I offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Each year at this time, we search our hearts and minds to discover and articulate the special form and manner in which the perennial flow of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy has manifest at this specific historical moment, both in the world and in our individual lives.

In devotional service, for all things there is a season.  There is a time to act and a time to wait, a time to speak and a time to keep silent, a time to pray and a time to obey the answers to our prayers.  In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna, speaking to this general topic, asks Krishna why, or in what circumstances, a realized soul will stay or go, or speak, and in what language.  The Lord answers that in all circumstances, the enlightened soul will act without selfish motive, that is, in pure Krishna consciousness.

It is Srila Prabhupada’s special mercy, which  have to come to realize more and more recently, that as the transparent via media to Lord Krishna, he will show the sincere soul how to act, or refrain from acting, without selfish desire, soely for the pleasure of the Lord.  This is of course the ultimate gift of Srila Prabhupada; pure devotional service.

Thus we sing, sri-guru-carana-padma, kevala bhakati-sadma: “the lotus feet of Srila Guru are the abode of pure devotional service.”  Thus it logically follows that by serving those feet we achieve Lord Krishna, free of the pain and foolishness of material existence.

On this most blessed day, the divine appearance day of Srila Prabhupada, I pray that he continue to teach me the ways of pure devotional service, for only in such purity can we truly be useful to Srila Prabhupada and thus to Lord Krishna.

His reluctant but persevering servant,
Hridayananda das Goswami
September 8, 2004