My dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my most respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to you and to the sankirtana mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which you have preached and expanded so perfectly all over the world.

On the material plane, small children naturally worship their father, but as they grow up, they manifest their own desires and come to pursue their own path. But the blessed child of a learned father learns to deeply love, and to follow, his worthy father.

How fortunate we are to have you as our eternal father, for your spiritual qualities truly have no limit. There is no end to your purity and depth, your simple honesty that springs mightily from the fully realized vision of an eternally liberated soul.

Let us, your spiritual children, boldly prove to the world that you are the Supreme Lord’s own and dearest agent, the merciful rain cloud come to extinguish the blazing fire of birth and death that engulfs the stupid world.

If only, by your kindness, we may transcend our internal conflicts and again become lions in the chase, and not merely at home, relentlessly stroking the great mrdanga till its divine booming tones save every innocent soul, and put the demonic ones to flight.

As I grow older, Srila Prabhupada, I see more and more that all I could ever desire is to follow your footsteps. All the qualities I aspire for, I see in you, and the solution to all my problems is to listen seriously to your instructions and obey them. You are a perfect person, an ideal person, a pure devotee of Lord Krishna.

Praying to be useful in your mission, I remain,
Your servant forever,
Hridayananda Dasa Goswami
1990