Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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 […]

In his talk on the Bhagavad-gita 9.20–22, on December 7, 1966, in New York, Srila Prabhupada stated: “The Lord says a very nice thing. What is that? ananyas cintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham        [Gita 9.22] [‘But those who worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them […]

Hridayananda das Goswami stayed with me in Carpinteria over the weekend, and we had many enlivening and enlightening conversations. I could really appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s statement that Maharaja has a “transcendental brain.” He is intent on serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission, especially in America, and our common interest is to please Srila Prabhupada and become Krishna […]

Last night I finished hearing Radhika Ramana dasa’s wonderful seminar on “The Glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam,” delivered at ISV in September 2015. I highly recommend it to all devotees. dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat “Completely rejecting […]

When I first met Akincana Krishna dasa Babaji, I didn’t know what to say. I simply offered my respects and said, “Srila Akincana Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja ki jaya!” Maharaja saw that I had a tape recorder in my hands, and without my having to say anything, he closed his eyes and started tapping his […]

Listening to Srila Prabhupada’s talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.35, given in Bombay on December 4, 1974, I felt chastened and humbled by his description of surrender and pure devotion, as exemplified by Sri Prahlada: “Krishna says (Gita 18.66), sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah [Abandon all varieties of religion and […]

Today I heard a wonderful talk in which Srila Prabhupada—and Srimad-Bhagavatam—glorified the chanting of the holy names. I was present when Srila Prabhupada gave the talk at the Ardha-kumbha-mela in Allahabad on January 31, 1971. Srila Prabhupada said, “The conclusion is: na vai sa narakam yati neksito yama-kinkaraih yady apy amangalo martyo visnu-loke mahiyate        […]

During Kartik, along with reciting the Damodarastaka, I read about the damodara-lila in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapters 9 and 10, including Nalakuvara and Manigriva’s beautiful submission to Lord Krishna, which I pray will be my own: vani gunanukathane sravanau kathayam hastau ca karmasu manas tava padayor nah smrtyam siras tava nivasa-jagat-praname drstih satam darsane ’stu […]

 
HH Giriraj Swami home program, Moorpark, CA. Kartik 2019
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Friday, November 8, 2019

Speaking on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.47 on January 22, 1975, in Juhu, Bombay, Srila Prabhupada appealed to us not to be preoccupied with the temporary miserable and happy conditions of life but to put a permanent end to the real problems of life and make our lives successful: “Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says personally, ‘These […]

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 […]

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” —Bhagavad-gita 2.14 In Los Angeles, on November 29, […]

At a lecture that Srila Prabhupada gave on April 6, 1972, at Tarrawarra Abbey, in Melbourne, one of the members said to Prabhupada, “Swami, in the Christian history, one of the people that many of us look up to is a man called Francis of Assisi, and he talks about knowing God, and he rates […]

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 and Lord […]

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, November 3, 2019

“The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajnas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Vishu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety, and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, November 3, 2019

Audio
Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12 (Right click to download)

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12. “As members of ISKCON we all under the authority of Srila Prabhupada. We can serve Srila Prabhupada according to our individuality. But, the definition of devotional service is that it must be anukul—it must be favorable—and for our service to be favorable we have to know what […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Friday, November 1, 2019

Audio
Kirtan by Giriraj Swami (Right click to download)
Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.18 (Right click to download)

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Thursday, October 31, 2019

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 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.7.32. “Children play with an umbrella generally known as a frog’s umbrella, and Lord Krishna, when He was only seven years old, could snatch the great hill known as the Govardhana Parvata at Vrndavan and hold it for seven days continuously with one hand, just to protect the […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila chapter 14 hantayam adrir abala hari-dasa-varyo yad rama-krishna-carana-sparasa-pramodah manam tanoti saha-go-ganayos tayor yat paniya-suyavasa-kandara-kanda-mulaih Translation “[Lord Caitanya said:] ‘Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Krishna and Balarama, as well as Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.18-19. “Krishna is served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. Nonetheless, He steals butter like one who is poverty-stricken. Yamaraja, the controller of all living entities, fears the order of Krishna, yet Krishna is afraid of His mother’s stick. These contradictions cannot be understood by one […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.10. “One feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Ramacandra is omnipotence. The Lord can act without regard to material impediments or inconveniences, but to prove that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and was not merely advertised as Godhead or elected by popular vote, He […]

Giriraj Swami: We welcome you on the most auspicious occasion of Govardhana-puja. When I was first initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1969, he was in Los Angeles and I was in Boston. He sent me a letter in which he wrote, “Your name is Giriraj. Giriraj is a name for Govardhana Hill, on which Krishna […]

“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.” (SB 10.9.1–2 […]

“While Srila Prabhupada was a grhastha working as a pharmacist, his godbrother —Professor L.B. Hari Kapoor, whose intitiated name was Adi Kesava Das—met Srila Prabhupada and asked him. ‘You know so many different formulas. Do you know the formula for love of God?’ And Srila Prabhupada answered. ‘Yes, I do.’ Professor Kapoor asked. ‘Can you […]

“When mother Yasoda and the other ladies finally saw that Krishna, although decorated with many bangles and other jeweled ornaments, could not be bound with all the ropes available in the house, they decided that Krishna was so fortunate that He could not be bound by any material condition. Thus they gave up the idea […]

“I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Srimad Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. Spiritual inspiration comes from within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma feature, is always sitting […]

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. This multivolume work […]

“I overheard them arguing in the back seat. Gary was saying that everything is void. Satsvarupa was saying that there is no void in the creation of God. I turned around and said something from what I had been reading. What I said was. ‘It is not void and it is not not-void, but to […]