Author Archives: H.H. Giriraj Swami

My dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your divine lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace and to your unparalleled service and mercy. When I joined the Boston temple in 1969, Satsvarupa dasa was the temple president and also the editor of BTG, and he always wanted articles for the magazine. […]

Srutakirti dasa: We were on an airplane from Mexico City to Caracas, and Prabhupada started taking his puffed rice and peanuts. He ate for about ten minutes, and then he just looked and said, “Okay.” So I moved the puffed rice over, and I gave half to Paramahamsa and had the other half in front […]

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.” TEXT 18 tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam   samahitam sura-sutena devi dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam   kastha yathananda-karam manastah SYNONYMS tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is […]

Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who is the first expansion of Lord Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead. Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7): yada yada hi dharmasya   glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya   tadatmanam srjamy aham “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, […]

 

We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 19: TEXT 1 vrndavaniyam rasa-keli-vartam   kalena luptam nija-saktim utkah sancarya rupe vyatanot punah sa   prabhur vidhau prag iva loka-srstim TRANSLATION Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahma with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In […]

Today we are celebrating the beginning of Jhulana-yatra, which is steeped in the moods of Vrindavan. When I first began reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, I was struck by the following description in the introduction to Teachings of Lord Chaitanya: “Actually, Vrindaban is as good as the Spiritual Vrindaban, and therefore Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami says […]

From my book I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story: On August 15, Indian Independence Day, some of the tenants assembled in the garden at noon, stood in silence for a minute before the small statue of Gandhi, and then proceeded with their annual celebration—garlanding the statue, hoisting the flag, singing the national anthem, […]

Audio File: “The Perfection of Yoga”, Light and Space Yoga Studio

Ratha-yatra, Venice Beach, Los Angeles, Questions and Answers

“Prabhupada was now surrounded by devotees, and I brought out the photo package prepared by Ramesvara Maharaja, which detailed the magnificent observance of Ratha-yatra by the disciples in Los Angeles.  Prabhupada became ecstatic seeing the bright, colorful photos, which were as good as a movie.  As he examined each, he seemed to be diving deeper […]

 

We have entered the auspicious Purusottama-adhika-masa (extra month), which is considered three times more powerful than Kartik. One year, Srila Prabhupada was in Juhu during Purusottama-adhika-masa, and Dr. C. P. Patel, Srila Prabhupada’s regular companion on his morning walks on Juhu Beach, prevailed upon him to take bath in the sea. In an article published […]

We are entering the sacred month of Purusottama, which comes once every three years and is said to be three times more potent than Kartik. During this month, devotees increase their chanting and hearing, and in particular they read Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad-gita, “Purusottama-yoga,” daily. In a previous age during the Purusottama Month, Kaundinya […]

Sripada Hrdayananda Babaji Maharaja was born in Radha-kunda and has been a pujari for 78 years. He lives next to the Radha-Damodar Temple. When, at the beginning of an interview, Babaji Maharaja was asked if he knew Srila Prabhupada, he began to cry. He said, “Never have I seen anyone do sadhana as he did. […]

Srila Prabhupada incorporated ISKCON’s on July 13, 1966, in New York City, which corresponds to today on the Vaishnava calendar. One exchange between him and Bhavananda indicates some of the significance of the occasion: Bhavananda: In Svarup Ganj there’s one big astrologer. So, he saw your photograph, and he said, “This is the face of […]

Today is Srila Lokanatha dasa Gosvami’s disappearance day. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 18, states, TEXT 48 tabe rupa gosani saba nija-gana lana eka-masa darasana kaila mathuraya rahiya TRANSLATION Srila Rupa Gosvami and his associates stayed in Mathura for one month and saw the Gopala Deity. TEXT 49 sange gopala-bhatta, dasa-raghunatha raghunatha-bhatta-gosani, ara lokanatha TRANSLATION When […]

Today I thought to read a verse and purport about Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten, “The Branches of the Caitanya Tree”: TEXT 105 sri gopala bhatta eka sakha sarvottama rupa-sanatana-sange yanra prema-alapana TRANSLATION Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the […]

One year, when I was leaving the Dallas/Fort Worth airport on July 4, a large American flag flying in the wind caught my eye, and I was surprised by how happy I felt. I reflected on how fortunate we were to live in a country where we have freedom of religion, and how Srila Prabhupada […]