Carriere

All glories to the appearance day of 108 Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada! This most blessed event, Vyasa-Pūja, gives us the opportunity to offer our feeble glorifications and gratitude to your spiritual master. Dear Srila Prabhupada, our appreciation can never equal the value of your mercy toward us. To get a bona fide spiritual master is the most rare and fortunate thing in the material world. Out of the millions of conditioned souls wandering in the material world, only a few will meet a pure devotee, by the mercy of Krsna. Then, by the mercy of a pure devotee like yourself, the conditioned souls like us get the chance to meet Krsna-face to face.

Actually, we can understand, without very much examination, that we are not qualified either for your mercy or for success in spiritual life. We are envious offenders, always lazy and neglectful of your instruction. Out of three ways to attain perfection, we are only making advancement by your mercy (krpa-siddha, the mercy of a Vaisnava). One can attain perfection by always remembering Krsna (nitya-siddha), but we only remember Krsna because you have reminded us of Him. One can also attain perfection by following the rules and regulations of devotional service (sadhana-siddha), but it is by your potency, protection, and instruction that we follow any rules or regulations at all. Factually, your mercy is all we are made of.

Dear Srila Prabhupada, you have told us what you want us to do so many times in your books. You have told us to chant, dance, follow the regulative principles, and especially to preach Lord Caitanya's movement all over the world, and by these activities become successful in spiritual life. We will be able to preach and become successful only if we have complete faith in what you have taught us. You have already set the perfect example. This Krsna consciousness movement is going all over the world simply because you had implicit faith in the words of your Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Faith in your words is the secret to all success in Krsna consciousness.

So, Srila Prabhupada, our preaching work here on your farm in Mississippi has taken the forms of setting up a spiritual community as an example for others to follow, building facilities for people to come and live with Krsna at the center of their lives, growing fruits and vegetables and protecting Krsna's blissful, milk-giving cows. So, we have tried to show a little gratitude with words for the opportunity you are giving us, now we pray to spend our lives glorifying you with our works. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada.

The devotees of the Hare Krsna farm, Carriere, Mississippi