Welcome Ceremony for Govardhana Sila

Giriraj Swami:

READING from his initiation letter

Los Angeles

5 July, 1969

My Dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, sent along with your beads. I have chanted on them, and your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is the name of Govardhana Hill, on which Krishna used to tend His cows. In Vrindavan Govardhana Hill is worshiped as a representation of Krishna. Sometimes devotees take stone from Govardhana Hill and keep it at home as a representation of Krishna, and they worship in this way.

I am very glad to understand that you have relished at least some of the transcendental bliss of Krishna consciousness. It is a great fortune for you. Living entities are roaming within the universes in different species of life and in different planetary systems, enjoying or suffering the reaction of pious or impious activities. But they have no information how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death. Due to the darkness of ignorance, most living entities have no idea about the values of life. Therefore, one who understands the importance of Krishna consciousness must be a very fortunate soul. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.

With my blessings, I am sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me. You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible, and follow the four regulative principles, as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good godbrother Satsvarupa will always help you in this connection.

Regarding your $2,000, which you promised to send me within three weeks, I beg to thank you for this.* Actually, a brahmachari should contribute whatever he has got to Krishna, through the spiritual master. The spiritual master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore the spiritual master is accepted in the renounced order of life. So far as householders are concerned, they may contribute at least half of their income to Krishna. Then life is sublime. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life. Regarding your stocks, you can keep them for yourself for the time being, and if need be I may ask you to deliver them in the future. Your engagements there are nice, so continue to follow rigidly.

You may inform Satsvarupa that I have sent the Krsna tape #13, so he may transcribe it and send me a copy. I will be sending further tapes henceforward, because my Nectar of Devotion is now finished and I shall concentrate on the Krsna tapes.

I hope this will meet you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

*You can directly transfer this amount to my a/c No. 12410 with the Equitable Savings & Loan Association, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California.

COMMENT

There is a connection between my name, Giriraj, and the hill Giriraj. And I am happy that we have a Giriraj Shila here to worship. I asked for Watering the Seed, what happen to Watering the Seed?

So I will read from the book, Watering the Seed. It is actually the last item in the book. “The Glories of Govardhana Hill, the Best Servant of Lord Hari.”

[READING from Watering the Seed]

[Singing the Nṛsiṁha prayers]

ŚB 10.14.58

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

TRANSLATION

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.

Samāśritā, those were taken sheltered of boat of lotus feet of Lord Krishna. mahat-padaṁ, which is the shelter of the mahat, which can mean the cosmic manifestation or it can mean the great soul; samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ, murāreḥ, which means the enemy of the Mura demon; bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ, the great ocean of material existence, shrinks, and forms like a puddle contained in the hoof print of a calf; padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām, although there is a danger of any step, it will be across this.

namaste girirājāya śrī govardhana nāmine

aśeṣa-kleśa-nāśāya paramānanda-dāyine

The meaning is, Namaste Girirajaya. I offer my obeisances to Giriraj. Sri Govardhana Namine – whose name is Govardhana. Ashesh-klesha nashaya—He destroys all misery and distress. parmananda dayene – who offers bliss.