Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada by H. H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami

Posted on November 4, 2008  
Filed under BVKS Sanga

Dear Çréla Prabhupäda,
Please accept my most respectful and grateful obeisances in the dust of your divine lotus feet. Among the innumerable priceless gifts you have given us is daily recitation during brähma-muhürta of the enchantingly sweet Çré Gurv-añöaka. Through this divine offering by Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura to his gurudeva, he has wonderfully summarized the quintessential qualities of all Gauòéya mahänta-gurus.

Yet from my plane, it seems that some of the stanzas of Çré Gurv-añöaka particularly describe Your Divine Grace. For example, Çréla Cakravartépäda begins by acclaiming the guru’s mercy, and I, being saàsära-dävänala-léòha and hence particularly in need of mercy, naturally re?ect that among the many mahänta-gurus who have come to this world to assist Lord Caitanya in spreading Kåñëa consciousness, you are the one who superlatively and uniquely rained down His mercy of pure elixir—the only genuine antidote for the forest ?re of material existence—brought directly from the auspicious ocean of transcendental qualities. After describing throughout the next six verses some of your prominent divine characteristics, in the last stanza Çréla Cakravartépäda again indicates the crucial signi?cance of your mercy. Guru-kåpä is essential even for elevated souls, but for us Western barbarians—whom you ministered to with extraordinary compassion—its signi?cance is multiplied exponentially. As you ascertained, the people on this
planet have no capacity for any type of austerity and are neither very capable of study nor very pious; the only thing they are able to do is somehow take shelter at your feet. Simply by a little smile from your benevolent lotus lips, Kåñëa’s mercy is attained and the whole spiritual realm is opened to us. But without your mercy, then however else we attempt to please Kåñëa, we remain forever cut off from Him. Mercy (prasäda) is also the subject of the fourth stanza, which describes distribution of sancti?ed
food, an activity central to your mission. Gauòéya gurus prevenient to Your Divine Grace tended to emphasize Lord Caitanya’s instruction bhälo nä khäibe: “Do not eat nicely.” But on indication from Çréla Cakravartépäda, you found in prasäda a merciful means to bring persons of the lowest level of consciousness, anna-maya, to the highest, änanda-maya. You personally relished çré-bhagavat-prasäda and happily arranged that your disciples and the whole world do so.

We also saw you jumping and dancing while relishing the mellows of mahäprabhoù kértana, and eagerly, constantly, and unlimitedly glorifying Çré Rädhikä-Mädhava—and serving Them in Their enchanting Deity forms with devotion so manifest that even a stonehearted soul like myself could understand that you are on the same platform as Hari (säkñäd-dharitvena) and very dear to Him (kintu prabhor yaù priya). The Vaiñëavas’ mercy is always available to those who sincerely beg for it, so on this occasion I crave
from you the boon to forever glorify you through Çré Gurv-añöaka. Çréla Cakravartépäda offers to those who recite this prayer the blessing of direct service to Kåñëa in Våndävana. So I hopefully and eagerly anticipate that, despite my being wretched and disquali?ed, you will ultimately take my hand and lead me to the groves of Çré Vraja-dhäma to eternally assist you in serving the Divine Couple. I am still very, very far—seemingly impossibly far—from being ?t for such a boon, but am con?dent that just as you have lifted me up from the gutter and engaged me in devotional service, you can take me all the way back to Godhead. Right here and now, I am extraordinarily fortunate to be participating in your distribution of mercy within the saìkértana mission of karuëa-avatära Çré Çacé-nandana Gaura-hari, the combined form of Çré Rädhä-Mädhava. For all these gifts, we should meditate upon and offer obeisances at your lotus feet not just three times a day but at every moment. All glories to your lotus feet, Çréla Prabhupäda! All glories to those of Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura and to those of all the previous äcäryas, the dust of which you have sprinkled upon us. All glories to the
supreme object of worship of the Gauòéyas, Çré Rädhä-Mädhava in the bowers of Våndävana. Aspiring for your mercy to attain eternal service therein,
Your otherwise totally unquali?ed

Bhakti Vikäsa Swami

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