Sri Vyasa-puja Homage
by Vyasasan das
Dear Srila Prabhupada
On this most blessed and auspicious day, the celebration of your appearance, Sri Vyasa-puja
Please let me offer my respectful obeisances:
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.
Today I am reminded that 50 years ago, you boarded the ship Jaladuta, which was bound for America, just to execute the order of your spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, and preach the message of Lord Caitanya, to the Western speaking world.
This year we celebrate the 50th aniversery of that famous journey to America. While aboard the Jaladuta, on Sept 13th, 1965, in the middle of the Atlantic ocean you wrote the poem “Prayers to the Lotus Feet of Krsna”. I would like to read it here today, on this auspicious and blessed day of you appearance, to remind everyone of that famous journey and of the great sacrifice you made at the age of 69 years old, with several boxes of your books, and 40 rupees to your name.
The Hare Krishna Movement 