San Diego

We offer our obeisances unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master who has forced open our eyes blinded by the darkness of ignorance with the torchlight of knowledge.

Most Revered Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada,

We, your insignificant children, do offer our prostrated obeisances unto your feet, which are worshipable by everyone throughout the three worlds.

Lord Siva once told Parvati,

Similarly, in the Adi-Purana, there is a statement by Lord Krsna Himself to Arjuna, "My dear Partha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only the person who claims to be devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee."

Srila Prabhupada, how can we claim to be Krsna's devotees? Certainly not directly. By birth we are lower than candalas (dog-eaters). Only due to your continual blessings and causeless mercy upon us we are beginning to once again feel the joyful, blissful presence of Krsna within our hearts.

It is confirmed by Acarya-deva Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti: "Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado, yasyaprasadan na gatiḥ kuto'pi, dhyayam stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam, vande guroḥ sri-caranaravindam."(Sri-Gurvastakam 8) By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Krsna. Without the grace of the spiritual master on one can make any advancement. Therefore I should always remember my spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lotus feet of my spiritual master."

Srila Prabhupada, you have performed the greatest miracle. It is not that you are just healing the sick or giving bread to the hungry. No, by your association alone, you are changing our very hearts. Just as Narada Muni once turned the coarse, sinful hunter, mrgari, into a great Vaisnava, so you have picked up thieves, drug addicts, and worse and have made them flower-like, bright faced, dancing devotees of Krsna.

Your Divine Grace is so potent that simply by associating with you through your greatest gifts (your books) the course of men's lives throughout the world are being changed, although they have never seen you.

The materialists cannot see how this is taking place. But those who are serious about human life can see that your disciples are not ordinary. No, they are extraordinary. Nowhere else in the world can one find men and women who are actually becoming free from sinful existence. You have taught your students what the four pillars of sinful life are-flesh eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex-life-and you have taught us how to avoid these activities of damnation.

In other words, because you have successfully engaged us in the thrilling eternal loving service of the Lord, how can we be attracted to the pale and temporary glitter of the material world?

As the perfect acarya, you have convinced us of the conclusion of the sastra.

You are practically showing how to surrender to Krsna, and by following your example we are free from fear. We are confident that Lord Nrsimhadeva is watching out for our welfare.

Our only problem, Srila Prabhupada, is that we feel totally inadequate and incapable of ever rendering any meaningful service to you and your sahkirtana movement, and this gives us great pain. We are so selfish that we are still praying to your unlimited compassionate nature that you will ask Lord Krsna to accept us as surrendered souls and protect us from Maya's dangerous clutches.

ALL GLORIES, ALL GLORIES, ALL GLORIES
TO SRĪLA PRABHUPADA! JAYATE!

Your eternal servitors,