Portland

Nama om visnu-padaya
krsna-presthaya bhū-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-
svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate devam
gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sūnyavadi-
pascatya-desa-tarine

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

We beg to offer our most humble obeisances at your feet on this most blessed appearance day of Your Divine Grace. Had you not appeared before us with the transcendentally sublime Vedic wisdom, surely our dilemma of repeated birth, disease, old age and death would have remained unsolved for thousands of years. As imperfect and conditioned souls, our own sentimental words are inadequate expressions of thanksgiving. Instead we refer to the third canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, where Mahatma Vidura declares:

"Those who are spiritual masters are very kind to the needy. They are always kind to their followers, disciples and sons, and without being asked by them, the spiritual master describes all that is knowledge." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.36)

An intelligent person who is sincerely endeavoring to expand his knowledge of the Absolute realm should seriously consider the advice of Lord Krsna in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita:

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." (Bg. 4.34)

Such a seer of truth was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, who came in a line of pure disciplic succession from Lord Sri Krsna. Because you, Srila Prabhupada, heard patiently form Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, your words now echo the transcendental potency of the Lord Himself. By your transcendental books and lectures, you are so kindly distributing Krsna's message all over the world. Thoughtful citizens who can understand your literature receive practical spiritual direction in accordance with all revealed scriptures and all saintly persons of the world. You are jagad-guru; you are working for the benefit of all.

The Upanisads have instructed us that only unto one who has implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge revealed. Faith is awakened simply by executing regulated devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, as recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Any lowborn disciple who, humbling himself, engages everything in the service of the spiritual master, quickly attains the desired result. This is confirmed in the Bhagavatam, first canto, chapter two, text eighteen. Those complacent souls who accept worthless fakes as guru, and those who feel no need to approach a spiritual master, are condemned throughout the Vedic literatures. In the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna states:

"Those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not practice them regularly are to be doomed to ignorance and bondage." [Bg 3.32]

We in Portland, as your most incompetent students, have deiced to stay in each other's association, and stick tightly to your divine instruction. We are told in Bhagavatam:

"By serving the feet of the spiritual master one is able to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one's material distress." (SB 3.7.19)

On this we all agree.

Dinabandhu dasa adhikari / Akuti devi dasi / Anubhavananda dasa brahmacari / Lila devi dasi / Jyestha dasa brahmacari / Sikhanḍi devi dasi / Kalakantha dasa brahmacari / Bhakti Kathy / Krta Krta dasa brahmacari / Mr. And Mrs. Pat Harley / Srestha dasa brahmacari / Bhakta Ed / Sarvadrk dasa brahmacari / Bhakta Pat

Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/svp/vyasa-puja-homages/portland/portland