Jayatīrtha dāsa adhikārī

Dearest Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my worthless and wretched obeisances at Your Lotus feet.

Lord Krsna, who is known as Ananta (unlimited), is the exclusive property of His pure and unalloyed devotees. As He exhibited in His superexcellent dealings with His queens in Dvarka, He can be simultaneously possessed by hundreds and thousands of lovers and all of them remain perfectly satisfied. Thus He proves His claim to the title Ananta. Something that is material can be possessed only by one person at a time. He may sell it or give it away, but if he does so then he no longer owns it himself. If men try to share ownership then there is fighting. Such is the nature of material possessions. Once there was a story about a so-called guru who transferred his spiritual power to his disciple by touching him on the chest; afterwards he complained that he had given all of his potency to his disciple and had none remaining. Thus he proved, by spiritual definition, that he had no spiritual potency in the first place.

Jaḍa Bharata prays:

"O King Rahūguna, the perfectional stage of devotional service or the paramahamsa stage of life cannot be attained without being blessed by the dust of the feet of great devotees. It is never attained by tapasya (austerity), the Vedic worshipping process, acceptance of renounced order of life, the discharge of the duties of household life, the chanting of Vedic hymns, or the performance of penances in the hot sun, within cold water or before the blazing fire." (Bhag. 5.12.12) Thus the potency of an actual spiritual master can be understood. If the dust can be gathered from His Lotus Feet and taken as the goal of one's life, the Krsna's mercy is very easily obtainable. And if the whole universe comes to take the dust of such a Pure Devotee's feet, then the whole universe can be delivered from the clutches of maya. Thus such a pure devotee may be very aptly be called "jagad-guru," the spiritual master of the universe.

Birth in this material world brings with it various kinds of miseries, diseases and attachments-but there is one good opportunity-association with a pure devotee of the Lord. After wandering through millions of species of life, propelled only by my enviousness of Krsna, it is indeed remarkable that I have gotten such an opportunity. I beg your mercy that I shall become and remain suitably grateful.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu states in His explanation of the atmarama verse:

"Although the word hari has many different meanings, two are foremost. One meaning is that the Lord takes away all inauspicious things from his devotees, and the second meaning is that He attracts their minds by ecstatic love for God." (Cc. Madhya 24.59) Thus it can be understood that the spiritual master is the bona fide representative of Sri Hari (as stated by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura) because you change the pattern of our sinful lives and attract our minds to hear and chant about Krsna.

I do not know why, beloved Guru Maharaja, but you have allowed me, fool and nonsense that I am, to sit for many hours at Your lotus Feet. You have chastised me, and sometimes just to encourage me, you have praised me; you have smiled at me sweetly and given me personal advice, But despite the intimacy you have allowed me, I stand in awe of you. I remain amazed at the depth and breadth of your mercy towards the world and towards all souls and make my petition at your divine lotus feet that I may never in some moment of madness forget how kind you have been to me and that I may someday realized how great you actually are.

My dear Srila Prabhupada

Please continue to engage me in your service,

Jayatirtha dasa adhikari

GBC-Northern Europe