Vyasa Puja Reflections

The following is an offering I presented to Srila Prabhupada on His Vyasa Puja Day, August 11th 2012

nama om vishnu-padaya

krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

shrimate bhaktivedanta-

svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve

gaura-vani-pracharine

nirvishesha-shunyavadi-

pashcatya-desha-tarine

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Recently, I was preparing a talk for the Vyasa puja of one of your disciples, Srila Prabhupada. I welcomed the opportunity to ponder on your good qualities and how they are manifested in your disciples. On that day, I was meditating on your compassion, as it stood out significantly in this particular devotee. I have certainly seen your compassion shining brightly in many of my god-siblings, nieces and nephews. Many lives are being changed as my god-brothers/sisters relentlessly continue to preach and give shelter to new comers, in spite of unforeseen, severe challenges due to their aging bodies and other complications of this material world. In sickness or in health, with their mind, body and spirit, without any fear that the process will work on all, they go on with renewed strength, remaining detached from the result of their efforts. I stand in awe.

Compassion is a clear manifestation of the faith one has in the process of chanting the Holy names. When one truly believes in the power of the holy name, how can he/she hold on to this precious gift without sharing it? The more one gives it away, the more one has, however if one holds on to it without sharing, all his knowledge and realizations leak away as if stored in a cracked pot. There is nothing that can compare to this most precious jewel which you distributed wholesale around the world and still are through your sincere disciples.

Could you please bless me with this deep faith so that I can also, learn to have compassion on others and share the glories of the holy name, before any semblance of realization permanently escapes the self- centered and cracked vessel of my heart.

I admire their dedication as I can, at most, bear witness. Unable to remove my mind from its enthronement, I leave no place for jiva doya (mercy for the conditioned souls) or guru bhakti (devotion to the spiritual teacher/master) to enter my heart. Being thus blinded from opportunities of true service, I stagnate, pretending to be a devotee. I envy the devotion of others and wonder if one day you will also favor me with this same faith and a clear vision of how I can best please you.

I pray for true, causeless and uninterrupted devotional service.

Sri Nityananda Prabhu, the Avadhuta

Nityananda prabhu was going everywhere offering the holy names to everyone he met. Haridas Thakur even described him as a mad man while conversing with Advaita Acharya. He even approached violent drunkards, known to be inimical. My God-brothers/sisters may be described as mad also for going on at the cost of their well being. 

In my eyes, this madness makes them heroes worthy of praise as they understand the real meaning and purpose of their life while I pay lip service to dedicating my life to your mission. Srila Prabhupada, you are my life, your mercy is all I am made of, yet as I outwardly pretend to be a devotee my mind remains my true master.

When will the outside truly match the inside? When will my service truly begin? Please be merciful onto me, as I attempt to purchase sincerity with my daily sadhana.

I was reading the other day a translated essay from your Srila Prabhupada, HDG Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur and became very touched by this statement as it reached me like a sharp arrow:

“The five transcendental relationships exist
in all completeness within the Supreme Lord,”

This was nothing new, he then continues:

“…but we will be unable to gain transcendental knowledge of the Lord
if we engage our moods in the worldly counterparts of these five
instead of dedicating them to the Supreme Lord Himself.“
– Prabhupadera Upadesamrita 

“Unable to gain transcendental knowledge of the Lord” !!!!!!, I remembered You, Srila Prabhupada, also telling us the same and went back to see, how you explained it to us. 

 “When a person becomes attracted by Krsna and is in full Krsna consciousness,
he does not care for any worldly duties, even though very urgent.
Krsna consciousness is so powerful that it gives everyone
relief from all material activities.
Srila Rupa Gosvami has written a very nice verse wherein
one gopi advises another,
"My dear friend, if you desire to enjoy the company of
material society, friendship and love,
then please do not go to see this smiling boy Govinda,
who is standing on the bank of the Yamuna and playing His flute,
His lips brightened by the beams of the full moonlight."
Srila Rupa Gosvami indirectly instructs that
one who has been captivated
by the beautiful smiling face of Krsna
has lost all attraction for material enjoyments.
This is the test of advancement in Krsna consciousness:
a person advancing in Krsna consciousness must lose interest in
material activities and personal sense gratification. 

This is when I realized how you purchased our hearts using such a gentle approach, not forcing anything but encouraging and nurturing our fledgling attraction. I so admired your compassionate words fostering your disciples to grow into loving dedicated servants of the servants of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. 

What would have happened to us without your tender guidance? You expertly filtered the strong words of your guru so that we could embrace them. A truly empowered representative! 

Such is your legacy, Srila Prabhupada. You must be so proud of your sincere disciples and grand-disciples who go on soothingly presenting Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission to the suffering kali yuga souls, opening their arms, and hearts, welcoming new comers as they patiently train them in living a truly human life, a life wherein service to the Holy Name is the center. 

I pray at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Goswami, Bhaktivinode Thakur, Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati…. our whole guru parampara... that they may guide me to serve you better, to understand and live out my part in your glorious mission without regards for my personal ambitions or comforts. I seek their blessings to one day also become “a madly dedicated servant”... Your Servant.

Slowly walking towards unending service and love for Krishna, this servant of a servant prays to one day serve the lotus feet of the servants of Krishna's Vrndavan maid servants.

gopi bhartur padakamalayor dasa dasanudasa