Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

“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 […]

Giriraj Swami, Janmashtami abisheik September 3, Houston from Derek Carter on Vimeo. ?? Giriraj Swami, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, September 4, Houston from Derek Carter on Vimeo.

Vyasa-puja talk (Right click to download)

“In one class at Bhaktivedanta Manor Srila Prabhupada proclaimed from the vyasasana that, ‘You can fall down but I cannot fall down’. After the class he was praying before the dieties. One disciple asked him what he was praying because he seemed to be very intent. Srila Prabhupada replied, ‘I am praying that I may […]

My dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace. nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine  “I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna on this earth, […]

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.” TEXT 18 tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam   samahitam sura-sutena devi dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam   kastha yathananda-karam manastah SYNONYMS tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is […]

We are together to celebrate the appearance of Lord Krishna in the material world. On special occasions such as this—we’ll soon be celebrating the pastime of Mother Yasoda binding Krishna with ropes, and then Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill—unless we know who Krishna is, we won’t know what to make of these seemingly fantastic stories. The […]

This class was given by Giriraja Swami and Devamrita Swami.

Hear is a clear recording of the discussion:
Chasing Sustainable Happiness (Right click to download)

“Someone may say. ‘What is wrong with taking birth in this material world? I have taken birth here and I am happy.’ There could be some truth to that but our pleasure is always mixed with pain. In this physical body we cannot experience pure unadulterated pleasure. Of course, the pleasure we experience from bringing […]

Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who is the first expansion of Lord Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead. As Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7): yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O […]