Good morning,
There were some schedule and editing issues which prevented the Vyasa-Puja web page from being ready this morning. I am wokring on it as you read this, and it will be ready this afternoon.
My apologies to Guru Maharaja and the Devotees.
Bala
Actually, it is I who owe everyone apologies. Baladeva made a noble effort, and I'm afraid I served more as an obstacle than anything. I apologize to Swami and all the devotees for any anxiety, and I apologize to Baladeva for the frustration and embarrassment he must be feeling.
With fingers crossed, I submit this link:
http://www.swami.org/sanga/vp05/vp05.htm
Again, sorry for the delay. I underestimated the size of the project.
Bala
I just noticed that Tharsan's offering is missing from the Web site. I'm not sure how that happened, but here it is:
My humble obeisances unto Swami Tripurari Maharaja.
I hope that one day I can become like the devotees who are in your association and who are so kind. Your sanga articles have helped me in times of need, when there was simply nothing else I could read that gave me a sense of hope, especially the article which says that one should never give up chanting of Krsna Nama under any circumstances, even if it may seem hypocritical at times. Thank you for your mercy of giving me association with your devotees in the Tattva Viveka forum. They are so kind with one another. I hope again that one day I can become like them and feel the same way they feel and feel the love with which they offer glorification to each other and to you as their Guru. I am definitely so immature; please forgive any offenses I committed.
Tharshan
That is strange! I remember doing Tharshan's... I'll fix it.
There were a few offerings lost in the shuffle, they have now been added to the Vyasa-puja site:
Agnidev
Manohari dasi
Radhika seva dasi
Ratna-cintamani devi dasi
http://www.swami.org/sanga/vp05/vp05.htm
Haribol!
Bala
Baladeva,
Thank you so much for making the offerings page again this year, it is beautiful! It is a wonderful gift not only to Guru Maharaja, but to our entire group. It brings us all together, in song, as a family, to glorify our Guru in a place where every voice can be heard and appreciated by all. Thank you for pulling us together!
With sincere gratitude,
Kalpavrksa dasa
I would like to thank all the devotees who posted their offerings. It was very inspiring to read everyone's feelings and realizations. While it may be humbling to write something publicly about your relationship with your guru, it is a very good exercise. Writing is a process that I feel is useful for everyone. It is like anything else---practice makes perfect, or at least improves it.
In general keeping a journal is a useful way to practice writing, which can enable you to go deeper into yourself and examine your motives, desires and aspirations--to look at what your are really made of, warts and all. I have been keeping a journal off and on for about 20 years, and it is very amazing at what comes through!
Something about the process lets you go more deeply than just thinking. I don't know what it is exactly but writing is like opening a window into parts of your self you may not be aware of. Writing is very internal, if you allow it. Anyway I love writing, and some of you may not, but regardless it is good practice. Prabhupada used to encourage us to write our realizations.
I hope those devotees who didn't share their offerings would consider writing them next year not only to glorify our Swami and for your own purification, but for the other devotees as well. Your struggles and deep reflections about how our guru has changed you and made a difference in your life is inspiring and beneficial for all of us. The fact that you keep on keeping on despite difficulties can also help other devotees to do the same.
Dasanudas,
Karnam
I appreciated all of your sentiments and knowledge. Overall I was impressed with the level of understanding expressed in the offerings. Sriman Karnamrta's post encouraging everyone to write was also a very nice after thought that should be taken to heart. Not all of the offerings I received were posted on the site for some reason.
One I received from Fred was notable in that he prefaced it with the first line of Syamasundara's song in praise of me.
koti namaskara kori dante trna dhori
acarya bhaktivedanta swami tripurari
"With a straw in my teeth I ofer thousands of pranams to acarya Swami Bhaktivedanta tripurari."
Although Syama did not write an offering this year (neither have I written one every year for Srila Prabhupada), it made me think of him and his song. It is a very good song tht everyone should learn to sing, and this first line is a good simple alternate pranam to the longer one composed by Brghupada.
The verse written by Babhru could also serve in this capacity.
prasida suhrd ärthänäm prasidaudärya-dhärine
räga-soka-bhujangena dastam mäm uddhara guro
prasida--be merciful; suhrt-arthänam--O friend of the distressed; prasida--be merciful; audärya-dhärine--reservoir of magnanimity; räga-soka-bhujangena--by the snake of attachment and lamentation; dastam--bitten; mäm--me; uddhara--lift up; guro--O spiritual master.
"Please be kind to me, dear friend to the distressed. Be kind, my guide, O reservoir of munificence, and deliver me, for I have been bitten by the snake of attachment and lamentation."
This prayer does not mention my name but the word suhrt is very nice and an appropriate way to address to sri guru, our ever well wisher.
Vaisnava vrnda ki jaya!
The verse written by Babhru could also serve in this capacity.
prasida suhrd ärthänäm prasidaudärya-dhärine
räga-soka-bhujangena dastam mäm uddhara guro
prasida--be merciful; suhrt-arthänam--O friend of the distressed; prasida--be merciful; audärya-dhärine--reservoir of magnanimity; räga-soka-bhujangena--by the snake of attachment and lamentation; dastam--bitten; mäm--me; uddhara--lift up; guro--O spiritual master.
"Please be kind to me, dear friend to the distressed. Be kind, my guide, O reservoir of munificence, and deliver me, for I have been bitten by the snake of attachment and lamentation."
This prayer does not mention my name but the word suhrt is very nice and an appropriate way to address to sri guru, our ever well wisher.
I just want to mention that, although Swami's name is not explicitly given in this verse, I chose a couple of words very carefully as allusions to him and what he gives us. I worked hard to keep "su-hrt" in the verse, because it reminds me of the kind of friendship I feel with him. A friend is called suhrt when he (or she) is in a superior position and is a well-wishing friend. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada distinguished among the different kinds of friends, explaining that mitra indicates social friendship, bandhu indicates an official friend, but suhrt indicates the kind of friend who is always thinking of his friend's happiness and benefit. And Swami has told us that in Vraja Krishna has such superior friends, the older boys, led by Baladeva and Sridama, who look out for Krishna, who are his well wishers. And I wanted to include audarya-dharine to specifically allude to Tripurari Maharaja, who is very generous, liberal, and so is a storehouse of magnanimity, that magnanimity he tells us of so often as a core characteristic of Sri Sri Nitai-Goursundar's lila, as well, of course, to his Audarya ashram and Audarya audio ministry.