Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

Giriraj Swami presented a seminar titled ‘Secrets of Success — and Failure — in Devotional Service’ based on the Nectar of Instruction. “Mercy means the Lord can give mercy or not give as He pleases. But, our business as devotees is to make ourselves fit candidates to receive the Lords mercy. One of the main qualifications is […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.18. “Though a person be even the most sinful man, he can at once be purified by systematic contact with a pure Vaisnava. A Vaisnava, therefore, can accept a bona fide disciple from any part of the world without any consideration of caste and creed and promote him […]

TOVP Interview by Giriraj Swami from Derek Carter on Vimeo.

———— Prahaladananda Swami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanatha Swami and Giriraj Swami participated in the questions and answers session. “Getting things done is important. But the spirit and the unity of the community is what will give substance to what you get done. We can build a temple but people are not going to be Krishna […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.16.4. “Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura  says that if one does speak about others while under the influence of devotional impediments, such as envy, pride, hatred, or the desire for position, then one commits an offense at the feet of bhakti-devi. So, for the sake of the institution we may have […]

“We have been given the opportunity to get the holy name but if we maintain material attachments in our heart we will not be able to accept the gift fully. To really accept the gift we have to cleanse our heart of material attachments and motives then there will be room for the holy name. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila, chapter 7. In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 8 ayi dina-dayardra natha he mathura-natha kadavalokyase hrdayam tvad-aloka-kataram dayita bhramyati kim karomy aham Translation: “O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathura! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved […]

—————————————————- First Initiation Mauritius Rajeev Envadoo – Arjuna Sakha dasa Amita Putoo – Ananda Gopika dasi Gaitree Seemungtoo – Gokulesvari dasi Meera Lokonoparano – Mukhara dasi Sunitha Caussey – Malini dasi Durban Amit Ramjee – Acarya Srinivasa dasa Carmin Ramjee – Govinda-mohini dasi Chandrika Kassie – Candramukhi dasi Reshina Sheodass – Rasika dasi Vrindavan Suhas […]

“Ultimately Krishna wants to hear some love within our chanting. He wants to hear our heart. He is not really interested to hear some material mumbling. Krishna wants to hear the call of our heart. Therefore the definition of this last offense is that somebody who is chanting without priti—without paying attention, without giving importance to […]

Devotee: Because we have times when we are strong and times when we we are weak we should make arrangements in our lives so that we are protected against our tendencies to become weak. Giriraj Swami: Very practical. Once, Jayadvaita Swami and I were speaking to the temple president in Spain at night and he […]

Giriraj Swami: The palace at Govardhana was owned by the Maharaja of Chatarpura and after discussing with Tamal Krishna Goswami we decided to try and get the property. Tamal Krishna Goswami suggested that I go and see the king with a local lawyer. We didn’t know what to expect but we went to Chatarpura and the king […]

My dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for the wonderful day today, spent at your samadhi at your palace at Govardhana. Thank you for the association of wonderful loving godbrothers, united in their love for you and Srila Prabhupada. Thank […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.30 on Sivaratri day in Vrindavan. “Why did Lord Rama worship Lord Siva? Srila Prabhupada gives the answer that Krishna likes to worship and serve His devotees. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna — it doesn’t mean that Arjuna is supreme but, it means that Krishna likes to […]

Giriraj Swami, accompanied Mukhara Devi’s husband Gopal Acharya dasa, her son Sakhi Sharan dasa and daughter in law Sveta Manjari dasi to the Ganges where they immersed her ashes in the river. During the program Sveta Manjari sang  Vasanti-rasa, Sri Rupa Manjari Pada and Mama Mana Mandire. Giriraj Swami sang Ye Anilo Prema-dhana and everyone shared memories and […]

From: Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir / Date: 7 February 2015 Speaker: Giriraja Swami A small group of devotees went to Madras. We were the first devotees from ISKCON to go. Thinking back on that period and being here in Mayapur, I cannot help but think of Bhavananda Prabhu, who was part of that small party. […]

On his arrival in Vrindavan, Giriraj Swami met with some devotees and shared an account of his time in Kolkata and Mayapur. “In Mayapur Yadubara prabhu was showing the trailer for his feature documentary film about Srila Prabhupada called Acharya. It will run about ninety minutes. It was very moving and impressive. I spoke with […]

The celebrations started of with puspanjali at Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaj’s samadhi, and then proceeded to a small community hall in the Mayapur grhasta complex. “Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja told me there were three things that were causing him distress. He said. “One, is that I want to preach to the preachers—when I see devotees falling down […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.33-35. “By offenceless chanting of the holy name ones heart will be infused with the desire to serve and the mood of compassion that is the basis for the desire to preach. Srila Prabhupada had that faith in the holy name. Because of his faith in the holy name, […]

“After the tremendous success of the pandal program in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada wanted to put on a similar program in Kolkata. So he sent Tamal Krishna Goswami and I from Bombay. When we got to Kolkata, Tamal Krishna Goswami said. ‘You raise the money and I will spend it.’ So, I said. ‘Allright.’ — Giriraj Swami ——————————————————————————————- […]

Ajay Gauranga Dasa
Anuradha Priya Devi Dasi
Krishna Kanhaiya Das
Pandit Gadadhar Das
Partha Sarathi Das
Priti Purvakam Devi Dasi
Priya Manjari Devi Dasi
Vrindavan Vilasini Devi Dasi

Giriraj Swami and Radhanatha Swami accepted disciples for first and second initiation. ” —————————————–

“Chanting sincerely means that one feels oneself to be very fallen and in need of mercy. Ones chanting should be infused with prayer for mercy. There are many prayers by our previous acharyas that exemplify the mood of dainya or humility. There is one — Amara jivana by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. So, we need to chant in […]

—————- “In all the books and from all the previous acharyas we find that it is important that we are focussing on the end result — prema bhakti. Even if we are in a conditioned state, if we make anything else our goal we will be distracted and diverted. So, how to keep this focus on […]

“Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. My only true identity is that I am the servant of the servant  of the servant  of the servant of the Lord of the gopis — Sri Krishna. After offering this Prayer, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu invited everyone to bring Jagannatha together to Sri Vrindavan Dham . In this way he taught us what […]

———————– Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya caritamrta madhya-lila 1.55 during the Ratha-yatra morning program. TRANSLATION Having shown the verse to Svarupa Damodara with great wonder, Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him how Rupa Gosvami could understand the intentions of His mind. PURPORT We had the opportunity to receive a similar blessing from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17 during a program at the home of Gopal Acharya dasa. “We heard the wonderful descriptions of Mukhara mataji, how she had awakened to her eternal identity and her eternal service to Radha and Krishna. We all can experience the same result if we follow the same method with […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 12.6-7 and other devotees shared memories and realizations. ye tu sarvani karmani mayi sannyasya mat-parah ananyenaiva yogena mam dhyayanta upasate tesham aham samuddharta mrityu-samsara-sagarat bhavami na cirat partha mayy avesita-cetasam TRANSLATION But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me […]

“I think you are doing very well. I am thinking of the verse; tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. —Bg 10.10 “Because you are trying to serve, working […]

“Srila Prabhupada did unprecedented service to make Krishna consciousness available for everyone. First, of course, by bringing it to Europe and America and Africa and Australasia. But, even in India by defending the right of his devotees to be accepted fully as vaisnavas and brahmanas and even more that brahmanas. This combination of his travelling […]

——————————————– “Krishna came again five hundred years ago as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This incarnation of Krishna is called a channa avatar which means a concealed avatar or hidden avatar. other avatars — like dashavatara — assert themselves as the Supreme Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considered a channa avatar because He did not assert Himself as the Supreme Lord […]

—————————– Giriraj Swami read and spoke from the concluding words from the Caitanya-caritamrta at the Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra temple. “To get the strength to spread Krishna consciousness we should also follow the regulative principles. And that was repeated again and again by Srila Prabhupada. To have the spiritual strength to preach you have to rise early, attend […]

———————————– “The essence is to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and dedicate your lives to their service. There will be details and there will be difficulties — there are always difficulties. But, as Srila prabhupada said. ‘Spiritual life is difficult but material life is impossible.’ It is difficult in some ways but […]

——————————————————————————- Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavtam 10.14.8. “The idea is that just as a legitimate son has to do nothing but stay alive in order to inherit his father’s property, similarly all a devotee has to do is remain alive in Krishna consciousness and he will inherit the kingdom of God. What does […]

————————– It was a strange sight: In the middle of a vacant lot strewn with rubble and the metal bars that had once supported the temple structure were the beautiful Radha-Krsna Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, dressed in Their green and silver outfits and garlanded with flowers. They stood on Their carved teakwood altar amid the […]

Celebrations for the anniversary of the grand opening of the Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari temple at Hare Krishna Land were held on the day of  Makara-sankranti. “Srila Prabhupada had in mind a design similar to the Radha-Govindaji temple in Jaipur. During the pandal festival at Cross-Maidan a Dutch devotee was regularly coming to hear Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and see him afterwards. Then Srila […]

Sridama dasa and Giriraj Swami spoke at the festival where all the participants in the Devotee Care or “Mitra” program gathered in Andheri. “Giriraj Swami wanted a system where his disciples could be properly guided, trained, nourished and sheltered even if he could not be physically present. We are all malnourished because of the material energy so we […]

Radhanatha Swami, Bhakti Rasamrita Swami and Giriraj Swami spoke at the hospital. “Spiritual care became the basis of everything — genuine compassion for the souls of everyone who came. When a doctor has that compassion for a persons soul, without discriminating their external features, then that doctor will be most empowered to heal the body the mind […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.18.5 during the Sunday program. “Demons are very much disturbed when devotees worship the Lord in the prescribed ways recommended in the scriptures. In the Vedic scriptures, the neophyte devotees are advised to engage in nine kinds of devotional service, such as to hear and chant the holy […]