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"To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with
the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance."

A letter to Kusakratha Prabhu

From Danavir Goswami

Posted Sep 9, 2005

All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga!

September 8, 2005, Krishna Era 5233

Dear Kusakratha Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am very sorry to hear that you are facing more complications with regard to your physical body. You are using this devastating illness to show the world how to be a surrendered soul of Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama.

It was wonderful to see you last March in Vrndavana, blissfully performing your daily duties, visiting Krsna-Balarama Mandira, taking kichari prasadam in association with the devotees, etc. As you have been brilliantly successful in your long thirty-six years of devotional service to ISKCON, I am sure that you will also be fully victorious in this present effort.

Shortly after Srila Prabhupada's departure from this world, you began to translate and publish classical Sanskrit and Bengali Gaudiya Vaisnava works into the English language. By excavating these literary treasures at an overwhelming rate you rejuvenated the devotees of ISKCON, who felt great sorrow and emptiness in the absence of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada.

I cannot tell you how much value your empowered service has meant to ISKCON thus far and how much more it will be magnified in times to come. You are a great atiratha warrior who has single-handedly launched thousands of astras to defeat Maya's army.

You worked quickly, without wasting a moment for sense gratification. You did not marry nor get involved in any mundane relationships, including even the formality of taking sannyasa, although it must be admitted that you are indeed a unique sannyasi. Your mind, words, and body are fully absorbed in Krsna's name, form, pastimes, and paraphernalia, and you have remained chaste and faithful to your beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

A partial list of your more than 200 Krsna Library translations follows: Vedanta Sutra, Svetasvatara Upanisad, Gopala Tapani Upanisad, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Sri Garga Samhita, Stota-ratna, Munkunda Mala, Visnu Sahasra Nama, Madhvacarya's Tattva-Muktavali, Sri Caitanya Bhagavat, Srila Rupa Goswami's Hamsaduta, Laghu-Bhagavatamrta, Lalita-Madhava, Padyavali and Stavamala; Srila Sanatana Goswami's Hari Bhakti Vilasa and Brhad Bhagavatamrta; Srila Jiva Goswami's Sandarbhas and Gopala Campu; Srila Ramandanda Raya's Jagannatha Vallabha; Srila Kavi Karnapura's Caitanya-candrodaya, Caitanya Carita and Gaura Ganodesa Dipika; Srila Narottama dasa Thakura's Prarthana, and Prema-bhakti-candrika; Srila Prabhodananda Sarasvati's Caitanya-candramrta and Vrndavana-mahimamrta; plus extensive works by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, and others.

Some of the literature that you have translated is so confidentially elevated that many devotees are not yet ready to grasp it. Nevertheless, these immortal works now stand as a vast body of reference material for the Vaisnava community to consult.

Aside from accurately transmitting the words of the acaryas, you have also rendered thousands of pages of glorification of Krsna through your personal English poetic composition. Some of these compositions have been published though many have not, as of yet.

We pray that you completely recover from this illness. However, if it is the Lord's will that you depart, then please rest assured that you have enriched the sankirtana movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You are, in my opinion, one of the stalwart ISKCON workers whose accomplishments are truly astounding. I know Srila Prabhupada is most proud of his dear son, Kusakratha Prabhu, who has sacrificed his life for Krsna's sake.

If there is any service that I can render you, kindly inform me.

Your servant and friend,
Danavir Goswami

Rupanuga Vedic College (USA)
5201 Paseo,
Kansas City, Missouri 64110

Tel: (816) 924-5619, (800) 340-5286,
Fax: (816) 924-5640
E-mail: danavir.goswami@pamho.net
Website: www.rvc.edu

[See Kusakratha: His Books and His Health, dipika.org, September 16, 2003]

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