SB 3.25.21 – Juhu Book Launch and 43rd Anniversary of Sri Radha-Rasabihari

Host: He himself was seen before going to the United States, and after making the down payment for the land, he laid the cornerstone for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari mandir on 23rd March, 1972. After laying the cornerstones, Srila Prabhupada invited Giriraj Swami, who was at the time making life members in Calcutta, to come to Bombay. In 1972, Srila Prabhupada made His Holiness Giriraj Swami as the temple president of ISKCON Bombay, and he continued doing that wonderful service until Srila Prabhupada fulfilled his promise to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari of making a wonderful marble palace for Their Lordships. Also, Srila Prabhupada made him one of the BBT trustees.Today is the 43rd anniversary of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari temple. On Makara-sankranti, this temple was inaugurated. Makara-sankranti is a very auspicious day. Sun starts its northward movement, uttarāyaṇa, bringing more light, heat, and auspiciousness, and Bhīṣmadeva waited for this occasion to depart from this world.

Srila Prabhupada desired to inaugurate this temple on vijaya-dasami in 1977. But by the sweet will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji, He decided to open the doors of heaven on earth. On Makara-sankranti, the doors of heaven are opened. Radha-Rasabihari wanted to adore the wonderful marble palace that Prabhupada has made, and opened the doors of heaven on earth. Srila Prabhupada called this Juhu, Bombay as heaven on earth.

So, on this auspicious day, Radha-Rasabihari started giving wonderful blessings for all the devotees. Also, Makara-sankranti is the day for Anna Daan. By giving charity for food, prasādam, one gets unlimited blessings. And on this occasion, we remember His Holiness Sridhara Swami Maharaja, who, more than two decades back, started distributing prasādam on Makara-sankranti on a modest scale. And today, by his vision and the blessings of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari and Srila Prabhupada, today and tomorrow, we are distributing one lakh eleven thousand one hundred and eleven plates of prasādam.

Haribol!

We pray to Sridhara Swami Maharaja to bless us so that we can follow his footsteps and serve Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari more and more. Srila Prabhupada, on November 21st, 1974, gave Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class on Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-Five, Text Twenty-One, on the verse titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. Srila Prabhupada related to how a devotee has to be tolerant and merciful, and in this verse, Srila Prabhupada spoke and related to the struggles in Hare Krishna Land, and also how Srila Prabhupada was so merciful giving the blessings of the Lord for the whole world. So, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja has chosen this verse to speak today in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class, and I request His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja to give Bhāgavatam class on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.21). Welcome, Maharaja. I request you to give the class. Over to you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Host: Hare Krishna. [applause] We also would like to welcome His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, who has just joined the Zoom. His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: So, I will begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan, and then I will speak on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

[Prayers]

So, we shall read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-Five: “The Glories of Devotional Service,” Text Twenty-One. But Text Twenty-One is very closely related to Text Twenty. So, before speaking on Text Twenty-One, I will read Text Twenty.Both of these verses are about a sadhu, what is a sadhu, and of course, for us, Srila Prabhupada was the sadhu. I recall a morning walk on Juhu Beach in which Dr. Patel said to Srila Prabhupada, “I don’t know why I’m so attracted to you. Frankly, I’m not attracted to temples or even any sadhu like I am attracted to you.” And our dear departed godbrother Yashomati Nandan Prabhu said, “There is no other sadhu besides Srila Prabhupada,” [laughter] exhibiting his staunch faith in and attachment to Srila Prabhupada.

So, I will read these two verses about sadhu.

TEXT 20

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam

ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ

sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto

mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam

TRANSLATION

Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same attachment, when applied to the self-realized devotees, opens the door of liberation.

COMMENT

So, these two words are very much contrasted. Ajaraṁ pāśam means entanglement, and mokṣa-dvāram means the door to liberation. So, attachment to the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same attachment, when applied to the self-realized devotees, or sadhus, opens the door of liberation.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Here it is clearly stated that attachment for one thing is the cause of bondage in conditioned life, and the same attachment, when applied to something else, opens the door of liberation. Attachment cannot be killed; it has simply to be transferred. Attachment for material things is called material consciousness, and attachment for Kṛṣṇa or His devotee is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consciousness is therefore the platform of attachment. It is clearly stated here that when we simply purify the consciousness from material consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we attain liberation. Despite the statement that one should give up attachment, desirelessness is not possible for a living entity.

COMMENT

Now, this is a very important point, because in the material world, desire and attachment bring suffering. So, one impersonal reaction is, “All right, then I will stop desiring and I will give up attachment.” But actually, we cannot stop desiring, and we cannot stop being attached. But, we can transfer the desire to the desire to serve Krishna and His devotees. We can transfer our attachment to Krishna and His devotees. Srila Prabhupada, by His Divine Grace, taught us that process, and not only did he teach us the process, but he made us attached to him. Our attachment to him opened up the realm of devotional service, which in a way is beyond even liberation.

PURPORT (continued)

A living entity, by constitution, has the propensity to be attached to something. The propensity for attachment cannot be stopped; it must be utilized for the best purpose. Our attachment for material things perpetuates our conditional state, but the same attachment, when transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, is the source of liberation.

Here it is recommended that attachment should be transferred to the self-realized devotees, the sādhus. And who is a sādhu? A sādhu is not just an ordinary man with a saffron robe or long beard. A sādhu is described in Bhagavad-gītā as one who unflinchingly engages in devotional service.

COMMENT

Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ.

PURPORT (continued)

Even though one is found not to be following the strict rules and regulations of devotional service, if one simply has unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, he is understood to be a sādhu. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ.

COMMENT

The verse that I just quoted. And in the early days of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada said. . . I mean, he was, I guess you could say, making a point to illustrate the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, that if you see Brahmananda smoking a cigarette, still, you should know he is a great sadhu. There is a lot of warning in that section of the Bhagavad-gītā about minimizing the value of devotees even if by chance, they fall down. In the next verse of the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā, that very soon, he becomes righteous, chāntiṁ nigacchati, and he attains everlasting peace. So, devotees are very, very precious and valuable, and we should honor them and worship them, and that will please Krishna.

As Krishna says to Arjuna in the Ādi Purāṇa, “Those who claim to be My devotees are not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotees, they are actually My devotees.” Once, when we first came to Bombay and we were staying at Kailash Seksaria’s home on Marine Drive, which was our first location after we arrived, Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Gurudas. . . Well, when Srila Prabhupada would travel, he would bring his small Radha-Krishna Deities with him. So, that was the setting, that Gurudas was in Srila Prabhupada’s room with him at Kailash Seksaria’s home with Srila Prabhupada’s Radha-Krishna Deities present, and Gurudas began to glorify a devotee, and then he caught himself, because The Nectar of Devotion says that one should not glorify anyone in front of the Deity.

So, Gurudas stopped himself and he said, “I’m so sorry, Srila Prabhupada. The Nectar of Devotion says this, and I was glorifying someone in front of the Deity.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Krishna is already glorified, but He takes more pleasure when His devotee is glorified.” Even devotees like us. So, yes, Krishna is pleased when we glorify devotees, when we glorify sadhus and appreciate them and serve them, and that’s our life and soul. I mean, to serve the devotees, to please Srila Prabhupada, and ultimately, Radha-Rasabihari.

PURPORT (continued)

It is recommended here that if one at all wants to realize Brahman, or spiritual perfection, his attachment should be transferred to the sādhu, or devotee. Lord Caitanya also confirmed this. Lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya: simply by a moment’s association with a sādhu, one can attain perfection.

COMMENT

But how can one attain perfection just by a moment’s association with a sadhu? Srila Prabhupada explains because the sadhu will teach one about devotional service to Krishna. And then, when one engages in devotional service to Krishna, one will attain all perfection.

PURPORT (continued)

Mahātmā is a symptom of sādhu. It is said that service to a mahātmā, or elevated devotee of the Lord, is dvāram āhur vimukteḥ, it opens the door of liberation. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam (SB 5.5.2). Rendering service to the materialists has the opposite effect. If anyone offers service to a gross materialist, or a person engaged only in sense enjoyment, then by association with such a person the door to hell is opened. The same principle is confirmed here.

COMMENT

So, yeah, asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra ‘strī-saṅgī’—eka asādhu, ‘kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra. So, Lord Chaitanya instructs, asat-saṅga-tyāga, to give up the association of asat, asat-saṅga-tyāga,—ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra, is the behavior of a Vaishnava.

Now, we can associate with them to give them Krishna consciousness. We should not misunderstand the purport of the verse here because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the behavior of a madhyam bhakta, or preacher. And his behavior is prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā. Prema, he gives his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, maitrī, he makes friendship with devotees, kṛpā, he gives mercy to the innocent, and upekṣāḥ, he neglects the envious. And we have to neglect the envious, because if we try to preach to them, they will probably become more inimical and commit more offenses, which involves us in offenses.

So, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that neglect, upekṣāḥ, is also a type of mercy from the devotee, and he adds further that although one should not preach to the envious, one can pray for them. He says that it’s sadāchāra, the good behavior of a devotee or a sadhu, and he gave the example of Prahlada Maharaja.

PURPORT (continued)

If anyone offers service to a gross materialist, or a person engaged only in sense enjoyment, then by association with such a person the door to hell is opened. The same principle is confirmed here. Attachment to a devotee is attachment to the service of the Lord because if one associates with a sādhu, the result will be that the sādhu will teach him how to become a devotee, a worshiper and a sincere servitor of the Lord. These are the gifts of a sādhu.

COMMENT

We are so grateful to Srila Prabhupada.

PURPORT (continued)

If we want to associate with a sādhu, we cannot expect him to give us instructions on how to improve our material condition, but he will give us instructions on how to cut the knot of the contamination of material attraction and how to elevate ourselves in devotional service. That is the result of associating with a sādhu. Kapila Muni first of all instructs that the path of liberation begins with such association.

COMMENT

So, during the long struggle to get permission to build the temple for Radha-Rasabihari and to ultimately build it, at one stage, Srila Prabhupada spent four months continuously in Bombay, which was a long time. Of course, we were very happy about it. During that time, he spoke about Lord Kapila’s instructions to Devahuti on devotional service, and he said that his talks should be collected and published as a book, which it was, The Teachings of Lord Kapila to Devahuti. So, yeah, every morning, we would hear Srila Prabhupada speak on this section. So, now we come to the verse that will be the official verse on which I speak, and so we’ll follow the more usual procedure for a Bhāgavatam class.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-Five: “The Glories of Devotional Service,” Text Twenty-One.

TEXT 21

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ

suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām

ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ

sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ

TRANSLATION

The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern therefore is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord.

COMMENT

So, this is very significant, that a devotee’s concern is not his own liberation, that is already there, but his concern is to enlighten people in devotional service of the Lord. And that, of course, was exemplified by Srila Prabhupada, and he has taught us and encouraged us to follow in the same line.

PURPORT (continued)

That is his mercy.

COMMENT

So, the kāruṇikāḥ, a sadhu is merciful. And what is his mercy? That he tries to enlighten people in devotional service.

PURPORT (continued)

He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching “Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don’t spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” These are the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others.

COMMENT

Yes, it is said of a devotee para dhuka duḥkhī, that he feels sorry in the sorrow of others. Para dhuka duḥkhī, that is a Vaishnava. He translates that sorrow into the effort to relieve people’s suffering, to make them happy by Krishna consciousness. That’s our mission.

PURPORT (continued)

He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. One of his qualifications therefore is kāruṇika, great mercy to the fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposing elements, and therefore the sādhu, or devotee of the Lord, has to be very tolerant.

COMMENT

Titikṣavaḥ.

PURPORT (continued)

Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They do not like it; that is their disease. The sādhu has the thankless task of impressing upon them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence.

COMMENT

It’s true. Sometimes our devotees are also attacked when they go out.

PURPORT (continued)

Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya’s principal assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and Mādhāi. But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver the fallen souls. One of the qualifications of a sādhu is that he is very tolerant and is merciful to the fallen souls. He is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities.

COMMENT

So, there are many words in Sanskrit for friend, and one is suhrida. Su means nice or good, and hrida means heart. His heart is so nice or so good, and he is a well-wishing friend of every living entity.

PURPORT (continued)

He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. It is said here, sarva-dehinām, which indicates all living entities who have accepted material bodies. Not only does the human being have a material body, but other living entities, such as cats and dogs, also have material bodies. The devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone — the cats, dogs, trees, etc. He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement.

COMMENT

Actually, in one conversation in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada spoke about the dogs, and he said that we should also feed prasādam to the dogs. They should not be neglected because they’re in the body of dogs.

PURPORT (continued)

Śivānanda Sena, one of the disciples of Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dog transcendentally. There are many instances where a dog got salvation by association with a sādhu, because a sādhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities.

COMMENT

The position of a sadhu, the nature of a sadhu is so exalted.

PURPORT (continued)

Yet although a sādhu is not inimical towards anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sādhu has many enemies.

What is the difference between an enemy and a friend? It is a difference in behavior. A sādhu behaves with all conditioned souls for their ultimate relief from material entanglement, all conditioned souls. Therefore no one can be more friendly than a sādhu in relieving a conditioned soul. A sādhu is calm, and he quietly and peacefully follows the principles of scripture. A sādhu means one who follows the principles of scripture and at the same time is a devotee of the Lord. One who actually follows the principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because all the śāstras instruct us to obey the orders of the Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT

So, this is an explanation of sadhava, abiding by the scriptures. If one abides by the scriptures, and it’s the quality of a sadhu to abide by the scriptures, he must be a devotee, because all the scriptures tell us to surrender to Krishna and become His devotee.

PURPORT (continued)

One who actually follows the principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because all the śāstras instruct us to obey the orders of the Personality of Godhead. Sādhu therefore means a follower of the scriptural injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All these characteristics are prominent in a devotee. A devotee develops all the good qualities of the demigods, whereas a non-devotee, even though academically qualified, has no actual good qualifications or good characteristics according to the standard of transcendental realization.

COMMENT

So, here Srila Prabhupada is paraphrasing a verse from the Fifth Canto, yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcana, that one who is a devotee of the Lord develops all the good qualities of the demigods. And for one who is not a devotee of the Lord, where are his good qualities?

So, when Srila Prabhupada spoke on this verse in Juhu, he related it in a very personal way to our situation in Juhu. Reading the purport now, I see how it applied to Srila Prabhupada and us, his followers, in Juhu. But Srila Prabhupada made it very explicit in a most poignant way. I will quote a little of what Srila Prabhupada said.

So, every morning in the temple, Srila Prabhupada would speak on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25) during that period. And in one talk, he spoke about our situation in relation to the verse describing the qualities and behavior of a sadhu. Although Prabhupada himself perfectly exemplified the verse, he related it to the devotees in Juhu, and he said, “Here all the boys and girls, the devotees, they are concerned with Radha-Krishna. That’s all. Their whole business, day and night, is Radha-Krishna. From early morning, three o’clock, to night, ten o’clock, their only business is Radha-Krishna. That’s all. Therefore, they are sadhus.” “And so many people are criticizing. We are not getting the sanction to build because we have so many enemies. They say we are creating a ‘nuisance.’ We are chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, and that is a ‘nuisance.’ This complaint is going to the police.”

So, yeah, the police commissioner, he refused the NOC, the No Objection Certificate, for us to build the temple on the basis that the bhajans, which have been a nuisance, will become more of a nuisance if we get the temple. And those words of the police commissioner really upset Srila Prabhupada, and eventually, he wrote a letter to the police commissioner, a brilliant letter, in which he described kirtan, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ, that it’s the activities of mahatmas, and he appealed to the police commissioner, as if he were like a Vedic king, to give protection to the devotees from the people who were harassing them. It turned out that the police commissioner was under the home secretary in the government of Maharashtra, and the home secretary was a very high position in the government. The home secretary had, somehow, come under the influence of Pushpakant Mhatre, who was, you could say, an accomplice of Mr. Nair, and very inimical to the devotees.

So, I submitted the letter on Srila Prabhupada’s behalf, and after some time, Srila Prabhupada said, “Have you heard anything from the police commissioner?” Which we hadn’t. Then he said I should go down to the police commissioner’s office and inquire. So, I went down, and I met the commissioner’s secretary, who said that the commissioner had told him that he had never received such a brilliant letter in his life. It was a brilliant letter. But because of the police commissioner being under the home secretary, who was under the influence of Pushpakant Mhatre, he still didn’t give the permission.

So, that’s a little background about nuisance. So, coming back to what Srila Prabhupada said on this verse. “And so many people are criticizing. We are not getting the sanction to build because we have so many enemies. They say we are creating a ‘nuisance.’ We are chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, and that is a ‘nuisance.’ This complaint is going to the police. So, that is very difficult.”

Then, Srila Prabhupada, filled with emotion, exclaimed, “Therefore a sadhu is advised, titikṣavaḥ, tolerate! Tolerate all this nonsense! What can be done? We have no other alternative but to tolerate. Nobody’s coming to help us. Our business is so thankless. Because we are trying to create one temple, so many enemies are giving hindrance: ‘You cannot do it.’ Therefore, titikṣavaḥ. You have to remain sadhu. You cannot become asādhu. You have to tolerate. What can be done?”

“At the same time, you have to be merciful. You know what happened in this place, Hare Krishna Land? So much attack by the police, by the municipality: ‘Break this temple.’ We could have left concluding, ‘What is the use of taking so much botheration? We have hundreds of temples outside India. If people here are not liking it, let us go away.’ But no, kāruṇikāḥ. We have come to distribute Krishna consciousness. We must tolerate and give this message to the people. Kāruṇikāḥ: very merciful, in spite of all trouble.”

“These American boys and girls have come to help me–not that they have come because they are hungry. No. My mission is, ‘You Americans, you chant Hare Krishna so the people of India will see, “Oh, Americans are also chanting. Why not we?”’ But unfortunately–such dull brains–that thought is not coming. But still, we have to do it. We have to tolerate, and we have to become kāruṇikāḥ, merciful.”

“Why should you want to be merciful? Para-duhkha-duhkhī. Kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye. A Vaishnava understands, ‘These people are engaged like cats and dogs in sense gratification. They are misguided, and in the next life, they’ll be punished. Let us do something for them.’ This is kāruṇikāḥ: out of mercy. There is no question of getting something, money. No. We have got sufficient money. But just to become merciful upon these fallen, conditioned souls, who are suffering on account of becoming animalistic, without Krishna consciousness, the preacher, the sadhus. . . These are sadhus–titikṣavaḥ, tolerant: ‘Never mind. Whatever hindrances and tribulations they are offering to us, never mind. Tolerate.”

“Suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ means the heart is so nice. . . The Vaishnava is always thinking how a man can be saved from the clutches of maya. He has no other desire. The Vaishnava is so kind that suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām: he is kind not only to the human beings but to all embodied souls–cats, dogs, trees, plants, insects. A Vaishnava will hesitate to kill even a mosquito. Sarva-dehinām. Not that ‘I shall take care of my brother only. I am good, and my brother is good.’ No. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām.””

Just on that point of mosquitoes, when Srila Prabhupada visited Venezuela, I think Venezuela or Mexico city, but anyway, there were a lot of mosquitoes. But one disciple noticed that the mosquitoes were not troubling Srila Prabhupada. They were not biting Srila Prabhupada. So, the disciple mentioned it to Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, here the mosquitoes are respectful. But in Calcutta, they make no distinctions.” So, anyway, “A Vaishnava will hesitate to kill even a mosquito. Sarva-dehinām.”

“Ajāta-śatravaḥ. When one is living in that way, as a sadhu, why will others become his enemy? The sadhu does not create enemies, but people become enemies out of their own character. How can a sadhu create enemies? Krishna says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, and we are simply teaching, ‘My dear human being, my dear friend, you become a soul surrendered to Krishna.’ So, what is our fault? We don’t create any enemies, but they become enemies. Why shall I create an enemy? Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. But they become out of their own nature. . .”

“We are in this society, human society, and because we are spreading Krishna consciousness, the envious, who are more dangerous than snakes, are putting so many impediments. But we have to tolerate. We have no other alternative. You see? Ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ. Be peaceful. What can be done? Depend on Krishna.”

“These are the ornaments of a sadhu: titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. You must know what a sadhu is. First, a sadhu is a devotee. If he is a devotee, then all the symptoms are there. Now, you find a sadhu and associate with him. Then your path of liberation will be open.”

For us, of course, Srila Prabhupada was that sadhu. By his words and example, he was encouraging us to try to become sadhus as well. So, yeah, these are beautiful verses, and what Srila Prabhupada said about especially Text Twenty-One and how he related it to his work and his disciples’ work, it was very touching, pointed, and encouraging, and inspiring. Yeah, Srila Prabhupada really drew a lot of love and service out of his disciples. Of course, there were a lot of hardships and austerities, and there was the infamous hut on the back of Hare Krishna Land. But one devotee, Manasa Titha, very nice, simple devotee from Italy, he shared something really nice about his experience of living in the hut. And he said, “We were living in bad conditions, but inside our hut we were happy because Prabhupada was there, and we were safe from materialistic life. When he was present, he would give lectures twice a day, and we could see him all day long. From the brahmachari ashram, I could see him chanting his rounds. We didn’t care that we were sleeping on the ground or in a place where rain came in. We were very happy, really, very happy. When I remember those days, I weep.”

Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

So, thank you all for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts and reflections on these verses, and to remember our beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and his service to the people of Bombay and to his worship Lords, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari.

So, yeah, I don’t know where we stand on time. If we have time for questions or comments, I’m happy if there is. But then again, if we have to move along with the program, I’m fine with that also. Hare Krishna.

Host: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. We thank His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. [applause]

Giriraj Swami: I’m feeling homesick.

Host: We are feeling separation, Maharaja. So, there are few questions in the temple, Maharaja. So, we will take that, and then our next section of the program is the release of the book I Will Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story by His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. So, we will be having His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, who is present personally here in the temple. We’ll speak for a few minutes, and then His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja will speak on the book, and also, we’ll have His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja speak on this book.

So, with that, we will have His Grace Devaki-nandana Prabhu. He has a question or comment, so we’ll take that.

Devaki-nandana Prabhu: Jaya Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances to Srila Prabhupada. You were talking about tolerance. Is there any measurement of the tolerance? How far one should tolerate?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s a very good question. In fact, I wrote a little article on that subject called, “How much can you tolerate?” And the focal point of the article was Prahlada Maharaja. One point that Srila Prabhupada made about Prahlada Maharaja was that he had no choice but to tolerate, because the enemy, who happened to be his father, was so powerful. We do have Srila Prabhupada’s example of how much he tolerated in the course of his missionary activities. So, personally, we should be prepared to tolerate. But when there is an offense against the Lord or a devotee, we should not tolerate.

Well, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself showed the example. He said tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. But when Nityananda Prabhu was attacked by Jagai and Madhai, He didn’t tolerate. No, He came rushing to the spot with His Sudarsana chakras ready to kill Jagai and Madhai. So, when it comes to an offense against the Lord or the devotee, we should not tolerate. But on our personal account, we should tolerate. How much you should tolerate? As much as you can tolerate. Is that all right?

Devaki-nandana Prabhu: Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: So, we begin the next section of today’s program with the release of the book I Will Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. Srila Prabhupada asked His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja to write, recognizing his talent to write. So, Giriraj Maharaja has written the books Watering the Seed, Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas, Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective. All these books are published by Maharaja.

Srila Prabhupada, in his desire to establish a first-class preaching center in the city of Bombay, he entered into an apparently simple land purchase deal, which turned out to be forcing him to fight for Radha-Rasabihari, and Srila Prabhupada fought valiantly. Yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir, wherever there is Krishna, wherever there is Arjuna, and wherever there is a pure devotee of the Lord, victory is there. So, Srila Prabhupada was victorious. After signing the purchase deal for this Hare Krishna Land, Prabhupada said, “It was a good fight. Someone should write a book about it.” These are Prabhupada’s own words.

So, Srila Prabhupada acted as the commander-in-chief for Krishna, and on the ground, we had the field commander in the form of His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja [applause]. Giriraj Maharaja was translating Srila Prabhupada’s instruction and desire into action on ground, making it happen. Srila Prabhupada spent 554 days in Bombay. For Prabhupada to spend so many days, he was so much traveling, spending a few days in centers, and for him to spend so much time, and all this time, His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja was the temple president of Bombay, giving instruction to Giriraj Swami Maharaja about how to get the first-class preaching center made. So, Srila Prabhupada gave so many instructions on Juhu that His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja is the treasure house of instructions of Srila Prabhupada on Juhu.

When Srila Prabhupada said, “Someone should write a book,” it cannot be anyone other than His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, the best person suited because he knew all the instructions of Srila Prabhupada on Juhu. Srila Prabhupada’s Līlāmṛta certainly discusses about Juhu, and many people, when they read, they get inspired. That is only a synopsis. What we are going to have now is the real thesis. I Will Build You a Temple is the real thesis. Exactly like in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Ramachandra’s pastimes are discussed very briefly, whereas Rāmāyaṇa is an Itihasa. Like that, the modern day Itihasa on Juhu is this book I Will Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story [applause]. With so many twists and turns like a very interesting novel, twist and turns, this book will remind in the history of ISKCON’s establishment, Srila Prabhupada’s establishment as an important chapter, Juhu chapter, and this book will serve the purpose of giving the accurate information.

We all know how His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja is a perfectionist, very accurate. I want to narrate a few incidents, which I was associated with. When writing the book, His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja used to send several emails to me, asking me information about old life members, very early life members; their name, when they became life members, how their name is spelled, meaning in India some names are spelled differently also. So, Maharaja was very specific about every single detail of the life member, which he actually wanted to write. So, when he is going to write, he didn’t want to write a little mistake there. So, he actually would ask me so many questions, so many chains of email, I finally would even send the scanned image of the life member, which was enrolled in 1973–74, like that. Maharaja will be very happy getting the right information, exact information, and he will actually incorporate it in the book.

There is a saying that when you are cooking rice, you want to check whether the rice is cooked or not, you take only one grain of rice and test it. If it is cooked, the whole pot of rice is cooked. So, in that way, I can only stand as a guarantor for any life member information written in this book, any life member information written in the book, they are accurate because I have evidence for it. The life membership form signed by that person, the very person who became life member, accurate information is provided in this book, and I extrapolate that to say it is all accurate information, and it is Hare Krishna Land as happened from 1970 to 78, as it is. [applause]

So, this year, it’s a wonderful gift that we are getting from His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. This year is the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada, and on the most auspicious occasion of the 43rd anniversary of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Thank you very much, Maharaja, for giving us this wonderful gift of I Will Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story.

[applause]

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Host: Yes, Maharaja. Please go ahead.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you for those encouraging and humbling words, and it’s true. I really did take pains to make sure that everything was exact and accurate, and thank you for sending me all the old records, so that I could make sure that all the names of these old life members were spelled properly.

Host: Thank you very much for giving a little opportunity, like squirrel got a little opportunity, a little opportunity for your desire of fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to write a book, and thank you very much for giving an opportunity, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Host: So, we now request His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja. Gopal Krishna Maharaja will speak. Maharaja, after meeting Srila Prabhupada in 1968, was initiated in 1969, and Srila Prabhupada appointed His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja as the GBC in December, 1974. Maharaja came to Bombay in March, 1975, and from March, 1975 till today, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja is serving Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Forty-Five years as a GBC member.

[applause]

Srila Prabhupada also gave the service of managing the BBT, and he was very happy when Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja would present Srila Prabhupada with books translated in Hindi and other languages. Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja also played an important role in getting permission for building the temple, including meeting the chief minister of that time, S.B. Chavan, along with His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, and also played an important role in the opening of the temple. So, recognizing all these things, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja was given a doctorate D.Litt. by the JJT University.

[applause]

So, I request His Holiness Doctor Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja to speak about the Juhu story.

Gopal Krishna Goswami: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Gopal Krishna Goswami: I want to say that for the most part, at least in my case, it’s over generous. Giriraj Swami, he was that great. So, we are very happy that this book is finally being released, and we hope that devotees will take advantage of this book. Prabhupada was connected to Bombay. Prabhupada’s connection to Bombay started in 1932 when he came here to do business, and he ended up helping the Gaudiya Matha devotees and setting up an ashram. It is Bombay from where he wrote that famous Vyasa-puja offering, and Srila Prabhupada wrote to his spiritual master to give him direction on what to do, and Bhaktisiddhanta just repeated the same instruction he gave in the first meeting.

Bombay was very special to Prabhupada, and this statement, “I’ll build you a temple,” was Prabhupada’s prayer to Their Lordships. Prabhupada, in 1965, before he went to the West, he was coming to see Srimati Morarji, whose house at that time was only about two blocks away from my temple. Prabhupada saw this beautiful land, which was like a jungle, and Prabhupada prayed, “My Lord, if You ever give me this land, I’ll build a wonderful temple for You.” Just imagine, at that time, Prabhupada hardly had any economic money or any assets. He used to walk to the Andheri Station to just save money for the bus fare, and here is Prabhupada praying to the Lord, “If the Lord ever gave me this land, I would build a nice temple.”

So, after establishing Krishna consciousness in the West, Prabhupada came to India, and Bombay was the first stop. Prabhupada said, “Bombay is my office, Vrindavan is my home, and Mayapur is my place of worship.” So, Prabhupada was very keen [Unintelligible 01:23:55] in Bombay. Our first temple there was in Akash Ganga, and Prabhupada was going to different locations looking for a good site, good location. Then in 1971, Mr. Nair, by that time, was the sheriff of Bombay and the editor of the Free Press paper. He offered this land in 1971, and Prabhupada, when he saw the land, he was ready to buy that one. When he came here, he could remember that this is the land that he had seen before he went to the West and he had prayed to the Lord, “If You ever gave me this land, I’ll make a temple for You.”

Srila Prabhupada had this great desire, but then it turned out that the person who was selling the land was trying to manipulate Prabhupada’s offer, and the intentions were not so noble, and he had previously cheated other people too. So, Prabhupada just decided that he has to get this land, that he had promised it to Their Lordship, and then there was a big struggle. I believe Giriraj Swami came to Bombay, the president in 1972, and from here, he was preaching in Calcutta, making members, and Prabhupada had just opened the land in Bombay, and Prabhupada was keen if we have a responsible team. So, I believe Prabhupada wrote to Giriraj Swami to come to Bombay in 1972. Is that right?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Gopal Krishna Goswami: I came to India in March, 1975, and at that time, the struggle to get an NOC was taking place. We didn’t get the permission. We had got the land in full possession. We didn’t have the NOC. Prabhupada was determined to have a temple here, and Prabhupada was ready to fight the battle, he fought the battle, and getting the NOC was a real challenge. Giriraj Swami and I used to go together, at that time, to Sachivalaya, you remember? At that time, we didn’t have any cars or any means of transportation.

I believe we had railway passes, first-class passes, and Maharaja and myself used to go there every day to different offices in Sachivalaya. We happened to meet one politician of the congress party, Mr. Sawant, who was the, P.K. Sawant, president of the congress party in Bombay. Mr. Sawant was a pious man. At that time in India, they had the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. So, a lot of things were suspended at that time. So, we explained our problem to Mr. Sawant, who eventually took us to the chief minister, who at that time was S.B. Chavan. He was also a nice man.

So, when we explained to him the problem we were facing, I remember he phoned the police commissioner in front of us and said, “Give them the NOC.” And because that was an emergency period, people had to follow the law more strictly. So, when we started work on this temple in 1975, when I came in March 1975, the first thing Prabhupada said was, “Complete this temple in six months.” I think I told you about that.

So, we started the construction. We had a very nice Dutch devotee, who was the architect, but the work wasn’t going very fast. So, then we went to Mr. Dhir’s office, it was a residence in Bandra, and he was a life member and the vice president of ECC, and we brought Mr. Dhir to meet Prabhupada. He said that he will take up the contract with his company to build this temple. So, at the time that we were digging to construct the temple, those who were digging, they found a plaque, which indicated that there was a Ganesh temple over there.

So, we took that plaque, it was placed in Prabhupada’s apartment, and I remember, [Unintelligible 01:29:50] and they came to see Prabhupada, and we asked them if he could shed any light on what’s on the plaque. Looking at the Marathi script on that plaque, they said, “This means there was a temple of Ganesh here more than 500 years ago.” So, Prabhupada was happy that on this land, at this location, there was a temple.

So, one of our great desires was to open the temple before Prabhupada left the planet. Prabhupada’s health was deteriorating, and Prabhupada stayed. We had gone to Mahabaleshwar, I think, and on the way back, Prabhupada wanted to stay in his apartment on the fifth floor. The apartment wasn’t fully ready. Prabhupada said, “If I don’t move there, this work will go on and on.” While Prabhupada was in his fifth-floor apartment, the construction was still going on. When they’re constructing, there is always some noise. Gurudas asked Prabhupada, “Is this noise disturbing you?” And Prabhupada said, “No, this is kirtan.” Because the noise was there because they were building a temple for the Lord.

So, Prabhupada left the planet in November, and before he left the planet. . .

Host: Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna.

Gopal Krishna Goswami: So, we couldn’t open the temple while Prabhupada was on the planet, but we decided to open the temple on Makara-sankranti day in 1978, and we wanted to make the opening as big as possible. So, Mukunda Maharaja was also here, and we invited the chief minister of Maharashtra at that time, Mr. Vasantdada Patil, and a very prominent politician from Delhi Raj Narain. He had become very famous in India because he defeated Indira Gandhi in the election. So, Raj Narain was the minister, central minister and he invited Mr.Patwari, who was the governor of Tamil Nadu. He used to come regularly to see Prabhupada, he came to Vrindavan also.

So, these people invited the VIP, and the News Week magazine flew a whole team from Hong Kong to Bombay. I believe the News Week magazine is now defunct, but at that time, it was one of the big magazines, like Time magazine. So, they flew a whole team to Bombay, and they published an article, “From rags to rich.” Remember that? “From rags to rich,” that’s how Bhaktivedanta Swami went to America with just forty rupees in his pocket, and now he had built such a big empire. They glorified Prabhupada’s endeavor. So, there is a lot to say. We have limited time. I’m sure Giriraj Swami has covered almost every major pastime that took place here.

In those days, I had a fortune of going out with Giriraj Swami to preach. We use to go every day to Churchgate, and then on Marine Drive. It was a Parsi Dairy, you remember? After visiting all the offices, we were going to have kulfi there. [laughter] Is that correct?

Giriraj Swami: They had good paneer too. [laughter]

Gopal Krishna Goswami: Going to Sachivalaya was our daily routine, and it was going by a train to the Churchgate, and then walking down to Sachivalaya because we were not getting our NOC, and we had to get clear from Sachivalaya. One of the reasons Mhatre was objecting to our getting the NOC was he had plans to build a hotel here in this land, which was purchased by Prabhupada. Mhatre and his whole group of business associates wanted to make a hotel over here. So, without coming there, that concept could not be realized.  The two towers that you see here, Prabhupada got the original concept from the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi.

I go to Nairobi regularly. They have the Hilton Hotel, and that’s exactly the same shape and design as this. Then in 1977, before we opened the temple, I asked Prabhupada in Vrindavan, “What should we call this? What should we call our guest house?” Prabhupada said, “Call it ISKCON ashram.”

So, Prabhupada had great desires. He wanted the Hare Krishna Land, the holy name to be chanted all the time. So, anyone who comes to the Hare Krishna Land, you should be hearing the holy name. So, thank you very much, Maharaja, for writing this book, and as I promised you, I’ll try to promote this, and I’m sure people will buy it, then they’ll get a fully signed account of Prabhupada’s pastimes. So, thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

[applause]

Host: His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! We are very fortunate to have His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja with us today. Radhanath Swami Maharaja has strong connection to Bombay. The Cross Maidan program was a turning point in his journey home, and his connection remains. And he has very special feelings for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji and Hare Krishna Land here, for being in touch with Srila Prabhupada’s devotion. So, actually, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, we approached him very late, and we got a message that he had some prayer commitments, and he said that he will send a video message. Yesterday, we were very nervous, we didn’t get a message, we were wondering what happened to the message. So, when I contacted, I got a pleasant surprise from His Holiness Radhanath Swami that he will be joining the meeting over Zoom. We are very, very thankful to His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja for that wonderful gesture.

Maharaja himself is an established speaker and author himself, written the books Journey Home and Journey Within. We are very, very happy to have His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja with us, and I request you to inspire us to speak on the Juhu story. Over to you, Maharaja.

Radhanath Swami:

[Prayers]

I am truly grateful to be with all of you today. Thank you to His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja for your wonderful, insightful class from the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where you captured the very essence of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message, what it really means to be the servant of the servant of the servant, to serve the Vaishnavas with a humble and caring heart, and to be willing to endure great sacrifices to be an instrument of Krishna’s compassion to the fallen souls. Thank you to His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja for your incredible, insightful, and comprehensive explanation of the history of Radha-Rasabihari temple. You are speaking with such realization because you were there at each step of the way, observing and participating in Srila Prabhupada’s pastime of developing Radha-Rasabihari temple.

Today really is historical. This wonderful book entitled I’ll Build a Temple for You, which was Srila Prabhupada’s intimate, heartfelt prayer to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. What an incredible story for all time to come. Srila Prabhupada, in that prayer, which was like a seed, and like a seed begins underground, nobody sees it, and sometimes when it starts to just sprout, it’s endangered in so many ways. Srila Prabhupada not only offered the prayer, but he surrendered to the fulfillment of that prayer. This principle of Śaraṇāgati or surrender is at the very heart of our guru-paramparā.

As His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami explained, Srila Prabhupada was given this instruction to take the message of Lord Chaitanya to the Western world in 1922, and he surrendered to that instruction. Then, just approximately one fortnight before Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada departed from this world, he wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada with the same message, “If you want to please me, take this message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to the world in the English language.”

So, Bombay was such an important place for Srila Prabhupada, and the history of how he surrendered to the instruction of his spiritual master, he took the message of Lord Chaitanya in our paramparā to America, to Europe, South America, Russia, Africa, Australia. But he spent the maximum amount of time in Bombay, it was so important to him. He built a beautiful temple in Vrindavan, he was developing a wonderful project in Mayapur, but the maximum amount of energy and money he was dedicating to building a temple for Radha-Rasabihari in Bombay. Bombay was just so important to Srila Prabhupada. Not only for India, but for the whole world. At that time when there was nothing there, and there was such imminent struggle, pain, opposition, Srila Prabhupada called upon His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja to come, and he gave him the charge of the temple. Giriraj Maharaja, at that time, was not a GBC, he was not a sannyasi, he was a brahmachari. [laughter] He had very little experience in India. He made some life members in Calcutta. But Srila Prabhupada, he trusted totally the dedication of His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. He trusted that, “Here is a person who was 100 percent surrendering his life with no ulterior motives to assist me in the mission of my Guru Maharaja.”

Obviously, Srila Prabhupada was seeing it that way. Making Giriraj Swami Maharaja the president at a time when it was so difficult, and even though so many challenges and setbacks came, Srila Prabhupada never removed Giriraj Swami Maharaja from being president, whatever mistakes may have been made, because Srila Prabhupada saw Giriraj Swami Maharaja’s surrender, and empowerment, accessing Krishna’s mercy comes through the process of such surrender.

This book that’s being released today, it’s written, built on the foundation not only of Giriraj Maharaja observing and personally seeing Srila Prabhupada in all these situations, participating in all of the challenges that took place, but it’s built on the foundation of his surrender to the project in his surrender to Srila Prabhupada. That surrender is an expression of Giriraj Maharaja’s love. His love for Srila Prabhupada was tested, and it only grew more and more and more.

No one else could have written this book in this way. His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja is one of my dear most friends, he’s always been a mentor to me. In fact, in Bombay, the same day and the same place that I first met Srila Prabhupada, I met His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. In fact, when Srila Prabhupada first came on the stage to speak, I was assisting Giriraj Swami Maharaja at a Back to Godhead table, and Giriraj Maharaja said, “You should go to see and to hear Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada.” Following his instruction, I went into the crowd to hear Srila Prabhupada’s speak.

So, there is something very special about my relationship with Giriraj Swami Maharaja in Mumbai, or Bombay. We have all been, for years and years, waiting eagerly, anxiously, for this book to be released, and it took Giriraj Maharaja many years. Maharaja, you have written many books, but the amount of time, the amount of meditation, the amount of surrender that it’s taken you to write this book is paramount in your life because it is so important. It is one of the most intimate of all the pastimes of Srila Prabhupada, and now a most authorized, authentic, and devotionally presented account of it is available to each and every one of us, and to all generations of people to come.

I’m just thrilled that this book is released, and it’s being released on the very day of Makara-sankranti, the day that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left home to take sannyasa, the day that Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari was welcomed into Their new temple, the day that Bhīṣmadeva received Krishna’s ultimate darshan and mercy. On this very special holy day, we are all so fortunate to personally witness this great tribute. Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, Their beauty, Their charm, Their mercy conquered Srila Prabhupada’s heart, and by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, They are now conquering all of our hearts. This wonderful book, Giriraj Maharaja, will open the doors for Them to conquer the hearts of the whole world.

I’m actually speechless even though I’m trying to speak something. I am so grateful. Let us all, devotees all over the world who may be present for this virtual book launch and all the devotees at Radha-Rasabihari temple in Bombay, let us all, from the very core of our hearts, offer our profoundest gratitude and appreciation to His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja for, with such humility and such compassion, putting his heart and soul into making the story of Srila Prabhupada’s pastime accessible to all of us. Thank you, Giriraj Maharaja.

Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! His Holiness Sridhara Swami Maharaja ki jaya! His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Ananta-koṭi vaiṣṇava-vṛnda ki jaya! Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: That was really beautiful, moving, and inspiring. Well, many, you and Indradyumna Swami in particular, really encouraged me to write this book. Of course, Srila Prabhupada instructed me to write, and he said, “It was a good fight, someone should write a book about it.” But yeah, the two of you—Radhanath Swami and Indradyumna Swami—really encouraged me.

I don’t know if it’s the proper time or place, but I was really supported by an excellent editorial team, His Grace Kalachandji dasa. He was involved in every aspect of the production, giving advice. We had a sequence. After Kalachandji dasa, the text would go to Visakha Priya dasi in Vrindavan, and then to Madhurika dasi in Alachua, and then to Nikunja Vilasani dasi in Durban. They really helped to refine the manuscript, and I’m so happy that we can offer this to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, and all of you on this day. Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you very much, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, for that inspirational speech and personally coming online and giving your association. Very special thanks to you, Maharaja, for adjusting your time of prayer commitment to join this wonderful program. Thank you very, very much, Maharaja.

Now we have with us His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja. Maharaja met Srila Prabhupada in 1970 and took sannyasa at the age of twenty-nine in 1979. And Maharaja started the Festival of India in 1990 in Poland on a modest scale, and which became a festival with 5,000 to 10,000 people attending this festival with dance and drama and cultural presentation of Krishna consciousness. Also, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja participates in Poland Woodstock Festival, and also, from 1995 onwards, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja writes a book known as The Diary of a Traveling Monk. Very famous, and a lot of devotees take inspiration from his travels and preaching. Also, Maharaja is an established photographer and an author. I just came to know, which was confirmed by His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja also, that His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja was one of the instrumental persons in encouraging His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja to write this book. We are very, very thankful, to you Maharaja, for that. So, I request His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja to speak about the Juhu story. Over to you, Maharaja.

Indradyumna Swami: (Indradyumna Maharaja recites prayers). So, I’m very, very happy and very honored, actually, to be part of this program with such an aghast assembly of Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis.

I must admit, I feel a little bit like an outsider because I was not there in Bombay during those times. I’ve only visited Bombay a few times. But as always, I think my good fortune is that I’m always holding on to the coattails, so to speak, of Giriraj Maharaja, and I snuck in. So, I thank him very much, and all of you. If I did anything, I just reminded Maharaja about the importance of the whole project there in Juhu, and I reminded him about Srila Prabhupada’s request to him to write a book about it. So, I just got a little bit of a tiny iota bit of credit there. But I’m very fortunate, I already have a copy. The book was actually printed here, I’m just outside of Delhi actually, and the book was printed in Delhi, and I knew that, and we were asked, myself and my team, to ship these 200 copies that you now have at the temple there. We were asked to ship those from Delhi to Mumbai for this occasion, and I have to admit, I did a little hijacking. I intercepted the truck, we stopped the driver, we opened the back, we jumped in, and Maharaja, I stole a copy. I’m a thief. [laughter] But if I ever stole something in my life, this is the most valuable thing, and I’m already on page 575. So, I’m a little bit ahead of all of you.

So, I’m currently doing research on the lives of many of our previous acharyas, beginning with the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan. Unfortunately, in many cases, there is very little information about these personalities who are so dear to us and have done so much in their own ways to establish and struggle and pushforward this movement. Not so much information, at least not as much as we would hope for. The other day, I was studying Srila Gopal Bhatta Gosvami, it’s especially true with him, there is hardly anything mentioned about him, for example, in Caitanya-bhāgavata or Caitanya-maṅgala. There is a little bit in CC, just to kind of whet your appetite. Only in the Bhakti-ratnākara do we find a sufficient amount of information.

So, it’s a little frustrating because we really want to hear who these personalities were and what they did, so that we can imbibe their spirit and push on in modern times. So, nowadays, for me, it’s always very wonderful that a number of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples have written extensively about His Divine Grace’s life and his teachings. So many disciples are coming out with books. For me, these books are so important, and for future generations as well. It’s important to the preservation of our movement, it’s important for the future success of our movement, that Srila Prabhupada and our previous acharyas. . . Well, because they’re the real leaders of society, and they’re the real heroes in society.

So, in compiling and writing I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story, His Holiness Giriraj Swami has done a great service to the devotees in this movement, to the people of Bombay, of Mumbai, and I would go so far as to say for mankind, for that matter. Why mankind? Because I’m convinced that the achievements of Srila Prabhupada will one day be not only noted but studied by great historians. They have yet to recognize that, but I’m very sure that in the future, scholars, historians, they’ll study Srila Prabhupada and the great contributions that he made to this world. Srila Prabhupada himself said one time to Gurudas in London, “One day, scholars will note how this movement saved the world in this darkest hour.”

That may be very soon, if you are reading the news. Surely, they will appreciate this book. They’ll appreciate how our Giriraj Maharaja, as so many others have said, meticulously researched and spent so many hours and weeks, days and months and years to compile a book of 700 pages or more. I’m reading it, and I can tell you, it’s a fantastic story from every angle. The way it was and the way he is presenting it, everything is there. There is love, there is intrigue, there is pitched battles, there is suspense, there is a wonderful ending. It’s the perfect novel, it’s the perfect movie. It’s simply the perfect activities of a pure devotee on this planet to glorify his beloved Lord.

Now we have it in writing. Most importantly, I was thinking, the central characters of this presentation are all transcendental to this world; Srila Prabhupada and Radha and Krishna. It’s a very unique book. As it’s been said and indicated by others, His Holiness Giriraj Swami was the right person to chronicle these pastimes. He was the perfect person. It couldn’t have been another. That’s why Srila Prabhupada asked him to write it, he could see. He said that he was the perfect person because as noted by my dear godbrother Radhanath Swami, who spoke so nicely, as always, Giriraj Maharaja was there, he was on the scene. Number two, he is a Shruti Dhara.

What is Shruti Dhara? It means somebody who can remember everything that happened in the past, and he is like that. He has a fantastic memory, and he is one of my favorite speakers. So, I often listen to his classes, his lectures, and it just amazes me that very often, he’ll come up with a pastime that he has never told before about Srila Prabhupada. He’ll be speaking, and then you’ll just hear, and he’ll say, “Oh yes, and this happened in Mumbai. We went to visit this life member,” and we had never heard of it before. So, he is like a spring, like an eternal spring of water gushing out of the ground and satisfying the thirst of all the devotees for kṛṣṇa-kathā, and especially, Prabhupada kathā.

Prabhupada said one time, “If you want to know me, read my books.” I can add, “If you want to know Prabhupada, listen to Giriraj Swami’s lectures.” You’ll hear so much. Not only that, but the lectures are imbued with so much love and devotion for Prabhupada. As mentioned, he is an excellent writer, as acknowledged by His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, whose words are on the back cover, here’s the back cover, they’re very prophetic. He writes about Giriraj Maharaja’s writing, “I’ll Build You a Temple. This book is riveting, thoughtful, and inspiring.” That’s a good way to describe this book. It’s riveting. I’m reading it. First thing I get up in the morning, I start reading the book. That’s my first sadhana. It’s riveting, it’s thoughtful, and it’s inspiring.

Last but not least, Giriraj Swami was blessed by Srila Prabhupada. He was blessed by Srila Prabhupada for his sevā in Mumbai. So, therefore, he is qualified to write. Prabhupada went so far as to say, “Bombay means Giriraj, and Giriraj means Bombay.”

Host: Haribol!

Indradyumna Swami: I don’t think in humility that Maharaja will repeat that very often, but we thank the Lord that he did say that, he did write that in the last pages, because I skipped ahead. Sometimes you read the book and you skip to the end to see what happens. I couldn’t wait. So, that’s one of the last things that Maharaja shares with us. Prabhupada said, “Bombay means Giriraj, and Giriraj means Bombay.” So, how dear Maharaja is to Srila Prabhupada, and therefore, he was personally chosen by Prabhupada to write this book, because he knew this book would come forth loud and clear. I hope that statement, “Bombay means Giriraj, and Giriraj means Bombay,” I hope one day, the authorities in that great city will give Giriraj Maharaja the keys to the city.

It’s an expression that we have in the West, that when you’ve done something significant for the city, then the mayor gives you the keys, symbolic, the keys to the city. So, they should. This book should be distributed all over the city, and then the mayor should come and have a ceremony and give the keys to the city to Maharaja.

So, today is the celebration of the 43rd anniversary of the installation of our beloved Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, who Themselves were so much loved by Srila Prabhupada. The other day, I was reading, one time, Prabhupada prayed to Rukmini-Dwarkadhish in Los Angeles to please be engaged in the service of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari in Bombay, and that prayer was granted. But in fulfilling that desire, we know Prabhupada had to struggle so much, but the result of his struggles, as so perfectly shared in I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story, the result was the magnificent temple that, you could say, continues to be a beacon of light for all of those in this dark age of Kali who want to know something about Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna, a beacon of light. It will continue to shine on because Prabhupada understood the importance of books. He said one time, “Even if all of our temples fall into the ocean, if my books are out there, our mission will continue.”

So, this is a brilliant contribution, and it will be around for as long as Srila Prabhupada’s books are here as well. Because there is perfect glorification of Radha-Rasabihari and Srila Prabhupada. I’d just like to take a second to also thank the many devotees who have served in the Radha-Rasabihari temple over many years. Some are no longer with us, like His Holiness Sridhara Swami Maharaja. He was part of those pioneering days, and he did so much. He is no longer with us, but we thank him. There is a little shrine to him, I’ve seen in the temple. Thank you for doing that.

The devotees, there are so many devotees, the list goes on and on. So, you’ve maintained such a wonderful standard for the Deities. This is something significant. I think it’s the standard that should be followed by all of our temples in ISKCON. Just like Prabhupada said one time, “If you want to know Deity worship,” he said in the early days, “You go to the Radha-Ramana temple in Vrindavan and study their program.”

So, if I could say something, a little something, I would say in ISKCON, if someone wants to know what is puja, go to Radha-Rasabihari temple and study the puja there. It simply melts the heart. I’m always inspired to go there to see the puja. So, thank you for Prabhupada’s desire, the temple was manifest. But one thing is to create, and another thing is just to sustain and to maintain. That takes a lot of spiritual strength, a lot of intelligence, a lot of hard work. So, thank you for that, and thank you for preaching so wonderfully all over your area, your zone. Every time I look at the results of book distributions, I’m floored with a number of books that go out there. Once again, I thank to my eternal friend, I’m going to say eternal, I hope Krishna is in my heart listening, my eternal friend and my mentor and advisor, Giriraj Maharaja, for inviting me to this program.

I’m sorry I stole your book, Maharaja. I hope that you won’t be angry with me. I hope that when I see you next time, I’ll get a big signature on this blank page. So, I’ve only got this much of the book left, a little part here. So, I’m going to stop here, and I’m addicted to this book, and I’m going to go on and try to finish it today on this very auspicious day when we are launching the book in Mumbai at our beautiful temple, there at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Thank you very much.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your services. All glories to I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! That was so amazing. They’re really inspiring. I mean, you not only stole my book, but you stole my heart. [applause] Thank you, and I appreciate your appreciation of the devotees who are serving in Juhu and maintaining the standards and legacy that Srila Prabhupada left us there. Thank you.

Host: Thank you very much, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, for your inspirational speech. Now, the much-awaited moment has arrived, of dedicating the book to Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, Sri Sri Sita-Rama, Lakṣmaṇa, Hanuman, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, and releasing the book. I request all the devotees in the temple, please listen carefully. You all have to come backside. So, we will be offering the book, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja and our senior devotees will offer first to Srila Prabhupada. We want to capture that in our cameras because there are so many devotees around the world. They are watching it on Zoom and Facebook and YouTube, they have to see it. Specially, the author of the book has to see also. Isn’t it?

So, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, they have taken their time to see this launch. I request all the devotees, please come backside. No, no, no. Ladies, please on the backside, we want this place to be available for senior devotees to offer the book to Prabhupada first, then we will go to the Radha-Rasabihari altar, so we don’t want anybody near there. Only a cameraman, two cameras, both of you will be active. You have to capture completely, right?

So, that is our program. Please, now you can please come backside. Second camera, please come here. So, we’ll be now offering the book in the lotus hands of Srila Prabhupada, and His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja is there. Please bring. Devakinandana Prabhu, Surdas Prabu, Braja Hari Prabhu, Gauranga prabhu please come. Devotees can move this side also, there is a TV also outside, you can see from the TV also. But in any case, you’ll have to leave space for the cameras to come. If you want to sit down and watch there, that is fine also. Sit down, but then leave space. Camera, please bring. So, please. So, let the camera. Okay. So, you can show the full screen. The Zoom operator, show the full screen. Here we are offering to Srila Prabhupada I Will Build You a Temple. This promise of Srila Prabhupada is realizing today in the form of a book written by His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja. The Juhu story unveils. His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, Devaki-nandana Prabhu, please offer it to Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya!

Please leave space, we will be going to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. So, we will be offering to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Please come, Maharaja. Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya! Giriraj Govardhana ki jaya! His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Pujari, you can take the book and keep it at the lotus feet or Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Please keep it on the lotus feet and open the book. Radha-Rasabihari. Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya! Giriraj Govardhana ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Keep it there.

So, we will be now offering the book to Sri Sri Sita-Rama Lakṣmaṇa Hanumanji. Please, please move. Sri Sri Sita-Rama Lakṣmaṇa Hanuman ki jaya! Nṛsiṁhadeva Bhagavān ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Thank you.

We will now offer the book to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Srila Prabhupada. Please leave space for the cameras. Now we are offering the book to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada. Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Srila Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

So, please, all the devotees can sit down. We have one more small inauguration. Please sit down. Please take your seat. So, we thank all of the devotees for joining in for this book launch, and especially, we thank His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, and also we thank His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, and also we thank His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, who have joined us here, and now the book is officially released, now anybody can read it officially. Even though somebody has already read it unofficially. [laughter]. Thank you very much.

We have an event, this event is the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada. Now Corona has taught us a lesson how we can expand our preaching digitally, online preaching. In fact, it is by Corona’s mercy that we are having this launch, book release online program, with participation from all the exalted Vaishnavas here. So, utility is the principle Srila Prabhupada taught us, and the BBT, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, has come up with the digital version of BTG. So, this digital version of BTG, Back to Godhead magazine, can be ordered online. Now, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Swami Maharaja, who is the BBT trustee, will be launching that online version of BTG. To subscribe to this BTG, you can go to iskconmumbai.com/btg. Also, we would like to tell you the book that is released, The Juhu Story: I’ll Build You a Temple, can be ordered online on the site thejuhustory.com. Now, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Swami Maharaja will be launching the digital BTG by clicking on the touchpad here. So, Maharaja is now clicking. Clic Maharaja. Jaya! Online BTG ki jaya! Digital BTG ki jaya!

So, we thank all the devotees who have joined us today in Radha-Rasabihari temple, as well as we thank all the devotees around the world who have joined us on the Zoom or Facebook or YouTube and different channels we have, and we thank especially His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami Maharaja, and His Holiness Gopal Krishna Swami Maharaja for participating in this program. Thank you one and all.