Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

The observance of Gundica-marjana, the washing and cleansing of the Gundica temple, takes place on the day before Ratha-yatra, in preparation for the arrival of the Lord. The history of Ratha-yatra goes back thousands of years, to a previous age, but for us the specific significance of the Ratha-yatra and the cleaning of the Gundica […]

On May 12 Mohini Madaan, now Madana-mohana-mohini dasi, who suffers from severe muscular dystrophy and has been told she does not have long to live, shared with me her thoughts on her eighteenth birthday: My dearest Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva. All glories to your divine […]

Madan Mohan Mohini Dasi (Mohini Madaan) received her first and second initiation, and Hema Gauranga Das, Hemangi Dasi, and Sri-gopika Dasi received their second initiations, in a ceremony on Sunday evening. ——————————————- Kirtan by Giriraj Swami (Right click to download) Initiation talk (Right click to download)

Srivasa Pandita is one of the members of the Panca-tattva: sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasa. Vedic authorities state that in the current Age of Kali, Krishna came as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Balarama came as Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Similarly, Maha-vishnu appeared as Advaita Acharya, Srimati Radharani as Gadadhara Pandita, and Narada Muni as Srivasa Pandita. […]

Today the Supreme Court of India ruled that no one should be barred from the Jagannatha temple in Puri because of his faith or nationality, providing legal support to Srila Prabhupada’s long-standing desire that his disciples be allowed to enter, as described in the following excerpt from my forthcoming book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu: […]

———————————————————- ————————————————— In-Dependence Event. The Darshan Room (Right click to download)

While I was leaving the Dallas Fort Worth airport on July 4, a large American flag flying in the wind caught my eye, and I was surprised by how happy I felt. I reflected on how fortunate we were to live in a country where we have freedom of religion, and how Srila Prabhupada said, […]

On July 5 we celebrate the divine disappearance day of Sri Srimad Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja, who left our world on this date on the Vedic calendar in 2005. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Four, Chapter Twenty-eight: “Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life,” discusses the disappearance of the spiritual master: TEXT 48 uttisthottistha rajarse   imam […]

Sravanam and Kirtanam with HH Giriraj Swami and Madhava dasa.
#Kirtanforever
Posted by Madhava Kirtan Community on Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Yesterday we were blessed with the association of seven stalwart brahmachari book distributors who are following the Warped Tour. They arrived the night before, attended our entire morning program, and then, after breakfast, we discussed various aspects of the practice and preaching of Krishna consciousness. These devotees are extending Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s […]

Today we were blessed to observe Nirjala Ekadasi with about twenty devotees from the Mantra House program in Los Angeles. Not only did we chant many rounds together, but we also discussed many interesting points related to the practice and preaching of Krishna consciousness. “Everyone should be friendly for the service of the Lord. Everyone […]

At the Sunday program at Laguna Beach, Indradyumna Swami initiated Madhav Gharmalkar, son of Sri Vallabha dasa and Ananda Vrindavan dasi, and gave him the name Nilamadhava dasa, and Giriraj Swami gave Jivan-mukta dasa second initiation. Second-initiation talk (Right click to download)

? —————————————– 06.16.18_IDS_Panihati_Laguna (Right click to download) 06.16.18_GRS_Panihati_Laguna (Right click to download)

By Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, I successfully completed my vratas (vows) for the sacred, extra month of Purusottama. I chanted extra rounds and read and recited the fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (Purusottama-yoga) every day—and I finished the first draft of my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu (I’ll Build You a Temple). And, remembering how […]

This morning while chanting japa before my deity of Srila Prabhupada, I was struck by how merciful he had been to accept me as his disciple, appreciating that, despite all my failings, he will never let me go but would do whatever it takes to deliver me. As he said of his guru maharaja, “My […]

Giriraj Swami, Indradyumna Swami, and all the other devotees staying at the ashram in Carpinteria went to visit Rajani Priya dasi (Rose Forkash) and spent two hours with her. —————————————– Indradyumna Swami’s kirtan (Right click to download)

Indradyumna Swami Maharaja has come to spend four weeks with me at my ashram in Carpinteria, and today, watching him do his Deity worship, I was reminded of a statement in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23–24 purport) that a devotee “unable to worship the Deity must at least see the Deity worship, and in that way he may […]

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 […]