from Giridhari Govinda das

Hare Krishna Srila Gurudev. Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you.
I consider myself utterly unqualified to say or write anything about you, but I also do not want to miss this opportunity to glorify you, especially on your Vyas Puja day. Srila Gurudev, I consider myself very fortunate for you have given me shelter at your lotus feet and connected me to the Parampara. If it was not for you and Srila Prabhupada, I would not have understood the real purpose of human form of life and would have acted whimsically thinking satisfying the senses is the real purpose of life. You frequently quote this verse which Srila Prabhupada has written in his purports of Srimad Bhagavatam.
janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya
kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile baja hari ei
“In the transmigration of the soul through different bodies, everyone, in every form of life — be it human, animal, tree or demigod — gets a father and mother. This is not very difficult. The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the duty of a human being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Kṛṣṇa’s representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return home, back to Godhead.”
By your mercy, last year in 2022 I got the opportunity to visit Vrindavan Dham for the very first time and spend 15 days in your association and hearing nectarian pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krishna from your lotus mouth. I got to witness how a devotee of Lord absorbed fully in Krishna consciousness is situated? how he speaks? how he acts in pressing situation? All this you taught us by your spontaneous nature. From making sure that the devotees were comfortable to they are having good prasadam to encouraging school going kids in Krishna Bhakti, you showed us how we should behave by your own personal example. Srila Gurudev I am longing for Karthik month to come soon so that I can get a drop from the ocean of mercy that flows from your heart.
You have said in your classes that there are 2 types of Bhagavats; first the Srimad Bhagavatam which was spoke by SukhaDev Goswami to Parikshit Maharaj and other person Bhagavad who lives the principles stated in Srimad Bhagawatam. Srila Gurudev you are a Maha Bhagavad for you have shown by living your life on the principles stated in Srimad Bhagavatam from renouncing everything and moving into the temple in your early days in ISKCON to going to Amazon jungles to preach where no one would ever dared to preach, only the person whose heart is filled with compassion can do it and you continue to inspire me every day. Recently a devotee was saying to me that HH Indradyumna Swami’s compassion is unparallel. Lord Chaitanya had mentioned that.
pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma
sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
“In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.”
But you have surpassed this also by preaching in Jungles and to tribal people which doesn’t come in the category of Nagar or gram.
Srila Gurudev when I read Bhagavatam and look at your life and activities you have done to connect people to Krishna consciousness, Maharshi Dadhichi from Bhagavatam comes to my mind.
When Lord Visnu asked Demigods to go and ask Dadhici his bones to make a trident to kill Vrutrasur, he happily gave it away, similarly when Srila Prabhupada gave you the hint in his initiation letter to you, Srila Prabhupada wrote as follows.
“I am pleased by your festival plan for the colleges all over the state. Actually, this roving sankirtan and college program is the most appropriate plan for spreading Krishna Consciousness and preaching. I have just received intimation from Rupanuga of a very large festival he is planning for Central Park. His conjecture is very nice and I want that many such festivals should be held in every city.”
You have happily with full intensity engaged yourself in this service so much so that you said in your offering to Srila Prabhupada in 2019 that you are hesitant to ask for going back home back to Godhead until you fulfil his desire to have a roving sankirtan party and festival in every city.
Srila Gurudev, you are consistency and compassion personified from conducting Polish yatra since last 30+ years even after facing so many obstacles that you have mentioned in your diary to conducting the Vrindavan series since last 4 years. You are consistently giving classes without any stoppage even in your busy schedule. SB 1.2.6 says devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted. Learning from your example I am trying to be determined in my devotional services and would like to improve and be consistent in my sadhana.
Srila Gurudev, you have no business in this material world, you could have been very well situated in Goloka Vrindavan but to claim the fallen conditioned souls like myself you are walking on this planet as a savior.
SB 3.5.3 attests this
janasya kṛṣṇād vimukhasya daivād
adharma-śīlasya suduḥkhitasya
anugrahāyeha caranti nūnaṁ
bhūtāni bhavyāni janārdanasya
O my lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.
We all know how much you love Vrindavan and staying there but to execute the mission of Lord Chaitanya you travel around the world at this age. Reading dairy of traveling monk gives us a glimpse into your service since last 50+ years, I sometime wonder how it is humanly possible for someone to travel so much and risk so much but then I immediately get my answer in SB 1.6.28 Purport given by HDG Srila Prabhupada
“A devotee’s body becomes at once surcharged with the transcendental qualities as soon as he is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. “
Hearing your classes gives me insight into the spiritual world and how it is going to be there, how Srila Prabhupada will identify us, how we will have ISKCON in spiritual world and how Srila Prabhupada will engage us in service. Mostly importantly it gives me hope to come out of this material world where I am rotting since millions of lifetimes.
Srila Gurudev, perhaps I haven’t fully comprehended the kind of mercy you have bestowed upon me, and you are still doing your best to save me. I have no words to thank you, but I would just repeat the words of a close associate of Lord Chaitanya- Kashishwar Pandit. You quoted his poem in your Lord Chaitanya’s journey to Vrindavan Series part 6.
On the blessed day when one is accepted as a disciple by the Guru at the conclusion of the ceremony the disciple should pray as follows:
My dear most spiritual master, with no support in this world I was falling in the ocean of great sorrow and lamentation, you are my only shelter now.
You kindly took my hand and placed me in the boat to Vrindavan where one finds divine love for Radha and Krishna.
My Guru my shelter my only saviour from this day forth I am yours
Make my body your asana, My hands your instruments.
And engage all my senses in your service.
Please kill my false pride, destroy my material desire, beat my uncontrolled senses, smash my bad fortune and deliver me to the son of Maharaj Nanda.
I have further extended this poem as follows:
Calm down my hankering for sense enjoyment with the torch light of knowledge.
Subdue my false ego with engaging me in your service.
Dampen my lusty desires and greed by making me realize my constitutional position.
Enlighten my mind and intelligence by sharing sweet pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
And finally fill my heart with pure love for Sri Sri Radha and Krishna.
Today I offer my respects to you again and again and again.
Srila Gurudev, I know how much dear Polish yatra is to you and this time you need volunteers badly and I am feeling very bad that due to my current circumstances I am not able to come and help there, please forgive me. But I am praying to Krishna to somehow arrange for me to serve you there in future.
Srila Gurudev, please empower me with your blessings so that I can imbibe a fraction of your mood of service and surrender to spiritual master, I know I am not doing enough to please you but below are services that I did last year and continue to do.
Temple service:
Attending complete morning programs on Sunday and special days.
Assisting in temple services for cooking and crowd controlling on festival days.
Raising funds during Janmasthami fund marathon.
Preaching service:
Last year I was allotted 2 areas for preaching in Pune namely Kharadi and Wagholi.
In both the areas I conducted programs on weekend which was attended on an average by 60+ people for both locations. I conducted these programs for 4-5 months.
I also did online preaching where I took Bhagawatam classes in Gujarati.
Did Bhagavad Gita online crash course in 18 days.
I also started another online series on Bhagavad Gita in 108 sessions but had to stop in between because of other services.
Due to my work situation, I am not able to continue with my preaching services this year but will soon resume it.
Book distribution:
During the December marathon I went for street book distribution.
I also raised funds for distributing Srila Prabhupada books.
Taking inspiration from my counselor I started approaching automobile dealers and encouraged them to give Bhagavad Gita with sale of each new vehicle.
So far I have onboarded two car dealers, one tractor dealer and one 2 wheeler dealer, combined they distribute Bhagavad Gita in 7 showrooms. Till now, I have distributed 1500+ Bhagavad Gitas through this channel.
I have got one more opportunity to distribute Bhagavad Gita through online medium and I am working on it.

Srila Gurudev, I have a desire to do lot more than what I am doing right now. I would like to take more services and contribute to the mission of Srila Prabhupada, for this I seek your blessings.
Lastly, I pray to Lord Narsimhadev for your good health.
Attaching below some pictures from book distribution, preaching program.
In the dust of your lotus feet,
Your Servant,
Giridhari Govinda Das