The 45th Anniversary of the Grand Opening of the Juhu Temple

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna, my dear devotees. Before I read about the grand opening of the Juhu Temple, I will read about how Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari got Their name.

READING from I Will Build You a Temple

Although our deities had been in Juhu for more than two years, they did not yet have a specific name. One day, I mentioned this to a few devotees and they encouraged me to bring up the topic with Srila Prabhupada.

“Srila Prabhupada,” I requested, “Can you name our deities?”

“Yes,” he replied. “What about Radha–Madana-mohan?”

“Srila Prabhupada, the deities in Hyderabad are already called Madan-mohan.”

“Then what about Radha-Govinda?” “Srila Prabhupada, the deities in New York are called Radha-Govinda.”

Prabhupada paused thoughtfully, considering. “What about Radha-Rasabihari? Is that all right?” “Yes, Srila Prabhupada.” And smiling in bliss, I paid my obeisances and left. Later, as I was going back over the exchange, I thought about how in Vrindavan, the three principal deities were Madan-mohan, Govinda, and Gopinatha, corresponding to sambandha, establishing a relationship, abhidheya, acting in our relationship, and prayojana, the ultimate goal. And in our discussion, we had gone from Madan-mohan to Govinda to Rasabihari, the enjoyer of the rasa dance, prayojana, the goal.

So now, Chapter Five: “Opening the Temple, A Promise Fulfilled.” December 1977 to January 1978.  Narottamananda is mentioned here.

READING continued

In Vrindavan, Prabhupada had instructed us to organize the temple opening the way Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira had organized the Rājasūya sacrifice, with a prominent person in charge of each department. As stated in Kṛṣṇa book, “King Yudhiṣṭhira arranged to perform the Rājasūya sacrifice. He invited all the qualified brāhmaṇas and sages to take part and appointed them to different positions as priests in charge of the sacrificial arena.”

Devotees came for the opening from around the world. Ramesvara, as the trustee for the North American BBT, based in Los Angeles, gave Mukunda [Now, Mukunda Goswami] three thousand dollars and free rein to promote the event.

“So, using the money he gave me,” Mukunda recalled, “I took a flight from Los Angeles to New York, and I went to a street-side copy shop on 6th Avenue and made printouts of all the slides I had of the Juhu temple, some of which were truly magnificent.

“I then took an Air India flight to New Delhi and got a list of all the foreign media located there. My first stop was the Los Angeles Times. I arrived about fifteen minutes later than my appointed time. The woman who was the bureau chief was wearing tennis shoes and was angry that I was late, because she said that I would make her late for her tennis match. So I left her the printouts of the Juhu temple and moved on. 

“At the office of The New York Times the bureau chief was very friendly and had a copy of the MacMillan edition of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is on his bookshelf. I then visited a few more people, including some Australian media and the ABC Television bureau chiefs, and I left printouts of the Juhu temple with all of them.

COMMENT

Well, as it is, the grand opening event was covered very well in the media. There was a large article in the New York Times, the most prestigious newspaper in the United States, and there was a full-page article with color photos. And in those days, color photos were not so common. Only a few pages in the magazine would have color photos. There was a full-page article in Newsweek magazine about the opening of the Temple with some color photos. And there was one of Srila Prabhupada, the diorama of Srila Prabhupada standing under the tree in Tompkins Square Park, and they gave the caption ‘From Rags to Riches.’

READING continued

In addition to making all the preparations for the grand-opening ceremonies, we also had to arrange for the functioning of the project after it opened.

Michael Lord, who for a decade had managed London’s historic and prestigious Carlton Club, arrived to oversee the restaurant, which would serve Continental and Indian-style vegetarian dishes, all offered to the Lord before being relished as prasāda.

Jagat Purusa had always done what was necessary for the project, from cooking to Deity worship to life membership. He had a flair and a passion for Krishna conscious theatrical performances, and he would take charge of the Bhaktivedanta Auditorium.

Narottamananda, who had a fine artistic sensibility and had served as a pujari in Vrindavan, came to be the head pujari and set up the expanded Deity program, as he had done in Vrindavan.

As per Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, the installation of the Deities was performed by a combination of brahmans and Prabhupada’s disciples. There was one procedure for installing the new Deities and one for moving the already installed Deities of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari to Their new location. Different senior devotees sat with different small utsava Deities; I was with Sitadevi.

Interviewing me for the Back to Godhead article, Dravida, 

COMMENT

There are two Dravidas. But this is Dravida, who Is the editor.

READING continued

Dravida asked if I could tell how I got involved in the Bombay project. “In March of 1972, Srila Prabhupada asked me to take charge,” I replied. “This was one month after we had gotten possession of this land at Juhu Beach. At first, we were living in a hut. It was really difficult, but eventually we built an additional floor on top of some apartment buildings that were already on the land, and we moved up there. 

COMMENT

And that was accomplished through Sri P.L Sethi, Srila Prabhupada’s staunch devotee.

READING continued

From the beginning Srila Prabhupada emphasized that this project was for spreading Krishna consciousness.

Dravida asked, “What were some of the highlights of those early days?”

“As soon as we got possession of the land, which we named ‘Hare Krishna Land,’ 

COMMENT

There is also a story about how the land got its name, Hare Krishna Land. Srila Prabhupada was on a morning walk with several disciples at Juhu Beach, and one of them, Madhudvisa Prabhu said, “There are so many lands, such as Disneyland. So why don’t we have Hare Krishna Land?” And Srila Prabhupada approved of the idea. And thus, upon Madhudvisa Prabhu’s suggestion, the land got its name.

READING continued

“As soon as we got possession of the land, which we named ‘Hare Krishna Land,’ Srila Prabhupada had us put up a pandal and hold a big Hare Krishna festival. We brought the Deities, Radha-Rasabihariji, from our temple in the city, and every night hundreds of people came to hear Srila Prabhupada speak and to chant Hare Krishna with us and take in a Krishna conscious drama or musical performance. It was then that we started seeing how right Prabhupada had been in making Juhu Beach the site for a temple and cultural center.”

“What does the future hold for the new cultural center? Do you have plans for more construction?”

“Yes. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to construct one more large building—six stories—that would include a children’s school, a diorama museum, a retirement home, and a book warehouse.

We could hardly sleep for nights before the grand opening: There was so much to do, and we were so excited. Many devotees had participated in the effort, but I also began to notice that some of our leaders preferred to work with—or accommodate—only their friends. Tamal Krishna commented that we had entered a new era: During Prabhupada’s time we had all worked together, for his pleasure. Now many devotees would return to their home countries and cities to be in places where and among people with whom, based on their conditioning, they felt most comfortable. Still, generally everyone had cooperated nicely and worked hard to publicize and organize the event.

Finally, the big day arrived—Saturday, Makara Sankranti, January 14, 1978, exactly two months after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. Visitors started streaming through the gates from early in the morning, and our loyal supporters, who had stood by Prabhupada and the devotees through thick and thin throughout all the years of struggle against so much opposition, were there to relish the triumphant occasion. Altogether, fifteen thousand people attended the inaugural function.

The temple was decorated with elaborate flower arrangements, including festoons of marigolds strung from the large chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling of the darshan mandapa to the pillars and balconies at the perimeter of the hall.

COMMENT

And next, I describe the momentous occasion when the doors to the deities were opened and their forms were revealed. And we had the first ārati. But before that, I have to make a little stop to the men’s room and I will be right back. In the meantime, chant Hare Krishna and be happy.

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

READING continued

The temple was decorated with elaborate flower arrangements, including festoons of marigolds strung from the large chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling of the darshan mandapa to the pillars and balconies at the perimeter of the hall.

When the conch shells sounded and the doors opened to reveal the Deities in Their new home, the devotees were overwhelmed with joy. “Rasabihari had such a big smile,” Pundarik Vidyanidhi, 

COMMENT

He was one of the early devotees here, is now in our community Alachua, Florida.

READING continued

“Rasabihari had such a big smile,” Pundarika Vidyanidhi remembered. “That was one time when I saw that the Deity was really alive. He had such a big smile on His face when the doors opened.”

A row of ornate chairs, like thrones, had been arranged for the special guests: Sri Vasantdada Patil, chief minister of Maharashtra; to his left, Sri Prabhudas Patwari, governor of Tamil Nadu; and to his left, Sri Raj Narain, union (central government) minister of health and family welfare. To his left was Tamal Krishna, and to the chief minister’s right was Sri Dharmsinh Dadubhai Desai, Member of Parliament; 

COMMENT

So, this Sri D. D. Desai was the father of Dr. N. D. Desai, who was later initiated as Srinathji dasa, who did a lot of service, late Srinathji dasa.

READING continued

To his left was Tamal Krishna, and to the chief minister’s right was Sri Dharmsinh Dadubhai Desai, MP; I sat on his right, at the end of the row. 

My heart was pounding with excitement. Scenes from the years of struggles flashed through my mind, and now it was actually happening—Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari’s new temple was about to open. How I wished Srila Prabhupada could have been personally present to relish the occasion and to bless the honored guests, the throngs of visitors, and his disciples, who had labored so long and hard to bring us to this stage, with his divine instructions.

But Krishna had another plan: We were to experience Prabhupada’s presence even in separation and assume the responsibilities for which he had so carefully and patiently trained us all those years. 

I prayed that everything would go well, that there wouldn’t be any mishaps or missteps, and that in my nervousness I wouldn’t balk, 

COMMENT

B A L K, it means hesitate, or bungle anything.

READING continued

And, as we had realized so vividly when we were trying to leave Vrindavan for Calcutta and Mayapur, I knew that at every step I was completely dependent on Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

I had arranged for a framed painting of Shrinathji to be installed, to appeal to His followers, who were mainly Gujaratis,

COMMENT

That is there, Srinathji.

READING continued

and I gave the honor of unveiling it to Sri D. D. Desai, who had helped us in many ways.

In his talk, Chief Minister Patil said that all people should follow Lord Krishna’s advice in the Bhagavad-gītā for eternal peace and happiness. Raj Narain spoke in appreciation of the devotees, saying, “It is amazing to me that now Westerners have taken to the Indian culture just when we are losing it.”

Governor Patwari spoke extensively about the temple’s universal value and appeal: “I deem it a blessing to be associated with this solemn function. The Krishna consciousness movement is a divine spark, a movement which is meant to give peace and happiness to millions of people all over the world. So I welcome the construction of this temple and the opening of the Bhaktivedanta Center of Vedic Culture in this great cosmopolitan city of Bombay, where people of all races, nationalities, castes, and communities, high and low, live in amity. I have no doubt that this Vedic institution will proclaim to the world that here flourishes a great movement, which has become the symbol of eternal religion (sanātana-dharma). 

“Let us, on this occasion, make a solemn resolve to strengthen the Krishna consciousness movement by untiringly spreading the teachings of Lord Krishna through many languages, to all people in all the nooks and corners of the world. In this way, by our genuine devotion to Krishna and by our austerities, we may create an international climate of peace and happiness and lay the foundation for a religious order acceptable to all on the basis of universal love and brotherhood. May we chant, ‘Hare Krishna! Jaya Sri Krishna!’ to purify our hearts and minds, and may Lord Krishna shower His blessings on humanity and make our humble endeavors a success.”

Work to Be Done

The next day, Sunday, we had a massive, festive hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana on Juhu Beach, with hundreds of devotees, many carrying orange flags that blew in the wind, with a framed photo and a small brass deity of Srila Prabhupada at the front of the procession. There were even fireworks, launched from coconut shells, making loud popping noises and flashes in the sky. One of the first-time visitors, 

COMMENT

Where is Giri Govardhana?

READING continued

One of the first-time visitors, a lawyer, R. K. Maheshwari (later initiated as Mahaprabhu dasa), later remembered hearing about the opening day: “I was playing cards at Khar Gymkhana, a well-known club in this area, and all of a sudden I saw a newspaper with a full-page advertisement about the Hare Krishna temple opening that day. So I thought, How much money do these people have? A full-page advertisement in The Times of India! Being a Marwari, I always thought of everything in terms of money.

“Then I decided, ‘Let me see what this place is,’ and I immediately drove to the Juhu temple. At the gate they asked me, ‘Have you got a pass or invitation card? Vaijayanti Mala is giving a dance performance, and the hall is booked, and Raj Narain, union minister, and Patwari, governor, are coming for the inauguration, so there is a big crowd and only important people are invited today.’ 

“‘Is this a temple or what?’ I asked. 

COMMENT

This is Mahaprabhu dasa speaking.

READING continued

‘Well, today is inauguration day,’ the devotee replied. So, I approached another devotee, an Indian—Rama Tulasi. He was telling a group of visitors that, like fish out of water, in the material world nobody is happy. You are searching happiness in the wrong atmosphere. The Gītā has confirmed that this material world is duḥkhālayam, a place of misery.

“The visitors were asking about the temple, why these foreigners were so much interested in Indian culture. ‘We are having some doubt,’ one said, ‘because when the British came to India. . . Now most of the people here are American. They are coming in the guise of religion and teaching us our sanātana-dharma. We cannot understand all this. We know Krishna very well.’ 

COMMENT

I heard that many times. You don’t have to tell us about Krishna. Krishna’s in our blood.’

READING continued

“But Rama Tulasi was speaking philosophy. ‘If you want to be happy,’ he told them, ‘connect yourself with Lord Krishna by chanting the holy name of the Lord. That is the connection. And if you chant the holy name of the Lord, wherever you may be, whatever situation, you will be blissful. I am not talking happiness—you may be happy, you may not be happy—but blissful is something different. I cannot explain to you what is spiritual bliss. You have to experience it.’ So, yes, that much I understood.

“I wanted to know more; I wanted to go inside. So I found some stairs, and I got to the second floor and saw the program. I spent the whole day in the temple, and the next day too, and I came regularly thereafter. I could see that these people were genuine, and I made up my mind that I wanted to get involved in their institution and become a life member. My membership card was signed by the temple president: ‘Giriraj das Brahmachari.’ I was keen to get his association, and once I met him, that changed the lifestyle of this practicing lawyer of the Bombay High Court.

“For me, that was a total change. I had been so much involved in material things that when my wife would go to a temple, I would sit in the car. I was never interested to go to any temple because my impression of temples was that they were all cheats, fooling people and making money and not following any rules or regulations or properly guiding people—just making a business. But all that changed with my first visit to Hare Krishna Land, on the day of the grand opening.”

Poonam Thakur, the daughter of two of our early life members and supporters in Juhu, 

COMMENT

Yes, her parents were early supporters and her mother eventually took initiation and ended up moving to Vrindavan. She spent her last years in Vrindavan.

READING continued

Poonam Thakur, the daughter of two of our early life members and supporters in Juhu, recalled, “I remember as a child being in the old temple and looking up at the tin roof and wondering, ‘How come these beautiful Radha-Krishna Deities are in such a humble place?’ I had no idea of the struggles being endured by the devotees for the grand Juhu temple. A couple of years later, when I saw the temple after its opening, my eyes grew large in amazement and awe: What a magnificent temple for Their Lordships!”

“After the grand opening,” Mukunda remembered, “I took a stroll down Juhu Road, thinking that Srila Prabhupada would be very pleased. I felt that somehow or other, even though he was no longer physically present, the movement was going on.”

COMMENT

Then, Back to Godhead carried a large article.

READING continued

Two days after the opening, The New York Times ran an article on the front page of its second section, with the headline “Hare Krishna Sect Displays Vitality At Its New $2 Million Temple in India”: “JUHU, India, Jan. 15—Several hundred members of the Hare Krishna sect, chanting and singing and clapping, opened a $2 million temple and cultural center here this weekend in a colorful festival of devotion.

“To the young American monks of the movement the dedication of their sumptuous carved marble temple on the Arabian seacoast here, 10 miles north of Bombay, symbolized a kind of coming of age of the sect, which they hope is becoming less controversial.

“ ‘We are gaining a broader base among the general public, in both India and America,’ explained Tamal Krishna,

COMMENT

This is New York Times article.

READING continued

explained Tamal Krishna, a 32-year-old New Yorker who is a member of the organization’s 23-member governing board. ‘We are learning that there is no way we are going to give Krishna consciousness a general appeal if we make everyone shave their heads and chant “Hare Krishna” all day long.’ 

 “But like most leaders of the movement, Tamal Krishna, who was named Thomas Herzig when he was growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, does have a shaved head, a saffron-colored flowing garment called a dhoti and streaks of Ganges River mud on his forehead. Like all of them, he chants this mantra at least 1,728 times a day: “Hare Krishna, hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, hare hare, hare Rama, hare Rama, Rama Rama, hare hare.”

“The chant, which has been sung with stomping feet on hundreds of American street corners in the 12 years since the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was started in New York, was the motif of the weekend here. Crowds shouted it to the beat of drums and cymbals as each statue of Krishna was anointed, as each of the huge teak and brass temple doors was opened and as marigolds and bananas were laid in offering beside the silver-plated altars.

“But one difference between this celebration and the performances in the United States was reflected in the fact that India’s Health Minister and other high Government officials were among the speakers at the dedication ceremony, lending respectability. As a saffron clad monk from Miami Beach put it, ‘When we come to India, we are coming home.’

“Spiritualism is common to Indians, and several thousand of them visited the new temple here during the opening ceremony, joining enthusiastically in the chant of homage to Krishna,

“By the time of his death two months ago at the age of 81, Swami Prabhupada had built up a movement that has 10,000 full-time monks and an annual income, its present leaders say, of $16 million from the sale of its books—mostly the swami’s translations and interpretations of the ancient Vedic scriptures.

The article carried two photos, one with the caption “A young American Krishna follower gives Sanskrit discourse to Indian counterparts at festivities,” and the other with “Hare Krishna devotees chanting at dedication of their new temple in Juhu, India, on Saturday.”

The January 30 edition of Newsweek carried nearly a full page about the opening—in color, a rare feature for the time—with the heading “KRISHNA-BY-THE-SEA.” At the top of the page was an image of the diorama of Srila Prabhupada standing in Tompkins Square Park, next to a photo of the new temple and guesthouse, with the caption “Rags to riches: Diorama of swami teaching, $2 million complex.”

COMMENT

So here, it is a little small, but here is that page in Newsweek magazine entitled Krishna by the Sea.

READING continued

The Hare Krishna people, a term they use themselves,

COMMENT

Yes, Yadhubara Prabhu produced a film called The Hare Krishna People.

READING continued

“The Hare Krishna people (a term they use themselves) are reluctant to disclose the details of their finances. But it is known that they have at least a few very substantial donors, including George Harrison, the former Beatle, and Alfred Ford, a great grandson of the founder of the Ford Motor Company and a nephew of Henry Ford 2nd.

COMMENT

So you have George Harrison came here twice, and it was really very nice. He came when the temple was under construction, and I showed him around, and he was very encouraging. Then at 12:30, the conch shell blew in the small temple we had at then, and so we went to the small temple for the ārati, and George Harrison picked up an instrument and he was singing and playing the instrument, and Puri dasa, our dear Puri dasa from Scotland, was doing the ārati. And when he turned around and saw George Harrison, as he described it, his hand was shaking so much, he had to struggle not to drop the ghee lamp. So then after the ārati, I accompanied George Harrison to meet Srila Prabhupada in his room at the back, and I left the two of them. Then I went back to my office at the very back of the property, and then a pagy, eight-year-old boy who was the son of two of our very good supporters in the Juhu scheme, Pranjeevan Valia and his wife, Yasoda Valia, came to my office and he said, “I heard George Harrison is here.” I said, “Yes, he is.” The boy said, “I want to see him.” I said, “You can’t. He is meeting with Srila Prabhupada.” So the boy looked me in the eyes, sort of sized up the situation, concluded that he wasn’t going to get any help from me, and he went bounding down the stairs to go to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters. And I thought, “Oh no, he is going to go and interrupt the meeting.” So then I followed him in hot pursuit. And meanwhile, he had gone up the stairs to Srila Prabhupada’s apartment. And I was just a little behind him, and George Harrison was sitting with his back very erect. He was sitting just like a submissive disciple while Srila Prabhupada was speaking. But then the boy entered.

The meeting more or less ended, and I was a little upset. But Srila Prabhupada and George Harrison didn’t seem to mind. Maybe they took it as Krishna’s arrangement. So, George offered obeisances and left. And, earlier, when we were in the small temple, he said that when your project opens, I want to come back and stay here. So he left, and then a few months later, when Srila Prabhupada was in Sanand, Gujarat, he recalled his meeting with George Harrison in Hare Krishna land. And he said, he is a very nice boy. He is keeping Jagannatha in his bead bag and chanting Hare Krishna. So, I mean, I go to many places and preach about Krishna consciousness, but a certain class of people, when they hear that George Harrison took interest and was practically a devotee, I mean, he asked Srila Prabhupada if he should shave his head and move into the temple. But Srila Prabhupada said, “No, you remain a Beatle and you write songs about Krishna,” which he did. He wrote one called “My Sweet Lord” that is very popular and it has the Hare Krishna mantra in it.

So, he also visited here. Oh yes, so now coming back to the Newsweek article,

READING continued

At the bottom was a photo of the procession on Juhu Beach and one of a devotee speaking at the foot of Prabhupada’s vyāsāsana. The caption read, “Spreading the swami’s word: A joyous procession on the beach, a devotee lecturing inside the temple.” At the front of the procession was a portable seat with a photo and a small brass deity of Srila Prabhupada, and standing near the deity, I was fanning him with a cāmara, yak-tail whisk. The devotee preaching in the temple was Tamal Krishna. At the front of the magazine was a small photo with the caption “Barry Came with a Krishna follower” (Gopal Krishna) and a preview of the main article.

I thought of how perfectly Krishna—or Srila Prabhupada—had arranged everything. There I was, fanning Prabhupada, happy in my position as his simple servant. And there was Tamal Krishna sitting behind one of Prabhupada’s books, his right arm extended, preaching forcefully on Prabhupada’s behalf—his natural position. And Gopal Krishna, who always worked with the media, was shown with the reporter.

It all seemed perfect. How happy Prabhupada would have been to see the coverage—how major news media were recognizing and appreciating his and ISKCON’s progress “from rags to riches.” I could just picture him smiling broadly, his eyes wide open—beaming with pleasure.

Prabhupada had invested a great deal of faith—and time and energy —in his disciples, which inspired us to want to justify his faith and fulfill his hopes for us. “Giriraj is Bombay; Bombay is Giriraj,” he had said to encourage me. “Bombay is like Kurukshetra, and Giriraj is our Arjuna.” Remembering his words, I felt humbled—and missed him dearly.

COMMENT

So that is the end of the body of the book. There is an epilogue. But I think for the sake of time, we can end and we basically covered the grand opening. I will just read the very last paragraph. Well, I will read the last two.

READING continued

Prabhupada engaged us—his disciples, and so many others—in devotional service authorized by the principles of scripture and the instructions of previous spiritual masters. In developing Hare Krishna Land, he did so on a grand scale, and after his departure, by his mercy, we were left with tremendous challenges of work and responsibility— for our own spiritual benefit and for the benefit of all those who would associate with the temple.

Along with Srila Prabhupada’s desires as a preacher, he also had his personal commitment and service to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. “My dear Sir,” he had told Them, “You just stand here, and I will build You a temple.”

COMMENT

That is where we got the title of the book, I Will Build You a Temple. That was Srila Prabhupada’s promise to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari.

READING continued

Along with Srila Prabhupada’s desires as a preacher, he also had his personal commitment and service to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. “My dear Sir,” he had told Them, “You just stand here, and I will build You a temple.” What a struggle it was, but he did it; he fulfilled his promise: he built Them a temple.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya!

Devotee: Maharaja, there is a message from His Holiness, Gopal Krishna Gosvami Maharaja, and he wanted that message to be read here now.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, please, by all means.

Devotee: So, on this momentous occasion of the grand opening of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari mandir, we are very, very fortunate to have the temple president at the time His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, reading it. Thank you, Maharaja. And also, we have, we actually were expecting His Holiness Gopal Krishna Gosvami Maharaja. Every year, he comes, actually. So, this year, due to some health reasons, he was not able to come. So, the GBC at the time, Srila Prabhupada appointed him the GBC for the entire India, the GBC of the Juhu, BBT trustee. And he also played a major role, along with the Arjuna devotee. So, Maharaja sent a message. So, I will read that message from His Holiness Gopal Krishna Gosvami Maharaja.

“Dear devotees of the Radha-Rasabihari community, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Today, we are celebrating the auspicious 45th anniversary of the installation of their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. We all know how Srila Prabhupada struggled to secure this property. The Radha-Rasabihari Temple was formally inaugurated on January 14, 1978, in the presence of four ministers of the Indian government and dignitaries from India and abroad. This inauguration event was even covered by the famous American magazine Newsweek. By Krishna’s grace, I think I have been to almost every annual function. I was planning on attending this year’s program also, but due to medical reasons, it will not be practical for me to travel to Juhu. I had encountered some injury on the left shoulder. The doctors say that the recovery time is usually three to five weeks, and they have advised me to minimize all travel during this period. If I do not move, the recovery time would be two to three weeks. If I move, there is a risk of dislocation. Therefore, I have to go to Delhi to consult the doctors who have been regularly treating me. I want to thank His Holiness Giriraj Swami, who played an important role in Prabhupada’s ultimate victory.

Also, obeisances to all devotees who have worked hard to build and maintain this beautiful project, Heavan on Earth. Srila Prabhupada had said that Bombay is his office. So, it is our duty and the responsibility of all ISKCON officers to maintain and develop Srila Prabhupada’s office.

Gopal Krishna Gosvami.

His Holiness Gopal Krishna Gosvami Maharaja ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: So, my dear devotees, thank you for listening so patiently and attentively. Now, if any of you want to ask any questions or make any comments or share any reflections, you can raise your hand. Yes, Hanuman Prabhu? Hanuman Prabhu needs the microphone.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. In Pandharpur, there was a devotee. His name is Pundalika. And his mother, father, were also devotees of Krishna. And he was serving mother, father, and Krishna was very pleased with him. And then Lord Krishna came personally and then he gave a brick. And he said, “My dear Lord, please stand.” So he gave a brick. And then later, later on, worshipped nicely. And Krishna is very much pleased. And He said, “What benediction you want?” He said, “My dear Lord, You stand here just as You are standing now and please deliver all the fallen souls all over the world.” Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya. Sri Vithoba Thakura ki jaya! Thank you.

Devotee: Make a brief announcement Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Sure.

Devotee: So in the evening, there is an important program of mahā abhiseka of all the deities and all three altars starting at 6:00 PM.

Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari ki jaya!

Sri Sri Sita-Rama, Lakshaman, Hanuman ki jaya!

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!

And also, after abhiseka, there will be a program on the Terrace, Heaven on Earth Terrace starting with the IYF—Youth devotees presenting Good Fight, Good Fight a drama, there is a drama, “Good Fight” at 7:30 sharp, it will start, 7:30 followed by release of the Braille version of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It will be released on the Terrace, that will be released along with one more book by Sri Vijaya Prabhu. One more book will be released also, and followed by senior devotees including His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja, Narottama Prabhu, Siddhartha Maharaja, His Grace Devakinandan Prabhu, Bhima Prabhu, and others. In many other devotees will be also addressing about reading the books, and three more guests are also coming. There is a nice program, so the entry for the program is from the basement ramp, not from in front of the Haridasa Prabhu’s office. Basement ramp, because there will be lot of crowds. Today is Sunday, like 1st January, huge crowd was there, so we don’t want to make entry so that the crowd also follows. Indian mood. Somebody goes; you follow. So we want you to follow the mahājanas. So mahājana has entered from the basement ramp, so from the basement ramp but the staircase will be the same staircase. You will be guided. Program is on the top terrace. And after the program, feast prasādam will be served around nine o’clock and the exit will be from the IPP staircase side, other side. So I request all the devotees to participate in the evening program. Hare Krishna. Book is displayed, Maharaja’s book-table. So also there is a book table of His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja’s books, and especially I Will Build You a Temple, momentous occasion. If you don’t have the book or you want to gift to a person, Maharaja will be happy to sign the book also. So please get your books. Also, are you getting some free books for brahmacharis? Okay, so books are on sale. So you get the book and get it signed. Thank you very much. Any questions? first person.

Devotee: I have two small questions. First,  it has been more than forty years of this Temple, forty-five. So how do you mention each and every detail in this book? So it has been more than forty-five years, so how did you do this thing, fulfilled instructions? How, you mention every detail? It has been so many years. When I read Bhāgavatam and another half hour, I forget what I read.

Giriraj Swami: Okay, yes. I worked on the book for three years. And I knew that I would have to write the book, after we finally, Mrs. Nair finally signed the conveyance and the land went into Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON’s name. Afterwards, Srila Prabhupada reclined on his bolster and he said, “It was a good fight. Someone should write a book about it.” And then, in Srila Prabhupada’s last days in Vrindavan, he was recalling the Juhu saga and he repeated, “Someone should write a book about it. It is history. It is worth writing.” And many times, he had told me that I should write. And I was the only devotee who had been intimately involved with the project from the beginning to the end.

So I understood this was my service to write the book. And, by Krishna’s grace, I have a good memory. And also, we have the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase, which has Srila Prabhupada’s letters and morning walks, room conversations, lectures. So I was able to draw on those. And again, knowing that I would be writing, I interviewed a lot of devotees and I got their recollections. And then, as I was in the process of writing, for example, I wrote to Mukunda Goswami, who was so involved in the publicity, and he provided the explanation of how he did the publicity. So, yes, it was really a combined effort of many devotees’ contributions.

Devotee: And the second question is that Maharaja,  you joined this movement in 1969, and now, August 2023. So, which thing, the thing which motivated you so many years, you doing service, what is the best thing that is motivating you?

Giriraj Swami: The motivation for me to continue in service is Srila Prabhupada. My faith in Srila Prabhupada and, you should say, attachment for Srila Prabhupada. That is definitely my main motivation. Fairly early on in my devotional career, I had a conversation with Tamal Krishna Goswami in Calcutta, and he impressed upon me the point that the secret of success in spiritual life is to serve the spiritual master and please the spiritual master. And so, after that, it was there to serve Srila Prabhupada. Everything was there, chanting sixteen rounds was there, reading the books was there, preaching was there, everything was there. But after that conversation with Tamal Krishna Goswami, my focus was Srila Prabhupada, serving and pleasing him. And that, his love, his reciprocation, his mercy is what has been sustaining me all these years.

Devotee: Maharaja, can you please tell us when exactly Radha-Rasabihari came here in the Hare Krishna land? The date or something?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. Well, we had a rented apartment on Warden Road, now called Bulabagha Sai Road, in a building called Akash Ganga. And when we got the land, Srila Prabhupada, you could say, sort of inaugurated it by having a pandal program. The pandal was at the front of the property where the temple is now. And Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari were brought by taxi from the Akash Ganga building to Hare Krishna land. And then they were placed on the stage during Srila Prabhupada’s pandal program. I will see, I have a timeline. I will see if it is mentioned in the timeline the exact date. “Well, a few events are combined. “

“March 17th to 31st, devotees bring Radha-Rasabihari from Akash Ganga building to a pandal on the Juhu land, now called Hare Krishna land. Cornerstone laying ceremony for new temple. Prabhupada appoints Giriraj, president of ISKCON Bombay.” So it looks like around March 17th or so.

Devotee: [Asked in Hindi] 

Translator: He is asking how the disciples of Srila Prabhupada feel when they hear lectures of Srila Prabhupada and how they feel by personally associating with Srila Prabhupada.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, we like to hear Srila Prabhupada speak as much as possible. Generally, unless I have a guest for lunch, but when I am at my ashram in California, I listen to Srila Prabhupada speak. And, as far as personal interactions, I happen to have many. But Srila Prabhupada also had disciples who had very little personal interaction with him. But still, they are sustained by his mercy, by his guidance, by his love. And I have heard accounts from devotees just by one glance, they feel that Srila Prabhupada spoke volumes to them. Or just by one or two words, they felt that Srila Prabhupada said so much to them. So even today, I mean, devotees can get, of course, they can get Srila Prabhupada’s guidance and mercy. And it is not dependent on his physical presence. And he is our Founder Acharya. He is the foundational śikṣā-guru for all devotees in ISKCON. We are all under Srila Prabhupada’s protection and guidance. And we should develop our relationship with him to the fullest extent. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Thank you so much. This is one small question to you. You struggled a lot to build this temple, Maharaja, and you endeavored so much. Now we are enjoying this wonderful facility. And considering the facility given by Prabhupada, what is your special instruction to upcoming devotees and upcoming youth, special to carry this movement to Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: Well, our basic principle is to taste Krishna consciousness and share Krishna consciousness. So we should be very sincere and serious in our spiritual practices so that we relish Krishna consciousness. And then we should share Krishna consciousness with others. Once, I was staying with Vaisesika Prabhu at his home in Burlingame, California. He chose the location because it was near the San Francisco Airport and he could conveniently go to the airport and distribute books. So I went through his morning program with him and it was very blissful. I mean, many of the things we do in our temples and we do it in our homes, but he did them with great enthusiasm and relish, and then afterwards, he spoke to me about the book that he was writing, which now has been published as “Our Family Business.” And he said that one of the themes of his book was that the enthusiasm to preach and distribute books should come from the overflow of the ecstasy we feel from our spiritual practices. So the two go together, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, the best goṣṭhyānandī, you know that term goṣṭhyānandī and bhajanānandī, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, the best goṣṭhyānandī is a bhajanānandī who preaches. So the two go together, our preaching will enhance our spiritual practices and our spiritual practices will enhance our preaching. There is one hand up here.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja, so, if possible, can you take the pain of explaining how Radha-Rasabihari, forty-five years ago, look like? Few lines, if possible.

Giriraj Swami: What did Radha-Rasabihari look like?

Well, if you see the pictures, it seems that with time, They are smiling more and They gained a little weight, [Applause] from all the nice offerings.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, can you please explain who gave these Radha-Rasabihari to Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that is a nice question. So there is a big industrialist in Bombay then named Seth R.D. Birla, and Seth Birla donated, I think, six pairs of white marble Radha-Krishna deities. One pair is Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, one pair was Radha-Govinda in Calcutta. So they were actually a donation from the Birla family. Nice service they did.

Devotee: Thank you.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja for wonderful class. Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada says, if you want to look at Krishna, then you go Radha-Rasabihari, Bombay and then see. What is the incident behind that when Prabhupada was saying this?

Giriraj Swami: What did he say?

Devotee: If you want to see Krishna, how He looks, basically, you go to Bombay and see Radha-Rasabihari.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, that is nice. [laughter]

Devotee: In what context was Prabhupada saying that?

Giriraj Swami: Oh, I didn’t hear that before. I don’t know the context, but he did, on many occasions, speak about how beautiful Radha-Rasabihari are, and he would carry a picture of Radha-Rasabihari with him wherever he went in the world, he would carry that picture with him, and it is now in Vrindavan, in his room in Vrindavan, because that is where he ended his pastimes. There is a nice, it sort of summarizes the situation with Srila Prabhupada and Radha-Rasabihari chapter in Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta by Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami, traveling the world and thinking of Radha-Rasabihari.

Devotee: [Ask in Hindi]

Devotee: if someone ask us how Krishna look in Goloka Vrindavan, so what should we reply?

Giriraj Swami: They should come and see Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. [Applause] Any other questions? Yes.

Devotee: If you don’t mind, will you please narrate a few reciprocations from Sri Radha-Rasabihari which you have personally experienced?

Giriraj Swami: Well, when Srila Prabhupada got the Juhu land, I was in Calcutta, and Srila Prabhupada had asked me where I wanted to serve, between Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, but eventually it came to me that I should come to Bombay. And, then when I got here, I mean, my idea was to look after the life members, but when I got here, Srila Prabhupada appointed me the temple president, which was not my idea, and, he said, “Now the whole responsibility is on you,” which I already felt bad, and that made me feel worse, and then he left. We saw him off at the airport, and I came back to Radha-Rasabihari, and I prayed to Them that, “How will I do this? I can only do this if, if You guide me and inspire me by Srila Prabhupada’s grace.” So, His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami said, “We often hear of devotees doing austerities for the sake of the deities, but in Juhu, Hare Krishna Land, the Deities did austerities for the sake of the devotees.” Yes. Microphone.

Devotee: [Ask in Hindi] Maharaja, you did so much struggle to build this Hare Krishna Land, what should we do so that we can bring pleasure to you while serving on this land?

Giriraj Swami: As I mentioned, in general, taste Krishna consciousness and distribute it. Srila Prabhupada wrote me one letter, “Go on increasing books and go on increasing my pleasure.” So he was very pleased when devotees distributed his books. So, Prabhupada will be pleased, that means I will also be pleased if you distribute Sri Srila Prabhupada’s books and, be happy in Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. It is an excellent revelation of your inner heart. It is nothing beyond our consciousness thought that nothing is impossible in Krishna consciousness. You made it happen. Like Prabhuji says, forty-five years still vibrant mood in Radha-Rasabihari makes us more connected to Radha-Rasabihari than before. I came here fifteen years after in middle. I came for one day, two days. I never stayed for a long time, but staying here, I may feel connected intensely with my association with devotees and especially with Radha-Rasabihari. I was thinking, is that the same mood you have or you may be more intensely serve Srila Prabhupada and Radha-Rasabihari? What is your mood at this time?

Giriraj Swami: My mood is to serve Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, and all the devotees. As I mentioned, Srila Prabhupada instructed that I should write, I should take up writing as my first business. And so I have finished a manuscript for another book about traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India before Juhu. And that covers, I mean, we arrived in Bombay, but then soon thereafter we went to Amritsar. So Amritsar, Delhi, Indore, Surat, Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Madras, Calcutta, and Mayapur. So the book is written, the manuscript is written, and I have four editors who look at my work. So three of them, Kalachandji dasa, Vishaka Priya dasi, and Nikunja Vilasini dasi, have seen it. And the fourth one, Madhurika dasi, now has the manuscript. So she will go through it. And after she goes through it, I mean, I may send it to a few others just for more like proofreading. But basically, the editing would be done. And then I have to choose the photos to go in the book. So yes, looking forward to publishing that book. Yes,

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja, thank you so much for the beautiful lecture. And I wanted to ask, like, during the opening of the temple, Prabhupada was not physically present with all the devotees. But throughout the process, devotees had personal association and physical presence of Prabhupada. But at the time of inauguration or exact opening, he was not physically present here. Devotees might be missing and wondering, what was your feelings and mood at that time, Maharaja? Your personal mood?

Giriraj Swami: Well, yes, I wish Prabhupada could have been present to see it because it was the fulfillment of his life’s work in one sense. But we did feel his presence. And as he wrote in the dedication to his Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of his spiritual master, dedicated to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, ”He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.” So that is our motto, how we serve in separation. He lives forever by his divine instructions, and the follower lives with him.

Devotee: There is a question from online, Maharaja. Online viewers are questioning, one question.

Giriraj Swami: Okay,

Devotee: One question from Mukunda Dutta Prabhu. Did Srila Prabhupada stay at Sea Face Park? How long did he stay there? Which year?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Srila Prabhupada did stay at Sea Face Park, which was originally called Mafatlal Park, on Warden Road. Because we didn’t have a proper place here for some time, because there is so much, so many complications to get the land, and then to get permission to build. So he did stay there. And sometimes he stayed with Kartikeya Mahadevia. Kartikeya Mahadevia had a brother, Kumudchandra Mahadevia, who had a vacant flat in the same colony, Sea Face Park. And so sometimes, we, Srila Prabhupada and the devotees stayed there. And, yes, Srila Prabhupada spent a long time, I mean, months. And he gave a series of Nectar of Devotion classes at Sea Face Park. Yes, a lot happened at Sea Face Park.

Devotee: Which year could it be?

Giriraj Swami: That would have been, 1971. Oh no, it actually went until, 1973 when we had the second Bombay pandal. Yes, can we get a microphone for Dhanvantari Prabhu?

Devotee: I was busy in sevā. And simultaneously I am in your class. I don’t miss each word, single word. But every word, I am enjoying. Your class, every word, I am enjoying.

Giriraj Swami: Everyone is enjoying. Oh, enjoying while doing sevā. All right. Nice!

Devotee: Today morning, one lady standing outside, I called her twice or trice, maṅgala-ārati, she didn’t give me any answer. Again, while going, she is still standing there only, hold on to come. I don’t know; Krishna is busy with some other gopīs. I don’t want to disturb Him. Then lady said, so okay now you come, I will, I only, they say something very important, like what, where? Now membership is open. I always tell everybody, membership is open, not close, it is open. Then she said, “Please explain me.” And I explain nicely. “Other setting credit card is working, so money should be there, otherwise I am not able to make your identity card.” “No, no, money is there and you say to identity card,” but I asked, “What is your name?” “My name is De.” Then I remembered, Prabhupada’s father name was De. Our founder Acharya is De, you also De, you are very, very merciful to our founder acharya and their family today. Then after that, her husband is somewhere else here. She called me several times and no response, finally he came. Then I took him to my office and she told, “I took membership today.” “It is very good, very good.” Then he said, “You also take on membership.” “Now, my wife is issued to membership.” “See, everybody is individual, coming, we are not coming together, we are not going together, but you take one, one for you.” “Okay.” So today two members with surname, De. Srila Prabhupada father’s name, De, yes, today, but good day [Laughter].

And one more thing, I am detachment with maya, I am attached with only membership. I am detachment with maya, attachment with only membership. And one more thing, small thing, many people telling why you are doing only membership life from some life, life after day, only life membership, nothing else. And life is temporary, life membership compulsory, because Prabhupada struggled to make this Temple, still my mind, same thing, I will do only membership, I don’t bother any other sevā, I want only membership until my last breathing and preaching, please tell me I can do last breathing and preaching Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: I will pray for you. [Applause]

Devotee: Today is 15th, I have seventeen members. Still fourteen left over. Every year, I will make at least thirty-one members, my authorities Braj Vihari knows, Mukunda Madhava knows, everyone knows. Last year also, in ninety days, I made one hundred and one member. I am glorifying myself, but this is saṅkīrtana message. That is also a saṅkīrtana message. So now still many people lined up, today also four more people are coming. One person came now on September, I wrote when he met him, then he said, today he will come. See, the membership is very many, many of my life members are initiated now.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful.

Devotee: Because cultivating is not and preaching is, is hearing properly, this is now going on, I will do myself sevā continuously Maharaja. Please bless me, thank you Maharaja. [Applause].

Devotee: Question from Vrindavan Maharaja. can I ask it? [Unintelligible 01:51:30]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I mentioned book distribution. Srila Prabhupada said that he devised the life membership program as a way of distributing his books.

Devotee: Last year, according to my knowledge, I made one hundred and forty members and one hundred Bhāgavatam, sent out.

Giriraj Swami: Congratulations!

Devotee: And under forty Bhāgavatam plus additional books, they went that membership coming from all over India, not only Bombay, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, and Bengal and Chhattisgarh, Indore, Delhi, many places, Kerala also.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Thank you for listening so patiently and attentively and for asking such good questions. Okay, more questions.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I want to ask, sometimes we lose our control in our mind and we shout to others when we are wrong, but we prove to ourselves that we are correct. So how do we control our mind at that time?

Giriraj Swami: You mean you are wrong to lose your temper?

Devotee: Yes,

Giriraj Swami: Well, I mean when you feel anger is coming upon you, I think you should take a deep breath. And Srila Prabhupada said, when you are angry, you should think of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. So I think just think of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, and it is not good to get angry, especially with devotees, but even with any other person, it is not good to get angry. Krishna says in the Gītā, lust, greed, and anger, they open the gates to hell, so you don’t want to go to hell.

Devotee: There is announcement from Raghava Gosvami Prabhu. Before that, just reminder. We will meet at 6:00 pm for the maha abhiseka of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, Sri Sri Sita-Rama, Lakshman, Hanuman, and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Devotee: Haribol!

Devotee: At 7:30 pm, on the terrace, for the launch of Braille version of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, and talk by senior devotees, and the feast prasāda, 7:30 on the terrace. Hare Krishna!

Devotee: Thank you very much Guru Maharaja for the wonderful satsaṅga today. It has enhanced our hearts to do more service to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. On behalf of Radha-Ramana, from Sri Sri Radha-Ramana, Vrindavan, I got a shawl. And be of all the Vaishnavas, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, I am also old ex-fellow man of Radha-Rasabihari. I am staying in South India, with Guru Maharaja blessings and continue to serve the Prabhupada’s Mission very nicely. Please allow me to serve on your behalf, a shawl from Radha-Ramana. [Applause].

Sri Sri Radha-Ramana ki jaya!

His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami: Alright. Thank you for joining us on this auspicious occasion. I hope you will be able to come back later for the abhiseka and satsaṅga and prasāda. And now, you are free, and I will be here to sign books if any of you want to take books. Thank you very much.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari ki jaya!