From Avadhuta Raya das

Dearest Srila Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you.
Yesterday we celebrated Narasimha Caturdasi in New Vraja Dhama and this special occasion made me reflect on your personality in various ways. Lord Narasimha’s appearance day reminded me of how intimately you have been connected to this very special form of Krishna. Actually, my very first memory of you is connected precisely to Lord Narasimha. When I saw you for the very first time in this lifetime at Eurowoodstock, I thought to myself that your face, especially your eyebrows and teeth, had a lion-like resemblance. And then, when you turned your back to the audience after an evening bhajan to put on your jacket, I saw a beautifully embroidered lion-face decorating the back of your jacket. At that time, I
had no idea that it was Narasimha, but later on it became obvious that you had been cultivating a special relationship with the half-lion-half-man incarnation. And it only makes sense for two reasons: one is that you are always on the frontline preaching to the fallen in Maya’s and Kali’s kingdom, so you need special protection, but more importantly, you are in the mood of Prahlada Maharaja and so your fearless preaching attracts Lord Narasimha’s heart. As Prabhupada often explains, our relationship with the Lord is always a two-ways affair. Just like the devotee offers his life at the lotus-feet of the Lord, the Lord also offers protection to and feels affection towards His surrendered devotees. Your selfless service in sharing the Holy Names far and wide in big ways has long been recognized by Lord Narasimha, who has
been showering his blessings upon you for following in the footsteps of His beloved Prahlada. Lord Narasimha Himself knows well that to find such a sincere preacher of bhakti like yourself is extremely rare. Just like Prahlada Maharaja, you are never deterred no matter what obstacle you encounter. Be it a deadly disease, road accidents, opposition from other religious organizations, or unsolicited criticism from “arm-chair-expert” devotees, you always keep Srila Prabhupada’s instructions at the forefront and never flinch.
Thinking of your relationship with Lord Narasimha also made me remember your most beautiful memorial talk in honor of HH Bhakticaru Maharaja who, sometime in the ’80s, offered you the opportunity of receiving that amazing death-defying Narasimha mantra from the Vrindavan sadhu who wanted to pass it to an ISKCON devotee before his passing away. Your consoling talk to Maharaja’s disciples revealed the depth of your love, appreciation and friendship towards Maharaja and also, it showed how Lord Narasimha had singled you out from the multitude of ISKCON devotees early in your devotional career just like mother cow recognizes her calf from the multitude of calves. Again, love between you and Lord Narasimha was a two-ways affair.
And we should certainly not forget your most opulent and elaborate personal puja to your Narasimha sila. As Srila Prabhupada often said, love is in the details. Watching a video recording of your puja is simply mind-blowing! The degree of attention to detail is out of this world. The quality of the paraphernalia, the colors of the decorations, the standard of cleanliness, the opulence of the bhoga to be offered, the intensity of focus and love on your face during the ceremony are all expressions of your eternal devotion to His Lordship. How grateful I should be to Srila Prabhupada for creating this matchless society where I was able to meet a Vaishnava sadhu, a Narasimha-bhakta, like yourself. I was wandering aimlessly through the vast brahmāṇḍa life after life knowing nothing about Krishna-bhakti and then by His Divine Grace’s mercy I came in contact with you, my eternal spiritual master, a true follower of the Mahajana, Prahlada Maharaja. As our Srila Prabhupada remarked, his disciples were directly sent by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur to help him execute Saraswati Thakur’s mission. On this most auspicious occasion of your Vyasa Puja day, I would like to remember you as the direct representative of Sri Vyasadeva, Sri Narada Muni, our Srila Prabhupada and Prahlada Maharaja, as the most unique devotee in my life, the sadhu who has personally come to Hungary to save me. You chanted your heart out during that week at Eurowoodstock nearly 30 years ago and invited me into the wonderful world of Krishna Consciousness. There was absolutely nothing on my side that would have made me qualified to receive your association, so I know for a fact that it had happened out of your causeless mercy. The sastra says that one can become a devotee simply by receiving the favorable glance of a pure devotee. I do remember your deep, merciful glance and lion-like face that immediately attracted me. I left the multitude of tents and rock bands behind and walked towards the Hare Krishna festival stage. I sat down in front of you, mesmerized by the beauty of your face and never left for the entire duration of the festival.
May Lord Narasimha keep protecting you for many many years to come and may I, either in this lifetime or another, receive the soothing patting of your lotus-hand on my head. That would be the perfection of my life.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Your servant,
Avadhuta Raya das