Special On-line Edition in honour of
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja's
Centennial Vyāsa-pūjā in 2021
Please visit gurudevamemories.com for the updated list of devotees' sweet remembrances of Śrīla Gurudeva. And if you have a significant memory yourself that will help others, please share it.
śrī śrī vaiṣṇava-caraṇe-daṇḍavat-nati-purvikeyam
(Bowing at the feet of Śrī Śrī Vaiṣṇavas)
Mā Umā! Yesterday I received your letter, which was dated 9 July, 1975, and was delighted to learn of your well-being. Yesterday morning, all of a sudden, I thought of you, and just after that, I received your letter. I hope that by Śrīla Gurudeva’s mercy you are all well. Know you have my affectionate blessings.
After returning to Mathurā, I have been busy arranging for the water supply, getting many cracked parts of the building repaired and doing other services. Also, it has taken some time to get well here, after bringing my ill body back from Bengal. For this reason, I have not written anyone a special letter. I only wrote a few letters that were very urgent. At present, my body is a little better, by Śrīla Guru-pādapadma’s mercy and the repairing and other tasks are going on. Because of the lack of water here, I had to get deeper boring done in the well. I purchased a 1 H.P. motor and had it installed. The motor brought from Navadvīpa was of no use. Anyway, at the moment, there is no water problem.
You are supremely fortunate. All the Vaiṣṇavas have affection for you. Especially, pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja and Pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja have mercifully distributed so much hari-kathā and bhakti-siddhānta to you, and they continue to do so. On top of that, you are gradually progressing in hari-bhajana with a simple heart and a mood of genuine sincerity. This is a matter of delight. Having taste for hari-kathā is a sign of immense good fortune. This is why you have such eagerness to hear hari-kathā from my mouth as well. However, aside from one or two stories, I do not know any hari-kathā. Also, whatever I know is again just whatever I have heard from pūjyapāda Vāmana Mahārāja and pūjyapāda Trivikrama Mahārāja, so please hear from them as is opportune and convenient. Scriptures state: “tāte kṛṣṇa bhaje kare gurura sevana, māyā-jāla chuṭe pāya śrī kṛṣṇa caraṇa – by worshipping Kṛṣṇa and serving śrī guru, one becomes free from the web of māyā and attains the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Guru-niṣṭhā is the principal foundation of bhajana.
To somehow attaining greed for rāgānugā-bhakti is a matter of supreme good fortune for the living entity. Upon attaining this, there remains nothing else to attain. Therefore, under the guidance of our guru-varga, one will have to advance towards that goal by means of performing the sādhana our guru-varga have practised and preached.
Despite receiving instruction from pūjyapāda Mahārājas [Vāmana Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja] to go to Śrīdhāma Navadvīpa at the time of Śrī Ratha-yātrā, I was unable to go, unfortunately. Should my most worshipful śrī śrīla guru-pādapadma and the supremely benevolent Śrī Gaurasundara pull me there, I will be bound to go. I have a single focused desire to observe Kārtika vrata in Śrīdhāma Mathurā during the month of Kārtika.
I was very sad to hear that Dīdī (your mother) fell and hurt her back. She is a Vaiṣṇavī and a devoted servitor of guru. Should any trouble befall her, I take it as great sorrow. Even though a real Vaiṣṇava never actually has any sorrow, we are unable to understand that. Serve her as best you can and read devotional books to her. Please convey my daṇḍavat to her.
What more? From time to time, let me know how your bhajana is going. Please accept my affectionate blessings. I thus conclude.
