My Dear disciples and well-wishers,

Please accept my blessings.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I have received from around the world many Vyas Puja homages, words of appreciation, worship, and love for my humble effort to bless you with Krishna consciousness.  Although I feel myself most unworthy of such words of praise, it is fitting and proper for you all the glorify the spiritual master in this way.  How this is so has very nicely been explained by Srila Prabhupada. 

In September of 1972 I was in the presence of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on the occasion of his Vyas Puja celebration in New Vrindavan.  On that day he told us the following regarding Sri Vyas Puja:

"So this Vyasa-puja means one day in a year, on the birthday of the spiritual master, because he is representative of Vyasa, he is delivering the same knowledge which has come down by disciplic succession without any change, he is offered the respect. This is called Vyasa-puja. And the spiritual master receives all honor, all contribution, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his person. Just like in our country when there was British rule, there was a viceroy, a king's representative. So naturally, when the viceroy used to go to some meeting, many people used to present valuable jewels, valuable, because just to honor him. But the law was that not a single of the jewels or contribution the viceroy could touch. It was going to the royal treasury. The viceroy could accept on behalf of the king all contribution, but it goes to the king.

"Similarly, this day, Vyasa-puja day, whatever honor, contribution and feelings is being offered to the spiritual master, it is being offered to Krishna. Again, as we have received the knowledge from upwards, similarly, this respect also goes from downward to the upward. This is the process. So as the spiritual master is teacher of the student, he has to teach the disciple how to send back his respect and contribution to God. This is called Vyasa-puja.

"So spiritual master is respected as good as God. Why? Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih. They have already chanted this song. Samasta-sastraih, in all Vedic literatures. Samasta, all. Samasta means all. Sastra means Vedic literature. The all the sastras in Vedic literature, they have declared that spiritual master is as good as God. Not God, but as good as God. The Mayavadi, they think that the spiritual master is also God. No. We Vaisnava, we don't accept that theory. But actually how a man can become God? No. But because he is God's representative, he is honored as God, not that he has become God. Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Just like you have got a dear son. If somebody pats your son, even pats your dog, you become pleased. So the spiritual master is very confidential servant, dog of God. Therefore if you can please him, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. If you can please the spiritual master, then God is pleased. Just like your small child. If somebody pleases that child, you become automatically pleased. You can please that child with a two-cent-worth lozenges. But to please you it may require thousands of dollars. So you can finish the business by offering a lozenges.

"So this is the position of a spiritual master. Don't misunderstand that "This person is sitting very comfortably and taking all honors and contribution." It is needed just to teach them how to respect the representative of God. This is the sum and substance of Vyasa-puja. 

from Srila Prabhupada's Sri Vyasa-puja address-- New Vrindavan, September 2, 1972

Srila Prabhupada has so wonderfully blessed us with the perfect understanding of what is a guru and what is a disciple and how the disciple can achieve spiritual perfection by completely surrendering himself unto Krishna through the medium of the bona fide spiritual master.  By taking full advantage of Srila Prabhupada's spotless teachings we will quickly and easily achieve the perfection of human existence.  We will develop pure love of God.

I am hoping this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood. 

Always wishing you the very best,

Sankarshan Das Adhikari