sri sri guru gauranga jayatah!
Year 3, Issue 7, Amāvasyā Special Edition
Posted: 8 August 2021
Dedicated to and Inspired by
nitya-lila pravista om visnupada
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
Prioritizing Service Over Health
A letter to a younger god-brother
Appearing in English for the first time
Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅgau Jayataḥ
Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha
Kaṁsa-ṭīlā P.O. Mathurā
25.01.69
śrī śrī vaiṣṇava-caraṇe daṇḍavat-nati pūrvikeyam – I first of all offer my obeisances at the feet of the Vaiṣṇavas.
Śrīpāda Paryaṭaka Mahārāja,
I received your letter timely and through it became aware of all the news, but because I have no information about where you are preaching at present, I couldn’t give an immediate response. I don’t know whether you will receive this letter or not.
My health is not good, so the doctor now wants me to get admitted into the hospital in Delhi. But after receiving the letter from Śrīpāda Trivikrama Mahārāja and Śrīpāda Hari Bābū, I have postponed that and have reserved a sleeper berth on the train travelling to Bengal on 28.01.69.
Śrīpāda Trivikrama Mahārāja and Śrīpāda Hari Bābū have written that Śrīpāda Hari Bābū has agreed to give Rs. 15,000 for the construction of paramārādhyatama Śrī Śrīla Gurudeva’s śrī samādhi-mandira. If this task is not accomplished as soon as possible, and if Śrīpāda Hari Bābū passes away, then his sons will take hold of all the money. Hari Bābū’s health is also gradually deteriorating, so they are calling me to come to Bengal at the earliest. For this reason, despite with my ill health and all my responsibilities here, I have to go.
Please inform me how our Bengal preaching is going on and about the collection of the ingredients for the service of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. Convey my daṇḍavat-praṇāmas to Śrīpāda Urddhvamanthi Mahārāja and you all also accept my praṇāma. How is your health at present? Whatever the situation is, by devoting ourselves with great enthusiasm in the preaching activities and service of Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas, we will attain the mercy of Śrī Gurudeva.
What else? Reply to me at the Chuñchurā maṭha address.
I conclude here.
Praying for a particle of the Vaiṣṇavas’ mercy,
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
