Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

We welcome you to the most auspicious celebration of Sri Gaura-purnima, the appearance day of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna Chaitanya. According to Vedic scriptures, the Absolute Truth is realized in three features: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Impersonalist speculators want to merge and become one with God, one with the impersonal brahmajyoti, which […]

 

Today is the auspicious disappearance day of Sri Madhavendra Puri, the grand spiritual master of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhavendra Puri’s disciple Isvara Puri was accepted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as His spiritual master. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Himself the origin of all knowledge—perfect, Vedic knowledge—and He had no need to […]

The following account is related by Malika Mala Devi Dasi, a preacher in Russia and Kazakhstan. Once, with Kirtirani Mataji, we performed at a festival in Astana, Kazakhstan. We did not have time to have dinner and rushed to the plane because we were going to be late for the flight. The local devotees handed […]

Today, March 4, in Kharkiv, by the grace of Krishna, we came to distribute Krishna prasadam in the subway. Guys, it’s just like in a movie of post-apocalypse. People live right on the floor, with dogs, cats, and things. On different types of bedding. Crowds of people. They sleep, chat, read books. They said there […]

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja comes in the Gaudiya Vaisnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on the pastimes of Krishna. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, near the […]

Srila Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Lord Siva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. Thus he spoke to his eternal consort, Sati, as follows. Lord Siva said: My dear Bhavani, just see how all […]

Today is Shiva-ratri. Vaishnavas generally do not celebrate Shiva-ratri, and to begin, I will explain why, with reference to the Bhagavad-gita. We read from Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 7: “Knowledge of the Absolute”: TEXT 23 antavat tu phalam tesam   tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam devan deva-yajo yanti  mad-bhakta yanti mam api TRANSLATION Men of small intelligence […]

Today is the disappearance day of Sri Isvara Puri. He was such a perfect disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krishna Himself, was pleased to accept him as His spiritual master. Later, Lord Chaitanya visited Isvara Puri’s birthplace at Kumara-hatta and collected some earth from the birth site, which He kept […]

Today is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada’s appearance day and also also the disappearance day of Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. He left on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day. The first time we celebrated Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s appearance day, I was a new devotee in the Boston temple in early 1970, and Srila Prabhupada instructed […]

On February 21 we are celebrating the 148th birth anniversary of Om Vishnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. This is the 100th year since our dear Srila Prabhupada met his guru maharaja on the rooftop of the building at 1 Ultadanga Junction Road. The Gaudiya Matha was there for twelve years, beginning in 1918, and […]

 

Today, February 14, Saint Valentine’s Day, I was struck when Srila Prabhupada, at the conclusion of his class on Sri Isopanisad, spoke about love—the love that Krishna wants and the love that will satisfy us: “Any religion, it doesn’t matter whether Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion—if you are developing love of God, then you […]

We welcome you on this most auspicious occasion of the appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. According to the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the Absolute Truth is realized in three features. Preliminary is Brahman, the impersonal light that emanates from the transcendental form of the Lord. Next is Paramatma, the localized Supersoul within the […]

 

Today is Varaha-dvadasi, the appearance day of the boar incarnation, Varahadeva. To celebrate His appearance, we shall read one verse about Him from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions.” TEXT 1                        brahmovaca yatrodyatah ksiti-taloddharanaya bibhrat     kraudim tanum sakala-yajna-mayim anantah antar-maharnava upagatam adi-daityam     tam damstrayadrim iva vajra-dharo dadara TRANSLATION […]

Today is the disappearance anniversary of Sripada Ramanujacharya, the principal acharya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. In a letter dated November 22, 1974, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacharya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” And in the early […]

Today is Sripada Madhvacharya’s disappearance day.  Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 9, describes him: TEXT 245 madhvacarya-sthane aila yanha ‘tattvavadi’ udupite ‘krsna’ dekhi, tahan haila premonmadi TRANSLATION Caitanya Mahaprabhu next arrived at Udupi, the place of Madhvacarya, where the philosophers known as Tattvavadis resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Krsna and became mad with ecstasy. […]

We are gathered here to celebrate the appearance day of Sri Advaita Acharya. Advaita Acharya is an incarnation of Maha-vishnu. In terms of pastimes, He appeared before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and so was considered an elder by Mahaprabhu. He was actually older than Lord Chaitanya’s own father. Advaita Acharya, although Vishnu Himself, was in the […]

Today is the appearance day of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and many other acharyas and associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was born in a very aristocratic family in Bengal. His father and uncle, Govardhana and Hiranya Mazumdar, were wealthy landlords, or zamindars; they were almost like kings in opulence. But although […]

 

Question: “Why, at the time of death, the name of God does not come to the tongue?” Prabhupada: Because you are not practiced. You practice to chant Hare Krishna, at the time of death it will come. Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina. [“He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering […]

For Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s appearance day I thought to read a verse and purport about him from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten, “The Branches of the Caitanya Tree”: TEXT 105 sri gopala bhatta eka sakha sarvottama rupa-sanatana-sange yanra prema-alapana TRANSLATION Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches […]

Dear Giriraj Swami, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank for all your blessings and prayers. My mother always took pride in serving you in India and South Africa throughout the 1980s and ’90s. We are blessed to have had such a wonderful mother and are also eternally grateful for the […]

On January 10, my beloved disciple Palika Dasi left her body in South Africa. Kindly read Madri Dasi’s beautiful description of this wonderful devotee. Bitten by the Krishna Bug: Honoring the Life of Palika Dasi By Madri Dasi A few days ago, I heard of Palika’s transitioning from this mortal world. I did not want […]