Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

Gratitude
1.8.25 – HH Giriraj Swami
Posted by ISKCON of Phoenix on Sunday, December 6, 2020

On October 28, 1972, in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17: srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah   punya-sravana-kirtanah hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani   vidhunoti suhrt satam “Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of […]

If you can draw a little attention of Krishna, yat karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam [Caitanya-candramrta 5]. Kataksa-vaibhavavatam, Prabodhananda Sarasvati says. If somehow or other you can draw a little attention of Krishna, your life is successful. Immediately. And how can you draw? Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Gita 18.55]: simply by serving Krishna. Take to the service of Krishna, as […]

We have again reached December, that most auspicious time of year when the book-distribution marathon takes place. In honor of the occasion, I quote two verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam that embody the devotee’s mood in distributing Krishna consciousness. naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas   tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-   maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan “O best of the […]

My dear devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In a letter to me dated December 1971, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Go on increasing books, and go on increasing my pleasure.” December is a special opportunity to focus on Srila Prabhupada’s desire that we distribute books—and thus increase his pleasure. As he […]

I first met Mother Krsnanandini at the fortieth anniversary of the installation of Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji in Dallas, on Sri Radhastami in September of 2012. She and her mother, Bhumata, were both initiated by Srila Prabhupada on Radhastami in 1972. At the anniversary, she shared wonderful memories of her meeting Srila Prabhupada in Dallas at […]

According to Vrinda-kunda Baba, Srimati Vrindadevi appeared on the full-moon night at the end of Kartik, or Damodara. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in Sri Vrndadevi-astaka (6-8), glorifies her: rasabhilaso vasatis ca vrnda- vane tvad-isanghri-saroja-seva labhya ca pumsam krpaya tavaiva vrnde namas te caranaravindam “By your mercy, people attain residence in Vrindavan, the desire to serve […]

https://www.facebook.com/100000291664876/videos/3873372486015769/

 If we are at all aware of how dependent we are on God—for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our very ability to eat and drink and breathe, to think and feel and will, and to walk, talk, and sense—we will feel grateful and want to reciprocate God’s […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Today in Carpinteria we celebrated the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. I prayed to him for three items most essential in Krishna consciousness—nama-ruci (taste for the holy name), jiva-daya (compassion for the conditioned souls), and vaisnava-seva (service to the Vaishnavas)—and I have full faith in his mercy. May he bless us all. […]

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a great devotee—a maha-bhagavata. He was a disciple of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and was very renounced. Earlier, he lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, begging alms, and sleeping under […]

Giriraj Swami reads and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.15.1 “Lord Krsna wanted to encourage His cowherd boyfriends, who had been swallowed by Aghasura and then stolen by Lord Brahma. Therefore the Lord decided to bring them into the palm-tree forest called Talavana, where there were many delicious ripe fruits. Since Lord Krsna’s spiritual body had apparently […]

Today is Gopastami, the day on which Krishna and Balarama and other boys Their age, who previously had tended the calves, were given charge of the cows. This event is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.15.1): tatas ca pauganda-vayah-sritau vraje   babhuvatus tau pasu-pala-sammatau gas carayantau sakhibhih samam padair   vrndavanam punyam ativa cakratuh “When Lord Rama […]

Giriraj Swami begins about forty-three minutes into the program.
https://youtu.be/lIGReUoTTpg
 

Giriraj Swami begins about an hour and a half into the program.

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I am very grateful to Srila Prabhupada for having brought me into your association. You are his sincere followers, and many of you have been serving him for decades, from when you read or heard about him or met him in person. Once, on his guru maharaja’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada said, “On the absolute […]

 
Govardhana Puja Celebration 2020 Carpinteria, CA
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, November 15, 2020

I think of Giri Govardhana as being similar to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, because Giri Govardhana is Krishna Himself. But although he is Krishna Himself, according to the acharyas, he is in the mood of a devotee. And many devotees worship Giri Govardhana in that mood—that he is a devotee of Krishna and of the devotees […]

In a letter dated October 10, 1968, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Diwali ceremony can be observed in the temple by illuminating hundreds of candles in different parts of the temple and offering special prasada to the Deity. This ceremony was observed by the inhabitants of Ayodhya, the kingdom of Lord Ramachandra. While Lord Ramachandra was out […]

We wish you all a happy Diwali. Diwali, or Dipavali, marks the end of the year, and by the year’s end we want to pay our debts, rectify our relationships—and then try to do better the next year. The Vedic literatures inform us that in the present age, Kali-yuga, the recommended process for self-realization, or […]

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, quoting from the Vaisnava-tosani of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, says that the incident of Krsna’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yasoda took place on the Dipavali Day, or Dipa-malika. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kartika by fireworks […]

 

Today, Sri Rama-ekadasi, is a very special day. It is the first Ekadasi in the month of Kartik, or Damodara, and it has special significance as the day on which Srila Prabhupada completed his translation of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the most important book on the life and precepts of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which was originally […]

Today is the appearance day of Sri Virabhadra Gosvami, who is described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 11.8–12, as follows: “After Nityananda Prabhu, the greatest branch is Virabhadra Gosani, who also has innumerable branches and subbranches. It is not possible to describe them all. “Although Virabhadra Gosani was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He presented Himself […]

 

Kartik is very auspicious for spiritual advancement. Another name for Kartik is Urja-vrata. Urja means power. The supreme power, the original power, is Srimati Radharani. So Urja-vrata, or Kartik-vrata, is for Srimati Radharani. Many important pastimes took place in the month of Kartik. On the full-moon night, Sri Krishna played upon His flute and enjoyed […]