Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9 during the morning program. “The mercy of Lord Nrsimhadeva is manifest in different ways: There are internal demons and external demons, and He is fully competent and inclined to vanquish both. As preachers we face both internal and external demons, and being sincere in our service we […]

Today is Jayananda Prabhu’s disappearance day. I wrote this haiku for his disappearance anniversary twenty-five years ago: Prabhupada’s full moon Beams upon my heart’s lotus— Guru’s service blooms   Hare Krishna. Yours in service, Giriraj Swami

Volume One of Shyamasundar’s long-awaited memoir is now available. This is a most intimate, detailed, and exciting account of Bhaktivedanta Swami’s amazing adventures in the dawn of the Hare Krishna movement. Volume One describes the Swami’s halcyon days in San Francisco and London, 1967–1970, and describes the real story of Lord Jagannath’s advent in the […]

“Today I had a wonderful Skype call with the devotees in Mumbai in celebration of Mother Arca-vigraha’s disappearance day. My godbrother Narottamananda Prabhu’s talk was especially enlivening and enlightening. How sublime that we all could gather to remember and appreciate and glorify a great Vaishnavi.” Arca Vigraha’s Disappearance

In Juhu Srila Prabhupada would go on the roof in the evening and give darshan. One evening there were five or ten devotees around him, and a few Indian guests, including a famous movie star and his wife. Somebody had brought mangoes for Prabhupada, and at one point he called for a knife and told […]

——————— We have added another 200 lectures by Giriraj Swami to his radio station bringing the total to over 400 talks! Listen on girirajswami.com or tunein.com or install the TuneIn app on your mobile device. You can listen to lectures 24/7 and find other Krishna conscious radio stations too. Download this playlist file and open […]

“The Lord, Sri Krishna, says, daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te ‘This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.’  (Bg 7.14) “One who surrenders to Krishna […]

  [This verse is quoted in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Sri Padyavali (151):] ramo nama babhuva hum tad-abala siteti hum tam pitur vaca pancavati-vane viharatas tasyharad ravanah nidrartham janaki-katham iti harer hum-karatah srnvatah saumitre kva dhanur dhanur dhanur iti vyagra girah pantu nah  [Mother Yasoda is telling Sri Krishna a story:] “There was once a king […]

Tomorrow is the 1,000th anniversary of the appearance of Sripada Ramanujacarya, the principal acarya in the Sri, or Lakshmi, sampradaya. Srila Prabhupada wrote that “We find great shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujacarya because his lotus feet are the strongest fort to combat the Mayavadi philosophy.” (letter 22.11.1974) And in the early days […]

Today I had a simple but profound realization: God is great, and God is good. If he were good but not great, He could not help us fully. And if He were great but not good, He could harm us. But He is great, and He is good, and He is always mindful of all […]

Presentation by Vaisesika Dasa (Right click – Save as)

Today being Ekadasi, I was considering whether or not to go out on an errand, and I recalled an incident that took place on Ekadasi in Madras in 1971. Achyutananda, Bhavananda, and I were based in a supporter’s house, and Bhavananda and I were in the mood to go out and preach. Achyutananda, however, said, […]

“One day we decided to do Govardhan parikrama together. I was feeling pretty sick but I was thinking I didn’t want to disappoint Maharaja. He was also feeling sick and he was thinking. ‘I don’t want to disappoint Giriraj Maharaja’ so he kept pushing on. Pretty soon after that we were both in the hospital […]

A few days ago, Niranjana Swami wrote me a letter in which he said, “I meditate a lot on Sridhar Maharaja. I miss him.” And when I asked him to tell me more about his meditation, he replied, “I honestly can’t fully explain it. He became so unbelievably dear to me in Mayapur—the way he […]

Today is the disappearance anniversary of His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada’s staunch disciple and our dear godbrother. As I wrote in Many Moons, “Three days after Sridhar Maharaja left, while on my daily walk, in Santa Barbara, I suddenly began to feel blissful, and I felt Maharaja’s presence. Then I imagined that he […]

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states, “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most benevolent personality in human society because His only desire is to make people happy. His sankirtana movement is especially meant for the purpose of making people happy.” (Adi 9.45 p) And Srila Prabhupada said of himself, “I have started this Krishna consciousness movement in this country, […]

“We hold onto our material attachments because we don’t have faith in Krishna; we don’t have faith in the holy name. First, we doubt whether Krishna actually exists — whether He’s really a person. And then we doubt whether he will really save us. If I am falling, will Krishna catch me? And if we don’t have faith that Krishna will catch us, we will […]

This video shows devotees at the Ganges on Gaura-purnima 1974 and features Tamal Krishna Goswami shaving up and Sridhar Swami, Madhudvisa Prabhu, and me in a major water fight. Happy Gaura-purnima! Hare Krishna. Yours in service, Giriraj Swami

From Amrit Vani, “Nectarean Instructions for Immortality,” gleaned from the instructions of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and presented in the form of questions and answers.   Is the favor given by Mahaprabhu the highest favor? There has never been nor will there ever be better benefactors than Mahaprabhu and His devotees. No other type of […]

Again listening to Srila Prabhupada’s talks in Juhu, I was struck by his frank and realistic assessment: “What do they know about nation? Everyone is interested in his own pocket, that’s all. ‘What money is coming in my pocket.’ Where is the nationalism? If there was nationalism, how such havoc could have happened? There is […]

Today, listening to Srila Prabhupada’s talks in Juhu, I heard something that struck me as especially timely and relevant. “Krishna says advesta sarva-bhutanam: You should not be envious to any living entity. But the present civilization means to become envious. I do not wish to criticize anyone, but this enviousness is the basis . . […]

In an exuberant mood, Syamsundara Prabhu, the temple president in Houston, wrote me, “Thank you, Maharaja, for your divine presence in our lives. How fortunate we are to have you among us. Please live forever.” Reflecting on Syamsundara’s words, I thought of Srila Prabhupada’s statement “I will never die. I will live forever in my […]

Today is Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji 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 […]

Today is the disappearance anniversary of Sripada Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, my sannyasa-guru and spiritual older brother. From him I learned almost everything I know about serving Srila Prabhupada. On this occasion I rededicate myself to him and pray to engage in his service eternally, in friendship and love. Hare Krishna. Yours in service, Giriraj […]

Today, Sivaratri here, we did special worship of our deity of Gopisvara Mahadeva, gifted to us by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami. We prayed to Gopisvara, vrndavanavani-pate jaya soma soma-maule   sanaka-sanandana-sanatana-naradedya gopisvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namaste “O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with […]

Yesterday at our ashram in Carpinteria we celebrated the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, whose divine instruction led to Prabhupada’s coming to America and spreading Krishna consciousness—the teachings of Lord Chaitanya—all over the world. And we were happy that Balarama das, Sripada Tamal Krishna Goswami’s former servant, secretary, and […]

Giriraj Swami gave this talk on February 12, 2014 in New Dvaraka, Los Angeles. “We think of Srila Prabhupada staying in the Bowery with that young man, David Allen, who was taking the New York version of strong liquor—LSD. David just went mad. He could have done anything to Srila Prabhupada. And Srila Prabhupada went running […]

Today is Varaha-dvadasi, Lord Varaha’s appearance day. Srila Prabhupada spoke on this occasion in Los Angeles on February 18, 1970: “Today is the incarnation day of Lord Krishna’s appearing as the Boar. He lifted the world when it was submerged within the water of Garbhodaka Ocean. The universe which we are seeing, it is only […]

On Sri Advaita Acarya’s appearance day, I share with you a talk about Him by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, given on April 6, 1975, in Mayapur, India.  —Giriraj Swami advaitam harinadvaita   acaryam bhakti-samsana bhaktavataram isam tam   advaita acaryam asraye “Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He […]

Happy Vasanta Panchami, Vrindavan’s first day of spring, which is the appearance day of Srimati Visnupriya Devi, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Sri Raghunandana Thakura, and Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami; the disappearance day of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura; and the anniversary of the acceptance of sannyasa by His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami (my sannyasa-guru). May they shower […]

The account of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu’s deliverance of the two drunken sinners Jagai and Madhai demonstrates the harmful results of blaspheming Vaishnavas and the beneficial results possible for those who do not blaspheme. Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (Madhya-khanda, 13.39–43) describes: “Every type of sin became manifest in the bodies of those two [Jagai and […]

In the morning I have been listening to Srila Prabhupada’s wonderful talks on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta given in Juhu in November 1975, and today I was struck by his explanation of how we can feel fellowship with each other—free from envy: “So if we accept this philosophy, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s, without falsely declaring ourself that ‘I am […]

Speaking on the offenses against the holy name, Srila Prabhupada said, “‘To become inattentive while chanting the holy name.’ Sravanam kirtanam: hearing and chanting. One has to hear nicely, and if he hears nicely, then he can speak nicely. But we must practice hearing . . . So many times this chanting, it is not so […]

Last night night Swarup Damodar, Sukumari, Nikunja Viharini, and I went to visit Rose Forkash (now Rajani-priya dasi) at her home in Carpinteria. For three hours, she enlivened and inspired us with stories of her and her family’s association with and service to Srila Prabhupada. And Swarup Damodar gave me a wonderful exchange with Srila […]

Adapted from a Talk by Giriraj Swami December 17, 2000 Ojai, California Our host, Urvasi dasi, called tonight’s occasion “The Holiday Festival.” In the West this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He […]

Two copies of the Hindi edition of Watering the Seed just arrived from India, and we offered them to our deity of Srila Prabhupada here in Carpinteria. The volume appears very nice, and I am indebted to Radha Charan, Charan Renu, Dhananjaya Krishna, Radha Priya, Hari Priya, and all the other friends and devotees who […]

Pictured here is our small deity of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on his disappearance day, just before we offered him bhoha, pushpanjali, and arati. My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, said, “Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura came in this world to execute the of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So he executed it. And when it was required, he left this […]

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 […]