Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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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

Audio
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 […]

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, […]