New Delhi

New Delhi
O Prabhupada
You have come with grace divine
Us lost, forgotten souls to find.
Giving love, warm and tender
Showing the way to sweet surrender.
O Prabhupada
Kicked hard by maya, puffed-up and proud
This thought of surrender we never allowed.
Joyful debtors we will always be
Your menial servants eternally.
O Prabhupada
You have given us life, you have given us hope
Completely helpless, we could never cope
With odds so great, a course so long.
Only your grace can make us strong.
O Prabhupada
Our mission now is clear
There is no longer need for fear.
Legs for the lame man, eyes for the blind
This you have given us because you're so kind.
mūkam karoti vacalam pahgum lahghayate girim
yat-krpa tam aham vande paramananda-madhavam
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains." (Cc. Madhya 17.80)
Although we are dumb and lame we are still shameless in our fallen condition. O Prabhupada, we have no appreciation of your boundless glories. Your transcendental attributes are innumerable and unfathomable and to describe them all would be impossible. Nevertheless, we are trying to say something about your glorious qualities and activities as an offering on this Guru-pūja day. We offer this to you for our purification and to express our humble gratitude for your causeless mercy.
These descriptions of ourselves as lame and dumb may appear to be poetic over-exaggerations to some, but actually we are dumb in that we are unable to speak anything of value. Before meeting Your Grace we could only make croaking sounds, possessing useless tongues exactly like the frogs-jihvasati dardurikeva [SB 2.3.20]. In a fool's paradise one fool will speak all nonsense in order to impress other fools with his so-called learning. So, that is one thing. But to speak something meaningful requires that one hear perfect instructions from the realized soul. By receiving instructions from you through your books, even the dumb can make eloquent speeches. This is due to your causeless mercy. Similarly we are also lame in that before receiving your mercy we could not accomplish anything beneficial. Before receiving your causeless mercy we were doing only harm to ourselves and others. With drugs, liquor and cigarettes, etc., we were destroying ourselves. And by meat-eating and the other sinful habits of illicit sex and gambling, we were causing so much pain to others. Our position was actually hopeless. We did not know the goal of life nor did we know how to achieve it. We did not know the consequences of sinful life nor did we know about the highest reward for practicing devotional service in Krsna consciousness. Thus we did not know how to get out of material life.
vidyam cavidyam ca yas tad vedobhayam saha
avidyaya mrtyum tirtva vidyayamrtam asnute
"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality." (Sri Īsopanisad 11) But, by your powerful preaching, you have made us aware of both.
Western society is concerned with the body, and consequently we were always hankering and lamenting. Whether we liked that situation or not, we had to accept it. We were lame, unable to help ourselves and others, but you have engaged us in the highest welfare work: namely spreading the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and rescuing the conditioned souls from the clutches of maya
Out of compassion for our suffering condition you have given the matchless gift of Lord Caitanya's divine love which we, unfortunately, take for granted. Our condition is like a delirious patient who is suffering from a severe illness. Not even recognizing the doctor as his friend due to madness, he fights with the doctor and tries to resist the medicine. But, as the doctor goes on administering the cure, so you also continue to show your mercy even though we are constantly offending your lotus feet. Thus you are showing us the real meaning of compassion.
As you more than once cited, asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase. "While speaking learned words you are lamenting for what is not worthy of grief." Because of blindness people are following blind leaders who don't know the real aim of life. They are unnecessarily lamenting on the basis of the body. However, you are lamenting for what is actually worthy of grief. You are sorry for the suffering conditions of repeated birth and death. As you continue preaching regardless of your health, we can see your deep concern for all of us. We were previously taking this world to be everything, but by your association, gradually we are understanding that your lotus feet are everything.
nama-srestham manum api saci-putram atra svarūpam
rūpam tasyagrajam uru-purim mathurim gosthavatim
radha-kunḍam giri-varam aho radhika-madhavasam
prapto yasya prathita-krpaya sri-gurum tam nato 'smi
"I bow down to the beautiful lotus feet of my spiritual master by whose causeless mercy I have received the supreme holy name, the divine mantra, the service of the son of Sacimata, the association of Svarūpa Damodara, Rūpa Gosvami, and his older brother Sanatana Gosvami, the supreme abode of Mathura, the blissful abode of Vrndavana, the divine Radha Kunḍa and Govardhana Hill and the desire within my heart for the loving service of Sri Radhika and Madhava in Vrndavana." On this most auspicious day of your appearance we must thank you again and again for these matchless gifts. Although we are unqualified to serve you, we are simply praying that we may remain engaged at your lotus feet eternally.
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhū-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sūnyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine
ISKCON New Delhi devotees:
Bhagavad-asraya dasa / Bhūmipati dasa / Tainilakarttika dasa / Radha Mohana dasa / Sūrya Prasada dasa / Krsnagopala dasa / Usika dasa / Mahamana dasa / Dinadhyatma dasa / Rasananda dasa / Patatriraja dasa
 

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