Seattle

SEATTLE
On Serving in Vani
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
On this auspicious day of your appearance in this world, we, your disciples, assemble in hearts and minds to offer what we find in them to you. As men, women and children, we assemble here at your lotus words and endeavor to live.
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhū-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sūnyavadi-pasatya-desa-tarine
Dearest father, your books are our shelter, your words are our strength. Our lives are dedicated to you and your teachings. The subtle war of mind and senses is fought daily by each man, woman and child in Krsna consciousness. Your instructions are that we must become Krsna conscious and always somehow or other think of Krsna. In our contaminated state, we hold tightly to the Bhagavad-gita.
"The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them." (Bg. 2.60)
"One who restrains his senses and fixed his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence." (Bg. 2.61)
"One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there by any happiness without peace?" (Bg. 2.66)
"As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the sense on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence." (Bg. 2.67)
We want you to know that the sounds of the Gita are penetrating our consciousness. At first, we thought studying slokas was the purpose of the Gita, then to distribute it to others. We are now realizing, dear father, we must live the Gita at every moment. Serving you in vani, we are beginning to see the transcendental war against maya as the only reality for the fighting spirit soul. Your words warn us:
"From wherever the mind wanders, bring it back."
"The mind is both friend and enemy, restless and unsteady …"
"A cause of bondage and liberation."
"A constituent of the body."
"One of the eight separated energies."
"A sitting place for lust."
We are learning (by living our lives performing devotional service to Krsna and serving your lotus words) the meaning of the "human form of life", the value of this form to the living entity in the heart. We are learning that even if Krsna takes away everything, we are still perfectly equipped to attain self-realization, having obtained this human body, after sojourning in 8,400,000 species of life. Caitanya means "living force", and Lord Caitanya's concern is the living entities' spiritual advancement. His concern, the concern of the great acaryas and your beloved concern has brought us to the realization of our own concern not just for ourselves but for others who have acquired the human body, the most valuable form of life.
The words on your pages are becoming our understanding of "things as they are." We are endeavoring now to hear and then study your words, dear father, for they contain the essence, the truth of our existence. We are praying constantly to you for your guidance across this ocean of grief and death. We want you to know our hearts are softening due only to knowledge given by you in words that are written for all mankind. Soul, heart, mind, boy, false ego, intelligence-they used to be only empty sounds that had little or no meaning to us, but you filled each one with meaning and truth and applied them like bandages to our confusion. We are growing to love you, Srila Prabhupada, because you gave us the truth which we experience every moment of this sojourn of our lives. We are finally "living" entities.
We love your words, Srila Prabhupada, because they sort us out, give us direction and solution at every step. They are spiritual words and transcendental, and as we enter into each sound, we find you patiently waiting. Then the words take on new meaning, for they are filled also with your dearness to Krsna and the greatness of your own heart. O beloved guide in this dark place of material existence, we find you constantly there in your words recorded on pages, on tapes and held forever in our hearts and minds. By them we are "bound" for Godhead. By them, our hearts and minds are stilled and purified. Your words speak of the beauty of the loving Personality of Godhead, Krsna. They say Krsna is wonderful, wonderful Krsna. He is the Supreme Person. And we are inspired, and our thoughts dwell and rest on each one of the glories of God. Our hearts go soft upon hearing of His gentle loving nature, His strength, His complete goodness and His concern for us. "To those who surrender unto Me and worship Me with love, I give them the understanding by which to come to Me." We are learning, dearest among living entities, that to fight for love is a war that brings real peace. You gave us His name to call upon, His pastimes to worship with our minds and to drink deeply from daily and fill our hearts. He is Hrsikesa, and you have explained so dearly to us how and where He exists and how we can attain Him.
O dearest spiritual father, you gave us everything … His name is Krsna. We are distributing His name and these words to everyone, out of gratitude to you, O dearest of all, because it is your desire. There are many sounds recorded on many pages that we have not yet associated with and are not yet ready to perceive the full meaning of, but they beckon us onward on this path of love for God. We know in due course of time that we will taste the nectar of all your words, and loving Krsna will become our natural state. Your words have melted into our lives like falling rain into a puddle, and we will realize the sacred trust of your books of knowledge and causeless mercy of your love for us, who are so fallen. We are unworthy, dear father, of your kindness, your patience, and your love.
Your sons and daughters in devotional service to Krsna, who will continue to strive to make others aware of the "human" mission by learning ourselves.
Rocana dasa / Balakrsna dasa / Hrsikesa dasa / Kūrma-Radhaūpa dasa / Kaviraja dasa / Krsnacandra dasa / Mahesa dasa / Raksovanda dasa / Jyotindra dasa / Bhakta Vince / Bhakta Phil / Bhakta Larry / Bhakta Dave / Bhakta Jack / Bhakta Rich / Bhakta Frank / Padyavali-devi dasi / Silavati-devi dasi / Laksmimani-devi dasi / Karlapati-devi dasi / Pavani-devi dasi / Klamahara-devi dasi / Rudrani-devi dasi / Mokarūpa-devi dasi / Dharini-devi dasi / Vedavati-devi dasi / Madhumati-devi dasi / Lalita-devi dasi / Surrenderangi-devi dasi / Jayabhadra-devi dasi / Tustita-devi dasi / Krsnastuta-devi dasi / Dhanistha-devi dasi / Gopanandini-devi dasi / Kanva-devi dasi / Prsnigarbha-devi dasi / Karunaksi-devi dasi / Mahojjvala-devi dasi / Sadhvi-devi dasi / Jivanausadhi-devi dasi / Mother Marta / Mother Diane
 

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