1.1 Let me treasure the opportunity, even when bereft of facility

boro-kṛpā kaile kṛṣṇa
adhamer prati

Such immense mercy have you shown,
O Krishna, upon this soul, fallen and forlorn.

My dear Lord, how stunning is the consciousness of the saints devoted to you—as seen in Srila Prabhupada, who declared that he had received immense mercy from you. Yet, to any ordinary eye, no mercy is visible. He stands alone—no followers accompanying him, none awaiting him. He has no institutional support. His material means are almost nothing—just forty rupees. The only resource he possesses—his own body—has endured two heart attacks on successive nights during his voyage.

In such dire circumstances, what does he see as your mercy, O inconceivable Lord? Simply the fact that he has reached America after that perilous journey. He now has a chance to fulfill his spiritual master’s instruction—to share bhakti with the Western world. Though he has no facility to carry out that mission, he is profoundly grateful that he has, at least, the opportunity.

O Lord Almighty, a heart devoted to you sees beyond the circumstantial to the transcendental—from scarcity to sanctity, from trial to trust. Help me focus on what you have done, not on what you have not yet done—or what may seem to have been undone by you. Inspired by your pure devotee’s vision, bless me, during my moments of test, to manifest even a fraction of such devotional appreciation—focusing on what I have, not on what I lack.