oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

Dear Gurudeva!

I offer my unlimited dandavat pranams and respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to You and Gauranga. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to write to you on the auspicious day of your centennial. Words cannot express the deepest gratitude I feel for getting your causeless mercy. When I was rotting away in my material life, you lifted my ignorance through your causeless mercy and revealed the light of pure bhakti.

Gurudeva, your loving smile and sweet voice is engraved in my mind and heart. I cried when I could not meet you for the first time in North Carolina. You heard me and called me the next day and gave me harinama! When I first met you in person at Houston 14+ years ago, I thought, You will not recognize me. Of course, I am a fallen soul and so it was normal for me to think like that. In the two minutes I spent with You, I realized that You were closer to me than I am closer to you!

Though I am stubbornly attached to maya, You continue to guide me towards bhakti, one-pointed bhakti. I do not see this as a special treatment for me. You treat everyone around the world this way. Why do I feel like, I do not miss You? Your teachings, books, lectures, instructions are the proof that You are always with me and my family.

Thank you for engaging my crazy mind in service to vaisnavas. On this day, I fall at Your lotus feet to beg and pray that You always stay in my heart and let me serve You life after life.

Your aspiring servant,

Ashok Krishna Dasa