Bridesville

We, the devotees of New Gokula dhama, offer our prostrate obeisances at your lotus feet, Srila Prabhupada. You are the greatest of all mystics, for you are performing the greatest miracle. You are taking Westerners from the dark pit of material sense gratification and turning them into twice-born brahmanas. Although we were desiring to remain in the mire of material existence, by your desires and prayers the Supreme Lord has acted from within our hearts to inspire us to take to devotional service.

We were drowning in the waves and whirlpools of the modes of material nature, rushing towards death and repeated birth, not even realizing it. You have saved us from that hellish ocean, Srila Prabhupada, we can only offer our prayers of gratitude. It is said that when a pure devotee narrates the unadulterated narrations of the Lord's transcendental pastimes, that narration is compared to a raging river. Even a casual bystander who happens to hear a pure devotee's speech is swept into that river until he eventually reaches the ocean of devotional service. The Srimad-Bhagavatam states, "The value of one moment's association with a pure devotee of the Lord cannot even compare to the attainment of heavenly planets, liberation from matter, or attainment of worldly prosperity which is meant for death."

We have somehow received this causeless grace by your mercy, Srila Prabhupada. Therefore, in gratitude we wish to dedicate our lives to fulfilling your desires.

How can we ever repay you, Gurudeva, for you are giving us raga vidya, raja guhyam, the king of knowledge and education; padam gachanty anamayam, that state beyond all miseries; sasvatam padam avyayam, the eternal and imperishable abode; and santim apnoti naisthikiva, unadulterated peace.

You are the most munificent person for you are directly empowered by Lord Krsna, as confirmed by Uddhava:

Liberation from this material world is possible by knowing the transcendental nature of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Lord, Krsna. We Westerners are so fallen that we did not even have a taste for hearing those auspicious narrations. But you are so kind, Srila Prabhupada, that you are blessing us with this affinity for hearing. This is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Sūta Gosvami:

Human reasoning and logic cannot understand this miracle, for it is causeless mercy and nothing else.

Srila Prabhupada, our happiness, gratitude and love for you forces us to dance in ecstasy when we hear your name being chanted, like Srutadeva when he saw Lord Krsna. You are purifying our contaminated hearts and giving us the ultimate goal of life, love of God. Your mercy is so sublime that by your grace, we can easily cross the ocean of material miseries. The sublime potency of devotional service and the spiritual master is nicely stated by Sūta Gosvami in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

You have given us the supreme dharma or occupation. All glories to you, Srila Prabhupada! Here at New Gokula you have taught us how to live peacefully and simply, protecting the cows, growing grains and vegetables, hearing bhagavata-dharma discourses and worshipping our Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana. We pray that our endeavors here will justly present the Krsna conscious lifestyle to the vision of the Western world. Our hope is that all mankind will give up its suffering and toil and take to this Krsna consciousness movement, thus fulfilling your desire, Srila Prabhupada, to terminate forever the suffering of mankind.

New Gokula, Bridesville