Radhanath Swami, Malati dasi, Giriraj Swami, and Vishwarup das were among the devotees who spoke at the program.
“Srila Prabhupada used to quote a saying that whatever sadhana and bhajana you have done during your life will be tested at the time of death. Death is the final exam. And therefore it is the most critical time in a persons life. The devotees entrusted with the physical, emotional, and spiritual care of a person at that time have a great responsibility and also a great opportunity to help a soul achieve the ultimate goal of life.” — Giriraj Swami
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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.44 during a Pandava Sena youth program.
“Srila Prabhupada said, ‘If you feel at all indebted to me then you should preach vigorously like me. That is the proper way to repay me. Of course, no one can repay the debt to the spiritual master, but the spiritual master is very much pleased by such an attitude . . .’
“To speak we must have conviction. To preach effectively we must be convinced that the only way to be happy is to be Krishna conscious. We can have that conviction based on theory, by understanding the philosophy. And we can have that conviction based on personal realization, by actually experiencing the happiness of Krishna consciousness. And that is important. To be convinced — really convinced — that only by Krishna consciousness can one become happy, one should experience the happiness of Krishna consciousness. And that will come through associating with pure devotees and properly executing the practices of Krishna consciousness.”
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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.21 at the Sunday program at the Soho Street temple, in central London.
“Srila Prabhupada said, ‘You know what happened in this place, Hare Krishna Land? So much attack by the police, by the municipality: “Break this temple.” We could have gone, thinking, “What is the use of taking so much botheration? We have hundreds of temples outside India. If people here are not liking, let us go away.’ But no! Karunika—a sadhu is very merciful, in spite of all troubles. We have come here to distribute Krishna consciousness. We must tolerate and give this message to the people.’ ”
“We have so much to do — so much chanting, so many books to read. We can’t afford to waste time on anything not Krishna. If we utilize every moment in Krishna consciousness, our hearts will become purified, we will become free from avidya, and we will relish hearing about Krishna. We will be progressively more attracted to the goal and fixed on the goal. We will progress steadily towards the goal and ultimately reach it. So, that is my request: use every moment in Krishna consciousness—don’t waste time. When you get together, there may be some social formalities, but really use that time in the best way. We may not have that habit now, but we can develop it.”
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.2.6 during the morning program at Juhu Beach.
“As Srila Prabhupada quoted, ‘Man is a social animal’: one cannot live without company. And the Bhagavatam (3.25.21) says that every learned man knows that attachment to the material is the greatest entanglement for the spirit soul — but the same attachment when applied to self-realized devotees opens the door to liberation. So we cannot live without company, but we must change the quality of the company, from materialistic people interested in sense gratification to devotees interested in pure devotional service — and stay very deeply immersed in that association.”
“Srila Prabhupada engaged people all over the world in pulling the ropes and singing and dancing in the procession to bring Krishna back to Vrindavan. By the mystical trick of Lord Jagannath, everyone who participates in the pastime of bringing Jagannath back to Vrindavan — where do they go? They go with Him to Vrindavan — back home, back to Godhead.” — Radhanath Swami
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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.5.23.
“Later, when I visited my parents’ home, I found that my father had a copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and that he had underlined it and made notes. He had made special note of the portions where Srila Prabhupada wrote that you can practice Krishna consciousness at home. . . .
“Srila Prabhupada said, ‘The parents of my disciples will realize their good fortune at the time of their passing away.’ ”
The Benefit of Being the Parent of a Devotee (SB 6.5.23) [ 1:08:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from the Bhagavad-gita 3.10 at an evening program at the main temple in Delhi.
“Generally people didn’t see Srila Prabhupada when he was alone — when you could say he wasn’t acting as the ‘world acharya.‘ Srutakirti Prabhu said that when Srila Prabhupada had free time he would often just sit with the harmonium and sing bhajans. Sometimes he would go into Prabhupada’s room and find him reading his own books. Srila Prabhupada said that his books are transcendental, because mundane authors don’t read their own books. They write them, publish them, and promote them, and then go on to the next book. But Srila Prabhupada read his own books again and again. They were not dead words on a page but were alive with Krishna and the entire spiritual world.”
Giriraj Swami and Indradymna Swami conducted an initiation ceremony in Vrindavan.
“Deity worship is so important. If the pujaris dress the Deities nicely, when the sankirtan devotees go out they will never be attracted by the material energy, remembering the beautiful form of the Lord they had darshan of in the morning and the nice class the brahman gave in the temple. So, take it to heart. Strengthen your own devotional service, and be a brahmana in the true sense of the word. And preach according to your ability. Share your good fortune with others.”
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“When I first came here in the 1970s, we took darshan of Lord Gopinath and saw the famous wooden bead coat worn by Madhu Pandit kept here in the wall. Even then we were thinking that it would be nice if Madhu Pandit could become more prominent in the minds of the people here as the original servant of Lord Gopinath. When you think of Krishna, you think of His devotee, and when you think of Krishna’s devotee, you think of Krishna. The two are inseparable.
“Until recently this room was unused space. When we approached Ballabh Lal Dev Goswami to use this space as a memorial for Madhu Pandit, he immediately agreed. He said, ‘Do as you wish.’ ” — Indradymna Swami
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