Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita Bg 8.16. “Srila Prabhupada said to Tamal Krishna Maharaja that Krishna wants us all to go back to Godhead in this very lifetime. So, if a devotee needs more time Krishna may extend his duration of life so he may finish up what he needs to do to […]

“The Krishna consciousness movement therefore issues a supreme call to all kinds of religionists, asking them with great authority to join this movement, by which one can learn how to love God and thus surpass all formulas and formalities of scriptural injunction. A person who cannot overcome the jurisdiction of stereotyped religious principles is compared […]

“Eka krsna-namera phale pai eta dhana (Cc Adi 8.28) — Just by chanting one name of Krishna — we can imagine how much potency is in even one name. So, when we chant we must try to hear one name. My Godbrother Bhurijana prabhu says that when you chant chant just try to hear one mantra […]

Giriraj Swami read Srila Prabhupada’s purport and discussed the song Nitai Pada Kamala by Narottama Dasa Thakura during an evening program. “We talk about association but what does that mean? In the Nectar of Instruction verse 4, Rupa Goswami discusses: dadati pratigrhnati guhyam akhyati prcchati bhunkte bhojayate caiva sad-vidham priti-laksanam So, guhyam akhyati prcchati means revealing ones mind in confidence. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17. “A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can […]

  Today, Makara-sankranti, January 14, 2018, is the fortieth anniversary of the Juhu temple. On this occasion, I share with you three sections from my forthcoming book, I’ll Build You a Temple: A Good Fight and a Promise Fulfilled, about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu—“Opening the Juhu Temple,” “After the Opening,” and “Concluding Reflections”—and a link to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.42. “There is a verse in the Srimad Bhagavatam that says that everyone knows that attachment is the greatest form of bondage for the conditioned soul. But, that same attachment when transferred to the self-realized devotees of the Lord, opens the door to liberation. So, we cannot […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.18 during the Sunday program. “The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and […]

In anticipation of the fortieth anniversary of the Juhu temple, Rasa-sundari dasi wrote about serving there: Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay from 1990 to 1992 was sometimes a real challenge, because we had hardly any facilities. In the beginning there were only three of us, not even initiated then: Bhakta Juan, Bhaktin Manju, and myself, […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17. “This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will […]

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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 4.7. “Devotees who are merciful and compassionate by nature take risks to preach the message of Godhead and deliver the fallen souls for the pleasure of their spiritual maters and Krishna.” Bhagavad-gita 4.7, Dallas

“Now these Christmas holidays have begun in your country. Throughout the whole month of December you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God […]

On Srila Jiva Gosvami’s disappearance day recently, I thought of Mother Arca-vigraha’s special service to him, as recounted by Kuntidevi dasi in my book Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas: “Over time, Arca-vigraha was able to use her artistic talent in the service of some very special projects. Once, a Gaudiya Vaishnava at Radha-kunda wanted […]

During the past weeks, I have frequently thought of the following verse and purport from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.5.2):               vidura uvaca sukhaya karmani karoti loko na taih sukham vanyad-uparamam va vindeta bhuyas tata eva duhkham yad atra yuktam bhagavan vaden nah “Vidura said: O great sage, everyone in this world […]

“When Dr. Desai slowed down however, Upendra told him, ‘Prabhupada wants you to drive faster.’ And he picked up speed. But, the moment Dr. Desai hit the accelerator, Tamal Krishna objected, ‘I told you to drive slowly, he said. What are you doing? Slow down immediately.’ ‘Upendra just told me to drive fast’ ‘No no […]

Today Santa Barbara County lifted the evacuation order for the neighborhood of my ashram in Carpinteria, and Kuntidevi will be returning with the Deities and other items, to begin the arduous process of cleaning up the property, reestablishing the worship, and restoring the ashram to proper function. We wish her well in her endeavor, in difficult […]

I have been moved by the many devotees who have written me expressing their concern about the wildfires in the Carpinteria area and informing me of their prayers for me and the other residents. Your concern and prayers mean much to me, and I feel obliged to you all and offer you my heartfelt thanks. […]

I have arrived safely in Dallas and am now happily under the protection of Sri Kalachandji, His dhama, and His devotees, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada and his followers.
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Terrible forest fires have been raging around Ventura and Ojai, California, devastating homes and everything else on their way. I recalled Srila Prabhupada’s discussion of the first verse of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s Sri Gurv-astaka: “The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest […]

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him that 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, which has helped bring me closer […]