from Sri Murti devi dasi – Australia, Melbourne

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Hare Krsna dear Srila Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisance’s.
I bow to your Lotus feet, dear Spiritual Master servant of Srila Prabhupada you have blessed me with so much mercy, initiation into the maha mantra and the Gayatri mantra how can l sufficiently praise you. You are the servant of a glorious spiritual master, the highest position obtainable. I pray to always serve you no matter what my physical or material condition and never waver from that. Surrendering to the process, chanting, following the regulative principles and mostly listening to your Krsna Katha has given me the blessing of always being engaged in devotional service. Sri Hari who resides within the Salagrama sila and is always personally present with us, has kept me firmly fixed at yours and His lotus feet, a place, l pray daily, to always stay.
Due to Krsna being personally present in our home as Salagrama Sila and my good husband of steady intelligence, l am in good association no matter where l am. For even if l am seemingly alone or a person of no significance, by your mercy it does not matter. Krsna as the supersoul in my heart is always making wonderful arrangements for me no matter what the circumstances. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful guru. Krsna is so personal and so reciprocal and it is with a grateful heart and mind filled with the sound vibration of the holy name and your hypnotic mellifluous voice, that l pray to always remember Krsna and never forget Him.
With determination, we engage in service to you, Srila Prabhupada and Radha Vallabha, Radha Syamasundara. With the family deities at home and at every program we do, we are associating with devotees, worshipping the deities, chanting Hare Krsna and discussing Krsna in the presence of Salagrama and the Lord in our heart. Associating with Krsna in so many ways, including hearing your resonant classes and experiencing stimulation for ecstatic love. In that way Krsna has arranged for us to continually destroy impurities, material contamination and devote ourselves to Him. In so doing, accumulate spiritual piety, helping us to progress in devotional service, attracting us to Krsna and the spiritual world as mentioned in
BG 7.28 “Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are free from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.”
and SB 7.5.14 “O brahmanas (teachers), as iron attracted by a magnetic stone moves automatically toward the magnet, my consciousness, having been changed by His will, is attracted by Lord Visnu, who carries a disk in His hand. Thus, l have no independence”.
Engaging in devotional service, being continually purified, naturally Krsna attracts everything and everyone, we fly away from this cage of birth and death on the wings of Krsna Consciousness where there are no material activities, everything is done for Krsna. As you say “whatever we do, we do without letting a single moment pass without devoting our activities to Krsna… that Such action is in full samadhi and can be done anywhere”. I am an eternal servant of you my dear Srila Gurudeva and Krsna and l pray that all my activities shall be done in a devotional mood with my mind fixed at Krsnas lotus feet.
If one externally engages one’s senses in Krsna Consciousness mechanically, eventually the mind will come under the control of Maya. All of our senses will be dragged away from devotional service and back into the service of maya.
B.G 2.59 “Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.”
By your example, I can understand that to relish love for Krsna and his devotees comes a higher taste, but without the higher taste you can not stop material sense enjoyment. Good association, that does not disturb our minds, helps fix our mind on Krsna, positively.
B.G. 2.60 “The senses are so strong and impetuous O, Arjuna that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavouring to control them.”
Maharaja Ambarisa silently tolerated all of Durvasa Muni’s injustices, controlling his senses by fixing his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, BG 2.61 “One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control, and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known as a man of steady intelligence”
“The senses can be controlled only by the strength of devotional service to Krsna ” Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Krsna says always think of me. All rules and regulations serve the purpose of fixing the mind on Krsna (always remember never forget). By your mercy l can understand the mind fixed on Krsna in devotion only, can all the senses be practically engaged.
Following Srila Bhaktivinode Thakurs statement “He reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die When thou are living still in sound! The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try to spread the holy name around” as you live, you try to spread the holy name around. You share with us confidential truths and continue to create a treasure trove of discourses, memoirs, visual libraries of devotional activities in Krsna Consciousness. You travel far and wide to follow your beloved spiritual masters’ instructions, preaching and distributing Caitanya’s philosophy, revealing the Dham and Dharma to us, distributing the transcendental science of Krsna consciousness reducing our suffering. You help maintain and repair ancient scriptures and old temples. A wonderful example of a preacher. Simply by your blessings, l can make peaceful progress in Krsna consciousness. “By the mercy of the spiritual master, acharya, we immediately get the blessings of Lord.” Immediately. (Lecture by Srila Prabhupada Sept. 23,1969 London)
Without your mercy l am lost, by your grace l can attain the mercy of Krsna. I pray always to be under the shelter of your Lotus feet.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Happy appearance day Srila Gurudeva, may you have good health and a long life for your continued success spreading the holy name around.
Love from,
Your eternal servant,
Sri Murti devi dasi