1987
Dear Srila Prabhupäda,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and your eternal presence in your ISKCON body.
In the agony and the ecstasy, the perfection is to remember you. During the year, my thoughts have been expressed in the words that follow:
No Pain Greater
We have forgotten you for so long,
please remind us:
You are everything to us.
Why can’t we serve you properly?
Our hearts are full of sinful desires;
We need your guidance.
The pain of separation
Is
most terrible.
The Heart
Full of perverted, twisted,
dirty, dark thoughts.
You enter and sound
the transcendental vibration
which clarifies everything just
like the sun.
You enter,
but the evil elements rise again:
Who is this intruder who has
disturbed us?
Let him go!
You are available whenever we want you,
but you do not force.
How You Work
We know that we are very imperfect
but you are very kind and work
through us
because you know that only you
on behalf of Krishna
can rescue the fallen souls
from material delusion
and establish them in their eternal relationship
with Krishna.
We do not know anyone but you,
and yours.
Our words are very nice, but we
know that we have failed you – badly.
Please forgive us for all of our offenses and
give us another chance to serve you better.
On this occasion I also address all of your followers – past, present, and future: You are all great souls. In your effort to serve Srila Prabhupäda, I have put so many obstacles. Please forgive me.
Vyäsa-püjä Offering
Dear Srila Prabhupäda,
Once a devotee asked you,
We have the perfect philosophy,
Krishna consciousness,
and we have the perfect spiritual master –
Your Divine Grace –
everything about Krishna consciousness is perfect,
yet we always seem to have so many problems –
why?
And you replied,
Because the brahmacharis
and sannyasis
associate too much
with women
We take shelter of your lotus feet!
Once an insignificant devotee asked you,
Now you are here
so everything is all right,
but in the course of time,
when you are not here,
if the society deviates from your standard,
what should I do?
And you replied,
You are also one of the important members of the society,
so you work for the correction,
but DO NOT LEAVE.
All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Once a devotee said,
The way you look right now
is just like a photo
I saw of your Guru Mahäräja,
And you replied,
All that glitters is not gold:
my Guru Mahäräja was like gold –
I am like iron.
All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Once a devotee said,
I can surrender to you,
but whenever I surrender to your disciples,
they always cheat me.
And you replied,
Don’t surrender to me –
I will also cheat you –
just surrender to Krishna.
All glories to Your Divine Grace!
Once a devotee asked,
you know everything about us –
you know us even better than we know ourselves –
yet sometimes you put someone
in a very elevated position
and he
falls
down.
How is that?
And you replied,
The living entity is always marginal,
so whatever position he is in
he can always use it
either for
Krishna’s service
or for
personal sense gratification.
Srila Prabhupäda, we take shelter of your lotus feet!
Your insignificant servant,
Giriräja Swami