Padmanabha Purnima

When my Gurudeva was in this world, I could not realize his glories, but now I am realizing them. I am very unqualified and unworthy, and I am without knowledge of any Western languages besides a little English. Still, due to the very small amount of service I rendered to the lotus feet of my Gurudeva, you see that so many devotees throughout the world are hearing from me. Also, I am writing volumes of books, and when I read those very same books, I am in great wonder how they could have come from my hand and heart...

It is only by my Gurudeva's mercy that I was able to translate Jaiva-dharma from Bengali to Hindi. Now, by his mercy only, Jaiva-dharma and other books of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, like Sri Bhajana-rahasya, are being translated in so many languages, like English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. This is all his mercy...

I remember when I used to come with my param-aradyatama (most worshippable) Sri Gurudeva and his disciples to Purusottama-ksetra during the Ratha-yatra Chariot Festival, and after that we all returned here for one month to observe Purusottama-vrata, the vows of this month...

Today is the first day of our Urja-vrata, niyama seva and Damodara-vrata. Today is also Saradiya-Purnima, the day leading to the full moon night, when Lord Sri Krsna began His performance of the Rasa Dance. Today is also the disappearance day of my Gurudeva, nitya-lila pravista om visnupada Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja...

Although my Gurudeva has unlimited transcendental qualities, his wonderful speciality, his best quality, was his unprecedented guru-nistha, his faith and loyalty to his Guru. Such faith and loyalty is the backbone of bhakti. Unless one has faith in one's own spiritual master, one cannot come even close to having bhakti. We could see the guru-nistha of our Gurudeva, especially at the samadhi place of his Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, in Mayapura-dhama...

"We pray at the lotus feet of that form of Radhalingita-Radhacihnita Sri Krsna, who is embraced and marked by Sri Radhika. When Srimati Radhika, the personification of mahabhava, displayed mana (Her mood of jealous anger), and He became thoroughly immersed in separation from Her, His own dark complexion vanished and He assumed Her bright, golden luster...

Despite his being very rasika, if someone would say anything against his Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, my Gurudeva would become like a thunderbolt. Once someone (from the group of sahajiya babajis) *[See endnote 2] wrote an article and made some propaganda, saying, "Oh, members of the Gaudiya Matha don't know anything. They only suck on the dry skin of the mango, while we babajis are drinking the rasa of Krsna's pastimes...

We do not understand the value of guru, and especially of siksa-guru. If diksa and siksa-guru are the same person, that is a wonderful position. The importance of siksa-guru should be realized. He teaches his disciple in visrambha-bhava, intimacy. He does not have the awe and reverence relationship with his siksa disciple. I was very open and frank with my Gurudeva. I asked him many questions from texts such as Sri Ujjvala-nilamani...

This very day, Saradiya- rasa-purnima (the full-moon day on which Krsna’s Autumn rasa-lila began), is important in so many ways. On this day my Gurudeva entered nitya-lila, Sri Sri Radha-Krsna’s eternal pastimes. It is because he has entered nitya-lila that we address him as “nitya-lila pravista om visnupada astotara-sata Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja.” He is one of the dearest associates of jagad-guru Srila Prabhupada Bhakisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura. He served Srila Prabhupada throughout his life.

In this Damodarastakam, Sri Satyavrata Muni is offering obeisances to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead - Nanda-nandana, Yasoda-nandana. Yasoda-nandana plays in the forests of Vrndavana, Nandagrama and Varsana. Here, Satyavrata Muni especially refers to His Gokula-Mahavana pastimes, which are so beautiful...