Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

Today, Sri Guru-purnima, or Vyasa-purnima, is the divine disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, the eldest of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. The authorized poet Sri Kavi-karnapura, in his book Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka (9.34, 35, 38), quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 24.348–350), tells how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu blessed Sanatana Gosvami with His specific mercy. gaudendrasya sabha-vibhusana-manis tyaktva […]

A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sivananda Sena’s and Svarupa Damodara Gosvami’s Disappearance Day, June 25, 1998, Los Angeles. On the auspicious day of Jagannatha Ratha-yatra in Puri, two of Lord Caitanya’s most confidential associates—Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Srila Sivananda Sena—left this world to return to the supreme abode. The inner moods of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata on the occasion of Gundica Marjana and the disappearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. “After taking darshan of Lord Jagannatha with great bliss, Lord Nityananda went to see Gadadhara Pandit at Tota Gopintha temple. Gadadhara and Nityananda loved each other very much. There, seeing the three-fold bending form […]

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, Krsna came as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Balarama came as Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Similarly, Maha-visnu appeared as Advaita Acarya, Srimati Radharani as Gadadhara Pandita, and Narada Muni as Srivasa Pandita. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.30.35 during a Skype conversation with devotees in Mumbai. “Translation: Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor […]

Today Hema Malini, the famed performer from India, visited the ISKCON Los Angeles temple, and I was reminded of when she and I were together on the stage of the ISKCON auditorium in Juhu, Mumbai. It was December, during the book-distribution marathon, and after the performance I asked the audience to come forward to purchase […]

“Sometimes we would discuss something together and at times he was clearly right but other times I would feel that I saw something that he didn’t see and he would realize that I had. But, I did have faith in him because it happened again and again that in the morning he would chant and reflect […]

His Holiness Radhanath Swami began the launch of his new book, The Journey Within, at the ISKCON Dallas temple on May 16, 2016. The following exchange took place toward the end of the event. Radhanath Swami: When I was with His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja this past September, I told him, “I really don’t know […]

Today, on Father’s Day, some devotees thought of me and wrote to me. I thought of Srila Prabhupada and a letter he wrote to a disciple: “You have accepted me as father, so I have also accepted you as my dear and real son. Relationship of father and son on spiritual platform is real and […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 3.10 at a home program. “‘In the Age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajna (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajna and Krsna consciousness go well […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9. “If the Krsna consciousness movement spreads all over the world, and if by the grace of Krsna everyone accepts it, the thinking of envious people will change. Everyone will think of the welfare of others. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays, sivam mitho dhiya. In material activities, everyone is […]

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 be […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.22. “Only attention engaged in the service of the Lord, especially in dressing and decorating the temple, accompanied by musical kirtan and spiritual instructions from scriptures, can save the common man from the hellish cinema attractions and rubbish sex-songs broadcast everywhere by radios. If one is unable to maintain […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 8. “Regarding the offense—to not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter—I once asked Bhurijan prabhu what the connection was. He explained that you hold onto material attachments because you don’t have […]

Giriraj Swami and Indradymna Swami accepted disciples during the Sadhu Sanga Retreat.  

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.83. “krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya ‘sadhu-sanga’ krsna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga Translation: “The root cause of devotional service to Lord Krishna is association with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Krishna awakens, association with devotees is still most essential. (Cc Madhya 22.83) “Sacinandana Swami was making the point that if […]

Giriraj Swami explained the meaning and Badaharidas prabhu sang the bhajan by Locana Dasa Thakura. The two Lords, Nitai-Gauracandra, are very merciful. They are the essence of all incarnations. The specific significance of these incarnations is that They introduced a process of chanting and dancing that is simply joyful. My dear brother, I request that you just worship Lord […]

Giriraj read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 8. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya were embracing in ecstasy, the Lord restrained His transcendental emotions upon seeing the outsider brahmanas. (Cc Madhya 8 purport) “In this verse the word ‘vijitiya’ appears which means ‘outsider’. And, opposed to that is ‘sajitiya‘. Because the brahmanas were vijitiya […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 8.28. “One who has a little faith in Bhagavad-gita should learn Bhagavad-gita from a devotee, because in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter it is stated clearly that Bhagavad-gita can be understood only by devotees; no one else can perfectly understand the purpose of Bhagavad-gita. One should therefore […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.1 during the Sunday Love Fest. “Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human […]

Radhanatha Swami and Giriraj Swami spoke during the evening program. “Prahlad Maharaja said. ‘I had fallen in a blind well full of snakes following the general populace. But my Spiritual master, Narada Muni, save me. Therefore my first duty is to serve him. How could I give up his service?’ Prahlad was saying this to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.7.14 “When Krishna comes home from the pasturing grounds in the late afternoon, his body is covered in the dust from the hooves of the cows and calves as they walk before him. The residents of Vrindavan see that Krishna’s beauty is enhanced by the dust and beads of […]

“Prahlad Maharaja prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva that he forgive his father all his horrible activities and liberate him. This shows the saintly nature of a pure devotee—he is a friend to everyone. He doesn’t become the enemy of his enemy but he is a friend even to his enemy. Lord Nrsimhadeva replied. ‘Because of your taking […]

Giriraj Swami participated in the occasion in Mumbai via Skype. “It is so wonderful that Mother Arca Vigraha had it in her heart to give her house in Vrindavan to Guru Maharaja. She knew that she was not going to live for too long so when she built that house, in her heart she built it for […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 9.3 during the Sunday program in Dallas. “Once, I was at airport in America with Srila Prabhupada when a reporter asked him. ‘What does this chanting achieve?’ Srila Prabhupada smiled so broadly—just this oceanic, effulgent smile. He looked at the reporter and said. ‘Chanting accomplishes chanting.’ There is nothing […]

Giriraj Swami participated in the occasion in Durban via Skype. “Mother Arca Vigraha had about her a very urgent sense to serve Lord Krishna, Srila Prabhupada, her spiritual master, and all the vaisnavas. And, because she was so urgent and eager, Krishna’s mercy flowed to her especially at the final stages of her life.” —Swarup Damodar […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 12.200-222. “There are two ideas. One is that if you serve Krishna, the guru will be pleased. The other is that if you serve the guru, Krishna will be pleased. But, if you serve the vaisnavas, both Krishna and the guru will be pleased. When I joined, […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12. “As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is the friend of everyone (suhrdam sarva-bhutunam jnatva mam santim rcchati). The Lord is never an enemy to any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone. This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 9.14 in the Darshan Room of Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji Temple. “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Bg 9.14) “From a certain point of view it may seem impossible to always engage in kirtan. Of […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.54 “The basic principle of Deity worship is that one must understand oneself to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. One who is addicted to sexual gratification, foolishly identifying himself with the external material body, cannot change his conception of himself from that of an enjoyer to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.52-53. “Srila Prabhupada says that if you dress the deity in beautiful garments you will lose the desire to dress yourself in beautiful garments. In other words by engaging in the service of the senses of the Lord, our senses will become so satisfied transcendentally that we will not want […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 2.41 during the Sunday Krishna Fest. “Keep in mind that when Srila Prabhupada was reading this verse in the Bhagavad-gita with the commentary, that was the moment that his firm resolution took place that. ‘Yes, now I must leave everything and follow the orders of my spiritual master and go to […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 12. 187 – 198 “The philosophy of monism is an adjustment of the Buddhist philosophy of voidism. In a mock fight with Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Nityananda Prabhu was refuting this type of monistic philosophy. Vaisnavas certainly accept Lord Sri Krsna as the ultimate “one,” and that […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.49. “Vasudeva sarvam iti can be read that Vasudeva is everything and everywhere. But, the more precise understanding is that Krishna is the origin of everything and therefore He is manifested there. He as the origin is worshipable. Therefore there is a distinction between worshipping the energy (sakti) and […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 14.26 and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-Lila 16. “This verse is a reply to Arjuna’s third question: What is the means of attaining to the transcendental position? As explained before, the material world is acting under the spell of the modes of material nature. One should not be disturbed by the […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritmrta Adi-lila 10 and Sri Caitanya Bhagavat. bada sakha, — gadadhara pandita-gosañi tenho laksmi-rupa, tanra sama keha nai Translation: Gadadhara Pandita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Sri Krsna. No one, therefore, can equal him. Purport: In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (147-53) it is stated, “Sri Krsna’s […]

“Many devotees have commented that it is better to go deep in Krishna consciousness than to go broad—going here and there looking for different philosophies in different places. I thought of a devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu named Mukunda. Caitanya Mahaprabhu would occasionally just be in the mood of giving mercy and calling people forward to get […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17 at the Bikram Yoga Center in Patagonia Arizona. As a highly potent drug injected intravenously acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected through the ear by the pure devotee of the Lord can act very efficiently. Aural realization of the […]

“One of the attributes that the spirit soul has that makes one unique and beautiful to Krishna is free will and the way you choose to use it. It is always yours and shows your relationship with Krishna. Free will gives meaning to love. Without free will you are a prisoner. Love means: I choose […]

———————————– ayur harati vai pumsam udyann astam ca yann asau tasyarte yat-ksano nita uttama-sloka-vartaya Translation: Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. Purport: This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing […]