Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

“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 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.58 during a program a the home of Kamala Sundari dasi. “For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the […]

————————– Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19. “Krishna is always fully independent; when He becomes subordinate to His devotees, this is a display of ananda-cinmaya-rasa, the humor of transcendental qualities that increases His transcendental pleasure. Everyone worships Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He sometimes desires to be controlled by […]

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Friday, October 18, 2019

I just watched Bahulasva Prabhu’s most moving, inspiring, and enlightening remembrance of Srila Prabhupada—every devotee should see it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9eXWZofqtE&fbclid=IwAR0-upe0jrd-kWxlxnSTCCCDt52fRXPim2ssgeg5znBkFCG1GugpMLj2Oj0…

The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 1, “Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service,” states, “Pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress.” And Srila Prabhupada, in a talk in Vrindavan on November 3, 1972, explained, “ ‘Pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress.’ There is a song of […]

Tomorrow I will drive to Houston, where I will stay for two weeks, including Rama-ekadasi, Thursday, October 24; Dipavali, Sunday, October 27; and Govardhana-puja, Monday, October 28. On Tuesday, October 29, I will return to Dallas, for Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day on Thursday, October 31—and to catch my return flight to Santa Barbara on Tuesday, […]

——————- “Before coming here I thought of a verse of the Bhagavad-gita that describes you and because you are such an avid reader and preacher of Bhagavad-gita I would like to offer this to you.” “One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, October 13, 2019

Today is Sri Murari Gupta’s disappearance day. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 10.49–51, describes him: TEXT 49 sri-murari gupta sakha—premera bhandara prabhura hrdaya drave suni’ dainya yanra TRANSLATION Murari Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord […]

We welcome you to this most auspicious place, the temple of Sri Sri Radha-Radhanath, on the most auspicious occasion of the beginning of Kartik, in the most auspicious association of Lord Krishna’s devotees. Kartik is also known as the month of Damodara (dama means “ropes,” and udara means “abdomen”), or Krishna who allowed Himself to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12.

 
Posted by Nityananda Chandra Granger on Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Audio
Darshan Room Talk (Right click to download)

Today I heard a beautiful talk by Srila Prabhupada, Los Angeles, January 5, 1974, on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.8, which says, “Living beings who are under [Yamaraja’s] grip should take advantage by hearing the deathless nectar in the form of this narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.” And Srila Prabhupada glorified Srimad-Bhagavatam and the importance […]

Today is the auspicious disappearance day of three great acharyas in the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya: Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, and Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. We shall read about Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami from Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Thirteen: “Pastimes with Jagadananda Pandita and Raghunatha Bhatta.” TEXT 89 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.10.20.

HH Giriraj Swami – ?B 9.10.20 / Sunday Krsna Fest
HH Giriraj Swami – ?B 9.10.20 / Sunday Krsna Fest
Posted by Radha Kalachandji Temple in Dallas on Sunday, October 6, 2019

Audio…

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Nine, Chapter Ten: “The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra.” TEXT 20 te ’nikapa raghupater abhipatya sarve dvandvam varutham ibha-patti-rathasva-yodhaih jaghnur drumair giri-gadesubhir angadadyah sitabhimarsa-hata-mangala-ravanesan TRANSLATION Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramacandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy and hurled against them […]

Today I heard a wonderful talk by Srila Prabhupada in which he spoke of love and service, that love must be accompanied by, or expressed through, service. He said, “Real love, engaged in the service of the Lord—then our life is successful. If you sacrifice your life for serving Krishna, you will always remember Krishna. […]

In my recent travels an Orthodox priest came to meet me and attend my program. He wrote, “I have an interest in Vaishnava theology. I wanted to share with you how I am trying to work Vaishnava pneumatology into my sermons. I hope it is pleasing to Prabhupada. I truly look forward to meeting you […]

Today I heard a beautiful talk by Srila Prabhupada in which he spoke of the order of the guru and his own achievement: “[Sanatana Gosvami] therefore said, krpa kari’ yadi more kariyacha uddhara: ‘I know that it is due to Your mercy that I have been able to give up my material position, as Your […]

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Monday, September 30, 2019

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, September 29, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23.

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Sunday, September 29, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Bhagavad-gita 9.14

 
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Saturday, September 28, 2019

Today I heard a nice talk by Srila Prabhupada in which he said, “A devotee is not afraid of dying”—and explained why: Here in the material world, padam padam vipadam. At every step there is vipada; there is danger. So don’t think that “She is dying” or “He is dying, and I shall not die.” […]

 
HH Giriraj Swami at Chandra prabhu’s home
Posted by ISKCON Columbus on Friday, September 27, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.22. “Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is […]

“I am happy to hear that you continued to chant despite so many doubts and skepticism. That is the process. Even there may be doubts and skepticism, but if one continues the chanting process, the doubts will all disappear, and real knowledge will be revealed by the grace of Krishna. The example is given of […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Bhagavad-gita 3.13.

On my way to speaking at Ohio State University (OSU) tonight, I visited Hitchcock Hall, where Srila Prabhupada and Allen Ginsberg had presented a program. And I reread the account of the event in BTG, which began, “On the night of May 12, 1969, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and poet Allen Ginsberg […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.22.

Posted by Giriraj Swami on Monday, September 23, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11

 
Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.11 BY HH Giriraj Swami
Posted by ISKCON Columbus on Sunday, September 22, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 3.10.

 
ISKCON Columbus Maha Satsang
Posted by Giriraj Swami on Saturday, September 21, 2019

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23.
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Audio:
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23 (Right click to download)

———————————————— Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.20 Mahatma is a synonym of sadhu. It is said that service to a mahatma, or elevated devotee of the Lord, is dvaram ahur vimukteh, the royal road of liberation. Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes tamo-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam (Srimad-Bhagavatam. 5.5.2). Rendering service to the materialists has the opposite […]

——————————————— Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17 at a home program in Dallas. “Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate. In other […]

—————————————- Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.17.1-22 “A devotee’s conclusion is that no one is directly responsible for being a benefactor or mischief-monger without the sanction of the Lord; therefore he does not consider anyone to be directly responsible for such action. But in both the cases he takes it for granted that […]

One of Sripada Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja’s most prominent qualities is his deep love for Srila Prabhupada. Very soon after Maharaja met Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada included him in his personal staff and made him his secretary for Bengali and Hindi correspondence. Soon thereafter, Srila Prabhupada gave him first and second initiation and then sannyasa. And […]

Yesterday, Sunday, September 15, in Dallas, in the presence of Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji, Srila Prabhupada, and their followers, I was pleased to officially connect eight devotees to Srila Prabhupada and the guru-parampara through hari-nama initiation. Rajesh Sharma became Radha-vallabha dasa, Seema Sharma became Srimati dasi, Deo Pun became Divya Nama dasa, Manju Pun became Manjari […]

Today Rajani Priya dasi (Rose Forkash) turned 99, and devotees and friends from the Santa Barbara area gathered at Mission Terrace to celebrate the occasion with her. She looked around the room and expressed her affection and appreciation for each devotee, one by one. And she expressed her gratitude for having received the “magic formula”—the […]