Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja Appreciations from Godbrothers

His Holiness Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami:

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

I have a message to convey to Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja from Srila Indradyumna Swami Maharaja who is watching this event in Australia and I will have to do that quickly because the battery on my phone is going to die at any second. Indradyumna Swami gives this message to you:

“Dear Giriraj Swami Maharaja,

Due to my services out here on the preaching field, I am not able to be present, but I came back from saṅkīrtana early to be able to watch this auspicious event.

I am with you in spirit and my heart is beating in love and appreciation for my dear godbrother, Giriraj Swami. 

Giriraj Maharaja, please remember that we had made a pact that we will not go back to Godhead without each other. [applause]

Giriraj Maharaja, I am looking forward to your association in this life and in the next life and forever more.

I am following every second of this event on the Internet. Maharaja, please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. I also offer my humble obeisances to all my godbrothers present there and to all the beautiful devotees of the South African yatra. I offer my obeisances to Sri Sri Radha-Radhanath.”

Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

The other evening you spoke and you said, “I don’t know what to say in the presence of these two great elephants.” [laughter] And I have been placed in a similar situation after which I will read the riot act to Campakalata.

When Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Maharaja spoke about Vyasa-puja, I was knocked off my feet. It was so wonderful. And hearing your Vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada, similarly it has astounded me that your depth of devotion and faithfulness and adherence to Srila Prabhupada and the dedication of your life at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada. So, with the two of you being such great and powerful elephants, now I feel like a little ant or a squirrel or maybe in South Africa, one of those frogs [laughter]. And you said the other evening, “But that is okay because everybody has their place in the mission of the Lord.” For me I wish I could say, “That is okay,” but rather I would like to say that I wish that I could become like you.

Maharaja has always been a shelter. I can only speak from my personal experience. Remembering many years ago in India, one of our first encounters was actually in Vrindavan in 1979. Our society was experiencing a little bit of confusion at that period. I was the cook at our Krishna-Balaram Mandir and I was one of the Vrindavan temple residents. Vrindavan was really boiling hot at that time. And I remember I was sitting in my room, a little room up in the corner of the gurukula. I completed my service. I was in my room. I was chanting. I was a little bit nervous about everything that was going on. There was a knock on my door and you came in and you said, “Are you okay? Are you well? How is everything going? How do you feel?” extending his shelter as a Vaishnava and extending your love as a Vaishnava. 

Through the years we had an opportunity to associate more and I would say we became closer through the years, and although you may feel as though there is some type of equality, still, I have always viewed you as a person who’s so closely attached to Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Maharaja was mentioning about Srila Vasudeva’s message that we receive through Srila Prabhupada and which we have received from Srila Giriraj Maharaja, and in the course of my life, every day we hear that we should remember Srila Prabhupada and we should remember Prabhupada’s instructions and we should focus everything that we do around Srila Prabhupada, but I can honestly say that you are one of the people that I have met in my life that basically contemplates in so many circumstances what would Srila Prabhupada do in this situation, how would Srila Prabhupada work through this issue, how would Srila Prabhupada resolve, not just according to some quick resolution, but thinking of that way that you saw Krishna’s pure devotee resolve issues, not with just the force of the power that comes with, which naturally comes to a person who is in the position of being a sannyasi or a guru or a GBC, but thinking how it is that that person with the heart of perfect love like Srila Prabhupada would resolve the situation. I have always noted that in you and that is why I say that I would like to become like you so that every moment of my life and that everything that I do I would be contemplating, “How is it that my spiritual master would want that this be done.”

When you were reading your offering, you made a point and you said that if a person will receive the mercy of the devotee then that person will receive Krishna’s mercy. So, naturally we understand that Srila Prabhupada is a perfect devotee, Srila Prabhupada has received Krishna’s mercy, and I see you as a person who has received the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and on this day of your Vyasa-puja I would like to naturally congratulate, but I would like to also beg that you will always give me your kind mercy and that you would always give me your kind shelter so that I will become more closely attached to Srila Prabhupada and I will receive the mercy of Krishna.

So I thank you very much for everything you have shown me and like Srila Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, although I am not made an official blood pact with you [laughter], or maybe because as Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Maharaja said, the older we get hopefully the more we are going away from the material and we are going to the spirits so instead of a blood pact, a spirit pact that we will go back to Godhead with one another, and in the spiritual world we will be together and that we will be with Srila Prabhupada and we will all love and serve each other eternally in that wonderful realm of Goloka Vrindavan.

So thank you very much for everything you have done. 

Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya! [applause]

I would like to, as Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Maharaja said, take this opportunity to offer my very humble obeisances. [offers daṇḍavats]

Srila Bhakti Chaitanya Swami:

Hare Krishna. I already spoke as you all know very well. That was a little mix. That was the meaning of Vyasa-puja and also some of my personal feelings. It was very nice to hear from Indradyumna Maharaja. Which camera is going onto the Internet? Haribol Maharaja! [applause] Thank you for being here with us. I really feel inspired and supported.

His Holiness Indradyumna Maharaja was kind enough to give me a govardhana-śilā, small govardhana-śilā, which in a very simple way I try to worship. I call Him Giriraj. Sometimes devotees ask me, “What is He called? What is His name?” And I say, “Giriraj.” And they say, “Oh, hasn’t He got some other name?” like more exotic. I guess that is what they are thinking and I say, “No, I call Him Giriraj,” because—for a number of reasons—but one very important reason is because He reminds me of His servant, Giriraj Maharaja [applause]. 

His Holiness Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Maharaja spoke so beautifully. It was really amazing. It was very profound and very heartfelt and really wonderful. I remember one time we were in Johannesburg staying in Muldersdrift and Maharaja went to do a program at the house of Mother Arca Vigraha. Some of you would remember her. She was really a wonderful devotee. Maharaja is so expert. Expert is in a sense another thing. It is just like a skill but we are talking about some natural spiritual sakti and natural spiritual intelligence which is coming from Krishna on the basis of the devotion of the devotee.

So Maharaja was speaking and there was someone there. The detail is all a little vague because it was quite a number of years ago, but this person had some so-called intelligent questions and he was trying to present something to Maharaja and I was sitting there. Maharaja answered his questions and showed him how his questions or main question perhaps was not a good question. It was not a good question and rather than show himself to be intelligent, he kind of embarrassed himself by asking a silly question. And Maharaja did this—it was really amazing—it was a step by step response and I was watching the man. At each step Maharaja was presenting an argument, I was watching the man. Initially slightly puffed up or proud type of attitude. As Maharaja was defeating his point step by step, I could see his expression and the mood manifest through his face kind of going down and down and down until it was clear he was finished and he just had not made a good point at all. And he said to Maharaja, “You have put me in a trap,” through argument. He had gotten into a position where he couldn’t really say anything. And Maharaja said, “No, you are already in a trap. I am just showing it to you.” [laughter]

That was some time ago. You probably don’t remember, but I really remember that, and I wish I had remembered all the details of the specific points Maharaja made, but it really struck me very deeply not just in the sense that Maharaja is intelligent. He is very intelligent. I remember our GBC way back, Bhagavān dasa telling us that Giriraj Maharaja, he is so intelligent. He said, “He is just like a high court judge.” I don’t know if that is really a compliment but the point is that he is very intelligent and can follow things and capture things and then present things in ways that they really hit the heart. I was so impressed with Maharaja that evening as practically all the time really. And it was so clear, the way it all came step by step, and just blocked this person’s foolish ideas from one angle, then another angle, then another, till he was checkmated, and he just couldn’t move in terms of arguments. It was so clear. It is not just intelligence like some sharp person but Krishna within the heart is giving him guidance and giving him inspiration to serve like that. And why is Krishna doing that? Not just because He is the Supersoul and He does things like that as part of His program, but I felt it very deeply that there is a very strong bond between the Lord and Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja on the basis of Maharaja’s dedication to Srila Prabhupada and his very, very sincere desire to become Krishna conscious and render devotional service.

Over the years I have read many books from great acharyas and great people and the conclusion I have come to at the end is that the bottom line or the essence or the only thing that really, really matters is that dedication to Srila Prabhupada. Other things may be nice but they are just detail and all secondary. So I appreciate that so much in Giriraj Maharaja and I feel I have seen it on many occasions how he has been able to render service as a preacher, as a guru, as a devotee, as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, so nicely that Prabhupada, Krishna are giving that inspiration and realization and that capacity to speak and help and save.

So thank you Maharaja for being yourself and please forgive me for all my offenses, silliness, and so on. Along with Govinda Maharaja and Indradyumna Maharaja I would really like to stay with you and have your association, have your shelter. The second to last thing I would like to do is give you a present. Can I give you a present, a birthday present? Last year I gave you a bead bag. You don’t use it so much you told me because I said apparently that you should only use it on special days. But please use it more often and I am going to give you today the consort to that bead bag [laughter, applause]. It is made by the same devotee. [applause] The last thing I would like to do is offer my humble obeisances at your lotus feet again.

Ramanujacharya Prabhu:

Hare Krishna. I first met His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja in May 1972. I was at the Laguna Beach Temple which is just south of Los Angeles, between Los Angeles and San Diego. Srila Prabhupada wanted more devotees to come from America to India because they needed more preachers there and more devotees to help with the preaching. So Karandhara was the temple president and Laguna Beach was part of his area of supervision. So I was chosen with a group and we flew on Egypt Air one way to Bombay. I remember changing planes in Cairo. When you enter India, you had to have a return ticket, but they had a special deal with the travel agent that we had to turn in our return tickets. So actually we went on a one-way ticket. May is one of the hottest months of the year in India. So this was my introduction.

We went to Juhu Beach and it was pretty austere. The Deities has a special structure, a hard structure in the front of the property and the devotees were staying in these structures with a concrete base and bamboo poles and chātāi woven walls. Over the top was a canvas. And then the rains came. 

I didn’t understand really. It was quite a culture shock for me. I was very neophyte and I found it really difficult to adjust to this situation. Finally I went to Porbandar in Gujarat and from there I went with Dinanatha to Vrindavan where we saw Prabhupada. I didn’t really understand the whole picture. 

In preparation for speaking today, I went to the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase and I was going through the letters of Srila Prabhupada, mostly letters that Prabhupada to wrote to Giriraj Swami, but I also chose a few letters that he wrote to other disciples in regards to Giriraj Swami and it was more than a hundred and ten letters spanning from 1969 to 1977 that Prabhupada wrote to Giriraj Swami. Many of them were giving him direction how to manage this Bombay project to build it under very difficult conditions—who to see, who to collect from—and responsibilities with the construction. Prabhupada had so much trust in Giriraj Maharaja and I just took extracts from some of the letters where Prabhupada was personally talking about Giriraj Maharaja and his service in a very personal way, not from a managerial way. But we can understand that Prabhupada could put so much trust in Giriraj Swami.

This is the first letter. Prabhupada was in Los Angeles and this dated 5th of July 1969. Giriraj Swami had joined in the US in the Boston Temple.

Los Angeles—5 July, 1969

My Dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, sent along with your beads. [Giriraj Swami had sent his beads with a letter requesting initiation. We had to supply our own beads.] I have chanted on them and your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is the name of the Govardhana Hill on which Krishna used to tend His cows. In Vrindavan the Govardhana Hill is worshiped as a representation of Krishna. Sometimes devotees take stone from Govardhana Hill and keep it at home as a representation of Krishna, and they worship in this way. I am very glad to understand that you have at least relished some of the transcendental bliss of Krishna Consciousness. It is a great fortune for you.

So that is the first letter in 1969. The next letter is twelve days later, 17th of July 1969.

Los Angeles—17 July, 1969

My Dear Satsvarupa, [Satsvarupa was the temple president]

I am glad that Giriraj is doing very nicely. Krishna has sent a good soul for pushing on this Krishna Consciousness Movement. Please keep him nicely.

Los Angeles—5 August, 1969

My Dear Satsvarupa,

I think Giriraj is a very intelligent boy.

Tittenhurst [that is John Lennon’s estate near London. That was where Prabhupada was]—15 October, 1969

My Dear Satsvarupa, 

You are also very fortunate to have an assistant like Giriraj. This boy has so quickly taken up the Krishna Consciousness cause and I am very much pleased with his behavior. . . And Giriraj is the right leader of sankirtana Party.

The next letter Prabhupada wrote from Los Angeles to Boston.

Los Angeles—7 April, 1970

Boston

My Dear Giriraj,

I am very pleased to note that you are feeling everything is going on nicely in Boston due to the nice devotees. You are also a very nice devotee, so together work to make Boston center even nicer for the satisfaction of the Lord.

Bombay—7 November, 1970 to Delhi

My Dear Guru dasa,

The remainder of your party [this was when Giriraj Swami was in Delhi], including your wife, may remain in Delhi under the leadership of Giriraj dasa brahmachari. . .

London—12 August, 1971 to Calcutta

My Dear Giriraj,

If you are feeling tired, you may take rest. Your body is very valuable. It is dedicated to Krishna, so you must take care of the body very carefully. The best medicine is to rest and chant Hare Krishna mantra, along with the doctor’s prescription. Hare Krishna mantra is bhavausadhi, the panacea for all material disease.

London—20 August, 1971

My Dear Tamal Krishna,

In his last letter Giriraj has informed me that he was sick but since then I have not heard from him. How is he? I am anxious to know. His health should be taken good care of. He is an important worker and a good soul.

Calcutta—1 November, 1971

My Dear Advaita,

You will be interested to know that here Giriraj, with the help of one Bengali professor and John Greisser the photographer, has published a very nice edition of Bengali BTG. The price also is not very high; almost on the level of Dai Nippon.

Bombay—28 December, 1971 to Madras

My Dear Giriraj,

I am very pleased that you are such determined and enthusiastic devotee that almost single-handedly you are organizing Madras program and making many life-members also. . . I am very encouraged by your thoughtful plan to organize very nicely all our men in India. I can understand that you are very eligible to be among the biggest leaders, so I have all confidence in your Madras programs. . . So I am pleased to hear from you that you are making many life-members there: that is the proof of our preaching strength. Wherever there is preaching strength there is also success, no matter it may be pandal-show, or making members, travelling sankirtana party, whatever it may be—just maintain our strong position of purity of routine work and preach and distribute literature, that is all. . . I am most pleased especially to hear that you are distributing many books. Go on increasing books, and go on increasing my pleasure. You are doing very, very nicely in Madras, and except for you I think there is hardly any devotee so hardworking and with such good ability to persuade men to help us.

Bombay—3 January, 1972 to Madras

My Dear Giriraj,

I have read the text of your speech delivered to the Rotary Club and it is very thoughtfully prepared. Try to arrange as many speaking engagements like that, and simply repeat what you have heard me say in lectures and in our books, and the spiritual effect will be very potent. I am very pleased with your preaching attitude.

Bombay—23 March, 1972 to Calcutta

My Dear Giriraj,

I am very glad to inform you that today we have laid down the cornerstone for our Bombay Center here in Juhu, and the ceremony was very wonderful with many important people attending. I am very much glad that you are doing so nicely in Calcutta by making many Life Members daily, so now I think you should join me in Bombay immediately as you are free, after training up a competent replacement there. We have also a few days back laid the cornerstone for our Vrindavan Temple, and besides they have given me many more rooms at Radha-Damodara Temple for our use. So the program now in India is immense task, so I am very much encouraged that you feel yourself enthusiastic to help me in this way, by taking a bold lead for pushing on this Movement here. . . I want that you should come here to assist Madhudvisa by collecting profusely, and I think there will be no difficulty here because there is such rich population.

Honolulu—15 May, 1972

My Dear Giriraj,

I am sure you are a very good soul to act on behalf of Krishna, and do it nicely. Krishna will give you the proper intelligence. He is sitting in your heart. Simply he wants to see us working sincerely.

Bhaktivedanta Manor—23 August, 1973 to Bombay

My Dear Giriraj,

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and the nice Vyasa-puja offering you have sent. I have sent it to Satsvarupa Gosvami for printing in the BTG. Writing is a very important part of our work and Satsvarupa is always anxious to have new material from the devotees for expanding the BTG. You have a nice talent for writing, practice makes perfect, so continue, it will be appreciated.

Mayapur—25 February, 1976 to Bombay

My Dear Giriraj,

It is my intelligence and your cooperation that is working. There is a story of a man who was challenged whether he had any intelligence. He then began to look in his pocket. When asked why he was looking in his pocket, he replied, “If there is money, then there is intelligence.” So you have gone so far to collect money and intelligently, but if there is no money, where is the intelligence? Both must combine, and then everything works out nicely.

Chandigarh—14 October, 1976

My Dear Giriraj Prabhu,

Your preaching in the colleges is nice, try to make some Indian devotees.

Bhuvaneçvara—31 January, 1977 to Bombay

Dear Giriraj,

Yes, train the others in responsibilities in Bombay, and go on as you are doing.

As for your plan to invite university students to spend the weekend, it is very good; do it.

Vrindavan—August 24, 1977, From: Tamal Krishna to Bombay

So this is the last letter and Prabhupada was very frail at that time. This was August and three months later Prabhupada disappeared. Prabhupada would change his secretaries and at that time Tamal Krishna Maharaja was Prabhupada’s secretary. So Prabhupada would later sign the letter, but this is the last letter.

My Dear Giriraj Prabhu,

I read your letter dated 5th June, 1977, which you had begun writing to His Divine Grace, to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada heard your unfinished letter, with full sympathy. When you inquired from Him whether the feelings which you are now experiencing are substantial or sentimental, Prabhupada said: “May Krishna bless you. These are all the blessings of Krishna. They are not ordinary.”

Srila Prabhupada always keeps you within His heart, and I know how much He appreciates hearing from you as often as you like to write. So while He is overseas I request that you write very often, as Prabhupada is always thinking of Bombay. The other day Srila Prabhupada said, “I was thinking why I have neglected the West for so long. It is because I had to persist in Bombay.” Actually for the last six or seven years Srila Prabhupada’s main work besides translating has been the Bombay temple. So you must keep Him continuously informed of all the advents and activities, with full descriptions, photographs, and anything else you can send which will allow Srila Prabhupada to see through your eyes.

I pray that this meets you in ever-increasing Krishna consciousness.

Your servant,
Tamal Krishna Goswami
Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

His Holiness Srila Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya!

Syamalal Prabhu:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Today is a very special occasion. The appearance day for the Vaishnava is different. A Vaishnava’s appearance and activities are very special. Sometimes some people may think, “Oh, it is his birthday. When? Where?” That is not important. But here, today, all the Vaishnavas are observing his Vyasa-puja. So I thought that it would be nice to read his real appearance on the spiritual platform as given by Srila Prabhupada. I already decided to read then Giriraj Maharaja read a part of it. Now Ramanujacharya Prabhu read the whole thing. So you can see, Krishna says, “You stupid, you think you got a plan.”

Anyway, all the leading devotees explained about Giriraj Swami’s service to Srila Prabhupada or his surrender and his sincerity to the movement of Srila Prabhupada. I was thinking that I am fool number one. I don’t know how to write properly nor can I express, but I was thinking the best thing to do is let us see what Srila Prabhupada has got to say about him. Prabhupada is the acharya, he is the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and we are the members of that movement. It is nice to hear what he has to say because he could recognize. He realized that here is a devotee who surrendered to Krishna. Let us hear about it.

Srila Prabhupada trusted Giriraj Swami and Srila Prabhupada wrote many, many letters as Ramanujacharya Prabhu said, and all are related matters whether spiritual practice or doing some pure devotional service, engaging. Prabhupada also trained him. Personally he trained him how to do things. Now let us hear what Prabhupada said. This letter from Los Angeles, 10th of July, 1969:

My Dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to enclose herewith one letter I have received from your father which will speak for itself. From this letter it appears that you are a good scholar and there is very good background in your educational career. So if you wish to make progress further in your educational career, that will be a nice asset for our Krishna Consciousness Movement. You have a taste for psychology and divinity studies, and this is very nice. Of course, our Krishna Consciousness Movement is on the line of divinity, and we have got so many books about the science of divinity. Unfortunately these books are not yet on the university curriculum, but if you take your post-graduate studies in divinity by comparative study, then in the future we shall be able to present the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness in comparison to other theological presentations. Actually, we are teaching the science of God; we are teaching how to develop our dormant propensity to love God. Being parts and parcels of the Supreme, we have got an eternal affinity to love God. 

This is from Honolulu on the 26th of May 1976.

Bombay

My Dear Giriraj dasa,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 15, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care.

You can make inquiry as to why the amount received was Rs. 4/- less than the amount which we transferred [telegraphic transfer] from Melbourne. From my letter to you dated May 5, 1976, you will note that the Rs. 59,000/- which I borrowed from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust account is now all accounted for and with Yasoda-nandana Swami’s payment it will be completed. Sri Brijratan Mohatta had promised that he would pay for the entire construction of the Bombay gurukula, but you mentioned that he is only giving Rs. 10,000. Why only 10,000, gurukula will require Rs. 10 lakhs?

Concerning the purchasing of other books for the Bombay library, I never gave a list of books to Saurabha for purchasing. Anyway, we may require but I never gave such a list to him.

The devotees must learn Hindi, as many as possible, and take citizenship. What about the Parliament? They were going to raise the question about our men coming to stay in India indefinitely, but I have heard nothing further in this connection.

I received the plan of my house in Mayapur from Bombay address. I do not approve of this plan just yet. I liked one plan which I saw in London. Where is that original plan? Then I can make comparison. There was supposed to be a lift from the ground floor to the first floor. Also, why the guest rooms are upstairs, above me. Guest rooms are alright, but they cannot be occupied while I am there. There is also the question of the kitchen. And moreover, if there is no sunshine it will not be very nice. Will sunshine be able to enter my room? [There are over-hanging verandas]. . . and is there a place on the roof open to the sun for taking massage? In any case, I want to see the plans which I saw in London for comparison. Also, I do not want to go ahead with the construction of my house is Mayapur until I see the master plan of the Mayapur City. It may be that there in a more secluded, less congested, place to situate my house. Being so near the front gate, and the main road, it may get too noisy at times there. So, you can take up these matters with Saurabha, (now you can see that even though Maharaja is in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada’s talking about Mayapur. So Srila Prabhupada had faith and trusted that he is able to do things on behalf of Srila Prabhupada) and have him send me the original plan which I saw in London. The site of the house can also be determined only after we have the master plan.

The facilities in Bombay appear to be very nice. I think it will be very peaceful up so high in the towers, and it may be a very good place for me to translate Srimad-Bhagavatam. Let us see.

Concerning Sri Ramakrishna Bajaj, I sent you one letter dated May 14, 1976, concerning their invitation to me to attend the Gita Pratisthan conference as one of the Coordinating committee. Your letter to me was dated May 15, so you could not have received my letter when you wrote me. I will await a reply from Sri Bajaj before making any decision what we will do in this connection. If they do not honor our request as mentioned in the May 14, 1976 letter, then you will have to read some paper on my behalf which I would send you. However, I will make no decisions in this connection until I have received a reply from Sri Bajaj.

I hope that this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

So we are also fortunate to have Giriraj Swami here with us and as much as possible please take advantage. As Srila Prabhupada took advantage of him, giving him so much instruction—do this, do that, don’t do this, do this, go here, go there, collect, construct the beautiful temple which is most famous in our movement, Bombay. So many millions of people are visiting there every year—Prabhupada could see because he can see within the disciples what they are capable of doing. 

So, thank you Maharaja. Please bless me as Prabhupada blessed you. We will get that paramparā. Carry on giving your blessings so this way what will happen? We can make some progress and we will be able to serve Srila Prabhupada better. Thank you.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya!
Gaura-premānande Hari Haribol!

Cakri Prabhu:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

It is so nice to be here today with His Holiness Srila Giriraj Maharaja and all of you. As Mataji was saying, by some arrangement we were brought here. Actually it was very much by Srila Giriraj Maharaja’s arrangement that we are here today, my wife and I. We were thinking of coming to South Africa anyway, but in our foolishness, we were going to come here earlier, maybe sometime in October or November and somehow miss the festival, but finally we spoke with him and consulted with him and he said, “No, I think it is better you come when I am here.” He said, “They will be some service for you to do when you are here.” So fortunately we took his advice and we are here now and we have that wonderful service of being with him and having the association of all the wonderful Vaishnavas here in South Africa.

Actually this festival is one of my favorite festivals of the year. There are so many festivals that we have in Krishna consciousness throughout the year, but I think I enjoy this festival the most because of all the reciprocation of love that there is between His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja and all the devotees that are here, all of his disciples, his friends and his well-wishers. Giriraj Maharaja has said that Krishna consciousness is actually in essence is just love masquerading as philosophy so in this festival the outpouring of love is just so tremendous that it is wonderful to hear and wonderful to experience. I always enjoy so much being at this festival, Srila Giriraj Maharaja’s Vyasa-puja.

One time before Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaja departed from this world I had developed a desire to be his personal servant, to somehow serve him personally. I had a dream that Tamal Krishna Maharaja came to me and he said, “Anytime you want, you can just come in my room. Whenever you feel like it, just come and be with me.” And then sometime after that I was in America and he was in England and some problem came up so I decided to phone him. I phoned him and I was speaking with him on the phone and he said, “So, why are you calling me now?” Before I could answer he said, “I bet it is because you are having some problem.” So I said, “Yes, you are right.” He said, “Well, why don’t you just call me anytime you want, not just when you are having a problem, but just to speak to me. Just call me anytime you want.” I thought that was so wonderful that he was inviting me like that and it confirmed the dream that I had. 

This was probably just two weeks before he departed from this world. Somehow or the other, by Tamal Krishna Maharaja’s mercy, I have gotten to serve Srila Giriraj Maharaja, and I just feel that every time I am with Srila Giriraj Maharaja, Tamal Krishna Maharaja’s presence is there when I am with him, and not only feel his presence, but that he is very satisfied that I am serving Srila Giriraj Maharaja. So I feel really indebted to Maharaja that he has given me that opportunity to serve him and in that way to please Tamal Krishna Maharaja as well.

In the talk you gave in August 2004 on Lord Balarama’s appearance day which was entitled, “One Teacher Many Voices,” you explained that one may have only one dīkṣā-guru, but one who teaches what the dīkṣā-guru has taught is also a guru known as śikṣā-guru. And you explained that Srila Prabhupada wrote that a senior godbrother who helps one may also be considered a śikṣā-guru and that Lord Balarama speaks to us through many voices and Srila Prabhupada also speaks to us through many voices. So I feel that by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy and Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaja’s mercy that I am able to have you as my śikṣā-guru and to engage in your service. I am very fallen and unworthy so they sent me the most exalted Vaishnava to serve and in that way I can try to become freed from my offenses by serving the real person bhāgavata.

Srila Giriraj Maharaja is definitely going back to Godhead and he is with Krishna, but that doesn’t satisfy him because he also wants to take all of us with him, and he is always working tirelessly to help all of us go back to Godhead as well. That is truly from what I have seen being with him, that is truly his mission. He has a very, very big heart. The whole world could fit within his heart. His heart is so huge. He has so much love within his heart and I feel fortunate to somehow be in a tiny corner of his heart. Bhakti Tirtha Swami once wrote that there is a department of causeless mercy and that department of causeless mercy is to somehow get the attention of a pure devotee, somehow to get his attention and to get his service. So somehow Giriraj Swami has given me that attention and I feel very indebted to him for that.

I feel very fortunate today to be with him and so many exalted devotees and all of you and I pray that I can. . .somehow Maharaja has also connected me with his wonderful family of disciples, well-wishers, and friends, and it is so wonderful to feel a part of that family. That is the real family, the spiritual family. Our material family is temporary, but our spiritual family is eternal, and I just pay that I can somehow always be a part of his family and eternally be in his service.

Srila Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya!

Nanda-kumara Prabhu:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Like Syamalal Prabhu I had. . . I couldn’t sleep last night. I was thinking what I was going to say today and hearing all these great, wonderful devotees speak, I realized that just by speaking some philosophy is not going to endear me to Giriraj Maharaja but rather I speak from the heart which he appreciates.

I was thinking that Gadadhara Pandita, he was very, very dear to Lord Chaitanya. Often in many temples in India, especially Mayapur, there are Deities of both Lord Chaitanya and Gadadhara Pandita. In one pastime it is described that Gadadhara Pandita was so much feeling the separation from Lord Chaitanya that he was trying to tear open his chest. Just like Hanuman, within his heart was Lord Ramachandra, so within the heart of Gadadhara Pandita was Lord Chaitanya. I am sure that if we, not that we want to tear open Maharaja’s heart, but if we open up his heart, we will find Srila Prabhupada [applause]. 

Srila Prabhupada embodies all that Maharaja desired and desires for—the love, the compassion, the gentleness, the kindness—and in this way Maharaja, as an exemplar, he is teaching us the same things that Srila Prabhupada, the same qualities and kindness and mercy that Srila Prabhupada showered upon him, and he is showering us with the same wonderful qualities and characteristics, in this way giving us his mercy.

I know that Maharaja is very kind that he invited me a few times to serve him in America. From that service I could understand and appreciate that serving Maharaja is not a whimsical thing. Just like in The Nectar of Devotion, whimsical is described as “acting without authority.”

One time I was driving Maharaja to the bank. There was a nice car parked there and I thought, “Here is a vacant spot. Let me park the car there.” And then Maharaja said, “Why are you parking the car there?” So I said, “It was empty.” He said, “No, you should park closer to the bank so that I don’t have to walk very far.” In this way I could understand that we try to use our own intelligence and we try to do things as we see, but we should try to see things from the vision of the pure devotee which is difficult, but by having that association it actually helps us appreciate the vision and the consciousness of the pure devotee. 

This brings me to an important point. Just to show Maharaja’s kindness and compassion, not only for devotees or for the general public, but even for lower species of life, one time we were coming from taking prasāda at a devotee’s house and we were driving and there was a dying squirrel on the side of the road. Maharaja told us to stop the car. So we stopped the car and Maharaja got out of the car and he began to chant into the ear of the squirrel. In this way it showed me how merciful Maharaja is, how compassionate he is, not only for the human species, but for all species of life.

My favorite pastime in America when driving Maharaja is when we are filling the car with gas or with petrol because in South Africa we are spoilt and we just go to the garage and the attendant fills the petrol, but in America it is self-service. So you got to park the car, you got to do the credit card thing, and then you got to press the pump, and the gas flows down. Because we are so spoilt, it took me quite some time for the petrol to come through. Finally it came and Maharaja said, “There! It is come. It is come.” [laughter] And he said, “Just hold it like that. Don’t breathe.” [laughter] He said, “Don’t think. Don’t breathe.” So I just held the gas pump and filled the car with petrol. That is my favorite pastime in America, getting chastised by Maharaja when filling the car.

Kesava Krishna Prabhu, he sent Ananda Chandrika a nice saying because she collects nice sayings and in this saying it was said that:

A grateful heart is a humble heart,
A humble heart is a forgiving heart,
A forgiving heart is a tolerant heart,
A tolerant heart is a compassionate heart,
A compassionate heart is a loving heart,
A loving heart is a devotional heart,
And a devotional heart is a Vaishnava.

So with this I offer to Srila Giriraj Maharaja. [applause]