Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

After almost fifty years, I was surprised to receive a letter from my freshman roommate at Brandeis University. He had heard that I had “changed my name” from Glenn Teton to Giriraj, and he had traced me, followed me, and written me, saying that he would be in Santa Barbara on Friday, June 1, and […]

Every day during the auspicious Purusottama month, I read the fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, “Purusottama-yoga”—“The Yoga of the Supreme Person,” in which the seventh verse is one of the most significant. mamaivamso jiva-loke  jiva bhutah sanatanah  manah sasthanindriyani  prakrti-sthani karsati “The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to […]

? Audio Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.12 (Right click to download)

Giriraj Swami and other devotees gathered in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters to remember him. “Srila Prabhupada was starting to talk about forming a political party because his disciples wanted to form the ‘In God We Trust’ party. There was some movement among the American people that they shouldn’t have the slogan ‘In God We Trust’ on […]

My disciple Rohini-nandana Dasa, from Israel, who has helped tremendously with my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, and his devoted wife, Vrinda Devi Dasi, a wonderful disciple of Bhurijana Prabhu (she took the picture), have come to spend eight days with us in Carpinteria. We are truly relishing their association, and look forward to […]

In a talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.13, on May 30, 1972, in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada spoke about the qualities of a devotee, and I was struck by the following: A devotee is sympathetic—and friendly. “Sympathetic. We should be very much sympathetic. If some of our fellow men fall sick, we must take care of them, […]

On this day twenty-four years ago, Mother Arca-vigraha passed away, in Vrindavan, and to honor the occasion, I share a remembrance of her by Raghava Pandit das: When I think of Mother Arca and her myriad of good qualities, I am reminded of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to one of his disciples: “Do it enthusiastically, with […]

At one stage on my evening japa walk today, the first day of Purusottama, my mind became restless, which disturbed me a lot, and I didn’t know what to do. Then suddenly within me I heard my disciple Damodar’s ringtone of Sripada Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja preaching forcefully: “Why are you unhappy? Because you are […]

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 15, we begin the auspicious Purusottama-adhika Masa (extra month), which is considered three times more powerful than Kartik. One year, Srila Prabhupada was in Juhu during that month, and Dr. C. P. Patel, Srila Prabhupada regular companion on his morning walks on Juhu Beach, prevailed upon him to take bath in the […]

“There are very exalted spiritual understandings in Krishna consciousness. They are not fictional, imaginary, or concocted. They are facts, and every devotee can have the privilege to understand and indeed take part in Krishna’s pastimes if he is actually advanced. We should not think that the privilege given to Mother Yasoda is not available to […]

In a talk with Srila Prabhupada in Chicago, on July 5, 1975, Tamal Krishna Goswami asked him about Ekadasi. “Sometimes we have heard that Ekadasi is an inauspicious alignment of the planets and that therefore one has to counteract this inauspiciousness by chanting more.” Prabhupada laughed. “No, no. It is the most auspicious. And chanting […]

We continue our discussion of the conversation between Sri Ramananada Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ramananda-samvada, recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya.” TEXT 1 sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe   sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais   taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati TRANSLATION Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the […]

Today is the disappearance day of one of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s most confidential associates, Sri Ramananda Raya. Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani, with Her bodily luster. Thus Lord Chaitanya is the combined form of Radha and Krishna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya). And in krsna-lila Ramananda Raya is the gopi […]

“Prahlad Maharaja said that even saintly persons are pleased when a scorpion or a snake is killed. The significance of this verse is that Hiranyakasipu had killed the demon but he was still angry. He was still in a ferocious mood because he thought that people may criticize or find fault with him that he […]

Two days after I first saw Srila Prabhupada and the devotees at Brandeis University in Boston, on Nrsimha-caturdasi, May 1, 1969, he gave a beautiful talk about the nature of a Vaishnava, how a devotee is an ocean of mercy: “This atheist is so unkind, cruel, that he is prepared to kill his own son, […]

Today is Nrsimha-caturdasi, the appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The appearance and activities of the Lord in the world are a great mystery. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9) Lord Krishna says: janma karma ca me divyam    evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma    naiti mam eti so ’rjuna “One who understands the […]

In honor of Jayananda Prabhu’s disappearance anniversary today, we submit the following account, derived from a letter by Kalindi Dasi to her spiritual master, Candramauli Swami. — GS In mid-July I started wearing tilak to my work at the hospice. I thought that since many other spiritual practitioners were expressing their faith by wearing crosses, doves, […]

Today is Rukmini-dvadasi, the appearance day of Srimati Rukmini-devi. There have been wonderful festivities all day, beginning with the special darshan of the Deities in Their flower outfits, and just now a wonderful abhiseka. During the abhiseka I really felt like I was in Vrindavan. There was so much devotion, spontaneous devotion—every time the pujaris […]

Today is Sita-navami, the appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the eternal consort of Lord Ramachandra. To begin, we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Nine: “Lord Caitanya’s Travels to the Holy Places.” TEXT 178 daksina-mathura aila kamakosthi haite tahan dekha haila eka brahmana-sahite TRANSLATION When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at southern Mathura from Kamakosthi, […]

Giriraj Swami spoke to devotees in Juhu Beach via Skype. “One amazing experience she had was that while being absorbed in Krishna katha she would be relived from the excruciating pain from her cancer. We have so many exalted devotees in this movement. Mother Archa-vigraha was certainly one of them. These occasions are good for us […]

Today, Jahnu Saptami, is the disappearance anniversary of Arca-vigraha dasi, a renowned artist from South Africa who left her cancer-ridden body in Vrindavan twenty-four years ago. Her desire that other devotees also have a proper facility to spend their last days in the beautiful spiritual atmosphere of the holy dhama inspired the creation of the […]

During a blisful initiation ceremony in the San Diego Temple, Giriraj Swami performed the initiations of Bhakta Will Southall who received the name Vaisnava dasa, Bhaktin Usha Madan who received the name Urjesvari dasi, and Bhaktin Farida Sharafutdinova who received the name Saraswati Devi dasi.   ———————————————————————————————— ———————————- Kirtan (Right-click to download) Initiation talk and […]

“In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (147-53) it is stated, “Sri Krsna’s pleasure potency, formerly known as Vrndavanesvari, is now personified in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandita in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has pointed out that in the shape of Laksmi, the pleasure potency of Krsna, she was formerly very dear […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17. “The appeal of  our eternal life with Krishna is like the carrot. We see that and we accelerate our spiritual endeavors. But, we also get little whips from the stick of old age and disease. Srila Prabhupada says that the old age and disease of a devotee […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. “Gopa Kumar said. ‘Hanuman then quickly made me leave that place and enter the inner precincts of the city where I saw the most amazing sight — the Supreme Lord as the best of human beings. He sat comfortably on a royal throne in the best of palaces. […]

For Sri Rama-navami, we shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.” TEXT 23 asmat-prasada-sumukhah kalaya kalesa   iksvaku-vamsa avatirya guror nidese tisthan vanam sa-dayitanuja avivesa   yasmin virudhya dasa-kandhara artim arcchat TRANSLATION Due to His causeless mercy upon all living entities within the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His […]

“If someone has sraddha—faith they can give you faith. That means they can make you a devotee because devotional service begins with faith—adau sraddha [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. So, the conclusion is that we should treasure and serve every devotee. Every devotee is special. That is Lord Caitanya’s instruction—always chant the holy name and serve the […]

We have gathered on a most auspicious day. Srivasa Thakura is one of the members of the Panca-tattva. He lived in Navadvipa-dhama in Mayapur, near the residence of Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Later, when Lord Chaitanya began the sankirtana movement in Navadvipa-dhama, He and His other most confidential associates would […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 15.103-107 at the home of Krishna Kirtan das and Kandarpa Manjari dasi. “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that if one chants the holy name even once he is considered a vasinava and the best of human beings. He is worshipable and worthy of service. But Srila Prabhupada […]

Today is Gaura-purnima, the appearance day of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself in the guise of a devotee. When Krishna came, He demanded, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: “Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender unto Me.” But people could not appreciate His […]

Today is the auspicious disappearance day of Sri Madhavendra Puri, the grand spiritual master of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhavendra Puri’s disciple Isvara Puri was accepted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as His spiritual master. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Himself the origin of all knowledge—perfect, Vedic knowledge—and He had no need to […]

Listening to a talk Srila Prabhupada gave in Vrindavan on December 10, 1975, I was struck by how he defined Vrindavan and said we could create Vrindavan anywhere. “So this Krishna consciousness movement means everything is there; it has to be purified by diverting the same thing for Krishna. Just like we have got feelings […]

Today is Srila Jagannatha dasaBabaji Maharaja’s disappearance day. He comes in the Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on His pastimes. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, […]

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 7 (texts 36-42) describes the benevolent activities of Lord Siva when the living entities were threatened by the deadliest poison (halahala). “Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said: ‘Lord Siva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.11 During the celebration for Abhay’s Birthday. “In this verse, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami recommends the transcendental chanting of the holy name of the Lord. By offenseless chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Lord, one becomes acquainted with the transcendental form of the Lord, and then with the […]

Sri Nityananda Prabhu—An Incarnation of Mercy We welcome you on the most auspicious occasion of Sri Nityananda-trayodasi, in the merciful presence of Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurahari and other Deities. We shall read two verses from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Five: “The Glories of Lord Nityananda Balarama.” TEXT 208 preme matta nityananda krpa-avatara uttama, adhama, kichu na kare […]

Today is Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha’s appearance day. Srila Jayadeva Gosvami, in his Dasavatara-stotra (3), sings, vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna sasini kalanka-kaleva nimagna kesava dhrta-sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare jaya jagadisa hare, jaya jagadisa hare “O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a boar! All glories to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.35 during the Sunday program. satam prasangan mama virya-samvido  bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani  sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati Translation: In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.8.6. “The progress of culturing knowledge by the jnanis or the bodily gymnastics by the yogis are ultimately given up by the respective performers, but a devotee of the Lord cannot give up the service of the Lord, for he is ordered by his spiritual master. Pure devotees […]