Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Prabhupada explains the reasons for Sri Krishna Chaitanya’s appearance. Lord Krishna, in His pastimes, was unable to experience the glory of Srimati Radharani’s love for Him, the wonderful qualities in Krishna that She relishes through Her love, and the indescribable happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love. […]

In the first verse of the Bhagavad-gita, the low-minded king Dhrtarastra asks his secretary, “O Sanjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pandu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruksetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?” Kim akurvata: “What did they do?” Srila Prabhupada says that this is a foolish question. The […]

I will never forget the moment when I heard that George Harrison had passed away, shortly after Thanksgiving in 2001. My strong feelings of separation surprised me—and made me think how important and dear George must have been to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krishna. And I remembered my own little experience with George in Bombay. […]

“Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was so renounced he would just sleep on the ground. For Food he might get some rice that he would just parch in the sun. If there was nothing else he would take some mud from the Ganges and ingest that. For clothing he would take whatever cloth was lying in the […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.3-5. “Piety refers to the process of cleansing the heart. As recommended by Lord Caitanya, one has to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind, and then advancement on the path of liberation begins. Here also the same process is recommended. Malam means “contamination.” We should learn to despise […]

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Remembrances from Various Devotees
Remembrance from Vrajendranandana Das
Remembrance from Giriraj Swami

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. He had lived for many years in Vrindavan, roaming the twelve forests, chanting the holy names of Krishna, eating by begging alms, and […]

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 […]

Giriraj Swami offering arati to Srila Prabhupada.
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Panel Discussion with Bhargava dasa, Dugdha-pana dasa, and Giriraj Swami
Kirtan by Giriraj Swami
Talk by Giriraj Swami

A talk by Giriraj Swami on  Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 14, 2007, Mayapur, India. 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. […]

 
Govardhana-puja, Giriraj Swami
Posted by Kandarpa Manjari Devi Dasi on Thursday, November 8, 2018

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Govardhan-puja talk by Giriraj Swami
Kirtan by Sarvatma das and Radhika
Nrsimha Pr…

We are gathered on the auspicious occasion of Sri Govardhana-puja at the feet of Sri Giriraja Govardhana. Many of you may know the history, related in Srimad-Bhagavatam: One day Sri Krishna noticed that the cowherd men were collecting paraphernalia for worship. As the omniscient Supersoul, the Lord already understood the whole situation. Still, as a […]

Today we are beginning a new year, according to one calculation, and celebrating the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya. Lord Ramachandra, His brother Laksmana, and His eternal consort, Sita, had gone into exile. While in exile in the forest, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana and carried to his kingdom of Lanka. In time, Lord […]

“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 […]

Amidst all the divisive and inflammatory political rhetoric right now, approaching the midterm elections in the US, Srila Prabhupada’s brief essay “The Peace Formula” seems especially relevant, timeless, and appealing.  The great mistake of modern civilization is to encroach upon others’ property as though it were one’s own and to thereby create an unnecessary disturbance […]

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Damodarastakam by Radhika and Apsara, Moorpark
Mantras by Narottam das, Moorpark
Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 20, conclusion by Giriraj Swami

In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya are like a lake with many beautiful lotus flowers, which are love for Krishna—Radha and Krishna. As our acharyas tell us, the Caitanya-caritamrta is perhaps the most important of all the books of the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and on […]

Kartik is a very auspicious time for spiritual advancement. Another name for Kartik is Urja-vrata. Urja means power. The supreme power, the original power, is Srimati Radharani. So Urja-vrata, or Kartik-vrata, is for Srimati Radharani. Many important pastimes took place in the month of Kartik. On the full moon night, Lord Krishna played on His […]

“Srimad-Bhagavatam mentions two words: parisram which means hard labor or great endeavor and Krishna krpa or Krishna’s mercy. Our acharyas explain that the two finger gap preventing Mother Yasoda from tying the rope around Krishna can be bridged by a combination of parisram — our hard labor and Krishna krpa or Krishna’s mercy. Whatever we do in […]

As part of our evening program in Carpinteria during Kartik, we are reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9, “Mother Yasoda Binds Lord Krsna,” and tonight one verse and purport struck me as especially instructive: TEXT 5 tam ankam arudham apayayat stanam   sneha-snutam sa-smitam iksati mukham atrptam utsrjya javena sa yayav   utsicyamane payasi tv adhisrite TRANSLATION […]

Today, thinking of how valuable Krishna consciousness is and how few people are accepting it—and how people are suffering for want of Krishna consciousness—I felt somewhat discouraged, but then I thought of Srila Prabhupada’s encouraging words to a reporter from the New York Times, John Nordheimer, in September 1972. “How many followers do you have?” […]

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”), Krishna who allowed Himself to be […]

I have been rereading the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam and receiving great illumination and inspiration from it. Srila Prabhupada said that he was not sure how long he would live, so he put everything into the First Canto, and Ramesvara Prabhu told me that whenever he told Prabhupada that the BBT had money and asked […]

Today marks Sri Rama-vijaya-dasami (Dasara, or Dussehra), the day on which Lord Ramachandra vanquished the powerful tyrant Ravana. As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7.25): vaksah-sthala-sparsa-rugna-mahendra-vaha- dantair vidambita-kakubjusa udha-hasam sadyo ’subhih saha vinesyati dara-hartur visphurjitair dhanusa uccarato ’dhisainye “When Ravana was engaged in the battle, the trunk of the elephant which carried the king of heaven, Indra, […]

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How Narottama dasa’s conch came to Carpinteria
Kirtan by Sarvatma das
Kirtan 2 by Sarvatma das
Nrsimha Prayers by Giriraj Swami

During a preview of Viva Kultura in Gauranga Hall in Houston, the person playing the elderly gentleman who introduced Srimad-Bhagavatam walked down into the audience and presented me the volume: Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Chapters 1–8.  Somehow I was deeply touched by that act, and I carried the book with me back to my ashram in […]

To commemorate the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, we shall sing and discuss the second poem that he wrote on the ship Jaladuta, when he arrived in the Boston harbor on September 17, 1965. Poem [translation]: 1:  My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not […]

Below is my offering to Dvarkadhish Prabhu, read at his memorial program tonight in New Dvaraka, Los Angeles, by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. My dear Dvarkadhish Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his dedicated followers. I still can hardly believe you are gone. Your smiling face and enthusiastic service […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Bhagavad-gita 9.14 during the Sunday Krishna Fest. “This verse is the summary of the previous verses. The Lord tells Arjuna that those who are purely in Krsna consciousness and do not know anything other than Krsna are called mahatma; yet there are other persons who are not exactly in […]

Today is Visvarupa-mahotsava, the date on which Lord Chaitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa. According to Vedic scripture, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come […]

Today is Bhadra-purnima. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king […]

Today is the disappearance day of Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura, so we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Eleven, “The Passing of Haridasa Thakura”: “The summary of this chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya as follows. In this chapter Brahma Haridasa Thakura gave up his body with the consent of […]

Giriraj Swami read and discussed Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter 11, “The Passing of Srila Haridasa Thakura,” during the Sunday morning class. 09.23.18, Disappearance Pastime of Srila Haridasa Thakura, CC Antya 11, Dallas “If one cannot complete the fixed number of rounds he is assigned, he should be considered to be in a diseased condition of spiritual […]

Devotees gathered to remember and glorify His Holiness Gunagrahi Das Goswami. ——————— Devotees remembering Gunagrahi Das Goswami Giriraj Swami remembering Gunagrahi Das Goswami

“Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura retired to Godrumadvipa, Mayapur, and standing on his veranda there he had a vision of a spiritual city where devotees from all over the world would come together and chant the holy names and worship Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When I visited there I stood on that veranda and looked across the river […]

Today marks the anniversary of the birth—the appearance—of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, “the pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness.” To honor the occasion, I would like to share a short piece I wrote about Srila Bhaktivinoda and Srila Prabhupada. We pray for their continued guidance and mercy. “Dedicated to the sacred […]

“Bali Maharaja has become the most famous among the demons and nonbelievers, for in spite of being bereft of all material opulences, he is fixed in his devotional service.” (SB 8.22.28) Purport: In this verse, the words sidann api na muhyati are very important. A devotee is sometimes put into adversity while executing devotional service. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.7.17 on the occasion of Vamana-dvadasi. “In the beginning stage we sort of surrender but then we go back on our surrender. As Bhurijana Prabhu said, ‘They surrender, but then they take it back.’ This is common in Kali-yuga, because the atmosphere is so polluted and so surcharged with nescience […]

———————————————- “These are serious vows. Srila Prabhupada said that if he had relaxed the regulative principles he could have had millions of disciples. But he didn’t want cheap disciples. He said that one moon brightens up the night more that millions of little stars twinkling. He wasn’t after twinkling stars he was after one moon. […]

“I can honestly say that I love you Giriraj Swami Maharaja. The love that we share is a love of a time-tested friendship that goes deep and is more satisfying than any mundane friendship. It is a relationship based on serving together during the pioneer days of our spiritual master’s mission. It is said that […]