Regina

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

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

"We offer our respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is so dear to Lord Krsna on this earth, having taken shelter at His feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O servant of Sarasvati Goswami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the western countries, which are filled with voidism and impersonalism."

You are being so merciful to all conditioned souls by freely spreading the rays of the benediction moon. Your mercy is giving us the tremendous opportunity to become fixed as atoms of the Lord's lotus feet. And it only remains for us to surrender and take advantage of this opportunity to come closer to Krsna. We thank and praise you eternally for this. You are honored as much as the Supreme Lord on account of your being able to give Krsna to us. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirms this in the seventh sloka of his Gurvastakam;

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas thatḥa bhavyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vnade guroḥ sri-caranaravindam

"The spiritual master is honored as much as the Supreme Lord on account of his being the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and is followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari, Krsna."

In order for anyone to make spiritual advancement one must obtain the mercy of the spiritual master. And when one develops faith in the Lord and the spiritual master, by the process of sravanam kirtanam (hearing and chanting), one will progress nicely in spiritual consciousness. The sastras confirm this;

Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado
Yasyaprasadan na gatiḥ kuto' pi
Dhyayam stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam
Vande guroḥ sri-caranaravindam

"By the satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being elevated to the plane of Krsna consciousness. I should therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master."

The Lord Himself says to Arjuna, in the Adi-Purana, "My dear Partha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee." We also find His statement in 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)

We pray, along with Sridhara Swami, "O all-merciful spiritual master, representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when will my mind be completely surrendered unto your lotus feet? At that time, only by your mercy, I shall be able to get relief from all obstacles to spiritual life, and I shall be situated in blissful life."

Namo namas te'stu sahasra-krtvaḥ
Punas ca bhūyo'pi namo namas te
Namaḥ purastad atha prsthatas te
Namo'stu te sarvata eva sarva

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto you a thousand times, and again and yet again! Obeisances from the front, from the behind and from all sides!" (Bg. 11.39-40)

As a closing gift we offer you the following prayer by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura;

Caksudana dila-yei, janme janme prabhu sei
Divya-jnana hrde prakasita prema-bhakti yaha haite
Avidya vinasa yate, vede gaya yahhara carita

"You open our darkened eyes and fill our hearts with transcendental knowledge. You are my lord, birth after birth. From you ecstatic prema emanates. By you ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of your character."

Krpasindhu dasa / Bhakta Ray / Divyananda dasa / Bhakta Don / Atigarvita devi dasi / Bhakta George / Manohara devi dasi / Bhakta Robert / Bhakta Norman / Bhakta Pat / Bhakta Ray / Bhakta Claudia / Bhakta Chris / Bhaktin Linda / Bhakta Rene / Subhadra devi dasi

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