
nant with the fact that
service!
your disciples were
Maharaja, thank you from the bottom of my heart glorifying you in their
for all the love and support you have kindly offered offerings, saying that
to my husband, family and me. I will always cherish by some Divine Prov-
the wonderful memories of your visits to our home. I idence you came into
am eternally grateful for having you in my life. I hum- this world to save us.
bly beg for your blessings. Your kindness and mercy
And you then remem-
help me survive and give me strength and hope.
bered your life before
Happy Vyasa-Puja, Maharaja! What a special bless- meeting Srila Prabhupada, saying that you do not
ing for all of us to have the guidance and example recall any kind of divine lifestyle and getting ready
of such a sincere, dedicated spiritual master! I pray for the mission of saving conditioned souls. And
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that Krishna will always protect you and I can go as far as I remember, that is when you asked your
on serving you life after life. disciples to glorify you in connection with Srila
Prabhupada. After this incident, we started chant-
I beg to remain, Your humble servant,
ing the pranama mantra to Srila Prabhupada after
Kalindi devi dasi
chanting the pranama mantra to you. We do so
because you think that this is entirely Srila Prabhu- your disciples live near Kaunas. And Ladvamhi
pada’s merit if we see good and spiritual qualities Prabhu confessed that he didn’t believe that you re-
in you! ally wanted to do this because you suggested this
trip by car from Hungary. This trip, he said, took
I believe that just today, on your anniversary, many
15 hours. The main emphasis that Ladvasi Prabhu
of your disciples will remember Srila Prabhupada
made in this regard was that Srila Prabhupada
coming to the USA. At the age of 69, he embarked
traveled constantly and could give two lectures on
on this difficult journey on the Jaladuta ship to ful-
arrival on the same day, which is very difficult to do
fill the order of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisid-
in old age. This is the most incredible and mystical
dhanta Sarasvati Thakura - to preach the teachings
experience that Srila Prabhupada gave to the whole
of Lord Caitanya in Western countries. And it was
world! Your disciples, Guru Maharaja, observe
on the ship after Janmashtami that Srila Prabhupa-
that whenever you can, you also travel and keep
da turned 70. At that time he was with the captain
the fire of bhakti burning in your disciples’ hearts.
of a cargo ship and a crew of sailors. His Vyasa-pu-
When this is not possible, you gather devotees in
ja took place aboard Jaladuta. Times change.
the evenings and chant bhajans with them as Lord
Now spiritual masters have disciples who read Caitanya Himself wanted! I have no doubt that you
their offerings on the Internet live, and the Internet pray every day for all of us (your disciples) to be
is the platform for this spiritual event. The times saved by Krsna from all the dangers of this world,
are different, but the mission remains the same - the most horrible of which is to forget Krsna and
preaching the teachings of Lord Caitanya and Lord be attracted by His material energy.
Krsna to save the conditioned souls drowning in the
To say thank you on the day of your Vyasa Puja is
ocean of material existence and to save ourselves
my insignificant attempt to express my gratitude
as well. After all, if we do not boil milk by regularly
for your care and prayers. I understand that I must
hearing and glorifying the Supreme Lord, we will not
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do more to please you. As Lord Caitanya said:
even notice drowning in that very ocean.
yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa
Recently, His Grace Ladvamsi Prabhu said that he
amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
travelled with you to Lithuania to the farm where
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders read, thus giving everyone a chance to be purified.
of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the For by reading and listening to the glorifications of
Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In a holy person everyone has a chance to be purified
this way become a spiritual master and try and thereby come closer to being able to perform
to liberate everyone in this land.” pure devotional service.
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Wanting to be useful to you in this confidential mis- Dear Guru Maharaj, let me express my gratitude for
sion and thus be connected with Srila Prabhupada the causeless mercy you shower on conditioned
and the guru parampara, souls. I am completely made of your causeless
mercy. I clearly understand that I am making an
Your insignificant servant,
effort in performing devotional
Kamalakantha-pandit Dasa
service, but the result is only
possible if my spiritual master’s
KAMALA-SUNDARI mercy is shed upon me.
There are several components
DEVI DASI to succeed in the path of devo-
tional service to the Lord: a dev-
Dear Guru Maharaj! otee`s effort, the mercy of the
Please accept my humble obeisances! All guru, and the mercy of Krishna.
glories to Srila Prabhupada! The scriptures say that Lord Sri
Krishna always listens to His
Every year, each of your disciples gets a chance to
pure devotees, and this means
address you personally with words of appreciation
that we are totally dependent
and gratitude. Of course, we all have the chance
on your mercy.
every day to express our gratitude to you in our
prayers and in our actions. But how wonderful it is Dear Guru Maharaj, your qual-
to praise you on this day, realizing that all our offer- ities as a perfect pure devotee of the Lord give us
ings will add up to a book that many and many will unconditional hope for success on the spiritual
path! I am eternally grateful to you for accepting and accessibility in association when I listen to and
me as your disciple, thereby giving me a chance to watch your lectures, your meetings with disciples
become a vaishnavi in the future. and your other well-wishers.
Always yours in the service of vaishnavas, Thanks to you and to those very intelligent devo-
Kamalasundari devi dasi tees who are asking very pertinent and important
questions, and we all greatly benefit from your
answers and instructions.
KARUNA-PURNA You tirelessly talk about Srila Prabhupada, about
DEVI DASI his care and compassion for every jiva. You are in
the boat he left for all of us.
Dear Guru Maharaja! Thank you, dear Guru Maharaja, for giving me Srila
Please accept my obeisances in Prabhupada. This happened when I went to Srila
the dust of your lotus feet! Narayana Maharaja’s Gaudiya Math in Vrindavan
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!! three years ago. Undoubtedly, I was fascinated by
the atmosphere of the Kartika and these beautiful
With great gratitude, I congrat-
devotees. It is impossible to forget their care and
ulate you on the blessed day of
attention towards each other and towards me too.
your appearance.
K
When it was suggested to me to ask you for per-
You are the one who patiently
mission to take siksha in this place, I sent you a
leads us to the lotus feet of Sri-
letter, and I thank you for the fact that I did not
la Prabhupada, and thus to the
receive a reply.
lotus feet of the Divine couple.
You gave me the opportunity to think very hard
Every day I feel your kindness,
about everything and finally understand how im-
and compassion and, I’m not
measurably great Srila Prabhupada is. This was
afraid to say it, your simplicity
the result of constant remembrance of you in
anticipation of an answer to the letter and prayers
addressed to Srila Prabhupada so as not to get
KAVERI DEVI DASI
lost on the path to Krsna, not to become a victim of
Dear Guru Mahārāja,
my own illusions. I am grateful for the association
Please accept my humble obeisances,
with exalted devotees and, in particular, the happy
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda,
opportunity to meet and talk about your experienc-
K
es and impressions with the amazing Madana-mo- The last one year was a quite eventful one, so
hana Prabhu who often accompanies you. And he many things happened during this period in the
said, “Srila Prabhupada has given us everything!” material world – especially in Ukraine –, which
affected the lives of many devotees, and I could
You also say those words. I heard it from your lips.
experience a lot of things in my spiritual life also.
You have literally pushed me closer to Srila Prabhu-
pada’s feet. You have given me the happiness to re- At first, I would like to thank you that in March 2022
alize, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada gave us everything!!!” I You mercifully accepted me as your initiated disci-
finally heard these words. ple. I can still hardly believe that
I am so fortunate that I could
Again and again, I thank you for giving us Srila Pra-
give my initiation vows to you.
bhupada’s message. You give us Srila Prabhupada.
I hope I will be able to express
You give us inspiration to tirelessly try to follow in
the gratitude that I feel. I am
Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps.
aware of that it is impossible to
May you have good health for many years to come. pay back this debt, but I hope
May there be a lot of happiness in the eyes of all that until the rest of my life –
those who are close to you and who care about you. and after leaving this material
body – I can serve You and your
I humbly bow down at your lotus feet.
mission, which is not different
Your insignificant servant who wants to become a from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mis-
real devotee, Karuna-purna Devi Dasi sion, somehow and thus I can
12/19/2022, Ulan-Ude repay at least a little part of
my debt. I have realized that by your mercy now I ciate more with the devotees (especially through
can render even more service, by your mercy now I service). Thanks to your presence I could learn a
have the opportunity to render some services that I lot from my godsisters and godbrothers and other
couldn’t do before (e. g. giving Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam devotees. I am grateful that I could associate with
class and pūjārī services rendered to the deity of them quite a lot meanwhile we were rendering ser-
Śrīla Prabhupāda in the temple). vice. Please, forgive me if I committed any offens-
es towards you while I was trying to render some
I hope that gradually I will become more qualified,
service.
so I can please Dayāl-Nitāi Vijaya-Gaurānga, You,
K
Śrīla Prabhupāda and all the devotees by perform- I am grateful that I could again see your personal
ing these and any other services. I always try to example, and I could be physically present when
remember that if I can do any kind of devotional you gave a lecture or led a kīrtan. It was very spe-
service, it is just because I get some mercy. I pray cial to sing the Dāmodarastakam and chant the
to Gaura-Nitāi for pure devotional service. Hare Krsna mahā-mantra when you were also
present – especially when there were so many new
I am grateful for the lectures that you have given
devotees/people who started practicing Krishna
on Zoom this year also. It is so wonderful that oth-
Consciousness recently. It meant a lot to me that
er devotees regularly ask questions that are very
you were physically present for such a long time
relevant in my life also and thus You answer them.
– somehow everything was so different, it was
I had never hoped that You would spend as much easier to be more Krishna conscious and become
time in Hungary as you spent here this year. For absorbed in the chanting of the holy name.
me it was a huge mercy that you stayed in Hungary
It also meant a lot to me that during japa-time You
for such a long period. This way I had the oppor-
regularly chanted in the temple room – although
tunity to render some menial service to you, and
sometimes I could hear you only from the pūjārī
I am very grateful that I could render these kinds
room where I was making garlands for the Deities.
of services also. It was a very good opportunity to
realize that I am only the servant of the servants of Recently I read the following verse in Śri Caitan-
the servants… and during that period I could asso- ya-caritāmrta:
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Of all
KRISHNA-KATHA
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kinds of distress, what is the most pain-
ful?” Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “Apart
from separation from the devotee of Krs-
DASA
na, I know of no unbearable unhappiness.”
(Cc. Madhya-līlā 248.)
humble obeisances in the dust of your
When you left Budapest in November 2022, it lotus feet. All Glories to You. All Glories to
seemed to me that all the devotees who were Srila Prabhupada.
present could experience the real meaning of this
It is difficult to say whether
verse. I hope that in the rest of my existence I can
the past year was spiritually
associate with the devotees as much as possible –
successful for me. Perhaps I
and when I have to be separated from them, I can
gained a deeper understanding
always think of the reunion with them, and love in
of my dependence on the Su-
separation is also the source of happiness.
preme Personality of Godhead,
Thank you for everything. Please forgive me if I on association with devotees,
couldn’t glorify you with proper words. on reading Srila Prabhupada’s
books and constantly listening
Trying to become your servant,
to your lectures in which you
Kāverī Devī Dāsī
always give me the instructions
Budapest, Hungary
I need. Your classes are very
close to my heart, always un-
derstandable and accessible. I
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would like to thank you for this.
Despite the difficult situation, the difficult situation
in the world, you are always calm and balanced, and
you always have common sense. This means that
you are completely devoted to the Supreme Person- I wish you an inspiring and fulfilling day and the
ality of Godhead, Sri Krsna and Your Spiritual Master mysterious extra special mercy of your beloved
Srila Prabhupada. Like Jada Bharata from the Sri- Srila Prabhupada!
mad-Bhagavatam, you are not affected by external
Thank you for sheltering the shelter-less amidst
factors, you are aware of yourself as an eternal soul,
these challenging times.
a servant of the Lord, and you live and act in such
consciousness. You are ready to serve everyone who Thank you for making space for us and bringing us
needs you, never thinking about your own well-be- right next to you when there is no place, no home
ing. Thank you so much for the fact that once you for us in the whole big world, right into your uncon-
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took me under your guidance and now you lead me ditional, pure, motherly embrace. It’s saving my life.
through my life, not letting me go anywhere else. I
guru gati guru mati, guru satya guru pati,
just have to follow your instructions and then every-
guru bandhu bāndhava svajana
thing will be alright. Forgive me for my poor qualifica-
guru pitā guru mātā, guru bhakti patha dātā,
tion as a disciple, but I will try to become your disci-
guru sarva siddhira kārana
ple and I ask for your mercy to help me in this.
“The spiritual master is the only
Grateful to you,
goal of life, the only object of
your servant and disciple Krishna-katha Dasa
thought, the eternal truth, the
Zarechny, Sverdlovsk region
protector, friend, and relative. He
is the father, the mother, the be-
KRISHNAKUND stower of devotional service, and
the cause of all perfection.” (Srila
-DEVI DASI Nayanananda Thakur’s Krs-
na-bhakti-rasa-kadamba 1.12)
With sincere pranamas at your feet, dear Thank you for your clarity Guru
Guru Maharaja, and at the feet of Sri Guru Maharaja, always, in what is ap-
Parampara, parently good or bad; for clarity
in any turmoil that is similar to that of Srila Prabh- motivated, even sometimes unconsciously, ser-
K
upada’s clarity even at the point of writing his last vices which are still partial, conditional or artificial,
purports to the 10 th Canto 13 th Chapter of the born out of duty not love, services which are lip-
Bhagavatam. deep or action-deep – but not heart-deep.
Thank you also for being ready to share that clarity Thank you for drawing our attention and training
with us even though there are literally thousands us to cry for Krishna’s mercy, and waiting for it in
of souls anxiously waiting and very much needing the form of either ready prasadam or in the form
your wisdom and attention. of pots, fire, and ingredients still to be cooked; for
guiding our hankering into the right direction, for
Thank you for accepting the still unacceptable,
straightening out our neophyte conceptions about
from the perspective of Sri Vrindavan Dham’s eter-
coveting Krishna’s service in a particular mood and
nal residents, who are filled with selfless love, fun,
fixing our minds on a particular servant of his, and
and various overflowing emotions in their never
the mood of that servant.
interrupted joyous service for the pleasure of Sri
Radhika and her Shyam. Thank you for giving the wings of your love to
the lame whose legs, ego, and heart was broken.
Thank you for staying in the temple room even
These wings are with me; I pray I can learn to use
after you are physically long gone from there, far
them for spreading Srila Prabhupada’s unfathom-
away to Sri Mayapur Dham, staying to chant with
able kindness and the glories of his personality.
me still, just near my most merciful Dayal Nityanan-
da and his sweet, magnanimous, glorious brother Thank you for giving me answers for the safety of
who – being covered with the complexion and my journey for the next few months, years, life-
mood of she who is melting with compassion – times.
will always be victorious over my anarthas as well
Thank you for reminding the hopeless of their
as any and all obstacles on my way to actually love
hope. Though you are instructing me to be patient
them, at long last.
for millions of births, you also speak about the
Thank you for accepting services which are as yet hope that your Srila Prabhupada gave to us, to find
shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet in this very life. Such Excerpt from Letter One, February 17, 1940 (Caring
a much needed reminder. for One’s Own Self):
Thank you for accepting each of us as we are, not “I am glad to find that you are aware of
as we are expected to be by ourselves or others; the necessity of caring for one’s own self
and for finding how we can be engaged and taking if one is to be fit to serve other souls.
us from where we are at, steadily, compassionate- This duty is ordinarily totally neglected.
ly, towards being a small part of a joint offering One has to serve Sree Gurudeva in one’s
in your colorful bouquet of souls finally finding… very activities. This is possible only if one
peace? A breather from the miseries of pandemics, seeks to be in constant communion with
sickness, mental illness, and war? No! Much more! Him through the Word. One has to chant
Finding happy, absorbed service at Srila Prabhu- the Name for obtaining actual touch with
pada’s soft lotus feet in your uplifting and enabling the Lotus Feet of Sree Gurudeva. If we
association. attain to the services of His Lotus Feet we
should be enabled to realize that we have
Thank you for, well, at least sometimes, doing
performed all our duties to all souls to
some back exercise or accepting a massage,
perfection.” (Pranava Das, VJ p 83)
and for all the things that you are NOT doing. You
explained that even those things that you are not Thank you for your mood when you are chanting;
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doing are for Srila Prabhupada so you can remain and thank you for your patience and attempts to
a functional servant to him in all of your numerous help this misfortunate cripple chant; to help our
other services. Thank you for this balancing per- Gurudeva make her into a healthy, individual, fit
spective. lover of Krishna’s servants, to be offered through
the course of your plans for his service, to the lord
HH Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Swami, in his 1940 Feb-
of your heart.
ruary 17 letter to Srimati Vinode Vani (Daisy Cecilia
Bowtell, one of the first Gaudiya Mission pioneers Gratefully,
and spiritual leaders in England) stresses this Your aspiring servant-candidate
same point: Krishnakund-devi Dasi
KRISHNA-LILA me think about how sacred the connection between
the disciple and the spiritual master is, because your
DEVI DASI every word penetrates into the heart and perfectly
resonates with it. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete
koriyā aikya. My mother and I cherished every word
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Guru Mahara-
of your letter and the encouraging instructions that
ja, please accept my humble obeisances
uplifted our spirit. I meditated on it until her last
unto your lotus feet on the most auspicious
breath. Being with my mother at the time of the last
day of your appearance. All glories to Srila
exam of her life was my most important and intimate
Prabhupada.
service to her, to your disciple. Please accept this
In this humble offering I would like to share with service as my offering to you, Guru Maharaja. I was
you the most important meditation of my life so so honoured and happy to do it, happy to pray for her
far. You know that my beloved mother and godsis- and happy to chant for her. Happy to have faith that
ter Ahladini-gopi devi dasi left Lord Krishna arranges everything for His devotees
her body recently. I have never and takes perfect care of them...
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seen death before. I have only
Dear Guru Maharaja, I feel so unqualified to write
read about it in Srila Prabhu-
an offering to you, because my words are too
pada’s books and heard about
simple and my thoughts are disorganized... But I
it in lectures. Now that I have
just want you to know that your faith in Srila Pra-
seen it with my own eyes I can
bhupada and Krishna and your love for them make
understand it better.
my faith stronger. When I listen to your kirtans, I
A devotee’s death is a very inti- want to learn how to love Krishna’s names the way
mate and glorious moment. For you do. I learned from you that Krishna’s devotees
me it was the moment of my ut- are under His protection. The day you gave me the
most surrender and my deepest prayer. I kept in mind permission to chant your pranama mantra, I asked
the letter that you wrote to us in August. Each and ev- you for a blessing to always remember Krishna and
ery word of it made perfect sense to me and it made never forget Him. My mother was afraid to forget
Krishna, but you said He would enter her mind even Getting in contact with you via instructions in var-
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without her understanding how it would happen. ious forms, I get the desire to deepen my spiritual
I believe in your words, I have faith that Krishna practice and to become more stable determined
manifested His name in her mind and that He will and patient.
never let me be alone, too.
When I tried to recall what particular instructions of
So, today I would like to thank you again for nour- yours I apply in my life, your conversation with Bhak-
ishing my faith and being there for me in the form ti Vijnana Goswami Maharaja came to my mind.
of your valuable instructions when I needed them That conversation helped me understand the impor-
the most. tance of hearing from Srila Prabhupada, listening to
his lectures and reading his books and studying his
Your humble servant and disciple,
biography. By following this instruction I feel more
Krishna-lila devi dasi
nourished, protected,
Kishinev, Moldova
and calm and I want to
give this knowledge to
KRISTINA other people.
I was very influenced
STRELETS by the lectures given by
you in Turkey, particu-
Hare Krisna, dear Guru Maharaja! larly the instruction on
Please accept my obeisances! how important it is not
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! to judge people su-
perficially. We should
On the auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, I’d like
sincerely endeavour to
to thank you for your instructions in lectures and
comprehend the mo-
books and for your living example of inexhaustible
tives of a person. It is
inspiration enthusiasm and happiness in Krsna
not an easy instruction
Consciousness!
for me to follow. It pushes me to struggle with my thing else for at least 10-15 minutes. Such hearing
mind which got used to immediately judging, la- is very nourishing and satisfying. It is more quality
belling, and evaluating others. Sometimes I do not hearing. It allows me to remember more and to feel
even notice that I have already labelled somebody a connection with you.
and attributed a motivation that was not there to a
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaja, for the fact that
devotee.
you participate and are present in my life via your
But such work is very important. I can see that instructions and your disciples. Mataji Isani is
this practice of being ready to see the positive always so supportive and inspiring; she gives me
motivation behind an action that looks bad exter- true spiritual assistance.
nally helps me to strengthen relationships and to
My husband Sadhana-siddha inspires me to take
get closer to people. Relationships with devotees
part in sankirtana. He always takes me by car,
make perhaps over 50 per cent of success on our
stays to look after our child and supports me with
path. I am very grateful to you for this topic!
kind words. I gradually start to develop his taste for
Recently I’ve understood that your lectures about kirtan; moreover, it would be difficult for me to get
Lord Caitanya attract me. I regularly listen to them. to the temple without his help.
I have got inspired to listen to Caitanya-manga-
Mataji Yaminisvari inspires me with her hospitality,
la. Caitanya katha enlivens my japa; it makes my
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the most delicious prasadam, her willingness to
chanting more personal and attentive. Thank you
serve and her very deep kirtans.
for sharing your taste for Gaura-katha!
I have listed only a few devotees that I have just
Lately, I have heard in your lecture (maybe you
recalled. But there are more of them.
gave it in America) how you emphasized hearing
lectures attentively without doing something else I am very grateful to you! I wish you sound health
at the same time. “Only hearing…”. It was critical and feeling well! All the best!
for me to hear this. This is a challenge for me to
With best regards and hope to become your disciple,
follow this instruction, but I try to listen regularly
Kristina Strelets (Sochi)
to your lectures without being distracted by some-
KUNDALATA to you can, without hesitation, stick a knife in the
back and much more.
DEVI DASI On the other hand, how can one realize the magni-
tude of Krsna’s mercy, of He who gave strength and
Dear Guru Maharaja, accept my respectful intelligence to cope with all this? Krsna gave us his
obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet! pure devotee to support us so that we can endure
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! the trials of difficult times. Now the Bhagavad-gita
All glories to your appearance day! is especially relevant, we are becoming eyewitness-
es of all those truths that were told by Krsna on the
I have so much to say to you on this beneficial day.
battlefield. And in fact, there is nothing surprising
In dark times people of light are more noticeable.
about what is happening. But Krsna’s causeless
And you have started shining brighter against the
mercy is amazing. Your causeless mercy, compas-
ones who have been unmasked by time.
sion and kindness to your disciples who need it now
In our life, we are getting the are amazing ... We all seem to know the truths of the
practical knowledge of Bhaga- Bhagavad-gita well, but in practice, it turned out to
vat-gita, 2.14. It is time to take be much more difficult to follow these truths; how
the exam. Difficult times inexo- not to be fascinated by people for they have faults
K
rably come into the life of each among which falling into illusion and deceiving. And
of us. But who was prepared now it has become especially clear to me that the
for events to unfold this way? worst thing is when Krsna takes away the intelli-
I confess that personally, I gence. On the one hand, it takes the intelligence of
was absolutely not ready (as it the so-called leaders, on the other hand, it takes the
turned out in practice) neither intelligence of those who blindly follow them, as it
for death, nor for the fact that turned out such leaders are blind and deaf to the
the leaders of spiritual organi- suffering of others. And the third category that loses
zations can be in illusion, nor their intelligence or has weak intelligence is those
for the fact that people close who are disappointed in leaders and spiritual organi-
zations just because they all have faults - they make master is not obliged to do this ... You even helped
mistakes, fall into illusion and deceive others. Now is the Vaisnavas financially go to the festival (I was
the time to become aware and pray that, by Krsna’s told that there are some sponsors among the dev-
mercy, we will learn to distinguish truth from untruth otees who wished to do the service by sponsoring
and realize such difference, and also truly accept the the festival, but I’m more than sure that this is your
treasure Srila Prabhupada gave us in our lives. doing or it has to do with your contribution).
To be enchanted by Krsna and the most secret When I think about it, I can’t hold back my tears of
knowledge so as never to leave your lotus feet and gratitude... Especially after seeing the devotees
Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet - that is the blessing almost lose their footing. The devotees who fled
I am praying for. For you are an example of such from the war with one suitcase, who survived the
sincerity, depth and attachment to the instructions suffering of probably hellish planets…
of your spiritual master. As time has shown once
Guru Maharaja, in my mind I offer you dandavats
again, you are a genuine spiritual master and inti-
for what you are doing for us.
mate servant of Srimati Radharani. And I always
thank Krsna for the fact that He gave you to us. And I can’t even imagine how I can thank you for all
your compassion and support. Though to please
When we learned that you would come to Lviv, and
you, I’ll try to make a funny attempt.
then to the Carpathian festival, at first we could not
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even believe it and could not come round from hap- As an offering to you, I continue to study Bhak-
piness. Tears of joy and gratitude flowed down the ti-sastras with devotees and every day we read
cheeks of many devotees for a long time... Neither Srimad-Bhagavatam for 40 minutes, and I also
the difficult trip nor the danger of a missile attack took the responsibility to arrange Sunday feast
stopped you. You wanted to give us your support programs in Khmelnytskyi from the spring of 2022,
and you did it. How can we repay this debt? In the from time to time we cook for these programs and
most difficult times, you were with us ... from time to time I give classes at these programs.
And you even made all the arrangements to finan- Now we are one step away from being left without
cially support the devotees, although the spiritual heating, electricity, gas and water in winter ... Our
hearts stop every time we hear explosions from
missile strikes, and now also from the realization
that in cold weather people in apartments can be
left without sources of heat and every shelling of
the infrastructure brings this time closer. Follow-
ing your example, we are thinking about how we
can take care of the devotees in such a situation
and have already purchased alternative sources
of electricity, etc. I believe that by supporting each
other and caring for each other, we will be able to
go through all the tests and strengthen our faith.
But on one’s own, none of us is able to cope with
the troubles and sufferings that one way or another
come to us. By Krsna’s mercy, now we are feeling
this more than ever and we are trying to unite.
Dear Guru Maharaja, please be merciful to us in the
future as well. We very much hope that soon you
will be able to come to us again and fill our wound-
ed hearts with joy. Please do not leave us in your
prayers and may your kindness and compassion
always be with us.
With love and respect, trying to be your servant,
Kundalata Devi Dasi
K
Khmelnytskyi
LAKSMIPRIYA and Srila Prabhupada’s words that the main re-
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sponsibility of human being is to think about the
DEVI DASI Supreme Personality of Godhead and to become
his devotee.
Dear Guru Maharaja, Acarya comes particularly for the purpose - to
Please accept my respectful obeisances remind of the goal of human life to living entities.
in the dust of your lotus feet! That is the meaning of Vaisnava’s life. Thank you
All glories to Your Divine Grace! for reminding me of the most important point. I do
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! not remember a single lecture in which you would
have given other values. You never speak about
om ajnana-timirandhasya
things that could inspire us to remain even happy
jnananjana salakaya
and pious inhabitants of this world. Now we always
caksur unmilitam yena
get absolute knowledge from your mouth. This is
tasmai sri gurave namah
the knowledge that takes us beyond the material
“I was born in the darkest ignorance, but my spiri- realm which is not a natural abode for a soul. You
tual master has opened my eyes with the torch of reiterate the importance of going back home again
knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto and again. You emphasize that this task should be
him.” completed in this lifetime.
For almost thirty years I have listened to your You tell us again and again that we are not this
lectures in which you share the taste of devotion- body. You tell us again and again what is the prop-
al service. You again and again remind us of the er service mood and consciousness of the inhab-
most important goal to live for - to please Guru and itants of Vaikuntha. We hear from you about pure
Krsna; this is our constitutional position. At home devotional service again and again.
in the spiritual realm, it is what we particularly do –
You share with us very practical knowledge. It is
we live to please Krsna’s senses. In your lectures,
not something that has nothing to do with reality.
you remind us of the message of the scriptures
Sometimes it is something very-very simple, but it
turns out to be something very fantastic for us. I this from you - from the very beginning; from the
recall your lecture about insults and forgiveness, first meeting with you; hearing about you. But still, I
it very inspired me. I shared it with many devo- haven’t learned that...
tees because Krsna arranged many phone calls
But you make my heart transform. I remember
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connected to this topic. I am always extremely
that when I joined the movement established by
surprised and inspired by the fact that Krsna out-
Srila Prabhupada, devotees told me that I should
lines a problem and immediately sends Guru’s
certainly take guidance of the spiritual master.
instructions to solve it. He is actually bhakta-vatsa-
I had so many doubts of whom to follow. When
la! Sometimes we do not even understand such
I was hearing from you, I felt the desire to get
simple things that we can do without as we are
transformed for Krsna’s pleasure. Thus the choice
absorbed in feelings of being insulted because
became apparent to me.
insults are like anchors. They keep us from going
to our destination appointed for us on the basis of Your pure message and personal example have al-
transcendental knowledge received from the spiri- ways been the beacon for me not to get lost in the
tual master. ocean of material life. Even when I failed to swim,
I could still see the light of the beacon. And this
We do not understand why we should check such
mere seeing lets me feel that I was not lost.
common feelings because we cannot see Krsna’s
hand in events that take place in our life. Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for giving me your light!
It is so easy to get lost in this world. I recall it was
But your words bring us beyond the material plat-
long ago when I read a verse from Bhagavad-gita.
form and material consciousness.
It was a question of Arjuna how sadhu sits and
In this way, the spiritual master uplifts one with just walks. I could not understand what it was about.
a single word and brings a conditioned soul to a What is the sense of speaking about walking in
completely different platform. You do not merely such discussions? How could such a question help
say, but you show the example of Vaisnava behav- me to go back to Godhead? But my consciousness
ior and Vaisnava heart because behavior is always is gradually changing and now I see that external
connected with what is in the heart. I always learn actions are connected with internal mood.
Now I can see how consciousness is connected His representative to teach us the most important
with words and deeds. Guru Maharaja, thank you message for us to be able to become happy. It is
very much for the example of sadhu. By your exam- the most splendid gift that the Lord could give to
ple, I can see what sadhu does and what he says. a conditioned soul – that is to send guru to such a
Without such an example, the immature mind of a soul. It is so easy to learn when we have a Master.
neophyte can imagine a lot and as a result, there One won’t be confused because there is somebody
will be no progress on the way back to Godhead. who will definitely correct the person. Manifesta-
tion of guru in association with devotees is espe-
You always inspire us to read Srila Prabhupada’s
cially valuable. Guru always prays for mercy for his
books and listen to his lectures because it is the
disciple.
boat that he left for us. And we can cross the
ocean of material existence on this boat. You have The Lord is so kind to help a conditioned soul by
received these values from your guru and gener- all possible means. One cannot overestimate the
ously share them with us very attentively without service of the spiritual master. Acaryas’ statement
forcing and deviating from them. You patiently that everything comes by the mercy of a guru is
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teach us, repeating the absolute truth again and really true.
again. Sometimes I listen to your lectures given
Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for your work. I know
long ago in 1990s (thanks to devotees who record-
that all internal wealth that I have got is by your
ed those discs and distributed them at festivals),
blessings.
and I hear that nothing has changed in your mes-
sage. Thirty years ago you preached unalloyed Thank you for sacrificing your life for Srila Pra-
devotional service! It makes me very happy and bhupada. Maybe you do not take it as a sacrifice
inspired! because you always look so happy, even when you
are serious or tired. I recall an incident that you told
It gives such profound shelter!
about how Tamal Krsna Goswami noticed that you
Everything that I know I have heard from you. are happy in Krsna consciousness by performing
Thank you for teaching us all the time. Sometimes the service you received from Srila Prabhupada. It is
I admire Krsna’s wonderful arrangement. He sends natural for you. And this is the guiding line for me.
Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my infinite grat- I thank you for the minutes of happiness that you
itude for bringing me back to Godhead. are giving to us by conveying the message of the
sacred scriptures, inspiring and setting an example
Again and again, I offer you my respectful obei-
of a great soul who dedicates himself to uncondi-
sances.
tional devotional service.
Your foolish but incredibly lucky disciple
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I thank you for many amazing Godbrothers and
Laksmipriya Devi Dasi
sisters who set an example for me. Yuga-ava-
11/20/2022
tara Prabhu who is cooperating and taking care
of devotees in the best way possible. Mataji
LAKSMI-SUNDARI Radhavenodeni is an example of a caring and
kind-hearting devotee. Mataji Mahamana is setting
DEVI DASI one of the best examples of serving Deities; she
always finds inspiration in process of devotion-
al service. Mataji Aruna-locana is a creative and
poetic Vaisnavi who
is immersed in the
lotus feet.
process of kirtanam
and looking after the
On the day of your appearance, I would like to growing generation
thank you for being such a great example of de- of Vaisnavas. In ad-
votion and love to your spiritual master and Lord. dition, I would like
By the mercy of devotees who love you and want to thank you for the
to eternally serve you, I was able to meet you as a opportunity to come to
personality in a form of bhajans, kirtans, books and Nitai-Gauranga festival
your wonderful instructions. By your mercy, peace, and for receiving so
calmness, fullness and serenity start to manifest in much sublime associa-
the soul. tion with you and other
senior Vaisnavas and also for the opportunity to
serve devotees.
LALITA-HRDAYA
With your mercy and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, this DEVI DASI
year I participated in managing and coordinating
production processes for “Food for Life - Dnipro”, Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaja, please
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I was cooking milk sweets and sewing for deities. accept my humble obeisances at your lotus
During the warm season, our family grew flowers feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
for the Lord on our plot of land. Nowadays most
On October 28th it has been 28 years since I
of the time I am home, studying Bhakti-shastri
first came to the Hare Krishna temple at Ispolko-
remotely, I am trying to immerse myself into the
movskaya. It was a Sunday program, and there was
process of devotional service.
a lecture by our beloved Nitay Caitanya Goswami
I am asking for your blessings and protection to Maharaja, who has been shining as an unquench-
better remember transcendental forms, qualities able beacon in my life
and pastimes of the Lord. Please let me wish you all these years! Then,
long and happy years in Krsna Consciousness in in the temple room I
association of your friends and close ones. first saw a photo of
you, and I immediately
With love and devotion, your servant,
realized that you are
Laksmi-sundari Devi Dasi
my spiritual master.
Dnipro
During these long
years, there have been
all kinds of things, both
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joyful and not so hap-
py. There had been a
great deal of devotion-
al service to you, and
to the Deities on the altar, to the devotees. Festi- I bow down with great gratitude to the feet of
vals, holidays, Vyasa Pujas, Ratha Yatras… How moon-faced beautiful cowherd boy of Vraja and to
much mercy and sweetness!!! There were gifts, your lotus feet, dear spiritual father, our guide to
unforgettable darshans, mercy of your instructions, Krishna`s will and mercy, His love and compassion!
and tears of grief when I would make a mistake
I thank you for everything you have been doing for
and you mercifully chastise me… However, thinking
me by teaching, mentoring, nurturing and pushing
back on those moments now, I realize how merciful
to the Lord`s feet. Thank you for everything! May
the Lord is, pouring His will through you and skilful-
the Niagara Waterfall of all guru parampara, Srila
ly correcting my mistakes.
Prabhupada, the Holy Name and all Vaisnavas`
For the last 12 years by the grace of the senior dev- mercy rain over your holy head and inspire you con-
otees I have been doing service to the brahmacari tinue with your pure devotional service to the Lord
ashram as sankirtana mom. Bhaktas come over of your heart, to the mission on Lord Gauranga
sometimes, and we have big spiritual festivals with and all the Vaisnavas for the pleasure of the Lord!
kirtans, krishna-katha and delicious feasts. I wish you very good health and inspiration! Happy
jubilee anniversary, dear Guru Maharaja!
The same gift my brahmacaris gave me on my
70th jubilee birthday! It was unforgettable and won- Srila Prabhupada ki-jaya! Srila Niranjana Swami ki-
derful! The grace of Krishna is evident in all things. jaya! Sri harinama-sankirtana-yajna ki-jaya!!!
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And even now, in this difficult time, when sirens are
THE GRACE OF SAINTLY MEN
constantly howling, power and water are cut off
and we have to worship the Deities by candlelight, We are woven of grace of merciful saints!
read Srimad Bhagavatam daily by fleshlight, and Of their love, care and compassion.
have no opportunity to be in touch with devotees - They lead us, the blind, the wretched, full of pains,
still, I understand that there is Krishna’s mercy in it Quenching the fire of our vile passion.
too. He tirelessly teaches us, corrects us, helps us, Like the Sun shines the same for all, it is the light
testing us to see whether our devotion is true and Of Sadhus’ wisdom that ignites our path.
lasting. They sweep away all anarthas from the heart,
Leaving no illusion or sins, no greed or wrath. ,,В нектаре намы счастливо живи!,,
Gently planting the seeds of pure devotion, Отныне каждый может быть удачлив.
Turning lust into delicate love sprouts, И приняв в дар желание святых,
Sadhus reiterate, “this is nama nectarean ocean; Наполни дворик сердца вечным счастьем,
Oh, take to this whereabouts!” Святое Имя Бога повторив!
Accepting the saints’ will as a gift they impart, Харе Кришна Харе Кришна
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Fill the very core of your heart Кришна Кришна Харе Харе
With this eternal joy and delight. Харе Рама Харе Рама
Good fortune will follow you day and night, Рама Рама Харе Харе
Chant the Lord’s holy name, chant His name!
With respect and gratitude, your disciple
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Lalita Hrdaya dd (Ukraine, Dnepr)
Krishna Krsna Hare Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
LARISA KOZINA
МИЛОСТЬ СВЯТЫХ
Dear Niranjana Swa-
Мы сотканы из милости святых!
mi, please accept my
Любви, заботы их и сострадания.
obeisances in the dust
Ведут нас всех, - убогих и слепых,
of your lotus feet.
Гася пожар порочного желания.
Подобно солнцу , что одно для всех ,
bhupada.
Светом знания путь нам озаряя,
First, I would like to apologize
Жадность, гнев, иллюзию и грех,-
to you for missing last year and
Все анартхи с сердца выметают.
not writing to you, although this
Семя бхакти бережно сажая,
is the duty of every disciple.
Похоть превратив в росток любви,
Please forgive me.
Святые неустанно повторяют -
In your offering to Srila Prabhupada for 2022, you
LARISA
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wrote (quote): ... “the events of the current year 2022
have subjected the lives of thousands of your ser-
vants to unprecedented trials for many, which have
POVALYAEVA
managed to alienate the faith of many of them from
Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept my
your instructions” ... I was among them, but for me,
humble obeisances in the dust of Your
this period began with the beginning of the pan-
lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
demic. But now it’s not about me, sorry, but I want
to say that in the most difficult moments, when the Let me thank you for the class on how to deal with
tamo-guna took root tightly in my thoughts, I was negativity given by you on 10/18/2022. I listen to it
saved by your photo and memories of lectures in almost every day because there I have found clear
which you glorify Srila Prabhupada and ask for help answers to the questions I am interested in. You
in serving him, as once he asked you to help him often say (in that class) that the best preaching is
spread the mission of Lord Chaitanya. Your love and preaching by one’s own exam-
loyalty to Srila Prabhupada is so strong, pure and real ple, and that to become able to
that I want to become such a sincere disciple for you. change somebody or even save
someone, one should start with
I also want to thank you for your senior disciples,
oneself; one should be strict to
whom I do not know personally, but who share their
oneself but lenient to others,
experience of service and just the nectar of com-
and one should not find faults
munication with you, who organize meetings on
with others. Srila Prabhupada
Guru katha online, and also are nearby and support
also talks about it. You men-
you with their example of service in following your
tioned his letter in your offering
instructions.
in 2020. I try to listen to this
Thank you very much for everything you do for us. lecture every now and then to
remind myself about something
In the dust of your lotus feet,
significant and important: start
Kozina Larisa (Tomsk)
with yourself. I see that you show us your own Prabhupada left his priceless gift to us - his books,
matchless example of such preaching - preaching and we get convinced that it is so every time we
with your own example; in this way you are an ideal read them with the devotees. I think some taste for
disciple of your master. From the bottom of my reading has awoken in me by the Lord’s mercy. We
heart, I thank you for dedicating every day of this have been reading Srimad-Bhagavatam in a small
life to devotional service, thereby enabling many to group of devotees for two years, now we are read-
come closer to Lord Krsna. ing the Eleventh Canto.
Thank you for all the online meetings during the I really like your words at the end of your offering
pandemic; it was the best time in my life because, to Srila Prabhupada. Please, let me end my offering
during that time, my attention was focused only on with these words, addressing you: Guru Maharaja,
devotional service. There was no work, and my as- I am grateful to you for everything which has any
sociation was limited, but due to the Lord’s mercy, value in my life! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I was in good health and I had time to regularly and
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Your eternal debtor at the dust of your lotus feet,
more often make garlands for the Deities, listen to
Bhaktin Larisa Povalyaeva
Your lectures on Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, and chant
11/22/2022 Lipetsk
japa together. Back then I heard from you that
every devotee must read this book, and so I finally
ordered it in Russian from a devotee from Odesa.
LASIKA DEVI DASI
Also, I would like to thank you for taking care of
devotees from Ukraine who faced difficult life Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble
circumstances. And again you show by your own obeisances! Thank you for the fact that you are
example what our attitude to to such things should here, thank you for accepting me as your disciple.
be, how to be compassionate, merciful and consid- Whatever I am trying to do now is only by your mer-
erate. cy. Without it, life is pointless.
Also, you remind us that this is a material world, All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
and it’s impossible to live here without Krsna. Srila Your servant, Lasika Devi Dasi
LILANANDA By bestowing your mercy you purify my heart and
awake the anxious desire to read and hear about
DEVI DASI Sri Radha and Sri Krsna in it. You teach me to get
abrsorbed in spiritual reality and find real happi-
ness and joy in it.
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept my obeisances Dear Guru Maharaja! My whole life in the body is il-
in the dust of your lotus feet! luminated with your mercy. I fall down to your lotus
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! feet many times with the deepest gratitude for your
devoted service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, for
30 years passed since I en-
saving falling souls from the repeated cycle of birth
tered the temple for the first
and death, for the love and care that you bestow on
time and it has been 27 years
devotees, for your wonderful example of friendship
since you bestowed your mercy
with your Godbrothers. You teach how to do the
on me, the falling soul. After
deed and teach to reach the goal even when weak.
that, your mercy guides me
All glories-glories-glories to your activities filled
back home to Godhead.
with profound spiritual power.
By bestowing your mercy you
Trying to be your servant,
teach me to be thoughtful, but
Lilananda Devi Dasi
not boring. Be useful, but not despotic. Discover
Latvia, Jurmala, 11/11/2022
good where you do not expect it and recognize
unexpected talents in other people and rejoice in
these discoveries; if it is necessary to offer my
head as a stepping stone for others to succeed.
By bestowing your mercy you teach me not to be
dependent on material conditions and see the will
and mercy of the Lord in everything. L
LILAVATI DEVI DASI And again you saved me! You save me again and
again by saying that the holy name is the only truth
that contains EVERYTHING! Krsna’s holy name
covers everything. This name contains everything
humble obeisances to your beautiful lotus
- everything that we need - full protection, the final
feet. All glory to Your Divine Grace! All glo-
refuge, a reliable foundation, a solid core around
ries to Srila Prabhupada!
which our whole life revolves. Srila Prabhupada, in
This world is so unsteady and unreliable, the same his infinite kindness, brought all this to us from the
about relations in this world. Now we can say that it spiritual world, eternal and imperishable. And you,
is true from our own experience. We see how every- as Srila Prabhupada’s personal magician, manifest
thing collapses around us and crumbles into dust. for us from outer space - either in the form of de-
There is no protection, no refuge, no solid foundation lightful lectures on Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, or in the
to cling to in order to survive both physically and spir- form of kirtans from distant Mayapura that could
itually. And at this time you are take to the spiritual world, or via your personal
concentrated and purposefully involvement in our lives, or sometimes you arrange
trying to give us this protection the most amazing festivals for the devotees in a
and refuge which we so much secret place. I am very happy that we (I) have such
need. We, in turn, are trying to a spiritual master, and I can thank my fate for this
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find at least some pleasure, at innermost joy and happiness - to try to serve your
least some kind of relief in all this servants, to serve your lotus feet. Thank you very
nightmare. But fortunately, we much and I offer my lowest obeisances to you for
again hear your transcendental your transcendental and incredible work for the
voice from the eternal present re- benefit of our conditioned souls, for your constant
ality: “Seek refuge only in the holy and uninterrupted efforts to rescue the fallen souls
name!” Unfortunately, we under- from material captivity.
stand this only sometimes when
Trying to become a servant of your lotus feet,
we are in difficult situations.
Lilavati Devi Dasi (11/18/2022)
LILESVARI around; or maybe it is an indicator for me that my
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understanding is limited.
DEVI DASI So I decided to read books related to this topic
and to get some inspiration so that the holy name
Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my is filled with spiritual meaning, and it is not just
humble obeisances. All glories to Srila words said again and again. They must be based
Prabhupada. on spiritual, conscious Truth. It is not possible to
pronounce the holy name simply by moving the lips
You have Krsna, the greatest fortune and the great-
and tongue.
est happiness. Thank you for introducing the rules
of Krsna Consciousness in your lectures and thank Sound is not created on the material level. This is a
you for understanding that this should be treated spiritual sound. And the sound produced by speech
positively because these are God’s instructions organs which is governed by thoughts is not Krsna.
that help us get rid of suffering. And if we sincerely
However, He controls everything and therefore He
try to surrender, Krsna will protect what we have
can appear as He wishes, in any place and in any
and give us what we lack.
sound. When Krsna in the form of sound descends
Thank you for understanding that Krsna Con- from the transcendental world into the heart, and
sciousness is an invaluable gift in all creation. from the heart controlling every aspect of the nervous
system comes to the lips and tongue dancing there,
By virtue of meeting you, I have found something
that is Krsna Nama. (Teachings of Sri Caitanya).
very meaningful and full of beauty. I regret that
because of some health reasons, I could not attend Dear Guru Maharaja, you are a leader and you have
the festivals. been able to inspire others for a long time. This is
the main element of your spiritual life, service to
Dear Guru Maharaja, I want to confess that lately
the world.
(the war in the country, and especially the fact that
children disappear and die), I am not always able to I congratulate you on your anniversary, may you be
chanting japa, although it should be the other way healthy and may you always “be”.
Thank you for your humility, patience, desire to You are always happy. The happiness formula that
show respect to everyone, friendliness and com- Srila Prabhupada gave us works. I am just trying
passion. to bring it to life. Whenever there are difficulties in
my life and I do not know how to find a solution,
Always your servant,
I remember your instructions. It makes my life
Lilesvari Devi Dasi
easier. After listening to your lectures, I am always
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Dnipro
inspired to act.
How can I find words to express my gratitude to
LOKA-LILA DEVI DASI you and Krsna for your constant guidance, your
care, and for your patience? You give so much
Dear Guru Maharaja! that no matter how hard I try, I cannot repay you. I
Please accept my humble obeisances in can only pray that I will always serve you and I will
the dust of your lotus feet. always have this desire.
Dear Guru Maharaja, thank you very much for your
On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, lectures on Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. Thanks to them,
let me please thank you. I know I have neither the more and more subtle aspects of the process of
qualities nor the qualifications, nor the gift of elo- devotional service are revealed. They are very deep
quence to glorify you on this auspicious day. The and at the same time very easy to listen to. Without
only thing I have is your example, your example of your lectures, life in this material world would be
serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission. You always unbearable.
inspire me to try to follow your instructions.
Your blogs make it possible to “travel” with you and
Dear Guru Maharaja, I am eternally grateful for your find answers to my questions. I am also very grateful
kindness and compassion. You teach us that despite for your Vaisnava festival lectures. I am grateful to all
all the circumstances that happen in this world, no the devotees who are taking care of you in Mayapura
matter what is going on, we should continue to chant and broadcasting poignant kirtans. I am especially
the holy names, preach, and serve the devotees. grateful to you for letting me hear you online.
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaja, for your decision patient with me while I went through my hardships
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to initiate me. It was a complete surprise for me. I throughout these last few years. I always admire
have not deserved such mercy. This mercy makes you and constantly desire your association. You
me your eternal debtor and this is the safest posi- are my rock, my biggest support.
tion in this world. I am infinitely grateful to Krsna
For me every day is a day in which I worship the
that this is how it all happened. I am completely
lotus feet of my spiritual master, so this day of
dependent on your mercy. Now I have a constant
vyasa-puja is just another day in which I continue
question in my mind: “How can I serve you more?” I
to worship you. I very often think how lucky I am to
pray to serve you and Srila Prabhupada better. The
have met you in my life.
connection with the guru is eternal and I pray never
to forget this connection. Unfortunately lately, I feel like
a failure. Hari is the one who
Trying to be your servant
takes away. He takes away all
in the dust of your feet,
the layers of our conditioning.
Loka-lila Devi Dasi
And while He takes away, you
are standing beside me, holding
LOKA-PAVANI me so I don‘t fall.
Spiritual master is far away and
DEVI DASI he is always near.
Sometimes he is outside and sometimes he is
Dear Guru Maharaja, inside.
Please accept my humble obeisances at Spiritual master transforms himself into a spiritual
the dust of your lotus feet. sound and in the form of a vibration he enters our
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. ears and comforts our hearts.
All glories to your divine appearance day. Whatever activity we perform in our spiritual life,
we are only assisting our spiritual master, we are
I wish to thank you for tolerating me and being
always behind him embracing his lotus feet.
Spiritual master is so kind for embracing us back of your lotus feet which are the oasis of relief in the
with his mercy. scorching heat of the desertlike material world.
He is the oldest of all, but in a new dress.
In the Bhagavad-gita an analogy is given how a tor-
By meditating and serving the spiritual master we
toise brings up its offspring simply by meditation.
see Krishna.
You are truly a well-wisher of everyone and your
The greatest prison for the spirit soul is when it is service to the world and to Krishna is like a medita-
attached for matter, but when that same attach- tion of a tortoise, because by that meditation you
ment is applied to a self-realized devotee of the sustain the spiritual lives of so many.
Lord, it opens the door to liberation.
„Only out of His immense compassion does the
I am so fortunate to be bathed by your glances. Personality of Godhead reveal Himself as the spiri-
Somehow the glances of great spiritual person- tual master. Therefore in the dealings of an ācārya
alities are so powerful. It must be so because there are no activities but those of transcenden-
everything comes from Krishna. By His glances tal loving service to the Lord. He is the Supreme
the creation of the material manifestation takes Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile
place. By His glances He increases the ecstasy of to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is
the gopis and especially Srimati Radharani. By His called āśraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form
glances He communicates with His most intimate of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.“ (Cait-
associates. Just by seeing the glance of Krishna, anya Caritamrita, Adi Lila, 1.46, purport)
Uddhava knows all the intentions of his Master.
My enthusiasm died a little bit, please pray for me.
There is so much meaning in one glance. There- I sometimes feel beaten at every step and my feet
fore there is so much meaning in your glance. If are slipping, please grant me your stick of mercy
we don‘t know all the secrets your glance contains, so I can continue walking towards Sri Sri Radha
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what we do know is that it contains immense love Krishna.
for your disciples. Anyone who has been bathed in
Your servant always, Loka-pavani devi dasi
your glance can testify to that. Your glance is like
23rd of October 2022, Winterthur, Switzerland
the force of gravity and it pulls people to the shade
LUYBOV a downpour in the desert, they extinguish the fire of
material existence.
YURKINA mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
Dear Guru Maharaja, yat kripa tam aham vande
Please accept my humble obeisances! sri guru dina taranam
All glories to your divine grace. All glories
I offer my respectful obeisances unto He who turns
to Srila Prabhupada.
the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the
On this auspicious day of your lame to cross mountains.
Vyasa-puja, I really want to
A year and a half ago, by your mercy, I started chant-
glorify you and describe your
ing 16 rounds of the maha-mantra every day, although
transcendental qualities prop-
before it seemed to me absolutely impossible.
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erly... However, I have to admit
that I am not qualified to find And despite all the difficulties, I think it was the
the right words... best year and a half of my life. Thank you.
I am still at the very beginning This year has been full of wonderful service...
of the journey, and I still cannot Harinamas, cooking at nama-hatta, participating in
understand much, however, kirtans and more. All this service with devotees is a
I would like to express my great fortune... Association with devotees is such a
gratitude. Your example is a great fortune.
source of great inspiration to
I want to offer you the fruits of my service... be-
me... How humbly and simply
cause all this became possible thanks to you. I
you behave, how completely absorbed you are in
would like to understand this very deeply...
Krsna Consciousness and how generously you
share it with us, no matter what the difficulties. I pray to become your worthy disciple, the servant
Your lectures touch the heart so deeply... and, like of the servant of the servant so that your instruc-
tions become my life, to always remain in the
association of devotees and dedicate my life to the
ISKCON mission.
Please forgive my offenses.
Your unworthy servant,
Luybov
(St. Petersburg)
L
MADHUVRATA DASA and see you pleased, we know for sure that Krsna
has accepted our offering.
My dear spiritual master, please accept We pray to Krsna, but we cannot hear His answer.
my humble obeisances in the dust of your But we can immediately hear the answer by associ-
lotus feet.All glories to Srila Prabhupada! ating with you, etc.
This day is a festival for all of us, your disciples. We serve and love you not because we have to, but
Nobody will ever be able to overestimate the because we are attached to you and we are not
importance of meeting you, mutual relationship even aware of the depth of this attachment.
between guru and disciple, your instructions and
You teach us the principles of bhakti which are
affection to you. I offer my obeisances to you a
so much valuable. I can see proof of it again and
thousand times for your care, kindness and person-
again. I see how you build and introduce the foun-
al example. Anyone dreams to have such a father.
dation of present society and the society that
Krsna loves us, but we cannot see Krsna; we can should exist in the future in our communities. You
see you. are concerned about succession from the present
generation to the future ones. You want the mis-
Krsna accepts the service rendered, but we are
sion of our dear Srila Prabhupada to always be
not confident whether
relevant and outstanding for people, your aspira-
He accepts it, but we
tion is that it should not be overshadowed by other
know for sure when
philosophies.
you accept our ser-
vice. There is life in the mission. The name of the Lord
is living. Stories about Him are always relevant and
We feed Krsna every
living. And the mission should be always living be-
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day, but we do not
cause it is non-different from the Lord Himself.
know whether He
accepts anything from It is very difficult to maintain all these properly in
us. But if we feed you this age. It would have been almost impossible
but for the great power of the name, Vaisnavas should do our best to help devotees to overcome
and scriptures. And our task is to dig in deeper these difficulties. But the test for our faith is much
and deeper until we find this strength. Our spiritual more difficult to pass. How to maintain a solid
strength is absolutely insignificant, but if we get foundation of spiritual knowledge so that the whole
the strength via the spiritual master, everything be- construction would not be ruined? Our salvation
comes real. Krsna is the source of all strength and and strength are in unity. And unity is always mani-
we are little dependent living entities. fested around somebody or something. The foun-
dation of our unity is Srila Prabhupada who gave
Srila Prabhupada says in his lecture in Mumbai in
us everything. And only our pride counteracts this
1974,
unity. It is only by serving each other and remem-
“Of course, we cannot fully comprehend Krsna. bering the mercy of the Spiritual Master that we can
It is not possible. It is beyond our ability because get rid of the pride and show respect to all devotees
Krsna is so great and we are so small. Krsna is so and living entities. Guru Maharaja, you always set
great that even He cannot fully understand Him- the example of perfect Vaisnava behaviour based
self. He does not know why He is so attractive. In on love and care. It is our duty to always remember
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order to understand what makes Him so attractive your example and follow your behavior.
He came as Lord Caitanya and manifested Srimati
Now it is time to show what we have heard from
Radharani’s ecstatic emotions. Thus it is not possi-
what we have listened to.
ble to fully comprehend Krsna, but if we simply try
to understand Him within our limited capacities, it I want to end with Srila Prabhupada’s words which
will be our perfection”. are a prayer for me.
It has always been difficult in the material world. (The lecture was published in The Harmonist in
There has never been time or place where people 1936 on the Appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhan-
could feel safe and happy. At present, there is one ta Sarasvati Thakura) “Personally, I have no hope
more turn of tension in the world and new challeng- for any direct service for the coming crores of births
es for devotees. Somebody faces difficulties with of the sojourn of my life, but I am confident that
their body, others suffer from mental problems. We some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire
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of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. anahata prayasena
Therefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the prabhupadasya tushtaye
lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to suffer sankirtana pravriti artham
the lot for which I am destined due to my past mis- ihate gurave namaha
doings, but to let me have this power of recollection:
namo nishkama bhaktaya
that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty
sarma bhakta hitaya te
Godhead, realized through the unflinching mercy of
krsna kirtana pranaya
my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his
niranjana swamine namaha
lotus feet with all the humility at my command.”
Dear Guru Maharaja, please allow me to make an
Your unworthy servant,
attempt to glorify you on this auspicious day of
Madhuvrata Dasa
your Vyasa-puja.
When I am writing offerings for the day of your Vya-
MAHABAHU DASA sa-puja, this is the moment when I can think and
reflect on the time that has passed, whether I was
AND RADHIKA able to satisfy you, my Guru and Krsna with my ser-
vice, what has been done, what has been missed,
DEVI DASI what mistakes I have
made, what I could fix
Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept my and what needs to be
obeisances! All glories to Your Grace! improved. But what is
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! timeless is that I am
very fortunate to be
nama om visnu padaya
your student and that
krsna prestaya bhu tale
you in turn are a very
srimati niranjana swami
diligent student of Srila
iti namine
Prabhupada.
Your preaching this year, as always, is impeccable, I experienced a kind of transcendent pride that we
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purifying our hearts, sustaining our spirit, inspiring have you, so real, so unique.
devotion to Guru and Sri Krsna, giving shelter, pro-
When we are in an illusion, any events become
tection and care.
quite habitual over time, since there is no deep
Recent years have been very difficult for all hu- and conscious understanding of their importance
mankind; this year is so full of historically difficult and value, and we also believe this will always be
events, forcing us to think deeply about the nature like that. But the recent events in the world, as
of the material world. There was and still are a lot well as the events of my personal life, to a certain
of worries and suffering, the whole world turned extent, deprived me of this illusion. It is unequiv-
upside down, a crazy war, senseless death of peo- ocal that this is completely causeless mercy of
ple, persecution of countries and nations, generat- Guru and Sri Krsna, which, in spite of everything,
ing hatred among people because of political strife brought me a true conviction that the Lord allows
and intrigues. us to experience difficult situations in order to
bring us closer to Himself, and there is no doubt
It is impossible to imagine what the devotees from
about it.
Ukraine had to go through. It is still going on, but in
spite of everything, the devotees from Ukraine and There are so many different energies in this mate-
devotees around the world continue their devotion- rial world and Prabhupada came and showed us all
al service, strengthening their position as a servant these energies, but at the same time, he said that
of the Lord, since this is the only way to peace. none of these energies has any value if they are not
connected with Krsna.
You, dear Guru Maharaja, once again won my heart
with your unshakable fearlessness, your constant Usually, in trouble, people get united, I mean peo-
concern for the devotees, your qualities of a true ple, not animals in a humanoid body; therefore,
representative of your Guru who never leaves there is proper basis for people, and especially
anyone in trouble. Your trips to Ukraine evoked spiritual and religious personalities, to unite in a
mixed feelings in my heart, on the one hand, a deep single goal of bringing the consciousness of God
concern for your life and health, on the other hand, to our planet, only in this way there is a chance to
develop love for God in the hearts of people and
naturally stop the ongoing madness.
MAHA-LAKSMI
I sincerely thank you, dear Guru Maharaja, for your DEVI DASI
monumental efforts for the whole world, for the de-
velopment of ISKCON as a whole and for the sake Dear Guru Maharaja, I congratulate you on
of each devotee individually who depends on your your 70th anniversary appearance day.
preaching and on your example of a true, faithful
May you have a long life and I hope that you will
representative of Srila Prabhupada.
be able to make your disciples and followers hap-
My husband joins in everything I have said and py with your books, lectures, and kirtans. Why did
thanks you from the bottom of his heart for every- Krsna give me the happiness of accepting such
thing you do for us, for saving my life and for allow- a wonderful spiritual master? If one strictly fol-
ing me to continue my efforts in devotional service lows your instructions, one can advance along the
to your lotus feet, the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupa- spiritual path quite easily. I often remind myself of
da, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Krsna. your words: if something is not about Krsna, it is
prajalpa. I try to follow this. And in my namahattas,
If you so wish, please bless us so that we can
the devotees also follow this. Unfortunately, no one
follow a daily regular sadhana of bhakti, and chant
wants to return to the spiritual world. However, I
attentively Krsna’s holy names without offenses.
am still hoping that someday there will be some
May our servant mentality be established in our
progress and the devotees’ material attachments
hearts so that our service becomes truly devotional
will be replaced with spiritual ones.
and pleases you, our Guru, and we may see your
smile bring joy to Srila Prabhupada. Since I have 10 per cent of my eyesight left and
I can’t read as much as I used to before, Mataji
Your servants Mahabahu Dasa
M M
Gauri-radhika, your disciple from St. Petersburg
and Radhika Devi Dasi
reads to me via Skype. Her mother and she are
very inspired.
Now I am in Vrindavana. The relationship with the roots in our hearts. And no disasters or storms can
holy dhama has deepened a lot, and, of course, it is uproot them. The last meeting with You brought
Kartika, there are parikramas and kirtans. me an incredibly powerful sense of the life path
we all have chosen. And no wind can be compared
I continue to meditate on Radha-dasya, this su-
with this flurry of deep
preme gift that Krsna has given us.
feelings that filled the
Thank you so much for the lectures on Brhad- loving hearts of the
Bhagavatamrta. I look forward to every lecture. devotees at the Car-
pathian festival.
Thank you for the mercy you bestow on us so
generously. Thank you for the spiritual realizations The mountains them-
that we receive by your mercy. I offer you my obei- selves seemed small-
sances a thousand times. er to sit and cling to
every word, absorbing
Your servant Maha-laksmi Devi Dasi
Srila Prabhupada’s
Estonia, Tallinn.
love which drifted through You as powerful clouds
which are inherent to Krishna’s body. There’s no
MAHAMANA such power which could possibly break the unity of
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those individual souls, eager to please Krishna by
DEVI DASI serving Him all together.
When guru speaks, his mood strikes everything
Dear Guru Maharaja! around, his words reach the most sacred parts of
Please, let me glorify You on the day of the heart. And his singing fills the heart with joy and
Your appearance and offer my obeisances. happiness that are unknown in this material world.
Beloved Guru Maharaja! Everything connected with This is because You have given to us seva bhava
You has a priceless treasure. It can be compared — the exact mood of your service to all devotees,
to the strong tree trunk of a tree that has taken firm to all living entities, to Srila Prabhupada and to The
Holy Name. You are an example of the servant of tus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and
the servant of the servant of the servant of the ser- the Guru Parampara!
vant of the servant of the servant of the servant...
Not so long ago, I have been reading the Third Can-
And this love and gratitude of the devotees for you
to of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, I am now on verse
radiated from their eyes, which created the mood
3.25.20
of the spiritual world. You could feel it just by being
M
there. prasangam ajaram pāśam
ātmanah kavayo viduh
That is why such festivals are the festivals of the
sa eva sādhusu krto
spiritual world. My sincere desire is to always be
moksa-dvāram apāvrtam
present at such events and to share this mood with
everybody. Every learned man knows very well that attach-
ment for the material is the greatest entanglement
Thank you, Guru Maharaja. Anticipating our new
of the spirit soul. But
meetings.
that same attachment,
I’m bowing down to your lotus feet with a hope to when applied to the
never separate with them. self-realized devotees,
opens the door of liber-
Hare Krishna!
ation.
Your loving servant,
This is a well-known
Mahamana devi dasi, Kyiv, Ukraine
verse that is often
2022 November
quoted in terms of the
importance of associ-
MAHAPRAKASA DASA ating with exalted devotees. And as I meditated on
this verse, I tried to understand how much I have
developed an attachment to associating with you.
In the commentary on this verse, Srila Prabhupada
humble obeisances in the dust of your lo-
says that it is impossible to get rid of desire and tached! And so much so that, without waiting for
attachment. They are inherent in the nature of a you to come to Russia, I myself went to Mayapura
living being. We will always be attached to some- this year to see you. I listen to your lectures and
thing and someone. And accordingly, we will act kirtans, read your books and letters to disciples,
in accordance with our attachments. Our life will chant pranama to you several times a day, and
depend on what our attachments are directed at. remember you three times a day during gayatri.
But that’s not enough for me! I also wanted a face-
Either we will associate with devotees or with
to-face meeting and live association. From this,
materialists. Either we will eat prasadam or we will
I conclude that I am still attached to association
eat bhoga. Either we will go to club parties, or to
with you. But it happened solely thanks to you and
Sunday programs. Either we will read Srila Prabhu-
your mercy! You turned out to be such a charming
pada’s books or detective stories.
and attractive person that it was impossible not to
There is no alternative. This is the black-and-white become attached to you! How valuable your soulful
M
picture of the attachment. And trying to apply this lyrical kirtans and bhajans are!
verse and commentary to myself, I was happy to
They are so beautiful and melodic that not only
suddenly discover that I had finally lived to such a
your disciples hear them! What to speak of your
period of life when I was really attached to associ-
deep lectures that you at times give with such
ating with devotees. I really enjoy living with dev-
emotions that a shiver runs through the body. And
otees, doing daily devotional service, studying the
your laughter is so charming that there is nothing
scriptures, listening to lectures, preparing and eat-
left but to fall in love with it! And so I can confident-
ing prasadam, and also participating in Srila Pra-
ly say that I am attached to you.
bhupada’s book distribution mission. And looking
back, I can confidently say that I don’t remember a Dear Guru Maharaja! Thank you for this wonderful
period in my life when I was as happy as I am now. sublime affection! It is the most precious thing I
I wouldn’t trade this life for any price. have.
But am I attached to associating with you and to Your unworthy but attached disciple
what extent? Yes, dear Guru Maharaja, I am at- is Mahaprakasa Dasa
MAHESHVARA DASA yourself broadcast and embody for the benefit of
everybody.
Dear Guru Maharaja. Please accept my This year is the 70th anniversary of your appear-
humble obeisances in the dust of your ance in this world, so let me congratulate you on
lotus feet. All glories to you. All glories to this important date. Time flies very quickly and
Srila Prabhupada. the sun shortens the life of any of us with every
sunrise and sunset, except for those who devote
Again, let me thank you for everything you do for
all their time to the devotional service of the Lord.
your disciples, well-wishers and all living beings.
Thank you once again for an example of such ser-
This year has been very difficult for many devo-
vice.
tees and ordinary people. Some of the devotees
left their bodies at war, some were injured, and On this auspicious day, I ask you to allow me to be
many had to leave their homes and move to other of service to you. Despite the fact that I am worth-
regions and countries. Also, different attitudes less and fallen, I hope that by your mercy I will be
towards the war led to many conflicts between the able to continue my practice of bhakti yoga, which
devotees. is still far from perfection, to purify and move
towards the achievement of the highest goal of life
This whole situation once again shows how pow-
Krishna prema-bhakti.
erful the material energy of the Lord is. You are
one of those mature sincere devotees who help to I wish you good health and many years of happy
revive the proper consciousness and not get lost preaching of Krsna Consciousness.
in this impenetrable darkness of the Kali-yuga.
Hoping to become a servant
You so selflessly flew to Ukraine at great risk to
of your servants one day,
support the devotees. It is obvious that they are
Maheshvara Dasa
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very grateful to you. Now you are in America. Your
example shows that pure devotional service exists
in this world and you can get it by trying to follow
you, follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions that you
MANDAKINI the result of your continuous efforts in serving Srila
Prabhupada, I can say with admiration that you are
DEVI DASI a true Spiritual Master and the happiness of being
your disciple cannot be overestimated!
Dear Guru Maharaja Srila Niranjana Swami! It is impossible to list all your activities as it is im-
Please accept my obeisances in the dust possible to describe the infinite glories of the holy
of your lotus feet! All glories to His Divine name, and I am sure that Srila Prabhupada is very
Grace Srila Prabhupada, His Divine pres- happy to have a disciple like you!!
ence in this world!
I am very grateful to you for the opportunity to be
You, dear Guru Maharaja, have invested and are in- in the association of your sincere followers, for the
vesting your whole life in the presence of the great opportunity to be useful to them!
acarya. And, by Your causeless mercy, you engage
Dear Guru Maharaja, thousands of humble obei-
M
everyone who is somehow
sances to you and your unalloyed love, your pre-
fortunate enough to come into
ma-bhakti which you so generously share with
contact with you, a completely
everyone without any distinction.
unique person who is deeply
devoted to the Supreme Lord. Your whole life - your disciples, many temples,
books written by you - convince of the true path of
Dear Guru Maharaja, your heart,
pure devotional service preached by the six Gos-
your feelings, thoughts, aspira-
vamis of Vrindavana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all
tions, dreams and deeds - every-
previous acaryas headed by Srila Prabhupada.
thing - you have put at the lotus
feet of your beloved spiritual Thank you so much for your patience, humility,
master - Srila Prabhupada. uncompromising nature, ability to share the truth
about the most important thing - pure devotional
And, looking at your life through
service - in any situation, at any time, to any people,
the prism of the past years as
regardless of any circumstances.
By the Lord’s mercy, may your compassion and Today, on this special day for us, on Your Appear-
care for the conditioned souls in this world be man- ance Day, I want to thank you for your example of a
ifested for us again and again! Let the eagerness devoted follower of Srila Prabhupada and previous
to believe you, your instructions, and the strength acaryas.
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to follow your instructions always fill our hearts
As a representative of Srila Vyasadeva, you are
and our actions, thoughts and words serve your
trying to convey his explanation of the teachings of
mission!
the Vedas without distortion.
saḿsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
Especially recently, you are so heartily explaining
trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
the intimate and blissful nature of the relationship
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
between the living entity and the Supreme Lord by
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
using the example given in the story of Gopa-ku-
I thank the Lord for your appearance in this mate- mara. You explain the nature of prayojana, the goal
rial world full of illusion and suffering, which you of our practice of regulated
transform into the spiritual world with your pres- devotional service.
ence and your love.
There are many different devo-
Hoping to eternally serve at your lotus feet, tees in our society; cooperating
Mandakini Devi Dasi with each other, it is sometimes
difficult for us to set the right
priorities. The tendency to con-
MANGALA-VAISNAVA sider minor things as important
ones is always there. Therefore
DASA you work hard, you are con-
stantly giving us knowledge,
Dear Guru Maharaja, sharing the understanding that
please accept my obeisances. Srila Prabhupada and the previ-
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! ous acaryas had.
Not only are you only technically giving explana-
tions of devotional service, but you are showing an
MANIBANDHA
example of accepting their guidance and depen-
dence on their mercy. This “servant of the servant”
DASA AND
mood is proof that the devotee is on the transcen-
dental platform, where he, by Lord Krsna’s mercy,
SYAMA-MANJARI
clearly sees things as they are.
DEVI DASI
nāham vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāham varnī na ca grha-patir no vanastho yatir vā Guru Maharaja!
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmrtābdher Please accept our humble obeisances!
gopī-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsah All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories
to your divine appearance day!
“I am not a brāhmana, I am not a ksatriya, I am not
a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a house- nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
holder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify My- srimate niranjana-swamin iti namine
self only as the servant of the servant of the servant
We respectfully bow down before His
of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Krsna, the maintainer of
Divine Grace Srila Niranjana Swami Maha-
the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is
raja, who is very dear to Lord Krsna for he
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the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is
as has shelter at His lotus feet.
always existing with brilliance.” (CC Madhya 13.80).
anahata prayasena prabhupadasya-tustaye
On this day of your Vyasa-puja, I humbly ask you to
sankirtana-pravrutyartham ihate gurave namaha
bless me to always follow in the footsteps of the
previous acaryas, to follow your instructions, and We offer our humble obeisances to our
to always be able to properly set priorities in my life spiritual master, whose constant contin-
and also help others to do so. uous efforts are always directed toward
propulsion of sankirtana mission for satis-
Your humble servant, Mangala-vaisnava Dasa (Kharkiv)
faction of Srila Prabhupada.
M
namo niskama bhaktaya sarva-bhakta hitaya te yat karosi yad asnasi
krsna-kirtana pranaya niranjana-swamine namaha yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
“Obeisances to you, o disinterested dev-
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
otee, who acts for the benefit of all devo-
tees and whose life is Krsna-kirtana. We “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, what-
bow to Srila Niranjana Swami.” ever you offer or give away, and whatever
austerities you perform — do that, O son of
In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 1.45 it is said,
Kunti, as an offering to Me” (B-g, 9.27).
guru krsna-rupa hana sastrera pramane
Your life, your deeds, Guru Maharaja, are just won-
guru-rupe krsna krpa karena bhakta-gane
derful. A life dedicated to the mission of Srila Pra-
“According to the deliberate opinion of all bhupada is as miraculous as the mission of Srila
revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is Prabhupada itself. Everything you do is of great
nondifferent from Krsna. Lord Krsna in the significance to us, your disciples, and for many
form of the spiritual master delivers His people surrounding you. With your presence, we all
devotees.” become closer to Krsna.
A disciple must always see the comprehensible to By seeing your life, listening to you one may be-
our sight manifestation of the Lord in his spiritual come amazed: how is it possible?
master. So relations between a disciple and his
The answer is evident from your instructions, your
spiritual master are per se nondifferent from rela-
words due to authority got from Srila Prabhupada,
tions with the Supreme Lord. Spiritual master takes
form guru-parampara, form Sri Caitanya Mahapra-
responsibility to teach a disciple, and a disciple
bhu. Such authority is not a cheap one, you are
learns from him. In these relations guru always
authorized for you completely depend on Krsna.
tells the truth and also teaches with his example,
his behavior. Thus, by his own life a spiritual mas- An ordinary man lives sinful life because of un-
ter asserts Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personali- willingness to depend on Krsna. Spiritual mas-
ty of Godhead, in this world. ter — atma nivedanam — has dedicated himself
completely, depends on his spiritual master. That Guru Maharaja, your life is the embodiment of
is how parampara works. Krsna in Bhagavad-gita Krsna’s words, “With my mercy, you will overcome
(18.57) describes this dependence as follows, all obstacles of the material world, just surrender
to me!”
cetasa sarva-karmani
mayi sannyasya mat-parah Krsna Himself purifies such a devotee. As fire
buddhi-yogam upasritya devours any amount of firewood as the knowledge
mac-cittah satatam bhava about the dependence on Krsna purifies from any
amount of sins.
In all activities just depend upon Me and
work always under My protection. In such All glories to the divine day of your appearance!
devotional service, be fully conscious of Me. At your lotus feet, we humbly ask you for a bene-
diction to help you in your service to Srila Prabhu-
In the verse Krsna explains sannyasa principle.
pada!
Sannyasi is one who has renounced imaginary ma-
terial dependence. Guru voluntarily does only what With gratitude, your servants
Krsna likes: how to sit, how to sleep, to tell, etc. Manibandha Dasa and Syama-manjari Devi Dasi,
You, Guru Maharaja, serve Krsna with your mind, November, 2022
your words, your actions.
Guru depends on Krsna completely, so he is nondif-
ferent from Him. Everything Krsna wants to tell, He
MANJARI SUNDARI
does via a guru, and speaks via a guru.
DEVI DASI
Guru Maharaja, thank you so much for teaching us
with your example how to serve Krsna by serving Dear Guru Maharaj,
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spiritual master. You teach us the sacred and an- Please accept my humble obediences in
cient science of bhakti. You teach us to chant the the dust of your lotus feet.
holy names, Hare-Krsna maha-mantra. You teach us Jaya Srila Prabhupad!
to never fall and always be fully Krsna conscious!
Dear Guru Maharaj, I’m happy to celebrate Your my heart, but on a daily basis I sometimes forget
appearance day this year, again and again! Also about important things due to poor memory and
I celebrate one more year of my life in the sanga spiritual weakness. I totally understand that I’m not
of vaisnavas and the movement of Lord Caitanya that good at being a disciple… But I really want to
under Your guidance. Thank You for that so much. become one and every day I try to take tiny steps in
this direction.
You are the person who motivates me a lot on the
spiritual path from the very beginning. On the day of Your holy appearance, as always,
I would like to wish You good health and lots of
At the beginning of my Krishna consciousness be-
energy, and also I wish You could get more good
coming Your disciple was the motivation to chant
news about Your disciples in these difficult times.
16 rounds of japa, because only then I could ask
for Your shelter. So I started to chant 16 rounds I’m always so happy to hear about how You spend
quite soon after I met you with this only goal - to be your time with God brothers in sravanam and
able to become Your disciple. kirtanam, how You meet devotees who love you so
much. I wish You had more and more such happy
And I still and forever need Your guidance. I have
occasions.
realized that neither parents, nor best friends or a
life partner can give us real shelter. P.S.: My friend told me about meeting You in May-
apur. I was happy and surprised to learn that You
I know that the shelter of the spiritual master is not
know about a new soul that had come to us, be-
material, but it’s very essential and irreplaceable,
cause I haven’t managed to write a letter to You
it’s very powerful and it’s transcendental. And this
yet. So we are all humbly asking for Your blessings
shelter You give me through Your words, instruc-
to live Krishna Conscious life and give the right
tions, example of following the footsteps of Srila
example
Prabhupad, and example of the devotee care, of
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how You associate with devotees. Thank you very Your disciple
much for this example. Manjari Sundari dasi
These are words gathered from the bottom of
MANMOHINI shown respect, served with devotion, loved with all
one’s heart, and obeyed all his instructions.
DEVI DASI Dear Guru Maharaja, I am sincerely grateful to you
for appearing in my life and mercifully accepting
Dear Guru Maharaja, me into the spiritual family of Srila Prabhupada. In
please accept my humble obeisances Sanskrit, if you want to emphasize the importance
in the dust of your lotus feet. of something, the repetition of words is used, for
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! example:
I am trying to express my gratitude to you on this harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
wonderful day of your Vyasa-puja. kalau nastyeva nastyeva nastyeva gatir anyatha.
Every living being is an integral part of Krsna, and I would also like to fill many pages with all possible
for those who are in the material world, the spiri- words expressing gratitude to you, but still, in the
tual master is the captain of the ship on which the material world, there are no ways that could fully
soul can cross the ocean of ignorance, and only he express this.
can help get out of the quagmire of material exis-
Dear Guru Maharaja, thank you so much for being
tence. The role of a spiritual master in the life of a
with us. Associating with you is full of nectar. Look-
disciple cannot be overestimated.
ing at your picture and meditating on your service
Dear Guru Maharaja, I can’t even find the words to to Krsna and Srila Prabhupada is very inspiring.
express how important you are to us. Without the Thank you for everything.
blessing of a spiritual master, progress on the path
Your servant, Manmohini Devi Dasi
of self-realization and development of the bhakti of
Trinidad and Tobago Madhuvan Farm.
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love of Godhead is impossible. Life in the material
world without a spiritual master is meaningless -
the spiritual master is so precious, priceless and
important. He must be worshipped daily, always
MANMOHINI- A lot of people are following you. For each of them,
you are the standard. Let us follow your path, let us
RADHA DEVI DASI serve you, be devoted to you with all our hearts and
please the Lord and Srila Prabhupada through you.
AND ANANDA- Thank you for your guidance, sincerity, love, care
and association.
VIGRAHA DASA Thank you for lectures, and books that elevate the
Soul and help in everyday life.
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Maharaja!
Please accept our humble obeisances to Let me wish you good health, endless enthusiasm
your lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhu- and strength in serving the mission of your spiritu-
pada, your dear spiritual master! al master - Srila Prabhupada, devotees’ mercy and
Krsna’s mercy.
Please accept our sincere con-
gratulations on this auspicious Please bless us so that we may be worthy of your
day of your appearance from instructions and take them into our hearts and help
the bottom of our hearts. you satisfy Srila Prabhupada!
Dear Guru Maharaja! Your servants Manmohini-radha Devi Dasi
Every morning we offer our and Ananda-vigraha Dasa
obeisances to you, thinking the Republic of Crimea, Simferopol
following, “My dear spiritual
master, please engage me in
the service of Sri Krsna and the
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Vaisnavas.” And every time we
understand more deeply that
everything in our life comes
from you and by your mercy.
MOHINI-RADHA MURARI-KRISHNA
DEVI DASI DASA
Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Dear Guru Maharaja,
How are you? Please accept my humble obeisances in
All glories to you on this blessed day of
All glories to Srila Prabhupada .
your appearance!
All over the world and in my country everyone is
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nama om visnu-padaya krsna presthaya bhu-tale
going through difficult times and it is getting worse
srimate niranjana swamin iti namine
and worse. Our only hope is surrendering to Krishna.
Our only guide during this Kali yuga is the Bhaga- sankirtana pravrtty artham ihate gurave namah
vad Gita. That is the most important book these namo niskama bhaktaya sarva bhakta hitaya te
days. And through your lectures, Guru Maharaja. krsna kirtana pranaya niranjana swamine namah
After all, without having such a considerate guru
Time is passing by faster and
as you, our spiritual father, it is very difficult to go
faster. 10 years ago I was there
back to Krishna, without your guidance and that of
in Kiev, by Krishna’s miracle and
His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada it is very difficult
devotees’ kind help being able
to go back to Godhead. And most of all, you are
to participate in your anniversa-
an inspiration with the lecture about taking care
ry, a wonderful event organized
of devotees and how to take care of them. May
by devotees from Ukraine. I
Krishna give you good health, Guru Maharaja, and
knew I could not come so often
protect you always.
to events like this, because I
Your servant, was living quite far. And so I
Mohini Radha Devi Dasi was already picturing in my
imagination, of how we would celebrate after 10 Only to those who have an unflinching
years when your another anniversary comes, how faith in the words of both Guru and Krish-
big will be our family at that time, how happy we na all the benefits of the spiritual life will
will be together again, how I will meet you and my be revealed.
dear spiritual brothers and sisters again!
So many tests we have to pass to realize how true
So, 10 years flew away like a day-dream, and here Krishna’s words are. How many difficulties and
we are…on the Internet, celebrating. None of the obstacles, how much pain and enjoyment we have
things I imagined have happened, actually. We to tolerate, to appreciate the real value of spiritual
cannot be together again. We cannot sit together life, brought to us by Srila Prabhupada and you, his
around that festive table, being called one by one direct disciple. Your meditation on Srila Prabhupa-
by you treasuring so much each and every one of da is very deep, and that is the source of your de-
us, your spiritual children. votion to His Divine Grace. I had an immense luck
to observe how you do associate with your spiritual
Ukraine is in the fire of war. Devotees and ordinary
master in his vani form, so much so, that even in
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people are suffering so much. Our sweet family
small details you become a transparent media,
event is postponed till another opportunity comes,
allowing us to be in the presence of the acarya’s
yet… yet we are still here, gathering around you,
darsana.
and we still do celebrate, celebrate spiritual victory,
celebrate life, celebrate the direct representative Your classes, your books, your personal conduct as
of Krishna, our father, our leader, our guide to Srila a devotee gives us an idea of what is the meaning
Prabhupada’s lotus feet and to the spiritual world, of the actual spiritual aristocracy, as it is supposed
eventually. to be, and what is the victory of spirit over the mat-
ter, actually.
yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau Our recent meeting was a gift. I felt like we saw
tasyaite kathita hy arthah each other just yesterday, so much love and mercy
prakasante mahatmanah you were pouring on this lucky ant, whom you al-
ways help to feel significant, engaging me in Rad-
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ha-Krishna’s service through kindly accepting my the mother’s love does not depend on that. If the
service to you. Even after 30+ years in the move- grown up child offends or even slaps the mother,
ment I discover another and yet another layers of she might cry out of pain, but will continue to love
dirt, envy, disturbance and futile attempts to enjoy. her baby.
And it is no more surprise to me, I feel I must ad-
This is also true about you. It is not a secret that
mit, that the process of going back to the original
not everyone survives the spiritual life, and there
spiritual condition, of purifying myself enough to be
are some victims in this war with maya. I saw it for
able to deserve the name of a devotee, is a painful
myself, being near you, how much pain it was caus-
and slow process. It is an everyday fight with the
ing to you, when a devotee, your student, would
material surrounding, everyday’s attempt to keep
say he or she does not need your shelter anymore,
the proper state of consciousness. And only by
when some disciple would leave the movement,
your presence in my life I am able to rise again up
pronounce some offenses towards you or the Srila
and keep on moving forward after each lost battle.
Prabhupada’s movement. The tears would come
Thank you for that, Guru maharaja .
to your eyes, but you wouldn’t stop loving that lost
There is a Sanskrit phrase “Mata Pitah Guru Dai- soul.
vam” - the guru is the mother, father, friend, brother,
Your unlimited compassion is the reason of those
master and the supreme being. Yes, in this order it
tears, compassion to the soul, who has lost the
comes.
opportunity to get free of all the dirt and futility of
Usually, we call our Guru to be our spiritual father, this world, to the soul who lost the shelter of Srila
and it is true, he is the head of the spiritual family, Prabhupada’s lotus feet.
the uniting figure for all of us, the inspiratioт, the
Rarely any of us is a leader in this life. Most of us
motivation, the personal example, the source of
need another leader. And renouncing one Guru, the
wisdom and support. But there is also love.
person in most of the cases gets under the influ-
Isn’t it said that the mother’s love is the most un- ence of another guru of some kind. The question in
conditional type of love in this world? Whoever the this case would be, if we have failed ourselves by
child becomes, whatever path he or she chooses, refusing to distinguish between true and fake gurus.
By everything I read, everything I know, by all the These kinds of fits are unimaginable for an ordi-
points of view and the statements of the shastra, nary human being. And so I accept you as a Krish-
and hearing what other people say about you, I na’s representative, an exalted devotee, my spiritual
come to the conclusion that it is you, Guru maha- father, mother and a Guru for the rest of my life.
raja, who is the perfect example of a devotee, a
Be blessed the day I met you.
Guru, a follower of Srila Prabhupada and our Guru
parampara. your humble servant,
Murari Krishna dasa
vāco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo visaheta dhīrah
sarvām apīmām prthivīm sa śisyāt
A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak,
the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the
urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified
to make disciples all over the world.
Guru maharaja, you have created a huge body of
knowledge for us to study, the immense heritage in
the form of books, classes, recordings, darshanas
and letters, which will help devotees to develop
and achieve spiritual perfection for generations to
come.
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Your recent marathon of classes in Mayapur, India,
with even no audience present, is the perfect exam-
ple of the important service you are doing for Srila
Prabhupada and humanity.
NAMA-PRIYA Maybe someday we, your negligent disciples, will
be able to learn the same love and care, also dis-
DEVI DASI interestedly love all Vaisnavas, appreciate and
respect everyone, paying attention only to the
devotion to the Lord that every Vaisnava has! If you
Dear Guru Maharaj, please accept my obei-
wish so…
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sances! All glories to Sri Guru and Gauran-
ga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Nama-priya Devi Dasi
Barnaul
On the wonderful day of Vyasa-puja, I would like to
congratulate you, but in fact, we should be con-
gratulated. After all, we have before our eyes an
example of pure devotion! The devotion to your
NANDITA-GOKULA
spiritual master - how attentively you carry Srila
Prabhupada’s instructions throughout your life and
DEVI DASI
do everything possible and impossible to put them
Hare Krishna! Dear Guru Maharaj, please
into practice!
accept my obeisances in the dust of your
How do you serve your spiritual brothers, giving lotus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
everything of yourself, sparing no effort, if only they
All glories to you on this special, for many of us,
were all right!
day - the day of your appearance. Although my
How you care about your disciples, like a loving level does not allow me to glorify you properly, I will
father, very personally, doing everything possible to still try.
strengthen our faith in the Lord and Srila Prabhupa-
Before meeting the devotees, I lived not as a hu-
da!
man, but as a two-legged animal. But finally, Krish-
Many thanks to you for your work, for your kind and na showered mercy on me - I met Mataji Devahuti
soft heart, for your incredible care, for your instruc- and a little later Mataji Sachi. Mataji Sachi an-
tions in lectures, and in books! swered hundreds of my questions (according to
guru, sadhu, shastra). And Mataji Devahuti poured thy of your mercy. And again, and again, I receive
deep gratitude into me to Krishna, Srila Prabhupa- confirmation of your loving care, which was very
da and you for meeting the devotees. And I feel clearly manifested in Lviv and at the Transcarpathi-
that gratitude every day. an festival this year.
Deeper and deeper, I understand from what quag- I felt that everyone is dear to you: both those who
mire they pulled me out and not only showed me are already really helping you serve Srila Prabhupa-
the true path, but also led me, and continue to lead da, and your insignificant disciples and followers
me along it. This is a joyful and inspiring path, and like me.
besides, the only real one. I feel like a human, al-
I feel your care in our Kishinev yatra through senior
though not very intelligent, otherwise I would have
devotees, and inspiration from all members of our
been a devotee long ago.
yatra. Sorry, I am only writing about a very small
Although I only got a little taste for spiritual prac- number of devotees of our yatra. This is the pres-
tice, it is still there. And this is the merit of many ident of the yatra, Paramananda das, who sets an
devotees: first of all, the example of Srila Prabhu- example of humility and patience.
pada, his mercy shed through his books, lectures,
Dandaka das, who is so inspired to serve you by
kirtans, bhajans, ISKCON, followers.
doing harinam that he tries to do it at the slight-
And you are for me the main follower of Srila Pra- est opportunity and is always ready to serve any
bhupada, because most of all the mercy of Srila devotee.
Prabhupada, the parampara, Sri Sri Radha-Krishna
Tungavidya dd, Abhilas das, Madri dd are an exam-
flows through your example of serving Srila Prabh-
ple of personal relationship with the Deities.
upada as a disciple and initiating guru of ISKCON.
Your spiritual concern for your god brothers and Nabadwipa das and Chaitanya Rupa are an exam-
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sisters, devotees and all living beings is an inspira- ple of real concern for many wards.
tion in trying to serve you, Srila Prabhupada and Sri
Syamasundari gopi dd is always looking for new
Krishna. Once in Mayapur, I felt how you truly love
ways to serve you.
all of us and me, although I am completely unwor-
Ahladini-gopi dd, who left the body quite recently - devotee from our yatra was initiated by you. I was
fortitude. very glad and remembered the day when you ac-
cepted me as your disciple and gave me a spiritual
I’m lucky. I know a lot of devotees through the May-
name. On the second day, when I took the beads in
apur Institute, Japa Meditation School, Sankirtan
my hands, I felt great gratitude to you and the Lord.
School, trips to Dhama, festivals and retreats. The
It was an unusual feeling, filled with emotions.
great mercy of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna is pouring on
Thank you for the opportunity to experience this
me through all of the above and many more and
and I really want to feel it more often. I felt grateful
many others that I do not even notice.
to the Lord, to you, Guru Maharaja, to the devotees,
Please, dear Guru Maharaj, bless me to become and just to the people who are around me, who
worthy of this mercy - to become your real disciple. help me and take care of me.
Your insignificant and not yet real disciple, Dear Guru Maharaja, I would like to wish you good
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Nandita-gokula dd health.
Your servant Narangi Devi Dasi
NARANGI Estonia, Tallinn
DEVI DASI NATALYA KORABLINA

Hare Krsna! Please accept my
Hare Krishna, dear Niranjana Swami.
obeisances. All glories to Srila
Please accept my humble obeisances to
Prabhupada.
you, my Guru. All glories to Srila Prabhu-
For several days I thought pada. All glories to our Parampara and all
about how to start the letter. I Vaisnavas.
asked for Krsna’s help. Just the
On the day of your Vyasa Puja I would like to thank
other day I found out that one
you from the bottom of my heart for the mercy you
bestow on me, when allow me to accept you as my region, Ukraine), Food for life project, last two
spiritual master. Ukrainian fall festivals of 2022 (via Vijay Prabhu
in Lviv), and Patri Prabhu projects in Nepal;
I am not officially your disciple yet, but I am 100%
dedicated to you all my daily services because I • taking kirtan classes from Bahulashva Prabhu.
know you will put it at Prabhupada’s feet.
Thank you very much for continuous inspiration,
I strongly feel the inner need to make internal spiritual support and just always being here for all
and external efforts to expand Srila Prabhupada’s of us.
movement. And I can do it only under your guid-
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Please accept again my humble obeisances.
ance - following your orders. I would like to give
you as a present today my following service: Your surrendered, aspiring disciple,
Bhaktin Natalya Korablina
• daily Maha mantra chanting;
Los Angeles, 2022
• conducting weekend programs at home;
• serving prasadam, vasnavas and friends of
vasnavas;
NATALYA
• distributing books to my co-workers and LYSAK
friends;
Hare Krishna, dear Niran-
• taking care of my home Deties;
jana Swami Maharaj!
• reading Prabhupada’s books and Srimad Bhaga- Please accept my pros-
vatam with my family out loud in the evening trated and humble obei-
(my daughter, father and mother are vaisnavas) sances. All glories to Srila
followed by kirtan; Prabhupada!
• giving donations to: LA temple from us, Lviv My name is Natalya. And by the
yatra of Ukraine, Pokrovsk yatra (of Donetsk great mercy of your disciples, I
have the opportunity to address you personally. I All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
want to express my deep gratitude to you for your
In August of this year there was a significant event
disciples: Tara Devi Dasi and Trigunamayi Devi
h for me - you let me chant your pranama mantra.
Dasi. These matajis help and support me on my
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spiritual path. They wrapped me in their support My present condition and my feelings are just like
and care. They help me to become more Krishna those described in the Bhagavad-Gita 2.7:
Conscious and continue uninterrupted devotional
kārpanya-dosopahata-svabhāvah
service.
prcchāmi tvām dharma-sammūdha-cetāh
Mataji Tara daily, bead by bead, helps me to string yac chreyah syān niścitam brūhi tan me
knowledge on a thread of my soul. I am facing the śisyas te ’ham śādhi mām tvām prapannam
choice of a spiritual Master. And at this crucial
“Now I am confused about my duty and
moment, I want to once again express my gratitude
have lost all composure because of miser-
and bow to you, Spiritual Master, for the light and
ly weakness. In this condition I am asking
support that you shed on me through your disci-
You to tell me for certain what is best for
ples.
me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul
Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Niranjana surrendered unto You. Please instruct me”.
Swami Maharaj.
These are confusion,
Sincerely, Natalia Lysak surrender and a question
– what to do now?
NATALYA A disciple receives

knowledge from a spir-
SEVOSTIANOVA itual master by humbly
asking questions and
rendering service.
Hare Krishna, dear Gurudev! Please accept my
humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet! I guess the only oppor-
tunity to serve you that I have is to listen to your ing in Budapest, where the Ukrainian devotees were
lectures. That’s what I do. I try to catch your mood received favorably with respect and care! Usually,
and understand the instructions that you give and on this day they open the most secret corners of
bring them to life. the soul of their heart. Let me also open the depths
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of my fallen soul and glorify you in the jubilee phe-
I’m so happy that there are so many of your senior
nomenon! You always use all your achievements
disciples in Tomsk yatra. The example of their
to satisfy Srila Prabhupada, and then pass it all on
service to you inspires me not to stop and make
to your disciples! By carrying out the mission of
further steps on the way to Godhead.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu with care and love, you,
I pray to Krishna to give me an opportunity to meet dear Gurudev, in fact, always
you. And I ask for your mercy. glorify your spiritual master and
always unquestioningly follow
Trying to serve you, your aspiring disciple
His instructions, where by your
Natalia Sevostianova (Tomsk)
personal example of service
give us confidence and faith in
NIKUNJA-RANI our stable service to your Lotus
Feet!
DEVI DASI From the stories in your lec-
tures, inspiration also comes to
Dear Guru Maharaj! Please accept my hum- not be afraid of difficulties and
ble and heartfelt obeisances at your Lotus to find the same determination
Feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his even in the most severe turbu-
pure devotees! lent zone of our spiritual path!
I will also be able to gain the
Please accept my sincere congratulations on the
strength and support of senior
day of your appearance!
devotees to pass this stage of
It so happened that this time I am writing my offer- anartha-nivriti at the expense of
the stage of artha-pravriti through the accumula- who serves the highest taste of Divine Love…
tion of values, where the main one is the guidance
Let me express my gratitude to you as a truly pure
of Vaishnavas!
devoted servant of Srila Prabhupada’s mission!
You give us all the knowledge and realizations with
With infinite gratitude, I bow at your Lotus Feet
love, so that we do not just listen, but also apply
Nikunja-Rani dd
in action for our transformation in the desire to
change, receiving the real spiritual experience that
you received from the instructions of Srila Prabhu-
pada. I bow low to you for all this!
NIKUNJA-VILASINI
What a happiness it is to feel full and needed in DEVI DASI
this spiritual family under your sensitive and caring
guidance! You teach us to cooperate, to get rid of Dear Guru Maharaj, please accept my hum-
bad qualities and to learn love in the heart, which is ble obeisances onto your lotus feet.
not known to us ... All glories to
Srila Prabhu-
Thank you very much for the fact that you are very
pad!
personally leading each of your students to this
unconditional love! And we are in a hurry to follow Dear Guru Maharaj,
you on this spiritual path without any doubt! We try I would like to thank
our best to hold on to your instructions and justify you for kind care about
your trust in us! me. Even though I am
not directly in touch
I also want to ask your forgiveness for my blunders
with you I feel your
and mistakes, for my imperfect steps, for not having
prayers and support all
any qualifications, I am trying to keep in my heart
the time. You care so
the hope for your causeless mercy and the opportu-
perfectly about all your
nity to direct my pathetic efforts to serve someone
disciples and every-
one who needs your help and support. Your heart
seems unlimited and consists of pure absolute
NILA DEVI DASI
love and compassion to all living beings.
A pure devotee is ready to preach no matter what obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
and under any circumstances either he is in heaven All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
or in hell. You prove it every second. Your last trip
Another year has passed and we have the oppor-
to Ukraine had certain risks to your life but it seems
tunity on the day of your Vyasa-puja to try to glo-
that you didn’t care much about it. You went there
rify you, the spiritual master, in order to purify our
to meet those who needed your help and support
consciousness and see your greatness and mercy
and it was the only thing that was important to you!
even deeper.
While giving classes you are demonstrating perfect
“Transcendental knowledge is accessible to those
knowledge of shastras and not only this but your
who listen to a bona fide acarya who cannot be
own realization of each and every word you are
disturbed by the changes of the material world.” It
sharing with us. You are so poetic!
is said that the worship of the highest cause of all
Every second you are demonstrating a perfect causes brings different results than the worship of
example of a person who has completely realized one who is not the highest. All this was heard from
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the Absolute Truth. You devoted your life to Krishna imperturbable authorities who explained it.
by perfectly fulfilling the instructions of your dear
Purport: The system of hearing from undisturbed
Guru Maharaj.
authorities is approved in this mantra. Unless one
Dear Guru Maharaj, thank you for your uncondition- hears from a bona fide ācārya, who is never dis-
al mercy to this fallen soul. turbed by the changes of the material world, one
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cannot have the real key to transcendental knowl-
Your servant,
edge. The bona fide spiritual master, who has also
Nikunja-vilasini dd
heard the śruti-mantras, or Vedic knowledge, from
his undisturbed ācārya, never presents anything
that is not mentioned in the Vedic literature. (Sri Purport: The illusory energy is manifested in the
Isopanishad, mantra 13). duality of desire and hate. Due to desire and hate,
the ignorant person wants to become one with the
Dear Guru Maharaja, in this difficult year when
Supreme Lord and envies Krsna as the Supreme
there is a lot of cruelty and disputes in the world,
Personality of Godhead. Pure devotees, who are
you, who have a very soft heart and compassion
not deluded or contaminated by desire and hate,
for those who suffer and are in distress, travel and
can understand that Lord Śrī Krsna appears by
carry sruti mantras, Vedic knowledge and the holy
His internal potencies, but those who are deluded
name even in the most dangerous places, risking
by duality and nescience think that the Supreme
your life. You carry Srila Prabhupada’s message to
Personality of Godhead is created by material
all who are able to understand and hear this mes-
energies. This is their misfortune. Such deluded
sage. Thus, you calm the fire of material life in the
persons, symptomatically, dwell in dualities of
hearts of those who are eager to listen. You chant
dishonor and honor, misery and happiness, woman
Krsna’s holy name and bring His message with love
and man, good and bad, pleasure and pain, etc.,
and warmth to all the devotees.
thinking, “This is my wife; this is my house; I am
In this difficult time, being Russian has became the master of this house; I am the husband of this
notorious. When devotees lash out at each other wife.” These are the dualities of delusion. Those
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online and criticize each other with vehemence, I who are so deluded by dualities are completely
can’t even listen to it for long. Although quotes are foolish and therefore cannot understand the Su-
given from scriptures, but it is with such hatred and preme Personality of Godhead.
bitterness that I can’t stand it and start crying. It’s
Dear Guru Maharaja, here I am in this duality and
good that I don’t have the opportunity to listen to
confusion. Please help me get over this. You care
all this a lot.
about all your disciples, thank you very much.
BG. 7 27. “O scion of Bharata, O conqueror Please accept my gratitude for instructing me to
of the foe, all living entities are born into stay in the place where I now live. Of course, I really
delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen miss the association with devotees. After a trip
from desire and hate.” to Janmastami in Lipetsk, I fell ill with COVID and
was again treated for a long time. Now, I try not to After the recent “events” in the city of Dnipro, in
travel much. I travel to Moscow once a month for the disctrict where I live there is no light, no central
work. There, I manage to attend either the morning heating, no water, no mobile reception…
program or part of the Sunday program.
I thought I won’t have an opportunity to express my
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I always remember you, Guru Maharaja, with grati- respect and love to you.
tude for your guidance and care for me.
Once again I realized that everything happens by
With gratitude and great respect for you, the will of Krsna!
Nila Devi Dasi
Today is the last day when one can send an offer-
ing. I read a message about it as soon as electrici-
NIRAKULA DEVI DASI ty and connection appeared again.
And I am three times happy that I will manage to
Dear Guru do this service.
Maharaja, please
Dear Guru Maharaja! From the bottom of my heart,
accept my humble
I wish you happy appearance day on this planet
obeisances! All glories
Earth.
to Srila Prabhupada!
I am grateful to the Lord that I met you in this life!
I was planning to write
It was long ago, about 22 years ago, at the Odesa
my offering to you but
festival. I was invited by devotees (I just got ac-
as it always happens
quainted with Krsna consciousness), but the idea
with scrappy disci-
of going there attracted me because there was
ples… there’s a lot of
an opportunity to swim in the sea. These were my
time, I will manage to
plans that Lord Krsna laughed at in that time…
do everything, so I was
postponing it… At the festival there were lots of your Godbrothers,
that year you invited Bada Hari Prabhu for the first
time, and his amazing kirtans inspired many peo- other devotees who were present at the darsan.
ple… This time the Lord once again saved me through
devotees. I asked one of devotees what I should
Each of Vaisnava festivals is special, but this
ask you, and as soon as she refreshed my memory,
Odesa festival completely changed my life, turning
it was my turn and I blurted out so as not to forget
it in another direction. Among all spiritual masters
it again:
present at the Odesa festival my heart chose you…
“Allow me to chant pranama-mantra!”
At that moment I didn’t understand anything and I
decided to ask for your personal darsan to “inform” You looked at me very attentively and replied that I
you that you are my spiritual master. should ask this question when you come to Dnipro
(which I later did).
At the darsan, there were about 8 disciples includ-
ing me. After the association, you gave everyone On that day I entered the darsan room as an or-
an opportunity to ask a personal question to you… dinary person, and I went out as your disciple, for
which I am very grateful to you!
Before darsan, I asked devotees how to become
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your disciple. They explained to me that I should Dear Guru Maharaja!
ask the spiritual master I chose to give me prana- THANK YOU for your BIG HEART
ma-mantra. , yes, for your HUGE HEART !!!
I even wrote down this word on a piece of paper, Human heart is the most sacred thing. And it
but at the darsan, I found out that I forgot to take it differs from person to person. Different situations
with me, and the main thing was I couldn’t remem- influence the heart and change it.
ber the name of that mantra…
And your HEART is the place where KRSNA lives –
When devotees were asking you questions, I was that’s why it is so huge!
frantically trying to recall this word…
The life of the human heart is the main string, the
You probably noticed how nervous I was because sound of which alone is pleasing to the Lord. He
I was the last one to ask my question, after all the looks at everything else much less attentively...
Although everything obeys Him and everything ... and if, for well-known reasons, I did not give a
surrenders to Him: class in Zoom, then I edit video lessons for children
rains, winds, rivers, seas, sands… on some other Internet platforms so that when the
children have the opportunity, they work through
Everything obeys Him, and every little insect is
the material they missed.
remembered by Krsna...
I even had to go to one of the shopping malls,
What Krishna is looking intently at is the life of
the only one in the whole district that worked, to
human HEART
charge my phone and to edit my lessons because
THANK YOU, dear Guru Maharaj, for your LOVE and there was no connection…
CARE. Yes, for your CARE: for lectures that support
THANK YOU, dear Guru Maharaja, for the KNOWL-
very-very much, for the festival that took place in
EDGE you give, the KNOWLEDGE about KRSNA!
Ukraine (I was watching it online whenever it was
possible). I pray for you to be HEALTHY, SPIRITUALLY
STRONG, and PATIENT enough so that you could
THANK YOU for your example in devotional service
continue placing the seeds of bhakti into our
to your spiritual master! YOUR EXAMPLE is very
hearts, the hearts of your disciples.
IMPORTANT for me as your disciple!!!
On this day I want to apologize for the
The country where I am now, where I was born and
lack of trust that I sometimes had in my heart!
grew up, is at the moment going through war, and it
is your example that gave me strength to continue Dear Guru Maharaja, FORGIVE me!
doing my work as a teacher, even though very often
I love you so much, you are the thread that con-
my lessons with kids are interrupted by the sirens
nects me with KRSNA!
and by missile attacks…
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With love and gratitude,
I understand that just like us, your disciples, who
Your disciple Nirakula Devi Dasi
are waiting for your nectarean lectures, in the same
The city of Dnipro (Dnipropetrovsk)
way schoolchildren are waiting for my lessons
NIRMALA-BHAKTI treasures for which you, Guru Maharaja, pay with
sankirtana yajna. We value your association and
DEVI DASI AND your instructions a lot.
May your feet, Guru Maharaja, become our only
ANANTA-NITAI DASA shelter!!! All glories to you!!!
Nirmala-bhakti Devi Dasi
and Ananta-nitai Dasa, Riga.
Lotus Feet!! All glories to His Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupada!!!
NITYA-KISORI
Dear Guru Maharaja, we, your disciples, Ananta-ni-
tai and me, are infinitely grateful to you for your DEVI DASI
mercy, for the 30 years we are
inspired by your example. It is namo om visnu-padaya-krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
difficult to understand the pain srimate niranjana swamin-iti namine
the spiritual master feels, and
All glories to Lord Chaitanya, Lord Ntyananda and
how difficult it is to liberate the
His eternal associates! All glories to Srila Prabhu-
conditioned soul; this is the
pada! All Parampara! All glories to the Vaishnavas!
difficult task that the spiritual
master takes on. om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
A son inherits the possessions
of his father, and in the same I bow down in deep respect to my spiritual
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way, a disciple can get the trea- master, who opened my eyes and dis-
sure of his guru’s heart. And pelled the darkness of ignorance with the
it’s our task to pray so that one torch of knowledge.
day we can get these gifts and
Dear Spiritual Master! when he finds him, take shelter of him. The
qualification of a spiritual master is that he
Please accept my humble obeisances in the dust
has realized the conclusions of the scrip-
of your lotus feet. I heartily congratulate you on the
tures, having studied them, and is able to
important and a wonderful holiday for us, disciples,
convince others of their truth. Such great
the Day of Your Appearance!
people, who have taken shelter of the Su-
And again a year has passed, preme Lord and given up all material views,
a very difficult, harsh year, should be considered bona fide spiritual
full of trials for many people masters. ( Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.21 )
and for us, your disciples. A
Especially now you understand the meaning of
year of anxiety, war, suffering,
these lines, how important it is in the life of every
pain, fear. It is also a time for
person to find their true spiritual master. And I un-
a deeper awareness of one’s
derstand how lucky I am in this life, I had such luck
spiritual position. Because it is
to take refuge with you, dear teacher.
in such critical situations that
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one truly surrenders to Krishna. tasya tvam tamaso ‘ndhasya
And such realization can only dusparasyadya paragam
be achieved thanks to your sach-chakshur janmanam ante
instructions, dear teacher, your labdham me tvad-anugrahat
care, support, mercy.
Only with Your help can I get out of the im-
tasmad gurum prapadyeta penetrable darkness of ignorance, for You
jijnasuh sreya uttamam are my transcendental eye, which I gained
sabde pare ca nisnatam by Your causeless mercy after many lives
brahmany upasamasrayam lived.
So anyone who truly desires real happiness “This verse is very instructive because it describes
should seek out a spiritual master, and the nature of the relationship between the spiritual
master and the disciple. In the darkness of igno- your example, you show kind, caring relationships
rance, the disciple, or conditioned soul, becomes with your spiritual brothers and sisters.
entangled in the net of sense gratification, which
Thank you also for continuing to immerse us in
is the sum of material existence. Breaking free
the wonderful world of Krishna, His games, abode,
from material bondage and becoming liberated is
environment. Thank you for your wonderful lec-
extremely difficult, but if one is fortunate enough to
tures online, given wherever you are. They are very
meet a bona fide spiritual master like Kapila Muni
important, and necessary, like air.
or His representatives, then by the mercy of his
spiritual master, he can get out of the quagmire of Many thanks for the continuation of interesting sto-
ignorance. Therefore, the shastras praise the spir- ries with detailed сommentary on Brihad- Bhagav-
itual master, calling him the savior of the disciple, atamrita, about Gop Kumar’s journey in the spiritual
who helps the disciple to get out of the quagmire abode. You reveal to us secret knowledge about
of ignorance, illuminating his path with the torch the spiritual world, Gokul Vrindavan, Vaikuntha,
of knowledge. In this regard, attention should be other planets, their inhabitants, and about love rela-
paid to the word paragam. This word indicates tionships. Listening to your lectures, we get won-
that the spiritual master helps the disciple to cross derful nectar, inspiration in doing sadhana, serving
from the shore of conditional life to the shore of Krishna, and guru.
freedom. The spiritual master takes the disciple to
You, dear teacher, are very compassionate, mer-
the other side, illuminating his path with the light of
ciful. In such a difficult time, risking your safety,
knowledge. ” (AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupa-
relying completely on Krishna, you came to Ukraine
da “Teachings of Lord Kapila (son of Devahuti)”).
for a festival and retreat to support, inspire your
You are an example (acharya) for us the disciples, disciples, help them comprehend a difficult situa-
constantly studying the Holy Scriptures, immersed tion, remaining in the movement of Krishna Con-
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in singing and chanting the Holy Name of the Lord sciousness, in the society of devotees.
and preaching His glory , talking only about Krishna
jñānam tad etad amalam duravāpam āha
and everything connected with Him, talking about
nrāyano nara-sakhah kila nradāya
your dear spiritual master HH Srila Prabhupada. By
ekntinām bhagavatas tad akiñcanānām the sons of demons that although only a saint like
pādravinda-rajasplutā-dehinms Narada can understand this science, they should
not be discouraged, for those who make Narada
The Supreme Lord Narayana, the friend
(and not worldly teachers) their shelter will also be
and well-wisher of all living beings, re-
able to understand it. This does not require a high
vealed these spiritual truths to the great
origin. All living beings are spiritually pure, so any-
sage Narada. Without the grace of a saint
one who, by the grace of the spiritual master, rises
like Narada, it is extremely difficult to pen-
to this platform will also be able to understand the
etrate the secrets of this sacred science,
confidential truths.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.6.26)
but anyone who accepts the protection of
one of the spiritual teachers - the succes- atah śrī-krsnta-namādi
sors of Narada, will certainly be able to na bhaved grāhyam indriyaih
comprehend it. sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
In this verse, Prahlada Maharaja says that it is ex-
tremely difficult to penetrate the secrets of spiritual Krishna cannot be understood by gross
science, but it can be easily understood by one material senses. But He reveals Himself
who takes the protection of a pure devotee. The to His devotees, pleased with their tran-
essence of this confidential knowledge is stated scendental loving service. (Bhakti-rasamr-
at the end of the Bhagavad-gita, where the Lord ta-sindhu 1.2.234)
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says: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sha-
bhaktya mam abhijanati
ranam vraja. “Give up all kinds of religion and just
yavan yash casmi tattvatah
surrender to Me.” This knowledge is the greatest
tato mam tattvato jñatva
secret, yet it will be revealed to one who tries to
vischate tad-anantaram
understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with the help of an authoritative preceptor who One can understand the Supreme Lord as
belongs to the line of spiritual masters who are the He is only by engaging in devotional ser-
successors of Narada. Prahlada Maharaja assured vice. And he who, through his devotion to
the Lord, truly knows Him, gains access instructions so that life is filled with the right mean-
to the kingdom of God. (Bhagavad -gita , ing. Please allow me to continue to remain your
18.55). disciple, follow your instructions, be in the compa-
ny of devotees, serve the divine couple Radha and
“... The secret of success in spiritual life is to
Krishna, serve you, devotees, your dear teacher
please the spiritual master. Inquisitiveness and
H.H. Srila Prabhupada.
humility are necessary conditions for achieving
spiritual self-realization. Until we become obedient I pray to acquire important spiritual qualities neces-
servants of our spiritual master, our questions to sary for advancement in my spiritual practice and
him will not give the desired result (have no effect). to be useful to you in your mission, dear teacher.
Each of us has to go through the test prepared for
Also my mother is joining the congratulations (she
him by the spiritual master, and seeing the sincer-
is 89 years old), who continues to chant japa, listen
ity of his disciple’s intentions, the spiritual master
to your lectures, and perform sadhana.
will immediately bless him and reveal true spiritual
knowledge to him. In this verse, the Lord rejects Your eternal maid, your disciple Nitya Kisori d.d.
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both blindly following the teacher and asking him Russia, Stavropol, November, 2022
meaningless questions. We must not only hum-
bly listen to the teacher, but also by becoming his
obedient servants and questioning him, form a NITYA-PRIYA
clear idea of spiritual subjects. A bona fide spiritual
master is always kind and merciful to his disciple. DEVI DASI
Therefore, if a disciple has humility and willingly
serves his spiritual master, he will receive answers Guru Maharaja, please accept my obei-
to all his questions from him and achieve spiritual sances in the dust of your lotus feet!
perfection .” ( A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupa- All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
da Bhagavad-gita ch. 4 text 34 ).
We live in the Kali-yuga and there are many unfa-
These lines inspire me to continue to follow your vourable moments that try to capture a person’s
consciousness and drag him or her into the abyss of the modes of passion and ignorance.” We can
of discord and conflict. Wars, diseases, and cruel- read these wonderful words by Srila Prabhupada
ty reign in the world. The heart sometimes clench- in the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the
es with pain and lack of strength. How to help story about Narada Muni.
people? It is impossible to protect yourself and
The Lord directs one from within the heart to this
others from this destructive influence by any mate-
most important point: devotional service flows
rial means. Only by the mercy of the Lord and the
through the association of pure devotees. This
compassionate devotees can one understand the
story about Narada Muni is my most beloved story
unique way how to break free from the clutches
which brings many spiritual revelations from Srila
of material nature. We need to believe in the Lord,
Prabhupada. By the Lord’s mercy, I come back to
develop the necessary qualities and immerse our
this story, again and again, reading it with the dev-
consciousness in the life-giving nectar of devo-
otees.
tional service. If a person is very lucky, he or she
can meet compassionate devotees who have a When the sun goes down and the working day is
clear vision and full conviction about the ultimate over, I want to relax a little. There comes a wonder-
goal of human life. ful moment in the passing day. Now I will turn on
my computer and, by the mercy of the Lord and the
And such a person will be able to appreciate his
spiritual master, the following words will sound:
or her great fortune only after some time when
“Hare Krsna, dear devotees! I’m very glad to see
their consciousness is sufficiently cleared. “As the
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you. Let’s dive into the transcendental world of
river flows on till she reaches the sea, similarly
Srimad-Bhagavatam together and talk about these
pure devotional service flows by the association
amazing topics.”
of pure devotees till it reaches the ultimate goal,
namely, transcendental love of God. Such a flow of Thereby, my consciousness is again and again
devotional service cannot stop. On the contrary, it convinced of one truth: as long as the principles
increases more and more without limitation. The of devotional service are in place, a person comes
flow of devotional service is so potent that any on- out from under the influence of the age of Kali and
looker also becomes liberated from the influence material nature. A person is happy and free. As
soon as the influence of devotional service is over,
the person again comes under their control.
NITYA-RANGINI
This transcendental truth is very dear to my heart. DEVI DASI
With every other point in time, it is more and more
clearly consolidated in my life. Hare Krishna.
Dear spiritual master, please accept my
Guru Maharaja, I offer my obeisances at your lotus
obeisances.
feet again and again with great humility for making
this truth available for my understanding. Without All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
your divine help and without your love and compas-
Thank you for coming to this world and saving fall-
sion, this would not have been possible. The tran-
en souls, like myself. When you appeared in my life,
scendental sounds of your voice nourish my faith
it gained a purpose. Krsna was added to everything
and awaken my pure desire to seek Krsna. I go on
that I do and everything became more realized,
hopefully absorbing your heart’s spiritual revela-
bright and interesting.
tions and carefully storing them in my mind. My
consciousness is simply woven from this mercy Just thinking that there is a person in this world
and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. But it was you who who believes in me and wants me to return home
carefully led me even to Srila Prabhupada. Let me warms my heart. Sometimes I think that you know
stay at your lotus feet and let me share even a little everything about me,
bit of these realizations with others without being even things that I am
touched by pride in this wonderfully friendly mood trying to hide. Howev-
displayed by Lord Caitanya. er, even in moments
like this, I feel happy
Your disciple Nitya-priya Devi Dasi
because there is some-
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one who sees right
through me and still
does not leave me, but
helps to move forward on the spiritual path and see his light approving smile in your heart. Please
truly wishes me well instead. always stay the way you are. And, of course, don’t
get sick. We love you very much and appreciate
Personal example is very important to me, and you
you a lot. Happy appearance day.
are someone who teaches with your own exam-
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ple. Your personal approach is the quality that first Nitya-rangini Devi Dasi
attracted me and is still very dear to me. You are Iziaslav
paying attention to everyone and remember every-
one you even once encountered.
Another amazing quality I admire in you is friendli-
NITYA-RUPA
ness. Looking at how you are talking with people,
not only devotees, I want to develop the qualities
DEVI DASI
of a person to whom you can give all your trust
My dear Srila Niranjana Swami,
and with who you would develop relationships. You
can be strict, but it is a very important quality on
the path of bhakti. Sometimes all I need it to move
I am writing this offering to you
from dead-end.
on the day of
You have many more qualities that deserve glorifi- your appear-
cation. And, probably, the most bright one is your ance.
devotion. You are an example of devotion of the
Every stage in Krsna
disciple to your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.
Consciousness in my
Dear Guru Maharaja, I would like to wish you that life is a test of love
your relationship with Srila Prabhupada becomes and devotion. With all
deeper and deeper every day; that you would pen- my attention fixed on
etrate into the depths of his heart and, by follow- Krsna, I worship the
ing his instructions, always feel his presence and original Personality
of Godhead, Sri Krsna, who is always seen in their of the devotees, I got the opportunity to become
hearts by pure devotees whose eyes are anointed your servant; by taking shelter of your lotus feet, I
with the balm of love of Godhead, the Lord who have been able to become a servant of the Lord.
possesses all transcendental qualities. This se- The power of the entire parampara was given to us
cret is the most secret part of knowledge, and the by Srila Prabhupada. By your mercy, a pure heart
transcendental love of God lies in it. Those who are looks through the eyes of the Spiritual Master. Krs-
overwhelmed with such love are able to see God na Consciousness means taking charge of the mis-
enjoy eternal pastimes with their eternal associ- sion, becoming strong and spreading Krsna Con-
ates and get access to them. Remaining invisible, sciousness. This is what Srila Prabhupada wanted.
we follow the path of bhakti. Through the process Sense gratification is a sin. The only rule is to be
of transcendental loving devotional service to the truly happy by spreading Krsna’s glories. With love
Lord, we acquire love of Godhead. The revealed in our hearts, give it to others and then there will be
scriptures narrate His glory, which can be seen peace on earth. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu could
beyond the material world, through the heart of a do it Himself, but He wants to glorify His devotees.
devotee. This connection, O infallible one, can be My obeisances to the Spiritual Master, the devotee
obtained only by the mercy of Your pure devotee, of the Lord. All Glories to him.
and it is difficult to find at least one pure devotee.
Nitya-rupa Devi Dasi, Moscow, Barnaul
It is the highest blessing to understand the secret
of bhakti-yoga. This knowledge is sacred and is
passed from hand to hand along the chain of dis-
ciplic succession. Having received knowledge, you
NITYA-SAKHI
can comprehend the Lord and get into the secret of
Srimad-Bhagavatam.
DEVI DASI
N
The goal is always and everywhere, under any Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my
circumstances, to continue your path in serving a humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
pure devoted servant of God. The goal is to seek Prabhupada!
God. The goal is to spread His glory. By the mercy
Please let me express my appreciation and grati- existence and for giving a clear understanding
tude to you on the anniversary of your appearance. and instructions on what to do, and how to make
progress in order to please Srila Prabhupada and
During your lecture on Srila Prabhupada’s appear-
Krsna. My task is to accept and understand your
ance day this year, you spoke very touchingly about
instructions and apply them in my life. On my part, I
Srila Prabhupada and what could please him, what
promise to consciously make efforts in this regard,
made him smile and how all the devotees tried
but I also need your mercy and blessings
their best to please their spiritual master.
I am grateful to you for the opportunity to follow in
I thought about what I could do in turn to please
your footsteps on the way back to Godhead. Like
you with my service. It would
your spiritual master, you want your disciples to be
be the perfection of my spiri-
happy in Krsna consciousness. This is very valu-
tual life to see your smile as I
able for me personally.
make spiritual progress.
I am also immensely grateful to you for your at-
During the darsana before the
tentiveness and care for each of your disciples! I
initiation, you spoke about
myself witnessed this during the retreat this year.
your expectations that we will
Thank you for the mercy you so generously shed
at least follow all the vows
on us!
that we take during the initia-
tion. I am also contemplating Being your disciple is a great fortune for me; it
the maximum, the maximum makes me very happy.
efforts I can exert in serving
With great reverence, respect and best wishes
you and Srila Prabhupada’s
to you, your disciple
mission.
Nitya-sakhi Devi Dasi
N
I am very grateful to you for
making it easier for us to
cross this ocean of material
NITYA-SEVA it’s time to sit down and write, thousands of things
prevent me from writing. And all the things that
DEVI DASI seemed to be important become not so important
in a moment, and I become confused not knowing
what to say.
Hare Krishna!
All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhak- I thought I should promise again to chant my japa
tivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada! attentively, but now I see that’s not enough, that
attentive chanting is not a kind of mechanical
Dear Guru Maharaj, you are the closest person on
process, but the result of our lives in Krishna con-
the Earth for your disciple, because nobody else
sciousness, the result of associating with devotees
can heal a human’s heart like you. Please accept
without offenses, the result of following the in-
my obeisances at your lotus feet, which are the
structions that I got from you and Srila Prabhupad.
shelter from all misery of this world. And please
accept my effort to ex- Attentive chanting is also the result of a non-nega-
press my gratitude to tive attitude to myself! And also, the desire to chant
you on the day of your Sri Krishna’s Holy Name attentively may come only
Vyasa-puja. if one has real great love to Srila Prabhupad. And
over the last few months, listening to your lectures
Every time after your
I see what a great ocean of love to Srila Prabhu-
Vyasa-puja I think that
N
pad lives in your heart. I don’t have so much love
I should begin to write
for anyone in my life, so I feel like a beggar who is
my offering just now,
proud of his meager possessions.
and just add some
words during the Today, when you are so kind to us, your disciples, I
year. And so, through would like to ask you: please send me your words
the year I think, “Oh, I of encouragement and hope (sometimes I seem
should write about this to lose hope for success in this lifetime) – so that
and this”, but when if I go on listening to you and do my best to follow
what you say, I too can reach that wealth of love
and devotion. And also that I may dedicate myself
to chanting the Holy Name and devote my life to
distributing His glory and the glory of Srila Prabhu-
pada.
Your disciple,
Nitya Seva devi dasi
November 24th 2022. Varyukchino village,
Kemerovo region, Russia
N
OLGA AVDEYEVA are. This is so important and valuable when there
is a real well-wisher in one’s life like you. Thank you
very much!
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept mu obeisances in the dust Avdeeva Olga. Almaty.
of your lotus feet.
It is difficult for me to find words to write you the
offering, but I cannot skip this possibility, and just
OLGA BELEVA
want to thank you again for the fact that you are
O
Dear Guru Maharaja!
here and for what you giving all us.
Please accept my humble obeisances!
You speak about pure devotees filled with love, All glories to H.D.G. Srila Prabhupada!
relationships, and with your own example you
I am very happy that today I can try to express my
show that Your offering for His
immense gratitude to you!!!
Holiness Shivarama Maharaja’s
appearance day is especially This year has become both
dear to me and when it ran- spiritually happy and materially
domly pops up on my phone, I tragic.
almost always listen to it over
Last November I got the mercy
and over again. There is so
to start chanting your prana-
much respect and love there. In
ma-mantra. Since the time I
your lecture, you said that living
chanted pranama-mantra for the
without a relationship based on
first time, I felt even more pro-
love is like hell. And I think how
tected, as if you were standing
fortunate many devotees who
there with me. I am not afraid of
love you and those who asso-
anything anymore, and I started
ciate personally and those who
reacting to situations differently.
listen to lectures or read books
I am very grateful to you for the fact that I feel I felt peaceful and at ease. I had a feeling that you
your care in the literal sense, in my dreams, in my responded to me. I could feel that everything was
feelings, in the answers that I receive from your getting better and I got strength to do what I have
lectures. to do without worries. Sometimes it seemed to me
that you come to me in my dreams. More often
You helped me make a choice whether to stay and
than not you were not saying anything but there
serve the Deities or take my child away from the
always was a sign about what I should do, what I
zone of hostilities (Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia).
should pay attention to in my spiritual practice.
At first I was determined to stay, following your
It was not easy, we had almost no money, there
instructions to stay in the sanga and in service.
was sorrow and I was afraid that maybe I will have
But then I realized that at the same time you in-
nowhere to come back and no one to come back
struct me to be guided by common sense and take
to. But again I made myself pull myself together.
care of my life and the lives of loved ones. Then I
What helped me was my hand in my bead bag and
O
wrote you a letter. And very soon I got the answer
thoughts about you.
from my heart that it was better to leave for the
time being. It was a difficult period, our region was You were giving me a feeling that you don’t stop
occupied and there was a risk that our city might praying for us and it means that you believe with
be taken over. My son (13 years old) and I left the all your heart that all these horrors are just external
country this March. and Krsna has something valuable in store for us
on the internal level.
It was very difficult for me, and the only things that
helped me were the holy name, Srila Prabhupada’s I don’t know what you did to me but I was kind of
books and your association. I tried to recall all mesmerized by your faith in Krsna. From time to
Srila Prabhupada’s instructions saying that on this time I was terrified by what was going on, we were
planet Earth there is no safe place, everything has in touch with people we know all over the country.
its end, the soul is eternal, body is temporary. It But I was amazed that people who didn’t believe
was difficult. But with you, everything is possible. I in God so much, gave up their anger and accepted
was writing letters to you in my diary and after that, the situation, started to believe in God, asked to
pray for them, to teach them to pray, asked to tell I have no more worries about the outcome of the
them about the Lord, about karma and “life after war. It is only due to your prayers.
death”.
Every day I thank you from the bottom of my heart
On top of stress, I also have to go through inten- for inspiring me to move on.
sive lessons in relationships, some kind of karmic
I am saved by lectures, kirtans, Srila Prabhupada’s
cleansing. But all the time it seems that you always
books and your lectures, and books. I would really
hold me tightly by my hand.
like to become more organized, full of energy, and
It was as if your common sense and trust in the somehow be of service to Srila Prabhupada’s mis-
Lord were transferred to me. sion. In the meantime, I am learning to follow your
instructions regarding the strengthening of faith, I
In Madrid, I didn’t manage to visit the temple so
try to serve more together with devotees in order
often, only once every few weeks, but these meet-
to absorb their taste for serving the Deities, take
ings with such merciful Deities and devotees were
care of the devotees as much as possible, look for
my life. Five months later, I felt that it was time for
meaning in everything that happens, which also
us to come back. I really missed my service and it
strengthens my faith that the Lord sees everything
was difficult to be away from devotees, service and
and everything is under His control.
family.
Now, more than ever, this is manifested in everyday
And again you were with us on the road and now I
events. There is so much love for Krsna and devo-
am holding on thanks to you. The situation in the
tees around. It’s a miracle for me. At the beginning
city is not easy, but it’s scary only at times, other-
of the war, I cried in hysterics when I heard Srila
wise, I manage to serve the Deities in the Temple,
Prabhupada say that when there was a war in India,
listen to your lectures and I managed to go to the
he saw Krsna in every bomb. I couldn’t agree with
retreat in the Carpathians in the most amazing
O
this. And now, thanks to you and Srila Prabhupa-
way.
da’s prayers, I manage to switch to prayer and not
I was happy to feel your protection and the taste of panic.
devotional service. Since the moment I came back,
Guru Maharaja, please accept my grateful obei-
sances and tears of happiness that I have the
opportunity to come into contact even closer
through you with Srila Prabhupada and the entire
parampara. I pray that I may have the piety to gain
at least a drop of the taste you have for devotional
service to the Lord and your guru. This is my dream
and prayer.
Your aspiring disciple, Olha Beleva
Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia
O
PARAMANANDA- I cannot fully appreciate your contribution to my
spiritual life… Your books, your lectures, your kir-
PURI DASA tans, your travelling for others. The most important
thing I aspire to in my life is to deepen my under-
standing of the science of Krsna and your person-
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaja, please
ality, your contribution to this is invaluable with a
P
capital letter...
lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you very much for being in my life…
I honestly always look forward to this moment to
try to sincerely express my gratitude to you.. For Your servant,
me, this is the most exciting moment in my life Paramananda-puri Dasa
because in the material world there is not even a
shadow of such relationships as there are in the
society of devotees. Theoret- PARVATI
ically, of course, I understand
well that this is the best thing DEVI DASI
that could happen to me in this
life, but practically I still have to Dear Guru Mahara-
grow and grow, and your mercy ja! Please accept my
in this is truly invaluable. humble obeisances in
the dust of your lotus
On this day, I think all disciples
feet! All glories to Your
are filled with deep gratitude
Divine Grace! All glories
when they remember their
to Srila Prabhupada!
spiritual master, a person
who sacrifices his life for the Dear spiritual master, please
sake of others. And until now, let me congratulate you on
throughout my spiritual life, the Day of your appearance, to
express my homage, most profound respect and feet with gratitude an infinite number of times and
love to you! We are all now going through hard thank you for everything you do for me. Every day
times and only faith in you and in devotional ser- I pray for your well-being! I always miss you, love
vice to Krsna helps us find shelter in this difficult you and look forward to meeting you!
P
material world. For me and all your disciples, you
Your eternal disiple,
are a father who gives true protection and support,
Parvati Devi Dasi, Kyiv
and we always feel it. Thank you so much for the
fact that you care of us. Your unforgettable visits
to Ukraine inspired and protected many devotees.
After these meetings, we understand and believe
PAVEL
that everything will be fine. You take care of our
Krsna consciousness like no other, and I feel it all
ALYASHEV
the time. Let me thank you from the bottom of my
heart for all the efforts, prayers, and blessings that
obeisances. Hare Krsna.
we receive from you. In such a difficult time, this
is especially valuable and important! And perhaps Please let me express my gratitude to you for the
this is now the only thing that brings relief and joy! fact that Govinda-kunda dasa, your faithful disciple
is there in my life. I am grateful for your kindness
Guru Maharaja, despite the difficulties, I am trying
and for the fact that Govinda-kunda dasa takes
to do my best in devotional service to you, Krsna
care of me; he supports me when I am going
and the devotees. Perhaps that is why we are rel-
through tough times, and he “threatens with a belt”
atively well. I am still in Kyiv. Fortunately, we have
when I misbehave.
so many devotees who serve the Deities, and have
wonderful programs, magical kirtans and such I thank you for the opportunity to assist him in your
profound lectures. I can even say that I feel very service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
happy!
Sincerely yours, Pavel Alyashev
My dear spiritual master, I bow down at your lotus Naberezhnye Chelny
PRABHUPADA DASA, soften our hearts. It is very difficult to comprehend
your purity and devotion, but just as the sun cannot
BHAGAVATI DEVI DASI, hide from the ant, so you illuminate our path in the
footsteps of Srila Prabhupada and the Acharyas
RADHA-RAMAN DASA always and very brightly.
Dear Guru Maharaja! We wanted to wish you good
Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept our health and lots of love and care from your loving
humble obeisances in the dust of your lo- devotees. May all your wishes come true and we
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! will listen to your deep lectures and sweet kirtans
and watch you smile when you are happy. May Srila
Let us congratulate you on the day of your appear-
Prabhupada and our Acharyas always be happy
ance in this world. It is our great fortune to meet
with your loving service. Please always be with us.
you and find your patronage and care in spiritual
We are proud of you and happy that you are our
P
life. You are a true disciple of His Divine Grace A.C.
Spiritual master.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as you speak
and act according to His example and instructions It is difficult to say a lot in words, but we will try to
and teach us to do the same. Your sincere love and someday become your true disciples and, by your
devotion to Srila Prabhupada, His disciples and grace, by devoting ourselves sincerely to your in-
the Movement, our structions, we will repay the debt
Acharyas of the past, of love to you at least a little.
always captivates our Thank you so much for your love
hearts and gives us for us.
the strength to keep
Always your servants, Prabhupada
on going. Your words
das, Bhagavati devi dasi
never diverge from
and Radha Raman das (he is 6)
deeds and your mer-
November 25, 2022
cy and compassion
City of Stary Oskol
PRANA-SAKHA DASA the endless expectation of gratitude or approval.
As you often say in your lectures, “a devotee serves
Krsna out of love without expecting anything in
Dear Guru Maharaj, please accept my hum-
return.” I hope someday I will find the value of the
ble obeisances. All glories to you! All glo-
P
variable “love” in this equation since the problem
ries to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!
with “expecting something in return” seems solv-
It is not the first year that I start writing my offering able by Krsna’s mercy.
only after I have read several offerings from your
I would very much like to eloquently describe how
disciples. I’m fortunate to still be entrusted with
important it is for me that you are there in my life.
the service of translating offerings, and I take full
This desire gets even stronger when I read how
advantage of that.
your disciples describe it. But as a truly ungrateful
Every time I am translating another offering from disciple, I absolutely cannot realize the exceptional
senior devotees, I realize that, unlike them, I have value of your instructions, just as a stupid monkey
nothing to please you with. I can neither glorify you does not know the value of a diamond lying in front
as befits a disciple nor please you with success in of it and perceives it as a toy. I can only hope that by
the spiritual life. My offering is usually just another your mercy this realization will one day come and hit
dry account of how I have not yet drowned in the me on the head so that I don’t forget it again.
ocean of material existence because of your mercy.
Just as a spiritual master is a transparent medium
Lately, I have often started to “dive” into my heart between a disciple and the Lord, so your disciples
in some natural way, analyzing what is happening are a transparent medium between your instruc-
with my bhakti-lata. I am surprised to feel that my tions and my idle mind. Lucky for me. Thanks to
former subconscious desire for recognition in the their realizations, I am able to better understand
society of devotees has either vanished by the your mindset and somehow follow in your foot-
mercy of the Lord or has been very skillfully hidden. steps. All glories to your disciples!
In any case, I can summarize that doing that little
Your servant,
service I have left is much more enjoyable without
Prana-sakha Dasa
PRANESVARI-RADHA suffering financially, you constantly gave lectures
in connection with the situation in Ukraine, and
DEVI DASI also came several times and organized mini-festi-
vals to encourage us and shed your mercy in this
difficult time! I am so grateful to you for this. If not
for this help, it would not have been possible for
me to survive this whole situation! This only con-
tus feet! All glories to His Divine Grace, our
firms that Krsna is taking care of me and that you
dear Srila Prabhupada!
are a ray of light in my life that protects me from all
Let me glorify you on this material troubles! You are the fearless and power-
blessed Day of your appear- ful captain of the ship of devotional service who
ance! Every year I remember will help me cross the ocean of material existence
many times and realize how and any obstacles in my life - even war, unemploy-
merciful and compassionate ment, hopelessness and discouragement! It is said,
you are to me; you accepted yasya prasad bhagavad-prasadah: “By the mercy
me as your disciple and shed of the spiritual master, one gets the benediction of
mercy in your instructions, Krsna.” And this is so - without you my life is empty
lectures, personal visits to and sinful, full of material desires and indulgence
Ukraine, as well as the care of in sense gratification. It is said that material tastes
your senior disciples and disci- are temporary, but spiritual taste is eternal and only
ples for me! expands.
This year Ukrainian devotees How much I would like to realize this and feel the
P
been subjected to a tough blow highest spiritual taste of pure devotional service!
of fate - a cruel and treacherous war from a neigh- To no longer exchange my life for temporary plea-
boring country. And you, dear Guru Maharaja, from sures. And this is only possible thanks to you.
the very first days supported your Ukrainian disci- Listening to you, asking you questions and serv-
ples - you created a special fund to help devotees ing you, the disciple will certainly achieve love for
God. You are my Spiritual Master, the successor scriptures, are the representative of the Lord and a
of the line of masters beginning with the Supreme faithful disciple of Srila Prabhupada, the most com-
Personality of Godhead, Krsna. I would very much passionate pure devotee! Therefore, I pray for your
just a little bit like you - to be a humble and pure mercy so that one day I can taste pure devotional
devoted servant of my beloved service, chant the holy name of the Lord without
Spiritual Master like you are offenses, and learn to love Krsna selflessly!
for Srila Prabhupada. Once in
For a very long time, I wanted to understand what
a lecture you said that to be
selfless love is like! After all, selfless love is true,
humble means to continue
such love is there on Goloka Vrndavana. And just
your service no matter what,
recently I realized that you, dear Guru Maharaja, are
hoping that Krsna will someday
showing me what selfless love is. Because you, in
shed mercy. And although I try
spite of everything, love your disciples at whatever
- I do service, but I feel mercy
level they are and believe in us! You are the em-
only through your presence, I
bodiment of pure love and all your actions confirm
find answers to my questions
this! I will never get tired of thanking you for taking
in your lectures or Srila Prabhupada’s books, in
me under your spiritual protection. And although I
your merciful glances at the festivals. Then a trans-
am your unworthy disciple and I am full of material
formation takes place in my heart - I feel warmth
desires, still I will continue to make efforts in serv-
and light inside, and ecstasy, albeit short-lived! I
ing you and hope for your compassion and mercy!
realize that in the spiritual world all this is eternal
After all, this is the only way I can ever achieve
and much more, but for some reason, why am I
krsna-prema-bhakti!
still attracted to the material world!? Please, I beg
you, dear Spiritual Master, do not leave me! I can’t Your unworthy servant and beggar for mercy,
P
do anything without your mercy! Whatever efforts Pranesvari-radha Devi Dasi
I make, they will not be enough to fight maya,
because, as in Damodara-lila, the mercy of the
Lord still must be there! And you, according to the
PREMA-LATA constantly feel connected with my dear Spiritual
Masters, HH Srila Bhakti Vijnana Goswami and You.
DEVI DASI Dear Guru Maharaj, one of Your lectures that
amazed and deeply touched me was Your Bhak-
Hare Krishna, dear Srila Niranjana Swami tivedanta Institute talk on “How to keep Srila Pra-
Guru Maharaj. Please accept my humble bhupada alive in our lives.” I have watched it 9 or
obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. 10 times now and I think every ISKCON devotee
should watch it. Thank You so much for teaching
Dear Guru Maharaj, I am now re-reading Your book
us to regularly listen to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures
of letters from 1990-1995. In one of the letters, you
and bhajans, thank You very much for giving us a
tell a disciple: “I always feel a connection with Srila
very clear sense of Srila Prabhupada’s presence in
Prabhupada because I try to keep in mind that I am
our lives and his spiritual concern for us. Thanks
only engaged in devotional service because of his
to You and Your love for Srila Prabhupada, thanks
causeless mercy.”
to Your living connection with him, I feel that Srila
Thank You very much for these Prabhupada is alive and close to me.
words. I think about it, I think
Dear Guru Maharaj, some time ago I had a dream:
about how important it is for our
a disciples` retreat, and I am sitting with other dev-
heart to be saturated with grati-
otees near the stage. Your senior disciple Varsana
tude for the Spiritual Master and
prabhu comes on the stage, takes the microphone
constant remembrance that ev-
and says to all of us: “You will all be fine! You even
erything we have on the spiritual
have no idea how protected you are!”
path and the very opportunity to
engage in devotional service - all Thank You for this protection You give us, dear
P
this is possible only by the grace Srila Gurudev. I feel it every day very strongly.
of the Guru. Thinking in this way,
I wish You good, good health, and may all Your
I also try to constantly keep this
disciples and followers bring You as much joy and
gratitude in my heart and thus
happiness as possible, advancing in devotional ser- and more attractive their qualities are visible. Of
vice and helping You serve Srila Prabhupada. course, these are disciples and followers of various
disciples and disciples of disciples of Srila Prabhu-
With endless gratitude,
pada. And this is the power of our society that they
Your eternal servant
all perfectly understand each other and cooperate.
Prema-lata devi dasi
I would like to write specifically about a few devo-
November 19, 2022, Moscow
tees who are your disciples and followers.
Mataji Chandravali selflessly serves the Deities,
PREMA-MANJARI she revived this place and directed the conscious-
ness of the devotees to Krishna in the form of the
DEVI DASI beautiful Gaura Nitai Deities. She is the soul of this
yatra and everyone loves her very much.
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Maharaja,
Mataji Lila and her husband also serve wholeheart-
edly, she is an excellent cook and her samosas and
the dust of your lotus feet. I bow in respect
other offerings are very inspiring to all the devo-
to all Vaishnavas. All glories to Srila Prabh-
tees. I also became friends with mataji Ira from
upada and the Guru parampara.
Odessa, she is a servant of Tulasi Devi. Thanks to
P
On the day of your Sri Vyasa Puja, the disciples her care, Tulasi trees became so lush and beauti-
glorify the spiritual master, and I can clearly see the ful that Mataji Dinatarini from Germany took her
shining of your qualities reflected in your disciples. phone number for advice on caring for Tulasi.
That’s why I want to write about them. Now I am
Mataji Alla Palekha also serves the best she can
in Germany, I got acquainted with the community
while maintaining the balance of spiritual and fami-
of devotees in the town of Bad Oeynhausen. Many
ly life. Her husband and daughter are also here.
devotees from Ukraine came here. All the devotees
who have gathered here are priceless diamonds. Dear Guru Maharaj, there are also many other
The closer I communicate with them, the brighter devotees here who are very inspiring to me. Mataji
Abhisara, Akshaya-madhava from Odessa, Mataji from Ukraine who organized the training at the
Tanya and her daughter Angelina. Young mothers spiritual academy online. Especially Ramananda
Victoria and Galina, Nalini Gauri and their children Raya prabhu who teaches very well the Bhagavad
under two years old. My daughter Yashoda espe- Gita course I signed up for. In total, about sixty peo-
cially befriended them. Yashoda likes to be with ple signed up there, but about forty are regularly
them, little Kostya, Haridas and Radha (and Rati- present. Just as the Ganges yearns irresistibly for
bor). Of course, with such beautiful mothers and the Ocean, so no one can stop these great souls in
fathers, they will grow up to be happy devotees their yearning for Krishna.
of Krishna. Trigunatita das and his relatives also
Also, of course, I thank all the devotees whose ser-
arrived. They are all very kind to me.
vice allows me to watch broadcasts on the Internet
Thank you, dear Guru Maharaj, thank you, Krishna and receive inspiring communication.
and other vaishnavas, for your care and love.
I also want to say thank you to all the people and
I also ask that all blessings be showered on my social services in Germany who gave us the oppor-
husband Ojasvi prabhu, he inspires me spiritually tunity to live comfortably away from worries. I wish
and materially. I also want to thank the devotees the Lord will reward them with not only material but
from Cologne, especially Mataji Kayani. Huge also spiritual benefits. Thanks to all of them.
thanks to Kalindi Lila from Aachen and her hus-
Hare Krishna.
band who take care of so many devotees that I
Your disciple Prema Manjari devi dasi
can’t count. Also special thanks to Mataji Sabina
from Kyiv, who told me that she was attracted to
Krishna consciousness because it is possible to
call upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Remembering her words, I improved my japa.
Also many thanks to the saints Sadachar Ramach-
andra prabhu and Lilavati Sita who sheltered us in
their hotel. I am also very grateful to the devotees P
RADHARANI spiritual path, I constantly admire her determina-
tion to improve her services and simply continue
BHAKTIN no matter what.
It was Mataji Govinesvari who inspired me to listen
Hare Krishna, dear Niranjana Swami to Your lectures. And from the next day I began to
Maharaj! Please, accept my lowest obei- listen to Your lectures every day; and every day, my
sances! All glories to You, Srila Prabhupada life began to change unnoticed for me.
and all devotees!
I heard your lecture, where You talked about saving
I immediately want to ask you for forgiveness for Krsna energy, so that we should treat everything
my chaotic, unrelated thoughts that, I hope, you with care, by understanding who is behind all this.
can still read and understand... It would seem that I have heard this already 1,000
times... But one day, leaving the room, the inner
I want to express my gratitude to you for appearing
feeling forced me to turn off the light behind me.
in my life through your lectures and instructions,
Each time, I began to recall this more and more
and that my life began to change because of you.
often by turning off the water so that it would not
For a long time I listened to different gurus, tried to flow in a huge stream unnecessarily, and each
hear, and as a result, everything just passed me by, time I remembered you and this lecture of Yours.
R
as if by a conveyor. There are tons of lectures that I It would seem like such simple things, but I never
don’t hear and don’t understand at all. thought about it and did not do it.
By Your grace, the mercy of devotees and Krishna, You know, a few years ago, I somehow even took
I began to communicate closely with your disciple, offense at Mataji Govindesvari for the fact that she
Mataji Govindesvari, who always very often speaks scolded me a little for the fresh flowers that I threw
about You with great love in her heart, devotion, out, out of my stupidity, while sorting out the altar
and sincerely tries to live according to your instruc- bouquets. She said that the flowers are still fresh
tions. Seeing how life sometimes is not really easy and there is no need to throw them away. Only now
and how she copes with all the obstacles on the I realized that she was telling me on Your behalf,
according to Your instructions. A couple of weeks something for Krishna if I don’t know him at all?
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ago, I listened to your lecture with memories of What is this Person in general, for Whom I follow
Srila Prabhupada, where You told a story about his sadhana? It turns out that this is just some kind
disciple and fresh flowers that she also threw out. of blind faith that does not have a reliable foun-
Srila Prabhupada scolded her, saying that there dation. And in Your next lecture, these thoughts
was no need for it. were confirmed – that these processes are all
interconnected. Besides, You said that when lis-
Also, my life changes began to occur regarding
tening to the Pastimes of the Lord we are purifying
money and disposal. The same internal feeling
ourselves. Now, whenever possible, I try to listen to
stops me from unnecessary expenses. I try to
Lilas of Krishna. In the month of Kartika, I pledge
save; although I have never saved and spent every-
to read the Krishna Book. Unfortunately, it was only
thing to the last penny. Now, from time to time, I try
enough for one month…
to donate for the construction of the temple, the
needs of the existing temple, and the Food for Life. But I really want to follow this instruction of Yours
and continue reading it… Recently, on Ekadashi, a
You know... Usually I was never interested in Krishna
japa-marathon with an early morning program was
Lila. I always wanted clarity and specifics. Roughly
held in our temple. And for me, honestly, getting up
speaking: why do I need to chant the mantra? How?
early in the morning is usually very difficult… But
By what methods? But while continuing to listen to
realizing that it is necessary… it is my duty… I still
you, I began to notice that in each of Your lectures
woke up, and first of all turned on one of Your lec-
You talk about the importance of reading Srila Pra-
tures just from the same date that You gave a cou-
bhupada’s books, the importance of listening to the
ple of years ago. And, going barely, I was mentally
Lord’s pastimes. I continued to ask questions, “but
preparing not to go anywhere and just continue to
why do I need this?” This is not my level at all! That
sleep. But after a couple of minutes of the lecture,
would be exactly what I needed to know and do, and
I heard Your words about what we need every
that’s all! Only after a while did I understand why
time, every day, every new morning, to take steps
You are constantly talking about this.
towards Krishna. You gave a funny example about
The thought was like this in my head: how can I do how we do not need to sit and remember how we
progressed a couple of years ago along the spiritu- she experienced during the chanting of Maha Man-
al path and not become “senior” devotees, instead tra. The mind continued to rush, but after a couple
every day to make efforts for Krishna. of rounds my mood changed unnoticed for me. It
was as if I began to hear more clearly the words of
I was very inspired by Your example and I began
the Mantra. They no longer passed me, but were so
getting ready for the temple program with enthu-
close, so next to me. At one moment, the emotion
siasm and desire. On the same day, I managed to
of happiness and joy surged over me. I wanted
talk again with Mataji Govindesvari about You and
to smile more slowly, more distinctly and a little
the importance of attentive chanting of the Holy
louder to repeat Hare Krishna. I chanted like this
name. She shared her realizations about how she
for a while, but then I seemed to be in a slight con-
began to chant her rounds in a different way, with a
fusion. Then it stopped and I thought: where did
different mindset.
these emotions come from? I never felt anything
Further, together with the devotees, we began like this during the chanting of Japa... Honestly, it’s
to chant the Holy name in the altar room. It so very surprising, nice and a frightening feeling... I
happened that I was sitting next to Mataji Govin- still don’t understand what it was... maybe all this
desvari, who, with a smile on her face and with is just speculation of the mind... and maybe just
half-closed eyes, carefully with some unearthly Your causeless mercy and mercy of Krishna, which
sweetness was chanting the Holy name. Mean- showed me how to chant Hare Krishna in another
while, I “tormented the beads”. It was very difficult way, not “tediously torturing beads and muttering
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to chant my rounds. the mantra”. Nevertheless, at that moment I ex-
perienced great happiness and awe in my heart,
There were many thoughts in my head. They were
which I had never experienced for many years in
flowing one after another. At some point, I began to
ISKCON…
pray to You and Krishna that my mind would calm
down, that I want to carefully chant and give plea- Now I try to take the Maha Mantra more seriously
sure to You and Krishna. I looked at Mataji Gov- and try to take my mind back to the mantra when it
ineswari and prayed to Krishna at least once in my tries to be distracted. Also, the time of my chanting
life to experience at least a drop of the feeling that has increased. Honestly, it is always difficult for me
to chant the mantra on the beads, but I still contin- heart is melting and I want to live exactly as You
ue to do 16 rounds every day. (so far, unfortunately, want. You always emphasize what we need not
this is my maximum) only to listen to, but to hear. And what we usually
hear in our life is…
Dear Maharaja, I believe and want to continue to
strengthen my faith in You and faith in Your instruc- I am grateful to You for Your sincere disciples who
tions and the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, love You so much and try to serve You, and with
which are indistinguishable from Your instruc- whom I have the opportunity to communicate and
tions. I know that You want your disciples to be cooperate. I infinitely congratulate You on Your ap-
really happy in connection with Krishna and take pearance day and warmly thank Krishna for letting
their spiritual life very seriously. It would seem... me meet You on the path of life, which I certainly
It turned out that the offering is what I wrote only do not deserve... I really want to be sincere with
about myself... But everything that I described is You and also develop this sincerity in communicat-
only thanks to You, and thus describing my life, I ing with devotees. I sincerely ask You to forgive me
thank you for all my changes. for such a long letter, because I am writing all this
on emotions… Maybe somewhere I was fanatical
For a long time I listened only to Srila Prabhupada,
in the statements, I sincerely ask You to forgive me
and how joyful it is to hear that you say everything
for that... Honestly, this is my first and I really hope
the same thing that Srila Prabhupada says, passing
that it is not the last offering...
the knowledge in its original form, which is very
valuable for me. You inspire me with your sincerity, Trying as much as having strength
simplicity and love in communicating with devo- to please You a little,
tees. Bhaktin Radharani
Listening to You, I really want to change for the
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better. You and Your life for me is an amazing ex-
ample of sensitivity, compassion, and a complete,
humble, ultimate devotion to Srila Prabhupada and
Krishna. Listening to You from your disciples, my
RADHIKA-KISORI that you have trusted so carefully to me. I don’t
understand anything about it, and I would even say
DEVI DASI that I grew out of this service a long time ago, but
you kindly bring me back to it again. I don’t under-
stand what my lesson is, I feel like a guinea pig
and I don’t see anything else. Furthermore, it does
humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus
not satisfy my heart. It satisfies my feelings for a
feet. All glories to you! All glories to Srila
short time, but, to be honest, I don’t want to follow
Prabhupada! All glories to the devotees.
my feelings and live at the level of reflexes at all. I
I would like to glorify you on this day of your Vya- see no future along this path. Please pour a drop of
sa-puja. But of course, as you yourself understand, your compassion on me and relieve me of having
I am not capable of anything other than making to engage in this exalted service at this stage of
garlands. my spiritual development. Maybe later, when my
contaminated heart is cleansed and Krsna’s mer-
Of course, I should be grateful
cy is bestowed on me, I will truly understand the
to you for the love that you dis-
meaning of this service and be able to perform it
play to me and its very nature,
without disturbing anyone. But to be honest, Krsna
and it seems that I deserved it
is telling me in my heart that He doesn’t really like
with my past births. But unfor-
being forced to do things. He Himself wants to de-
tunately, the source of my grat-
cide what things to shed mercy on and what things
itude has dried up, and apart
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not to shed mercy on.
from mental issues and the
fact that I have to periodically This is the realization I had the night before Ni-
be treated in psychiatric hospi- tyananda Trayodasi this year. And the only thing I
tals, as well as problems with could do was ask Him to help me arrange this op-
my parents (because they sup- portunity. But for now, I see that I have no protec-
port me), I receive nothing in tion in this. Today I listened to your senior disciples
my life from this type of service share their realizations about how much you love
your disciples. You know, I also want to get such a feelings that I had for Krsna were feelings for the
realization, really honestly, sincerely, I want to feel young man for who I am looking everywhere, and
your fatherly care for me at least once. So far, I see I wanted to be His girlfriend, but when I realized
that my feelings are simply used for some kind of that He is God, the first thing I said was that I want
higher purpose if they are so. And because of this, to go to hell to get purified to the level that would
I cannot fully trust anyone except those devotees not embarrass Him with my contamination in this
who feel just as bad as me, but unfortunately, they relationship. I experienced this meeting so strongly
cannot help me, as you understand. Forgive me that I didn’t care what happened to me, I just want-
for writing all this to you. I didn’t plan to write all ed to always be with Him. And the abyss opened
of this. It’s just that Vrajalalana said today at the up in front of me, but someone else began to stand
guru-katha that it is the duty of the disciple to write up for me and say that not everything is so bad and
an offering, and even if there is nothing to write, that there are some positive things. And then I said,
start and everything will come on its own accord. “Well, I can go through this purification in this life, I
Here’s what manifested in me. Not very elevated, of am ready for anything.” And Krsna changed his lov-
course. But it is honest, as it is. As an offering for ing mood to the mood of Visnu and in an authorita-
your Vyasa-puja, I offer you a report on my service tive tone said, “Well, you will meet My people, serve
to Lalita Madhava. But I have not the slightest them.” Everything then disappeared. I recently
desire and my health is not good enough to contin- realized that my path in the ISKCON is not the path
ue like this. She did her tasks and I would instead of mercy - it is the path of constant burning in hell,
turn the leaf as to this part of my spiritual life, and given my state of my mind. And I recently began to
perhaps, by your mercy, I will reassess values and pray to Krsna so that He would take pity on me and
I will see something qualitatively new revealed to shed mercy on me in such a way that I could move
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me for further service to you. further on the path of mercy.
When I first opened Srila Prabhupada’s book and Your mercy, the mercy of the devotees and the
read 2 pages from The Science of Self-Realization, mercy of Srila Prabhupada so that I can feel your
I got Srila Prabhupada’s darsan and darsan or spur- care and the devotees’ care which was discussed
ti (I’m not very good at this) of Krsna and the first today at guru-katha. Because today I feel that I
am “at home among strangers, a stranger among I am not a ksatriya. I just want to be a servant of
my own” in Srila Prabhupada’s family and in your the servant of the servant. And the pain in my heart
family. This is disheartening to me. I hope that the has already reached such a critical mass that I am
fact that I have opened my heart to you will some- consciously ready to leave ISKCON. And when dev-
how change my destiny on the spiritual path in the otees from Radha-kunda came to me (and they just
future. And yes, perhaps you will consider that my came to my house, I didn’t have to look for them),
appeal to you is motivated by my own interests the first thing they told me was that pure devotion-
and by my desire to somehow get comfortable in al service does not bother anyone. You see, they
the current situation. You are right, I still have this themselves approached me with such a message.
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motive. And I agree with this. I am not an iron lady These are the servants of Srimati Radharani.
and I also want happiness in this life. And so be
Of course, I understand you that family life is not
it, I would accept this and continue to serve you in
the best asram for spiritual development. But
this way, learning to live based on your interests.
judging by the pace at which ISKCON is developing,
But I cannot accept the fact that this service dis-
I want to ask a question, maybe there should no
turbs others. And this happens every time after I
longer be any development (considering that this
do service, it is shown to me how it destroys other
world has already come from yoga-maya), maybe
people’s lives in this world.
it’s time to learn to live harmoniously with this world
And I feel more and more pain every time; espe- around? What do you think? This is my humble
cially it happens life after life. I am not a jnani and question to you. And I am asking this question not
cannot be philosophical about it. I suffer because only to you personally but to you as the personifi-
of this very much, get me right, and I am not much cation of the entire tatva-guru in my life in ISKCON.
comforted by the fact that we are in the material I understand that the guru can manifest in the life
world and it is Kali-yuga now. I participate in the de- of a disciple through circumstances, other person-
struction of the lives of other living beings. They are alities, devotees, senior devotees, yatra leaders,
not warriors who are there to fight for their ideals, and other spiritual masters and GBC. The disciple’s
you know, they are innocent souls who simply for- responsibility is to serve the guru and humbly ask
got about the true purpose of life and that’s it. And questions. Here is my humble question.
Hare Krsna. family of devotees! I understand that it is incredi-
ble mercy from you. I also understand that I do not
PS Once again, forgive me for such a way of writ-
have the qualification required for that despite the
ing an offering, but so far I came up with nothing
fact you have poured your unlimited mercy on me.
bright and sublime.
It is not possible to express fully my gratitude for
Thank you very much for mercifully allowing me to
your visit to our country on Janmastami and Gov-
serve you and take my lessons.
ardhana-puja despite the tense and quite danger-
Sincerely bowing to you, ous situation here. It was just unbelievable mercy!
your disciple Radhika-kisori Devi Dasi It was incredible happiness! I could not even dream
about such a gift. First there was the pandemic,
now there is a war. And I was upset thinking that
RAGALEKHA there would be no chance to meet you in the near-
est future. But the Lord is very merciful and His
DEVI DASI representatives are even more merciful. You came
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to give us your association. You gave amazingly
Hare Krisna dear Guru Maha- interesting lectures and nectarean kirtans! You
raja! Please accept my obei- spoke about Srila Prabhupada with such warmth
sances in the dust of your lotus on his Appearance Day! There are some moments
feet! All glories to Srila Prabhu- that go straight into the heart and remain there. I
pada! very much appreciate them, especially the story
that Srila Prabhupada said that he has the key from
First of all, I would like to thank
the back door to the spiritual realm and that we
you from the bottom of my
should just hold on tight to his lotus feet; another
heart for accepting me as your
point was that whatever devotees did, they did it to
initiated disciple last winter.
see Srila Prabhupada smile! Devotees only wanted
Thank you for accepting me in
Srila Prabhupada to be happy. But all Prabhupada
the family of Prabhupada, the
wanted was for devotees to be happy!
I am very grateful to you for online lectures and Thank you very much for Mataji Tilakini. She in-
broadcast kirtans! It was very interesting to watch spires with her love and eagerness to distribute
them to the very end when you distributed ma- your books. I was fortunate to get not only books
ha-prasadam to devotees. Once I even wishedI from her but also some gifts that she sent me
could also get mahaprasad from you and I was along with the books. But the gift I appreciated the
envious in a good way of devotees who could. That most was a towel from your abhisekha. The towel
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night I had a dream and saw a festival and many was used to dry your lotus feet. I could not even
devotees and you were distributing mahaprasad. dream about such mercy!
And I got a big samosa from you. Maybe it was just
I’d like to mention two god-sisters of mine. They
a dream, but I felt very happy anyway.
are mataji Mangala-bhakti and mataji Tetiana
Besides, I would like to thank you for your disciples Uhlenko. Their enthusiasm in distributing Srila
and the opportunity to have their association. Who- Prabhupada’s books is so much admirable. Mataji
ever I got to know, they are just wonderful person- Tetiana is staying in Zaporizhzhia despite a very
alities. They willingly share their knowledge, enthu- difficult situation there. And she goes on preach-
siasm and inspiration. When I joined the temple, ing. And even before the war started she always
my greatest fortune was to meet Mataji Pulindi, had books with her and spoke about the Lord
my counselor and her husband Kaustubha Prabhu, wherever she went. And later she shares sweet
your disciple. No words can express how much stories on social media and inspires others by her
care and knowledge I’ve got from them since my example. Preaching by Mangala-bhakti mataji is
early days in Krsna consciousness movement and also very inspiring. I was fortunate to have her as
I am still getting that now. Mataji Pulindi continues my Bhakti-sastra teacher. I had never met a more
counselor meetings and Kaustubha prabhu gives sensitive, kind and understanding teacher in my life
Bhagavad-gita classes on-line. before.
Their contribution to my spiritual practice and that I know that I have a chance to know all these
of the whole community is just great. I am very wonderful devotees only thanks to you. You do not
grateful to them for that! only connect your disciples with parampara and
the Lord, but you connect your disciple with each nate to see a lady with her daughter walking their
other. I am very happy to be connected with plenty dog. I asked them how I could get to the other side
of such wonderful people. across the railways and the steep slope, maybe
there was another path. But the lady said that there
To tell truth, I am writing the offering at the last mo-
was no other path and that in warm seasons there
ment although I had usually written my offerings
was a path and way to get down, but she doubted
in advance and later I only corrected them in case
that I could walk there because it was covered
there was something that I wanted to mention. But
with snow. But she showed me the way down. She
this time I already had some concept of my offer-
asked me where I was going and I told her. She
ing but the whole sequence of events made me
pointed me at Krsna’s temple. And only when she
change the concept.
pointed it, I could see the grand outline of the tem-
However, I would like to tell you about an incident ple dome and the fluttering flag in some distance.
that happened to me at the beginning of February, The slope was very steep in the beginning but it
because it was a nice lesson for me. I realized how was easier to go down later on. This lady mercifully
important it is to have someone extending his help- stretched out her hand to support me! Her hand
ing hand to us. I came to Kyiv to see the physician helped me to overcome the most difficult part of
and I planned to visit the temple after my appoint- the slope and later I could walk myself. Ultimately I
ment with him. Since I had to get to the temple by got the temple!
a different route and it would take more time to get
But first I was discouraged to find myself so close
to the temple by bus than by walking there, I decid-
to the temple without an opportunity to visit it, so
ed to walk. I used Google Maps and expected no
maybe Krsna did not want me to come. The mind
tricks or obstacles on my way. But when I came up
functions in such a way – Krsna is always the One
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to a steep slope, I saw railways down and no way
who is guilty.
to go down. I was puzzled because my navigator
showed that I had almost reached my destination. But I was lucky to get help from that lady I did not
Only 200 meters left. But I saw no temple close to know. I saw your hand in that hand that that lady
me and did not know what to do. But I was fortu- mercifully stretched out hand! It is the Spiritual
Master who constantly stretches out his helping way that neither you nor Srila Prabhupada would
hand with his instructions prayers and care. The be pained because of me. I want to live in such a
Spiritual Master helps us to see the Lord and come way that would please you and Srila Prabhupada
to Him. He says, “Here is the Lord, you are just and make Srila Prabhupada and you smile!
looking in the wrong direction. Here is the path you
Immensely grateful to you, sincerely wishing you
are just going in wrong direction!”
sound health and hoping to serve you
I am infinitely grateful to you and will never get Ragalekha Devi Dasi
tired of thanking you for your entering my life and
stretching out your helping hand! The hand helps
me to get rid of material delusions and to obtain RASANATH DAS
genuine happiness. This happiness comes out of
service and understanding that there is nothing AND SACI-SUNDARI
in the world that is equal to the Lord or everything
that is connected with Him. DEVI DASI
On this auspicious day of your appearance, I am
Dear Guru Maharaja,
asking for your blessing to be always able to re-
Please accept our humble obeisances. All
member that I should only hold on tight to Srila
glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada’s lotus feet that give me the chance
to obtain real happiness and my lost love for God We are very happy to remain in touch with your
and my lost home! I should hold on tightly to your darshan and your vanis - thanks to our godbroth-
lotus feet because it is you who has stretched out ers and sisters for their dedicated services in this
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your helping hand to me and you showed me the regard.
way back home! I should keep tightly to Vaisnavas’
Your readings from Brhat Bhagvatamrt shone
lotus feet who protect me from deviating from the
new lights in our minds about the characteristics
path and support me in the process of devotional
of devotees of Sri Krishna, and thus respect all
service! I beg you to bless me to live my life in a
Vashnavas irrespective of the hues that they reflect
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from the effulgent rays of Sri Hari bol.
Krishna.
Your humble servants,
We also could understand that Rasanath dasa
the platforms of their respec- Saci Sundari devi dasi
tive realizations regarding
Krishna consciousness could
be varying because of different RASA-STHALI
angles from which they are
viewing the overall globe of Sri DEVI DASI
Krishna. To someone with no
materialistic obstacles in front Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my
of him/her, Krishna is realizable humble obeisances in the dust of your lo-
in fullest glory, but for those tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
with so many obstacles hin-
This human life is so precious and really short.
dering their visions, Krishna consciousness is only
Dear spiritual master, I am grateful to the Lord for
partially fulfilled.
our meeting in this lifetime, but I am very sad that I
Your conversations in Youtube, with HH Bhakti have not been able to appreciate the opportunity to
Vijnana Goswami related to work toward Bhakti serve you and Srila Prabhupada for so many years.
Vedanta University brought great hopes in our I only serve my mind and body.
minds. We hope that in good time, a strong Krishna
Knowing how merciful you are, I ask you to forgive
conscious society will evolve as intended by Srila
my ignorance once again. I am asking for it not for
Prabhupada.
a prosperous life, but to have a chance and hope to
Meanwhile, we pray that Sri Krishna and Srila serve you and Srila Prabhupada. I pray to the Lord
Prabhupada will allow you to be with us, in good that I will not be sentimental about you, and that
health, for a long time for more directions and en- despite your reactions (smile, tired look, fright, anger,
lightenments from which we will benefit. busyness or whatever) I will feel inspired and needed.
Thank you for your endless care, for your sacrifice gle, for those who are in pain, or just simply want
to help us! Thank you for strengthening our faith in some kind words or love. War in Ukraine opened
Srila Prabhupada, the Holy Name and devotional these qualities in you even more.
service!
You dedicated yourself fully to Srila Prabhupada
Desiring to become your real disciple and your love and connection with him and what
Rasa-sthali Devi Dasi and how you are talking about Prabhupada is very
inspiring for me.
RASA-VILASINI Your friendship with your godbrothers and godsis-

ters is also very inspiring. I remember one of your
DEVI DASI letters, where you said that friendship is based on
love, it fell very deep into my heart.
Dear Gurudeva, And, of course, your classes and kirtans are not
Please accept my humble from this planet. Sometimes I don’t understand, but
obeisances. All glories to Srila still, your mood of talking, your emotions make me
Prabhupada. feel like I don’t need anything else, only to hear and
chant Krishna’s names.
Every year I am trying to prop-
erly glorify you, but I am not a Thank you. Gurudeva, for everything you have given
writer and cannot put my mind to me and to your disciples.
into beautiful words. But still
Thank you for the opportunities to serve you. I
from the bottom of my heart I
hope I can do it better and more in the future.
want to do it.
Your servant,
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You are very kind and caring,
Rasa Vilasini dd
especially to devotees. Every
New Gokula, Lithuania
one of us can see how much
you care for those who strug-
RASAYANI DEVI DASI spiritual master give you the power to preach and
get in contact with Krsna and change our hearts.
I would like to fully surrender to Krsna and let Him
Dear Guru Maharaja!
enter my life. Please pray for me, I believe in the
power of your love and prayer.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Following the path of purification, I encounter
situations revealing my anarthas. Recently such a
I congratulate you on another birthday, it is a joyful
situation has happened and I understood that there
event for us, your disciples and well-wishers. May
is envy in my heart. This envy had to do with the
Krsna always be present in your life and the lives
fact that I got used to taking everything easy in this
of your disciples! May we all please you by coop-
life, being complacent and focusing on maintaining
erating with each other in this difficult time. May
my well-being. I questioned myself: “Why cannot
a serious attitude to spiritual practice become our
I allow this to myself and why am I eager to solve
priority.
material problems?” After a while, I understood
As I am getting older, I feel that mundane celebra- that everything happening to me in my life brings
tions and my birthdays become less attractive for me closer to Krsna. But it happens only in the case
me from the material perspective. But from the when my faith in the process of devotional service
spiritual perspective, each year brings new experi- is firm.
ence and revelations.
I try to meditate on Queen Kunti. She was success-
I cannot stay indifferent when I see your absorption ful in embracing any tests in her life with gratitude.
in service to the mission of your spiritual master There is a lot to work on but I am not desperate,
Srila Prabhupada. You are an efficient preaching because I have the inspiring example of You Guru
instrument in his hands and you distribute Krsna’s Maharaja!
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glory. You plant the seed of love of Godhead in the
I pray for the qualification to follow your footsteps
hearts of living entities. Your stable and regular
and seriously fulfil your instructions.
hearing and meditation on the instruction of your
You bestow unlimited mercy. My task is just to be ultimate goal of directly contemplating the Lord
able to accept it with gratitude. Himself, His associates and His residence. In the
commentaries both to this chapter and elsewhere,
Your servant always
Srila Prabhupada often writes that in our case, the
Needing your mercy
achievement of this supreme goal of bhakti yoga is
Rasayani Devi Dasi
possible only by the mercy of a bona fide spiritual
master: “such unconditional readiness to fulfill any
RATNAGARBHA- instructions of a bona fide spiritual master is the
secret of success.” (SB 2.9.8).
ACARYA DASA For my mind attached to sense gratification it is a
great austerity to follow the instructions. But your
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Dear Guru Maharaja! patience and personal example change my heart.
Please accept my obeisances. Quite regularly I have the understanding that a
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! certain aspect of devotional service is important
on this path. And then I remember: “Guru Mahara-
The ninth chapter of the Second Canto of the
ja spoke about it, he emphasized this point in his
Srimad-Bhagavatam describes how by fulfilling the
lectures.” This happened when I was your disciple
instructions of Lord Krsna, Brahma achieved the
for three years. After five years, ten, fifteen, twen-
ty... And suddenly, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, I
understood how much patience and faith you have
in giving lectures and instructions. You clearly un-
derstand the process of bhakti, therefore you real-
ize the importance and the necessity of its various
aspects, but at the same time, you see that some
of us, your disciples, do not realize their importance
due to immaturity. Nevertheless, you patiently
remind us in your instructions, year after year, of
the highest standards given by Lord Caitanya. The to you for your trust and mercy, for taking respon-
same standards you received on the parampara sibility for me and accepting me into Srila Prabhu-
from Srila Prabhupada. This shows your love for us. pada’s family, even though I do not have the neces-
And a small miracle happens! The mind, purified sary qualifications for this. I am deeply indebted to
by the process of bhakti, realizes the importance you, dear Gurudeva, for this priceless gift. Who but
of your particular instruction. In this way, by your you would bestow mercy upon me?
mercy, it gradually becomes purified and focuses
samsara-davanala-lidha-loka
more and more on the process of chanting the holy
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam
names. I hope that by your and other Vaisnavas’
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
causeless mercy one day I will be able to build my
vande guroh shri-charanaravindam
life on the basis of your instructions.
“The spiritual master is receiving benedic-
Your servant, Ratnagarbha-acarya Dasa
tion from the ocean of mercy. Just as a
cloud pours water on a forest fire to ex-
RATNALEKHA tinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers
the materially afflicted world by extinguish-
DEVI DASI ing the blazing fire of material existence.
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the
lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maha-
is an ocean of auspicious qualities.”
raja! Please accept my humble
obeisances in the dust of your Dear Gurudeva, you are undoubtedly kalyana gunar-
lotus feet. All glories to Srila navasya - the ocean of good qualities.
Prabhupada and Guru Param-
Your qualities such as purity, patience, compas-
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para!
sion, devotion to the Lord, your ability to see only
On March 12, 2022, you gave the good in others, to appreciate any devotional
me initiation. I am very grateful service, your cordiality, friendliness, your cheerful-
ness, resistance to difficulties, and humble attitude Gurudeva, but I feel their value, and I want to be-
towards success, your ability to always see Krish- come a servant of the servant of sevaka bhagavan.
na’s mercy in everything, your strength of mind… All I would like to be useful to you at least in some-
these qualities inspire me very much to learn from thing. Being a tool in your hands. I can only hope
you, dear Guru Maharaja, and to make spiritual that my heart will strive for devotion to Lord Sri
progress, following your example. Krishna Govinda, just as your heart and the hearts
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of your exalted disciples do. And on this auspi-
I would like to have at least a drop of these quali-
cious day, I pray that I will always feel your pres-
ties, at least a drop of your faith in Lord Sri Krishna,
ence in my heart.
in the Holy Name, in pure devotional service, and in
the fact that the Lord will always take care of me Your servant, Ratnalekha devi dasi
and support me… Pushkino, Moscow Region, Russia
Even while writing this offering to you, dear Guru
Maharaja, I feel that I am coming in contact with an
ocean of purity and good qualities.
RATNAVALI
In the 7th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, chapter 15, DEVI DASI
verse 27, Srila Prabhupada says in the commen-
tary: “The spiritual master is called sevaka-bhaga- Dear Guru Maharaj!
vān, the servitor Personality of Godhead, and Krsna On this auspicious day of
is called sevya-bhagavān, the Supreme Personality your appearance, please
of Godhead who is to be worshiped. The spiritual accept my humble obei-
master is the worshiper God, whereas the Supreme sances in the dust of your
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is the worshipable lotus feet!
God. This is the difference between the spiritual
All glories to Sriila Prabhupada,
master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
who taught people of our Earth
I don’t understand much from these words, dear how to worship and serve the
Lord; to always remember Him and never forget heart reminds me that my heart is occupied by my
through the glory, power, strength and sweetness eternal spiritual master, eternal well-wisher, eternal-
of His Holy Name. ly interested in the quality of my spiritual life.
All glories to you, dear Guru Maharaj! You support Sri Krishna prema! And all our trials tested by time
us in this way and encourage and take our service and devotion are temporary; Sri Krishna smiles and
to the perfection stage by your pure love and at- I reap the rewards. I realize the divine nature of the
tachment to Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet! You are “guru-tattva” of my spiritual master. He is a repre-
devoted to Srila Prabhupada and this is a shining sentative of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the
example of saranagati! You are so vividly mani- Supreme personality of Godhead and a disciple of
festing Srila Prabhupada’s mood with your life that Srila Prabhupada. And my nature is an eternal sub-
it helps me to understand what devotion means! ordinate servant of the servant of the servant.
There is nothing of secondary importance in your
Dear Guru Maharaj! I praise my eternal subordinate
life. Every moment in this temporary world is im-
position, and I confess, I am your eternal servant
portant!
from life to life. And I am ready to serve you and
The process of spiritual rebirth is gradual but un- the Holy Name in all conditions.
predictable. And if you do not see God’s plan in ev-
My dear Guru Maharaj! With a smile on my face, in
erything, you will not pass the test and you will not
happiness, I thank you for your patience and for-
find inner wealth. And it can be revealed through
bearance and mercy. You are the first image in my
gurus, shastras, and sadhus.
heart.
I was in illusion, mistaking the mirage, the subtle
Your servant life after life,
level of my mind for spiritual reality. And it is insid-
Ratnavali Devi Dasi
ious. Maya Devi is very insidious. I was suffering
11.15.22
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from emptiness in my heart, but I did not under-
stand what had caused it. And there was no image
in my heart. And so, your image appeared on the
canvas of my heart, the only image that from my
RATNAVATI “I offer my respectful obeisances unto my
spiritual master, the deliverer of the fall-
DEVI DASI en souls. His mercy turns the dumb into
eloquent speakers and enables the lame
to cross mountains.”
humble obeisances in the dust of your lo- Dear Guru Maharaja, when I met the saintly person
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! for the first time in my life, it so happened that
devotees distributed Srila Prabhupada’s books
The blessed day has come, the day of your Vya-
to me, I used to watch pictures in the book like a
sa-puja. With great inspiration again I am looking
child, but the first book I had read was the book by
for proper and worthy words in order to glorify at
Satswarupa Dasa Goswami “Prabhupada”. When in
least a droplet of your unique devotion and, as it
1990s I began to read the book I could not imagine
always happens, I am completely baffled: how can
that I would be your disciple and a part of the great
I, not such an intelligent person, find proper words
international organization, ISKCON, founded by our
to glorify such a beautiful and wonderful personal-
dear Srila Prabhupada for generations to come.
ity as you are. However, I know that by the cause-
less mercy of my spiritual master I shall be able to I read the book and cried for I was ashamed of
do so: how senselessly I spend my life and how wonder-
ful Srila Prabhupada is. I could not imagine how
mukam karoti
my life and my heart may change after reading the
vacalam
book. The books are intended to change people’s
pangum lang-
hearts, but then, of course, I did not understand it, I
hayate girim
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just read and cried.
yat-krpa tam
aham vande For thirty years without even understanding it I
sri-gurum di- follow in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps under your
na-taranam careful guidance and this is just a miracle. It is
simply incredible how my fate and my worldview
change. It is all due to association with Srila Prabh- You have always been with us, you did not leave
upada’s books, with you, my dear spiritual master us but continued to give Krsna consciousness to
and due to following your instructions. us despite of events happening in this world. Later,
when Krsna allowed you to resume your travel-
What is the secret of these great souls? It is in
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ing, you immediately went to your dear Ukrainian
their sincere devotion to their spiritual masters
devotees and began literally to bathe us in these
and to Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
nice meetings with your disciples. I just opened
The devotees worry only about satisfying their
my eyes, and I saw a new message: Guru Mahara-
dear Lord and His devotees. All these devotees
ja is there and there, here is a new lecture, a new
work hard in order to spread Lord Caitanya’s
meeting with inspired Ukrainian devotees. It was
sankirtana movement all over the world. I got
particularly amusing to read that devotees were
to know Srila Prabhupada’s amazing devotion,
asked not to dance so hard so as not to break the
then I heard about amazing devotion displayed
wooden floor in the building. We do not just listen
by the first devotees of the former Soviet Union,
to you about Krsna consciousness, but we also
then about the unprecedented experience of In-
see your faith in Krsna consciousness in real life
dradyumna Swami’s devotion in Poland, then I got
and in practice. It is such genuine faith that thanks
acquainted with the wonderful devotion of Tamala
to associating with you, one becomes a different
Krsna Maharaja. It was a meeting and parting in a
person, not even knowing how it happened; one be-
day. In the morning I saw this legendary Vaisnava
comes a much better person than one used to be
for the first time at mangala-arati and the same
before meeting you; it shows how beneficial your
day we and the whole Mayapura were paying him
influence upon us, your disciples and followers, is.
last respects for his next spiritual trip, the whole
Mayapura turned to the rivers of tears. Then there The most valuable thing that a person can have
were striking tests with Jayapataka Maharaja. in his life is the association with devotees of the
After we have just come to our senses, tests for Lord. Of course, I thank my fate for the fact that it
devotees in Ukraine started. Again the whole world gave me such great luck to be your disciple, even
of devotees learned the unique devotion of the though I do not deserve it. In “Sri Caitanya-carita-
great souls. mrta”, Madhya-lila, chapter 8, Lord Caitanya asks
Ramananda Raya, “From all suffering, which is the Our dear Srila Prabhupada worked hard to build a
most excruciating?”, and Ramananda Raya an- path through the ocean of material existence which
swers, “I do not know harsher torment than sep- is filled with sorrow and grief, and you work hard
aration from Krsna’s devotees.” This is confirmed to help us to go along the path given by Srila Pra-
by your meeting with devotees from Ukraine. The bhupada. I do not know what in this world is more
meetings were special, devotees from Ukrainian beautiful than the mercy of a spiritual master, I do
like no other devotees in the world appreciated not know a better luck in this world than to have a
your association and faith very deeply. The meet- spiritual master like you and your God-brothers, I
ings were filled with very deep realizations on spir- do not know more selfless spiritual organization in
itual master’s mercy, the mercy of great Vaisnava this world than ISKCON, I do not know more sub-
that you are for all of us. lime literature in this world than “Srimad-Bhagava-
tam”, and all these things were gifted to us by Srila
When I watched and listened to all of the videos, I
Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada was authorized
understood that this Janmastami, this appearance
by Lord Caitanya, the most merciful embodiment
day of Srila Prabhupada are not ordinary ones,
of Lord Sri Krsna. What is there more to want?
they are special for we have become more serious
in Krsna consciousness, we have become more I wish and pray to you so that you let me and help
thankful to our spiritual masters, we have begun to me to continue following the footsteps of under
deeper understand that there is no other shelter in your perfect guidance in the society of remarkable
the material world but the transcendental ship of and sincere devotees in order to keep and augment
Prabhupada and the mission of Lord Caitanya, that the treasure for there is no happiness without mer-
the material world is not our true home, that for the cy of Vaisnavas.
eternal soul there is no better shelter than lotus feet
Your insignificant servant Ratnavati Devi Dasi
of the Lord and His pure devotees, one of whom you
Ekaterinburg, 2022
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are to us. Material world is the place of suffering,
now we know it not from textbooks, we live it and
know by own experience. Unless your faith is with
us it would be hard to go through all the difficulties…
SACIDULAL DASA, Simply praying to Krsna that by His mercy and the
mercy of the devotees we can be happy by serv-
RAMADEVI DEVI DASI ing Krsna’s devotees. As Lord Caitanya said, even
in small villages there will be chanting of the holy
name of the Lord.
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept our humble obeisances in Listening to senior disciples’ realizations, we
the dust of your lotus feet! All glories to become joyful, we are inspired and appreciate this
Srila Prabhupada! opportunity, despite the fact that we are in the far
North. We try to get the association of such per-
We want to properly glorify you. Therefore, we pray
sonalities, which gives taste and desire to please
that we will be worthy in our deeds.
the spiritual master.
Listening to your lectures, we
Wishing to be of service to you in your service to
try to follow your mood. You
Srila Prabhupada,
surrendered to Srila Prabhu-
pada’s lotus feet, accepted his your disciples Sacidulal d and Ramadevi dd
instructions and made his mis- Russia Evenkya Baykit village
sion yours. You are a selfless 12/8/2022
representative of Srila Prabh-
upada; you develop the desire
to humbly serve others in your SACI-DULALA DASA
disciples.
Hare Krishna Dear Guru Maharaj,
Lately, we have been listening
Please accept my humble obeisances. All
to a lot of your instructions
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glories to you and to Srila Prabhupada.
regarding chanting. Thanks to
this, we began to appreciate Thank you for this opportunity to share with you
the surrender mood even more. my spiritual life and to glorify you on your most
auspicious of his memories he had with you. I was inspired to
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appearance have such a devotee friend.
day.
By Krishna’s mercy, I am friends with a devotee
I am a shal- in the USA. He lives quite close to Hartford and
low person regularly serves the deities at the Boston temple.
inept to extoll Besides loving Krishna, he loves mountains and he
your glories visited me for a week just two weeks ago. It was a
but will give really nice experience to be with him and complete
it a shot. To a 5-day trek near Mt Kanchenjunga in just 3 days. It
be honest, was the only in-person devotee association I had in
I haven’t followed you much in the last year but I the whole last year if I remember correctly.
have seen you travel recently and share Krishna
I have a temple nearby my room but I have been
consciousness with others. This was a big thing
just stuck with jobs, do household work, and I rare-
for me to see as I know how much bodily pain
ly go to the temple. I tried to invest/ trade in stocks
you have suffered due to your travels in the past.
too, and there was a prolonged monsoon lasting
I can also travel to Mayapur and to my hometown
until October which made travel even more tough.
to maintain my loving relations with you and my
family respectively; however, I am too lazy to do the I did a lot of trial and error as I tried to learn trading
same even in my youth and you’re doing it at such in stocks from people online. They said that self is
an advanced age even at the risk of your health. smart and one should not rely on investment firms.
I realized that self was rather unsmart for me. I lost
I could probably write pages about my mistakes
both money and peace of mind. I thought that I
and faults but I would try to briefly mention all that
would be easily able to multiply my wealth in a year
to be humble, how I am saved by mercy of Krishna
and give huge amounts of donations to you and
in the form of devotees and even non-devotees.
some other gurus in ISKCON, thus making spiritual
I was inspired during the last online Vyasa puja progress. You reminded me in the lectures that the
when HG Pyary Mohan prabhu recollected some goal should be remembering Krishna more and the
experience of playing with money (sort of gambling am hopeful that I can do better financially through
I suppose) turned out to be just the opposite. It investments via investment agencies in the near
was tough to even work or have a meal peacefully. future to engage wealth in Krishna’s service along
with personal use.
Anyways, I gave that up now but then had another
challenge, namely feeling lonely. Some days it was I remember that you like analogies and use them in
so bad that I didn’t even feel like chanting a single bhakti. I just thought of one and am sharing it with
round. That just showed me how far I am from you. It’s better to begin bhakti as a hobby and over
realizing that Krishna is non-different from His Holy time hope that it turns to a passion. I am not trying
Names. I tried for the past two years to form a dev- to follow the highest standards of bhakti in terms of
otee girl as a friend, and eventually marry but I had food, association, etc., I feel happy that by your mer-
no luck to even meet someone. I couldn’t even find cy I am still practicing bhakti by following my likes.
a non-devotee girl. Now luckily,
I like English in general and I hear daily on topics
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I have formed a friend online and I hope to meet of interest from some devotees who have good
her in December. She is from Vietnam and al- English especially yourself, HH Bhakti Vikasa
though I hate traveling, I feel that I have no other Maharaj, HH Devamrita Maharaj and sometimes
option. You often say that the spiritual master’s HG Vaisesika prabhu. This is somehow keeping
desire is that the disciple somehow engages the me alive in bhakti. Also, I like to walk in nature and
mind in thinking of Krishna (yena tena prakarena chant some rounds while walking.
mana krishna nivesayat). I feel great that finally I
I share a quote every morning with some people
have a friend with whom I can share my heart. She
on WhatsApp and found some quotes that inspired
likes reading books a lot and she told me that she
me in bhakti too.
has the book, “Hiding in unnatural happiness” by
HH Devamrita Maharaj. I was pleasantly surprised :>Stop expecting and start accepting, you will be
at this and told her about my spiritual background. happier.
Besides seeing the (girl)friend as Krishna’s mercy, I try not to have expectations from Krishna nor
I have had good health and done well in jobs too. I others whom I try to love. I must accept that I am
in the material world and I can have bad karma, ket I realized that I used to panic quickly and sell
unhappy situations in life too. I can’t change the stocks in losses or with just minor gains. Winners
fact that there will be dualities in the material world are people with patience who make even multibag-
and I should try to be equipoised by Krishna con- ger gains like 5-10x or even more on some stocks.
sciousness.
Similarly, when there are ups and downs in life, the
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:>Some get and forget, while some give and for- best will stay in bhakti but many may fall in their
give. faith.
Sadly I belong to the former category, unlike you, :> Willpower is like a muscle, the more frequently
as you clearly belong to the latter category. Krish- you can train it, the stronger it gets.
na has helped me immensely like improving my
I do regular pull-ups, push-ups, planks and can feel
health, wealth, and has given me good employers
strength in muscles. So, I could relate to this quote
and some good friends. He has also reciprocated
well. I also thought about daily hearing and devel-
to my desire of education abroad before with a
oping my will for bhakti.
full scholarship and awarded bliss after I took to
bhakti. :> Happiness is enjoying little things in life.
:> Mindset is what separates the best from the I became greedy for money after listening to stock
rest. market success stories. I recently heard a talk on
happiness by HH Devamrita Maharaj. He said that
My friend told me repeatedly during the trek that it
we can see happiness in this life and also lon-
is all a mental game. I felt it challenging to trek so
ger-term happiness that’s achieved through bhakti.
many hours but my friend could do that relatively
I am now trying to savor small moments of happi-
easily. I told him that he can do so as he is more
ness which may include eating, listening to kirtans/
practiced.
lectures, jogging/ cycling in the nature, chanting,
Later I realized that I was able to walk more as I etc. I even wrote on Facebook that goals can give
tried to listen to your lectures and not my mind that us purpose to be alive but enjoying the current
repeatedly wanted to stop. Even in the stock mar- moment really brings life to life. (Un)fortunately, I
am not passionate about anything currently neither have not offended him by making this comparison
materially nor spiritually. I go to Buddhist monas- and I don’t want to compare you with others as you
tery almost daily and feel inspired by Lord Bud- may not like it. Anyways, I can’t help but admit that
dha as He seems to be just enjoying the moment you are the nicest ISKCON guru in terms of social
whereas even devotees seem to be stretching too dealings by far that I have come across. HH Bhakti
much to meet their goals. Vikasa Maharaj recently gave a talk that we can
be with Srila Prabhupada by following Him. I rarely
:> Appreciate good people. They are hard to find.
think of Srila Prabhupada but I see your pictures
It’s easy to take things and people in life for grant- on Facebook sometimes when you’re distributing
ed. To be honest, I am grateful for this opportunity prasad and remember the times spent with you in
to appreciate you and Krishna. I see bhakti more person and feel grateful that you inspired me to
as love than following rules and rituals as you also love Krishna and others by your personal example.
say that substance is more important than form. Else it’s an impersonal world by and large and the
They say that we should not try to find perfect emphasis is on “self-love” (sadly the self is mistak-
people rather see people perfectly. I feel it is espe- en as the mind and the body). What else is there to
cially true in building relationships. I feel you’re very expect also, as relationships are tough in kali-yuga.
loving and help even fallen people as me practice
Thank you for taking out time to read my offering.
bhakti without enforcing strictness.
I hope this humble and honest admission of my
Although I appreciate HH Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj, fallen position attracts your mercy and blessings
he’s quite strict when it comes to speaking about so that I may be more Krishna conscious.
principles. He said openly in a talk that we can’t
Your servant,
expect to be good devotees if we eat outside food.
Sacidulala dasa
I am mainly surviving on unoffered food. I can’t
Gangtok, Sikkim (India)
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dream of offering factory made sweets to HH
Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj but I offered them to you
in Mayapur and you kindly accepted the love and
even distributed them to other devotees. I hope I
SACIMAYI DEVI DASI understanding that the highest
meaning of life is to follow the
path of devotional service. But
Dear Gurudeva,
due to my imprudence and
Please accept my humble
offenses I lost taste of this
obeisances. All glories to your
practice, and now I only live by
divine appearance day.
remembrances of that period
I would like to wish you, Gu- of life when I had a taste to
rudeva, a very Happy Appear- chanting and hearing of Krish-
ance Day, good health and be na. Remembering that You are
blissful every day. I greatly praying for all of Your disciples,
appreciate your and Lord Krish- I have a hope to once again be
na’s mercy. I pray for Gurudeva back at the path of devotional
every day after my morning service in the mood of dasa
Arati at home. dasa anudasa.
Your humble servant Especially I feel indebted to my dear wife, whose
Sacimayi Devi Dasi sincerity and efforts help me a lot, and who is like a
nurse taking care of a wounded soldier.
SADBHUJA DASA Thank You for Your example of devotional service

and such a deep compassion even to such useless
devotees as I am.
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept my obeisances. Your servant,
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All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Sadbhuja das
Having once, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada
and the vaisnavas, met the devotees, I gained an
SAHASRAJIT DASA without any reservations to us, your disciples, and
followers.
Dear Guru Maharaja! Please accept my This year, the war has destroyed many illusions,
humble obeisances in the dust of your lo- and as a result, the true things became more ev-
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and ident. So in my life, I went through an experience
ISKCON Gurus! All glories to your Divine that is close, probably, to reincarnation, when in a
Grace! short period of time, the external decorations of re-
ality changed so abruptly, unexpectedly, and dras-
I sincerely congratulate you on your 70th anni-
tically. Everything I was used to, what I relied on,
versary! On this most auspicious day of your An-
and what I was sure was automatically guaranteed,
niversary Vyasa-puja please accept my words of
suddenly disappeared. The natural consequence of
deep appreciation and gratitude for your invaluable
that is chaos, fear, and confusion, urging one for an
contribution to my life. I am immensely grateful to
intensive search for support. You have to lean from
Krsna and Srila Prabhupada that they have given
something, otherwise, you can just go crazy.
me the opportunity to associate with you.
I am very happy and even proud that this search
This year’s events made me deeply understand
for support has brought me to you, Guru Mahara-
once again how fortunate I am to have become
ja. I am very happy to realize this: it means that
your disciple. Thinking about how incredible it is
the years of trying to be a devotee have not been
and how causeless it is (despite my complete dis-
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wasted. At the same time, I perfectly understand
qualification), I, again and again, experience waves
that this is not my merit. This is because you are
of ever-increasing happiness.
such reliable and pure via the medium of Krsna
A verse from CC Madhya 19.151 come to my mind: Consciousness and Krsna’s mercy.
brahmānda bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-krs-
My fortune and qualification consist only in being
na-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
able to acknowledge and accept it. But anyway, I
Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for being who you are. am so grateful to you, Guru Maharaja, for having
And thank you for giving yourself so mercifully and accepted me as your disciple, and for continuing,
with exclusive patience and compassion, to make in my life when the ones who were helping me
selfless and endless efforts to rescue me from the the most, the ones without whose help I wouldn’t
maya of material worldview and consciousness. be able to cope with all the difficulties, were your
disciples (Amogha-lila Prabhu, Adi-govinda Prabhu,
This year you also gave my daughter Manjari a
Mataji Devaki). And now, in this critical moment of
chance to become your disciple. It was her con-
tests, my family and I have taken refuge in a won-
scious choice. Daya and I did not in any way influ-
derful community of devotees in New Mayapura
ence her in that decision at all. Sharing with me the
(near Dnipro). Thanks to the experienced guidance
reason behind her decision, she told me that you
of one of your qualified disciples, Prema-rasa Pra-
were the one she had the most confidence in, and
bhu who is very meticulous in trying to do every-
it was with you that she naturally wanted to be in a
thing according to your instructions. I can clearly
Guru-disciple relationship. It turns out that almost
feel your participation and presence in the form of
all members of my family: my wife, mother-in-law,
vani there. Thus, I feel indebted to you even more.
son, and daughter are your disciples. I see this as
another act of your compassion and mercy to me. Dear Guru Maharaja, your glory is unlimited! It is as
endless as the compassion of your infinitely soft
Although you are a sannyasi, a renounced person,
heart. Please take care of yourself, live long, and
a renounced monk, and you are not obliged to
be healthy for the benefit of all of us – all those
accept that much trouble, you voluntarily assume
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who depend on the mercy of your instructions.
the greatest part of the responsibility of your disci-
Please forgive me for all the mistakes I made
ple (miserable grihastha) to help me fulfill my main
while associating with you. As Arjuna says in BG
duty in regards to my family members. For it is said
11.41-44: “Thinking of You as my friend, I have
in SB 5.5.18: “One who cannot deliver his depen-
rashly addressed You “O Krsna,” “O Yādava,” “O my
dents from the path of repeated birth and death
friend,” not knowing Your glories. Please forgive
should never become a spiritual master, a father, a
whatever I may have done in madness or in love.
husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.”
I have dishonored You many times, jesting as we
It is very easy for me to feel dependent on your relaxed, lay on the same bed, or sat or ate together,
mercy because there have been many situations sometimes alone and sometimes in front of many
friends. O infallible one, please excuse me for all
those offenses[...]You are the Supreme Lord, to be
SAKTI-SVARUPINI
worshiped by every living being. Thus I fall down to
offer You my respectful obeisances and ask Your
DEVI DASI
mercy. As a father tolerates the impudence of his
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja!
son, a friend the impertinence of a friend, or a hus-
band the familiarity of his wife, please tolerate the
the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to
wrongs I may have done You.”
Srila Prabhupada!
Once in Kharkiv, you said at a lecture that a disciple
Whenever I listen to my Godbrothers and Godsis-
makes progress in spiritual life only by vitrue of the
ters read their offerings, I am so amazed at how
fact that his spiritual master is thinking about his
deeply they see and understand you. I pray that my
disciple favorably and prays for him. Please keep
devotion grows, nourished by their love. This year
thinking of me as your disciple, albeit unintelligent,
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is the most important for me in life - you initiat-
and keep mercifully praying for me to Srila Prabhu-
ed me. At the darsana before initiation, I asked a
pada and Krsna. Otherwise, I have no other chance
question about serving you, and you answered it
for success. And there is no other shelter for me.
in a way that these instructions were addressed
Hare Krsna. to everyone:
Your unworthy disciple, continue doing
Sahasrajit Dasa your service,
be responsi-
ble, develop
relationships
with devotees,
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and you add-
ed that it may
be difficult
to even follow these simple instructions, maya during Lord Caitanya’s kirtan. There you talked
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will manifest itself in this way. Your words truly about the departure of Gour Govinda Swami and
touched my heart and I felt that it is my protection the feeling of separation that you experienced
and guidance. Is it possible to fully express grati- then.
tude, having a heart of stone? I’m sorry I can’t put it
After hearing this, I wondered how I would feel if
into words. Every disciple dreams of satisfying the
it suddenly turned out that I would no longer have
spiritual master, and so do I. Then, at darsana, you
the opportunity to communicate with you? What is
said how to do it: to help you in Srila Prabhupada’s
your place in my heart? When my mother left her
mission. Your example, qualities, Krsna conscious-
body, by that time I had lived in a temple in Riga for
ness are a source of enthusiasm, determination,
several years and did not see her. I have not experi-
patience and faith. Thank you for everything, dear
enced the pain of separation.
Guru Maharaja! Thank you for your whole life in
Krsna Consciousness. Let me always be at your The same thing happened when my father left the
lotus feet. body.
Your unqualified servant But now I find that you have
of the servant of the servant, taken a place within my heart.
Sakti-svarupini Devi Dasi I don’t know how much scope
you occupy in my heart, but you
are there.
SANJAYA DASA Through listening to your lec-
tures and associating with
Dear Guru Maharaj. Please accept humble
devotees, I can still feel the
obeisances to your feet.
presence of the Lord in my life.
A few days ago I listened to a lecture on Caitanya Sometimes it becomes quite
Bhagavata that you gave in Riga in 1996. It was a obvious that the fact that I con-
lecture on how Srivasa Pandit’s son left his body tinue to chant the holy name,
hear your instructions and associate with devotees your mercy and instructions, it is an easy path. It
is all your mercy. This is because you are very dear is a great happiness to feel your guardianship and
to the Lord and you love your disciples very much. fatherly care. I am your eternal debtor and that is
Therefore, even with all my shortcomings, the Lord why you have my heart. Two instructions that you
again and again gives me a taste for spiritual prac- wrote in your letter became my vows.
tice, and gives me an understanding of how to fol-
When I was at darsan in Mayapura, I saw you -
low this path, and gives me shelter in the company
shining and huge. After that, I understood what it is
of devotees. Thank you so much, Guru Maharaj.
the chain of disciplic succession.
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Still trying to become your servant,
I am very proud of you and I am very happy. You
Sanjaya dasa, Malati dasi and Ratna
are always in my heart.
Belarus, Grodno
Your lowest servant, Saradiya Devi Dasi
Irkutsk
SARADIYA
DEVI DASI SASTRA-KRIT
All glories to Sri Nitai and DASA
Gauranga! All glories to Srila
Prabhupada! My dear Guru Mahara-
ja, please accept my
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami, please
humble obeisances in
accept my lowest obeisances in
the dust of you saintly
feet. All glories to your
You are an example for me as Divine Grace!
I walk the beautiful path of de-
All glories to His Divine Grace
votional service to Krsna. With
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada! mercy, how They are waiting for us and love us.
On this most auspicious day of your Vyasa-puja, I ISKCON is based on Srila Prabhuada’s love, this
would like to express my gratitude to you. Seeing love you received from His Divine Grace and this
the way you preach the glories of Lord Krsna, how pure love you also convey to everyone around you,
devoted you are to the mission of Srila Prabhu- I would like to thank you for this with my word and
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pada, how you care for devotees and disciples, I with my actions.
admire you more and more, thank you for the ex-
Your mission is Srila Prabhupada’s mission, hari-
ample that you set, because it is so important for
nama-sankirtana, book distribution, prasadam,
us, your disciples.
preaching, and it is the highest benefit to all living
A good example is always easier to learn from. beings. I only pray that I could always be a humble
Thank you very much for coming to the Carpathian instrument in your hands, to be able to do this, I
festival in the village of Izky, it brought so much want to please you, dear Gurudeva.
happiness and good luck to us, you bring the light
Trying to become your servant and disciple,
of Krsna consciousness to the tortured hearts of
Sastra-krit Dasa,
the people of this age. I will never forget that as you
Ukraine, Nikolaev
were giving a lecture about the pastimes of Lord
Damodara at the festival, the sun suddenly came
out and the heavy rain started at the same time – it
was a sign from above which we all understood.
SATAKULA DASA,
You are just conveying the message of Srila Prabh- ANUSMRTI DEVI DASI
upada, you are doing it perfectly because it inspires
a lot to serve Krsna, to fight every day for bhakti. Dear Spiritual Master,
What a wonderful and bright path this is. Life in Please accept my humble obeisances. All
Ukraine is not easy, but listening to your lectures Glories to Shrila Prabhupada.
and following you, I feel as if I was in the spiritual
I wish to offer my respect to you on the occasion of
world, I feel Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna’s
Vyasa puja, when disciples worship their spiritual with things that are within his reach, the only prob-
master, the representative of Vyasa, and the spiri- lem that they are not gratifying at all. And looking for
tual master worships Vyasa, the spiritual master of pleasure with things beyond one’s means practically
all spiritual masters. always means forbidden fruit, something that can-
not be done and will lead to suffering in the future.
The last time you were in Lithuania and spoke, I
don’t know why I paid attention to your sincerity. In an open or sincere self-observation, I do not find
It seemed that you spoke to the audience very in me a sincere desire to serve Krishna and to love
sincerely, openly, and happily. Lately, the topic of Krishna. Maybe that desire is the unheard voice of
sincerity and openness has started to bother me the soul, suppressed by the ahankara, mind and
a lot. Sincerity is often defined as the opposite of senses? But at the same time, if I observe myself
pretense and duplicity or hypocrisy. In the BG 3.7 more deeply, I also discover that the desire for
purport, Prabhupada says: “A sincere sweeper in sense gratification does not satisfy my heart. I find
the street is far better than the charlatan meditator myself in an ambiguous situation, where I sincerely
who meditates only for the sake of making a living.” realize that sense gratification is not my true pur-
Prabhupada talks a lot about sincere desire, sincere suit, but Krishna’s sense gratification is also not
efforts to serve Krishna and how Krishna responds my sincere desire. At least, it is not so clearly and
to such a sincere devotee. But to sincerely want to obviously perceived as the desire to experience
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serve Krishna, perhaps mundane pleasures. Perhaps Rupa Goswami’s
first one needs to verse would better illustrate this point:
sincerely admit that he
yuvatīnām yathā yūni yūnām ca yuvatau yathā
really does not want to
mano ’bhiramate tadvan mano ’bhiramatām tvayi
do this, that the mind
wants sense gratifica- As the minds of young girls take pleasure
tion, wants to be grati- in thinking of a young boy and those of
fied with things beyond young boys take pleasure in thinking of a
one’s reach, because young girl, may my mind take pleasure in
one already is gratified You. (Bhakti-rasāmrta-sindhu, 1.2.153)
Sincerely and deeply in my heart I have to discov- me in Your personal service and save me.
er what I really need. Everyone needs Krishna, (Bhakti-rasāmrta-sindhu, 3.2.35)
the scriptures say, but the scriptures also say
Rupa Goswami says that only Krishna can provide
that some are qualified for karma, others to prac-
shelter from the fear of passing life in vain, with-
tice jñāna, and still others to pursue bhakti. (SB
out meaning, trying to satisfy never-ending but
11.20.7-8). If I want worldly pleasures, I should
well-understood and sadly ungrateful desires. But
follow the path of karma, but this path leads to
the heart also has other desires that are hardly
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ever-increasing fear, which Rupa Gosvami talks
tangible or not at all tangible, which can only be
about:
suspected from the insatiable longing that one
kāmādīnām kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās sometimes feels in the heart.
tesām jātā mayi na karunā na trapā nopaśāntih
I must sincerely admit to myself that my desire to
utsrjyaitān atha yadu-pate sāmpratam labdha-buddhis
serve Krishna, to love Krishna is only intellectual,
tvām āyātah śaranam abhayam mām niyurksvātma-dāsye
derived from the scriptures and other devotees,
O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwant- but not yet my own desire. However, it seems that I
ed orders of lusty desires. Although I have need it most, that this is where my greatest benefit
rendered these desires so much service, lies. I need bhakti, I need devotion. But after many
they have not shown any mercy to me. I years of trying and failing, I have to admit (again,
have not been ashamed to serve them, nor sincerely) that I do not have the qualities required
have I even desired to give them up. O my for devotional service (and not to please others).
Lord, O head of the Yadu dynasty, recently, Here again I am reminded of Rupa Goswami,
however, my intelligence has been awak- whose words resonate with my situation:
ened, and now I am giving them up. Due to
na premā śravanādi-bhaktir api vā yogo `tha vā vaisnavo
transcendental intelligence, I now refuse to
jñānam vā śubha-karma vā kiyad aho saj-jātir apy asti vā
obey the unwanted orders of these desires,
and I now come to You to surrender myself O my Lord, I do not have any love for You,
at Your fearless lotus feet. Kindly engage nor am I qualified for discharging devo-
tional service by chanting and hearing. You are awesome in your devotion to Guru and Krsna.
Nor do I possess the mystic power of a You are awesome in your chanting of the holy name.
Vaisnava, knowledge or pious activities. You are awesome in your friendship with Vaisnavas.
Nor do I belong to a very high-caste family. You are wonderful in your patience and humility.
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On the whole, I do not possess anything...
And the fact that you are reading my offering as
(Bhakti-rasāmrta-sindhu, 1.3.35)
well, and not looking through it, indicates that you
Being sincere means admitting one’s shortcomings are very wonderful in your compassion. You do
not only to oneself, but also to others and to Krish- not criticize anyone, you only look for the good in
na. Without admitting that I don’t have what I need I everyone and make it bigger. You are always in
can’t ask for help. To stop pretending and to admit the mood of a servant, even with non-servants like
that I don’t have what I really need seems to me sin- me. Everything you do is for the benefit of those
cerity. Realizing that on my own I cannot get what with whom you come into contact. You derive
I need the most and asking for help is humility. But happiness only from service because you are not
both of these things seem very difficult for me at interested in anything
the moment. I’m still trying to research them to get which has nothing to
the courage to take the first and second steps. do with pure devotional
service.
Your humble servants,
Satakula d. and Anusmrti dd Guru Maharaja, thank
Vilnius, Lithuania you for the example
of your surrender, your
chanting, your Krs-
SATARUPA DEVI DASI na-katha! Your exam-
ple, your happy ex-
Dear Guru Maharaja! ample, inspires me to
Please accept my humble obeisances. realize that happiness
All glories to your dear Srila Prabhupada! lies in service to Krsna!
Guru Maharaja, I don’t have any of that. So all I can even imagine how this is even possible in my ne-
offer as service is tears. glected case. I offer my humblest obeisances to
those disciples who managed to please you! I hope
My life is filled with mistakes, falls, deviations, of-
that now, as you recalled those disciples who are
fences and other features of a materialist, a stupid
worthy of your mercy, your heart became joyful be-
person and an unlucky disciple. I am delighted that
cause I do not have the qualifications to please you.
even me, as I am, you engage in service, and find
me a place and tasks so that I could have at least Allow me just to keep going,
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some chance to grow in Krsna Consciousness. Trying to become a servant of your servants,
Satarupa Devi Dasi. Minsk.
Thank you for the fact that in my heart there is a
firm faith that you are my well-wisher and wish me
the real good! This belief, such an important belief
for me, is your mercy! Without this faith, it would be
SATYA DEVI DASI,
totally impossible to continue.
RASAMANDALA DASA
Guru Maharaja, let me just keep on learning even
though I can’t say that I’m learning from my mis- Dear Guru Mahara
takes. I guess I make the same mistakes over and please accept my
over again and still don’t learn anything. obeisances. All glories
to Srila Prabhupada.
Please let me continue - this is my hope. Through-
All glories to the guru
out all these years I’ve learned an important thing
parampara..
that I need to get exactly where you have already
reached. How I miss our Zoom meetings on Another year has passed. I look
Brhad-Bhagavatamrta!!! I remember that I was very back. What happened? What’s
happy every time these sessions on. left with me? The most valuable
thing was your lectures on the
I so much hope that someday I will be able to make
Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. They
you smile and satisfy you, even though now I can’t
were happening regularly and gave protection and read my words. But you reacted and said, “I agree.
peace of mind. This is an invaluable experience. Very beautiful”. And these 4 words made me hap-
This is invaluable wealth. In other words, it was a py and I think the same for the one who made the
regular live association with you, 4 days a week garlands. Just like that, in passing, without waiting,
plus kirtans. This has never happened - regular by chance you shed mercy on us. We don’t need
sanga with a spiritual master. It nourished me and much. I am extremely grateful to you for giving me
gave me life because I am always for stability and the strength, enthusiasm and sense to continue my
goodness. Now we have to rebuild our conscious- service to you and all the devotees.
ness in a new way.
This year, Guru Maharaja, I have a gift for you.
Many thanks to you for your love of the scriptures, Before the beginning of the month of Kartika, I took
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for your efforts to reveal their meaning to us. It a vow during Kartika to write a summary of your
always feels like you are sacrificing yourself. It fas- lectures every day, one lecture a day. I succeeded
cinates me every time you deeply know philosophy. by the mercy of the Lord and yours. Therefore, I
You don’t just know, you present it to us with great offer the fruits of this vrata to your lotus feet for
taste and enthusiasm. After your lectures, I want the benefit of your health. This vrata has given me
to run and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and your a strong taste to listen attentively and deeply and
books. responsibly to your lectures. This is the nectar
that I cannot abandon. I want to get up, raise my
Heartfelt thanks to you for connecting us with Srila
hands to the sky and shout with a smile - NECTAR!
Prabhupada. We see how much you love him and
I would like to share this honey, this amrita and this
what he means to you.
taste with everyone.
Thank you endlessly for the way you notice the
I’m sorry, Guru Maharaja, that I’m not yet the perfect
little things and inspire us with your example. I
instrument in your mission. My attempts to serve
remember how, after your lecture in Zoom, I wrote
you are still ridiculous. But I still feel happiness and
in the chat words of gratitude to the devotee who
taste. And this is your merit. I wish you good health,
made amazing garlands for you and Srila Prabhu-
dear Guru Maharaja. I touch your lotus feet.
pada. I wrote without even thinking that you would
Your servant, Satya Devi Dasi. My husband, Rasa- from Ekabhakta Prabhu. He would always glorify
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mandala Dasa, offers his obeisances and congrat- you in his lectures, show fragments of the video
ulations to you. He and I always serve you and all where you visit Simferopol and take part in the
the devotees together. installation of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara.
Satya Devi Dasi, Rasamandala Dasa Later on I met more of your disciples. One of
Nice, France, 2022 them was Amrta Lila from Sevastopol. She brings
your mood into Sevastopol yatra. This manifests
through her very deep absorption in the study of
SOFIA LELEKO Srimad-Bhagavatam.
In the summer of 2022 I met your disciple Kalindi
Dear Guru Maharaj,
Sundari. She has your photographs in her room,
Please accept my humble obeisances. By
as well as a calendar with quotes from your lec-
the mercy of senior devotees, I have the
tures. At that time I had already been listening to
opportunity and fortune to take part in this
your lectures, and took great pleasure in hearing
offering to you on your Vyasa Puja.
your kirtans. Now I am learning to play these same
First, I would like to sincerely thank your disci- melodies on harmonium. This helps me to think of
ples through whom you and Srila Prabhupada during chanting. Kalindi
I learned about Sundari has told me stories from her childhood,
you. This was H.G. how you gave her a name, and how kind you are.
Ekabhakta Prabhu She said that she always cries when she sees you.
from Simferopol.
Also, I want to mention Yuthesvari from Ukraine.
During the first year of
She once came to Sevastopol for a month and
my journey in Krsna
stayed at her brother’s place, which is just on the
consciousness I would
same street that I live on. We met at a bus stop,
often hear your name
and I immediately figured that she must be Niran-
and stories about you
jana Swami’s disciple. She told me about japa
sessions that you had been conducting, as well as different from Krsna Himself. These prayers also
your travels after leaving Mayapur. help me very much to chant japa more attentively.
Currently I live at the asram with Dinadayadri, who Now I feel your presence in my life, and as I contin-
is also your disciple. She is very responsible and ue to live with Dinadayadri, this feeling grows.
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devoted to you. Because of her, I daily listen to your I will be very happy to be useful to you and your
lectures and kirtans. She is always very responsi- disciples in service.
ble about translating your lectures, and very devot-
Your servant,
ed to the sankirtana mission, and her example of
Sofia Leleko
a preacher and disciple is always very inspiring. In
this way, I first met you through your disciples, who
attracted me by their qualities of purity and seri-
ousness in spiritual life, and depth of commitment
SRIDEVI DEVI DASI
to the practice of bhakti yoga.
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Ever since I came to the asram and Dinadayadri Please accept my hum-
started mentioning about me in her sankirtana re- ble obeisances in the
ports to you, I feel your support and blessings to be dust of your lotus feet.
useful to the women sankirtana asram in Moscow
The material world is like cold
and Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
winter, there is no place to get
Please accept, dear Guru Maharaj, my gratitude for warm. It is an illusory mirage
your disciples, whom you lead to Krsna through causing anxiety of mind and
your instructions, through letters. Thank you for the senses without bringing any
opportunity to listen to your classes and become satisfaction or feeling of being
more serious in chanting of the Holy Name. Lately sheltered. But when I recall you
I’ve been praying in my mind before chanting: I’m and your love, I feel the source
asking Krsna to chant the pure Holy Name, with a of warmth, real heating source
pure motive, and try to see that Holy Name as non of warmth in my heart.
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Recently I have become more aware of a desire radha-kundam giri-varam aho radhika-madhavasam
coming to me. It’s the desire to follow and com- prapto yasya prathita-kripaya sri-gurum tam nato ‘smi
prehend the essence of spiritual science to chant
I am falling down unto the beautiful lotus
attentively the holy name and to serve devotees.
feet of my spiritual master, by his mercy
This is the manifestation of your mercy towards
I have obtained the Supreme Holy Name,
me. It is the effect of your desire to help me make
divine Gopala-mantra, service to the son of
progress. It is the result of your personal manifes-
Saci-mata, association with Srila Svarupa
tation in your instruction or it is your manifestation
Damodara, Rupa Goswami and his elder
embodied in other Vaisnavas or circumstances.
brother Sanatana Goswami. (Raghunatha
Everything that happens to a disciple takes place
das Goswami, Mukta Carita 4)
only by guru’s mercy!
Maybe the depth of such realizations will become
The other day Madhuvrata drew my attention to an
alive in my heart but it will definitely not be my
amazing verse from Mukta Carita 4. It’s a prayer of
credit…
Raghunatha das Gosvami to his spiritual master.
The prayer goes: Now I am listening to audio recordings of Prabhu-
pada-lilamrita and each chapter brings me increas-
It is only by mercy of the spiritual master that the
ing pleasure. I adore Srila Prabhupada’s admiration
whole spiritual abode with splendid associates of
of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. I am amazed by Srila
the Lord along with the holy name and loving ser-
Prabhupada’s unflinching faith in his spiritual mas-
vice to the Lord can be revealed.
ter’s instructions, his compassion and his com-
Of course, I cannot properly appreciate the beauty mitment to follow them – it shows real spiritual
and depth of such sublime prayer, but I am eager to miracles both before his departure to the West and
develop such depth of gratitude and love. when he was already there. I often compare this to
your perfect life dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and
The verse is as follows:
all of us. You are pushed by your infinite love and
nama-srestham manum api saci-putram atra svarupam, gratitude to Srila Prabhupada to serve selflessly,
rupam tasyagrajam uru-purim mathurim gosthavatim uninterruptedly and even taking the risk of your life
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for the sake of your spiritual master and in order to in that reality. Therefore I try to meditate on your
save us, absorbed in illusory hopes for happiness instruction from a lecture. Quote:
within this world.
“Do not take your chanting as a mere ritual. Call
Guru Maharaja, I have gathered riches of the ma- out for Krsna - pray to Him to help you to follow the
terial world for many lifetimes and now I am fully instructions of the spiritual master, the purpose of
decorated with its vices. But Bhakti in a Vaisnava’s which is to protect you from clutches of maya. If
heart has independent nature. Therefore you paid Krsna sees your increasing endeavors to serve the
attention to me and now I have hope emanating highest instruction aimed at your protection from
from your heart and warming me. maya, he will note your efforts and reciprocate you
with strength to resist maya”
Dear Guru Maharaja, I remember all your care and
attention, your kind inspiring words that give me Moreover, you teach us that perfection of the pro-
hope and faith in myself. They are my treasure cess is the purity of service. I quote you:
carefully kept within my heart. The Spiritual Master
Prayers help our chanting. We can pray to the Lord
does everything to give rise to the affection and
before every round of japa: “Please help me to
love of his disciple to himself. And you do it so nat-
chant the holy name purely. Help me to pray with-
urally and perfectly. By your mercy two years ago I
out any motivation, with pure intentions. Help me
had a short visit to you in Mayapura and my most
to see that You are non-different from your holy
powerful impression was kirtans with you. It was
name.
dark on the roof. There were sounds of crickets,
chirps of birds and your mellow voice resembling On this day, which is the most important for every
lotus flower. The holy name saturated with love disciple, I pray to you for your instructions gradual-
and carrying off our minds to the spiritual reality ly and certainly blossom out within my heart.
was coming from your mouth. I could hear the tran-
Guru Maharaja, by your mercy I have everything to
scendental sound because this is your reality.
attain perfection. I have the most sublime knowl-
You teach that the holy name is our protection and edge of pure devotional service, an ideal spiritual
association with the Lord. I am very eager to live master, my family and wonderful devotees around
me. What should I do not to miss the opportunity Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that
to get as closer to the Lord as possible? How can I the spiritual master is the atma,
escape the option of becoming a miser living only the life of the disciple. Real life
for himself? All the perspectives are real in my life, begins only with awakening.
provided I follow in your footsteps. Similarly, since the spiritual
master awakens the disciple
I often pray to the Lord and to your lotus feet for He
and thus revives him to spiritual
would remember these prayers now when I am in
life, the real disciple under-
the right mood so that your values would become
stands that the spiritual master
my greatest property; so that the desire to feel the
is the basis of his whole life
presence of the Lord would be the object of my
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.22,
continuous meditation, And it is possible only by
purport).
your mercy because it is your values that you bless
us with. Guru Maharaja, in all your lec-
tures you awaken disciples and
Your unworthy disciple
well-wishers to take pure Krsna consciousness, be-
Sridevi Devi Dasi
come serious on the path of bhakti, and look up to
the pure devotees of the Lord. You yourself live it,
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SRIDHAMA DASA and therefore your words are filled with the power
to awaken.
Dear Guru Maharaja Srila Niranjana Swami, My low obeisances to you, dear Guru Maharaja.
Please accept my humble obeisances in Thank you for your preaching about pure bhakti
the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to His which you continue to share with us, finding under-
Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami standable and accessible words that inspire faith
Prabhupada. and hope.
On the day of your Vyasa-puja, let me try to glorify Your unworthy disciple,
you by remembering my duty as a disciple. Sridhama Dasa
SRI-NATHAJI DASA immerse yourself in reading, studying and recit-
ing the Brihad Bhagavatamrta, chanting the holy
names. You selflessly gave regular online lec-
tures. You supported the association and service
of the few devotees who were with you in May-
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
apur.
As soon as you started traveling again, - Hungary,
I also tried to immerse myself in the Brihad Bhaga-
Lithuania, Ukraine, America - after 2.5 years of liv-
vatamrta along with you, read it and listened to
ing in one place in Mayapur; as soon as you began
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your lectures. But, of course, the live lectures that
to give live lectures, you became more and more
you began to give after leaving Mayapur support
inspired.
me very much.
Naturally, these live lectures were very encouraging
I recently left Saint-Petersburg for Kurdzhinovo. As
to the devotees. I was very inspired by your lectures
you probably know, there is a temple in Kurdzhi-
in Lithuania, in America at the joint initiation of your
novo and an old community. Your disciples also
disciples and the disciples of Radhanath Swami.
live here: Gadadhara Prana with his wife, Bhava
Unfortunately the lectures in Ukraine were not Bhavini with her husband and children. I haven’t got
translated into Russian, but the fact that devotees used to it yet, I haven’t got to know everyone, but I
in Ukraine received your association during such a communicate with devotees, participate in temple
tragic situation is very encouraging, and not only for programs and visit devotees. This is where person-
Ukrainian devotees. No circumstances in our life al communication is at a premium.
connected with political, natural, human cataclysms
It was a difficult decision for me to move from St.
should become obstacles in our spiritual life. On
Petersburg to the countryside. Once upon a time,
the contrary, they contribute to our spiritual devel-
in Sukharevo, you invited me to darshan (translated
opment. That is the power of devotional service.
by Madan Mohan). You offered me different types
In these difficult times, by your example, you of service (at the request of Harikesa Prabhu). We
prove it. For two and a half years you were able to stopped at the 2nd wave of sankirtana.
I also remember how you told me that I am very at- but this does not mean that you do not take care of
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tached to St. Petersburg. Although it did not seem me and do not show mercy to my soul, on the con-
so to me, later I realized how many hidden attach- trary, you have always been caring, courteous and,
ments and other aparadhas I still have. as it were, you guided me to Lord Krsna’s feet!
Thank you very much for those darshans, for your But my stubborn material nature, a rather serious
support and help in those distant times. (Late 90s opponent in the form of mind and habits, relent-
and first half of the 2000s) lessly chases my buddhi-mind in Krsna Conscious-
ness and so on for a long time! But sometimes I
From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you
understand how the buddhi-mind grows stronger
on Vyasa Puja Day and wish you happiness in your
and the material mind weakens step by step, losing
association with devotees and in your service to
ground and yielding to Krsna Consciousness! Be-
Srila Prabhupada.
hind all this inner transformation of mine, I sub-
Your servant, Sri Nathaji das consciously feel your care and
Sunday, November 13, 2022 Kurdzhinovo prayer for my fallen soul! I am
very grateful for your memory
of me and your inexhaustible
SRIPATI DASA will to lead me to Krsna!
I am grateful to fate, to Lord
Greetings, my dear Guru Maharaja - Niranja-
Krsna and to you personal-
na Swami! My low obeisances and respect
ly, Guru Maharaja, that you
to you!
crossed the threshold of my
I congratulate you with all my heart on your appear- house in 1990 and gave a
ance in this world and a significant date on this lecture to the still unintelligent
occasion! devotees, having arrived in No-
vosibirsk. Seeing you off after
Yes, I understand that my level of Krsna Conscious-
the lecture, our eyes met and
ness is insignificant and leaves much to be desired,
you threw off the veil of maya from my eyes for a I will try to be useful to you and be your instrument
while, and at that moment behind your shoulders, I in Krsna Consciousness, helping and cooperating
saw the outlines of Krsna! with the Vaishnavas for the benefit of your Divine
mission and Srila Prabhupada’s mission in accor-
It was fateful, one of the main and most impres-
dance with your instructions and with your mercy!
sive episodes in my life. In 2003, due to confusion
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in management and a quarrel between devotees, Thank you for your Love - this is the priceless nec-
where I, taking one side, showed mental anger tar of my heart!
at one of the devotees, which, as I later realized,
MY OBEISANCES TO YOUR LOTUS FEET!
turned out to be fatal for my Krsna Consciousness
- I lost my taste for chanting holy names and left ALL glories to Krsna and Srila Prabhupada!
the Krsna Consciousness Society.
Still the same: I love you
But only affection for you and your love made this
Your fallen Sripati Dasa (Sergei Volodin),
leaving sad and heartbreaking, and I promised my-
Novosibirsk 19.11.2022
self that I would return!
It was 2015, my son was diagnosed with a cancer-
ous brain tumour, it was malignant, the third stage! SUBALA DASA
I prayed all the Gods I could imagine, but only from
you did I receive help! Dear Guru Maharaja! Please ac-
cept my obeisances in the dust
It was possible to find the best surgeon-neurologist
of your lotus feet! All glories to
in Siberia who performed a jewellery operation,
Srila Prabhupada!
removing the tumor without even putting a staple
on the skull. Post-surgery treatment also went well, I first saw you in 1999 in Al-
without complications! Undoubtedly, this was the maty. At that point, I felt that
determining factor that I returned to Krsna Con- strong spiritual energy was
sciousness! emanating from you. It was
then that I realized you are my spiritual master. day when Guru’s mercy is pouring down like a
You are an example of selfless service. For me, rainfall on each soul who has surrendered unto
you walk the talk and inspire me to live a spiritual Him. Today is the first time I am writing my offering
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life. You talk about taking care of devotees and you to You as Your official disciple, and so this day of
are happy to be doing this service. Thank you for Your appearance is twice as special for me.
accepting me as your disciple. I wanted to confess
There are no words that can properly glorify the
to you that I really need your mercy.
role of a true spiritual master in the life of the disci-
Your unworthy servant, ple. I apologize for my rather modest attempt to do
Subala Dasa so. May my words sound ridiculous, chaotic, and
Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan somewhat incoherent, but, out of gratitude, I must
at least try to do it.
SUBHANGADA Recently, I have been contemplating the question

of whether a person of Kali-yuga has any chance
DEVI DASI of being interested in spiritual practice. Since
everything spiritual is so unnatural for the material
world, especially in this age, when all good things
Dear Guru Maharaja,
are reviled, and all bad ones are encouraged, what
dear Srila Niranjana Swami,
chance does a person have to meet a bona fide
Please, accept my most humble
spiritual master and avoid the snares of so many
obeisances in the dust of Your
false religious organizations, whose task is simply
lotus feet.
to take all the resources of unlucky people and lead
All glories to Your Divine spiritu-
them anywhere but to the Supreme Personality of
al master, Srila Prabhupada; all
Godhead?
glories to You!
Only through absolutely unconditional and cause-
The blessed day of Your Vya-
less mercy of Guru and Krsna can we be happy
sa-puja is coming soon. The
recipients of such a chance.
Among all the living entities wandering most people in this world may be successful from
throughout the universe, one who is most the material standpoint, but, coming to an end, they
fortunate comes in contact with a repre- are cut short like autumn leaves, only to end up as
sentative of the Supreme Personality of mere biological fertilizers. But the body given to us
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Godhead and thus gets the opportunity to by the Supreme Personality of God is not meant to
execute devotional service. satisfy our eternally insatiable senses but can be
a suitable vessel for reaching the shores of pure
Those who are sincerely seeking the favor
devotional service.
of Krsna come in contact with a guru, a
bona fide representative of Krsna. The The commentary on this verse goes on to say: `The
Māyāvādīs indulging in mental specula- causeless mercy of Lord Krsna is compared to fa-
tion and the karmīs desiring the results of vorable winds that help the boat of the body to ply
their actions cannot become gurus. A guru smoothly on the course back home, back to God-
must be a direct representative of Krsna head. Lord Krsna gives His personal instructions
who distributes the instructions of Krsna in Vedic literature, speaks through the bona fide
without any change. Thus only the most spiritual master, and encourages, warns and pro-
fortunate persons come in contact with tects His sincere devotee from within the devotee’s
the guru. (Bhag., 5.17.11) heart. Such merciful guidance of the Lord moves a
sincere soul quickly on the path back to Godhead.`
After so many births and deaths, I was incredibly
lucky, because I finally found such a Guru by meeting The particularly fortunate souls, by the grace of
Srila Prabhupada in His books, and then I met You. Guru and Krsna, are given absolutely everything to
get back home. And it does not require any super-
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.17 compares the mate-
natural effort on our part to make the process work.
rial world to an ocean of nescience, human life to
We need only offer our ears with all sincerity and
a ship, the spiritual teacher to the captain, and the
desire to the lotus feet of the true spiritual master
favorable winds to the Lord’s merciful instructions.
captain and humbly listen to him with attention and
Even the most skillful swimmers go down after be-
enthusiasm, endeavouring to carry out his instruc-
ing in the water long enough. Likewise, the lives of
tions. We may be aware to some extent that we are undeserved by me infinite mercy towards this soul.
the owner of a suitable ship, and even the wind may But You are not interested in flowery words or any
be fair, but, without a trustworthy captain, we can material possessions... Therefore, today and until
never raise the sails or understand which course to the rest of my life, I offer my ears to Your lotus
sail, where to go, and most importantly, why. feet. Henceforth, their dharma is to drink every
day the sweet nectar of Krsna-katha coming down
In Padma Purana it is said:
from Your lips. The only thing I pray for is to always
sampradāya-vihīnā ye remember my eternal duty to you. That debt which
mantrās te nisphalā matāh day after day I shall try hard to repay, for this is the
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foundation and the engine of the spiritual life.
If you want to advance in spiritual power,
you must receive his mantras from one of With gratitude offering obeisances
these bona fide sampradāyas; otherwise to your lotus feet,
you will never successfully advance in Subhangada Devi Dasi,
spiritual life. Saitama, Japan
So, what is Guru’s role in the life of a disciple?
The answer is very simple. Just as biological ex- SUDARSANA
istence without oxygen is impossible, so without
a spiritual master there can be no spiritual devel- DASA
opment. This is because Guru is the spiritual life
personified. Dear Niranjana Swami! I offer my
humble obeisances to your feet!
Guru Maharaja, You are just such a spiritual mas-
May the glory of your serving the
ter. You are the life and soul of my spiritual ad-
mission of Srila Prabhupada and
vancement.
Lord Chaitanya forever shine in
There are no words or material possessions to the hearts of your disciples and
properly express my gratitude to You for your followers!
I remembered how you once said that at one of the friends and Madhumangala They were invited to
GBC meetings Gour Govinda Swami very emphati- the gathering of the most fortunate young daugh-
cally argued, “Spiritual master is the one who gives ters of Upananda and other cowherd men.
Krsna!” and that this quality should be written in
Krsna usually did not have an opportunity to asso-
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capital letters among the most important traits of a
ciate with gopis, but this time He could openly be
Spiritual Master.
in their association, and they served food to Him
We learn from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and His friends with great joy.
that, being an empowered representative of the
Again and again, enjoying prasadam from the hands
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Spiritual Master
of the holy gopis, Madhumangala said to Krsna: “You
accepts service and blesses disciple, and is essen-
are omniscient and omnipotent! You can do whatev-
tially non-different from Krsna.I can’t get rid of the
er you want! You must announce that every day is
fixed idea to compare the Book of Offerings with a
bhratri-dvitiya! It’s my favorite holiday! I never under-
cookbook where every offering is a recipe of love
stood how dear my sisters are to me, the gopis!”
of a specific disciple.
But besides the festive offerings that the gopis
What can we compare the celebration of Vyasa-pu-
prepared with the greatest love according to reci-
ja with??! Maybe bhratri-dvitiya festival?
pes known only to themselves, there are still secret
This is how Bhakti Chaitanya Swami describes this messages, casual touches and glances from the
event in his book “Govardhana. The hill that fulfills corners of the eyes - all this will certainly bring our
all desires”. heroes to the ocean coast of love tastes of the
sarat. And now we are not afraid of the terrible
“Govardhana Puja took place on Pratipat, or the
timingila fish – that personifies for gopis the night-
first day of the waxing moon, and the next day was
mare of separation...
bhratri-dvitiya, a holiday when all sisters feed their
brothers from their hands. Balarama and Krsna, It will be later that some crazy demons will unleash
controlled by the love of the gopis, wanted to a war, and Krsna will be forced to leave Vrindavan
attend this event a lot. Together with Their gopa to protect His devotees.
But today there is none of that. Today we can Please accept my offering on the occasion
officially treat The One Who reigns supreme in our of your Vyasa-puja!
lives, and He alone will be able to deliver us from
It is the duty of every disciple to express his devo-
the merciless mouth of the timingila fish.
tion and offer prayers to his Spiritual Master three
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Today, may the sadness of separation turn into times a day because the Spiritual Master is the
a small grain of sand at the bottom of the Rasa- greatest benefactor and the embodiment of the
sagara ocean, and may this brilliant Vyasa-puja of Compassion and care of Lord Krsna Himself, the
our beloved Spiritual Master Srila Niranjana Swami Supreme Master of Everyone.
forever shine in our hearts!
Every day I write offerings to you, especially while
Srila Niranjana Swami Guru Maharaj! - Ki!!! - Jaya!!! I listen to your lectures or in between them when
again I realize that your mission is inexorable,
Sudarsana Dasa
beautiful, and full of strength, purity and mercy. I
Nov 20, 2022
feel that I become more and more involved in it.
Stanitsa Rodnikovskaya, Krasnodar region
I am gradually opening, clarifying and levelling my
understanding and attitude to the knowledge that
SUDHIRA Srila Prabhupada gave us, so I become more and
more aware and rejoice in the indisputable fact
DASA that I am eternally connected with you, Srila Prabh-
upada and the Lord by the bonds of eternal care,
Hare Krsna! Dear Guru Maha- service and love.
raja, please accept my humble
Listening to your lectures and remembering those
obeisances in the dust of your
moments of association that I had with you, I final-
lotus feet.
ly understand the infinite value of vani and vapu.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
Sri Guru and Gauranga, Your This is the Most Important Thing in all my life and
Divine Grace. in all my activities, in all my life situations and at all
times - hearing Your Words about pure devotional Prabhupada walking by and talking with his disci-
service to the Lord. ples, I heard their conversation and with the last bit
of strength I had I chanted the maha-mantra and
Your Words give strength, nourish and inspire for
prayed, “Save me.” Srila Prabhupada stopped and
new feats in preaching and give the experience of
said, “Look at this, what a terrible sight, what is he
patience and love, care and compassion, and the
whispering?” One of the disciples came up to me
presence of Srila Prabhupada, guru parampara and
and listened, the disciple said “Oh! Srila Prabhupa-
the Lord Himself, next to me, here, in this reality…
da, he is chanting Hare Krsna.” Then Srila Prabhu-
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Now, looking back at the time when I first stud- pada said, “Stay here and save him.” The last thing
ied the Bhagavad-gita given to me by friends, I I saw in that dream was the face of a tall sannya-
distinctly remember how, while reading the third si-brahmacari who turned to me and with a loving
chapter, I decided to follow Srila Prabhupada and smile and compassion said, “OK.”
become His eternal disciple and servant. At that
I have always clearly under-
time, I did not yet know and did not understand so
stood that your only concern
much, I did not know that Srila Prabhupada was no
is to save, protect and expand
longer present in the form of vapu on this planet.
ISKCON to save me and many
When I found the devotees and they told me about
people like me and teach pure
ISKCON and guru, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, I
devotion in the service of the
cried for several days, completely despondent, and
Lord. You were able to convey
prayed only that Srila Prabhupada would send me
to us Srila Prabhupada’s mer-
his trusted Servant and Disciple who would accept
cy and love, which is securely
me, save me and teach pure devotional service to
stored in your heart, like in a
Lord Krsna.
golden vessel...
Even before meeting you, I had a dream, I was lying
There are millions of people
in the tangle of the roots of a huge tree, and the
like me, fallen souls who have
roots of this tree sprouted through me, I lived, yet I
rejected their nature, and who
was dead at the same time. In this state, I saw Srila
are tangled in the desires and fears of the materi- thank you for your faith in me and your hope.
al consciousness. For all of them who are still in Thank you for the path along which you lead us
the roots of the cruel tree of illusion, your mercy and for the ship that you leave in the form of your
and your message are a saving hope and the only vani.
opportunity for salvation.
I very much hope that someday I will be able to
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The message you received from Srila Prabhupada praise that Divine Power and Love that is constant-
is perfect, divine and self-evident. Carrying this ly there in your presence.
message in your heart, not only do you carefully
Your eternal and insignificant servant,
free the souls from the captivity of illusion but also
Sudhira Dasa
teach them and lead them to the perfect under-
standing and activity in pure devotional service to
Sri Sri Radha and Madhava, the Perfection of Love
and Happiness.
SUKELI DEVI
I will never be able to find the right words to ex- DASI
press my gratitude to you, but I will try my best,
year after year, life after life. Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much
All glories to Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga.
for everything that you
Dear Guru Maharaja, please ac-
have done and are
cept my humble obeisances in
doing, thank you for
what I can understand
only in the future, On this wonderful day of your
thank you for your appearance, please accept my
words and your pure deep gratitude for your love and
desires, thank you for concern for all the devotees, for
your mood and smiles, giving your whole life to Srila
Prabhupada, and that you set an example of how Although I am not able to comprehend all the grace
to serve the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. that You give us, nevertheless I want to express my
gratitude to You. I want to thank You for teaching
For me, you are an example of the best disciple of
by example. From Your lectures, I understand how
your spiritual master.
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important Srila Prabhupada is to You, how You like
Thank you for transmitting Srila Prabhupada’s mes- to listen to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures every day,
sage transparently through your heart to us. and how much You care about following the in-
structions of Your Spiritual Master.
Thank you very much.
Thank You for setting an example of what rela-
Your disciple, Sukeli devi dasi
tionships should be between devotees. When You
Irkutsk, 2022
arrived in New Gokul in September of this year and
entered the room where the devotees were waiting
SUKESI DEVI DASI for You, I will never forget the sight of the love and
sincerity with which You looked at Your disciples,
seniors and other devotees. You were not afraid to
Dear Guru Maharaja,
risk Your health and life to support Ukrainian devo-
Please accept my humble
tees when You went to Lviv this year.
obeisance. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada. All glories to You From this behavior of Yours, I understand how
on this auspicious day of Your much You care about your disciples and devotees
Vyasa puja. and how You make every effort to support them in
any conditions. With such sincere and genuine be-
On this auspicious day of Your
havior, You show us what the relationship between
appearance, despite my limita-
devotees should be.
tions, I offer this poor attempt
to say something to glorify Thank You for Your lectures. You are so sincere in
You. Your lectures, and when You talk about the relation-
ship between Lord Krishna and his devotee, You ex-
ude enthusiasm. Thank You for devoting so much Also, I would like to apologize before you for not
of Your time to lectures despite the difficulty with coming to the initiation that day before the pan-
Your health. demic. To be honest, I was scared. I thought I was
ready, but because of my ignorance I made a big
Thank you for everything.
mistake again. I still feel sorry and guilty that I
I beg for your mercy in my meager attempts to didn’t listen to you again. Please forgive me.
tread the path of devotional service.
Also, I would like to thank you that I have you in my
Your aspiring servant Sukeši devi dasi life, and that through you I found out about Srila
Prabhupada, and every time I’m listening about
Him, I’m impressed!
SUKUMARI DEVI DASI I’m listening to Prabhupada Lilamrita right now. His
last months and days of his life in this world, how
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Ma-
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strong He was. To His last days He was in Krish-
haraj! Please accept my humble
na Consciousness. He was giving instructions to
His disciples, and to His last breath cared about
Prabhupada!
ISKCON that ISKCON wouldn’t lose its spiritual
On this wonderful day for me strength, the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
and also for you disciples, I
I have no words to describe it, but when I heard it,
would like to congratulate you
everything inside me filled up with excitement and I
on your Divine appearance day
felt care of Srila Prabhupada. And what I like about
and wish you all the best.
him the most is that till the last moment of his life
Please forgive me. I’m not he was doing it so that we won’t lose the essence
good at congratulating such of the Mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and
great souls like You. It is a very would cooperate with each other. Frankly speaking,
difficult task for me, how to put I see all the qualities of Srila Prabhupada in you.
it correctly. Please forgive me. You are so caring, so thoughtful, and because of
that, my heart is melting. Thank you for your care, I spend all our money and time on Deities. She and
which comes from your lectures. They save me in I are like two shopaholics, buying fabrics, threads,
my hard times. beads, etc. for the Deities, and it gives us great
pleasure. But we are also growing, we have now
Also, I would like to share what my service to Krish-
inspired two more matajas and have given them a
na is. It takes all my time and occupies my mind
garment project to sew, as we have two more proj-
completely, and warms my heart.
ects that we want to finish before Gaura purnima.
Before, it was at the temple. But it took over my
I’m very happy that Krishna manifested this service
mind only for the time I’ve been at the temple. I
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for me because before I was getting satisfaction
did puja, cooked prasadam, and made a menu -
from the service but I felt that I was not “in my
that’s it.
niche” and I wasn’t fully satisfied.
But this service takes all my time and everything.
When Krishna made this arrangement for me, in
I go to bed and wake up thinking about it. I think
the beginning I thought I will not be able to do it.
about it at work, all my meditations are about it.
And then I closed my eyes and just surrendered
This service - I am organizing tailoring. Since we
to Krisna because I wanted to satisfy Nitai Gaura-
don’t have a dressmaker, we found a woman, who
chandra. And when I closed my eyes and surren-
happily agreed to sew for us for free since we can’t
dered, a mataji appeared and said, “I want to be a
sew. However, she said she will teach us how to
part of this too, and I will help you.” And everything
tailor clothes. And it so happens that she will teach
smoothly started to fly, so it’s just ecstasy!
me how to cut and sew.
And one more thing. I’m taking Bhakti Shastri in
We have one Mataji, who knows how to embroider
Kiev academy. That also had a great effect on me,
beautifully, and I’m next to her embroidering the
on my advancement in Krishna consciousness. I
parts that. I think I am pretty good at it.
think I became more patient, because I’ve got more
We have two main matajas in our department so knowledge, and more forgiving because I began to
far - that’s me and mataji Kamala Govinda, who is a understand that everything in this world is tempo-
disciple of Indradyumna Swami Maharaj. She and rary and we have to value the time we have and not
waste discussing and criticizing,and sorting out
things that are not worth spending our precious
SUNDARA-RUPA
time that we don’t actually have much left, and we
cannot buy or borrow. So I try to spend my time
DASA
and my thoughts for Krishna.
So I am very happy that Krishna and Srimati Radha- All glories to you, dear Guru Maharaj!
rani have allowed me to do this wonderful service Your Divine Grace, dear Niranjana Swami,
of sewing clothes for our Nitai Gaurachandra. In please accept my humble, respectful obei-
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this way They occupy all my free and not free time sances in the dust of your lotus feet.
engaging me in meditation on how to design new
Now that the Kali Yuga is manifesting itself in
beautiful garments.
an increasingly cruel guise around us, only your
Hare Krishna! boundless love and support gives me the strength
to go on with my service to
Please accept my obeisances and all glories to
Krishna and you. Only your
You.
care for me and your spiritual
Thank you for inspiring me, and for introducing me strength helps me in this diffi-
to Srila Prabhupada, and thank you for introducing cult time.
me to this wonderful ISKCON family! Thank you!
War is always awful. Hunger,
In your lotus feet, cold, death of old people,
Your useless servant, women, children, babies - it is
Sukumari devi dasi terrible. To my infinite regret,
personally, I can not change
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anything. But thanks to you,
your guidance and help, I can
change my consciousness and
(to try) to perceive the world
from the position of spiritual reality - Krishna Con- spiritual and material worlds. The mind dives into
sciousness! that spiritual reality and no longer reacts to crises
and problems happening to us.
I wish you good health and tremendous spiritual
strength, my dear spiritual master, my savior, my Thank you very much for realizations and knowl-
Guru. edge you are sharing with us.
Your servant Sundara rupa das Svetlana (aspiring disciple
Chernihiv, Ukraine of Caitanya-charan Prabhu)
Belarus, v. Hvatinka
(next to New Vraja Mandala)
SVETLANA YULLINEN
Hare Krsna, Niranjana Swami! SYAMARUPA DASA
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! nama om visnupadaya sri guru prasadayate
All glories to You! tridandi swami sripada nirañan’iti namine
anahata prayasena prabhupadaya tustaye
With great pleasure, I’m listening to your lectures
sankirtana pravritti artham ihate gurave namah
on Brhad-Bhagavatamrita and narrations filled with
namo niskama-bhaktaya sarva-bhakta-hitaya te
emotions, deep meaning and sometimes a differ-
krsna-kirtana-pranaya niranjana-svami namah
ent vision of the situation.
I offer my humble obeisances to His Divine Grace
The spiritual world is no longer just a fruit of knowl-
Om Visnupada Sripada Niranjana Swami Maharaja,
edge. It fills with living reality, deep and interesting
who having received the mercy of Sri Guru, be-
lilas and joy of sublime association.
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stows this same mercy to one and all.
It is interesting to look at the events in one’s own
Srila Niranjana Swami’s heart is fully dedicated to
life with Gopa-kumara’s eyes and that of the Mathu-
the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, and therefore he
ra brahmana, preach to others about a structure of
joyfully propagates the glories of congregational you return to Boston and bestow on us your merci-
chanting of the Krsna’s Holy Names far and wide. ful sidelong glance.
To such a Spiritual Master, I offer my respectful
This past year has presented too many challeng-
obeisances.
es to so many devotees, including our household,
O selfless devotee, free from material lust, you act but nothing I have experienced can come remote-
only for the welfare of all devotees. Your very life is ly close to what my brothers and sisters in the
dedicated to glorifying the Holy Name of Krsna. My Ukraine have experienced. And through it all, you
obeisances to you, again and again. remained a bedrock for all of your disciples and
devotees in general. My prayers and constant
Dear Srila Guru Maharaja
remembrance is with the Ukraine Yatra and the
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus many devotees who are now struggling with either
feet. All glories to your Divine Grace! All glories to the war or displacement, or worse even, and yet,
Srila Prabhupada! somehow despite the horrors of that invasion,
the constant meditation on how all this is Krsna’s
Please accept this humble Vya-
arrangement and mercy is, indeed, a mystery. The
sa Puja offering to you, on this
real mercy is how the devotees are depending on
day of your divine appearance
Krsna, and how they are supporting each other.
in this world.
Even in the worst of times, how these devotees
Today I am feeling separation have been maintaining their practices and mood of
from the association with your dependence on Krsna has been astounding. The
holiness, and from the holi- stories you have shared have been inspiring and
est of places, Sri Vrndavana humbling to me. So for that I am also deeply appre-
Dhama. And yet this mood of ciative.
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separation only deepens my
Praying for such dedication and surrender,
feeling of being connected to
I beg to remain as, Your insignificant servant
yourself and the holy dhama.
Syamarupa dasa
It was a true pleasure to have
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SYAMASUNDARA through books and records.
As stated in Gurvashtaka, having these good
DASA qualities, the spiritual master extinguishes the
blazing fire of material existence and saves people
Dear Guru Maharaja! engulfed in this flame. The indisputable proof of
Please accept my obeisances in the dust Krsna’s existence and spiritual reality are His dev-
of your lotus feet. otees. Without this, it is impossible to awaken and
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! develop faith.
On this special day of Vyasa-puja each disciple, at Therefore, not finding spontaneity in myself, I
least once a year, gets the opportunity to decide to prayed to the Deities - Jagannatha, Balarama and
think about and feel the relationship with you, to Subhadra, and began to remember when and how
rise above the ordinary ways of life and look into your words resonated in my heart and mind.
the depths of his or her heart
I remembered a lecture on the importance of
to see to what extent the most
sadhana and morning programs, a videotape “The
important thing in life - the
Story of Niranjana Swami” - about how one must
relationship with the spiritual
pray with tears in one’s eyes so that the senses are
master - is there.
fully engaged in service and understand that one is
It is necessary to decide to do inable to do this only by one’s efforts.
this because it can be painful,
In the lectures on Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, you are
scary and embarrassing to see
ready to savour every bite of lila again and again
a lack of devotion in oneself.
and generously share this taste.
Unfortunately, I do not currently
have the opportunity to directly It would seem that one could live peacefully, bath-
see the manifestations of the ing in nectar, not paying attention to the material
qualities of a pure devotee with existence filled with suffering, if it were not for your
my own eyes. Now I get it only compassion and concern for the fate of the living!
You follow this mood displayed by Srila Prabhu-
pada and you took refuge in his instructions. That
is why your compassion, care and concern for the
devotees are spiritual.
Dear Guru Maharaja! You already have all the
blessings of the guru-parampara and the devotees
who are grateful to you for having you in their lives.
Please also accept my little effort in trying to real-
ize the value of everything that Srila Prabhupada
has given us. After all, you always strive to satisfy
him.
Trying to be your disciple, Syamasundara Dasa
Varsana, Krasnodar
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TAMAL-KRISHNA looking at it this way, honestly, it is not so difficult,
considering all the opportunities that you provide in
DASA the form of beautiful kirtans, bhajans, lectures and
books, tearing thus the soul from the iron grip of
material nature!
Hare Krishna. Dear Srila Niranjana Swami,
please accept my humble obeisances in I look at myself and at others, and I realize that my
the dust of your lotus feet! mind is not at all what it used to be. It has much
less greed, lust, madness, illusion, selfishness and
While cooking in the kitchen recently, I was thinking
many other qualities that prevent the soul from
how merciful you are! I thought that you make a
being happy. Of course, unfortunately, perfection is
person, even sinful and not deserving of happiness,
still very far away, but the changes that have tak-
be happy and joyful, even being in this material
en place in my life and continue to take place are
world full of suffering! You give a goal - selfless
amazing - and all this is thanks to you, your Divine
service to Lord Krishna, beau-
Grace! You have dedicated your whole life to a
tifully describing the path with
spiritual master - His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupa-
all its pitfalls, giving the sweet-
da! And thus he shows an example of spiritual life,
ness of association with your-
sparing no effort and his life!
self.
Thank you for being such a selfless person, and
It is amazing and astounding
so powerful, and at the same time very kind and
what strength and purity one
merciful!
must possess in order to do
such miracles - to turn back the In the hope of becoming one day like you, at least
powerful material nature with one millionth part of your amazing qualities, trying
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its harsh laws! Of course, ef- to become your servant,
forts must also be made on the
Tamal Krishna das
part of a disciple in the form
(Dnepr, Ukraine)
of listening and chanting - but
P. S. Please forgive me for any imperfections in to the Lord for the fact that the Lord allowed me to
this offering and my behavior. You so mercifully be your disciple.
give many opportunities to associate with you and
From that moment on, my whole life has changed:
serve, and of course I see that I am not worthy of it.
my values, lifestyle have changed, the purpose and
But the fact that this is happening only emphasizes
meaning of life has been outlined.
your mercy and compassion, although I cause you
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concern. Thank you! All glories to you! May your My life is divided into stages:
glory disperse throughout all the three worlds! You before Krishna Consciousness,
bestow knowledge, give prema-bhakti, illuminating until 2014,
ignorance with the torch of knowledge! until February 24, 2022,
and after…
All glories to you, dear spiritual master!
All glories to you! On the one hand, in 2014 from Donetsk to Kyiv.
(Damaged property remained, in the summer of
2022 they also took out everything they wanted)
TARA Since March 2022 we’re in Germany.
DEVI DASI On the other hand, there is a feeling that I’m in

Prabhupada’s family, in His house, where in every
city and village there are rooms with wonderful
Dear Guru Maharaja, Srila
and dear to my heart devotees, and the Deities that
Niranjana Swami, please ac-
allow us to serve Them.
cept my humble obeisances
in the dust of your lotus feet. This is spiritual happiness, by your causeless
All glories to Srila Prabhupa- mercy. I am happy that I will not part with you - you
da. are in my heart. You have thousands of disciples
and followers. Your love for Srila Prabhupada is a
The day of your appearance
perfect example of how to treat a spiritual master
is a special day of gratitude
whom we will never be able to thank enough.
On November 4th, 2022, there was a meeting of serve Them and Srila Prabhupada on Sunday. It is
counselors, namahatta leaders on zoom. I sud- nectar when you do not feel tired, when the desire
denly saw you. I didn’t understand anything, I just to serve is intensified.
looked, I couldn’t take my eyes away, but a little
On the day of your appearance, actually we, your
later I realized that this was your disciple Adikavi
disciples and followers, receive gifts. And your
Prabhu. He was imbued with love for you, under-
example of humility, devotion to Srila Prabhupada,
standing how to serve you and how to surrender.
desire to serve and to lead us home to Krishna -
I admire his personality, his qualities, and his humil- this is causeless mercy for us.
ity. In order to know one’s spiritual master well one
“May the sun of spiritual knowledge - Hare Krishna
needs to look at his disciples.
mantra - shine always in our mind.
Dear Guru Maharaj, I cannot express my gratitude Let there be no more battles
to you in words. Early in the morning I chanted May there be peace in the soul!”
japa on the terrace and it was raining - the sky
Service is not austerity, service to Guru,
was crying, and I was crying and chanting with
Krishna and Vaishnavas is not even a duty,
the understanding that I am at the finish line, that
service is a privilege, and this is the point
I want to return home to Goloka (in the footsteps
of all scriptures, But without serving other
of Gopa Kumar), but I have no qualities. I’ve been
Vaishnavas, how can one learn to serve?
your disciple for 24 years, let me turn to you with a
How to get the gift of humility in order to
request - to receive a letter and blessings from you.
live with Krishna in Goloka?
I will carry it in my heart and reread it every day, it
will be my pass to the spiritual world. Please bless me, dear Guru Maharaj, to be useful,
grateful to you and be spiritually happy.
The greatest wealth is the desire to serve: the
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Deities, Guru and devotees. The biggest loss is to Servant of Your servants,
lose this desire. Here in Germany, Their Lordships Tara devi dasi
Gaura Nitai, in a small temple (average 50 people
per program) in Meckesheim, and they allow us to
TARINI-RADHA ary 24, 2022, in one moment, he showed sincere
hearts, pure relationships, real friends; strength-
DEVI DASI ened spiritual practice, our faith in Krishna, stead-
fastness, determination and enthusiasm in follow-
ing sacred vows; showed the imaginary value of
Dear Guru Maharaja!
material well-being.
Please accept my obeisances
in the dust of your lotus feet. Dear Maharaj, like our Srila Prabhupada, you invari-
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! ably remain everyone’s well-wisher! Your appeal to
the Ukrainian devotees immediately warmed every-
Srila Prabhupada often used the analogy that
one’s heart in the first days of the war! We sent it,
diamonds shine brighter on black velvet. So with
read it to each other, shared it on social networks
us, against the black background of the horrors
and discussed it, cried with happiness and laughed.
of Russia’s unscrupulous military aggression, the
YES Bhakti Vijnana Goswami Maharaj has given us
instructions of Srila Prabhupada and the acharyas
a second shoulder to lean on. The proverb says, “No
of our guru-parampara, the compassion and mercy
one can harm anyone whom Krishna takes under
of true spiritual masters, the invaluable support
His protection, and no one can protect anyone
not only of devotees, but of all civilized humanity
whom Krishna wants to kill.” When such great per-
around the world shine
sonalities raised their voice for our defense, what
brighter. Here it is, the
difference does it make who kept silent?
mercy of Krishna - the
notorious acid test, Due to the influx of refugees, the yatra in Uzhgorod
which you have often has tripled. Maharaj, what wonderful devotees we
told us about in your have! With redoubled energy, we continued sadha-
lectures. na, the Holy Name, living, tangible, native, poured
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out of our mouths. Kirtans made the walls shake.
Just as acid immedi-
Every Sunday program turned into a Vaishnava
ately manifests pure
mini-festival.
gold, so on Febru-
Even in our wildest dreams, we did not expect Srila Prabhupada’s house, “where everyone can
that you would come to Ukraine at such a difficult live”, is hospitably open.
and dangerous time. But it is not for nothing that
And the last thing I wanted to share with you is, in
Vaishnavas are called fearless! Like the bridjaba-
September of this year, a grandiose project was
sis who yearned for Krishna, Maharaj, we all cried
launched to translate “Srimad-Bhagavatam” into
with happiness when we saw You: we drank your
Ukrainian! Please bless us so that this service of
smile with our eyes, embraced You in our hearts,
ours will please Srila Prabhupada and satisfy the
washed your feet, decorated you with garlands.
devotees.
Every moment of your priceless visit to Lviv is
hidden deep in our hearts. I have never prayed so Looking back at the past year, you realize how
sincerely in my life as on that night of your stay in important it was with events and implementations.
Lviv, when I changed my life in exchange for your Thank you for being with us all this time, support-
well-being and safety under the ominous howling ing and mentoring, protecting and inspiring.
of air raid sirens.
It is my great happiness and good luck to meet you
IZKI: When the Lord bestows His 1000 hands, you on my life path! Thank you for your knowledge, for
will not be able to hold all the mercy with your a vivid example of unalloyed service to gurus and
two! This is such a mercy and good luck for us all! Vaishnavas!
Thank you so much, dear Guru Maharaj! Without
My Gurudev, How can I serve you?
you, none of this would have happened. One word
Can I serve you forever?
from you made reality change.Thank you for the
spiritual world that has manifested. I hope to be worthy of your grace,
Your servant, Tarini-radha Devi Dasi
And also, dear Maharaj, there have been two more
Uzhgorod, Ukraine
significant events in our life. With the blessing of
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25.11.2022
the seniors, we opened the first ISKCON temple in
Uzhgorod and Transcarpathian region. And al-
though much remains to be done and completed,
TARUNI DEVI DASI comes from our desire and hatred, then we can see
the hand of God in everything. We often say that a
blade of grass does not move without His sanction,
but in fact we often forget about it.
humble, low obeisances.All glories to Srila
Prabhupada and all Vaishnavas! All glories Thank you very much for teaching me to see Krish-
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to Your Divine Grace! na in everything, teaching me to cultivate faith in
the highest goal and go towards it.
Dear Guru Maharaja, congratulations on another
Vyasa Puja of yours. On this day, as on all other It was your compassionate and benevolent atti-
days, your mind will be focused primarily on Sri- tude towards me that helped me overcome ob-
la Prabhupada. You always feel indebted to your stacles and pain. It is because of you that I have
spiritual master. After all, it was he who raised you sometimes remained a practitioner of Krishna
to such a level and continues to be there, helping, consciousness. Since my material mind and intel-
answering, supporting. With all this, you are very ligence were simply amazed and could not stand
grateful and friendly to all Vaishnavas. I have never someone’s words, actions in relation to me. But it
heard a bad word from you, have never seen you was you, your qualities that gave me strength and
not accepting a devotee, no matter what level he an example that we have real Vaishnavas. I am
was or what spiritual organization he was in. You, sure that there are still real Vaishnavas, but it was
like Krishna, give freedom of choice, will, while at knowing you not by hearsay, but personally through
the same time remaining the best well-wisher of a listening to you, serving you helped me the most in
devotee. practice.
Dear Guru Maharaj, thank you for your blessings, Your last blessings for the trip to Vrindavan on Karti-
prayers, for your kindness towards me, sometimes ka have borne the fruits. This is the sweetest, most
even protection from other devotees. Unfortu- merciful, inspiring Kartik in all my 25 years of trav-
nately, this happened more than once when I was eling to the holy Dhama. Thank you very much for
condemned, discussed. But why unfortunately? your blessings and kindness to me. I hope for your
If we rise above the duality of this world, which compassionate, soft, pure heart towards me and
my path. Because purification, trials are going on brought, you do not change them, and you teach
and sometimes they bring anxiety, but at the same them to others. A living example of stability in this
time Krishna gives me a very inspiring association, ever-changing unstable world is of great value to
the opposite of the mood of my “well-wishers”. me. Personally, I find stability and unflinching direc-
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tion difficult.
Your disciple Taruni devi dasi
Visaginas, Lithuania Recently your disciple Anuragini-radha said, `I see
a spiritual master all glowing with happiness and,`
she continued, `I want that too.` And that is your
TARUNI-PRIYA trait. You are happy and this is the best proof that
pure devotional service works and makes one hap-
DEVI DASI py. Thank you for your example of a happy person!
I have no qualifications, but I want to wish you from
Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my the bottom of my heart to find what you are striving
obeisances! All glories to your for!!!
spiritual master, Srila Prabhupa-
With gratitude to you, Taruni-priya Devi Dasi
da, and to you!
Congratulations on your Vya-
sa-puja day! TARUN-KRISHNA
Thank you for being there, it is
so important to see a living ex-
DASA
ample of a stable, determined
Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja, please
disciple devoted to his spiritual
accept my obeisances at your lotus feet.
master for many years. You
continue to help and inspire By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, I have the op-
many people. You convey the portunity to become your disciple. I don’t have
values that Srila Prabhupada the good qualities and eloquence to glorify you
properly, but I would
like to thank you for
TATIANA NOVIKOVA
accepting me into Srila
Your Holiness, highly honored Guru Maha-
Prabhupada’s family. If
raja Srila Niranjana Swami, please accept
I had not met Srila Pra-
my repeated prostrated and humblest obei-
bhupada and you on
sances in the dust of your lotus feet!
my life path, I would
have been doomed to
wander hopelessly in On this auspicious day, let me
this material world. congratulate you on this beau-
Just by listening to tiful 70th anniversary of your
your lectures and coming into this world. Please
kirtans, I realized that accept my best wishes of good
you are the one who health and prosperity. May your
maintains my spiritual disciples and well-wishers bring
life for me and also you are the wealth of my life you joy and peace of mind and
(prāna-dhana). Thanks to you, Srila Prabhupada’s may your holy service to the
personality has been revealed to me even more, mission of your spiritual master
I feel this connection only by your mercy, and my Sri Srila Prabhupada and Lord
spiritual life has blossomed since I became your Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never
disciple. I have tasted service and hearing, and be overshadowed by anything.
now the only thing I really aspire to is to become a
On your Vyasa Puja day, with re-
simple servant of your servants, I believe this is the
spect, gratitude, and admiration
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way to gain unalloyed love for Krsna.
Your aspiring disciple Tatiana Novikova
Riga, Latvia
Tarun-krishna Dasa
TETIANA And like blooming flowers gradually opening petals,
Our hearts melt gratefully and gently.
PALAMARCHUK You are one of the best disciples
Of Prabhupada, you are a spiritual warrior.
Your Grace Niranjana Swami,
To His Holiness Niranjana Swami
I aspire to become your servant.
Your Holiness Niranjana Swami,
Please accept my sincere obeisances. Його Милості Ніранджана Свамі:
You are one of the best disciples
Його Світлість Ніранджана Свамі,
of Prabhupada, you are a real warrior.
Прийміть щирі мої поклони.
You are an exemplary Spiritual Master of mine and Ви є учнем одним із найкращих
that of my dear siksha gurus, Прабгупади, Ви - справжній воїн.
Who faithfully and humbly serve
Ви духовний учитель зразковий
With love to your lotus feet.
І моїх дорогих шикша-гуру,
Knowledge flowing from Prabhu Antaryami
Які віддано служать з любов’ю
Enlightens the mind and fills the heart with joy,
Вашим стопам смиренно і дружньо.
leading us carefully to Krishna.
Знань потік від прабгу Антарьямі
Mataji Tanushri Radha
Світлом розум і радістю серце
Is our permanent namahatta leader
По вінця повнить ніжно щоразу
And the wise and attentive preceptor,
І до Крішни веде обережно.
She is a strong and courageous preacher.
Мудра матаджі Танушрі Радга -
Each of them has unique individual traits
Намахати куратор постійна
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Being an individuality.
І порадниця наша уважна,
I want to reveal all their qualities in service
Проповідниця сильна й смілива.
To you, Prabhupada and Krishna.
Step by step you lead us to the goal, Сто відсотків у кожного різні,
Особисті свої особливі, er and I stayed in Ukraine (we
У служінні їх хочу розкрити live in the city of Zaporizhzhia).
Їм і Вам, Прабгупаді і Крішні.
Since February 24, we have not
Крок за кроком ведете до цілі, left for any other place. I remem-
За відсотком відсоток зростає, ber how at first we just watched
Пелюстки розпускаються квітки, so many people leaving, but we
Серце вдячно і лагідно тане. didn’t have the thought to leave
too, we were thinking one thing:
Ви є учнем одним із найкращих
now everyone is doing their duty
Прабгупади, Ви - воїн духовний -
where they are. And a week
Його Милість Ніранджана Свамі,
later, probably (I honestly don’t
Стати Вашою прагну слугою.
remember), I went out to distrib-
Tanya Palamarchuk ute Srila Prabhupada’s books on
January 26-27, 2022 Kyiv, Ukraine the street. I remember well peo-
ple’s frightened faces, and the
sirens that sometimes lasted for two hours, but de-
TETIANA UHLENKO spite this, I walked down the street with books and
tried to tell people I met about Krsna, about eternal
Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja. life. Not so many people took books, but even
inveterate atheists took calendars with pictures of
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Please accept my obeisances. All glories to
the Lord and the maha-mantra, just in case.
Srila Prabhupada and you!
“Let me have it,” they said.
Again the day of your Vyasa-puja is approach-
ing, and this year it so coincided that it is on my The situation with public transport was very bad,
birthday. Of course, this makes me very happy, so I preached in the neighbourhood where I live.
although, to be honest, I don’t know if we will live in Sometimes it seems to me that for so many years
these bodies until December 17, because my moth- that I do sankirtana, everyone here already knows
me and everyone is tired of me. Of course, they decided to go to the program together. Mykyta
know, and someone, even just visually, may be liked it so much in the temple, he chanted kirtan
tired of me, and someone, on the contrary, is glad with such pleasure and enthusiasm, he asked
to see me, and some people I have never met yet. I questions, and he ate prasadam. And when we
remember how one old man decided not to take a were already walking home, his mother, seeing how
book in March, but just wanted to make a donation. happy and inspired her son was, said:
He said:
-He’s one of yours.
- Yes, we know you, you often go here with books.
Yes, it is great happiness when you see that people
And yet, despite this, often, even close to home, are truly happy. And so I try to preach everywhere:
amazing stories and meetings still happen. So in when I go somewhere, when in a store, or some-
June, I was going to the city center and thinking where else, and, of course, in transport. And during
about which bus stop to go to: near the house or just one such trip in a public bus, when I even sit
walk to another bus stop. I decided to take a walk in one seat, Krsna can send completely different
and met Natalia on the way. She had just recently people who sit next to each other, then get off at
arrived from abroad (she did not live in Zapor- their stops, and this is very interesting. But, in spite
izhzhia for about 6 months) and we went to the of this, sometimes I think that I probably should
temple together that very week. She really liked it. stop talking about Krsna on the same bus. And
Now she is abroad again, but she will come back just a month ago, I had such a thought again and I
soon and I hope that we will go to the temple to- shared it with a friend and already sort of decided
gether again. that I probably won’t offer books on buses any-
more so as not to hassle people. And the next day,
Last Sunday, new people also came to the temple:
I was on the same regular bus route and at one of
Iryna with her son Mykyta, who is 13 years old. We
the stops women sat down behind me. And one of
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met a month ago at sankirtana, also in the neigh-
them started talking very loudly, so I couldn’t even
bourhood where I live. Even then I invited them to
hear the lecture I was listening via my headphones
the temple, but they all did not come. And just last
well. I was sitting there thinking: shall I tolerate this
week, we “accidentally” met with them again and
or ask her to speak more quietly? I did turn to them She was looking for this video for a long time, and
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and said: I was sitting there, anticipating what is to come. I
was wondering, “Who is it?”
- Excuse me, but can I ask you to speak a little qui-
eter? I would move myself, but there are no more - Here, I found it! Look!
seats.
- Wow! Your relative is H.H. Bhakti Rasayana Saga-
- Oh, lady. certainly! Forgive me, please. I’m just all ra Maharaja?! What an unexpected meeting!
emotional. I won’t do it again.
We talked all the way. Her name is Naila. She told
I turned away and thought: I should offer Srila Pra- me about Maharaja (she even showed me a photo-
bhupada’s book to them or at least give calendars graph where he is 5 years old), about his father, and
to start with. Book or calendar? Let’s start with his mother, and she told me a little about herself.
calendars. And so I take calendars out of my bag, She herself did not “join” the Hare Krisnas. She is a
turn around and say: Muslim. It also turned out that we had to get off at
the same bus stop, so we talked on the street, took
- Can I give you calendars with the image of Lord
pictures and even exchanged phone numbers.
Krsna?
After that, of course, I continued to tell my fellow
And the woman, who was just talking loudly, imme-
travelers about Krsna, although even if this story
diately answers me with a smile on her face:
had not happened, I would certainly have told it
- Krsna?! So are you a Krsna person? Listen, I have anyway. She just inspired me a lot and inspired the
a relative, he is a very respected person in your devotees too when I told this story to them. I hope
society. But you probably don’t know him, he’s from you are also pleased too, that we continue preach-
Moscow. ing here.
- Well, maybe I do know him. And you, being even physically far away, also
preach here to ordinary people. I will now explain
- I’ll find you a video with his lecture! Just a mo-
how. About two months ago, probably, I was going
ment!
on a bus and listening to your lecture. You talked
about the pastimes of Lord Krsna in it, you laughed
a lot, the devotees and I laughed while sitting on
TILAKINI DEVI DASI
the bus. I noticed that a young girl was looking at
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
me. And when we approached the stop where I
srimate niranjana swain iti namine
was to get off, this girl also started to walk towards
the exit and look at me again. I asked her:
sankirtana pravrty-artha igate gurave namah
- Do we know each other? Have we ever talked
A Vaisnava is like a wish-fulfilling tree. He can fulfill a
maybe? Sorry, I just don’t remember.
desire of one who has surrendered to his Lotus Feet.
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She smiled and said:
- No, we don’t know each other. You just smiled so obeisances. All glories to you. All glories to Srila
sweetly. I sat and thought that something good Prabhupada.
happened to you and I was just happy for you.
Every time when it is time to express my apprecia-
It’s rare that I meet people who are sincerely happy tion and gratitude to you on your appearance day, I
for others. Therefore, I glorified her and began to try to look into my heart and see new truths which
tell her that I listened to my spiritual master who have settled in it thanks to Your
talked about the Lord. It turned out that this girl unlimited and causeless mercy.
had not heard about Krsna before, but thanks to
This year we are celebrating the
you she heard about Him. Thank you for this, for
70th anniversary of your com-
being in our lives.
ing to this world, and 50 years
Your aspiring disciple out of those 70 you have dedi-
Tetiana Uhlenko cated to pure devotional service
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Ukraine, the city of Zaporizhzhia to Srila Prabhupada mission.
Many of us, your disciples, are
given the opportunity to have
your association, and we have had it for many into the category of sufferers, who, due to their suf-
years, and each moment of such association is a ferings mainly, come to the realization of God.
new revelation, new discovery of your image, a new
And the most significant suffering which we have
wave of mercy.
inevitably been exposed to at first during pandem-
There is no limit to your endless devotion to Srila ics, and then during the war, was forced separation
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Prabhupada. For the sake of Srila Prabhupada`s from You.
smile and out of compassion for living beings, you
Apparently, there would not have been an end to
are able to see the path where there is no such
the miseries, and at times their intensity seemed
path. You find energy to manifest devotion to Srila
unbearable. Looking for a shelter, we were already
Prabhupada even in such places where no one is
prepared for comprehending some new aspects of
looking for them, and under circumstances that
the Absolute truth.
many people could consider obstacles on the path
to God. And salvation came… It cannot be re-enacted or
found in all the three worlds or wide variations of
Always and everywhere you become the medium
the time. In all the things occurring in world history,
of the Lord’s mercy for those who depend on you,
the Lord’s mercy reveals Itself in Its own peculiar
who surround you, for friends and enemies, for the
ways. Its ways were both peculiar and unique, for
deserving and te undeserving, for the envious and
us as well.
the magnanimous.
Krsna`s Appearance day and Srila Prabhupada’s
To be pure means to be beyond duality, see no im-
Appearance day became unique and unforgettable
perfections and unite everybody solely in pure love
days of real happiness for us; the days of nectar of
of God, manifested in Your lectures and kirtanas.
self-isolation, the days of peace during the war, and
This is Your path, here and now, which you pass on the days of long-awaited meeting after unbearable
in the form of an example to us, Your disciples and separation.
followers.
Having gone through the thorns of all the hard-
The events happening now have cast many of us ships and appeared in our complex reality, You
showed to all that there is no limit for bhakti. ficult for you to get on your feet and take one more
For the Lord and His pure devotee any external step back to God - towards your happiness ...”.
circumstances of our life, no matter how com-
May the opportunity to go towards one’s happiness
plicated, are only a way to manifest mercy or are
given by you always remain with us.
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catalysts that can extract those drops of love and
devotion from our hearts which in ordinary circum- Hoping, I bow to Your Lotus Feet
stances of our being in this world would not have Tilakini Devi Dasi
been manifested.
It turned out that only against the background of
endless suffering could true happiness manifest
TRIGUNAMAYI
itself ...
DEVI DASI
This is what strengthened our faith even more,
translating it into something infinite. Dear Srila Niranjana
Swami,
Easy and simple, just as Krsna lifted the Govardhan
Please accept my
Hill, you, despite the complexity of the situation,
humble obeisances in
lifted the “hill” of hope in the pouring rain of our
the dust of Your lotus
sadness of the upcoming new separation, prom-
feet. All glories to Sri
ising to attend Govardhana-puja again. And this
Sri Radha Madhava! All
great event happened!
glories to Srila Prabhu-
The value of such a promise and its coming into pada! All glories to all
being in our lives cannot be measured... the devotees!
It seems that Krsna is saying: “Just believe, I will On this auspicious day of Your
definitely come, I will never leave you, I will not Vyasa puja let me try to glorify
leave you under any circumstances and I will never You and Your faith and devo-
condemn you. I will always help you when it is dif- tion to our beloved acarya Srila
Prabhupada and his mission. doesn’t make any difference to him, there is so
much nectar inside this lotus, so much nectar…”
You are so dear to Your brothers-in-God and Your
disciples, to all living beings who have gotten the I am so grateful to You for the opportunity to listen
opportunity to listen to Your incredible narrations of to such amazing revelations. And I would like to
the Lord and His devotees. It really inspires everyone. be some day also trapped into the lotus flower of
It deepens our faith in Krishna, His holy name and the only one desire - to speak and listen about Lord
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Vaisnavas and that devotional service to them is the Krishna’s pastimes.
only one thing that we need in our life.
It seems that the closer You are to Krishna, the Trigunamayi dd (Rivne)
more difficult tests the Lord is giving to You. But in
spite of the time of distresses and sufferings You
are bestowing upon us more and more of the Di- TULASI-SUNDARI
vine nectar of Your love, compassion and concern.
Let Sri Sri Radha Gopivallabha always support and
DEVI DASI
help You in Your selfless devotional service to Srila
Hare Krishna,
Prabhupada!
dear Guru Maharaja.
This year at the beginning of Kartik You revealed Please accept my hum-
to us in such an incomparable way the sweetness ble obeisances and my
of the most sweet pastimes of Lord Bala Gopala, congratulations on your
Lord Damodara. When You spoke about Krishna’s appearance day! All
lilas it seemed You were inside the lotus flower of glories to Srila Prabhu-
Krishna’s love. pada! All glories to your
Divine Grace!
“Just like a bee enters into a lotus flower, and
when the lotus flower closes, the bee is trapped. Dear Guru Maharaja, every year
The whole bee is trapped and cannot get out. It at your Vyasa Puja, I write about
what happened in my life during the past year. This Maharaja, HG Acyutatma prabhu Mother Manda-
time I will write about the happiest moments in my kini was the guest of honor at this festival. Every
life this year. morning she performed puja for Srila Prabhupada
and I couldn’t take my eyes off her, so lovingly she
The most beautiful thing that could happen in my
offered all upacaras to Srila Prabhupada. And in
life happened due to your causeless mercy - Sri
those moments I thought of you. I wondered if I
Sri Nitai Nadia Bihari came to me. They are with
could ever serve my Spiritual Master with the same
me, They give me the opportunity to be near Them,
sincerity and love. Dear Guru Maharaja, bless me
serve Them, feed, clothe... I am so happy to see
to accept Srila Prabhupada’s mission in earnest
Their beautiful faces every morning and every eve-
because I know that Srila Prabhupada’s mission is
ning.
your mission. Please bless me to become sincere
In the end of August we as a sankirtana group in my desire to serve you.
traveled around the cities of Russia and distributed
Dear Guru Maharaja, I am actually very happy in the
Srila Prabhupada’s books. And this is the best ac-
Krishna Consciousness Society and I really want
tivity in the world, and sankirtana devotees are the
you to know about it. And now I just try to share my
best friends, although I got acquainted with many
happiness with others. Please bless me so that I
of them just during the trip. We had only 10 days
have the intelligence to take care of other devotees
and 7 cities. In every city, people who did not yet
so that they too will be happy with the beautiful
have Srila Prabhupada’s books were waiting for us.
company that Srila Prabhupada has given us.
Dear Guru Maharaja, I have been so happy these
days, please bless me so that I can go on traveling Thank you very much, Guru Maharaja, for all that
with sankirtana for as long as possible . you have done for me and for what you do. Please
forgive me for all my mistakes and insults.
In September of this year, I was at the Sadhu Sanga
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festival. At the festival, I met my friends in Krish- Sincerely, your servant,
na Consciousness, I listened to the lectures of Tulasi Sundari dd
HG Madan Mohana prabhu, HH Bhakti Ratnakara Russia, Tolyatti
Ambarishi Maharaja, HH Bhakti Rasayana Sagara
TUNGAVIDYA Although I have not attended your online
Brhad-Bhagavatamrta sessions, I have listened and
DEVI DASI looked forward to each recording. It is very joyful to
hear about such intense yearning and the all-merci-
ful nature of the Lord. For me, these lectures have
Dear Guru Maharaja, Srila Niranjana Swami,
become a hopeful medicine to follow this path.
Dear Guru Maharaja, I apologize for my stupid
the dust of your lotus feet on this auspi-
silence. It is not easy for me to find the right words
cious day of your Vyasa-puja.
to say something inspiring about my spiritual life.
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All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta However, I am aware that what allows me to prac-
Swami Srila Prabhupada, your beloved spiritual tice is your compassion and mercy.
master. We are eternally indebted to His Divine
Guru Maharaja, I am happy to share with you that
Grace and your personal example of total dedica-
our yatra has bright examples of devotees who sin-
tion to Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and service
cerely practice the devotional path, always remain-
to his mission.
ing inspired and positive. I and other devotees also
In a recent lecture prior to joint initiation, His Ho- note the enthusiasm displayed by Nandita-gokula
liness Srila Radhanatha Swami called you “a soft, mataji and Sakti-svarupini mataji as to studying the
luminous ray of sincere devo- scriptures and preaching. Dandaka prabhu is very
tion and compassion.” Thank resourceful and steady as to preaching by hari-
you very much, Guru Maharaja, namas all over Moldova. This year they visited 33
for your selfless, continuous settlements. Aruna-gauranga, HH Bhakti Vijnana
work, encouraging us to ap- Goswami’s disciple, organized and supports the
preciate and accept the path weekend sankirtana, Venurati mataji together with
of true happiness, the path of her husband are actively involved in this. Nabad-
eternal pure service to gurus, vipa prabhu together with Mataji Caitanya-rupa are
Vaisnavas and Sri Sri Radha taking care of devotees and are thinking about how
Krsna! to serve them in the best possible way. There are
many others who I did not mention in this letter. path and always be of service to Srila Prabhupa-
da’s family in the association of devotees.
Dear Guru Maharaja, you often quote Sri-
mad-Bhagavatam, (11.2.12) Your humble servant,
Tungavidya Devi Dasi
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śruto ‘nupathito dhyāta
Moldova, Chisinau city
ādrto vānumoditah
sadyah punāti sad-dharmo
deva-viśva-druho ‘pi hi
TUNGAVIDYA-
Pure devotional service rendered to the
Supreme Lord is spiritually so potent that SUNDARI DEVI DASI
simply by hearing about such transcen-
dental service, by chanting its glories in re- Dear Guru Maharaja,
sponse, by meditating on it, by respectfully Your Holiness Srila
and faithfully accepting it, or by praising Niranjana Swami,
the devotional service of others, even per- please accept my
sons who hate the demigods and all other lowest obeisances in
living beings can be immediately purified. the dust of your lotus
feet. All glories to Srila
This verse gives me hope to gain deep faith in pure
Prabhupada!
devotional service (not overnight, unfortunately).
On this day of your appearance,
The other day we paid last respects to Ahladi-
I would like to express my
ni-gopi mataji and all the devotees so uplifted and
gratitude for your help during
inspired during kirtan, they felt so united as if the
the war in Ukraine. When the
heavens had opened. Someone said that it is not
war broke out, I was reading
passing away but a birth that we celebrate.
your book “Nectar of Isolation”.
I humbly ask your mercy to never deviate from this It helped me to focus on Krsna
during those scary days and to take shelter in Him.
And even now, when I live far away from devotees,
you support me with your classes and kirtans.
Many strangers helped me during these six months
as to accommodation and food. Devotees sent me
the beads that I was really looking forward to. I am
strongly convinced that no one needs us except
Guru and Krsna. Only you truly care about me. In
any hopeless situation, you will always remind that
there is hope in the holy name. I truly appreciate it.
Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for your priceless gifts
in Krsna Consciousness.
Eternally indebted ti you,
Tungavidya-sundari Devi Sasi
Chernihiv
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VAIDARBHI I am very glad that you are my spiritual master,
that you are always above any politics, you always
DEVI DASI focus on spiritual aspects, and you always take
care of devotees in every way! This is immense
support for us! Although it’s not our first year in
Dear Guru Maharaja!
the society of devotees and we have repeatedly
seen that in the material world there are dangers at
every step, yet when you face a specific situation
Please let me say a few words of gratitude
that you have never been in before, it is difficult to
on the auspicious Day of your Appearance.
understand immediately what are the right steps to
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This year has been a very take next.
difficult one for the devotees
Your questions and answers sessions are very
from Ukraine. And thanks to
practical, they help one at once realize what to do
the knowledge that Srila Prabh-
next. Thank you so much for your time, energy, love
upada gave us and the society
and your heart that you put into them! Thank you
that he has created, we have
for coming to Ukraine despite the fact that it is not
more advantages than ordinary
safe now! It is so amazing that despite the war, the
people, we have protection
devotees have the opportunity to attend the festi-
and a home in every country.
val! Thank you for the Share your care fund!
During this time, everyone goes
through difficulties, and tests, I know for sure that if I need Krsna consciousness,
and one’s true inner self is re- my spiritual master can give it to me. And we are
vealed. Some devotees’ actions so lucky to have this opportunity!
are shocking, and that of some,
Although we haven’t had the opportunity to meet
on the contrary, strengthen my
you in person now, at least two devotees told me
faith in the process that Srila
that you asked after our family. This small fact
Prabhupada gave us.
gives spiritual enthusiasm and strength for spir-
itual practice. Thank you so much for your care, Dear Guru Maharaj, please accept my hum-
attention and support! ble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
Perhaps my offering is chaotic, not based on sas- On this auspicious day of your appearance let me
tras and full of other flaws. But I want to express congratulate you and express my gratitude in these
my sincere gratitude for your humanity and authen- lines. During this uneasy year I was fortunate to be-
ticity as a devotee. That’s what we really need right come a witness of your unlimited care of devotees.
now in the first place. You give all of you to the devotees. Sometimes I
think, if there is any border in care, generosity and
On this auspicious Day of your Appearance, I pray
self-return? But seeing your example and the exam-
for your mercy to always be a real devotee and an
ple of Srila Prabhupada I understand that there are
instrument in your hands so that I could also help
no borders in devotional service. It is like a lotus
other devotees on their spiritual path.
flower growing from the spiritual world, it opens its
Your eternal servant, Vaidarbhi Devi Dasi petals wider and wider…
V
Kharkiv
In one of your letters to a disciple, when the dis-
ciple says that he is unhappy, you tell him that if
VAIJAYANTI- a disciple has difficulties, it means that your at-
tempts to help him by preaching the glory of the
MALA DEVI Holy Name failed. This phrase entered deeply into
my heart. I’ve seen that every time you’re giving a
DASI lecture you give it exactly for us, for me. I’ve seen
your non-indifference. That differs radically from
the conception of relationships in this world.
om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya There is greed, selfishness here, and everybody
caksur unmilitam yena looks for his benefit. But due to you I learn this
tasmai sri-gurave namah selflessness, self-return and your self-sacrifice.
Relationships with spiritual master are very pre-
cious. And I pray to the Lord to reach the potential service and co-operating with devotees, and never
of deepening my relations with you in this lifetime. disappoint you. I have a desire to begin strongly
wishing to devote myself to your lotus feet, but
On September 29, 2022 you gave a lecture, in
material pleasures are so strong, so I, having no
which you discovered how to cultivate the desire to
firm faith, am led by them. I have only to appeal
take care of devotees. I seemed to wait for a long
timidly to your unlimited mercy, which I extremely
time for this very lecture, and I absorbed thirstily
need every moment. And to pray for the day when
every word.
the bounds of anarthas go away and I’ll be able to
My first visit to the temple was very memorable serve you unlimitedly.
for me. I had been associating with devotees for
In the dust of your gentle and loving feet,
several months before it, I bought food from them.
your servant Vaijayanti-mala devi dasi,
But I was afraid to come to Krishna’s temple. And
Tomsk, Russia
then one day I got determined, took my friend with
me and came to the doorway. But I couldn’t step in-
side. I looked through the window. There was some
program inside. And one devotee who saw us
VANAMALI-
invited us to come in. But I couldn’t do it, some fear
bounded me. That devotee gave us some prasad,
KAVIRAJA DASA
and we went home. It was some special prasad.
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja, Srila
It changed my life afterwards. It was prasad from
Niranjana Swami. Please accept my hum-
your Vyasa-puja, and there were your disciples in
ble obeisances in the dust of your lotus
the temple, and Sudarshan prabhu gave a lecture.
feet. All glories to His Divine Grace Srila
That was the day of your Vyasa-puja.
Prabhupada.
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I don’t understand all the seriousness and impor-
In my short offering to you on the day of your
tance of the moment of initiation, and of my being
Vyasa-puja, I would like to express my deep heart-
your disciple now. Let me serve you and your mis-
felt gratitude to you for your example of behavior
sion. Let me please you more and more with my
in response to everything that
is happening in our restless
VANI-KRISHNADAS
time. High Vaisnava philoso-
phy principles are manifest in
DASA
Vaisnavas’ behavior. Whatever
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
such elevated devotees do and
srimate niranjana-swamin iti namine
say is aimed at strengthening
faith in Krsna consciousness,
sankiratana-pravrty-artham ihate gurave namah
strengthening faith in the high
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goal and path that leads to this Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my
goal. lowest obeisances! All glories to you, all
glories to Srila Prabhupada and his sincere
Dear Guru Maharaja, you are a
followers!
perfect living example of such
a Vaisnava, a perfect living This time, because of urgent
example of how one can apply Srila Prabhupada’s tasks that were pushing on my
instructions in life. Please accept my mosy humble consciousness, I have start-
obeisances once more. ed to write down my offering
very close to the deadline. In
I am praying to the Lord that He will let me have
addition, my consciousness
even a drop of the mercy of your divine qualities
is very materialistic. And no
and become an obedient instrument in your hands.
usual words are coming for this
With gratitude and most humble obeisances, your occasion. There is just convic-
eternal servant, Vanamali-kaviraja Dasa tion that my life would be empty
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and pointless if not for mercy
of Srila Prabhupada, which is coming through his
classes, books and his sincere followers, especial-
ly through you.
The day has passed and now I am continuing writ- parents, except what he owns due to their care
ing. for him? Can success of a disciple in the field of
the actions for the sake of the fruit or speculative
Yesterday, with mercy from above (we all under-
philosophizing please real guru? Just what has
stand that it is mercy of guru and Krishna), Nitya
value in the eyes of the guru can please him in the
Priya and I went to Baranovichi. Vasudeva Datta
offerings of his disciple. Isn’t that what a disciple
prabhu invited us to their regular meeting. I re-
receives from a guru as a priceless gift of ability to
ceived an experience of association with a person,
listen to him with the right attitude, that he (dis-
who just started to receive mercy of Srila Prabhu-
ciple) receives, in turn, from his association with
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pada and his sincere followers. That person was
guru?
sharing with me what is happening with him just
now and I was feeling happiness from hearing Dear Guru Maharaja! Sometimes the thought
how this mercy is showering someone. Without a comes to my mind about the mercy that Krishna
doubt, it was Krishna’s gift, as well as your uncon- showered us with, because during the pandemic
ditional mercy. The ability to feel happiness for we got an amazing transcendental stack full of
seeing someone else being spiritually happy is the nectar of your Brihad Bhagavatamrita classes! I am
greatest gift. I regularly hear about it from you in listening to them for the third time from the very
the pastimes when someone was receiving Lord beginning, and with Nitya Priya, it is the second
Gauranga’s mercy and devotees were saying in time, after they were told for the first time. Because
amazement: “Haribol!” You were saying about how of them, everything that was missing and all con-
it is important to feel happiness in situations like tradictions in my understanding of the spiritual
this. world were closed.
How can one who is in the position of a beggar I was previously mentioning in my report about
even begin to show gratitude to the person whose making an interactive app about the travels of
care they are under? Especially when all they have Gopa Kumar. At the moment we have a small
to give is that which they have to receive from group of devotees, who have professional skills
them. And what else can a son give to his loving that can move this project forward. But for now we
are preparing, we are meeting once a week online because of you, I am receiving the One, who is the
and reading together the original. After we discuss greatest jewel and there is nothing more valuable.
it, everyone shares what touched him or her in
Sometimes people underestimate God. And in the
the verse and purport that we just read. It inspires
material world this tendency is comprehensive. Sri-
devotees. One of them wrote words of gratitude to
la Prabhupada often quoting from Srimad Bhagav-
you, because I am telling them that everything we
atam:
do is by your mercy. I will add her message after
mine. na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
In the similar format, but from the very first part, It is impossible to overestimate the Supreme God;
me, Nitay Priya and Vaninatha Vasu prabhu (I think but underestimate Him is in the order of things
you maybe remember him, he is a disciple of Pra- for the conditioned soul. That is why, I will not be
bhavishnu prabhu, from Minsk) read Brihad Bhaga- able fully value what I am receiving from you, until
vatamrita. Vaninatha Vasu prabhu is very inspired. I will get your full mercy in the form of a mature
Today we met him on Sunday program in the tem- Krishna-bhakti, which is the only path for the final
ple; he said that he is waiting for the Monday, as liberation. My only hope and wish, that I have at
we read online on Mondays, for the regular reading this moment, and just because I am in contact with
and discussion of this amazing gift of Srila Prabhu- you while writing those lines, is to ask for forgive-
pada (in the face of Gopiparanadhana prabhu who ness for my mistakes, my instability, my ignorance
translated this book), Srila Sanatana Goswami and and selfishness, they are not letting me to please
Lord Gauranga Himself. you and Supreme God, who you are giving to me…
Please keep me somewhere close to you on a
Guru Maharaja, in reality I understand that my
leash of your love…
ability to estimate what I am receiving from you, is
V
very small. In addition, my ability to express what Wishing always be an object of your compassion,
I understand is sometimes even smaller. But if we Vani Krishnadas das
follow Srila Prabhupada’s logic — Krishna is giving
us guru, and guru is giving us Krishna. Therefore,
VARADESVARI the mission of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, serving devotees and the Holy Name.
DEVI DASI Thank you, dear Guru Maharaj, for accepting me as
Your disciple, as part of Srila Prabhupada family – I
Dear Guru Maharaj, feel real shelter near Your lotus feet.
V
Thank you for Your wonderful nourishing lectures,
the dust of Your lotus feet.
kirtans, posts, instructions that I hear and learn
to follow them. They are like a fresh breath and
I’m so grateful to You and to source of energy in my life.
all the mercy from Sri Krishna
Thank You for the japa sessions – because of Your
that I’m receiving in my life for
chanting I can feel the connection with the Holy
some reason… And this year in
Name, improve and deepen my chanting.
my offering to You I would like
to express the gratitude that I Thank You for Your mood of taking care of the
feel inside my heart. devotees. Honestly, before I heard it from You (and
also HH Radhanath Swami) I didn’t have this idea,
First of all, I’m so grateful that
this desire inside. But gradually by Your example
in this life I met You, dear Guru
and devotees who are following You, this desire
Maharaj. From the scriptures
was awaken in my heart. And now I’m learning and
we know that it’s such a rare gift for the soul – to
trying my best in taking care of devotees in the way
meet a spiritual master. So many lives I’ve been
I can do it at the moment.
cycling in the material world...from one body to an-
other, from one planet to another, trying to enjoy, to Thank You for my dear mentor, Your senior disci-
control, to fulfill my desires, etc. But it is such a for- ple – Radha-vinodini Mataji. I’m so happy that she
tune and mercy to meet You. This is a precious gift and Sevananda Prabhu accepted me. I feel both of
for me and I really would like to dedicate this life them are like my spiritual parents. During all these
to serving You, following Your footsteps, serving years Radha-vinodini Mataji gave me so much love,
care, support, guidance and wonderful association. reading it now step by step and feel how this scrip-
And I also was observing how deeply she loves ture changes and fills my heart…
You and trying her best to serve You faithfully.
Thank You, dear Guru Maharaj, for everything that
During the last years (first lockdown time and You are doing for us, for all those jewels from the
V
now the war) I have experienced that the connec- spiritual world. You are my biggest treasure and
tion with You through Your classes, talks, kirtans, shelter in my life.
instructions – is the best shelter ever. No matter
Respectfully Yours, servant of Your servants,
what else will happen in this material world – if I
Varadesvari dasi (Dnepr, Ukraine)
continue hearing from You I’ll feel like I’m in the
safest place of the universe.
Thank You very much, dear Guru Maharaj, for that VARUNI DEVI DASI
precious darshan in Budapest temple. I realized
that actually it was my first personal talk to You Dear Guru Maharaj,
when I sincerely could speak to You and open my Please accept my most humble obeisances
heart to You. I have never experienced such deep at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to
joy and happiness inside. I had a feeling the whole Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you on this
world and all my life had stopped for that moment most auspicious day of your appearance.
and I could relish the eternal spiritual relationship
with You… I’m so happy and grateful for this oppor-
tunity!
And I’m especially grateful to You for the wonderful
book of HH Sivarama Swami “Sri Vilapa Kusuman-
jali”! It was so unexpected and spontaneous that
I couldn’t believe it’s true that such a tiny condi-
tioned soul like me could receive such mahaprasa-
dam from You. It’s a “Matchless Gift” for me. I’m
Today I feel very blessed to once again get the stances are, you continue serving without thinking
opportunity to celebrate your Vyasa puja. of yourself.
By your mercy I am attempting to write a few Enthusiasm: always enthusiastic to share the glo-
words to describe some of your qualities. I am not ries of Guru and Krsna with others.
qualified to fully describe your transcendental qual-
Perfect: you are a perfect Acarya, you teach by your
ities but I must try.
perfect example. You are a perfect disciple.
Compassion: Your heart is full of compassion for
Blissful: always blissful and happy to hear and
all the conditioned souls in this material world.
chant in the association of your Godbrothes and
You understand the suffering of those who do not
other devotees.
take shelter of Krsna. I saw time and time again
you helped those who came to you seeking shelter Empowered: you are an empowered preacher. You
never thinking they are not worthy of your compas- are able to extract the essence of Srila Prabhupa-
sion. da’s teaching and share it with others. You make it
simple so we can understand.
Dedicated: you are dedicated to preaching and
spreading Krsna consciousness all over the world Humility: you are the definition of humility. Always
bringing so many conditioned souls closer to so humble, never think yourself greater than oth-
Krsna’s lotus feet. Your dedication to serving Lord ers. Never care for name or fame. Have no ego or
Caitanya sankirtan movement surely is very pleas- pride. You are happy and satisfied just serving your
ing to Srila Prabhupada. spiritual master.
Surrender: you fully surrender your life at the lotus Expert: you are an expert preacher, expert in deal-
feet of Guru and Krsna, doing whatever necessary ing with others, expert in bringing others to Krsna
V
to serve Them. You take every opportunity to en- Consciousnesses, expert in your spiritual prac-
gage in Their service. tices. Expert in giving the Holy Names to others,
expert in all your activities.
Tolerance: you tolerate so many austerities in
service to Srila Prabhupada. Whatever the circum- Kindness: you are always so kind, gentle and loving
to everyone. Even when you chastise someone, you for me. I will never be able to repay you. I don’t do
do it with kindness. anything pleasing to you but praying I will in some
V
lifetime.
Selfless: you give so much to us and never expect
anything in return. Begging for your blessings.
Caring: you are most caring. You truly feel for Your most worthless servant,
others in a non-sentimental way. Always ready to Varuni devi dasi (Alachua, Florida. USA)
do whatever you can to help. You never criticize or
judge anyone.
Merciful: you are so merciful, you don’t take
VASANTI DEVI DASI
offenses if someone offends you. You forgive our
Dear Gurumaharaj,
ignorance. You show your mercy to your disciples
in many ways, by giving us instructions to help us
advance on the path of devotional service, your
books and lectures to help us understand the phi- On the day of your Vyasa puja I would like to
losophy, the instructions of our previous Acaryas thank you for all that you do and have done for all
and to practice devotional service properly. You ac- Ukrainian devo-
cept whatever little service we render to you so we tees and for me
can make advancement by serving a pure devotee. in particular.
You give your association so we can learn by your
When I came to
example. We are so fortunate to have the most
the Budapest
merciful spiritual master.
temple due to
Your qualities have no limits but this less intelligent the situation in
fool has limited intelligence to find the words to Ukraine, what
properly glorify you. really saved me
here was that I
Thank you Guru Maharaj for all that you have done
could play a couple of bhajans. And one of them is more how much your disciples in Ukraine love you,
the Kevalashtaka. When I chanted it to Srila Prabh- how devoted they are to you.
upada, and to the Deities, it made me feel better.
You are our spiritual father and our friend. You are
About three years ago I downloaded onto my someone who reminds us in all circumstances of
phone this bhajan as performed by you and every the holy name. You are the one who, by inspiring
Sunday I would play it in the Deities’ Kitchen during us, pulls us out of the clutches of our minds.
the service.
Thank you for the care and inspiration you give
For the past nine months, my heart has been re- with your kirtans and lectures. There is a great
sponding to verses three and eight in this bhajan. devotion and love for Srila Prabhupada in your lec-
I guess that each verse holds a lot of depth and I tures which also makes me attached to him.
hope I can someday understand even a small part
Thank you for the Ukrainian yatra, for your older
of it. But now these two verses are the ones that
disciples, for your heartfelt care for all of us.
often come to my mind.
Srila Prabhupada has made two great gifts for me
Verse 3 says that the one who teaches us to re-
this year. One is joining the parampara and the oth-
member Hari’s holy name is our spiritual teacher,
er one - the two months you were in Budapest.
father, mother and friend.
I ask for your blessings that I can fan this gratitude
This verse makes me feel grateful to Srila Prabh-
in my heart, gratitude to you and to Srila Prabhupa-
upada for entrusting me specifically to you. When
da, and that my heart truly desires to serve without
you talk about Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, I see
deceiving myself or others.
myself and most of the listeners around me in the
audience looking at you with the eyes of children Thank you!
who really need what you have. And my passionate
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Hoping to become a worthy disciple of you,
and proud heart is in your hands, I have no doubt
Your servant Vasanti Devi Dasi!
about it.
At this year’s festivals in Ukraine, I noticed even
VEDAGARBHA DASA once again find ourselves in Your personal asso-
V
ciation. Both festive gatherings that You attended
(and that, practically, had become possible due
to Your desire to attend them) were so important
humble obeisances in the dust of Your lo-
for all of us. For they once again awakened that
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and
ever-fresh blissful mood of transcendental service
Sri Guru parampara!
and brotherhood of devotees that could be felt in
I am so happy to have an opportunity to once again the previous Ukrainian festivals before all the tur-
address You personally in this Vyasa-puja offering. moil, before the pandemic, before the war. Proving
Another year has passed, and not an ordinary one. that it is still there, it is always there, it can’t be
For me doubly so, as You have extended Your mer- destroyed by any temporary material circumstanc-
cy and accepted me and my wife as Your disciples, es. This March, we’d probably have considered the
connecting us to the spiritual family of Srila Prabh- idea of such happenings returning in any foresee-
upada and, ultimately, Krsna’s able future quite incredible. Yet, in just six months
family. I am very grateful to You it has all manifested by the mercy of Krsna, Srila
for this, although I doubt I can Prabhupada, and Your mercy. Speaking of upheav-
truly express this gratitude. I als, this year, we have had many compelling rea-
still have a long way to go in sons to remember the teachings of Queen Kunti, to
learning to be grateful. Yet, I which You often refer to in Your lectures. Indeed, all
want to try to say some words of these new experiences gave us ample opportu-
in that direction. nities for spiritual growth and apprehension of the
deep truths about this world. One of which is to val-
First of all, thank You for
ue every moment and every opportunity to be in the
Your care and love for the
association of exalted devotees and to serve them.
Ukrainian devotees that has
These moments can never be taken away from us.
again manifested during this
difficult period. It also gave us At those festivals, I have finally come to a profound
a long-awaited opportunity to understanding of the proper relationship with the
Guru as a spiritual father, who, just like Krsna, ple always remains a guiding star on my spiritual
equally loves and cares for all His dependents. path. I have a long, long way to go on this path, but
Although it may seem obvious, it is truly valuable to I hope that one day I’ll come to a place where I’d be
me as it has removed all meaningless anxiety from able to genuinely please You and Srila Prabhupada.
V
the mind. Thank You for the shelter that You so
Your insignificant disciple,
mercifully and undeservedly gave me.
Vedagarbha dasa
This year, I have had a chance to learn some of the
intimate stories of the shelter that You extend to so
many devotees. These devotees place great faith VEDAPRIYA
in You and You never fail to support them. More-
over, not only directly, but also by means of Your DEVI DASI
followers, You inspire so many people to come to
Krsna Consciousness. Dear Gurudev,
Several times this year, in conversations with differ-
ent devotees about their path to Krsna, the name
All glories to you.
of Your disciple Laksmi-Narayana Prabhu was
mentioned. It reminded me that I was also initially
attracted to the Vedic culture by his powerful sem-
inars. Later, I realized that he was Your agent who
You’ve sent to guide such lost souls like me in their
search for the ultimate answers. I wish to also be-
come Your agent and help others in a similar way.
To end my offering, I’d like to acknowledge Your
example of a person who is constantly engaged in
Krsna Consciousness and is constantly thinking
about how to please Krsna. I pray that this exam-
I am sorry, I am unable to write something for this
wonderful event... So I decided to borrow this
VENU-RATI
amazing bhajan. I like it very much.
DEVI DASI
gurudev!
kṛpā-bindu diyā, koro’ ei dāse, Dear Guru Maharaja!
tṛṇāpekhā ati hīna Please accept my most humble obeisances
sakala sahane, bala diyā koro’, at your lotus feet from Venu-rati Devi Dasi.
nija-māne spṛhā-hīna Dear Guru Maharaja, I am very proud that
you are my spiritual master!
sakale sammāna korite śakati,
deho’ nātha! jathājatha A friend of mine joked that all Niranjana Swami’s
tabe to’ gāibo, hari-nāma-sukhe, disciples love to brag about their spiritual master.
aparādha ha ‘be hata Dandaka Prabhu boasts that everyone loves Niran-
jana Swami and he never quarrels with anyone.
kabe heno kṛpā, labhiyā e jana,
Your position to respect everyone and not demand
V
kṛtārtha hoibe, nātha!
respect for yourself inspires me very much. And
śakti-buddhi-hīna, āmi ati dīna,
how can one not be proud of our spiritual mas-
koro’ more ātma-sātha
ter when our brothers and sisters are constantly
jogyatā-vicāre, kichu nāhi pāi, engaged in service; they are serious, caring, have
tomāra karuṇā-sāra a sense of humour, and are compassionate; more-
karuṇā nā hoile, kāndiyā kāndiyā, over, they are so firm on their spiritual path.
prāṇa nā rākhibo āra
Dandaka Prabhu is the soul of the entire Kishinev
Your unqualified disciple yatra.
V
Vedapriya devi dasi Nandita-gokula is an endless ocean of enthusiasm!
Kaunas Vrajavasi Prabhu and Nanda-vallabhi are always
the first to help everyone and they are an example
of compassion.
V
Ahladini-gopi passed her final exam with honour Syamasundari-gopi is our mother.
and humility.
I probably missed someone, but I want to highlight
Caitanya-rupa and Navadvipa Prabhu personify
one hundred percent that all your disciples are
kindness (devotees say that their home is a holy
never engaged in conflicts. This is so because you
place where devotees gather).
teach us to respect others and not demand respect
Abhilasa Prabhu and Madri Mataji are the perfect
for ourselves.
pujaris.
Devahuti Mataji is an example of maturity, serious- Thank you for your last letter instructing us to al-
ness; she is always interested in serving devotees ways think of Krsna and I am sure that your wishes
in the yatra. for us are very dear to Krsna. I will try and Krsna
will help me with this.
Tungavidya Mataji is the main pujari. She and I are
working together and I know that she only worries Your eternal servant,
to render service at the highest possible level. Her Venu-rati Devi Dasi
only sense in life is to satisfy Krsna!
Sakti-svarupini is a real sakti, she preaches every-
where. She is like Arjuna - she is not afraid of any-
VERA YAKUSHEVA
thing, but she sees only the goal. At the weekend
Hare Krsna, dear Guru
sankirtana she distributes so many books because
Maharaja! Please accept
she is convinced that everyone needs these books.
my humble obeisances
Yogesa-candra is the bodyguard of our harinama in the dust of your lotus
and the main builder in the temple. He has a soft feet. All glories to Srila
heart, like a Bengali mother. Prabhupada!
Krishna-lila is a talented florist who takes her ser- Please let me express my grati-
vices very seriously. She is so tender and her spirit tude to you for the association of
is so strong! devotees, for Srila Prabhupada’s
V
books, for the instructions from your lectures, for ly I heard your voice, you said, “Oh, is this Vidag-
kirtans, for the example of your relationships with dha Siromani there? Call him…” And I woke up. I
your Godbrothers that are warm, open, trusting, felt so much gratitude to you. I remembered that
filled with Krsna katha. Thank you for supporting your Vyasa-puja is coming up and I have to write a
us and having faith in your disciples. letter. I started writing it in my mind immediately. I
was so impressed and I felt so much gratitude to
Please, accept my humble obeisances in the dust
you, words were coming very easily and natural-
of your lotus feet.
ly… Composing the offering to you this way, I fell
Trying to serve you, asleep. When I woke up, I decided to write down
Vera Yakusheva, Tomsk the offering, of course, what I can remember of it.
***
VIDAGDHA- Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my obeisances.
One more year has passed and I write my offering
SIROMANI DASA to you. How fast the time flies! It is almost recently
that you held my five-year-old daughter by the hand
and taught her Panca-tattva-mantra while stand-
Dear Guru Maharaja!
Please accept my obeisances in the dust
of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabh-
upada! All glories to you on the day of your
appearance!
This night I had a dream. I entered a room where
there were devotees I didn’t know, they gathered
before a screen of a computer and listened to
some mataji via Zoom. I understood that it is
Vyasa-puja and sat down behind everyone. The
mataji completed reading her offering and sudden-
ing on a railway platform, waiting for your train to cades you serve him. No, not just serve, but SERVE!
depart… and she is married now, mature… Namely in capitals. To travel so much all over the
world, to chant so many kirtanas, to give so many
How much I miss personal association with you!
lectures, to visit so many festivals, GBC meetings,
Of course, you give association via the Internet. All
to give so many darsanas both general and person-
the years of the pandemic and now, when you can-
al, to give so many talks and meetings… How much
not visit us, you mercifully share your bhakti with
you love him that you do not stop for a second and
me via the screen, but I am still missing you so, so
serve, serve him… and all the way in separation.
much…
V
Excuse me for I try to understand you, but I will
Guru Maharaja, how much you love Srila Prabhupa-
never comprehend your feelings and (to my dis-
da! It is amazing. You have not seen him for more
may) I will never feel the same. I am withering
than 40 years and even cannot get a recording of
away because of being unable to meet you. It is not
a new lecture from him or chant japa with him via
your fault. Just my immaturity, but I try, really try
Zoom.
to serve you, Srila Prabhupada’s mission, the Lord.
It is wonderful, but your attachment to service to Mostly, your example of service and your love for
him is unshakable all the years. Really, when a new your Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada, help me.
book about Srila Prabhupada, memories, is pub-
Forgive me for my imperfections. I am trying to
lished, it gives you an opportunity to associate with
progress.
him. You read them with such great eagerness.
I am always surprised by how you tell us about Thank you for everything, I miss you a lot and I look
those books, I am amazed at how much love you forward to a meeting.
absorb everything written or spoken about Srila
Please accept all my service and the service of my
Prabhupada.
family, Nikunja-nivasini, Vraja-priya and Taraka.
What a great personality Srila Prabhupada is that
you and his other disciples love him and are at-
Vidagdha-siromani Dasa
tached to him so much. For during all these de-
Saint-Petersburg, November 15, 2022
VIDYANIDHI DASA in Ukraine has affected the lives of so many people,
both devotees and non-devotees. And it is hard to
even imagine what terrible consequences this has
led to and will still lead to in the future.
tus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! You know, when the war broke out, it was not clear
what to do, how to act, what the priorities in fulfill-
On this auspicious Day of your Appearance, first of
ing one’s duty are, whether to stay where you are
all, I want to express my immense gratitude and ap-
or try to find a safer place. After your lecture via
preciation to you for your care, kindness and for your
Zoom, where you said that the life of a devotee is
clear desire to give Krsna Consciousness to others!
very valuable and now you need to be safe, I better
Every year when I try to write something for your understood what to do. I am very grateful to you for
Appearance Day, I find that so many different those very first lectures.
events are taking place in this material world. These
When what Srila Prabhupada says in his books
can be either so-called good events or bad ones, al-
about the dangers that await us in the material world
though more bad things happen. Of course, the war
began to very intensely and colourfully appear right
before our eyes, at that time I heard from you in a
lecture that one who reads Srila Prabhupada’s books
cannot have hopes of getting happiness in the mate-
rial world - Srila Prabhupada shatters all these hopes
on every page of his transcendental books.
Now our family is safe, although it was not such
an easy task to accomplish, but by your causeless
V
mercy, we are now residing in Sri Mayapura. I am
so happy that you have become my spiritual mas-
ter. But you know, even being here, in a holy place,
I am still not able to fully follow your instructions,
despite all the efforts that you make to pull me out
of this material world, from this terrible place.
VIJAY-GOPAL DASA
I’m still trying to somehow get settled here and I’m Dear Guru Maharaj, Srila Niran-
not at all in a hurry to make every effort to follow jana Swami, please accept my
your instructions with all seriousness and determi- humble obeisances in the dust
nation. of your lotus feet. All glories to
Srila Prabhupada!
I just want to ask you to give me another chance to
get closer to Krsna. Without your blessings, this is Thank you so much for taking
simply not possible. I feel with all my heart that you me to Srila Prabhupada and
care for me much more than I care about myself. I Krishna. Before you I’m just a
really want to please you somehow and this desire fool. Let me continue to serve
helps me to continue living, it gives me some value you. Bless me for my contin-
in my existence, despite all my imperfections and ued participation in the harina-
constant fall downs. ma-sankirtana mission.
You once said in a lecture that the only reason you Your unworthy servant
stay in this body is to serve your spiritual master, Vijay Gopal das
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Srila Prabhupada!
The only hope and meaning of life I have left is to
be of service to you in your service to our dear Srila
VIJAY-HARI DASA
Prabhupada!
Please bless me to preach Krsna consciousness humble obeisances in the dust of your lo-
as it is, as Srila Prabhupada gave it to us! tus feet! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All
glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
Trying to be a sincere disciple,
Vidyanidhi Dasa I thank you for your trust in me when you mercifully
V
gave me shelter at your lotus yat-kripa tam aham vande
feet at the beginning of August sri-gurum dina-taranam
2019. During this short peri-
Also recently, with the blessings of senior devo-
od of time, many significant
tees, my wife and I have started holding nama-hat-
changes have taken place in
tas for devotees-newcomers, and we always
my life by your mercy, the mer-
remember your instructions about taking care of
cy of Srila Prabhupada and that
devotees, friendship in Krsna consciousness, and
of the entire guru-parampara.
the importance of attentive chanting of the holy
Quite unexpectedly this sum- name. And quite recently, I began to attend na-
mer, I had a new nectarean ser- ma-hatta by one of your senior disciples - Yaduraja
vice with my wife, Ratnalekha Prabhu in Moscow, in the new temple on Na-
Devi Dasi - we started organis- gornaya street. These amazing meetings each time
ing harinama in the Pushkino open up many new aspects of service and spiritual
town. In the beginning, we just practice for me. Indeed, every moment of associ-
went to the embankment of the local river, chanted ating with devotees is a priceless gift for which we
the holy name, distributed prasadam and Srila Pra- should always strive. I know for sure that if I stay in
bhupada’s books to passers-by. Next, we began to the association of such devotees, I have a chance
invite professional singers and musicians, and once to someday get love for Krishna.
it turned out to be a full-fledged two-hour harinama
I was also happy to know that you have once again
along the main street and embankment of our city.
resumed your travels around the world, bestow-
I understand that we have neither the qualifications
ing your mercy on a huge number of devotees; in
nor the capacity for such activities, but I always re-
this, you are so similar to Srila Prabhupada. Once
member one of your favorite quotes from Sridhara
again I want to express my deep gratitude and my
Swami’s commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam:
obeisances to you, dear Spiritual Master, for your
mukam karoti vachalam perfect example of serving Srila Prabhupada, it is
pangum langhayate girim by looking at you and your godbrothers that we can
truly feel what Srila Prabhupada really was like, how being near, so that we can feel your love and care.
great his compassion to all the fallen souls of this
This year by the mercy of Krishna and Vaishnavas,
world is, how unshakable his determination to carry
I have visited the holy dhama first time in my life,
out the instructions of the spiritual master are.
by joining the parikrama group of Srila Bhakti Cai-
Dear Guru Maharaja, may your service help as tanya Swami. And, when I offered my obeisances
many unfortunate living beings who have forgotten to every holy tirtha, the only thing I was praying for
their true nature gain the mercy of the Lord, may was to feel just a drop of taste of chanting the Holy
Srila Prabhupada be pleased with you and may Name. After I heard it’s auspicious, I dipped my
your fame spread throughout the three worlds! japa beads into the holy waters of Surabhi-Kunda,
Govinda-Kunda and Radha-Kunda, praying to those
Trying to become your servant, Vijaya-hari Dasa,
holy lakes to be merciful to me and help to improve
Russia, Moscow region, Pushkino.
my chanting.
And yes, while I was in the holy dhama, it was more
VIJAY-LAKSMI or less easy for me to chant, the atmosphere was
favorable, and we didn’t have to think of our material
DEVI DASI needs. But back in Siberia, I still suffer from the jaun-
dice of avidya, which makes the Holy Names, sweet
Hare Krishna. as sugar candy, taste disgustingly bitter for me.
Dear Guru Maharaj, please
My final hope is my main tirthas, your lotus feet,
accept my humble obeisances
your instructions. I humbly (as far as I can) offer
in the dust of your lotus feet. All
obeisances to your feet and beg for your help in cur-
glories to Srila Prabhupada!
ing from this nasty disease of avidya, so that I could
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On this auspicious day of your at last become your worthy spiritual daughter.
Vyasa-puja I’d like to offer you
With prayer and gratitude, your insignificant servant
my congratulations and my sin-
Vijay Laksmi dd, Tomsk, Russia
cere gratitude for your always
VINAYAK you cannot speak with full realization, speak any-
way. The attempt to say something will be all-aus-
MAHESHWARI picious.”
Dear Guru Mahārāja, I’d like to thank you for ac-
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Dear Guru Mahārāja, please accept my cepting me as your aspiring disciple. I’ve begun
obeisances. I offer these obeisances to you chanting your pranam mantra. I came to Krsna
with straw in my mouth. All glories to Śrīla Consciousness around 10 years ago but it is only
Prabhupāda. after I started attending your Zoom meetings this
year that I was able to start chanting 16+ rounds a
As I’m thinking about what to write for this Vyā-
day. Before that, chanting even 1 round a day was
sa-pūjā offering, I’m appreciating and acknowl-
a struggle. I attended your first Zoom meeting on
edging with ever greater conviction Śrī Sanātana
January 22 (I have that date recorded in my journal
Gosvāmī’s teaching in BB 1.3.78: “Who is fit to
since it was so special for me) and I made more
praise the Lord’s devotees?”.
spiritual progress in that one day than I did in the
It is impossible for me to
previous 10 years combined. Today, thanks to your
properly glorify you, dear Guru
mercy, chanting 16 rounds is a breeze and I’m able
Mahārāja, so forgive me for the
to do it early in the morning in one go without tak-
inadequacies in this offering.
ing any breaks. CB Madhya 19.214: “I will person-
I’ll just try to follow Nārada Mu-
ally deliver anyone who does not criticize others
ni’s advice in the commentary
and who once chants `Krsna!’ That is the truth.
to BB 1.5.31: “If you cannot
It is the truth.” and “Even when there were points
describe the devotees’ tran-
to be criticized, he used to say that since all the
scendental glories, then simply
Vaisnavas were engaged in the service of the Lord,
describe their activities. If you
he did not mind their faults.” (From CC Adi 10.158,
cannot describe everything
Purport) are the key teachings that have helped me
about those activities, then just
tremendously in my spiritual life and I only came to
describe something. Even if
know about these teachings through you. I came
across the former quote in an article by you on the From the bottom
Dandavats website and the latter, in a lecture by of my heart I
you available on your YouTube channel. You are my congratulate you
hero. on your birthday
and wish you good
And I really appreciated meeting you in New Vraja
health for preach-
Dham for Rādhāstamī. The Rādhāstamī class you
ing the vital in-
gave was fantastic and those few days that I spent
structions of Srila
there for the festival were the best days of my life
Prabhupada!
and I often think how, if I had a time machine, I’d
like to just go back in time and live those days Another year has passed since your Vyasa Puja.
again. And again. And again… And it wasn’t an easy year, however, like all the pre-
vious ones. But despite all the difficulties that arise
Thank you for everything.  
on the way home to Sri Krishna, you, dear Guru Ma-
Your eternal servant, haraj, always take care of your disciples and shed
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Vinayak Maheshwari (aka “rascal”) mercy in your instructions!
Vienna, Austria
Special thanks to you for the Carpathian retreat
Nitai Gauranga, which you came to, despite all the
VISVAJITA DASA obstacles!!! This is a super huge mercy not only for
your disciples, but for the entire Ukrainian yatra!
Dear Guru Maharaj, Srila Niranjana Swami! Only by remembering your lotus feet, the lotus
Please accept my humble obeisances in feet of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Vrindavan Dham, it is
the dust of your lotus feet! possible not to plunge into this worldly vanity, into
All glories to you! these rat races in the material world.
All glories to your beloved spiritual master
With gratitude in heart from Visvajita das, who is
Srila Prabhupada!
trying to become your servant (Ukraine, Chernigov )
VISVAVASU DASA Then, in the year of your 40th birthday, you kindly
initiated me into chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-
mantra. You gave me a spiritual name and beds.
Dear Guru Maharaj,
I took the beds and immediately started chanting
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Hare Krishna on it. The ceremony continued, and
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
I forgot about everything and chanted, chanted...
Srila Prabhupada writes that a disciple is always The holy name completely absorbed me. It was
indebted to his spiritual master. Gradually, I begin from all sides and it was warm and tender. I just
to realize this unrequited debt to you. couldn’t believe my luck. Thank you very much for
this. You again very, very impressed me.
You have always amazed me. In 1990, when I was
lucky enough to meet you for the first time, you When you were 45 years old, you gave me an
were then 38 years old, I had a choice: to go or not initiation into the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra.
to go to meet you. I had a session at the university. This was an amazing new spiritual surprise. While
But you were the first spiritual master who came you were chanting the gayatri mantra in my ear, I
to us. After soberly weighing everything, I made a remembered that Lord Krishna Himself revealed
decision based on the Shastra: meeting with a guru this same mantra to Lord Brahma at the dawn of
is more important than a test at the university. And creation. I felt all the cosmism and even the infinite
I went to my first meeting with you. depth of this event. The same mantra that the first
living being Brahma at the beginning of time heard
You impressed me very, very much with your kir-
from the Lord Himself, having passed through the
tans, your lectures, the prasadam you gave me
entire guru-parampara, having passed through mil-
from your plate and even your appearance. Within
lions and billions of earthly years, is now entering
a few days, I gladly accepted you as my spiritual
my ear through you, dear Guru Maharaja.
master. Then I started chanting your pranama man-
tra. I was struck by the sense of security that arose Realizing this truth gave me goosebumps and I
in my heart when I remembered you in one way or was completely overwhelmed by the importance
another. and significance of this event. You again very, very
impressed me. Thank you for this, dear Guru Ma- All glories to your Divine Grace!
haraj!
The mercy that you are shower-
This year, the year of your 70th birthday, you gave ing your disciples with cannot
me new beads to replace the ones I lost. I took them be described. Thank you for
in my hands with great trepidation and put them in your support and care that we
a bag with great awe. When I started chanting on always feel in our hearts. Thank
these new beds, I was really surprised. The holy you for understanding, which
name was so sweet and so light. It simply lifted me is very needed for me. You are
up and overshadowed everything else with its spiri- always in my heart. I wish you
tual taste. Again, you have impressed me greatly. good health and comprehen-
sive support of Srila Prabhupa-
Dear Guru Maharaja, I feel that I am indebted to
da and Krishna.
you. And I don’t even know how I can repay you for
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all those priceless gifts that you so mercifully and Your disciple and servant,
simply gave me. Vitanka das (Chernigov, Ukraine)
But I hope that these are not all your gifts. The
most important thing is yet to come. You will sur-
prise me again and again.
VRAJAKISOR DASA
Your unworthy servant, Visvavasu das Please accept my obeisances in the dust of
your lotus feet, Guru Maharaja! All glories
to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Cait-
VITANKA DASA anya and Sri Nityananda’s mission!
satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
respectful obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
nitya-yukta upasate
In the commentary on this verse, Srila Prabhupada Krsna Book, Srila Prabhupada describes pure devo-
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writes: “When the question of glorification is there, tees’ thoughts.
one has to glorify the Supreme Lord, praising His
For example, “Akrura also thought about why the
holy name, His eternal form, His transcendental
Lord manifests His incomprehensible pastimes.
qualities and His uncommon pastimes. One has
Krsna’s divine activities, instructions, qualities and
to glorify all these things; therefore a mahatma is
pastimes are meant to make people happy. Speak-
attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
ing among themselves about the divine form and
In order not to formalize this process, you once qualities of the Lord, His pastimes and surround-
said to one of my senior spiritual brothers: “Your ings, people can always remain conscious of Krs-
true self is not when you sit on vyasasana, your na. Then peace and true prosperity will reign in the
true self is what you do when you get off it.” In universe. However, without Krsna consciousness,
human society is like a well-dressed dead man.”
When my father moaned in pain in my arms, I sim-
ply did not feel that his death was approaching. His
brother (my uncle) came to his funeral and I felt a
little some kind of kinship. Everyone around was
busy only with some commemoration and other
mourning rituals, which did not at all bring anyone
closer to meeting the transcendental God.
And only after these sad events, when you asked
me a question at a personal darshan, I felt my real
sin against a close relative. This sin is ingratitude.
In his Krsna book, Srila Prabhupada describes grat-
itude to close relatives in the chapter where, after
his uncle Kamsa’s death, Krsna meets His parents,
Devaki and Vasudeva. There, when talking with His
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parents, Krsna says that we are indebted to our fulfil my promise in the form that I imagined then,
parents and the spiritual master. which upset me a lot, and I was a little discour-
aged. In those days, turbulent events were taking
Later in this book, one can find out how Lord Sri
place in ISKCON, and while in Moscow at a lecture,
Krsna and Balarama met Akrura in Vrndavana. Al-
I met your spiritual brother, H.H. Srila Radhanatha
though Kamsa, wanting to kill Krsna and Balarama,
Swami. His divine principles of the Sri Sri Radha
sent Akrura to bring Krsna and Balarama to Mathu-
Gopinath community in Mumbai gave me hope in
ra, Lord Sri Krsna did not take his uncle as his ene-
fulfilling my promise. I realized that one can distrib-
my. On the contrary, Krsna showed his heartfelt con-
ute Srila Prabhupada’s books not only by working
cern and inquired about the inhabitants of Mathura
on the streets and distributing the Bhagavatam
and the ruler Kamsa, Prabhupada draws a valuable
to passers-by or in offices. But, it turns out, hav-
conclusion for any human society by saying Nanda
ing become a person-Bhagavata, one can be not
Maharaja’s words: “These words by Nanda Maha-
only a distributor (sankirtana), but also a carrier (a
raja are very important. If those ruling the state are
person-Bhagavata), which turned out to be a fairly
only concerned about their own interests, they will
high level of spiritual development in practicing
never care about the well-being of their subjects.”
devotional service. For such service to the Bhaga-
Therefore, as I understand it, it does not make much
vata, one needs the qualifications of a real servant
sense to expect rapid development of the care sys-
- dasa dasa anudasa.
tem in a society with a mood similar to Kamsa’s.
In Navadvipa, you offered me to serve at the “Holy
Before my initiation, many years ago, you asked
Name Market”, which very much reminds of Maha
me what I would do after my initiation. And with
Bhagavata’s level of spiritual life. It means it is nec-
temporary determination, I replied, “Distribute Srila
essary to spread the pure Name of Krsna, and not
Prabhupada’s books!” At that time, my success
the false one. A very important point in sankirtana
pleased many devotees as I was ranking first and
is the pure holy name, as described by Bhaktivinoda
second in the distribution of BBT books and maga-
Thakura in his Godrume Kalpatavi. But there are
zines in Belarus. However, due to various reasons,
two illnesses that greatly hinder this divine process.
after some time I felt that I would not be able to
Prabhupada always refers to them in his comments
as mayavada and impersonalism. It is the desire to long as the devotees read Srila Prabhupada’s com-
control or enjoy instead of God that is the reason mentaries with love because these comments are
why the power of Kamsa manipulates thousands of given by Lord Sri Krsna on the pure chanting of the
innocent people and even devotees who have not Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Through divine commen-
gone beyond the level of neophytes to the next level taries, we get to know Krsna, what He looks like,
of madhyama adhikari. Therefore, the Acarya, Srila what He wants from His devotees, how He thinks.
Prabhupada, created ISKCON upon the instructions Only an uttama-adhikari, a person who has perfect-
of his spiritual master in such a way that one could ly got to know Sri Krsna in His intimate rasa, could
go on chanting of the Mahamantra in the sankirta- describe the Absolute Personality of Godhead in
na movement even if some leadership at the local this way. Therefore, is there any point in remaining
level is influenced by Kamsa consciousness. Such in this material world if the Acarya gave everything
a mood is saturated with rivalry and envy, which so that each of us could come back to the spiritual
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is sure to be present if there is no full Krsna con- world, and you, Guru Maharaja, give Srila Prabh-
sciousness in the society of devotees. The fact upada’s heritage and mercy to a sincere disciple,
that you are serving on the ISKCON GBC is not an even to a fallen one!
accident, but Srila Prabhupada’s blessing, and this
Not only have you taken responsibility for sankirta-
blessing is true not only for your disciples.
na mission, but you were able to execute it as your
The GBC is quite respectful to you. By the example spiritual master. I have much to learn from you by
of how your Godbrothers accepted the work you practicing the process of bhakti. I always get hope
wrote, “Two Lines of ISKCON Leadership”, we can from you to enter Lord Sri Krsna’s family with faith.
say that there are no unnecessary factors in your In his discussions, Acarya Srila Prabhupada says,
Godbrothers’ missionary cooperation. In any case, “They can create rockets, bombs and blow up the
ISKCON is preaching all over the world because of whole planet, but they cannot give eternal life to
the Krsna consciousness so mercifully conveyed to anyone.” Our main mission is to receive and give
us by the Acarya, Srila Prabhupada. And no influ- others the natural opportunity to live forever. Every-
ence of demons like Kamsa can interfere with the thing is already there for such joint service. So let
sankirtana of Lord Gauranga and Nityananda as us cooperate, glorifying the mercy of the Acarya,
the founder of the world family of the Divine Cou- I take care of my family, which plays a significant
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ple of Sri Sri Radha Madhava! All glories to sankir- role in my service on the mission “Food for Life”.
tana, All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to
And so, acarya Srila Prabhupada has given direc-
Sri Krsna Caitanya and His devoted servants!
tion in the service of Lord Sri Krsna, the spiritual
However, slogans and flags only cannot bring per- master explains what tasks to perform in this
fection in practing bhakti and caring for devotees, mission. And my devotee sadhu-sanga helps to
as you said at the last meeting with the counselors fulfill my tasks. Without sadhu sanga, i.e. devotees
in Minsk. Your detailed understanding of bhakti of Prabhupada’s mission, nothing makes complete
proves that the Acarya has given us everything to sense in true spiritual practice.
come back to Godhead. Your contributions to the
Impurity in devotion precludes complete sincerity
mission are important details in practicing bhakti.
in the relationship of the disciple with the guru.
For example, your lectures a year ago on Zoom on
And so the disciple may not suffer from separation
Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. Gopa-kumara’s journey is
from the Master after his departure. But on the
a detailed elaboration of the spiritual path to the
contrary, as in the case with Prabhupada, when
world of Goloka.
Acarya fasted for a long time and then suddenly
My personal contributions to the mission are how said that he would stay, all the devotees were very
these details are put into practice. To do this, on happy about this. Jaya Prabhupada!!!
Bhagavatam via the Internet I ask the devotees who
I ask for your blessings for the same quality to be
inspire me to do devotional service questions. And
able to do service and for the opportunity to be
then, I understand how to help, for example, those
useful to others, as is the case with you and your
who you somehow asked me to help. Today, on Sri-
Godbrothers, sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada.
mad Bhagavatam via Zoom, I received valuable in-
structions on my question. I realized that in order to Hare Krsna.
help others, I have to get better adhikara. I need to With hope and gratitude
seriously work on my qualities as a devotee. Also,
Your disciple Vrajakisor Dasa
by the divine grace of the Salagram (family Deity),
Belarus, Bobruisk
VRAJA-MANJARI the sweetness of knowledge and you fully share
happiness with us.
DEVI DASI Thank you for the true experience of your realiza-
tions, for the true emotions that you experience
Dear Guru Maharaja! while doing devotional service. Thank you for the
Please accept my humble obeisances in the ability to attract others with your purity and friend-
dust of your lotus feet. All glory to your Di- liness, for assisting the disciples in getting rid of
vine Grace! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! material ideas about life, for your care that your
surrendered disciples should advance on the path
On this wonderful day of Vyasa-puja, I have the
of devotional service.
opportunity to glorify you. I give you the deepest
respect and want to express my respect and grati- You are a self-realized soul, you are an exalted
tude to you. example for all of us.
I express my gratitude for your Thank you so much for your care, for your tireless
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high example of love and de- work for our benefit and for saving us.
votion to your spiritual master,
By your mercy, we have been sewing two sets of
for the love of your disciples
clothes a year for the Temple Deities of Yekater-
and other conditioned souls,
inburg for a long time. We have a wonderful as-
as well as your boundless love
sociation with devotees, we have real friends and
and devotion for the Supreme
like-minded people in Krsna Consciousness. We
Personality of Godhead, Sri
can have Krsna katha, dream about the eternal
Krsna.
path, of how to live, and create with love for God.
At lectures, you shed a nectar
Therefore, again and again, I want to bow down to
of mercy on us, with great love
your lotus feet with gratitude: “O spiritual master,
and sincere simplicity. From
O ocean of mercy and friend of the fallen souls, be
your association, we receive
merciful to me and let me take shelter under the
shade of Your lotus feet. May your fame spread noticed a marvelous thing, their moods are similar,
throughout the three worlds.” they have similar lessons learned and realizations
in their hearts, there are wonderful similarities in
Wishing to become your worthy disciple,
the path of the transformation in their hearts. I
Vraja-manjari Devi Dasi
experienced how powerful and eye-opening your in-
Kamensk-Uralsky (Yekaterinburg) 2022
structions through them are! Every single story was
unique, but at the same time, there was something
VRAJA-VILASINI similar about them, there was something familiar.
Over a few years, I have noticed another amazing
DEVI DASI thing in every kirtan of your disciple; you can hear
a very familiar and special sweetness. It is hard to
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja! explain with words, but spiritualizing senses can
Please accept my humble obeisances. All “recognize” that taste.
glories to Srila Prabhupada! All
For example, some time ago we moved to the com-
glories to you, dear Guru Maha-
munity in Kurdjinovo. One time, a devotee came
raja! All glories to all Vaisnavas!
to kirtan; I didn’t know his name back then. He
A few years ago at your Vya- started leading kirtan. Goosebumps started to run
sa-puja in Belarus, one of the down my body, and in my heart, I felt: “What a deep
parts of the program was ded- kirtan, what a sweet familiar taste”. On different
icated to guru-katha by your occasions, when we were having kirtan, as soon
senior disciples. Back then as that devotee would come in, momentarily kirtan
something opened in my heart, would light up and become sweeter and fuller from
that in the future resonated as spiritual emotions.
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“in-built mercy”.
Once I haven’t noticed how he came in, but very
While I was listening to my clearly felt how Krsna, with a wave of mercy, be-
senior brothers and sisters, I came more manifest in His holy names. When I
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turned around, I saw that this devotee was sitting “sound” like mercy. In a full kaleidoscope of at-
nearby. It is so remarkable. Later I found out that tachments to this material world, you can find a
it is our senior Godbrother and understood every- phenomenon of sincerity! It is unbelievable! More-
thing. It was Ananta-vijaya Prabhu, your very sim- over, this mercy shines with the light of love and
ple, sincere and deep disciple. attachment to Krsna not only on my heart, but goes
further! It is a miracle! It is so wonderful!
While thinking and understanding it all, just one
thing sounds in my heart: “It is an in-built mercy!” This year was even more filled with disappoint-
In each and every moment like this, I understand: ments in illusions of the material world, which
all this is the mercy of our dear spiritual master, was replaced in my heart with realizations and the
mercy of Srila Prabhupada and sri guru-parampara. mood of devotion, by your mercy, of course. Such
All of that was just given to us, it is just “in-built” a big torrent of disappointment, and an equally big
in our hearts. It isn’t our property, it was mercifully torrent of realizations!
given to us. When I realize it, my heart becomes
This year drew a final line in my realization of at-
full of gratitude and humility. We are dependent on
tachment to the service of chanting and spreading
that mercy, we are made of the mercy that you are
of holy name. Life without harinams and kirtans
giving to us very unnoticeably and generously! This
with devotees doesn’t look like life anymore as it is
is an ocean of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy; you are
awakening and giving real life to other souls. Thai
giving it so skillfully to all Vaisnavas and us.
is why we should live in this world!
Every time when someone is telling us: “It was a
In every part of my life I am thinking about you,
wonderful kirtan, Vrajavilasini mataji”, I always
Guru Maharaja, thinking about what could satisfy
remember about this “in-built mercy” and say: “This
you, thinking about what about my mood and my
is kirtan of my dear Guru Maharaja, it is his mercy,
attempts to serve could make you happy in your
it is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and mercy of sri
service to Srila Prabhupada. Every time it gives me
guru-parampara”.
sincerity, humility and determination to just con-
It is so inconceivable, so unbelievable that such tinue. How else can we repay you for this “in-built
a worthless and useless instrument, like me, can mercy”?
Thank you so much for that you are opening to us high goal of human life. Constantly and relentlessly
Srila Prabhupada’s heart, bringing us closer to Sri following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, you
Krsna’s lotus feet ! I would like to extend my grat- do not deviate one step from the path indicated by
itude to Srila Prabhupada for giving you to us and him. You show us by your example what it means
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showering us with endless mercy through you, and to be a true disciple, mentor and preacher. Your
to Lord Sri Krsna for giving us His love through unquenchable longing to always hear the narra-
wonderful gifts of the mercy of sri guru-parampara. tions of the countless love pastimes of Radhika
and Madhava, Their names, descriptions of Their
Thank you for everything, Guru Maharaja.
qualities and forms, and willingness to always glo-
In attempts to serve sincerely, rify Them can inspire anyone, even the most fallen
Vrajavilasini Devi Dasi materialist, to follow You. You are always engaged
in the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, and by
your example and by your instructions you involve
VRAJENDRANANDANA your disciples in it.
DASA Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement

brings you constant joy. No one can stay indifferent
after seeing how you, immersed in ecstasy, chant
Dear Guru Maharaja!
and play musical instruments. It is impossible to
Please accept my humble obei-
remain indifferent when one sees your mind enjoy-
sances in the dust of your lotus
ing the nectar of pure devotion. By transmitting this
feet. All glories to your Divine
spiritual taste to us, you extinguish the blazing fire
Grace! All glories to Srila Prabh-
of material existence and save your disciples who
upada!
are covered by this flame. Therefore, I bow down
Again and again, I want to bow at your lotus feet in deep reverence. All I want is
before you, grateful for the for the instructions coming from your lotus lips to
mercy that you shed on us, purify my mind. You restored my sight and planted
constantly reminding us of the transcendental knowledge in my heart. And there-
fore you are my master from life to life. Ecstatic
prema comes from you. You dispel the darkness of
VRAJESA DASA
ignorance. The Vedic scriptures sing of your exalt-
om ajnana timirandhasya
ed qualities. Attachment to your lotus feet is the
jnananjana salakaya
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best way to achieve spiritual perfection. By your
chakshur unmilitam yena
mercy, all desires are fulfilled. O Gurudeva! Grant
tasmai sri gurave namah
me at least a drop of mercy. Even a blade of grass
is more worthy than me. Help me and give me Dear Gurudeva, please accept my humble
strength. May I, like you, be freed from desire and obeisances.
desire for prestige. I give you the deepest respect
Glorifying the spiritual master is the same as glori-
because I thereby hope to gain the ability to com-
fying Krsna - thousands of heads and tongues are
prehend you. Then I can chant the holy name in ec-
not enough. But since it is the duty of the disciple, I
stasy and thereby atone for all my offences. Ksna’s
will try to do so by pointing out one aspect of your
blessings can be obtained only by the mercy of the
glory.
spiritual master. Without his mercy, any attempt to
achieve perfection is doomed to failure. Therefore, Once Srila Prabhupada protect-
I want to always remember you and constantly ed me from the sectarian mood,
glorify you. saying that Muslims and Chris-
tians are also devotees because
Oh spiritual master! Oh, ocean of mercy and friend
they also worship God. After
of fallen souls! You are the guide and master of the
that, while preaching, I stopped
devotees. Oh sir, be merciful to me and let me take
encouraging them to abandon
shelter under the shade of your lotus feet. Let the
their religions, but I started
glory of you spread throughout the three worlds!
inspiring them to know more
Wishing to become worthy of you, deeply the One they worship.
your worthless disciple Vrajendranandana Dasa
But you too, dear Gurudeva,
Kamensk-Uralsky (Sverdlovsk region) 2022
saved me from sectarian spirit.
One day I heard you say that your service is also to that distract me from spiritual practice. However,
help other devotees in their service to their spiritual there is no happiness without Krsna. So, I am al-
masters. Since then, whomever I encounter, I just ways eager to associate with devotees, to go to the
try to help them serve their gurus. In this way, Gu- temple and to give Krsna to others.
V
rudeva, you have expanded my personal capacity
I am lucky that I distributed books for some time.
to serve you. For this I am grateful to you. After all,
I feel great happiness when I can glorify Krsna or
since then, every experience of cooperating with
distribute a book, like a drug addict who gets a
devotees is a service to you.
long-awaited drug. Of course, I am not distributing
I have tried to highlight just one aspect of your glo- the books constantly, one may even say, it happens
ry. But since you are Krsna’s direct representative, rarely. However, my heart aspires for such taste; for
your glory is unlimited. Nevertheless, even this ray all other activities but preaching are not interesting
of your glory illuminates your disciples’ path. and do not satisfy my soul. Whatever happens in my
life, nothing can replace happiness from sankirtana.
Vrajesa Dasa, Mangalore, Karnataka.
I am very glad that the virus lives in me. It seems to
me that I shall not fail if I keep this nectar. It is the
VRKODARA real gift and achievement in life that I do not want
to lose. All the gifts were acquired by the mercy of
DASA Srila Prabhupada and your mercy.
When I see your face and I see you smile, when I
Dear Guru Maharaja, accept my
look at the murti of Srila Prabhupada and catch
myself thinking that you, Guru Maharaja, are very
Prabhupada!
similar to your gurudeva, even externally. I feel that
Almost every day I think about you think about your disciples. I want to thank you
how to preach Krsna con- for your prayers and compassion that support us,
sciousness. Of course, there your disciples, for how you personify what is writ-
are a lot of everyday activities ten in Srila Prabhupada’s books. By your mercy we
can feel Srila Prabhupada’s love. I wish you to be a true example of decency, nobility, sincere faith,
healthy and live a long life. compassion and pure reason. I am amazed by your
qualities and want to be like you. In this strange,
Your insignificant disciple, Vrkodara Dasa
cruel and insane world you are the very person who
gives light on my life path.You have given spiritual
VRNDAVANA-RANI values to me, you gave me spiritual knowledge
and the holy name. My whole life is somehow or
DEVI DASI other connected to God. The Lord reveals in my
life by your mercy and I am very grateful to you for
this. Sometimes I have to choose how to act and I
Dear Guru Maharaja!
understand that one needs to act according to the
Please accept my respectful obeisances in
voice of conscience, guided by spiritual knowledge.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! With warmth in my heart, I always remember when
I worked at “Vamana” company and by your mer-
From the bottom of my heart, I
cy, I was able to arrange tickets and invitations to
congratulate you on your birth-
Russia for you. With my whole heart, I thank you for
day and wish you power, good
this service.
health for many many years.
It is so nice that there is Krsna’s temple in Moscow,
My dear spiritual master, I
Sri Sri Dayal-Nitai-Sacisuta Deities, Srila Prabhu-
thank God and fate that once
pada and devotees. When I go to the temple, my
in my youth I met you. In the
mind changes completely. It is so nice that I have
autumn of 2001 I saw you at
god-sisters such as Mataji Taruni-priya and Mataji
the temple at metro Begovaya,
Yamuna-sundari who always support and inspire
V
you chanted “Sri Damodara-
me torender devotional service.
staka”, at that point in time I
understood that you are my Guru Maharaja, I love your kirtanas very much, they
spiritual master. To me, you are inspire me to chant myself. I am professionally
engaged in vocals for 5 years and want to chant for
God, I want to dedicate my activity to God. Recently
VRNDVAN-PRASAD
I made a song “Goodness Of God”, I sang it at con-
certs and competition. Dear Guru Maharaja, I ask
DASA
for your benedictions for further musical activity.
Dear Srila Niranjana Swami Maharaja!
Guru Maharaja, you are always very kind to me. Please accept my humble obeisances in
You are always so attentive and warmly treat me at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to His
personal meetings (darsanas), you give me strong Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
V
support and a lot of inspiration. I am very grateful Srila Prabhupada!
to you.
Let me congratulate you on your appearance day
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the and wish you all the best in Krsna consciousness.
fact that you allowed me to become your disciple Let your mind always be peaceful and calm like wa-
and gave me spiritual initiation in June 2011. ter surface in windless weather
and let Lord Krsna and Srila
Thank you for nectarean programmes in Mayapura,
Prabhupada will always be glad
for japa-sessions, for “Bhakti-Sangama” and “Sad-
and satisfied by your self-deny-
hu-Sanga” festivals, for your travels to Moscow,
ing devotional service.
thank you for this deep spiritual experience which
will stay forever in my heart. It is almost ten years since I
have come to Krsna conscious-
Dear Guru Maharaja, please let me further continue
ness society. Throughout this
to hold on your lotus feet very tightly, let me be use-
time I could watch how devo-
ful to you.
tees joined and left the Krsna
V
Your servant, consciousness society. There
Vrndavana-rani Devi Dasi are not so many devotees who
stay and practice seriously and
steadily year after year. It is bit-
V
ter to see when a sincere devotee, after having ded- service. And if they attend, they do it very rarely
icated himself to practising devotional service to on Vaisnava festivals and wait that they will be
Lord Krsna for years and steadily attending Sunday offered the most important service: to give a class
and other programmes, stops his practice by losing or instruct, lead a kirtan and so on, but they have
enthusiasm because of inauspicious association no interest in service “of no prestige”. They have no
or facing some obstacles, either does not practice enthusiasm to help with cooking prasadam in the
at all or drastically lowers his standards, then it kitchen or wash the floor in the room, such kind of
becomes obvious that now Krsna consciousness service cannot be expected from them.
is not a superior value to him.
By watching all this, I have apprehensions about my
There is also a category of devotees who are quite own spiritual life. For after sincerely looking into my
stable, but still, Krsna is not the center of their life. heart I see that I am still not completely devoted
They can somehow follow their sadhana, they at- to Krsna. Material desires still torture my mind and
tend programmes, donate, and take part in service. so it is full of anxieties. I have to live at home with
But it is obvious that they are moving back and non-devotees, my wife is still hostile towards Krsna
forth. Material desires and inauspicious associa- consciousness. At work, where I have to spend a lot
tion do not allow them to seriously dedicate them- of time, I am surrounded by materialistic persons
selves to serving Krsna and be initiated by a spiri- who are far from Krsna consciousness, and I have
tual master no more. Sometimes they are inspired to keep working relations with them. Mass media,
by association with Vaisnavas and sometimes lose TV and the Internet try to inject anything, any temp-
enthusiasm in Krsna consciousness and it is going tation, into my eyes and ears in order to distract my
on like that for years. mind from Krsna. I fear that under the ceaseless
pressure of these inauspicious factors I also can
I also watched many senior devotees who came to
stagger and deviate from Krsna consciousness. I
the Krsna consciousness society long before me.
do not think that I am special or somehow better
Unfortunately, these senior devotees do not show a
than the aforementioned devotees. I am also full of
good example: do not attend Sunday programmes
imperfections and the latter remind me about them-
at all, do not take responsibility for some stable
selves constantly, I see it every day.
Of course, these apprehensions make me exert illusory energy with my own efforts. I can almost
efforts all the time in order not to drop out of a do nothing with my own efforts, so, everything I
race of Krsna consciousness at the beginning of have does not belong to me. All I have is just gross
the way. I make efforts thus trying to make my and subtle bodies, some material possessions and
mind to chant the holy name attentively during japa abilities, energy to think and eat, and all these are
and also to chant extra rounds. I always asso- given by Krsna’s causeless mercy. Therefore, if I
ciate with devotees at morning programmes on can be useful for something, it is not my merit, it is
“Srimad-Bhagavatam”. I do not miss Sunday pro- Krsna’s mercy. If I can serve devotees, it is Krsna’s
grammes. I am engaged in constant service: lead mercy, if I can chant His holy names, it is Krsna’s
kirtana, cook prasadam, clean the temple, I am mercy, if I can hear from you and Srila Prabhupada
also responsible for conducting harinamas. I try to about Krsna, it is Krsna’s mercy.
listen to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures (in Russian)
The only thing I can do myself is to wish. So, being
published daily in the Telegram channel. Of course,
in the most auspicious place, in the dust of your
I try to listen to your lectures available in Russian,
lotus feet, I pray to you for a benediction. Please
as well. At the very least I also try to read Srila Pra-
bless me so that by your mercy I could get a sta-
bhupada’s books.
ble spiritual intelligence that would allow me to
In spite of all the efforts, I clearly understand that understand, learn, and apply your instructions and
efforts only are insufficient. Who am I at all? I am Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. I am praying for a
just a small living being, a particle of the Supreme spiritual intelligence that would allow me to stay
Lord; I have forgotten that I am an eternal servant stable in Krsna consciousness for my whole life
of Krsna, somehow or other having fallen down to and at last allow me to obtain the supreme good of
the material world full of sinful activity and ongoing love for Krsna.
sufferings of births, old age, deaths and diseas-
Your eternal servant Vrndvan-prasad Dasa
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es. What can I do with my own efforts? With my
November 12, 2022
efforts, I can just inflate my false ego by thinking,
Mogilev
“What a remarkable person I am”. I cannot com-
prehend Krsna with my efforts. I cannot resist His
YADURAJA DASA YASASVINI DEVI DASI
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja! Please ac- Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja. Please
cept my humble obeisances in the dust of accept my obeisances in the dust of your
your lotus feet. Glories to Srila Prabhupada. lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Glories to Your Divine Grace.
On this auspicious day of your appearance, let me
On this most auspicious anniversary of your ap- express my deep gratitude to you for your unlimit-
pearance, please accept my offering in the form of ed patience, mercy and compassion. I have always
deep respect and heartfelt feeling of gratitude for felt that I have not reached the required level of
the fact that you have taken full responsibility be- spiritual adhikara. The more years go by, the better
fore Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna for returning I understand this. I, the creature of Kali-yuga, have
this fallen soul back Home to the spiritual world. no adhikara whatsoever. My only qualification is
your mercy and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.
A disciple has a debt before guru that cannot be re-
paid, one can try to repay it to the spiritual master I have always admired your limitless devotion and
just by full dedication to his lotus feet. However, it affection for Srila Prabhupada. On Kartika, I at-
appears that the debt is just increasing. That is the tended one of the parikramas where we chanted a
nature of the eternal relations between Guru and beautiful kirtan, then we were treated to wonderful
disciple. prasadam prepared by the Vrajavasis. Before the
V
feast, one of the devotees, upon request of his
My only offering to you, dear Guru Maharaja, is that
Guru Maharaja, started glorifying one local baba,
I can desperately pray to you so that you wil accept
saying that while Prabhupada was preaching in
this fool and give him eternal service to your lotus
the West, the baba was doing the same thing
feet by giving intelligence and the ability to serve
here in Vrindavana. And I thought: “This is not the
life after life. I have nothing to offer you but the
same thing. How can one compare? Prabhupada
desire to serve eternally. Please accept it.
crossed the ocean in his old age, suffered 2 heart
Yours, beggar Yaduraja Dasa attacks, and lived with drug addicts and hippies.
He transformed meat eaters, fallen people into real na, I feel that the day was not spent in vain. Thank
Vaisnavas. Only someone who is personally autho- you for this opportunity to be part of such a great
rized by Lord Gauranga, a devotee, nitya-siddha is movement.
capable of this. All Vrajavasis, of course, are exalt-
Forgive me for all the insults that I commit, know-
ed devotees and will come back to Krsna, but Srila
ingly and unknowingly. I will continue to improve.
Prabhupada is the most exalted one. In fact, all
V
You will always be in my heart.
our spiritual practice is built on the mercy of Srila
Prabhupada. We chant the maha-mantra, we follow Your eternal servant Yasasvini Devi Dasi
the regulative principles, and we come to Vrindava-
na only by His mercy. Prabhupada is like a cintam-
ani stone: everything that comes into contact with YASODA-JIVANA
him turned into gold.
I am very grateful to you, dear Guru Maharaja, for
DASA
the example of deep devotion to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krsna! All glories to Their Lordships
I am trying to follow in your footsteps. It is the duty
Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to
of every disciple to participate in the mission of his
Srila Prabhupada!
spiritual master. Our mission is to spread Krsna
consciousness. I am trying to a least a little bit
participate in this good cause, namely, distributing
Prabhupada’s books. I ask you to bless me for this
service until the end of my life. Sankirtana brings
real happiness.
Truth be told, I am never as happy as when I dis-
tribute Prabhupada’s books on the street. It doesn’t
matter where - in Vrindavana, Loi Bazar, or at a
harinama in Mayapura. If I go out to do sankirta-
Y
Dear Srila Niranjana Maharaja! Please accept my tunity to make progress on this difficult spiritual
humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! path.
On this auspicious day of your Vyasa Puja, I would Your lectures and instructions give us faith that
like to glorify you and express my gratitude to you. someday we will be purified and, having gained
love for Krsna, we will return home, to the spiritual
As it is said in the sastras, spiritual life begins with
world, where there is no pain and suffering.
accepting a guru. The knowledge that we receive
from you is no different from the knowledge trans- I see you preach and serve Srila Prabhupada’s mis-
mitted by Lord Krsna Himself through the disciplic sion year after year.
succession of acaryas starting with Brahma him-
I see how, in spite of everything, you are not disap-
self.
pointed in us and continue to patiently help us and
Today we celebrate this happy day by calling it Sri take care of us no matter what happens. You give
Vyasa-puja as the acarya is the manifested repre- all conditioned living beings a chance to become
sentative of Vyasadeva. The Padma-purana says: devotees - you keep accepting disciples hoping
sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nishphala matah that they will follow your instructions and take care
“Until you have taken initiation from a bona fide of other devotees as you do.
spiritual master in the disciplic succession, the
Today, on this sacred day, I pray at your feet that I
mantra you may have received will have no effect.”
myself develop at least some of your qualities and
I am immensely grateful to you for giving me continue taking care of your devotees. I pray that
instructions and initiating me. You saved me and someday I will become a real disciple and will only
gave me a chance to return home to the spiritual please you. I pray that by following your example,
world. Now I am indebted to you. I will fully dedicate my life to Srila Prabhupada’s
mission. I sincerely believe that this is the highest
There is no doubt that you are a real acarya. By
perfection.
your example of constant and uninterrupted devo-
tional service and preaching, you constantly inspire O dear Gurudeva! Thank you very much for your
your disciples and give us your mercy - the oppor- true care, your causeless mercy, for your transcen-
dental instructions, for giving the most valuable cifully visited our home. For some reason, I didn’t
thing - Krsna, who, by your mercy, is becoming have time to prepare well and I was worried during
closer and dearer to us … the whole dream that I couldn’t please you with
good prasadam, everything was very modest. The
With respect and love, Yasoda-jivana Dasa, Chely-
devotees consoled me, gave me gifts, and I tried to
abinsk, November 11, 2022
find a moment to apologize to you. Such dreams
Hare Krsna!
are very pleasing and inspiring to serve such pure
and exalted Vaisnavas. Too bad it’s in a dream.
YASODAMAYI
Y
It is also a pity that I have no opportunity to be
present at your 70th birthday and to cook a huge
DEVI DASI and delicious cake.
Dear Guru Maharaja, please
lectures on Brhad-Bhagaratamrta. They are full of
accept my humble obeisances
true nectar, they make my heart rejoice again and
in the dust of your chasing feet.
again. I can listen to this forever! You give such
wonderful lectures that one can then meditate for
Dear Guru Maharaja, on this a long time and remember what one heard.
wonderful day of your appear-
ance, let me praise you, your
guidance on listening to Srila Prabhupada’s lec-
qualities, thank you for your
tures. By listening to these lectures, I began to feel
compassionate and loving
even more grateful to Srila Prabhupada for his hard
heart.
work in preaching Lord Caitanya’s mission, for his
This morning I woke up very lectures, books, and temples. I understand how I
happy because I had a dream become more and more attached to Srila Prabhu-
that you, Srila Bhaktivaibhava pada, I feel His support in this dark world of suffer-
Swami and the devotees mer- ing. Yesterday I listened to another lecture in which
Srila Prabhupada said that we have become worse
than animals; birds, for example, don’t have to work
YASODA-SAKHI
so hard to eat, sleep, and so on. And people are
now working so hard to meet the basic four needs.
DEVI DASI
Y
Srila Prabhupada’s point is that when a body is
Hare Krsna. Dear Guru Maharaja, please
given, it is already assumed that this body will eat,
accept my obeisances at your feet.
etc.; a person is also given certain opportunities
and environment for life according to fate, one just
needs to use them properly. One should dedicate Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my congratula-
life to solving the main problem - to put an end to tions on the day of your appearance in this material
birth and death forever. This sounds very convinc- world, which world is full of suffering. Thank you
ing if Srila Prabhupada is saying this. for the mercy to all living entities and for coming to
this world, we cannot repay our debt to you. I am
Dear Guru Maharaja, thank you for everything, we
constantly thanking Lord Sri
feel how much you pray for us to protect us and
Krsna and Srila Pradhupada for
our consciousness, give us the opportunity to
you.
associate with devotees, serve them and chant
together. Dear Guru Maharaja, I wish you
strong health, I hope that this
I really hope that in the future we will all see each
material body would not dis-
other at the festival and together we will chant
turb you and distract you from
the holy name even more sincerely and with great
service to the Divine Couple and
devotion.
your guru, Srila Prabhupada. I
All glories to all devotees. wish you that all you desires,
Y
for the benefit of all humanity,
Your disciple Yasodamai Devi Dasi,
came true. I wish you that all
Dnipro (now in Germany)
your disciples would bring only
joy to you.
Thank you for always showering me with your
mercy and accepting me as your disciple, and by
YASODHARA DASA,
doing that giving me a chance to come back to the
Divine Couple. Thank you for showing us, your dis-
RANGAVALI
ciples, the deeper purpose and goal of life, showing
us how to develop our love to service, deepen our
DEVI DASI
attraction for the spiritual world, thank you for a
Hare Krishna, dear Niranjana Swami Maha-
chance to listen to katha and deepen our love for
raja! Please accept my obeisances in the
Srila Prabhupada, all whilst under your care. Thank
dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila
you for the opportunity to be happy in Krsna Con-
Prabhupada!
sciousness.
Y
This is my first time writing an offering to you, so
I am so much looking forward to the moment when
please forgive if something will be untimely or
I will be worthy so that you can introduce me to the
superfluous.
spiritual world as a servant; it can be possible only
with your mercy and desire of the Divine Couple, I In January 2020, when my wife and I were at your
am praying for that. Vyasa-puja, you told everyone that because of the
state of your health and urgent advice of the doc-
I am humbly asking for forgiveness for any con-
tors, you are stopping preaching tours to different
scious and unconscious mistakes and offences.
countries. At that time, my wife and I were a bit
With deep respect to you and with endless gratitude, shocked by this message. But we wanted for you
trying to become your disciple, to get better, so we accepted this situation. Later,
Yasoda-sakhi Devi Dasi thinking about it, we realized that it was selfish
from our side. And literally 2-3 months later the
Y
world was covered by a coronavirus epidemic that
stopped all travel for everyone in the world. You
started preaching through the internet, in Zoom.
Because of that, we started to see you more often
than before. Classes 2-3 times a week, japa ses- shaking and windows were trembling. Children
sions, kirtans. All that was inspiring us for devo- and parents were asking us to come down into the
tional service to Krishna. My immense gratitude to basement, but we have decided to stay at initiation
you! We started namahatta, took more service in until the end. Either receive your darsan or die look-
the temple in Severodonetsk. During the pandem- ing at you on the phone screen. We were praying
ic, we were having programs in the forest and we to be able to join the chain of disciplic succession
Y
were joining harinam. before death.
For a long time and with excitement we were pre- Interestingly, you said that for the time being, we
paring to initiation on February 28, 2022. But sud- would take our initiation along with a “very unique
denly February 23 the war started and all the plans fire sacrifice” until such a time where the proper
for the future life have changed. I had desire to go yagna could be performed. Situation with daksina
to protect Motherland in terrorist defense unit, and also was interesting. You asked us to give it to
that desire were growing with every new death of people in need. We went to my brother’s wholesale
our people. And then, oh Krishna! At online meet- fruit and vegetable retailer and loaded our car with
ing with you, dear guru, you are giving a very deep groceries. We were delivering them to the devotees
class with Devamrita Swami, in which you are of our town. We went to as many people as we
telling about human nature and nature of the war could reach during shelling. We also were giving
conflict that is now in the country. Because of you groceries to the basements and neighbors of dev-
I changed my mind to go to the war and instead otees. We made a few trips over several days. My
started to deepen spiritual practice in the family. brother as well donated everything to the ones who
We started singing Nrsimha-pranama every day. were in need .We are very thankful to you for your
During shelling the Lord was helping us a lot by desire to help people.
taking away inner anxiety.
Recently I have been listening to a class by Mad-
My wife and I are very thankful to you that you have hava Krishna prabhu (Rangavali and my mentor).
not rescheduled initiation even with fighting going There he said that by ourselves we are not capable
on. Strong shelling started during it, the house was of doing anything, all we can do is to help our guru
Y
in his service to his spiritual master. I enjoyed hear- Things like this are happening on a daily basis.
ing that, because I want to help you in your service When I give class, I pray to you to use my speech
to the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Even though and intelligence in preaching, because when I tried
you gave us instructions to open a temple in to do it on my own, it just did not work.
Severodonetsk so that many happy devotees could
On Janmastami, you said that in this war situation
come there, as well as to help Madhava Krishna
we should find earnings to provide for the family
prabhu and Trigunatita prabhu with their preaching
and vaisnava sanga. And that those vaisnavas
program, because of the war it seems to be impos-
should have the same mood as we do. Now we
sible. We are in New Mayapur now, trying to serve
understand the importance of associating with
here in a way, which will make you proud.
devotees in the same mood. Thank you for those
We are very thankful to Krishna for your visit to instructions.
Lviv on Janmastami. You entered and looked at
We also want to thank you for your help to New
every single devotee. It was captivating. When
Mayapur. Because of you we have a safe place
you looked at me, my eyes teared up. It was very
where we could go as a family far away from fight-
strange for me. Without understanding it fully, I
ing, somewhere where we can eat prasadam, we
have missed you. You are like a father to us, and
have a roof above our head and warmth. Deities
Srila Prabhupada like a grandfather. You are very
and an ocean of service. It is uncomfortable for me
dear to us! Your instructions and prayers support
to receive help from my spiritual master, because it
us during these difficult times. Without your sup-
should be the other way; grihastha should support
port, it would be impossible for me to do service
temples and the spiritual master. But I believe that
here in New Mayapur. Without you, I could not even
soon the time, when we will be able to work and
bring myself to sound the conch shell. Of this, I
fully support temples and Deities, is coming.
have practical experience. Once during puja to
Srila Prabhupada, I was attempting to sound out I wanted to thank you for your Brihad Bhagavatam-
the conch shell three times, but to no avail. Yet, the rita classes. You are describing events so emotion-
moment I prayed to you, everything worked as it ally and vividly that it feels like you are in the mid-
should. dle of it. Your explanations and additions are giving
the desire to do something, to act on the path of Srimad-Bhagavatam. You give them to help your
devotional service, read and meditate on the books disciples and other masters’ disciples, just like
of Srila Prabhupada. Chanakya Pandit would sit down and lecture “on-
line” to help his disciple Chandragupta-maurya
Thank you for your trust, your prayers and care that
when he was far from Him and in danger. And the
we can feel in your classes, association and your
master’s instructions reached the disciple in the
Y
disciples with whom we were fortunate enough to
right place at the right time.
have association.
On August 22, 2022, I was being prepared for
Your disciples, Yasodhara das
endoscopic surgery in a hospital for the removal
and Rangavali devi dasi
of the uterus, fallopian tubes and cervix because
I had uterine leiomyoma. This is a benign tumour.
YELENA BAUER But before the surgery started, I did not know this.
Sometimes, when surgery is done, the myomatous
node disintegrates And then the disease becomes
My beloved Guru Maharaja!
malignant. I had such surgery for the first time in
Please accept my humble obei-
my life, not counting the tooth removed under an-
sances in the dust of your lotus
esthesia at the age of 16 and the adenoids at the
feet! All glories to Srila Prabh-
age of 11.
upada! All glory to Your Divine
Grace! I was not afraid because my father, who for 40
years was the chief physician of the Krasnoyarsk
It is bhaktin Lena Bauer from
City Children’s Surgical Hospital No. 5, agreed with
Russia, the city of Krasnoyarsk,
the chief physician of the gynecological hospital
writing to you.
that everything should be done well. My dad did a
Today I want to glorify your lot of good things not only for me but also for the
efforts in traveling around the children of the city of Krasnoyarsk and the Kras-
world and giving lectures on noyarsk Territory. He saved many human lives from
death. I was convinced of this when a woman ap- After you spoke Lord Chaitanya’s words, my mind
proached me 20 years later and said that my father became calm. He found the power of knowledge
saved her child from death. For 18 years, my dad that he needed at the moment. I continued listen-
was a member of our city council. ing. “And then Lord Caitanya said to him: “I have
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big plans for your body. And since I have these
But I was still very worried. The mind sought pro-
plans, you cannot do anything that will interfere
tection. My arguments were useless for it. I took
with My plans for your body.” And then the Lord
the beads in my hands and started chanting the
told Sanatana Gosvami some of the plans He had
Hare Krsna maha-mantra. But my efforts were not
for his body; that by using Sanatana Gosvami’s
successful. The mind did not calm down. Then
body, He wanted to teach people about renuncia-
I decided to use the last resort. I just turned on
tion; that he wanted to send him to Vrindavan and
the phone and googled you. I found your lecture
teach people by his example, the example of his
on Srimad-Bhagavatam dated January 14, 2020,
life in Vrindavana; that He wanted Sanatana Gosva-
which you gave in Kyiv. The first thing I heard was:
mi to write various books, including Brhad-Bhaga-
“You are thinking in terms of duality. You think this
vatamrta. And He said, “I have many plans for
body is bad.” And so Lord Caitanya told my mind
this body.” After these words, my mind was not so
that to think that something is good and something
distressed and was inspired. Because I asked per-
bad is manu-dharma, “even if your body is covered
mission in 2000 to stay in Vrindavana forever and
with ulcers, it cannot be bad.” Then, of course, Lord
never come back. It looked like Lord Caitanya also
Chaitanya went even deeper into this subject and
had plans for me in Vrindavana.
He explained, “Your body belongs to Me, so you
have no rights to it anyway.” Lord Caitanya first I received your protection for the first time. I re-
introduced the duality argument. And then Lord ceived the protection of my mind from Krsna
Caitanya gave another argument that was even through you. I received confirmation personally
more convincing to Sanatana Gosvami. He said, from Krsna that you are my spiritual master. It was
“Good, bad does not apply to your body, because it His choice. Krishna confirmed that I made the right
belongs to Me, and therefore You do not have the choice, which I made back in 1999, when I first
right to destroy it.” heard your voice. This was proof that I was follow-
ing in the footsteps of Sanatana Gosvami, since look at my naked body. When I entered the operat-
in 1999 Laksmi-narayana Prabhu, after giving me ing room there were a lot of people: the anesthesi-
permission to chant your pranama mantra, told me ologist, the nurse anesthetist, the operating doctor,
that I can teach the Vaisnava Etiquette. Thus Krsna the first assistant, the second assistant, and 4
Y
established you in my heart. It was an external people were standing against the wall. Perhaps
confirmation. they were students or interns who were studying.
I thanked Srila Prabhupada for the fact that I man-
Late in the evening, I made an effort to chant all
aged to behave in a semi-conscious state with dig-
16 rounds, preaching to my mind that Srila Prabhu-
nity, culture, after anesthesia, when I felt a fleeting
pada would definitely protect whoever chanted 16
pain and when I was transferred to a stretcher.
rounds.
When I was already at home, after being dis-
And then they put me on the operating table. I
charged for rehabilitation, I was reading the Krsna
looked at the ceiling and mentally chanted the holy
Book and Krsna finally confirmed my choice from
name of Krsna. The anesthesiologist said that
within and without, but through Srila Prabhupada’s
anesthesia is like splashing champagne. But it
words. Tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn’t wrong.
happened differently for me. It’s like someone just
My heart did not deceive me. In the Krsna Book in
“turned off the TV” for me. I fell asleep. I woke up
the chapter “Rasa Dance. Introduction” Srila Prabh-
after the operation was over on the operating table
upada writes: “The spiritual master always has the
from the fact that I felt pain. I prayed, “I’m sorry, but
highest position, so he has the right to scold his
I’m in so much pain.” Immediately, an anesthetist
disciple in this way.”
nurse came up to me and gave me an intravenous
anesthetic injection. The pain immediately went So, 23 years later, through Srila Prabhupada Krsna
away. I fell asleep. I regained temporary conscious- confirmed that I made the right choice. I received
ness when they put me on a gurney. “Please cover confirmation of the thoughts that arose in my heart
me, I’m so ashamed.” Before the operation, I was in response to your remark: “What do you mean
tormented by shame that I would be forced to lie you want service that I like? Why did you come to
naked on the operating table, and everyone would Krsna Consciousness to disturb or to serve? My
heart did not deceive me. I made the right choice. He stood on the stage and taught, “Read all of Srila
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I heard Caitya-guru in my heart. Krsna then man- Prabhupada’s books and listen to all of His lec-
ifested you so strongly in my heart. And when I tures.”
thought that I had no right to you and that you
I had read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books by 2019
should never have become my spiritual master, it
as they were translated into Russian and distrib-
was Krsna who kept me. Krsna gave me no other
uted by preachers, or it became possible to order
choice. It was His choice. His choice is always
them. I started listening to lectures. But then the
transcendental.
headphones broke. And for 2 years my hearing
So Krsna fulfilled your desire: “The answer must was interrupted. Gradually my priorities began to
come from your own heart. I ask my disciples to change. I forgot about my spiritual duty. But af-
wait longer than most spiritual masters ask be- ter your words reaffirmed the instruction of Lak-
cause I want to make sure that when they take ini- smi-narayana Prabhu for me, this became a priority
tiation, they stand the test of time. I want to make in my mind.
sure they are sure of themselves and not just other
I want to thank your disciples
people told them they should be initiated.
who gather offerings because
By following Srila Prabhupada, you externally and thanks to them, I realized that
Caitya-guru internally have given me the priority it is necessary to collect and
of duty. Last Vyasa-puja you said to listen to Srila write down my realizations
Prabhupada’s lectures. Also, your disciples in the about how Krsna manifests
story about you shared that you always listen to through you, through Srila
Srila Prabhupada’s lectures when you take prasad- Prabhupada’s books during the
am alone, without your Godbrothers. year.
My heart immediately responded to your in- Yours in service,
struction to listen to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures bhaktin Lena Bauer
and confirmed the instruction of His Grace Lak-
smi-narayana Prabhu at the Siksa program in 2000.
YOGAMATA In the commentary, Srila Prabhupada says: “The
relationship of the pure devotees with the Lord
DEVI DASI develops because of devotional service to the Lord
Y
on the authentic basis of Vedic authority. Such
pure devotees are not mundane sentimentalists,
sri-radhika-madhavayor apara
but are factually realists because their activities
madhurya-lila-guna-rupa-namnam
are supported by the Vedic authorities who have
prati-ksanasvadhana-lolupasya
given aural reception to the facts mentioned in the
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam
Vedic literatures.
The spiritual master is always eager to hear about
The word parayā is very significant. Parā bhakti, or
the countless love games of Radhika and Madha-
spontaneous love of God, is the basis of an inti-
va,Their names and descriptions of Their qualities
mate relationship with the Lord. This highest stage
and forms and always ready to sing Them. The
of relationship with the Lord can be attained sim-
spiritual master wants to enjoy
ply by hearing about Him (His name, form, quality,
this incessantly, and therefore I
etc.) from authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā
offer my respectful obeisances
and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, recited by pure, unalloyed
to the lotus feet of such a spiri-
devotees of the Lord.”
tual master.
SB 3.25.25: “In the association of pure devotees,
SB 3.9.5: “O my Lord, persons
discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Su-
who smell the aroma of Your
preme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and
lotus feet, carried by the air of
satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating
Vedic sound through the holes
such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced
of the ears, accept Your devo-
on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed,
tional service. For them You
and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devo-
are never separated from the
tion and devotional service begin.”
lotus of their hearts.”
Dear Gurumaharaj, offering obeisances in the dust
of Your lotus feet and words, praising Srila Pra-
bhupada as a representative of Krishna, specially
YUGA-AVATARA
authorized by the Lord to bring transcendental
knowledge to Kali-yuga, liberating imperfect souls
DASA
who have abandoned their connection with the
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Lord, I would like to thank you for the taste to
Y
this transcendental knowledge that you are giv-
Glory to Srila Prabhupada!
ing by revealing association with the Lord in the
form of Srimad Bhagavatam, by giving a gradual Again on the last day of when it is possible to
understanding that by reading, studying, coming send offerings, I am writing you a letter for your
in contact with the Srimad Bhagavatam, the soul anniversary Vyasa-puja. As usual, this happens in
communicates with the Lord. And thus there is an Gomel after the Sunday program. It seems to have
opportunity to purify oneself and overcome the become a tradition for me. I had been thinking
influence of the threefold sufferings of the material for a long time, looking for the
world, and finally to understand that expressing right words that could express
love for the Lord is the essence of our life, which all my love and gratitude to
makes us appreciate the selflessness of pure devo- you. But words alone are not
tees and seek their association, as well as dream enough. I also failed to offer
of being in an eternal atmosphere of happiness you any special results of my
and love, giving our ears and heart to you. service this year. Therefore, this
time I decided to simply share
Your disciple, Yogamata devi dasi
with you the grains of spiritual
St. Petersburg
realizations that have become
available to my understanding
Y
by your mercy. I think you will
be pleased with these minor
changes in my heart because
they are caused by what you talked about so much tional activities. Such relationships deepen our
earlier in your lectures and darsans. Forgive me spiritual experience. I felt ardent desire and urgent
that only now, after a long time, your instructions need in my heart to have close and intimate asso-
have manifested in my heart and have given yet ciation with those who have the same values and
small and unripe fruits... the same mood in devotional service. In fact, this
is what you told me in Boston at a darsan in 2006,
The most important discovery for me over the past
citing your relationship with Giriraja Maharaja as
year was the realization how valuable and import-
an example. I am sorry it took so long to under-
ant friendship in Krsna consciousness is. The
stand this instruction. I am still hoping that on the
experience of friendship supported my spiritual life,
day of your anniversary Vyasa-puja you will still
has been a source of inspiration in devotional ser-
be pleased with this news that the seeds of your
vice and has given strength to go through difficult
instructions were not wasted, that after so many
tests in my life. But perhaps the most important
years they still sprout in the barren soil of my cal-
thing in these relationships was that I felt Lord Krs-
Y
lous heart.
na’s presence, His care and protection.
Your servant,
Lord Caitanya instructs Sanatana Gosvami:
Yuga-avatara Dasa
śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām āsvādo rasikaih saha Minsk
sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau sangah svato vare
“One should taste the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgav-
atam in the association of pure devotees, and one
YUGALA-KISORI
should associate with the devotees who are more
advanced than oneself and who are endowed with
DEVI DASI
a similar type of affection for the Lord“.
Hare Krsna, dear Guru Maharaja! Please
CC Madhya 22.131
Only in the association of Krsna-conscious friends lotus feet! All glories to you and Srila Pra-
can we really experience the deep taste of devo- bhupada!
This year I started rereading the First Canto of the us, we mourn and sometimes we scold Krsna,
Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the purport to 1.7.22, Srila “How come? Why is that?” This is our conditioned
Prabhupada writes, “The spiritual master is the nature, raga and dvesa keep us tied up and we
representative of the mercy of the Lord. Therefore, cannot be liberated from this material world. But
through the transparent medium of a self-realized Krsna’s mercy is manifested in the fact that despite
spiritual master, a person who is burning in the fire we are unwilling to accept it, He still wants to give
of material existence can be showered with the it. Srila Prabhupada said that more than anyone
mercy of the Lord. The words of the spiritual mas- else, Krsna wants to take us back home to the
ter can penetrate the heart of spiritual world. Therefore, He gives us His mercy in
a suffering person and impart whatever form we can receive through the spiritual
transcendental knowledge to master. And I understand, Guru Maharaja, that this
him, which alone can extin- is true. The holy name, Prabhupada’s books, dev-
guish the fire of material exis- otees, devotional service, and even the desire to
tence.” engage in devotional service all come to us by the
mercy of the spiritual master.
Y
The Lord is the most merciful,
there is no one more merciful Every year in Krsna Consciousness I understand
than Him. Witch Putana, who that I have nothing of my own: no taste, no desire,
wanted to poison Him, bacame no devotion. Sometimes I think: “Where would you
a nurse in the spiritual world be, Yugala-kisori Devi Dasi, without the mercy of
simply because she fed the Lord with her milk. De- Srila Prabhupada and Guru Maharaja?” And I an-
mons who leave their bodies in the presence of the swer myself, “In the dump of material existence.”
Lord at least received liberation, what to speak of Not so long ago, I talked with a Godsister who,
the devotees who are trying to serve Him. But are because of certain difficult changes in her life, had
we, in our conditioned state, capable of accepting a serious spiritual crisis. She shared how carefully
His mercy? When we are given an extra gulabjamu- you treated her in that situation. Like a mother ten-
na, we say, “Krsna’s mercy!” But when something derly takes care of a baby, so you treated her bhakti
that is pleasing to the senses is taken away from sprout with the same care. Very carefully you be-
gan to water this sprout, so as it only not wither, so essary strength, faith and determination to follow
that it would take root again. When I heard about it, this spiritual path. And I pray for your blessing to
I became even more grateful to you for your care, truly please you and Krsna with at least something,
for your big heart that has place for everyone, for some thought, deed, word or one moment of my
Y
your desire to preserve our Krsna Consciousness consciousness, at least for one moment to be-
and deepen it. Guru Maharaja, I really want to ac- come a devotee who has bhakti in her heart.
cept all Krsna’s mercy and become a worthy instru-
Your servant always needing mercy,
ment in His hands. And yet I still am driven in the
Yugala-kisori Devi Dasi
chariot of my mind. How can I reconcile this: such
a high goal and such a deeply sad reality of my
own consciousness and conditioned nature? Once
again I realize that all I can do is beg for mercy.
YUTHESVARI
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura asks Gopinatha, “I have
neither strength nor transcendental knowledge,
DEVI DASI
and my body is completely under the control of the
Dear Guru Maharaja,
laws of material nature ... Please be merciful..” But
please accept my hum-
it possible to turn to Krsna in such a sincere way,
ble obeisances at your
from the heart, only if one can is humble, having
lotus feet. All glories to
realized trinad api sunicena, being already at the
Srila Prabhupada!
level of nistha. What am I to do? And again I reread
Srila Prabhupada’s purport: “The spiritual master is On this day, your disciples,
the representative of the mercy of the Lord.” friends and well-wishers cel-
ebrate your Vyasa-puja with
Therefore, with all my disqualification, I beg you,
great joy and enthusiasm and
Guru Maharaja, for mercy: please help to change
express their love and appreci-
this heart and mind of the enjoyer to the mind of
ation to you for your selfless,
dasa dasa anudasa gopi bhartuh padakamalayor.
pure devotional service to Srila
Please help me, Guru Maharaja, to gain the nec-
Y
Prabhupada and his mission of spreading Krsna into someone’s life and transformed it.
consciousness throughout the world. Let me also
In the years when your health was subject to se-
offer a few words, and please don’t take them as
vere tests, I remember you once said that you
insolent or offensive.
hoped to stay here at least until the age of 70 be-
This year you turn 70 years old. Of these, you devot- cause you felt that Srila Prabhupada wanted you to
ed 50 years to serving Srila Prabhupada, devoting continue to serve him in this world. And you have
all your strength to his mission. A few years after made every effort to restore your health as much
taking sannyasa, you got a very difficult, one might as possible and continue your service to Srila Pra-
say tough part of this world to preach in - the coun- bhupada.
tries of the former Soviet Union - Ukraine, Russia,
I have neither the qualification nor fortune to serve
Moldova, and the Baltic states. But despite all kinds
you somehow personally. But I am very grateful
of material difficulties in these regions, with your
to those devotees, those Godbrothers and sisters
preaching and personal example, you lit thousands
who serve you with all their strength, sincerely and
of hearts with the fire of spiritual life, breathed the
skillfully take care of your health and other needs
desire to engage in selfless devotional service into
so that you can continue your service to Srila Pra-
sincere souls, created an atmosphere of care for
bhupada.
each other by devotees, saved and supported thou-
sands of devotees who needed special care and You have taught many of your disciples what
inspiration. It is impossible to list all the things you selfless care and service are. Encouraged by you,
do for others while sincerely serving Srila Prabhupa- they serve and care of you in the best possible way,
da! I don’t even know everything that you do for the giving you what you sowed in their hearts, giving
benefit of others. Therefore, I usually try to listen to you all their love, care and devotion.
all those glorifications and offerings that my God-
I recently listened to a recording in which you talk-
brothers and Godsisters offer you with sincere love
ed about how you once took prasadam with Tamal
and devotion, as well as all those who sincerely
Krsna Goswami and he started telling you that Srila
love and appreciate you. Each offering reveals to
Prabhupada would be very pleased with you. You
me some feature of your personality, how you came
asked him why he was saying that. And Maharaja da was saying, finding a lot of new things, and a lot
said that you love everything that Srila Prabhupa- of depth in those lectures that you had heard before.
da has given us. You love the holy name, kirtan,
You also talked about your desire to travel less
prasadam, and the association of devotees, you
and spend more time studying the writings of the
love studying and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s
acharyas. My inspiration was that if you travel less,
books, and you love preaching. You love everything
it will probably expose your health to fewer travel
Srila Prabhupada has given us. Although you have
obstacles and may extend your life.
already shared about this intimate conversation
before, this time it somehow touched my heart in a And plunging into the spiritual nectar, you will natu-
special way. I also wanted to do more than just be rally want to share it with others, so we will be able
someone who looked like a devotee. I also want to to hear from you about those spiritual treasures
love everything that Srila Prabhupada has given us that you will get from the ocean of bhakti left for us
and everything that you convey and try to carefully by the great holy associates of the Lord.
put into our hearts with great love and devotion.
Unfortunately, for me and, I think, for many other
You have infinite love Srila Prabhupada. And nat-
devotees, it is very difficult, almost unrealistic, to
urally, Srila Prabhupada bestows all his mercy on
meet you personally because of what is happening
you and you generously share this mercy with us.
in the world. Online meetings or class recordings
During recent trips, you have shared with the devo- from the places you have been to are still the major
tees the excitement of deep study of the books of available form of association with you. Therefore,
the Vaisnava acaryas that you have immersed your- I was encouraged and pleased by your intention to
self in while living in Mayapura during the pandemic travel less and immerse yourself more in the nectar
when you were giving classes on the Brhad-Bhagav- of the sacred sastras.
atamrta. You said that while preparing for the lec-
Thirty years ago, you gave me shelter as well,
Y
tures, you were deeply immersed in their works. You
accepting me as your initiated disciple. All these
also listened to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures daily.
years I have only been among your disciples, just
And because of your study of the Vaisnava acaryas,
outwardly wearing tilaka and a sari, as devotees
you were especially touched by what Srila Prabhupa-
do. But still, I want to become a devotee someday
and learn to love everything that Srila Prabhupada
has given to us and what you give. Therefore, it
is so much necessary for me that you would stay
with us as long as possible and share the treasures
from the depths of the ocean of devotion that you
are so skillfully and beautifully able to extract and
convey to our hearts.
Although I feel stupid and useless, unable to un-
derstand and absorb everything you so generously
share, still I have hope that if I continue to receive
the nectar of the mercy of your instructions, some-
thing will surely go into my heart and fill it with love
and devotion.
Please be merciful to this insignificant, stupid,
useless soul.
Your servant Yuthesvari Devi Dasi
Donetsk
Y
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The Most Blessed

Event The appearance day

HIS HOLINESS SRILA

Srila Niranjana Swami

Anandini Devi Dasi..................................................65

Srila Niranjana Swami 3 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

Draupadi-rani Devi Dasi........................................154 Jahnava-sundari Devi Dasi...................................250

Srila Niranjana Swami 4 5 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

Maha-laksmi Devi Dasi.........................................333 Nitya-sakhi Devi Dasi............................................407

Srila Niranjana Swami 6 7 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

Sadbhuja Dasa......................................................492 Tarini-radha Devi Dasi...........................................568

Srila Niranjana Swami 8 9 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

Vijay-laksmi Devi Dasi............................................642

Srila Niranjana Swami 10 11 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

how we have served you, Srila Prabhupada and all

Srila Niranjana Swami 13 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

rani devi dasi, Manjumukhi devi dasi, Nitya-manjari

Srila Niranjana Swami 14 15 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

your example as an ideal Vaisnava, and especially

Srila Niranjana Swami 16 17 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

pening. It will happen. Even if you do not

Srila Niranjana Swami 18 19 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

Srila Niranjana Swami 20 21 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Srila Niranjana Swami

janame janame haya, ei abhilasa

Srila Niranjana Swami 22 23 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 24 25 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 26 27 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 28 29 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 30 31 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

ADI-RADHIKA AJITANANDA DASA

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 32 33 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 34 35 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 36 37 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 38 39 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 40 41 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 42 43 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 44 45 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 46 47 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 48 49 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 50 51 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

Vyasa Puja Book 2022 52 53 Vyasa Puja Book 2022

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