Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

There is no hopelessness. Anyone can attain the spiritual perfection. Satam prasangan mama virya-samvidah. (SB 3.25.25) [“In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the […]

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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. The impersonalist speculators want to merge and become one with God, one with the impersonal brahmajyoti, […]

Walking at Butterfly Beach this evening, I saw the almost full moon in the sky before me, and turning my head, the sun behind me. And I thought of a beautiful verse, especially relevant on the eve of Gaura-purnima: vande sri-krsna-caitanya-   nityanandau sahoditau gaudodaye puspavantau   citrau sandau tamo-nudau “I offer my respectful obeisances […]

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 […]

Krishna has given us a little independence, because we are part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is fully independent. He does not depend on anyone. We have got independence to a certain extent, but under the control of maya. In the spiritual life there is also maya. That is called yoga-maya. And in the material […]

One evening Harikesa and Saurabha got to talking about Prabhupada’s plans for the Mayapur project. Harikesa, appreciating Prabhupada’s genius—how, from Mayapur, God-centered cities with temples, educational institutions, and proper social organization would spread around the globe—became so excited that he ran all the way from the construction office to Prabhupada’s apartment. He bounded up the […]

My godbrother Bhagavata Asraya Prabhu told me the following story, which he heard from our godbrother Gunarnava Prabhu. Srila Prabhupada was visiting Bombay for what turned out to be one of the last times. Although the building was still under construction, at his request his quarters had been hastily prepared, and he had moved in. […]

This evening, accompanied by Ganga dasi from Madrid and Bhakta dasa from Los Angeles, I visited Rajani Priya dasi (Rose Forkash) at her home in Carpinteria, California. She is six months away from her one hundredth birthday, but she is mentally and spiritually alert, and we all felt enlivened by her association. She described her […]

Appreciating Tamal Krishna Goswami—In Service and Separation Srila Prabhupada said that when a Vaishnava departs we feel simultaneously happy and sad. We feel happy because we know the Vaishnava has gone to Krishna, but we feel sad because we will miss the Vaishnava’s association. I have no doubt that Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja has […]

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 […]

Today we shall read a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Four, Chapter Twenty-four: “Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva.” As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: Lord Shiva is the greatest Vaishnava, and why he is so is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is considered the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic scriptures. The glories […]

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 […]

Those who are intelligent know that everything is supplied by Krishna. So why not depend on Krishna only? Why so many other attempts? Therefore Krishna says, vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-sakha hy anantas ca buddhayo ’vyavasayinam         [Gita 2.41] Vyavasayi means one who knows business particularly. Vyavasaya. Or one who knows confidently, “This is the […]

In a talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.51, on December 28, 1973, in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada spoke about bhagavat-priyanam, those who are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. “Bhagavat-priyanam. There is a common saying in English, ‘If you love me, love my dog.’ That is very important. If you love such person who is […]

Twice last week, accompanied by various devotees, including Vrindavan Chandra das from London; Ugrasena das, Nitya Manjari dasi, and Kaviraj from Durban; and Visnupriya dasi from Dallas, I visited Rajani Priya dasi (Rose Forkash) at her home in Carpinteria, California. She is seven months away from her one hundredth birthday, but she is mentally 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 […]

Today is the auspicious appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. When our Srila Prabhupada first came to America, we had no idea of Vaishnava etiquette or culture; we had no idea how to honor the appearance day of the spiritual master. In 1970, soon after I had joined the Boston […]

Prahlada Maharaja says, bharam udvahato vimudhan. Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee, was offered a benediction by Nrsimhadeva: “My dear Prahlada, you have suffered so much for Me from your father’s side. He has chastised you in so many ways because you are My devotee. Now your father is killed. That is finished. Now you take […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Friday, February 7, 2020

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Sri Nityananda-trayodasi (Right click to download)

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 […]

Today is the appearance anniversary of Sripada Ramanujacharya, the principal acharya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. Srila Prabhupada wrote that “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacharya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” (Letter 22.11.1974) And in the early days of ISKCON in […]

This story was heard from the pujari at Sri Advaita Acharya’s house in Shantipur, West Bengal. He came to the ISKCON Chaitanya Chandrodoya Mandir with a copy of the Back to Godhead article about Srila Prabhupada entitled “A Lifetime in Preparation.” Just recently an amazing realization occurred to me that I wanted to share with […]

With Mercy, Nothing Is Impossible By Aishwarya Madaan My sister—nineteen-year old, wheelchair-bound, muscular-dystrophic Madana-mohana-mohini dasi from Pune, India—really wanted to participate in book distribution during the marathon month, in December 2019, because it is so dear to Srila Prabhupada. Mohini’s health not being so supportive, she made a compromise: “I’ll just go to a few […]

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 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23. “The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of the Lord’s pure devotee upon his head is certainly a dead body. And the person who has never experienced the aroma of the tulas? leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord […]

CHI St. Luke’s Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI).
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Talk at St Luke’s (Right click to download)

  Posted by Giriraj Swami on Monday, January 20, 2020. “Unless one is protected by the mercy of the Lord, no remedial measure can act effectively. One should consequently depend fully on the causeless mercy of the Lord. Although as a matter of routine duty one must of course accept other remedial measures, no one […]

“It is quite encouraging to help someone leave their body in Krishna consciousness with the expectation that they wont have to take birth again in the material world but will go back to Godhead. I have spoken to people that have said that helping someone leave their body at the time of death was a […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, January 19, 2020

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Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17 (Right click to download)

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Monday, January 20, 2020

Because Yudhisthira Maharaja himself was very pious, he conducted his government in such a way that people were also pious. Yad yad acarati sresthah lokas tad anuvartate. (Gita 3.21) If the leaders are perfect, then the citizens will be perfect. If the leaders are rascals . . . Just like in your country, now your […]

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Posted by Giriraj Swami on Thursday, January 16, 2020

Today, Makara-sankranti, is the forty-second anniversary of the grand opening of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari’s temple in Juhu. On this day I have submitted the final manuscript of my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, entitled I’ll Build You a Temple: A Good Fight and a Promise Fulfilled, so that it can be formatted for publication. […]

 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 […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, January 12, 2020

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The Holy Name and Bhakti Yoga (Right click to download)

Today I remembered an incident from New Delhi, perhaps in 1971. Gurudas and I had gone into a shop to make a purchase, and in the mood of saving Krishna’s money, I was bargaining fiercely. But he corrected me, citing a principle from The Nectar of Devotion—“Not Giving Pain to Any Living Entity.” Srila Prabhupada […]