Dear Srila Prabhupada

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!

You described your spiritual master as a “Vaikuntha man,” and it's blatantly obvious that you were no different. More specifically, a “Vrindavana man” who travelled to the end of Earth and back, shedding gallons of blood to tell the world about Krishna. “Vraja” literally means “to move.” The true residents of that holy place are ready and willing go, do and embrace whatever is required to fulfil Krishna’s ever-changing desires. How wonderfully you embodied this spirit!

When family life impeded your cherished mission, you walked away without disappointment. When, in a shocking dream, you were summoned to accept sannyasa, you moved with the mysterious desires of Sri Guru. When the opportunity arose to journey to America, though penniless, you daringly ventured into the unknown. When preaching prospects arose in the Lower East Side, Skid Row, the rat-ridden 94-Bowery, you relocated without any hesitation whatsoever. You racked up the air miles, leaving no stone unturned, embracing every possible opportunity to share your message. When a disciple explained that he wanted to eternally reside at your lotus feet, "it will be very difficult," you replied, "because I'm always moving!" You were a ‘mover and shaker’ in the deepest sense of the term. No hesitation, no holding back, ready to go with the plan of Krishna. Fearless, flexible and fully available.

Please help me understand your desires. Please help me lock them in the innermost chambers of my heart. Please bless me with Vrindavana consciousness: no hesitation, no holding back, ready to go with the plan of Krishna. Keep on moving. Fearless, flexible and fully available. This time, somehow or other, I have to get right.

You were Krishna’s own man. Lofty and presumptuous as it may sound, may I one day become a “Prabhupada man.” What else could we wish for?

Begging to remain, in your transcendental service,

Sutapa das