All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga For our Srila Gurudev, Om Visnupad Sri Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj A Compilation of Offerings from your Global Community of Aspiring Servitors On your 77th Anniversary Sri Vyasa Puja Celebration December 2006 EDITOR: Vrndavanesvari Dasi DesIGNER: Gaurahari Das AssISTANT EDITORS: Ashapurna Dasi, Damayanti Dasi TRANSLATOR: Laksmi Kanti Dasi PHOTogRapHS: Jamuna Priya Dasi AdvIsoRS: Mahananda Das B.R., Sarvabhavana Das Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, 2006 S RI VYASA PUJA 2006 Beloved Srila Gurudev, lease accept my heartfelt dandavat pranams at your lotus feet. With your unending supply of affection and mercy, please forgive my offenses and Pegotistical nature. I am struggling through this material world, but it is my greatest fortune to have hundreds of God-brothers and God-sisters helping me on the path of Krishna Consciousness. When I read their sweet words, thoughtfully sent every year for your Sri Vyasa Puja, I am again reminded how lucky I am to be apart of such a warm, global community. We come from many different cultures and backgrounds, but our most sincere soul-expressions unite in honor of you, Srila Gurudev. Offerings from You are the most attractive leader, pulling our heartstrings as you guide us towards real devotion and service to Sri Krishna. Sannyasis You show us the true meaning of life. You show us, by your example, what it really means to be humble, tolerant, and give honor to others. You show us how to stay 2 0 0 6 together in our spiritual practice. With my meager attempt at humility, I offer you this book of Sri Vyasa Puja offerings on behalf of our production team: Gaurahari Prabhu in California, Ashapurna Didi in England, Laksmi Kanti Didi in Venezuela, and Damayanti Didi and Jamuna Priya Didi in India. Of course, we would be lost without the advice of our well-wishers and senior devotees, Sarvabhavana Prabhu in California and Mahananda Prabhu in Sri Nabadwip Dham. Trying to be of some small service to your servants, Your little daughter in San Jose, California, Vrindavanesvari Dasi S RI VYASA PUJA 2006 OFFE RIN G S F R O M S A NN YAS I S gurvvabhista-supurakam guruganair-asisa-sambhusitam “The dharma for the Age of Kali is Krishna’s nama-sankirtan. Without being empowered by cintyacintya-samasta-veda-nipunam sri-rupa-panthanugam Krishna himself, no one can propagate the chanting of the Holy name.” govindabhidham ujjvalam varatanum bhakyanvitam sundaram vande visva-gurunca divya-bhagavat-premno hi bijapradam Perhaps some unfortunate persons may not know of your unparalleled service to your Guru, your Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Homage to Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj Maybe as such they cannot understand the import of Srila Narottam Das Thakur’s words, chadiya vaishnava seva nistara peyeche keba: unless one truly serves a Vaishnava, Dear Srila Govinda Maharaj, one cannot know what is spiritual advancement. prostrate myself in the dust of your lotus feet, feeling Yet, you have revealed yourself to us, and we are seeing that those who are greatly myself not only unworthy to serve you, but also one who dedicated to your service, their enthusiasm and dedication is contagious. In this way Ishamelessly cannot remain far from your divine association. You there is some hope even for those who are vaishnava-praya. once commented (citing the words of Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur) that unless he will reveal himself to us, we cannot know who is a When I joined the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Srila Sridhar Maharaj affectionately real Vaishnava. referred to the famous verse of Srila Bilvamangal Thakur: In this respect, you have revealed your compassionate heart to us; your kindness to all advaita-vithi-pathikair upasyah fallen souls, such as myself, is well known to all. You have even forgiven my mistakes svananda-simhasana-labdha-diksah and lack of surrender. To some unfortunate souls who lack sukriti, your ways, like sathena kenapi vayam hathena those of the Lord, may be unknown and unknowable. Your humor and words may dasi-krta gopa-vadhu-vitena bewilder them. As you minimize the overbearing stiffness of vidhi-marg, your actions may be beyond their comprehension. “Although I was initiated into advaita-vad and seated on a Simhasana and worshiped by others, I have nonetheless been forcibly turned into a maidservant by some cunning boy who Still, as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself noted about Sri Adwaita Acharya: is always joking with the gopis.” yahara kripate mlecchera hoy krishna-bhakti At that time, it was my great fortune that you gave me your protection, as you have ke kahite pare tara vaishnavata-shakti given your affectionate mercy to so many. You awakened me to the reality of service by your words and by your own example, and you sent me again out into the world “You are such a great personality that by your mercy you can convert even the mlecchas to engage myself in trying to spread Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission of Krishna to the devotional service of Krishna. Who, therefore can estimate the power of your consciousness. And I could always feel your guidance. Although my propensity is Vaishnavism?” always to err, at every step you have practically guided me and kept me engaged. As it is also noted in Sri Chaitanya-Chaitamrita (Antya 7.11): Srila Sridhar Maharaj remarked that everything must be considered according to its potential. Srila Prabhupad remarked that his work was not finished, and asked Srila kali-kalera dharma-krishna-nama-sankirtana Sridhar Maharaj to help finish and polish his disciples, the very work that he had krishna-shakti vina nahe tara pravartana begun. In his turn, Srila Sridhar Maharaj remarked that he himself was already old and 6 S RI VYASA PUJA 2006 OFFE RIN G S F R O M S A NN YAS I S asked you to accept the responsibility of continuing with the guidance of the western mat-chittah mat-gatah-pranah devotees who had come seeking shelter. bodhayantah parasparam kathayantash ca ma’ng nityong Speaking for myself, I will say that we are all aspiring to be students and are tushyanti cha ramanti cha undoubtedly unfinished works still in the process of being formed. But still there is full potential there. Were we to minimize that potential, it would be an aparadh to our “The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, Divine Masters: Srila Prabhupad, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, and you. I cannot say that I am and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and without hope; I have so much good fortune. I have taken shelter of my most kind and conversing about Me. affectionate master and guardian. While incapable of enlightening, it is my prayer that my attempt to converse on this On this most auspicious day of your divine avirbhav, your Vyasa Puja and divine matter may bring about some satisfaction in the heart of a devotee. If so, surely I shall appearance, I once again come as a beggar, entreating your mercy. If you will not cast be purified by his grace. your affectionate glance upon me, then that divine light will not illuminate my vision. I again promise to continue in your service and beg for another opportunity to be of In the above verse we find described the awkward plight of the living entity and the some use. remedy for its removal. Desiring to be eternally engaged in your service, I remain, jive sahkshaht nahi, we cannot directly perceive chaitya-rupe, the Supersoul, although He is always present with us. Without His Divine guidance we are inescapably Only your servitor, manipulated by maya shakti to behave in ways which are always detrimental to our Tridandi bhikshu Sri Bhakti Pavan Janardan own well-being. Without the means of deliverance, such sufferings of the jiva might be ascribed to the cruel humor of a sadistic God. But God is Krishna, and He is akhila rasamrta murti, the jive sahkshaht nahi tate guru chaitya-rupe embodiment of sweetness, charm and beauty. Although possessed of delightful humor, no shikshah-guru haya krishna-mahahnta-svarupe part of Him is grotesque. What appears to the unskilled observer as cruelty, is no less than His means of honoring the jiva’s innate freedom and affording a means of correcting the “Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He course of the aberrant soul to guide him back to his transcendental home, where he may appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none enjoy the company of his Lord as amrtasya putrah, a son of nectar. other than Kanea Himself.” We are blind to the sight of the Guru within, but Krishna is so merciful that He his verse, as it relates to His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad Srila appears Himself in the form of His liberated devotee to instruct us. As the blind Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, is self-explanatory cannot read through the subtle sense of sight but by the physical touch of Braille, the Tand thus requires only meditation and not comment to grasp. unseen chaitya guru appears as the mahanta guru via the Lord’s pure devotees in order to be recognized by the blind but sincere seeker of spiritual knowledge. That said, Krishna tells us in Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Shri Gurudeva cures the blind spiritual eye of the aspirant, not by the introduction S RI VYASA PUJA 2006 OFFE RIN G S F R O M S A NN YAS I S of any artificial element, but by strengthening his own immune system.