Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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).
Audio
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

Audio
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 […]

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, January 5, 2020

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Wednesday, January 1, 2020

A talk by Giriraj Swami on January 2, 2010, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England. We have gathered at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada in this wonderful temple of Sri Sri Radha-Gokulananda, Sri Sita-Rama-Laksmana-Hanuman, and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, in the presence of His Holiness Radhanath Swami and so many exalted devotees. We are entering the New Year, […]

“For us, every day is a New Year. Nava-nava-rasa-dhamany. Our Krishna consciousness is so nice, the more you advance, the more you see new year, new year. That’s all. Nothing is old. People are seeing that ‘They are simply chanting the same old slogan, Hare Krishna.’ But we are feeling new pleasure in every moment. […]

Bada Haridas and Giriraj Swami spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.25

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Monday, December 30, 2019

Giriraj Read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11.

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, December 29, 2019

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Saturday, December 28, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.33.7
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.33.7 (Right click to download)

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sr? Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 4.71. “Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on one’s having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Krishna. That […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sr? Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 4.71. “Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on one’s having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Krishna. That […]

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten describes the branches of the tree named Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. TEXT 1 sri-caitanya-padambhoja- madhupebhyo namo namah kathancid asrayad yesam svapi tad-gandha-bhag bhavet TRANSLATION Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If even a doggish […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.8.6. “In discharging such devotional service, as ordered by Brahmaji to Narada in the preaching of Srimad-Bhagavatam, sometimes a representative of the Lord engaged in preaching work meets various so-called difficulties. This was exhibited by Lord Nityananda when He delivered the two fallen souls Jagai and Madhai, and […]

Fifty years ago, on December 26, 1969, Srila Prabhupada awarded me second initiation in Boston. He said, “Sucih means purified. And another meaning of sucih is brahman. A brahman means purified. Those who are going to be sacred-threaded today should remember that they are being accepted as sucih, as brahman. After chanting for six months […]

In the West this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His son or His prophet or His representative, but they all come with the same message. […]

Eight days before leaving this world, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati instructed in a weak halting voice the devotees assembled by his bedside. Those vital and immortal words were to become famous as his last address. Expressing the essence of his perennial message, and would be featured in innumerable publications. Sundarananda prabhu jotted them down. “I have […]

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him very well until I read his biography Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by my godbrother Bhakti Vikasa Swami. Many of the quotes and references below come from that work.  We are all here by the […]

Yesterday Badrinarayan Swami and two other devotees from San Diego spent the afternoon with us in Carpinteria, and I had a wonderful time with him. Associating with him outside a temple setting, I became aware of many wonderful qualities and abilities in him for the first time. He is brilliant and truly a great asset […]

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, December 8, 2019 On December 8, at Giriraj Swami’s ashram in Carpinteria, Varun Gogna, from London, received first and second initiation and the name Vraja Sundara Dasa; Bradley Nibblett, from Los Angeles, received first initiation and the name Bhakta Dasa; and Vraja Bihari Dasa and Sveta Manjari Dasi, from […]

The Bhagavad-gita is also known as the Gitopanishad and is considered one of the Upanishads. The title Bhagavad-gita is sometimes translated as “The Song of God.” Gita means “song.” God, Krishna, is so sublime that whatever He speaks is music and poetry. The word bhagavan has been analyzed by Vedic authorities. Bhaga means “opulence” and […]

Tomorrow is the eightieth birthday of Sripada Satsvarupa dasa Goswami Maharaja. He was my first temple president, and he has been my inspiration in writing, especially about Srila Prabhupada, which has been my main service.  My dear Satsvarupa das Goswami Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. As you know, you […]

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 […]

Today is Odana-sasthi, the date on which Lord Jagannatha is given a winter shawl. One year, when Lord Chaitanya and His associates celebrated this festival in Puri, Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who is Vrsabhanu Maharaja, Srimati Radharani’s father, in krsna-lila, received some special mercy. His experience is instructive for us all. Srila Prabhupada explains, “At the beginning […]

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 […]