Meeting with Devotees at Raseshwar and Ladli Radha’s Home

Giriraj Swami: So, my dear devotees, now if any of you. . .

[Mrs. Seti starts chanting Hare Krishna and the devotees follow.]

Giriraj Swami: Mrs. Seti was one of the original ladies who would come and chant in the temple Tuesday afternoon during Srila Prabhupada’s time. How old is Mataji now?

Devotee: She is turning ninety-eight next month. Haribol!

Giriraj Swami: Do you have any words of wisdom to share with the devotees?

Devotee: I am feeling sick. No, I can’t tell anything. I have a lot of things to say but my body is not in a good condition. That is why I can’t speak. I have a lot to say about guruji. I have so much to say. I am sick. I have just got up from the sickness.

Giriraj Swami: So, my dear devotees, you can ask any question you have.

Devotee: I am friends with some of the lovely devotees here. I am a new devotee and I feel a very strong connection with Prabhupada. And I want to serve him, but I am not really sure how. Could you advise me how I can best serve him as a new devotee?

Giriraj Swami: All right, that is a good question. Well, the basic idea is to taste Krishna consciousness and share Krishna consciousness with others. Have you started to chant rounds?

Devotee: Yes.

Giriraj Swami: Do you have some minimum number that you do every day?

Devotee: I now do at least ten rounds a day.

Giriraj Swami: All right. That is good. So yes, authority recommend you share some minimum number and you do those without fail. And if by chance you miss, then you make up what you missed. So ten, that is good. And what have you read?

Devotee: So I only came into contact with Krishna consciousness at the end of November, so I am definitely on a learning part of my journey. I have read The Science of Self-Realization, I started with that and I have now been reading the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, alongside another book which helps to explain the Gītā.

Giriraj Swami: How did you first come in touch with the devotees?

Devotee: I came to India at the end of November. I had followed Radhanath Swami for a little while before and I had read his book, The Journey Home. And I went to Govardhana Eco-village to do a two-week Vedic philosophy course at the end of November, and I ended up staying for a month. Then I did a yoga teacher training course for the month. I went to Sri Lanka to see a friend and then I came back to the eco village for two more weeks and did some sevā and then I went to Vrindavan and then I went to Rishikesh and then I went back to the eco village to do some more sevā and now I am here. So I feel very attracted to just being around devotees now.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. So where are you from originally?

Devotee: I am from the UK.

Giriraj Swami: And how long will you be in India?

Devotee: I will be here until mid-April I think. My brother is getting married in May, so I have to go back for that.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. So, have you ever done book distribution?

Devotee: Well, I actually did hand out about ten little books in Hindi in Vrindavan. When I was at the temple, I bought some books to give out and gave them out to people, but not really.

Giriraj Swami: Ok. Srila Prabhupada likes when devotees distribute his books.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:23:40] We are trying to kind of screen it in schools and colleges so we can reach out to the young generation. Because that movie kind of really moved her and connected her to Srila Prabhupada.

Devotee: I had the great fortune of spending a lot of time with Yaduvara Prabhu at Govardhana eco Village and he is wonderful. He actually said to send his regards and his obeisances to you. Yes, I feel privileged to be able to help to share the movie because when I first watched it, I just felt so connected to Prabhupada as if this is my home and this is what I was looking for so long to be with someone and with people like that. So I just want to share Prabhupada’s story with as many people as possible.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful. Beautiful. Any other questions or comments? Yes, Sita Thakurani.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. I have been hearing this when Prabhupada says, Bombay is my office, Vrindavan is my home, and Mayapur is my place of worship. How does it mean for us what should be our mode in Mumbai and Mayapur and Vrindavan?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, as you said, Srila Prabhupada stated, Bombay is my office, Vrindavan is my home, and Mayapur is my place of worship. Well, Bombay is his office, so we have a lot of business to do for him here. And Vrindavan is my home. Yes, we should feel at home in Vrindavan, Mayapur is my place of worship; what he was worshiping Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I recently spent some time with His Holiness Jaya Pataka Swami Maharaja in Juhu. And he said when he first went to Mayapur, there were about five or six devotees. And now there are seven thousand five hundred. That is really round. We should spend time in all three places.

Any other questions or comments? Yes, Raghava dasa Gosvami dasa.

Raghava Gosvami dasa: Maharaja, I missed all your yatra. Please forgive me. I missed all your yatra. Till now I missed all your yatra. Please forgive me. There is a reason. So, we have come with a successfully the plan. So, today’s Vasanth Panchami. Is it okay you share the plan with the devotees? I am not, kept it surprised, we showed to Radha-Rasabihari today. So the map for the survey of the twenty acres is confirmed. ISKCON is getting the twenty acres of land collected and agreed. It is a matter of deed collected from ISKCON Tirupati. When it is available, we will get the land.

Giriraj Swami: Would you like to give the background?

Raghava Gosvami dasa: Yes. So, I just show you.

Giriraj Swami: First a little background. So, in Dallas there is a devotee, Sevanandi, the mother. And the daughter is Sadhana Nandi, the disciple of the His Holiness Radhanath Maharaja. And Sadhana Nandini’s mother, Sevanandi, wanted to establish a temple in her native place. And so Raghava dasa Gosvami has been helping with that project to get the land and develop the temple complex there. So now you can proceed.

Raghava Gosvami dasa: On Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s disappearance day on April 30th, we had a Sudarsana yajña and Nṛsiṁha Homa in the presence of His Holiness Sukadeva Maharaja and other devotees from Andhra, Prudhpur. We had a grand opening of our small center. Seven hundred people came for the prasādam. After that we had different activities in Gita-Jayanti, we had fifteen villages coming to our program, two thousand people took prasādam, five schools participated. We had quiz programs, other activities for the children. So, slowly things getting gearing up. So the land is very important for us because twenty villages are surrounded. They are supporting us. It is not that we are, they came over to ISKCON through Sevanandi Mataji. After Maharaja sent a letter to me, I immediately went in February. I talked to the villagers. It belongs to two villages. It is a small hill type. I showed the design. I have the design. That is why I was a little delayed. So it is a beautiful location. Mataji has a design of five temples. Radha-Krishna temple, Krishna-Balaram temple, Jagannatha, Nṛsiṁhadeva, and Pancha-tattva. And the seven principal temples in Vrindavan and the seven kuṇḍa, Vedic, Gurukula, and other things, etc.

First, I was little confused, how it is possible to have such a big complex? ISKCON has not done till now, five temples at one place, he wants five temples at one place. I said that is not impossible, but we can spread around twenty acres of land. We have to still work on the plan, but here is a rush. The collector of Kadapa wants the plan, the blueprint, what we want to design. So we came up with a certain idea. It may not be 100 percent right, but to satisfy him. And we came up with a budget of forty-two crore rupees. Because without valuation, they will not give the land. That is what he told us. So we did the register. We didn’t pay a single pile. Just to make it sure that ISKCON build the land. I took a gut feeling because we came all the way. If you don’t promise them, then we are not able to get the land. The land is invaluable. The advantage of the land is around the land, ten kilometers diameter, there is no big houses, only agriculture. People are very normal farmers. They are not using any modern equipment. And there is a lot of opportunity for daivī varnashrama project. In the center there is a small hill top, twenty-five to twenty-eight feet height. Above that all the temples will come. So I have the plan. We took from the aerial view and the 3D also. I have both plans. I want to show to guru Maharaja.

[Devotee showing the plan to Maharaja]

Giriraj Swami: Okay. So, what is this?

Raghava Gosvami dasa: This is from Nṛsiṁha’s temple, this is garland of Hare Krishna mantra. This is other close from other Nṛsiṁha temple. They have maximum Nṛsiṁha’s temples in Andhra.

Giriraj Swami: “Special thanks on Vasanth Panchami day, spiritual children, Srimati Sevanandi Mataji and Sriman Raghav Gosvami Prabhuji, disciples of Param Pujya Sri Giriraj Swami Maharaja. spiritual grandchildren of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the auspicious occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja.” Fantastic! Yes, show them, show them.

Raghava Gosvami dasa: By your inspiration, we read your books, all the books that we have. We read every day two pages. And we always get some ideas, doubts. You clear all of those things. That motivates us. I am very happy. I am going to get fifty-one books for your collection. This book among collectors and free-win collectors. It posits a fixed of all the books also. They repay your support.

Devotee: Raghava Prabhu, when this is made and ready, you are calling guru Maharaja with all of us.

Raghava Gosvami dasa: You have to make it ready, I have done my job. It took six months for me alone. Now I cannot do alone.

Devotee: We will help you. We will help. Yes, we will help. Yes, Maharaja.

[Raghava Gosvami dasa explaining the plan]

Giriraj Swami: Any other questions? Yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, guru Maharaja. Maharaja, recently on Facebook you put out this post, the ending of that post said something on the lines of, which is sort of paraphrasing I think, I had a dream where I had this realization that basically the stages of progress in Krishna consciousness, starting from being a neophyte to the other stages. They are not for another person to assess, but for us to assess for ourselves. Yes, I was wondering how should one go about it and also I do realize the importance of that because like in everything else, there is a definite requirement to understand if you are progressing and if not then what are some of the things that we must do in order to actually make that happen. So if you could just shed a little more light on that.

Giriraj Swami: Three stages. kaniṣṭhā, madhyam, and uttamā. And Srila Prabhupada wanted us to act on the madhyam platform. On the madhyam platform, the devotee makes distinctions, prema-maitrī-kṛpā upekṣāḥ. Prema gives his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; maitrī makes friendship with devotees; kṛpā gives mercy to innocent people by preaching, and upekṣāḥ, he neglects the envious. We don’t preach to the envious. Although Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that although we don’t approach them to preach to them, we can still pray for them. So this is madhyam bhakta, prema-maitrī-kṛpā upekṣāḥ. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to act on the madhyam platform. And mahā-bhāgavata, Srila Prabhupada sees that everyone is already serving Krishna, everyone is Krishna conscious and doesn’t see the need to preach. But Srila Prabhupada as an example, he came down to the madhyam platform to make these distinctions so that he could preach. We should cultivate these attitudes, prema-maitrī-kṛpā upekṣāḥ. 

Devotee: How to say no to maya?

Giriraj Swami: It reminds me there was a sage named Astavakra. And King Janak Maharaja asked him, “How can we get free from the clutches of maya?” So, Astavakra went to a tree and was holding it and saying, “Let me go, let me go, let me go.” So, the idea is that maya isn’t holding on to us, but we are holding on to maya. And we have to just let go. And we do that by catching hold of the lotus feet of Krishna and paramparā. So saying no to maya means saying yes to Krishna.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. What is the ideal grihastha life?

Giriraj Swami: A proper place from which we can find our own happiness in Krishna consciousness. “Married life in Krishna consciousness is the perfection of married life, because the basic principle is that the wife will help the husband so that he can pursue Krishna consciousness. And similarly, the husband will help the wife to advance in Krishna consciousness. There is no divorce. Any disagreement between husband and wife is not taken very seriously. As much as a disagreement between children is not taken seriously. This is because the basic principle of married life in Krishna consciousness is not whimsical lust but it is the eternal principle of rendering devotional service to Krishna. You both have my full blessings for a long and happy life in Krishna consciousness.”

Any other questions or comments? In the Seventh Canto there is a chapter called “The Ideal Family Life.”

Devotee: Since we are on Valentine’s day and Vasanth Panchami. I wanted to touch upon the topic of soul mates. Do they exist? Aren’t we supposed to just love Krishna but then valuing things are connected to some people on earth. If you could just explain?

Giriraj Swami: Well yes, our love should be for Krishna, as you said. But there are also practical things that we can do when we are contemplating marriage. And there is a system of pre-marital counseling that can be very helpful for devotees before they get married. The Christians adopted this procedure of asking the prospective husband and wife different questions and then based on their answers, assessing the compatibility and potential areas of difficulty. And devotees have adapted those questions for devotees. So yes, I often recommend pre-marital counselling of devotees. Any other questions? Yes.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. So, in most families who are practicing Krishna consciousness till the children are with the parents, there is a nice atmosphere and the parents are able to maybe the children see what the parents are doing and they inculcate those values and those devotional perspectives also. And once they have gone away then of course there is no control, there is lesser association but I have a question that, for how long are the parents responsible for the devotional growth of their children once they have given their value systems. After that, for how long are they responsible, the responsibility will last for how long?

Giriraj Swami: Well, the Fifth Canto of Bhāgavatam says, no one should become a guru, no one should become a mother, no one should become a father, no one should become a husband, no one should become a worshipable deity unless one can deliver one’s dependent from the repetition of birth and death. So that is your responsibility when you have children. And as Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, that is possible when the parents are pure devotees. Pure devotees doesn’t necessarily mean perfect devotees, but sincere devotees. And then by your example, by your good instructions, by your affection, your children can develop in Krishna consciousness. And when they leave home as you say, they are on their own. But to whatever extent you can encourage them in Krishna consciousness, even after they leave home, you should do so. Maybe it depends on your relationship with them, but you can just check in on them and see how they are doing materially and spiritually, and encourage them in their spiritual practices and devotional service.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I take this opportunity to ask you, it is not a political question but looking at the situation in India, Bharat is known now. If you don’t mind, this is your message to the politicians, academicians, religious people. A message from you. So what is opportunity for India to shine up back to the golden age? The things are getting better after Narendra Modi government has come up. Old temples have been revived, Varanasi, Ayodhya, so many things are happening around India. India is setting an example for the whole world. Earlier, revival of the whole history, golden age is, you can see, this is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu golden age, ten thousand years also. So any message, the elections are coming up soon. A message from you so that we can show to the people that ISKCON is not coward, we have something for you to say.

Giriraj Swami: Well, I mentioned to someone that someone had told me that Narendra Modi was the most popular Prime Minister in the history of India. And then someone said that he is actually the most popular leader in the world. He is the most popular national leader in the world. And he has a good apathy, very favorable to ISKCON, and he goes out of his way to help devotees to glorify Srila Prabhupada. I wish him all the best.

Devotee: Most unconventional answer.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. When you were preaching, like when you had come to India and started cultivating a lot of people in India back in 1970s, and now if you compare from then and now, any notable or significant change in the psychology of an average person in Bombay, for the behavior, for the culture of Mumbai, something like that, would you? Do you have experience or not?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I was meeting new people to make them life members. And I don’t do that now. But yes, they seem to be good people. At that time, Srila Prabhupada said that we should get the people to give as much as possible because they would be the last generation that would give because the new generation was more materialistic. But now, ISKCON has flourished so much in India. So many people are favorable to Krishna consciousness. very good field in India.

Devotee: Could you share your most memorable incident with Srila Prabhupada?

Giriraj Swami: Well, in a sense, my most memorable experience with him was when I first met him and surrendered. I was a student at Brandeis University and Srila Prabhupada gave a lecture there. I had a place off campus, near the campus. I had an apartment off campus. And I had plans to go to a movie that night at Harvard Square. Those days they had art houses where they showed art films. So I had some friends over for dinner. I was already vegetarian. And after dinner, I recall that I saw a poster on campus, “Lecture, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is – A C Bhaktivedanta Swami.” And something in my heart was telling me I must go to that lecture. And my friends were saying, we were going to the movies. I said, “Well, if we go to the lecture, we can go to the later show.” And there was one lady friend, and she said, “Why can’t you be normal like other people? Why do you have to always chasing after these swamis and gurus,” and she was raising her voice. I was an obliging type of person, I didn’t want to upset her, so I said, “Okay, this will be the last one I ever go to.”

Because of the discussion, we went to the program late. And Srila Prabhupada had finished his talk and the boys were having kirtan. And students from the audience were climbing up on the stage and joining in the chanting and dancing. And I also felt like doing that, but I knew that would be too much for my friends. So, I stood in my place and swayed and forth. Then afterwards, Satsvarupa announced, “If any devotees are driving to Boston or Cambridge, they should meet the devotees in the lobby.” And I was driving to Cambridge. I met the devotees in the lobby and the first devotee I met was Baradraja Prabhu. He was very, I could say, high on Krishna consciousness. So then, all the devotees piled into my car. My father had given me a Red Rambler Station Wagon as a high school graduation present. So it could accommodate quite a few devotees, all the devotees.

So in the front seat with me was a devotee named Jahnava. And I had so many questions, and I asked about Yogananda, because I read his book on the biography of a yogi. And she said, “Oh, Yogananda, he is just a shopkeeper. Whatever you want, he keeps in stock. If you want Krishna, he has Krishna. You want Ganesh, he has Ganesh.” And then she said, “If you go to his ashram, he has a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi as a worker for world peace. Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t a worker for world peace, he wanted to drive the British out of India. He doesn’t even know who Mahatma Gandhi is.” So then I asked about Zen. Yes, I was also reading books about Zen. So, she gave a brilliant answer. She said, “It is like you are watching images on a movie screen. They appear to be real, but they are not. And if you draw your attention from the movie screen, there is a beam of light which comes to a point.” And I thought, oh, that is like the void. But then behind that there is a projector. And behind the projector there is a person. So I thought, Wow, this is like the best explanation of Zen I ever heard and it goes much further. And I was very impressed with her. But then I thought, She is just a young girl, maybe twenty years. She can’t be speaking on her own authority. She must be speaking on the authority of the guru.

So, we reached Harvard Square and I let the devotees out. But then I realized I didn’t know how to find them. So I jumped out of the car and the first devotee I caught up to, his name, Patit Pavan. And he said, “You see all these people, they are just like sleepwalkers. They don’t know who they are or where they are going.” All the devotees are so high. Anyway, I suddenly heard the sound of the honking of horns. All the traffic was backed up at Harvard Square, because I left my car there. So I said, “Quick, give me the address to the temple.” So I got the address and then I went the next day. And Srila Prabhupada gave a talk and because I wasn’t used to his accent, I wasn’t familiar with the philosophy, I didn’t catch that much of it. But at one stage he said, “Out of many thousands of men one will seek perfection.” I thought, That is me. He is talking about me. So then, then he asked for questions. And I asked the question that was burning inside of me. And I said, “There are so many swamis and gurus, and each recommends a different method, and each says his is the best. So, how do I know which is actually the best. And Srila Prabhupada answered in such a brilliant way by asking me, “What is your goal? Do you want to serve God or do you want to become God?” Because I am asking the best means but the more fundamental question is what is the end? Then you can consider what is the best means to reach the end.

Then he said, “If you want to become God, it means you are not God now. And how can ‘not God’ become God? Krishna is always God. He doesn’t have to become God by yoga or meditation. He is God when He is playing on the lap of Mother Yasoda. He is God when He is speaking the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. He is always God.” And he said, “If you sow the seed of service to God and water it by chanting, then God will provide the sunlight and all the favorable conditions to make it grow. But if you want to become God, you are only cheating yourself. Because why should God help the competition?” So he said, “You can become Godly, but you cannot become God. So what do you think? Do you want to become God, or do you want to serve God?” So at that stage, I can hear impression that Srila Prabhupada was seeing through the walls of the temple, over the roads to my apartment, into my bathroom, where I had written in very colorful ornate lettering with my own hand. “You are God,” to remind me in case I forget. And I just felt Srila Prabhupada had seen that; he knew everything. So back in the temple room he said, “So, what do you think? You want to serve God or you want to become God?” So by then I knew I should want to serve God, but I also knew I couldn’t cheat Srila Prabhupada, so I said, “I want to serve God,” but actually I wanted to become God. And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes.”

So then I knew I had found my spiritual master, and I offered obeisances, and I kept my head down for long times, mainly in the mood of surrender. But I was also afraid to look up, because I thought people would be glaring at me, Oh, you wanted to become a God. So I kept my head down in that mood of surrender mainly. But then I heard sounds that indicated that food was being served. So I thought, All right, this is a safe time to come up. So I looked around, nobody was glaring at me. Everyone was happy. And I had this plate of prasāda in front of me. And the first item I tried was a cauliflower pakora. And when I bit into it, I experienced such an explosion of taste like nothing I had ever experienced before. And there were so many other preparations, different colors, different textures, and everything was so nice. And so then I thought, Everything about Krishna consciousness is perfect. The guru is perfect, philosophy is perfect, process of chanting is perfect. Food is perfect, everything about Krishna consciousness is perfect. I would say that was the most memorable experience with Srila Prabhupada.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja, Maharaja can you please share your favorite pastimes of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna and why is it your favorite?

Giriraj Swami: My favorite pastime of Krishna’s is Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill. This is a wonderful pastime because under ordinary circumstances some devotees would be with Krishna in the morning. And then He would go out with the cows. And so some devotees would be with Him when He took the cows out, but others would be without His association. And then the same thing when He came back in the evening, some devotees would be with Him, and then other devotees would not be with Him. But during the lifting of Govardhana Hill, all the devotees were with Him with all the all the time. And I would say that is my favorite pastime and also I have a name, Giriraj.

Raghav Gosvami Prabhu: This place is like a small hill top, there is no name for it. We name it, Giriraj Govardhana.

Giriraj Maharaja ki jaya!

We have a small Krishna that was designed by me. Someone molded it. The pastime on Govardhana Hill where Krishna took gopas to grazing the cows. After grazing the cows, they are very tired, they take their food, they take rest. And after taking rest, Krishna says, will sit under a tree, Tamil tree, Kadamba tree, I don’t know, He plays the flute. As He was playing the flute, a cow comes around dancing, sits next to Krishna. That He made as a mold. It is 1 kg, 250 grams mold. we made, designed it. So we get name Girdhar Lal, Nandu Dulal. So we have Girdhar Lal, Nandu Dulal, and Giriraj Govardhana, even before acquiring the land. Now, only the things have to happen. So we want your blessings. I forgot to say that we are planning to get the land for ninety-nine years lease; ninety-nine-year lease is the maximum you can get in India.

Devotee: I wanted to ask two questions, guru Maharaja. The first question is, which other books are you planning to write and what would be their sequence? And the second question is, there are many prayers in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which prayer is your favorite?

Giriraj Swami: Well, the next book will be about meeting Srila Prabhupada in Boston and my time in Boston until I left for India. And that is 90 percent done. My main editor, Kalachandji dasa, will be coming and spending the summer with me in Carpentaria, so then we will finish it then. I like Prahlada’s prayers, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Kunti devi’s prayers. I would say those two are my favorites.

Devotee: I think the person asked about your favorite pastime with Krishna and of Krishna and I think Lord Chaitanya also.

Giriraj Swami: I know that. I didn’t want to answer it.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Maharaja, what should be our best approach to raise our kids into Krishna consciousness?

Giriraj Swami: First, your example. You yourself should be an example of a good devotee. And I discussed with a number of children of devotees who had become devotees, what led to them becoming devotees. And they pretty much all said that their parents didn’t force them, but their parents did everything themselves. and then of course to be affectionate to your children. A few of them said that their parents didn’t force them, but they themselves did everything. And then they, as the children, they also wanted to do what their parents were doing.

Devotee: Hare Krishna Maharaja. I have two questions. First one is I would like to know which is your favorite bhajana of all the bhajans, Gaudiya Vaishnava bhajans which we have. The second one is when we are doing hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, there are lot of lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā, which also comes along with when you are leading a kirtan or something like that, fame, name, and money, whatever. So how does one keep their consciousness pure while doing it? 

Giriraj Swami: Yes. In bhakti, whatever we do should be for the pleasure of Krishna. Sri Rupa Gosvami gives the definition of pure devotional service.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

So whatever we do should be done for the pleasure of Krishna, and the kirtan should be done for Krishna’s pleasure. And yes, we shouldn’t want name and fame and all those things. They pertain to the body, which is not us, and they are temporary, and they are just part of a duality. And someone will pray, someone will believe you. So we should be removed from those considerations and just chant for Krishna’s pleasure. And when Krishna is pleased, then naturally we will also be happy.

Well, the one that comes to mind now is bhajhu re mana sri nanadnandan. But I also really like śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu.

Devotee: Hare Krishna. This is my comment. It is a political question that was asked in most of the books. Actually, after seeing the presence in a political scene, somehow because it is so much in the news, we get to hear. And then when I was studying for Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta. Also, we have heard so much from yourself about Prabhupada’s unique position in spreading Krishna consciousness. And also, you are hearing Prabhupada’s conversations with disciples where he discusses a lot about the Indian leaders and how they got brainwashed, philosophically brainwashed. And so putting everything together, I really appreciate your book, Dancing White Elephant, because I think that this book really captures and gives a history of what Prabhupada did, a history from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta who told Prabhupada that there are better priorities than Indian independence. But still, the vision of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura, I appreciated it only the last couple of years, because I saw that he actually was launching a spiritual revolution and Prabhupada did it. Though Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was sending out his soldiers to do the spiritual conquest, they couldn’t do it, but Srila Prabhupada did it.

And in your book, so when Prabhupada came back to India and meeting all these leaders, one of them was Raja Gopal Acharya. When I was eleven, maybe twelve years old, I read his book. I read Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. I was shocked when I heard from you how Prabhupada met him. This is history. And all those other leaders Srila Prabhupada was speaking about in his conversation that we know of. So I believe that this book, The Dancing White Elephant, is the most important book that you have written for the Indian history. And of course, the Juhu book is for the devotees, it is for us. But this book, Dancing White Elephant, I think that it is a book that needs to enter into every library, every university. It is history, actually, and what Prabhupada has done.

Giriraj Swami: Wonderful, really beautiful. Thank you. Do you have your hand up or you were just pointing?

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya. There is no question but there is a gratitude that I want to express towards you. Thank you for the exponential association of yours. Thank you for your mercy, and I am not able to understand. I fall always short in front of all the devotees and my devotion is not at par. But I am trying myself to uplift myself somehow. Your child-like innocence and your father-like shelter has given us a lot of things in devotion. Thank you so much guru Maharaja.

Devotee: Guru Maharaja, can I say a word of appreciation, if you allow? Yesterday, devotees in Bhaktivedanta hospital were telling you in the lift, your smile is mesmerizing. So there is a question for you, I think you have the answer. There is the longest word in the English dictionary. What is that word?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I heard there is a longer one, but when I grew up it was [Unintelligible 01:27:30].

Devotee: Should I answer?

Giriraj Swami: Yes.

Devotee: Smile; between two ears, one-mile long. So your smile is longer than one mile. It is capturing us as wherever we go. I have your association of you in twenty years. One time I met in Vrindavan. But never I felt that I missed you. And after you gave this project, I became closer to you because we, Mataji, have no problem of learning English. He has all your books. All my books are in a different place. She has got all the books too. Everyday, we take one book randomly and read it. We come across so many problems time to time, meeting some people, some solutions we don’t get, what to do? And perfect solution we get from you. That was amazing for us. That makes us more clear, because she is not known in ISKCON for too many years. She is only five years in ISKCON. She became mature time to time, by hearing your voice. So I got opportunity to translate into Telugu and inform her, explain to her. So I gave a little more explanation about it. She became more sober. So thank you, guru Maharaja. I don’t think these books are ordinary books. They are required to be translated as many languages as possible, as soon as possible. The world needs your books.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, wonderful. The Hindi translation of the Juhu story is almost ready. They are having advanced copies in a few days. We are offering to Srila Prabhupada.

Devotee: One Mataji in NVCC, she started translating. Radhanath Maharaja’s disciple, she got her experience translating, Many Moons. They took the book and they started translating. So when you come to NVCC, I want you to meet her. I will be joining you in Pune.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. In Hindi?

Devotee: Translating into Telugu, Many Moons. She started; she is happy with the translation. We want to you to hear it.

Giriraj Swami: Somebody is doing Marathi.

Devotee: Books are like, Madhav Prabhu was telling yesterday, it has answers for so many questions. I think they have answers for even material questions. Someone has to wander into, write books on your books. So what are the material problems, taking the answers from your books. There is a lot of things to be recovered from your books. There is so many diamonds that are hidden. Someone has to do that. It is not your experience, it is all your relation with the Prabhupada and Krishna. You have become a wonderful biometer for giving us the same, what you have seen through Prabhupada and Krishna. Thank you, guru Maharaja, for everything.

Devotee: Hare Krishna guru Maharaja. Many devotees have seen this question while raising children, so what should be the way of schooling we should adopt? Like home schooling, as Prabhupada has also mentioned, or the regular schooling and just the home, giving the spiritual principles to the kids.

Giriraj Swami: Well, there is a third option, which is the Bhaktivedanta Mission School. But it is an individual matter. Regular schools have some problems with that but sometimes you may not have any other alternative. They should have devotee friends, that is important for the children, their devotee friends, even if they are not in the same school.

Devotee: Maharaja, Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām. So how can we practically incorporate these sloka in our daily life?

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada gave one talk in Los Angeles and said, “If you have time, chant Hare Krishna, don’t talk nonsense. Don’t waste the time, chant Hare Krishna.” As far as possible, we should always be engaged in one or other type of devotional service. If you have to go to school or work then, but yes, as far as possible, you can chant in your mind also. Yes, somehow, always remember Krishna and never forget Him. When Ambarish dasa, Alfred Ford, he spent some time in Juhu and he was leaving. Prabhupada wanted him to work. Ambarish Prabhu asked, “Do I have to work for the motor company?” Prabhupada said, “No, any work, doesn’t have to be for the motor company.” And then he asked, “What will I do for association?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “If you think, I am doing this for Krishna, that would be the association. That should always be in your consciousness.”

Devotee: Thank you guru Maharaja for your mercy on all of us. And please program our life in such a way so we all can keep meeting and being in Krishna consciousness. And we are so fortunate guru Maharaja that you give so much of your association and bless us we can take advantage of your wonderful association and follow your instruction. Thank you, guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: I also should mention that today is Vasant Panchami and also the appearance day of Srimati Vishnu Priya devi. The disappearance day of Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the appearance day of Sri Pundarik Vidyanidhi, the appearance day of Sri Raghunanan Thakura, and the appearance day of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

So what is next?

Devotee: Prasādam.

Giriraj Swami: That is a good plan.