Please accept my humble obeisances into the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to His divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

Today is very auspicious day - day of your Vyasa-puja. And I am standing here and I want to glorify you in so many ways. That is very difficult for a person like me because in my limited way I can see only some of the qualities you have. Therefore I'll be happy if I could only say THANK YOU GURUDEVA. But is it possible to thank you at all?

How much time will pass before I learn how to serve you properly, to serve and love without wanting anything in return. You are so patient and tolerant, in spite of all the foolish things I do, you simply wait for me to grow up, you teach me and others by example, you show me how to love and how to serve.

All glories to you Guru Maharaja! One day you entered my life and you cut a big curtain of maya with golden knife. You came and tried to give me Krsna, but I had so many other things to do. You are still here waiting for me to open my heart. I locked the door, but you made me open it at least a little bit and I know that only by your mercy I'll be able to open it completely.

Now I am only praying to Lord Krsna to become aware of how much you care how much you love us, and how much you love Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. I would consider myself very lucky if I developed only 1% of that love for you, Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. 

Kind and gentle, always ready to help, even when we don't ask. Always happy and smiling, but so serious in Krsna consciousness, determined to serve Srila Prabhupada, Krsna and all other devotees, regardless of who they are. For you it doesn't matter how foolish we are, you are always there for us.

You said once: "There is nothing we cannot do if we put our minds to it." So I am praying to you for blessings to fix my mind on Krsna's lotus feet, to always stay there no matter what's happening around me. I want to become a good servant but I always experience a shock when I realize that I just stare unable to do anything else. I remember one sentence form Vraja-lila:

"Dear Gurudeva, please bless me by endowing me with your best disciples' qualities who are serving you purely."

On this glorious day I am bowing down in front of your lotus feet, again and again, hoping that one day I'll be able to please you with my acts not only with words. I thought I was serving you but then I realized that in fact you were serving me, and still do; by teaching me how to make my first steps on my way back home, back to Krsna.

Unhappy and lost in deep darkness I was but you brought light in my life. With your words and instructions, so deep and strong, you can convince anyone to do some service for Krsna, to give something to Him. I feel very much ashamed because here I am, standing in front of you empty-handed, unable to offer you anything but a promise that I'll give my best and at the end, again I can only say THANK YOU GURUDEVA.

Your useless servant,
Tijana