Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja with London Devotees

Host: Happy appearance day, we are very happy to be here to celebrate together, bringing back lots of beautiful memories today. Thank you for your love and guidance. I really treasure this moment that we spend pursuing the holy days.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you, that is very touching. No, no, we do not skip anyone, one by one.

Devotee 1: Hare Krishna Maharaja, I am Stoka Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, Stoka Krishna! [Laughter]. Did you come from Italy or have you shifted to England?

Devotee 1: Yes, I have been shifted here for one year, Maharaja. I still must give the report to you. I will do it very well this week.

Giriraj Swami: [Laughter] Okay, nice to see you.

Devotee 1: Bye!

[01:11 Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: Wow, nice, wonderful. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna — Vrinda devi?

Devotee 2: Hare Krishna Maharaja, please accept my obeisances at your lotus feet.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya, Hare Krishna.

Devotee 2: We are very happy to be here today to celebrate your Vyasa-puja.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. How are you coping without mother Kulangana?

Devotee 2: Disgracefully [Laughter]. I am struggling to get out of bed in the morning without mother Kulangana’s inspiration. We were just remembering today how she would ring me up and make sure that I was coming to morning programs regularly. Now her seat, her chair, the chair that she sat on is empty, of course. When I am going around Tulasi-devi chanting my japa with all the brahmacharis, my head just keeps turning to that chair. The chair is, of course, empty.

I just miss how mother Kulangana would often just get up from the chair, walk up to me and strike a conversation in the midst of all the brahmacharis. Very dearly missed friend, not just by myself, but by all the devotees. Guru Maharaja, I wanted to let you know that we are flying out the 16th of October to Sridham Mayapur, myself, and Madhan Mohan Prabhu for mother Kualangana’s ashes ceremony.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, okay.

Devotee 2: Pankajhangri Prabhu and Janinivas Prabhu will do the ceremony on Govardhana-puja day.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, nice.

Devotee 2: Yes. Radhanath Maharaja would also like to participate in that ceremony, and mother Mandakini will also be there at that time.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, wonderful.

Devotee 2: This is what we have arranged on Govardhana-puja day.

Giriraj Swami: Well, you will have to learn to serve in separation now, that is your challenge. She would want you to do that, she would not want you to stay in bed when it is time to get up. You must think of pleasing her in separation now.

Devotee 2: Yes guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. All right, who else?

Devotee 3: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. Guru Maharaja, I am so happy to see you today.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I am happy to see you too.

Devotee 3: The other day I was on my phone and by accident I came onto all the emails in which you sent, your travel details, and the details of when you were going to come. And I thought you were coming now, because I read it, I did not realize it was later, so I read it and I was going to book my holiday. “Oh! Guru Maharaja is coming!” Then when I saw the date. Sorry. We really miss you, guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee 3: Sorry. We need to see you soon.

Giriraj Swami: Are Varuna and Vani staying with you?

Devotee 3: Yes, they are still with us guru Maharaja. They are going to be with us for a little while. They have been meaning to skype with you and talk to you. I do not know, they are just a little. . . adjusting, but we talk about you regularly, even Vani does that. She said, “I messaged Giriraj Maharaja.” I think she [06:18 Unintelligible]. I think they want to discuss and talk to you or something. I will remind them again and maybe they can organize a time when you are available.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, all right.

Devotee 4: Hare Krishna. 

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devotee 4: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. How are you, guru Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: I am fine, I am very fine.

Devotee 4: Happy Vyasa-puja! Happy birthday! Thank you to your mother and father and Krishna [Laughter].

Giriraj Swami: All right, so who else? I saw Gaurangi. . .

Devotee 5: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. How are you doing?

Devotee 5: I am fine, thank you! How are you?

Giriraj Swami: Well, if you were listening, you would have heard that I am very fine! [Laughter]. But more so now that I am seeing you. Okay.

Devotee 6: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. How are you, guru Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: I do not answer that question anymore [Laughter].

Devotee 6: Have a very nice Vyasa-puja guru Maharaja. We are very happy to see you.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Devotee 6: And thank you for everything.

Giriraj Swami: My pleasure.

Devotee 7: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja! We are very happy to see you.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I am happy to see you too. How old are you now?

Devotee 7: I am twelve now.

Giriraj Swami: Wow! And what are you studying? What are you studying in school now? Just general? The connection is not that good. Okay, Hare Krishna.

Devotee 8: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja, please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. Vrinda devi told me you were very helpful to her in getting service at the manor.

Devotee 8: I think service will come to Vrinda devi no matter where she is guru Maharaja. She serves so wonderfully at the temple. Everyone is constantly telling me she is such an asset with what she does.

Giriraj Swami: How nice, thank you.

Devotee 8: It is good to see you guru Maharaja, it has been a while.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it has been.

Devotee 8: [10:38 Unintelligible].

Giriraj Swami: Okay. Oh my Gosh! Hare Krishna. It is such an honor that you are present, a very deep honor.

[11:17 Unintelligible]

Giriraj Swami: How is Gauranga doing?

Devotee 9: You have already been asked that [12:05 Unintelligible] if you see fit to bless him for this job.

Giriraj Swami: Well, do you think he is fit to be blessed for it?

Devotee 9: Well, he really wants to do it, he is quite excited about it.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. I wish him all the best, certainly. I will pray that his life is what he wants it to be.

Devotee 8: Thank you, I will tell him that.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, especially spiritually, but in all respects.

Devotee 8: Hopefully he can spread some Krishna consciousness [13:04 Unintelligible]. 

Giriraj Swami: Yes, in a way it is a good place to preach. It is like we are all already in the prison and they are in the prison within the prison. But he has the key to get them out of [13:37 Unintelligible] [Laughter].

Devotee 9: A spiritual key [13:49 Unintelligible]. Thank you, Maharaja. I will convey your blessings to him and then he will be successful with your blessings.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, thank you! And my best wishes to Vishwambhar.

Devotee 9: He is here, you can give them to him.

Giriraj Swami: Oh! [Laughter].

Devotee 10: Hare Krishna!

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna!

Devotee 10: Hare Krishna Maharaja! Happy Vyasa-puja.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you!

Devotee 10: May you live one thousand years amongst us [Laughter]. You will always be with us.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, thank you!

Devotee 10: We had a very blissful family Vyasa-puja today. Disciples made a nice feast and Madhavi made a nice vegan cake. We wish for you to be here and taste it, but she said she will make it for you when you come.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee 10: Today is also the birthday of Bhakti Charu Swami at the manor. They invited me also to say a few words. I went there to honor and then I came here, Vrindavan-candra Prabhu invited us here.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, nice!

Devotee 10: And I have to say really, we are in our comfort zone here talking about you.

Giriraj Swami: Nice! Well, I am very much involved in writing the history of Srila Prabhupada in Juhu, and I recently wrote a very nice— I mean, I am not really releasing parts of it, but just seeing you now, there was a very nice exchange that involved Tamal Krishna Goswami, me, and Srila Prabhupada. Maybe I will email that to you.

Devotee 10: Okay.

Giriraj Swami: It is quite sweet. It would be hard to reproduce it orally right now, but I will send that to you.

Devotee 10: I look forward to it, Maharaja. Thank you for all the posts you send, from the Radha-Damodara party and book distribution, it really inspired me on Facebook. You are doing wonderful preaching; I feel very inspired from your postings. Thank you for that.

Giriraj Swami: I think–

Devotee 10: And— sorry.

Giriraj Swami: Yes? No, no, you finish.

Devotee 10: I think that your postings are very inspiring for the devotees on Facebook. I always relish your nectar that you put there; it is very nice. Also, we are planning to come and visit you, maybe next year because Gauranga will be going to work so we are free. We will come and spend a few days with you and a few days with Vaisesika Prabhu. I was invited by Svavasa Prabhu. Dananjaya Prabhu is there.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes.

Devotee 10: Are you spending some time with him?

Giriraj Swami: I have, but not recently. There have been some festivals at the temple, but I have not seen him there, he is at the L.A temple. But he did come out here; we had a real nice time together when Madhava and Radhika were here, we had a kirtan.

Devotee 10: He told me.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, maybe I will write to him and see how we can get together again because it has been a little while.

Devotee 10: Yes, we are keeping in touch by email. I think he is a little bit lonely now. He is looking after his mother-in-law.

Giriraj Swami: Maybe I will phone him or something. But about that exchange with Tamal Krishna Goswami, I think it would not be fair to the others not to give them some idea. I mean, I will email you the — but basically what happened was that I went upstairs to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters. This was in, I think maybe April of 1977. Srila Prabhupada was not well and the whole idea was not to disturb him. Tamal Krishna Goswami had his desk right at the front of Prabhupada’s quarters when you came in, and then there was a pair of doors. Well, two pairs of doors that were closed so no sound would go in to disturb him. I came up, Goswami Maharaja greeted me very nicely and warmly, and then he asked me to go to the bank to make a deposit.

I thought, I am the temple president, there is so many things I can do that no one else can do. Anyone can go to the bank and make a deposit, so why are you asking me? So, like that there was a little back and forth. Then Srila Prabhupada’s bell rang and so we were both very excited because it was, what to say, a rare treat back then when Prabhupada was so sick to be summoned by him. We ran around the outer hallway and came into his room, and the first thing he said to me was something like, “So many things you have to do, and this is another burden, but you have to do it.”

I did not really know what he was referring to, I just listened to it. Then he asked about my preaching and then he was talking about accepting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He was saying that if you do not accept Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, then where is the authority of Bhagavad-gītā? And then Prabhupada said, “Just like if I say ‘Giriraj, I want you to go to the bank’ Giriraj says ‘No, no, I can’t go, I am this and that,’ then where is my authority?” [Laughter]. When Prabhupada said that, I could not believe it. I thought, There is no way–- although our God-brother Tejas does say that Prabhupada had supernatural powers of sense perception, but I was thinking, There is no way he could have heard my discussion with Tamal Krishna Goswami. I was thinking maybe Krishna revealed to him what was going on, so he brought it up and he was instructing me.

One of the things I got from that was that — because he was saying “If I tell you to go to the bank” but Goswami Maharaja was the one who told me. But I was taking it that I should not take Goswami Maharaja as independent of Srila Prabhupada or separate from Srila Prabhupada. That Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to me was coming through Goswami Maharaja, or that Goswami Maharaja’s instruction to me was coming from Srila Prabhupada.

Then I thought back to what he said in the beginning, “So many things you have to do, this is another burden, but you have to do them.” And then I thought that if I saw this as coming from Prabhupada and not from someone else, then I would not feel it to be a burden. I would take it as an honor, a pleasure, and a privilege. That was quite a sort of sweet little exchange we had. I will send it to you, but that was basically it.

Devotee 10: Yes, please send it to me, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Devotee 10: I just wanted you to give your darshan of two more personalities, two more brothers.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. Oh, wow.

Devotee 10: They wanted to see you on your birthday [Laughter].

Giriraj Swami: They look divine!

Devotee 10: [24:58 Unintelligible].

Giriraj Swami: Sorry?

Devotee 10: Pray to Giriraj!

Giriraj Swami: Yes, wonderful! Very sweet, very thoughtful.

Devotee 10: I will pass you to the host of the house.

Giriraj Swami: I am not sure now because we have had some sweet exchanges, but I did have in mind to read a verse and purport if it is not — okay, I will just get it, I will be back in a minute. This is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Fifteen, “Description of the Kingdom of God,” Text Twenty-five.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

ŚB 3.15.25

yac ca vrajanty animiṣām ṛṣabhānuvṛttyā

dūre yamā hy upari naḥ spṛhaṇīya-śīlāḥ

bhartur mithaḥ suyaśasaḥ kathanānurāga-

vaiklavya-bāṣpa-kalayā pulakī-kṛtāṅgāḥ

TRANSLATION

Persons whose bodily features change in ecstasy and who breathe heavily and perspire due to hearing the glories of the Lord are promoted to the kingdom of God, even though they do not care for meditation and other austerities. The kingdom of God is above the material universes, and it is desired by Brahmā and other demigods.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It is clearly stated herein that the kingdom of God is above the material universes. One can enter the kingdom of the Supreme Lord only when one is highly developed in desirable qualities. All good qualities develop in the person of the devotee. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, verse 12, that anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious is endowed with all the good qualities of the demigods.

COMMENT

Now, this verse that Prabhupada is referring to, I think many of you are familiar with it. Part of it is: yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcana—“That one who is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord manifests all the good qualities of the demigods.” But the other side is, “One who is not a devotee, where are his good qualities?”

So, just three days ago, His Grace Mukunda Datta Prabhu visited. I am sure some of you know him. He got first initiation from Srila Prabhupada and second initiation from Tamal Krishna Goswami, and he is a very learned devotee. He raised this point, and it was very relevant to me; because especially when I was in the hospital after my cardiac surgery, I felt there were a lot of people in the hospital staff who had good qualities. And I thought of this verse, that one who is a devotee has all good qualities, and one who is not a devotee, where are the good qualities? So, Mukunda Datta Prabhu told me that he had read a commentary on that verse that explained that even non-devotees can have good qualities according to their karma. According to their karma, the demigods along with their good qualities do reside in that person. But as soon as their karma finishes, as Mukunda Datta put it, it is like: “Okay, we are out of here.” The demigods and their good qualities leave because he is not a devotee, they are there because of the person’s karma, they must be there. But when the karma is over, they leave. In the case of the devotee, they like to be with the devotee, so the devotee will consistently manifest all the good qualities of the demigods, because the demigods are happy to reside in his heart. Now, coming back to the purport.

PURPORT (continued)

It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, verse 12, that anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious is endowed with all the good qualities of the demigods. Even in the material world the qualities of the demigods are highly appreciated, just as, even in our experience, the qualities of a gentleman are more highly appreciated than the qualities of a man in ignorance or in a lower condition of life.

Brahmājī confirms herewith that only persons who have developed the desirable qualities can enter into the kingdom of God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the devotee’s desirable qualities are described to be twenty-six in number.

COMMENT

As we hear this list of qualities, we can see how we are developing these qualities or manifesting these qualities.

PURPORT (continued)

They are stated as follows: He is very kind; he does not quarrel with anyone.

COMMENT

Now, just reading that, I thought of the situation of devotees in family life, because there is a tendency to quarrel. My two thoughts about that are that if we regard our family members as devotees and not “My wife, my husband, my child, what to speak of my mother-in-law, my father-in-law,” if we see them as devotees and treat them as devotees, then we can avoid that quarreling. But then the other thing is, as Prabhupada would quote, Canakya pandit: that quarreling between husband and wife should not be taken seriously. But anyway.

PURPORT (continued)

He is very kind; he does not quarrel with anyone; he accepts Kṛṣṇa consciousness as the highest goal of life; he is equal to everyone; no one can find fault in his character; he is magnanimous, mild and always clean, internally and externally; he does not profess to possess anything in this material world; he is a benefactor to all living entities; he is peaceful and is a soul completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; he has no material desire to fulfill; he is meek and humble, always steady, and has conquered the sensual activities; he does not eat more than required to maintain body and soul together; he is never mad after material identity; he is respectful to all others and does not demand respect for himself; he is very grave, very compassionate and very friendly; he is poetic; he is expert in all activities; and he is silent in nonsense. Similarly, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, Twenty-fifth Chapter, verse 21, the qualifications of a saintly person are mentioned. It is said there that a saintly person eligible to enter the kingdom of God is very tolerant and very kind to all living entities. He is very kind to all living entities; therefore, he has no enemy. He is very peaceful. These are the qualities of persons who are eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. That such a person gradually becomes liberated and enters the kingdom of God is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 2. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Second Canto, Third Chapter, verse 24, also states–

COMMENT

Now here we are coming to this point about chanting.

PURPORT (continued))

that if a person does not cry or exhibit bodily changes after chanting the holy name without offense, it is to be understood that he is hardhearted and therefore his heart does not change even after he chants the holy name of God, Hare Kṛṣṇa. These changes can take place due to ecstasy when we offenselessly chant the holy names of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

It may be noted that there are ten offenses we should avoid

COMMENT

Then the purport lists the offenses, and for the sake of time I will not go through them, but I do recommend that everyone reads this verse and purport, 3.15.25.

PURPORT (continued)

When one is free from all ten of these offenses in chanting the holy name of God, he develops the ecstatic bodily features called pulakāśru. Pulaka means “symptoms of happiness,” and aśru means “tears in the eyes.” The symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes must appear in a person who has chanted the holy name offenselessly. Here in this verse it is stated that those who have actually developed the symptoms of happiness and tears in the eyes by chanting the glories of the Lord are eligible to enter the kingdom of God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that if one does not develop these symptoms while chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that he is still offensive.

COMMENT

So, probably we do not experience these symptoms, or at least not all the time, so we can infer that we are implicated in offenses. So, what to do? The purport continues.

PURPORT (continued)

Caitanya-caritāmṛta suggests a nice remedy in this connection. There it is said in verse 31, Chapter Eight, of Ādi-līlā, that if anyone takes shelter of Lord Caitanya and chants the holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, he becomes freed from all offenses.

COMMENT

This is our special privilege in this age of Kali-yuga, and that is that Lord Chaitanya has appeared and through Srila Prabhupada and paramparā we are connected with Lord Chaitanya. And by His mercy, by the mercy of Gaura-Nitai, we can become relieved of these offenses and get the true benefit of chanting. At the end here, Srila Prabhupada referred us to Ādi-līlā Chapter Eight, Text Thirty-one. I will just read a little from it, but it is very encouraging. Up until this point— well, just the previous verse, they are also good. I will read a few, I will not take much time now. Ādi 8.28.

TEXT 18

As a result of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.

COMMENT

Recently I have been listening to, for the third time, Bhurijana Prabhu’s seminar on the mind and Krishna’s holy name. Here we just read: eka kṛṣṇa-nāmera phale: that the holy name of Krishna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches. He makes the point that when we chant, we should just try to hear each name while we are chanting it. In other words, like he says, we should not try to be solving our problems, we should not be trying to solve the world’s problems, we should not even be thinking about chanting the next mantra. But we should just chant the mantra that we are chanting, just one mantra at a time, one name at a time.

I am emphasizing this from this verse, that there is so much power even in one name, even though it is hard to focus the mind and hear. There is so much benefit in hearing even one name, that we should make that effort, it is worth it. Srila Prabhupada says that the consistent effort to hear the holy name marks the clearing stage of chanting. If we chant and we are not even trying to hear, we are just letting our mind wander everywhere, then that is the offensive stage. But if we are at least making the effort to hear, and when we notice our mind is wandering, we bring it back to the holy name, that is the clearing stage, and that is very beneficial. All right, so

TEXT 29–30

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa does not sprout.

COMMENT

And Text Thirty-one, which was the one that Srila Prabhupada referred us to.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

But if one chants [and here this is the nice remedy], with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

COMMENT

This is our special good fortune, to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda. We just saw the beautiful forms of the two brothers, they are so sweet, so loving and so kind. We just chant their names and serve Them, and we will get Their mercy and They will help us to chant Hare Krishna. By Srila Prabhupada’s grace we are all connected with the mercy of Gaura-Nitai, we are all engaged in serving Them, and therefore, we can expect Their mercy. We are experiencing Their mercy, that is why we are all where we are today. I mean, Kali-yuga is, like the Bhāgavatam says, an ocean of faults. kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ: although Kali-yuga is like an ocean of faults, there is one good opportunity: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: Just by chanting the holy name of Krishna, one becomes liberated from all material contamination.

Anyway, nice to get together with all of you, servants of Srila Prabhupada, the paramparā, Gaura-Nitai and of Radha and Krishna. I wish I could come in person, but I guess this is the next best. I do not know what else to say, but it is very touching to see all of you, to know that you have all gathered to encourage me. I feel very indebted to all of you.