VYASA-PUJA OFFERING 1993

By Sridhara Swami

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhutale
srimati bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarne
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

The back of the young punk rocker's head is tattooed: NO MORE PAIN. In fat bold letters his message tells the story of a generation in the New World Order (or dis-Order). The boy is fat. Health is not his problem. His mind is sick.

Srila Prabhupada, you came to us from a long way away. A distance of light years, more than I can count. How far away are Krsna's lotus feet anyway? I cannot fathom the depth of your compassion. O Saragrahi Vaisnava, please take away the pain. I think we're all saying that.

Srila Prabhupada, how little I know of your personality. Only impressions of those years when you were with us and we were young. Soft, gentle, pure, all-knowing, wise, steady, fearless, all-powerful – only impressions of you. If knowledge is power, then only you have the power to take away my pain because your knowledge is awesome.

That punk rocker wants to be a devotee. He's afraid... To lose his pain he might have to leave aside his tattoo.

Should I preach to him, Srila Prabhupada? How can I proceed when my tattoo is still there? It's only faith in you, your word, your gift of devotional service, which keeps me going. Now I remember Jayananda in San Francisco. "You just have to have faith in the name." He always said it. I don't have much faith in the name (no taste), so I just hang on to my faith in you.

Your servant,
Sridhara Swami

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