ISKCON—Hamburg

Dearest Srila Prabhupada,

All the wise men all over the world glorify and chant the glories of the Lord. Their life is His glorification. What to speak of your life, dear Srila Prabhupada, perfect acarya. To serve these great men, self-realized souls who have seen the Truth, is the goal of life. We want to serve you, dear Srila Prabhupada, most confidential servitor of the Lord, Sri Krsna. All the wise men are certainly great because they glorify the Lord. But you, our dear Srila Prabhupada, are the greatest. of all. You have come in the Western world to sow the devotional creeper in everyone's heart. You have told us that overlording and sense gratification will never save nor satisfy anyone. Out of love of Vasudeva you have accepted many students, taking their sins. You are great. Your love is greater than you, and to love God is now for us an easy job. Your love is equal to all. You give everyone the same message of Gaurahga: Chant the holy name! Chant the holy name! Chant the holy name! Hare Krsna!

Your eyes are moving, like the bees they swiftly fly, then stop, here, there, and amongst the networks of matter detect the soul loving and pure. Your bee eyes relish the nectar of the flowerlike soul and search for Janardana, the eternal witness! He is there standing on the bank of the river, His smile discovers His rose petal teeth, You recognize Him as Your eyes always are seeing Vasudeva, Krsna, the dearmost friend of the gopis and the gopas. Behind your eyes is the beautiful Vrndavana, where always you help Radharani to prepare charming gifts and offer loving words. She is grateful and loves You also, so when, standing on the altar, beautiful and royal, she looked at you, Prabhupada, Her smile beamed, dazzling river, and that sudden glow of love, when you left the temple, never appeared again on her lotus face.

In the dark of our soul, all at once was given to us by your inconceivable mercy: "Here is Krsna. Just take. Always remember Krsna by chanting His holy names, that's all." You tell us what is what; you give us the eyes to see the truth. You are implanting by Your infinite causeless mercy the seed of love for the holy lotus feet of all bona fide acaryas in the disciplic succession, and You thereby enable us to accept the eternal blessings of the Supreme Lord Himself, who has said: "There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, nor will there ever be one more dear."

By your infinite mercy you allow us, in Hamburg, to engage ourselves in translating the transcendental literatures in French, Dutch and German. And so kindly You give us the responsibility that the transcendental message of Lord Caitanya be brought in writing to people of different countries in their different languages. For you stated: "Language should be no barrier for taking to Krsna consciousness."

Srila Prabhupada, You are the embodiment of the teachings of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and You show us how to practice these precepts in our daily life. Filip buys flowers for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. What more can one desire than direct service to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord who has so kindly appeared in the temple on the request of your Divine Grace. Balaramaji in this way also appeared! The sight of His white complexion and sweet smile made our stone hearts melt a bit. Just as the goddess of fortune offers Him blue garments and gold-made necklaces, after He has enjoyed the gopis in the Yamuna River. Through your grace we may also sew for Him a sumptuous dress so He may look as radiant as the white elephant of Indra, the king of heaven.

The most unqualified are we, but Their Lordships accept our fumbling attempts of service because we serve you.

Maria thanks You for your illuminated path and for your smiling appearance while concentrated observing the Deities, one day in the temple. And later on, during sahkirtana, you appeared in the illuminated sky singing among the cows along with Krsna, carrying His flute.

O Srila Prabhupada, how can we ever deserve a drop of the mercy, which you are so kindly spreading in oceans of love? How can we ever understand what you are so unrestrictedly giving us, without having desperate feelings of inability to express our indebtedness to You? How can we ever forget the intimate friend of God, who picked us up out of the whirlpool of misery and despair, to guide us, helpless souls, to the level of-how inconceivable it is-love of God! How can we ever express our gratitude for all the happiness, hope, warmth, and-more and more-the eagerness to serve which you have injected into our lives?

Dear Srila Prabhupada, we don't understand your grace and your mercy which is given by You like a raincloud which pours water on the forest fire! We can't realize the present You are giving to us. But we will try to get sincere and use this present more and more. We are just like little children who don't know how to use it. The more we will use it, the more it will grow, and such a present is just coming from a desire tree.

Although we are the most fallen, although we are unable to see, hear or speak, still for the first time in our life we feel there is somebody we can love without ulterior motive. It is You, O Srila Prabhupada, our spiritual father, we can trust, take shelter in and love.

Our words are much too dry, too materially contaminated to praise Your infinite mercy.

Your instructions are our lives!

ISKCON-Hamburg