Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

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 […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.21 during a program at the house of Brijmohan Sethi. “It just so happens that Srila Prabhupada saw the same Juhu Beach land many times before he went to America. In order to get a passage to America, Srila Prabhupada approached Srimati Morarji of the Scindia Steam Navigation company. She […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23. “One can achieve the highest position of spiritual life by serving the dust of the lotus feet of the pure devotee. So, what does serving the dust of the lotus feet of the pure devotee actually mean? In general it means to follow his instructions. If one […]

Giriraj Swami met with yoga students from Santa Barbara in Srila Prabhupada’s Quarters at ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai. “Srila Prabhupada used the term ‘practical samadhi’ — you can be busy the whole day in service to Krishna. It is not that you have your life and you set aside a certain amount of time for your meditation. And […]

Giriraj Swami and others spoke during the program. “Srila Prabhupada said to Mr. Sethi. ‘It is the duty of the spiritual master to provide accommodations for his disciples. And just as you are building these accommodations here at Hare Krishna Land, Lord Krishna is making your rooms ready in Vaikuntha.’” Program at Mr. Sethi’s house

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17. “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. SB 2.3.17. Giriraj Swami: “One may raise the question that by rising and setting the sun decreases […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.16.41. “This verse is all about distinctions and non-distinction. Distinctions that arise from envy, material motives and the bodily concept of life. But, it is also about unity if everyone accepts Krishna as the supreme lord and surrenders to Him. This is the real platform of unity. Therefore Srila […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 15 text 158. “Srila Vasudeva Datta knew very well that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the original Personality of Godhead, Transcendence itself, above the material conception of illusion and maya. Lord Jesus Christ certainly finished the sinful reactions of his followers by his mercy, but that does […]

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Jiva Gosvami, one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, direct disciples of Lord Chaitanya. Srila Prabhupada writes, “Srila Jiva Gosvami composed and edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very much celebrated . . . After the disappearance of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami in Vrndavana, […]

In this ceremony, Tulasi Manjari dasi received second initiation from Giriraj Swami, who read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 14.26. “Srila Prabhupada would say that in other conceptions, the worshippers think of God as the father and that the nature of the children is to take service from the father — ‘I need this,’ or ‘I […]

The members of the Krsna consciousness movement are not at all interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest, where one will only make a show of meditation, nor are they interested in opening many schools for yoga and meditation in the cities. Rather, every member of the Krsna consciousness movement is interested […]

Today is the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, our Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master. As Srila Prabhupada explained to us, “Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura came in this world to execute the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So he executed it. And when it was required, he left this place and went to another place to […]

On December 1, in New Dvaraka, Los Angeles, I gave a talk on tasting and distributing Krsna consciousness, in relation to the December book marathon. A transcript follows. . . . We have again reached December, that most auspicious time of year when the book-distribution marathon takes place. To honor the occasion we shall read […]

Bhakti Caru Swami, Svavasa dasa and Giriraj Swami spoke during the wedding ceremony of Sri Goloka dasa and Rupal. “The demigods are praying, ‘Gayanti devah kila gitakani.’ Please allow us to take a human birth. That is why the human form of life is so special. It is a big responsibility.  The purpose of a […]

“One disciple asked Srila Prabhupada that we have to follow the authority so does it mean that the authority is right? Srila Prabhupada answered that you may still maintain the conviction that on a particular point you were right but you still have to follow the authority. Then he gave the example that if someone […]

The Bhagavad-gita was spoken approximately five thousand years ago by Lord Krishna, who is accepted by Vedic authorities as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Krishna speaks, He does not speak in ordinary prose; He speaks in poetry and with melody. Thus His words have been recorded as the Bhagavad-gita, “The Song of God.” God […]

I will never forget the moment when I heard that George Harrison had passed away, shortly after Thanksgiving in 2001. My strong feelings of separation surprised me—and made me think how important and dear George must have been to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krishna. And I remembered my own little experience with George in Bombay. […]

At the Laguna Beach Ratha-yatra, a young man asked me why God created us. He appreciated my answer, but then he had another question. “If God is all-knowing,” he said, “He would have known that some of us would become bad, and if God is all-powerful, He could have made us different. Why didn’t He?” […]

“During the Ratha-yatra festival, Lord caitanya manifested the mood of Radharani wanting to bring Krishna back to Vrindavan. He would pull the chariot and that emotional process was pulling Krishna back to Vrindavan. In a way we want to install Krishna in our hearts. This body is compared to a chariot, so just as Lord […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.26 “Srila Prabhupada was paraphrasing a statement from the Nectar of devotion that if one wants to become important either in the material or spiritual sense, he can never really relish the sweet taste of Krishna consciousness. But the more one becomes the servant of the servant of the […]

“The devotee wants only one thing which is to always remember Krishna and to never forget Krishna. In happiness or distress, in good health or illness, in riches or poverty. In that state one is satisfied. It doesn’t mean that if one becomes a devotee the dualities of the material world will stop. They will continue. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22. kona bhagye karo samsara ksayonmukha haya sadhu-sange tabe krsne rati upajaya Translation: “By good fortune one becomes eligible to cross the ocean of nescience, and when one’s term of material existence decreases, one may get an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. By such association, one’s attraction […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.22.1-6. “In this chapter which describes the activities in the winter season, Sukadeva Goswami describes the mood of the young gopis who were not yet married. Still, they all had the desire to get Krishna as their husband. In one sense their relationship with Krishna was already established by their attachment to […]

Giriraj Swami spoke on Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja during the Sunday program. “Although one could say that Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja didn’t preach, he did through Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. He had an immense wealth of spiritual realization and he gave that to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura who then distributed it. […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by Bhakti Vikasa Swami. “After much hullabaloo a babaji remonstrated. ‘Siddhanta Saraswati is not a renunciate, and therefore not eligible to establish a samadhi for a renunciate.’ Prabhupada thunderously retorted. ‘I am the only initiated disciple of Paramahamsa Babaji Maharaja. Even though I am not officially […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 7. Antya 7 161 — “I wanted to agitate you,” the Lord said, “but you did not become agitated. Indeed, you could not say anything in anger. Instead, you tolerated everything. 162 — “Your mind was not disturbed by My tricks. Rather, you stayed fixed in your […]

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 16.137 Translation: No one can understand the loving intimacy between Gadadhara Pandita and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gadadhara Pandita gave up his vow and service to Gopinatha just as one gives up a piece of straw. Purport: Just to get Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s association, Gadadhara Pandita gave up his life’s vow to engage […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.15 “The day of Gopastami, or the day that Krishna and Balarama were given charge of the Cows instead of the calves, marks a very significant change in Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan. It is stated in Caitanya-caritamrta that in the kumara age, from birth until the age of […]

“It is good for us that Krishna is unlimited. As one Devotee prayed when chanting Hare Krishna, ‘My dear Lord, you are so kind that as your Holy Name you are my constant companion.’ Krishna manifests Himself as His Holy Name, as talks about Him—when we talk about Krishna He is actually present. When our […]