Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

All Glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga

A Compilation of Written Offerings

for our Srila Gurudev, Om Visnupad

Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

On His Divine Grace's 73rd Anniversary

Sri Vyasa Puja Celebration

December 21, 2002

Group 1

Edited and compiled by: Vrndavanesvari dasiAssitant editors: Bharat Chandra das, Damayanti dasi Photographers: Sarvabhavana das, Damayanti dasi, Shyama Malini dasiCover design: Omkaranath dasGraphic contributors: Premanidhi das, Ishabandhu das Contributions: Brajeshwar das, Ananta Rupa das, Sarvabhavana dasTranslations: Dvija Mani das, Sundari dasi, Jayadev das, Ananga Krsna dasOverseen by: Mahananda das B.R

A special mention to Krishna Kanta dasi of Italy for the cover portrait.

Dear Sr i la Gurudeva ,

P lease accep t my humb le dandava t p ranams . Somehow by you r

inconce ivab le g race you have g iven me connec t ion to your lo tus fee t .

I can on ly p ray tha t you a lways g ive me your she l te r . I p ray tha t ,

desp i te my lack o f qua l i f i ca t ion , I may be g iven the chance to serve

you and the m iss ion o f S r i l a Guru Mahara j .

Actua l ly , I fee l beref t and los t in th is p lane of i l lus ion. But your

insp i ra t i ona l p resence in my l i f e g i ves me hope tha t one day I may

wi tness a l l the th ings tha t you so beau t i fu l l y desc r ibe o f the Supreme

Lord Sr i Cha i tanya, and the d iv ine coup le Sr i Sr i Radha-Kr ishna.

I w ish you a Happy B i r thday and my love and a f fec t iona te p rayers .

Your fa l len servant ,

Sadhu P r i ya das b ramaca r i

Aus t ra l i a

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

D e a r G u r u d e v a ,

P lease accep t my humb le obe i sances un to you r ho l y

lo tus fee t . Jus t by your cause less mercy am I ab le to

honor th i s ho l y day and to unders tand i t s g lo r i es . I have

no r igh t to ask you any th ing bu t I p ray fo r Your D iv ine

Grace to e te rna l l y keep th i s mosqu i to engaged as you r

s lave .

Jaya Sr i la Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Dev Goswami Mahara ja !

Jaya Sr i la Bhakt i Raksaka Sr idhar Dev Goswami Mahara ja !

Janak i Va l l abha das

Govardhan ; I t a l y

We are so happy and so lucky to have , by your D iv ine Grace , the

oppor tun i t y to se rve the Lord o f Love . Gurudev , you a re the

l igh t , the happ iness and the sou l o f our l i fe . Ocean o f mercy , fo r a l l

the t imes, we w i l l be gra te fu l to serve your Sweet Grace Thank you fo r

be ing here w i th us in th is c razy wor ld . P lease rece ive fo r your Vyasa

Pu ja Ce lebra t ion a l l my mos t respec t fu l dandava ts and a l l my love . My

hear t is a lways wi th You.

Happy B i r thday Gurudev! ! !

F rom Krsna Kamin i

Mer ida, Mex ico

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l g lor ies to Sr i Sr i Guru and Gauranga

g u r v a b h i s t a - s u p u r a k a m g u r u - g a n a i r a s i s a - s a m b h u s i t a m

c i n t y a c i n t y a - s a m a s t a - v e d a - n i p u n a m s r i - r u p a - p a n t h a n u g a m

g o v i n d a b i d h a m u j j v a l a m v a r a - t a n u m b h a k t y a n v i t a m s u n d a r a m

vande v i sva -gu run ca d i vya -bhagava t -p remno h i b i j a -p radam

d e v a m d i v y a - t a n u m s u c h a n d a - v a d a n a m b a l a r k a - c e l a n c i t a m

s a n d r a n a n d a - p u r a m s a d - e k a - v a r a n a m v a i r a g y a - v i d y a m b u d h i m

s r i - s i ddhan ta -n i dh im subhak t i - l as i t am sa rasva tanam-va ram

v a n d e t a m s u b h a d a m m a d - e k a - s a r a n a m n y a s i s v a r a m s r i d h a r a m

My Dear Gurudeva, Sr i la Gov inda Mahara j ,

P lease accep t my s incere dandava ts a t your lo tus fee t . Gurudeva , I

reca l l very we l l tha t the f i rs t book o f yours I read was Golden

Ref lec t ions . F rom then on , I knew in my hear t tha t you wou ld be my

Gurudeva . You r t ende rness and hum i l i t y t ouched my hea r t so much !

I s t i l l remember tha t on the occas ion o f my har inama in i t i a t i on I

c r i ed , f o r somehow you were p resen t by you r unconce ivab le po tency .

I t does no t mat te r i f t he guru i s no t phys ica l l y p resen t because we can

fee l h im in sp i r i t .

I have been in con tac t w i th the devo tees s ince my in i t ia t ion . So

many th ings have been happen ing in my l i f e : few ga ins and a lo t o f

losses but I am s t i l l on my way to Kr ishna, t ry ing to get H is mercy . But

th is i s on ly poss ib le w i th the g race o f the Guru and the Va isnavas .

Here in the R io Math I am t ry ing to render some serv ice to the

de i t ies o f N i ta i -Gaura . On the 21s t o f December 2002, we in tend to

ins ta l l the de i t y o f N ima isundara and we ask your b less ings fo r tha t .

May you pass a joy fu l Vyasa Pu ja in the p resence o f the va isnavas a t

the Ho ly Dham. May Lord Kr i shna a l low you to come some day to the

Rio Math . Th is cer ta in ly wou ld be nec ta r . My repeated obe isances .

Your foo l servant and d isc ip le ,

J a y a d e v a d a s

Rio Math, Brazi l

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Sr i Sr i Guru Gauranga Jayatah !

Sr i Acharyadeva Sr i la Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Dev Goswami Mahara j

Av i rbhav Maha Mahotsav K i Ja i !

Dear Sr i l a Gurudeva ,

Your D iv ine Grace 's Ho ly appearance day is a very

fo r tuna te b less ing in our l i ves , a f fo rd ing us the

oppor tun i ty to G lo r i f y You and ce lebra te Your D iv ine

Mercy in ou r l i ves . We a re composed o f no th ing bu t

Your Div ine Mercy, and serv ice l i fe at Your Holy Feet

i s ou r on l y she l t e r and nou r i shmen t .

As you have to ld : "We a re fo l l owers o f Paramahamsa Dharma, " and

our be loved Master H is D iv ine Grace Sr i la Sr idhar Mahara j has ident i-

f i ed Your Grace as a "na tu ra l pa ramahamsa" . G lad ly we who lehear ted-

l y su r render ou r t i ny l i ves to your se rv i ce and she l te r . We have no

other she l te r bu t Your D iv ine Grace .

The ho ly qua l i t i es and d iv ine a t t r i bu tes tha t o the rs on ly asp i re fo r ,

by s t r i v i ng and p rac t i c i ng w i th much endeavo r t o cu l t i va te t h rough

sadhana , a l l t hose d iv ine qua l i t i es a re seen na tu ra l l y adorn ing Your

Div ine Personal i ty , as You are an e terna l ly l ibera ted serv i tor o f Sr i Sr i

Gu ru Gau ranga Gandha rv i ka Gov inda Sunda r J i u , appea r i ng he re ou t

o f d iv ine compass ion to de l i ve r the fa l len sou ls . We have no o ther

she l te r bu t Your D iv ine Grace.

The Div ine example o f Your l i fe o f ded icat ion and serv ice to Sr i Sr i

Guru -Gauranga c lea r l y demons t ra tes Your e te rna l l y l i be ra ted pos i t i on ,

wh ich i s con f i rmed by Your own D iv ine Master as we l l as the many

s ta lwar t assoc ia tes o f Sr i la Bhak t i S iddhanta Saraswat i Thakur whom

have unan imous ly showered the i r b less ings upon You . We have no

other she l te r bu t Your D iv ine Grace .

A t a t ime when much con fus ion had cas t shadows o f doub t ove r t he

western devotees , Your Grace se l f less ly and generous ly we lcomed a l l

to the Holy Feet o f Your D iv ine Master Sr i la Sr idhar Mahara j and

accep ted the respons ib i l i t y o f nour i sh ing and she l te r ing we who were

fa l len in to m isconcep t ion . We have no o ther she l te r bu t Your D iv ine

Grace .

When Your Master Sr i la Sr idhar Dev Goswami Mahara j , Who is a

t reasure house o f va isnava conc lus ions in the l ine o f Sr i la Rupa

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Goswami ended H is d iv ine pas t imes in th is wor ld , l i ke a g rea t b laz ing

sun se t t i ng and pass ing f rom our v i s ion , Your Grace s imu l taneous ly

rose up l i ke the beaut i fu l b r igh t fu l l moon, revea l ing Your D iv ine fo rm

as se l f -e f fu lgen t Acharya and Jagad-Guru . We have no o ther she l te r

but Your D iv ine Grace.

Jus t as the fu l l moon nour i shes the j u i ces w i th in the he rbs and

p lan ts o f th is ear th , Your D iv ine Grace nour ishes the devo t iona l

sp rou ts g row ing in the inner sp i r i t ua l hear ts o f the asp i r i ng devo tees ,

who have w ise ly taken she l te r o f Your D iv ine Grace. The fo r tunate

devo tees th roughou t the wor ld who asp i re fo r Your se rv i ce , g row

s t ronger day by day in the beau t i fu l soo th ing rays o f devo t iona l l i gh t

shower ing down f rom Your D iv ine Grace . We have no o ther she l te r

but Your D iv ine Grace.

In the pas t ime o f Jagad Guru , Your D iv ine Grace has es tab l i shed cen-

te rs and temp les t h roughou t t he en t i r e ea r th b r i ng ing soo th ing re l i e f

to the burn ing hear ts o f a l l hones t sp i r i tua l seekers . Everywhere , on

every con t inen t , Your Ho ly Name and ac t i v i t i es o f pure devo t ion a re

g lo r i f i ed and rec i t ed b r i ng ing hope to the hope less and mercy to the

fa l len . We have no o ther she l te r bu t Your D iv ine Grace.

Your in f in i te devo t iona l in te l l i gence, p rac t i ca l w isdom and k ind

a f fec t i ona te na tu re a re l egenda ry , and a re add i t i ona l l y r esp lenden t

and augmen ted by You r D i v i ne sense o f humor and na tu ra l genu ine

humi l i t y . We have no o ther she l te r bu t Your D iv ine Grace .

There can be no g rea te r b less ing , wea l th , she l te r , o r sp i r i tua l t reas-

u re than the con t inuous asp i ra t ion to serve Your D iv ine Grace . P lease

Gurudeva , a lways keep us near , and en l i s t us i n the company o f

D iv ine Serv i to rs who cons tan t ly cu l t i va te the exc lus ive mood o f sur-

render and serv ice to Your Holy Feet . A l l asp i ra t ions o f l i fe are rea l-

i zed on ly in Your D iv ine serv ice . We have no o ther she l te r bu t Your

Div ine Grace.

S incere ly ,

Mathurana th das , K rsnang in i das i , Sundar Syam das , V inod in i das i

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

All Glor ies to Sr i Sr i Guru Gauranga!

On the b lessed appearance day o f S r i Va ishnava Acharya

His D iv ine Grace Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Deva Goswami Mahara j ,

I make an o f fe r ing o f myse l f aga in and aga in in serv ice

to H is t ranscendenta l Lo tus Feet .

The happ iness tha t comes to the hear t f rom lov ing se rv i ce

to the Lord and H is devo tees ,

C a n n o t b e c o m p a r e d w i t h a n y t h i n g m u n d a n e ,

For the inc l ina t ion to serv ice , the serv ice i t se l f , and any resu l t thereof ,

I s n e i t h e r m u n d a n e n o r i n t e n d e d f o r a n y t h i n g o t h e r t h a n

The t ranscenden ta l p leasure o f S r i K r i shna .

Oh , Acharyadeva , Who d r i ves away the fou r -headed se rpen t o f

bhuk t i , muk t i , s i ddh i , and kami ,

Your spec ia l qua l i t ies enab le you to c leanse our hear ts o f misg iv ings

And to rece ive such favorab le serv ice wh ich migh t be p leas ing

to our be loved Lord , Sr i Kr ishna.

Assu red fo reve r more o f t he p ro tec t i on bes towed by the merc i fu l

Supreme Persona l i t y o f Godhead ,

Fu l l y con f iden t in H im a lone , Drawn by H is magnet ic charm,

Af forded serv ice to His Lotus Feet by the Grace o f Shr i Acharya deva,

I p ray fo r any ins ign i f i cant serv ice ava i lab le to

Sr i Har i -Nama, the el ix i r of the Age of Kal i .

S r i Har i -Nama has merc i fu l l y descended w i th H is en tourage

of genera t ion a f te r genera t ion o f sa in t l y sou ls ,

Whose d i rec t i on f rom the D iv ine S r i Gaurasundar Mahaprabhu i s t o

D is t r ibu te the nec ta r o f the Ho ly Name.

Oh se rvan t o f S r i N i t yananda Prabhu ,

K ind ly make me a vesse l o f any ins ign i f i cant serv ice

For the sat is fact ion of Your Div ine Grace.

W e r e m a i n h u m b l y y o u r s ,

Pus ta K r i shna das , Daru Brahma dd , K r i shnapr i ya dd , Cha i tanya das

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Deares t Sr i la Gurudeva ,

P lease accep t ou r humb le dandava t p ranams i n t he mos t p rec i ous

and ho ly dus t o f your d i v ine lo tus fee t .

Recent ly I expressed to you how Kr ishna la ta d id i and I were fee l ing

the lack o f any d i rec t devo tee assoc ia t i on , and you reminded me o f

how in such c i r cumstances the d i sc ip le shou ld take she l te r o f t he vapu

assoc ia t ion o f Guru and Va isnava. La ter I rea l i zed jus t how much

assoc ia t ion you have so g rac ious ly a r ranged fo r i n the fo rm o f the

Math webs i te . None o f th is wonder fu l serv ice wou ld be go ing on i f

these d isc ip les were no t so insp i red to sa t i s fy you , the i r mos t be loved

G u r u d e v a .

When Kr i shna la ta d id i and I v i s i t the Math everyday in the v i r tua l

rea l i ty o f the Wor ld Wide Web, we are fee l ing so gra te fu l to you for

insp i r ing a l l th is wonder fu l serv ice tha t makes i t poss ib le fo r us to be

wi th you v i r tua l l y every day . In th i s way our pa ins o f separa t ion a re

somewha t m i t i ga ted .

You have c rea ted a s i tua t ion o f pe r fec t sp i r i t ua l commun ism w i th in

Sr i Cha i tanya Saraswat Ma th . I n sp i r i t ua l commun ism guru and

Kr ishna a re a t the cen te r . K r i shna i s a lways per fec t , and when guru i s

a l so pe r fec t then t rue sp i r i t ua l commun ism i s es tab l i shed . Pe rhaps

your g rea tes t g i f t to Sr i la Guru Mahara ja ’s miss ion and the wor ld i s

the per fec t example you have se t fo r a l l o f your fo l lowers .

And, what i s tha t? Be ing humble , be ing to le rant , g iv ing a l l respect to

o thers , and fo l low ing the o rder o f Guru fa i th fu l l y and fu l l y . There i s

now g rea t hope i n t he wo r l d based on the way you have shown how to

serve Guru and Kr ishna. I have fu l l fa i th tha t your example w i l l con-

t inue to be fo l lowed by a l l your d isc ip les , and tha t none w i l l ge t

caugh t up i n a hanke r i ng f o r p res t i ge and power , bu t r a the r t ha t we

wi l l a l l con t inue to be insp i red by your per fec t examp le and to seek

on ly se rv i ce in a mood o f coopera t ion .

A l l g lor ies to your un l imi ted serv ice . A l l g lor ies to your un l imi ted

compass ion fo r the fa l len sou ls . And a l l g lo r ies to your mood o f devo-

t ion , wh ich i s so in fec t ious and so pure tha t the who le wor ld i s now

be ing i nunda ted w i th pu re K r i shna consc iousness .

You r humb le se rvan ts ,

Acyu ta Pr i ya dasa and Kr i shna la ta d id i

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

M y d e a r G u r u d e v a ,

I am happy to have connec t ion w i th you . I

hope I can con t inue se rv ing you fo r e te rn i t y .

Many g lo r ies to you .

Subhadra Man ja r i dev i das i

Sorocaba, Braz i l

Al l Glor ies to Sr i Guru and Sr i Gauranga

Deares t Gu rudeva ,

We o f fe r our humble obe isances to Your d iv ine she l te r -g iv ing lo tus

fee t . You are the on ly sanc tuary in th is b laz ing wor ld o f ignorance. I n

th i s age o f quar re l and hypocr i sy , You a re the ga teway to ha rmon iz ing

t r u t h .

A l l g lo r ies to You Gurudeva. You are the founta inhead o f a l l d iv ine

insp i ra t i on , t he g rea t d i spensary o f cause less mercy , and the t reasu re

ches t o f un l im i ted bhak t i . You are the l igh t o f fa i th in th is wor ld o f

d a r k n e s s . Wi th Your sweetness and k ind hear t , You g ive hope to the

hope less fa l len sou ls . W i th such an exemp la ry mood o f se rv i t ude to

Your d iv ine master , Sr i la Bhakt i Raksak Sr idhar Dev-Goswami Mahara j ,

You prov ide a c lear and beaut i fu l pa th fo r us to fo l low.

We bow down aga in and aga in to Your unend ing g lo r ies , hop ing fo r

a f rac t ion o f Your mercy , and beg tha t one day we can p roper l y se rve

You.

Your fa l len souls ,

Rasa Pr iya das and Bona dev i das i

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l Glor ies to Sr i Sr i Guru and Gauranga!

Deares t Sr i la Gurudeva!

P lease accep t my dandava t p ranams a t you r ho l y

lo tus fee t on th is ve ry spec ia l and ausp ic ious day .

You are an ocean o f mercy fo r a l l sou ls who are so

fo r tuna te to ge t a g l impse o f you , o r i f they a re rea l l y

lucky , your ho ly assoc ia t ion .

I am very fa l l en and d rown ing in the sea o f i gnorance . Through a l l

my s t rugg l ing , your a f fec t ion is g iv ing me a g l impse o f Rea l i ty the

Beau t i f u l and the s t reng th to go on . I know I canno t do w i thou t you r

mercy . You a re the l i gh t show ing me the way home. I am p ray ing tha t

some day I w i l l be ab le to serve you p roper ly .

Your l i t t le , very s i l l y daughter ,

S i ta dev i das i

Ber l in

Dear Guru Mahara ja !

I t i s one o f your d isc ip les , Jaya Gauranga, appea l ing to you. I

humb ly bow down a t your l o tus fee t . P lease excuse me fo r no t mee t ing

wi th you th is year . Guru Mahara j , you jus t can ’ t imag ine what g rea t

pover ty ru les in Ukra ine . I t i s ex t remely hard to sa t i s fy even s imp le

mate r ia l needs . Those devo tees who were sp i r i t ua l l y c lose to me and

to whom I t rus ted e i the r l e f t t he movement o r wen t somewhere e l se .

Guru Mahara ja , wha t adv ice can you g ive to a devo tee whose sp i r i t u-

a l l i fe is a hard s t rugg le , but who s t i l l keeps a tas te fo r Kr ishna

Consc iousness , and who fee ls in h imse l f a b ig unspen t po ten t ia l , bu t

can’ t use i t?

Guru Mahara j , I aga in bow down a t your lo tus fee t , the ocean o f

m e r c y .

J a y a G a u r a n g a d a s

U k r a i n e

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Jay Sr i Guru and Sr i Gauranga!

M y d e a r G u r u d e v a ,

P lease accep t my humb le obe isances and dandava t p ranams ! Th i s i s

jus t a smal l o f fe r ing to your lo tus fee t on th is ausp ic ious day o f Sr i

Vyasa Puja!

I have go t ten so much nec ta r f r om you even though I haven ’ t me t

you in pe rson . I now have been worsh ipp ing your D iv ine Grace fo r a

year ! I t might fee l l i ke rea l ly shor t t ime, but for me i t has fe l t l i ke for-

ever ! What i s be t te r than worsh ipp ing the lo tus fee t o f a pu re se rvan t

o f Sr i Radha, Sr i Kr ishna and Sr i Gauranga forever? Noth ing! I thank

you fo r g i v ing me such a g rea t oppor tun i t y .

I end th is o f fe r ing in the words o f Sr i la Bhakt iv inod Thakur : " I f you

examine me, you wi l l f ind no qua l i t ies . Your mercy is a l l tha t I am

made o f . I f you are no t merc i fu l un to me, I can on ly weep, and I w i l l

no t be ab le to ma in ta in my l i f e . "

Your se rvan t fo rever ,

Bhak ta Jan i

F i n l a n d

Al l g lor ies to Sr i Guru and Sr i Gauranga!

Al l g lor ies to You, Sr i la Gurudev!

I bow down wi th my a l l respects to You, my Spi r i tua l Master , Sr i la

Bhak t i Sundar Gov inda Mahara ja , who a re merc i fu l to the mos t fa l l en

sou ls as I am, who a re my one and on l y de l i ve rance f rom the domina-

t ion o f th is i l lusory wor ld . My des i re is to serve Your d isc ip les and to

meet w i th You, so tha t I can o f fe r You my s incere obe isances and, to

the bes t o f my ab i l i t y , fu l f i l l Your des i res . On your 73rd ann iversary I

w ish You fu l f i l lment and rea l i za t ion o f your in ten t ions and p lans .

Wi th my bes t rega rds and obe isances ,

Your e te rna l l y indeb ted d isc ip le ,

Pavan Krsna das f rom S lovak ia

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l g lor ies to Sr i Guru and Sr i Gauranga

My love ly Gurudeva ,

Thanks fo r pou r ing you r mercy on us , I am so immatu re tha t I can-

no t unders tand any o f those b less ings , bu t I ’m su re tha t my sp i r i t i s

happy because o f you . Some t ime ago I d reamed someth ing beau t i f u l

abou t you , t ha t you v i s i t ed my home in Co lomb ia , and so many o f

you r devo tees came f rom a l l ove r the wor ld to g ree t you . Then you

came in to my room and you wro te on the c lose t doo r w i th wh i te i nk :

“Love every th ing ins ide and ou ts ide o f you” and “Unders tand tha t l i f e

has a per fec t f low. ”

The k i t chen was a lso a spec ia l room fo r you . There we ta lked , and

sudden ly a ho le appeared i n the roo f , and we cou ld see the c louds .

Then a beau t i f u l l ady appea red and t o l d you t ha t you we re needed i n

your home. I begged you no t to l eave , and you sa id tha t whenever I

needed you , you ’d be he re w i t h me .

Thanks a l o t Gurudeva fo r you r g rea tes t mercy . Th is I d reamed

before I knew any devo tee o f Kr ishna Consc iousness . Thanks fo r

teach ing me and fo r gu id ing me. I on ly ask tha t don ’ t you take your

she l te r f rom me, don ’ t leave me, even i f I ’m no t s teady in my sp i r i tua l

l i fe . A t present , my s i tuat ion is d i f f i cu l t because I ’m so young and I

s t i l l have so many bad tendenc ies to bu rn ou t . I ’m t r y ing to improve

my pe rsona l i t y .

Gurudeva , you per fec t l y know the p rob lems I ’m l i v ing th rough ; i t

i sn ’ t necessary fo r me to te l l you , bu t i t i s very impor tan t fo r me to be

in touch w i th you. I s t i l l don ’ t know when i t i s my mind te l l ing me

th ings, or i f i t i s the ego, or i f i t i s the hear t . I p re fer to be in contact

w i th you in th is way .

I w ish to be in your se rv ice w i th my mind , my ego , my hear t , my

ac t i v i t y , because once I have found you , I don ’ t wan t to be apar t f rom

you! Thanks a lo t Gurudeva; I hope I ’m no t be ing d is respec t fu l by

te l l ing you th is , but I l i ke to know that I can te l l you what I rea l ly fee l .

May Lord Kr ishna keep on b less ing you . P lease accep t my dandava ts ,

and fo rg ive my o f fenses .

Wi th love,

H e m a k a n t i d i d i

C o l o m b i a

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gurudeva !

A l l g lo r ies to Your mercy ! The 73rd ann iversary o f Your merc i fu l

appearance in th i s wor ld i s fo r thcoming , and the re fo re , l e t me wr i te

some words to g lo r i f y Your D iv ine Grace. You are embod iment o f

Lord ’s mercy and You k ind ly descended in th is wor ld o f i l lus ion . You

appea red i n ou r d reams t o show us t he t r u th and he lp us awake . The

who le wor ld was d reaming , i t had no chance to awaken o r rea l i ze the

t ru th , bu t sudden ly You appeared and l i ke a g rea t f i re -ba l l You

c rossed ou r way to teach us the rea l i t y abou t ou r Go lden Lo rd and

abou t ou r env i r onmen t ( sambandha - j nana ) . You a re such a va luab le

person . How va luab le i s such a Sad-guru , who can awake the s leep ing

sou ls?

Eve rybody has d reams and we know tha t when we awaken , eve ry-

th ing tha t was i n ou r d ream has no va lue . And th i s you he lp us to

unde rs tand . The re i s no th ing more va luab le and you take ca re o f us ,

so that we won’ t spoi l our human b i r ths. J iv jago, j iv jago, j iv jago! You

ca l l t he same way as Go lden Lord Gaurasundara . You abound w i th

love and compass ion. Who cou ld res is t fo l lowing You fa i th fu l ly? Many

of Your awakened serv i to rs he lp You to spread Your miss ion. I t i s

great miss ion , a miss ion o f t rue love. A l though I am ins ign i f i cant , by

Your compass ion , you gave a p lace in Your miss ion and a l lowed me to

sp read You r mercy .

My prayer is to be ab le to , l i fe a f ter l i fe , he lp in Your miss ion and in

th is way , he lp the s leep ing sou ls . Wi thou t Your mercy we wou ld be

lost . I bow down to Your d iv ine feet and I ca l l Your g lor ies:

gu r vvabh i s t a - supu rakam gu ru -gana i r as i sa - sambhus i t am

c i n t y a c i n t y a - s a m a s t a - v e d a - n i p u n a m s r i - r u p a - p a n t h a n u g a m

g o v i n d a b h i d h a m u j j v a l a m v a r a - t a n u m b h a k t y a n v i t a m s u n d a r a m

vande v i sva -gu run ca d i vya -bhagava t -p remno h i b i j a -p radam

Om V isnupada Paramahamsa Par i v rakacaryya As to ta ra -sa ta S r i

Sr imad Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Dev-Goswami Mahara ja k i jaya !

Your las t servant ,

M a d h a v e n d r a d a s

Slovak ia

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Sr i Sr i Guru Gauranga Jayatah !

Al l Glor ies to His Div ine Grace

Sr i la Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Dev-Goswami Mahara j !

Dear Sr i la Gurudev!

P lease accep t my respec t fu l and mos t humb le obe isances . On the

73rd ann iversary o f Your D iv ine Appearance , p lease le t me w ish You

good hea l th and fu l f i l lment o f Your des i res in the serv ice o f Your dear

Sr i la Guru Mahara j and the Supreme Lord . P lease le t me express a

smal l g lor i f i ca t ion o f Your Holy Appearance Day:

Your Appearance in th i s wor ld i s sup reme bened ic t i on

To the fo r tuna te sou ls You g ive d iv ine connec t ion .

The w ish- fu l f i l l i ng t ree tha t sh ines l i ke the most p rec ious gem

You g ive merc i fu l ly to a l l the seeds o f Kr ishna-prem.

Your Ho ly Advent is a b less ing for the Va ishnava sect ion

because the D iv ine Maste r appeared in d isc ip l i c success ion .

Those who see in You the i r f r i end and Guru o f the wor ld

They wi l l worsh ip th is Ho ly Day wi th great joy and love.

Le t me bow down to Your Fee t and f rom a l l my hear t c ry :

Ho ly Appearance Day o f Sr i Gurudev k i jay !

Your ins ign i f i cant servant ,

Anasuya Dev i Das i

S lovak ia

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

O n Y o u r B i r t h d a y

I thank you fo r your sweet sweet smi les ,

And words tha t soo the us ove r the m i les ,

I t hank you fo r you r end less gu idance and t ime ,

And warm lov ing bha jans so ach ing ly d i v ine .

I t hank you fo r t he oppor tun i t y t o se rve you r f r i ends ,

I am gra te fu l they over look my s i l l y t rends .

I thank you because jus t by c la im ing you as my own,

The wor ld has g iven me a fami l y tha t ' s g rown,

Across the na t ions , races , ages and gender ,

Your love un i tes us w i th compass ion so tender .

Happy Vyasa Pu ja Gurudeva .

Lovingly,

R a m b a n i t a d i d i

Me lbourne , Aus t ra l i a

With my due respec ts and mos t s ince re humi l i t y , I bow down

befo re Your D iv ine Graces , and thank you fo r the teach ings

tha t you sha re w i t h us .

My mos t humb le obe isances to a l l t he devo tees . As Prabhupad sa id ,

maya a lways chases a f te r i gno rance and thanks to a be loved pe rson ,

I ' ve jus t avo ided fa l l ing in to such nesc ience. I am happy tha t I can s t i l l

r emember t he wr i t i ngs o f ou r mas te r and have the w ise gu idance o f

my w i fe .

Aure l io Dominguez Jo rge

Barce lona, Spa in

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l g lor ies to Sr i Guru and Gauranga

A humble a t tempt o f o f fe r ing love unto H is D iv ine Grace ’s lo tus fee t

on H is ho l y appea rance day :

O our dear and supreme ly worsh ipab le Sr i l a Guru Mahara j ! We o f fe r

our wor th less obe isances to Your D iv ine Grace. We know tha t Your

D iv ine Grace is non-d i f fe ren t f rom the Supreme Lord H imse l f , bu t we

st i l l cannot serve Your D iv ine Grace proper ly . On th is Spec ia l Day we

sha l l beg fo r Your cause less mercy so we can con t inue on th is pa th o f

devo t iona l se rv i ce w i th a submiss i ve humb le a t t i t ude a l though we a re

s t i l l very a t tached to th is fa lse ego. Even though we have l i t t le tas te

fo r the Ho ly Names, le t us a lways chan t them. Even though we con t in-

ue to commi t o f fences , even though we a re rasca ls and do no t fo l l ow

your ins t ruc t ions , p lease a l low us to rema in .

Al l g lor ies to our Div ine Spi r i tua l Master on His Sr i Vyasa Puja day.

The mos t fa l l en ,

Rama Ra tan das ,

Kr ishna Sang in i dev i das i

Sru t i Moyee dev i das i

S i t iawan, Malays ia

Dear Sr i la Gov inda Mahara j ,

The super io r know ledge teaches us tha t essence i s more va luab le

than fo rm. There i s no be t te r day fo r g lo r i f y ing the D iv ine Master . Too

many th ings to be sa id , bu t now I wan t to exp ress my g ra t i t ude fo r the

g rea t connec t i on tha t you ' ve g i ven me w i th t he supe r io r rea lm

t h r o u g h y o u r G u a r d i a n .

A l l g lo r ies to the master o f the gop is and h is be loved serv i to rs .

Gov inda V i las das

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Sr i la Gurudev ,

A l l g lor ies to You, the Eterna l Father and Sp i r i tua l Master o f so many

fo r tuna te se rv i to rs on th i s ea r th l y p lane t . Everyday the re i s now

r e n e w e d w i t h e n t h u s i a s m t o e n g a g e i n s a d h a n a a n d m a i n t a i n t h e

Kr ishna Consc ious l i fes ty le in every s i tuat ion. Your D iv ine Insp i ra t ion

m a k e sb ig p rob lems become ins ign i f i can t . Wi th the Sr i Cha i tanya

Saraswat Math Webs i te we are ab le to know of Your ac t iv i t ies in Ind ia

a n d a b r o a d .

Here in Chr is tchurch we are so fa r f rom You in a phys ica l sense , bu t

we unde rs tand t ha t eve ry th i ng i s con ta i ned w i t h i n t he t r anscenden ta l

sound v ib ra t i ons tha t You have merc i fu l l y t ransmi t ted f rom Your

Lo tus Mou th .

Wi th care and a t ten t ion we are observ ing the de ta i l s o f sp i r i tua l l i fe

accord ing to your p rescr ip t ion . We w ish Your D iv ine Grace a wonder-

fu l Vyasa Pu ja 2002. P lease s tay w i th us fo r many more years !

Coun t less Dandava ts ,

Ramananda das , Shan t i and N i ra j .

New Zea land

Dear Gov inda Mahara j !

F i rs t o f a l l , I would l ike to wish You a Happy Bi r thday! God b less

You! My name is V ik tor Varga. I ’m a 27-year-o ld h is tory sc ient is t f rom

H u n g a r y .

I t ’ s been jus t a few months s ince I met the devotees, but I fee l l i ke

I ’ve found what I ’ ve been look ing fo r fo r such a long t ime. I cannot be

g ra te fu l enough .

I wou ld l i ke to s tay w i th them on th i s road and hope

that as soon as I am in i t ia ted, I w i l l be ab le to fo l low

my search fo r Sr i Kr ishna. I hope tha t I may meet You

in t he f u t u re .

W i th my g rea tes t hono r ,

Varga V ik to r

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

My dear Sr i la Gov inda Mahara j ,

P l e a s e a c c e p t m y d a n d a v a t p r a n a m s t o

your lo tus fee t . On th is wonder fu l day o f

your appearance I wou ld l i ke to exp ress

some words to g lo r i f y you and to show

my a f fec t ion fo r you . T ru ly , the re a re no

words to express my fee l ings. Even i f I

danced, sc reamed, o r c r ied , s t i l l I wou ld

rema in f r us t r a ted because I canno t

express myse l f cor rec t ly .

There i s no th ing in th i s wor ld as impor tan t and beau t i f u l as you ; no

mounta ins , no f lowers , no s ta rs , no words . You gave d ign i ty to my l i fe

and accep ted my se rv i ce . Wi thou t you I am l i ke a boa t w i thou t an

ocean, a f ie ld w i thou t f lowers ; w i thou t you I am nobody .

P lease le t me con t inue serv ing your lo tus fee t and accept th is a f fec-

t ion o f m ine . A l l g lo ry to you , my adorab le and marve lous Sr i la

Gov inda Mahara j .

Your e te rna l se rvan t ,

Roh in i Shakt i d .d .

Brazi l

To my dea res t Gu rudev ,

Al l g lor ies to Sr i la Govinda Mahara j . Gurudev, I am at a loss for

words to descr ibe how fo r tuna te I am to be your d isc ip le . My hear t fe l t

w ishes to you . Happy 73 rd B i r thday , Gurudev . Thank you fo r eve ry-

t h i ng , Gu rudev .

You r se rvan t

A m r t a m a y i

Wales, UK

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

B l e s s e d A p p e a r a n c e

B y M a d h u r a K r s n a d a s a n u d a s

In an unassum ing humb le h i dden Benga l t own

H is ho l y Lo tus fee t t ouched down upon th i s sac red g round

Where p ious fa the r S r i yuk ta N i ta ipada re jo i ced

In d ivya dharsan o f Lord Sh iva 's bened ic t ine vo ice

"Fu l l p ro tec t ion I bes tow to th is my son"

Padma- lochan o f Mahadev has come.

To inunda te one and a l l w i th pures t l ov ing a f fec t ion ,

Ex tend ing the g race o f Guru and Gauranga to the fa l l en sec t ion .

Bhava -d renched e f fu lgence , bu rn ing b r i gh t

I n b rahman va i shnava fam i l y , he d id a l i gh t

Spread ing bened ic t i on rays o f hope and i l l um ina t ing l i gh t ,

G iv ing sooth ing re l ie f to th is t roub led p lanet ’s p l igh t .

L ike the rays o f dawn you take the darkness , f rom Ka l i yugas ' n igh t .

To the b l ind and fo r lo rn sou ls , you res to re the i r pe r fec t s igh t ,

Ra in ing in f in i te mercy to the so f t and s tony-hear ted a l i ke ,

Exempl i fy ing a l l the qua l i t ies o f a pure and gent le va isnav i te .

How to g ive bef i t t ing pra ise to a hear t f i l led wi th d iv ine grace?

Tha t ca l cu la t i on j us t can ' t measure .

How to express apprec ia t ion fo r a sou l whose sh in ing face

E m a n a t e s s u c h a b u n d a n t t r e a s u r e ?

Uncoun tab le g lo r i es o rnamen t you r pe r fec t f o rm ,

L ike sh in ing jewe ls f rom a hear t o f go ld , tha t they adorn ,

Rad ia t ing the nob le d ign i f i ed g race , o f a pa ramahamsa sou l

Who insp i res a l l f ee t to dance to the rhy thms o f ka ra ta l and koh l

Where Sr i Sr i Gaura N i ta i and guru varga a l l s ing w i th jub i la t ion

In one resound ing k i r tan , l i ke a gandhava cho i r o f reve la t ion

Unan imous ly conf i rming Sr i la Bhakt i Raksak Sr idhara ’s exc lamat ion

His be loved Gov inda Mahara j i s the person i f i ca t ion o f ded ica t ion

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Through your l i f e o f unwaver ing se rv i ce , where m i rac les abound ,

Where the fu l f i l lment o f each and every inner w ish o f Guru i s to be

f o u n d ,

D is t r ibu t ing the insp i ra t ion o f d iv ine serv ice a l l a round

Tu rn ing mundane so i l eve rywhe re i n to ho l y sac red g round .

To th i s spe l l bound an ima t ion , you g rac ious l y impar t

The p r i ce less g i f t o f Har i Nam to many a fo r tuna te hear t ,

Where the en l i vened cu r ran t o f Gurudev ’s k indness and a f fec t i on

Gives ever -new re f resh ing l i fe and ever las t ing pro tec t ion .

Pray ing to e te rna l l y se rve the se rvan ts a t your ho ly lo tus fee t

And th rough you r examp le g i ve l ove and honor to a l l t ha t we mee t .

Ko t i dandava ts , I Madhura K rsna das do fa i t h fu l l y p ranam

Count me as a tomic pa r t i c le i n the assemb ly o f your d i v ine bha jan .

D e a r G u r u d e v ,

We hope You have a ve ry n ice b i r thday ce lebra t ion . We want to

thank You for a l l the car ing You g ive us , fo r a l l the concern You have

fo r us Your sons and daughte rs . We are s low and foo l i sh bu t Your

k indness he lps us to improve eve ry day . We wan t t o be hea l thy and

serve You. By Your Grace that is happening. You are so far away, yet

when we read Your words You are c lose . We hope you a re s t rong ,

happy and you th fu l fo r a ve ry , ve ry long t ime . So on th i s day o f the

year , we wou ld l i ke to g ive ourse lves to You, to be be t te r and to do

good fo r a l l .

Jaya Sr i la Bhakt i Sundar Gov inda Dev Goswami Mahara j

Al l our love,

P u r n a B r a h m a d a s , A n a n d a M u r t i d i d i a n d N a n d a n a n d a n d a s

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

D e a r G u r u d e v a ,

P lease accep t my mos t humb le and respec t fu l obe i sances a t you r

sweet lo tus fee t , wh ich are so re f resh ing and so f t as the dew o f a sweet

m o r n i n g .

A l l g lo r ies to you my be loved master ! You have descended in th is

m ise rab le and t empora ry ma te r i a l wo r l d f r om the e te rna l and b l essed

sp i r i tua l wor ld to save these los t sou ls f rom the s t rong ho ld o f maya .

You are no t on ly one sp i r i tua l mas ter in the d isc ip l i c success ion , you

a re t he acha rya t o whom Sr i K r i shna Cha i t anya Mahap rabhu , t he mos t

merc i fu l man i fes ta t ion o f the Supreme Persona l i t y o f Godhead , d i rec t-

l y bes towed H is po tency to p reach the consc iousness o f Sr i Sr i Radha-

Krsna .

My dea r and be loved Gurudeva , words i n t h i s wor ld wou ld no t be

ab le to descr ibe my fee l ings o f love and respec t fo r you . Your miss ion

of re l ie f i s acknowledged in a l l o f the th ree wor lds . I have been t ry ing

to be a loya l se rvan t work ing w i th my god-b ro thers a t the R io Math

fo r the g rowth o f your exa l ted miss ion . In sp i te o f knowing we shou ld

no t have a t tachment I w ish you wou ld s tay w i th us in th i s ma te r ia l

wo r ld fo r many , many yea rs , f o r I know today the mean ing o f un ion

in separa t ion . There i s no d is tance fo r the sou l who loves and I know

how much I l ove you e te rna l l y .

Your se rvan t ,

G o v a r d h a n d a s

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gurudeva !

P lease accep t my warmhear ted and g ra te fu l obe isances on beha l f o f

a l l t he Hungar ian d isc ip les on the occas ion o f the 73 rd ann ive rsa ry o f

Your b lessed appearance .

Desp i te the fac t tha t I have been t ry ing to a t ta in se l f - rea l i za t ion fo r

over 20 years , my sp i r i tua l l i fe was re f reshed a few years ago when we

met a f te r t he d i sappearance o f my fo rmer Guru , S r i l a Narayana

Mahara j . A t tha t t ime, You encouraged me w i th these words : “An inda

Sunda r P rabhu , I am much more p leased w i t h recons t ruc t i ng an o ld

chu rch t han bu i l d i ng a new one . ”

S ince tha t t ime my sp i r i t ua l deve lopmen t and devo t iona l se rv i ce has

been re f r eshed , my so l i t ude has d i sappea red and t oday a sma l l en thu-

s ias t ic g roup o f 30 in i t ia ted d isc ip les is serv ing You and the e terna l

sup reme subs tance o f S r i Guru .

I ’m g lad to se rve the Hungar ian enqu i re rs by Your gu idance . Thank

You fo r th is oppor tun i ty . I t i s enchant ing to see Your teach ings grow-

ing in the i r hear ts as they a t ta in the va isnava va lues .

My everyday l i fe cons is ts o f fa thomless anx ie t ies bu t I have no doubt

o f the fundamenta l goa l o f my l i fe . I ’m par t i cu la r ly thank fu l fo r Your

k ind a t ten t ion to us th i s sp r ing when we cou ld spend a few days c lose

to You.

A c c e p t m y h u m b l e d a n d a v a t p r a n a m s ,

A n i n d a S u n d a r d a s

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gurudeva !

P lease le t me w ish You the bes t and accep t my mos t

hones t obe isances on the occas ion o f Your b i r thday . I

a lso wou ld l i ke to te l l You how gra te fu l and happy I

am to have the ausp ic ious gu idance and b less ings o f

You and the chance to serve You and the Va isnavas .

Th is year , when I v is i ted Ca lcu t ta , You magnan imous ly gave me sec-

ond in i t i a t i on , mak ing my mos t sec re t hope come t rue . Thank You fo r

Your con f idence in me.

A f te r re tu rn ing back to Hungary I s ta r ted to l ea rn and abso rb the

s r ip tu res . By Your omn ipo ten t mercy a t Janmas tami we go t t he oppor-

t un i t y t o consec ra te Radha–Madanmohan i n ou r house . They com-

p le te l y changed my innermos t fee l i ngs toward Kr i shna Consc iousness

and deepened my a t t achmen ts t o t he Lo rd and h i s e te rna l con f i den t i a l

assoc ia tes .

Th is seva i s a new poss ib i l i t y fo r me to serve the Hungar ian bhak tas

and enqu i re rs be t te r ; howeve r , t he De i t i es l ead and s t reng then ou r

p reach ing and enab le us to l ea rn more abou t devo t i on . W i th t he a id o f

my husband I am teach ing t he ph i l osoph i ca l concep t s and mak ing my

beau t i f u l se rv i ce as the a r t and p roduc t ion d i rec to r o f ou r pub l i ca t i on .

I wou ld l i ke to express my gra t i tude to You fo r he lp ing me a t ta in the

revered se rv i ce and ma in tenance o f the De i t i es . I t r y to pu t my hear t

and sou l i n to t he p reach ing se rv i ce o f my be loved husband and Your

m iss ion .

In your serv ice ,

Madhava Day i t a d .d .

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gurudeva !

In a le t te r las t year I repor ted to You about ac t iv i t ies o f the szeged i-

en devo tees . There have been some very n ice resu l ts the i r se rv ice . Las t

summer , w i t h Ananda Va rdhana P rabhu , we succeeded i n f i nd ing t he

f i r s t szeged ien commun i t y cen te r , wh ich we though t to ta l l y su i ted ou r

pu rposes . Eve ry devo tee go t t he oppo r tun i t y t o t ake p rasadam and

a t tend the lec tu re o r d i scuss ion on every day o f the week . Some took

advan tage o f t he se rv i ce oppo r tun i t y and o the rs no t so much . Th i s

a t temp t a f fec ted ou r commun i t y . As t ime wen t by , we had t roub le

coopera t i ng and we dec ided to go separa te ways .

We can ana lyze the causes , bu t I th ink i t wou ld be use less , because

for two young men, who are jus t becoming adu l ts , i t i s very d i f f i cu l t to

keep a common goa l . I do no t th ink tha t anyone ’s i deas a re be t te r

than the o ther ' s , on ly d i f fe ren t . The ma in i s tha t we were ab le to

unde rs tand ou r cha rac te rs be t t e r . Now my f l a t se rves as t he commun i-

t y cen te r .

The pub l i c p reach ing d id no t change , my szeged ien l ec tu res a re

go ing on , and I ser ious ly th ink about the poss ib i l i t i es o f expand ing .

The devo tees come toge ther tw ice a week . The en thus iasm o f the

devo tees i s i nd i ca ted by ou r summer yoga -camp. Many young , ve ry

devo ted men a r r i ved a t ou r commun i t y , ma in l y f r om szeged . Th i s

gave a comp le te l y new dynamism to ou r szeged ien g roup .

The th i rd impor tan t th ing i s the Bhagavad-g i ta o f S r idhar Mahara j .

The t rans la t ion , wh ich I am s lowly work ing on, s t i l l goes on, and I

hope tha t we can p resen t i t t o You and the devo tees soon . Somet imes I

fee l t ha t the who le p rocess i s abou t pu r i f i ca t i on and no t on ly abou t

t rans la t ion . Th is is the szeged ien seva tha t i s now go ing on. For th is I

beg Gurudeva ' s b less ing and an ima t i on .

Your se rvan t ,

Rav ind ra K r i shna dasa

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gov inda Mahara ja !

Wi th a humb le hear t I am g ra te fu l t o d i v ine p rov idence fo r he lp ing

You recover f rom Your hea l th c r is is . I w ish w i th a l l my hear t tha t your

hea l th i s good and tha t many devo tees ga the r a round You a l l t he t ime .

I n t he pas t yea r I have reached a much deepe r unde rs tand ing o f ou r

ph i l osophy , and i t has he lped me unde rs tand myse l f and o the rs . I t has

f i l l ed me w i th the good fee l ing tha t I have succeeded in awaken ing my

des i re fo r know ledge . I t was ve ry impor tan t fo r me to l ea rn abou t the

Vedic l i te ra ture . Love, acceptance, se l f lessness, and the overcoming o f

the ego – a l l o f these I wanted to l i ve by and no t jus t speak about

them. Un fo r tuna te ly I cou ld no t succeed in reach ing a l l o f them ye t ,

bu t I asp i re w i th my who le hear t tha t day by day I w i l l be ab le to ca lm

the ocean o f my d i squ ie ted m ind , and become ab le t o su r rende r a t t he

lo tus fee l o f the Supreme Lord .

Th is year ’s yoga-camp taught me a lo t . I succeeded in con t ro l l i ng my

mind ve ry we l l . I had more pa t ience and accep tance than I eve r had . I

cou ld open my hea r t t owards t he devo tees more and more . I t was a

grea t fee l ing to serve the devo tees a t the camp. Even I was as ton ished

how de l i c ious the p rasadam was . I fe l t t he p resence and insp i ra t ion o f

K r i shna .

In the pas t yea r I have had to face no t on ly my sp i r i t ua l p rob lems

but phys ica l p rob lems as we l l . I am g lad to have the des i re to search ,

revea l and so l ve my dep ress ion , resu l t i ng f rom my mundane ex i s-

tence. Consc iousness came to me by Bhakt i Yoga, so I am very gra te fu l

to a l l the va isnavas . I w ish tha t the des i re fo r the serv ice o f Radha and

Kr i shna be bo rn i n eve ryone !

Har ibo l !

Amr i ta -moy i dev i das i

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gov inda Mahara ja !

I am ve ry happy tha t a l l t he g ra te fu l devo tees can th ink o f

You w i th love . You have con t inuous ly bes towed upon them

Your g race . I am g lad tha t You are among us .

S ince my in i t i a t i on my exper iences have become more

in tense. I t ry to wa lk w i th opened eyes, see, love, search and serve. I

make fu r ther advances in my sp i r i tua l l i f e de l igh t , and i t i s de l igh t fu l

to exper ience the casua l d i f f i cu l t ies on my way. Th is i s wonder fu l .

The devo tee ’s ded ica t ion towards You and Kr i shna i s und im in ished .

I f ee l t ha t the re la t i on be tween the devo tees i s becoming more and

more i n t ima te , and the i n tens i t y o f t he se rv i ce done towards each

other i s inc reas ing .

I wou ld l i ke to send You one o f my poems, and I s incere ly hope tha t

You accept i t w i th love.

T h e A l l G r a c e

I wa i t fo r the pa t ience

T h e d i v i n e h u m a n e n e s s

I need no ask ing

The she l te r i s coming

I t 's s t i l l pa in ing wi th in

My foo l ish fears

Some t imes i t makes me mad

T h e d i s t a n c e i n m y h e a d

I can c lose my eyes

You a re my on ly s igh t

A l ink to peace

To take away sadness

My on l y des t i ny

For the D iv in i ty

Is to care fo r seed l ing

In Your hand w i th love

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

How I w i l l be ready

Thank ing You, Your mercy

S tumb l i ng on my way

W e n t d o w n o n m y p o o r k n e e s

Aga in and once aga in

Reach ing f lowers to ga in

Besides Your ho ly way

Look ing to sky I p ray

I f I see fur row-weeds

I c r y ou t i n my need

Bu t no chance fo r my s top

When You s ta r t ca r r y ing me

I fo rge t a l l my b leed ing

And see a new f lower

Sp i r i t ua l power

Kesava -nand in i d .d , Hungary

Please le t me o f fe r my respect fu l obe isances to You

wi th g rea t love on Your b i r thday .

The f i rs t t ime I wrote a le t ter to You, I asked You wi th

respect to accept me as a d isc ip le . I wou ld l i ke to express

my gra t i tude fo r th is . We took Your b less ings . For my

du t ies , my You to ld me to suppor t t he devo tees and s tudy the ph i l os-

ophy , and I 'm t ry ing to fu l f i l l these. I am f ind ing grea t p leasure in i t .

In my l i fe I want to have assoc ia t ion w i th the devotees as o f ten as pos-

s ib le , and to do use fu l serv ice . I must admi t tha t I am lack ing in serv-

i ce , humi l i t y and obed ience .

Wi th a l l these th ings , p lease keep me in Your good hear t and b less

me to be f i t fo r devot iona l serv ice . Thank You fo r g iv ing me the

Supreme Lord ' s b less ing th rough Your connec t ion .

P lease, accept my respec t fu l obe isances aga in .

L a k s m a n d a s a

H u n g a r y

Dear Gov inda Mahara ja !

I am gra te fu l fo r your mercy . I f no t fo r your mercy , I cou ldn ’ t be

amongs t you r devo tees . Remember ing you , I rea l i ze who I am and

what my ob l iga t ion i s . I fee l fo r tuna te to have the oppor tun i t y to se rve

you. As i t i s wr i t ten in Sr i Ca i tanya-car i tamr ta , Madhya- l i la 19.151:

b r a h m a n d a b h r a m i t e k o n a b h ä g y a v ä n j é v a

gu ru kåñëa p rasäde päya bhak t i - l a t ä -bé ja

Kr ishna-bhak t i i s as leep in everyone. Th is love is man i fes ted

amongs t the good devo tees . Th is i s my on ly hope .

Your devo tee ,

Laksmi-Pat i das

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

My dea r Gu rudeva !

Al l g lor ies to You! I bow down unto Your Lotus feet ! P lease accept my

respect fu l obe isances! I have been Your in i t ia ted d isc ip le fo r two

years , and I am on ly wr i t ing my second le t te r to You. I am speech less .

There i s no exp lana t ion fo r th i s .

I t would be more bef i t t ing i f I p ra ise You cheer fu l ly . But I can on ly

cry and beg. Cry to You how ev i l I am, and beg for Your he lp to get

r id o f my ev i lness. I confess that I was a lways a f ra id to ask for he lp in

ge t t ing r id o f my fau l ts , because I know tha t the g rowing resu l t causes

mate r ia l pa in to me. Fo r examp le I am no t ready fo r tha t k ind o f

renunc ia t i on ye t . Bu t when w i l l t he moment tha t I am ready a r r i ve?

In th i s yea r I have done no th ing and p rog ressed nowhere . I wo rked

and a t tended the un ive rs i t y , bu t I cou ldn ’ t do bo th , and I l e f t schoo l

tha t semester . La te r I was taken to the hosp i ta l . I have spent the who le

o f October in psych ia t r i c care . I do no t know even now why I was

taken the re , I do no t remember any th ing . Then I l os t my j ob and now

I have been ev ic ted f rom my f la t . I have no income, so I do no t know

where to go . I mus t con t inue w i th the un ive rs i t y in February .

My sweet Gurudeva! There i s a very b ig p rob lem wi th my humi l i t y . I

canno t open myse l f t o anybody . No t even to An inda Sundara K r i shna

Prabhu, a l though He i s the person who represen ts You . Bu t how can I

tu rn to H im a f te r I have no t revea led any th ing abou t my sp i r i t ua l l i f e

in the las t two years?

I s t i l l have two good th ings in my l i fe (bes ides Kr ishna and You) .

The f i r s t i s the congrega t ion o f the devo tees . And the o ther i s a g rea t

p resen t o f K r i shna : a devo tee , a man w i th whom I have been assoc ia t-

ing fo r one and a ha l f years . In my fa l l en s ta te he a lways reminds me

of Kr i shna and You . The on ly p rob lem is tha t he i s a t tached to

ISKCON. I fee l tha t our devotees accept and love h im, bu t in the fu tu re

sure ly I w i l l tu rn to You, Gurudeva.

That is my of fer ing. At least I can open mysel f f ree ly . I

mus t have caused so r row to You w i th my po l l u ted m ind .

I am very sor ry , and I t ry the bes t I can to change i t . Bu t

a lone I am noth ing; I have no power . So I beg for Your

mercy and Your fo rg iveness o f my mi l l ion o f fenses .

P lease, take me to the l igh t , to the pa th o f pur i f i ca t ion .

Your wor th less se rvan t , Candra -mukh i dev i das i , Hungary

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l g lor ies to Sr i Guru and Gauranga!

Dear Gov inda Mahara j ,

I w ish you many happy b i r thdays . I w ish you good wea l th , happ iness

and p leasure in a l l o f your devo tees a l l over the wor ld .

About mysel f br ie f ly I can te l l you. I make ef for ts in devot ional l i fe ; I

in tend to deve lop in th is process , bu t a l l the same, I fee l fa l len . I know

tha t I can t rus t on ly in your mercy and in Kr i shna ’s mercy . On ly th i s

keeps me in devo t iona l l i fe .

My serv ice i s to o rgan ize An inda Prabhu ’s lec tu res here in our town,

and I am the hos tess o f the sadhu-sangas he re eve ry week . When we

mee t a t An inda P rabhu ’ s ash ram eve ry mon th , t he day be fo re t he

mee t i ng I he lp p repa re p rasadam. I r ead a l o t , chan t and l ea rn t he

ph i losophy . I am very g ra te fu l to An inda Prabhu . He g ives wonder fu l

l essons , I can lea rn a lo t f rom h im and he a lways encourages me in

spi r i tua l l i fe .

I l i ke the assoc ia t ion o f the devotees. I th ink i t ’ s wonder fu l to gather ,

chan t and s ing and dance toge the r . I pe rsona l l y can l ea rn a l o t f r om

them. I can fo l l ow the i r foo ts teps , and they encourage me ve ry much .

Dear Gov inda Mahara j ! P lease, b less me, g ive me your mercy in

o rder to deve lop in my fa i th , i n my devo t iona l l i f e and my e f fo r t s to

rea l l y su r render to the Lo rd .

Wi th respec t fu l devo t ion ,

Krsna Pr iya d .d .

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Al l gor ies to Sr i Guru and Gauranga!

Dear Gurudev !

Wi th s incere respec t I o f fe r my obe isances to you , on the occas ion o f

your ho ly appearance day . I t was th i s sp r ing , tha t I rece ived Har inama

in i t ia t ion . Dear Gurudev ! Thank you fo r th is enormous poss ib i l i t y . I t

was the ho l i es t t h ing tha t has happened to me in my l i f e .

When I pract ice devot iona l l i fe , somet imes I fee l l i ke f ly ing, so much

fee l ing ga thers in my hear t , as i f i t wanted to b low up . Bu t o ther t imes

I fee l hope less , I fee l tha t I have jus t wasted my t ime because I haven ’ t

deve loped a b i t . I fee l hope less w i thout your mercy ! P lease, b less me,

and keep me under you r p ro tec t i on . You see , I haven ’ t s t reng thened

enough in my sp i r i t ua l l i f e . I know I have to deve lop my unders tand-

i ng o f t he t r anscenden ta l ph i l osophy and devo t i on .

The mos t I cou ld do was t rans la t i on . I go t the oppur tun i t y to t rans-

la te your lec tures fo r two books : The D iv ie Serv i to r and D ign i ty o f the

Div ine Serv i to r . I am very gra te fu l to An inda Prabhu fo r th is serv ice ,

because somet imes I cou ld fee l you in your books , as i f you spoke to

me. I l i ke bha jans and k i r tans too . I p rac t i ce songs , and i t makes me

fee l I can serve the devo tees here in our town.

Wi th respec t fu l devo t ion , your devo tee ,

Madhuba la D . D .

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

Dear Gov inda Mahara ja !

My hear t admi t ted the wor ld o f K r i shna Consc iousness s low ly , bu t

now I fee l that my l i fe is wor th l iv ing on ly in th is way. I ’m de l ighted to

f i nd the sense and the pu rpose o f my l i f e . Rav ind ra Krsna Dasa and

An inda Sundara K rsna Dasa a re teach ing me f rom week to week abou t

the way o f wor thy l i v ing sp iced wi th the prac t ica l i ty o f l i fe .

A l though I am a beg inner and an inqu i re r who i s a lways fa i l i ng ,

K r i shna and Radharan i a re i nc reas ing ly impor tan t fo r me . The assoc ia-

t ion w i th the bhak tas he lps me a lo t . I can ge t an ins igh t in to the

wor ld o f K r i shna and Radha . We s ing bha jans , cook and a f te r the

o f fe r ing , we honor the de l i c ious p rasadam.

Af ter re turn ing home I t ry to l i ve l i ke th is , but i t i s not go ing wel l

ye t . I a t tempt to do my job w i th a devo ted a t t i t ude wh i le keep ing

Kr i shna in my m ind . Every morn ing I chan t fou r rounds o f j apa , tak-

ing care to co r rec t l y p ronunc ia te . I o f fe r some sweets to Radha and

Kr i shna and I read one chap te r f rom the Bhagavad-g i ta .

My honorab le Gurudeva , wha t adv i ce can you g i ve me abou t how to

l i ve so I can a t ta in the devo ted serv ice o f the Supreme

Persona l i t y o f Godhead?

Gerge ly Doka

H u n g a r y

Dear Gov inda Mahara ja !

I have d i f f i cu l t i es speak ing my thoughts and fee l ings to such a per-

son as you , whom I have never met . Bu t f rom the lov ing s to r ies o f you

to ld by the Hungar ian devotees, I fee l l i ke meet ing you wi l l be l i ke

meet ing a dear fami ly re la t i ve .

I canno t say much abou t myse l f , on l y tha t I have

fa l len f rom the he igh t o f sp i r i tua l i t y tha t I used to

know as a j i va , I can on ly hope to s top fa l l ing now.

Bu t tha t can on ly happen by s ince r i t y . I am g ra te fu l

to the devo tees and you , the i r sp i r i t ua l mas te r .

I o f fe r my respec t fu l obe isances to my sp i r i tua l p re-

cep to r and w i sh H im a happy b i r t hday .

Zso l t Veres, Hungary

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002

D e a r G u r u d e v ,

I o f fe r my respect fu l obe isances unto Your Lotus Feet

and w i sh many happy b i r t hdays t o You .

I am embarrassed to wr i te th is le t ter . How cou ld I p lease You? F i rs t

o f a l l I would l ike to thank You for the grac ious b less ings that You

gave to me .

I am thankfu l fo r Your b less ings tha t g ive me the poss ib i l i t y o f do ing

serv ice fo r the devotees . Cons ider ing my present ab i l i t i es , I t ry to do

my bes t no t t o make o f fense to the devo tees .

P lease g ive me Your mercy , so tha t I can have c lean devo t ion and

chant the Ho ly Name w i th deep a f f in i t y and a f fec t ion . On ly You can

give me th is b less ing, and wi thout i t I fee l mysel f los t .

P lease fo rg ive my o f fenses commi ted ou t o f my ignorance. I s incere-

l y des i re to be a devo tee one day .

Get t ing the foo t dus t f rom Your servan t ’s servan ts ,

Krsnanand in i Dev i Das i

H u n g a r y

Dear Gurudev !

Fi rst of a l l , I would l ike to wish You a Happy Bir thday. God Bless

You, My name is Tamás Varga . I was born on the December 13 , 1973.

Thanks to Your D iv ine Grace, I spent a who le week w i th An inda

Sundara dasa and the devo tees in Augus t . S ince then , I have been fo l-

low ing the i r example . I have been search ing fo r the r igh t way to serve

them and th rough them, se rve You , Gu rudev .

I hope , tha t Kr i shna may g ive me the g race to meet You in the

fu tu re , Gurudev , and ask fo r i n i t i a t ion .

Wi th respec t fu l obe isances ,

Tamas Va rga

H u n g a r y

Sr i Vyasa Pu ja December , 2002