From Gandharvika-keli devi dasi and Rasaraja Syama das

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
nama om visnu-padaya-krsna-presthaya bhu-talesrimate indradyumna-svamin iti naminenamah prabhupada-priya dasaya jagannatha yatrananda murtaya
bhakta-sukhaya krsnot-kirtanena
narasimhena raksitaya namah
Dearmost Srila Gurudeva,
Please accept our most humble and heartfelt obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet on this most auspicious and glorious occasion of your Vyasa Puja! All glories to you and to the devotional service you render at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada! All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!
Ah, Srila Gurudeva! For weeks now, a sweet energy among your disciples, well-wishers, and friends has been building steadily like water rising upstream a dam, as we discuss and make plans for celebrating Your Divine Grace’s Vyasa Puja. Every day we celebrate your appearance in our lives, Srila Gurudeva, but the day of your Vyasa Puja attracts a singular mood. On this day, the water cannot be contained by the dam anymore – it necessarily spills over in great tidal waves of honeyed nectar, as we all gather together to taste the variety of moods that arise in spontaneous appreciation for and wonder at your unfathomable mercy in providing us with your spiritual shelter.
As Uddhava comments to Vidura, “Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā]?” – so Rasaraja Syama das and I beg the question, “How shall we take shelter of one more merciful than Your Divine Grace, Srila Gurudeva?”
For although you are a true Vraja-vasi, accepted by the Vraja-vasis as one of their own, and always residing in that holy abode in heart and mind even when traveling…although everything auspicious in spiritual life finds Your Divine Grace – rare spiritual paintings, rare Deities, rare spiritual items with intricate history, rare writings of lesser-known Vaisnavas, even rare sadhus with rare stories … although Your Divine Grace is a veritable magnet for wonderful, nectarean Krsna-related items, Deities, and personalities – you never keep the mercy just to yourself, Srila Gurudeva. Rather, in the mood of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you generously and constantly splash us all with the nectar you come into contact with; you bring Vrindavan right to our doors through your travels, writings, and classes — and then you keep gently knocking until we open. And then you subsequently transform us with your Krishna conscious message. You always say, “The spiritual heart is very large; it can accommodate everyone.” This is the mood you imbibe in preaching.
Indeed, Srila Gurudeva, when we reflect on your qualities, we of course immediately recall your grand-scale preaching, your impeccably researched classes on Sri Vrindavan Dhama, your commitment to revealing the path of bhakti to any and all through your festivals, parikramas, extensive photography of sacred tirthas, your writings, etc. And yet, though your preaching is conducted on such an impressively large scale and you interact with so many people and world leaders with such finesse, your uniqueness – and what sets you apart – Srila Gurudeva, is that you are so incredibly personal.
You often quote Srila Prabhupada’s saying, “Attention to detail is a sign of love.” You pay attention to the details, Srila Gurudeva, and this manifests not just in how you attend to the organization of your classes, writings, festivals and parikramas, but also in even your smallest interactions with people. Everyone who meets you walks away knowing that you genuinely care about their spiritual life.
During a Vyasa Puja ceremony for you at a Sadhu Sanga Retreat before the covid pandemic, your Godbrother, Brahma-tirtha das, mentioned that your disciples are fully committed to serving you in your service to Srila Prabhupada – but that you are also cent percent reciprocating our attempts to serve, and thus are showering us all with the mercy and love that has its source in the spiritual world. Such is the platinum example in personalism that you have set for all of us to try to follow. By your personal nature, you attract everyone to somehow serve Srila Prabhupada’s movement – whether in large or small ways. For as you are always encouraging us, “There is no service large or small; service is transcendental.”
Srila Gurudeva, you once mentioned that you fell in love with Krishna consciousness watching Srila Prabhupada’s hands play the kartals. This statement, which only deepens in meaning over time for us, exemplifies to us how you are always – invariably – looking to Srila Prabhupada. Behind your many expertly executed sevas is your single-aimed dedication to following Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to you to “Preach boldly and have faith in the Holy Name.” Your all-out commitment to this life-molding central instruction is like the strong stem of a lotus, which provides the support for all of your other sevas to unfold into many beautiful, colorful petals.
Just as an arrow expertly released from its bow traverses its path without wavering or deviating by even a millimeter, Your Divine Grace continuously and with single-minded focus engages in pure devotional service at the lotus feet of your eternal lord and master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. In this way, by your own example, Srila Gurudeva, you teach us over and over again how to be the perfect disciple of a perfect master.
You are our perfect master. And so again, we ask, Srila Gurudeva, “How shall we take shelter of one more merciful than Your Divine Grace?”
Now that Srila Gurudeva’s words have entered our ears,
The Holy Names resounding over and over – loud and clear –
We have forgotten the miserable darkness of our past,
We have found permanent, blissful shelter at long last.
Now we need not entertain the cycle of birth and death,
Now we need not sprint in the material rat race till our last breath.
Now we can traverse – happily – the path of spiritual ecstasy – such sweet relief!
Now we can follow him, who removes all obstacles, and thereby sets us free.
Now that Srila Gurudeva’s words have entered our hearts,
Powerful vani that sustains us even when we are apart –
We can confidently serve and preach, advancing ever toward cintamani Dhama…
For he has mercifully set our arrows on the mark of Goloka Vrindavan.
Srila Gurudeva, though we would be fools to think we could ever repay our eternal debt to you, we can at least attempt to dedicate our lives in service to your life-saving vani.
We beg to remain in your incomparable shelter – in the nourishing, protecting, guiding, and cooling shelter – of your mercy-laden lotus feet…
Based on your recent lecture series on stimulation for ecstatic love, Rasaraja Syama das composed the following to expound on but a drop of the ocean of ways in which you churn the mellows of ecstatic love that your disciples and well-wishers have for you, Srila Gurudeva.
His transcendental qualities
Srila Gurudeva, through your behavior, activities, and demeanor, you show the world what it means to live an unalloyed spiritual life. You have immense attachment for your Deities, unflinching devotion to Srila Prabhupada, and boundless compassion for your disciples and well-wishers. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His uncommon activities
Srila Gurudeva, through your intense lobha for service to Srila Prabhupada, for lila, for spreading the holy name, Krishna reciprocates with you. Mother Earth unfolds before you, simply to render service to a pure devotee. No inimical parties can stand in your presence; they are instantly won over by your sincerity and kindness. The most mystical prasadam is offered to you by providence; ancient Deities desire to receive your worship. The list goes on. And the most uncommon part of all of this is that you freely distribute this mercy to the world. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His smiling features
Srila Gurudeva, it only takes a moment’s personal association with you to taste a fragment of the transcendental bliss you imbibe. This nectar overflows, and it shows. Your smile, your humor, your welcoming attitude, it all shows how when a son is protected by his father, he has nothing to fear. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His apparel
Srila Gurudeva, there is a saying that you embody: “Love is in the details.” Whatever endeavor you undertake, whoever or whatever you surround yourself with, when you give something to someone else, that offering is immaculate. You want so strongly to give the best to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, and it shows in your attention to the smallest details. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His garlands
Srila Gurudeva, you wear the holy name as a garland – blissfully fragrant, intoxicating all those whom you encounter. You distribute these garlands freely, to a lone disciple transcribing your lectures while on parikrama in Mayapur, to a Godsibling bringing two wayward souls to take shelter at your lotus feet. You show no discrimination to whom you distribute your mercy. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His flute
Srila Gurudeva, your sweet words melt the stone-like hearts of the materialists – and they simultaneously turn to stone the flickering faith of the conditioned souls in turmoil. By your sweet words, the impossible happens. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His buffalo horn
Srila Gurudeva, just as the printing press was the brihat mridanga for Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur and Srila Prabhupada, you too have your own horn that echoes throughout the worlds. Your online lectures touch the hearts and minds of countless people, awakening their consciousness from sleep, and inviting them to relish the bliss of loving Krishna. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His leg bells
Srila Gurudeva, your iconic, sweet kirtans enchant the heart and mind. Your melodies are replicated far and wide in the movement, and whenever we hear them sung by another kirtaniya, our minds immediately fly to Your Divine Grace. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His conchshell
Srila Gurudeva, you boldly declare war on material nature, shattering illusion with your war cry, “Preach boldly and have faith in the holy name.” Srila Prabhupada gave this injunction to you, one of his strongest generals, and you in turn inspire your troops to do the same. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His footprints
Srila Gurudeva, your mercy cannot be contained to any one place. Although your heart and home resides in Sri Vrindavan-dhama, your footsteps tread the world, physically and virtually, imprinting love of Godhead on the hearts of the masses. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His places of pastimes
Srila Gurudeva, your lila spans the world, in all sorts of settings. From the shores of the Baltic Sea, to a small nondescript Bhakti Center way out in the middle of nowhere in central Virginia. You invite one and all to partake in the ecstatic divine play that is Krishna Consciousness. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His favorite plant
Srila Gurudeva, just as Tulsi always resides at the feet of Krishna, you reside at the feet of your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Your roots firmly planted in the soil of his teachings, your creepers latched tightly to his vani. You perfectly present what it means to have guru-nistha. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
His devotee
Srila Gurudeva, your love for Srila Prabhupada and Krishna is ever-increasing and overflowing. It spills out in the form of care and compassion to those around you. You ensure that the youth are engaged and happy, you protect those who have been mistreated, you uplift and invigorate your disciples and well-wishers who are struggling. Your glory and your enthusiasm are contagious and are reflected by all those who come into contact with you. For this and more, you churn our love and attachment to you.
The periodical occasions for remembering Him
Srila Gurudeva, when first beginning Krishna consciousness, we worried, “How can it be possible to maintain a relationship and always remember someone who is so far away?” Then we met Your Divine Grace – the emblem of personalism. Just as Krishna resides in our hearts, you also entered our hearts and we are always remembering you. But being inexperienced as we are, we somehow lost the key. We’re so sorry, dear Srila Gurudeva, but this means that you must forever remain there – stuck within our hearts – eternally.
Forever your servants – by your grace alone, Gandharvika-keli devi dasi and Rasaraja Syama das