Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet on the occasion of Your Most Auspicious 108th Vyasa-Puja celebrations.
While food is being offered to Lord Jagannatha on the cart, duringRathayatra festival, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped his dancing and went to a nearby garden. He was very fatigued from the hard labor of dancing.
While the Lord was resting in ecstatic love on a raised platform in the garden, King Prataparudra entered the garden and very expertly began to massage the Lord’s lotus feet. While massaging the Lord’s lotus feet, the king began to recite the “Gopi-Gita” from Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Mahaprabhu was pleased beyond limits, especially upon hearing the verse:
tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalama srimad atatam bhuvi grnanti ye bhuri–dajanah
Translation: “My Lord, the nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those who are always aggrieved in this material world. These narrations are transmitted by exalted personalities, and they eradicate all sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Those who spread the message of Godhead are certainly the most munificent welfare workers.”
Upon hearing this verse, Mahaprabhu immediately embraced the speaker saying: “You are the most munificent! You are the most munificent! You have done so much for me. I am indebted to you but I am just a mendicant, how could I repay you? All I could simply do is embrace you.”
Lord Caitanya embraced King Prataparudra for the recitation ofkathamrita, the “Gopi-Gita”. For having done that recitation, Mahaprabhu considered the king to be bhurida, most munificent. Srila Prabhupada, whenever I read or remember this pastime from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, I visualize Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embracing you.
Srila Prabhupada, you have compiled and recited oceans ofkathamrita and upadeshamrita for the pleasure of Lord Caitanya and benefit of humanity at large; generation after generation for the next 10,000 years. Probably you were the most outspoken person of the 20th century. You wrote your Bhaktivedanta purports to more than fifty volumes and spoke your unlimited number of conversations which now have been printed in almost forty volumes. Plus you gaveBhagavatam classes and Bhagavad-gita classes and pandal lectures and house programs and on top of that you wrote 8,000 letters to your disciples. You are matchless in the amount of nectarean instructive books you have written and talks you have delivered. You are that bhurida, most munificent personality to whom Mahaprabhu referred. You have pleased Lord Caitanya beyond limits, as I see when I behold the sight of You being embraced by Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Unto such Srila Prabhupada I wish to dedicate my words, deeds and thoughts life after life!
Your servant,
Lokanath Swami.
