tvaṁ naḥ sandarśito dhātrā
dustaraṁ nistitīrṣatām
kaliṁ sattva-haraṁ puṁsāṁ
karṇa-dhāra ivārṇavam
“We think that we have met your goodness by the will of providence,
just so that we may accept you as captain of the ship for those who
desire to cross the difficult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human being.” — SB 1.1.22
My dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to Your Divine Grace from the fragrant harbor of Hong
Kong. I am your disciple and a soul surrendered unto you. Please
continue to instruct me. By your teachings I am understanding
everything that is occurring around my body and mind within the
field of matter. But more than that, by following your instructions
my understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī
Kṛṣṇa and my relationship with Him is unfolding.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you kindly initiated me in 1971. Most of
my association with you, however, was through your books, your
recorded lectures and bhajans. Hearing or śravaṇam is the first step
in the process of bhakti-yoga, and through the blessing of technology
I was able to associate with you – much as people around the world
are all able to do now. Currently it is possible to see pictures and
videos of you during your association with your disciples on your
travels. I have to admit, the warmth, friendliness and charm of your
personality is much more evident in the videos.
With all the recordings of you speaking that I have listened
to over the decades, I have never heard you make a mistake. Not
once. Your explanations of subjects are clear and easy to grasp and
you use examples that are sometimes modern – such as giving
analogies referring to microphones and sputniks. You also adapted
the methods of practicing spiritual life to the times in which
we live without compromising the principles. For example, you
permitted unmarried women to live in the temple ashram, calling us
brahmacāriṇīs. This was something for which you were criticized, but
you gave no heed to such ridicule. You treated your female disciples equally to the men, having us assemble in the temple room with men
on one side, women on the other and an aisle between the Vyāsāsana
and the altar. You even gave us second initiation and taught us how
to worship the Deities, which was one of my earliest services.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you welcomed everyone to come and join
in chanting, dancing and taking prasādam. But when it came to
speaking, you were a fighter. Your teaching was for serious students.
In fact, the morning Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class was more serious than
the evening Bhagavad-gītā class, the latter being suited for a more
general audience. In the battle for our souls you never compromised.
You never watered down the teachings just to get more followers.
The rules were clear and for everyone. You declared war on the
material energy and cut the knots of our ignorance with the shining
sword of knowledge.
I learned so much from your persistence. Finally I took up the
task of teaching yoga philosophy in 2004, providing internationally
recognized certification courses in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is for yoga
teachers and students. In my spare time I have been writing for the
past thirty years on various topics, all with the Bhāgavata Vedānta
perspective that you have given us and references to your written
translations. Your explanations of Sanskrit terms shine light on the
underworld of the unmanifested forces of the material and spiritual
worlds. Working in cooperation with BBTI, I have published five
books so far. I endeavor to stay on good terms with devotees both
here and abroad, giving talks at the temple whenever I am invited, as
well as bringing yoga students over for discussions and kīrtan events.
With the invention of the internet, time and space are no
longer an impediment for studying and association. I can find your
quotations and references on any subject within seconds. I can see
and hear you much more than when I lived in the ashram back in
the 1970s. Your disciples interact in forums and share memories of
you, excerpts from your writings, along with discussions of their
insights and realizations which can be very inspiring. With all these
changes in daily life, however, Your Divine Grace remains the center,
the foundation upon which everything stands.
My home is a temple where maṅgala arati, bathing and dressing
of the Deities, Tulasī worship, śāstra reading and fasting days go on
as you recommended. I chant my 16 rounds every day without fail
— japa is the number one task at the top of my daily list. There is
no other way to remain connected to the Source and be spiritually charged, which is the secret to all success. Anyone who visits feels
they have entered a very special place.
Old age is like going bankrupt; at first it happens gradually, then
suddenly all at once. At this point I am managing the decline, which
is a great impetus for serious devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Personally, I have achieved everything I ever wanted. I could die this moment and be happy. My only desire is to serve you and the best friend of
all the universes, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, wherever He likes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, you saved me. I am overwhelmed with tears
of gratitude and am prepared to spend eternity serving you with
love. Even then, I will never, ever be able to repay your kindness.
Without you I would have been lost. I was most unfortunate and it
was Your Divine Grace who made me most fortunate. Thank you,
my dear father, thank you.
Your humble servant in the dust,
Sravaniya Devi Dasi
