Author Archives: Swami B.K. Giri

Male/Female: A Theological Perspective

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Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja:   A noble ideal. The conception of the ladies, the lady conception of the ego, that is of a very noble type. Sacrifice is very much there, negative aspect. And the man’s aspect that is aggressive. But they’re [ladies] not aggressor, they’re sacrifice personified, that gradually that came to me. And I learned to appreciate that Sītā, Draupadī, all these, and ultimately the gopīs. The gopī group, the sacrifice, self-forgetfulness, self-sacrifice, self-surrendering, that is in acme, in the highest conception the lady aspect. The lady aspect, the passive aspect, that holds the highest, that came gradually in my mind. So mādhurya rasa, that consorthood, the highest position of Rādhārāṇī. So sacrifice, affection, that is there. Aggressor, the males are aggressor, they’re responsible for all difficulty and trouble, not the ladies. That came gradually, developed from inside, and some respect for their clan came within me.

   So in varṇāśrama generally strī-śūdra, the śūdra and the strī, they are set apart. They have no right in the high religious functions. They should participate from little far, not direct participation. Indirect participation of the śūdra and the lady. A brāhmaṇa lady also, she does not get any sacred thread.… Read More...

Invitation to celebrate Sri Govardhana-pūjā Nov. 14, 2023 (Tuesday).

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Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridhari

When: Tuesday Nov. 14th, 2023 from 2PM – 5PM.

Dear devotees and friends: We humbly invite you to participate along with devotees from Sri Gaura Vinoda Saraswat Sanga New Jersey in the grand festival for Sri Govardhana-pūjā.

Please come and join with us for the auspicious celebration of Sri Govardhana-pūjā. Festivities to include kirtana, readings (From Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead), discourses and prasadam.

Please RSVP via our contact page.

For your satisfaction we offer this audio lecture of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s talk on Sri Govardhana-pūjā day November 14th 1966.

Govardhana Pūjā Lecture

Excerpt from: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

”The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, thus advised the cowherd men to stop the Indra-yajña and begin the Govardhana-pūjā in order to chastise Indra, who was very much puffed up at being the supreme controller of the heavenly planets. The honest and simple cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, accepted Kṛṣṇa’s proposal and executed in detail everything He advised. They performed Govardhana worship and circumambulation of the hill. (Following the inauguration of Govardhana-pūjā, people in Vṛndāvana still dress nicely and assemble near Govardhana Hill to offer worship and circumambulate the hill, leading their cows all around.)… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “Get Off My Lawn!”

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8/30/23 (Last day of the first month of Chaturmasya)

Dear Sriman Saraswat Putra,

My dandavats to you.

[You wrote:]

any sri chaitanya saraswat man i told of the chatermasya discrepancy in the calendar said it will not matter .

What others told you may or may not have been correct. I don’t know the circumstances or the conversation. This characterization of yours “any sri chaitanya saraswat man” doesn’t help much in evaluating how closely one should, or need not, adhere to the observance of the four months of Chaturmasya.

The rule is that one should carefully observe the four Months of Chaturmasya (as stated in the quotation of Srila Swami Maharaja Prabhupada I sent you which had been posted on the scsmath.com website).

Are there exceptions? Almost always. Here’s an example.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja: So penance, cāturmāsya penance, that has got also some necessity in the beginning, because we are under at present, such a plane that we do not know without enjoyment. Always calculating what benefit we can derive from that, going to have a connection with anything, the second thing, how much benefit I may derive from it. It is natural. So just to check that, to check that natural irresistible attempt in our present position, some restraint is necessary.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “I Stand Corrected?”

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Date: 8/27/23

Dear Saraswat Putra,

Thank you for your comment — “as far as i know the calendar has never had any chatermas , ect, dates 1981 — 2023.” — which has helped me to notice at least one error in the latest calendar we produced. I will immediately try to see that all errors in our calendar referring to Chaturmasya are corrected before the beginning of the second month.

Your statement is not wrong, but I think I am correct to note the beginning and end dates of each month of Chaturmasya based on the following quotation (highlighting added) originally posted on the scsmath.com website and which may be found at: Chaturmasya.

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Chaturmasya

Here at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math the devotees begin Chaturmasya on purnima (the full moon day). The following is a section about Chaturmasya by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in his edition of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, (Madhya-lila 4.169):

Verse:

At the end of summer Madhavendra Puri returned to Jagannatha Puri, where he remained with great pleasure during the whole period of Chaturmasya.

Purport:

The Chaturmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “Calendar Alert”

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It has come to my attention that a number of calendars circulated by those representing themselves as Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math have serious defects with respect to the dates of observance of Chaturmasya. This is a result of omitting the beginning and end dates for each of the individual months.

Thanks to the efforts of Sriman Gokulananda dasa (who produces our calendar) these dates are correctly noted in our calendar which is intended for use by those in or near our geographic area of Oaklyn, New Jersey, USA.

Those outside our area may want to use our calendar as a baseline by which accurate dates for each of the months of Chaturmasya may be calculated for one’s specific location.

While this may seem a small matter to some, our gurus attached considerable significance to producing accurate calendars. This was true for Srila Swami Maharaja Prabhupad, Srila Sridhara Maharaja and Srila Govinda Maharaja. I personally witnessed the distress of the latter two acharyas when they noted an incorrect calculation, notation, omission or other discrepancy. In the case of Srila Prabhupada I’ve heard and read about his displeasure in such instances.

Mistakes can be excused, but they should be corrected. We are now more than a month into the first extended month of Chaturmasya and I’ve seen no effort to correct the calendars referenced above.… Read More...

Srila Giri Maharaja “Neutrality; We Hate It”

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8/3/23

I have some sort of tendency to hate neutrality. On the whole one taking such a position (non-committal) appears untruthful, maybe cheating or hiding something he doesn’t want to reveal. In some cases such positions seem cowardly.

This morning I read something that favors my tendency.

udāsīno ‘rivad varyam
ātmavat suhṛd ucyate

Synonyms

udāsīnaḥ — one who is indifferent; ari-vat — just like an enemy; varjyaḥ — is to be avoided; ātma-vat — like one’s own self; suhṛt — a friend; ucyate — is said to be.

[SB 10.24.5]

“One who is neutral may be avoided like an enemy, but a friend should be considered like one’s own self.”

Perhaps there is something more in the background. When taken to the extreme, what is neutral? Neutral is brahma-vada, preference for a position in the impersonal oneness of Sri Krishna’s undifferentiated spiritual effulgence. It is a position hated by vaishnavas.

udāsīno ‘rivad varyam (“One who is neutral may be avoided like an enemy . . . ”); maybe not such bad tendency.

Swami B.K. Giri

Srila B.K. Giri “Censoring Spiritual Knowledge/Discussions”

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Date: 5/24/23

My dandavats to you [Jayadvaita] Maharaja.

Thank you for sending me this quotation from our spiritual master:

So in the future please do not circulate my letters to you. All my letters to you should be considered as confidential, and if you want at all to circulate, you just ask me before doing so.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Brahmananda — Tittenhurst 28 September, 1969

Since you offer no explanation as to the reason you sent it to me I take it as a reminder that a spiritual master has absolute authority over his disciples.

Additionally, because you are circulating the letter to me, it means the letter has already been circulated; despite Prabhupada’s prohibition.

It must also mean you and the BBT/Vedabase are comfortable distributing letters that may be considered as confidential when you feel the need to do so; just as I do when I feel the need to do the same thing for the spiritual education of others.

And yet, you demand I not circulate certain letters I have written.

If I were your disciple I would accept your Divine Right of censorship over the circulation of my letters. Likewise for my preaching, both content and methods.… Read More...

I Wonder What You Mean by ”Friend”

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Dear Sripada Jayadvaita Swami,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

You wrote:

I see no reason to terminate our friendship.

Previously, on May 17, 2023, you wrote this to me:

When we correspond, I naturally assume we are writing to one another personally because of our being godbrothers and friends. Now it has come to my attention that you have posted your reply to me on the internet. (And without telling me.)

This is not what I expect from my friends.

Maharaja, I wonder what you mean by ”friend.”

When you use that word, what is your meaning?

Is a ”friend” someone you control and who accepts your control; or something else?

I understand friend to mean ”benefactor and well-wisher”, something along these lines: suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. That is how Krishna defines His relationship with all living entities. I believe His devotees are of a similar mindset, a ”benefactor and well-wisher” of everyone. As such they are naturally a friend to all.

Because I believe you to be a devotee you must be my friend, even if we disagree. That’s what I expect of my friends, I expect them to be my well-wisher, as I’m sure you are. I believe I am your friend because I want good for you.… Read More...

Srimati Divya Shakti Devi’s Birthday

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Divya Shakti Devi rear row second from the left.

Date: 6/15/23

All glories to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga!

Divya Shakti Devi was one of the original supporters of our attempt to establish a branch of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in New York City following the direction of Srila Sridhara Maharaja.

Dated: 4/2/1987

My Dear Sripad Tripurari Maharaj and Jagat Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble dandavat pranams, and to all the devotees there headed by your good selves. These days Srila Guru Majaraj’s health is much better and for that we are happy.

Sripad B.K. Giri Maharaj has received the full blessings of Srila Guru Maharaj for opening a center in New York on his behalf called Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, New York Branch. For this auspicious endeavour a couple of good brahmacari assistants would be most helpful and we would be happy if Rohini Kumar das brahmacari and Devanatha das brahmacari could go to New York and assist there the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.

We hope you are well and looking forward to seeing you again. Once again accept my humble respects and offer the same to B.G. Sadhu Maharaj and Bhavananda Roya Swami.

Yours Affectionately,

Swami B.S. Govinda
( Govinda Maharaj)

She joined with us as a bhramacharini, immediately lent her support to our acquisition of a rental house in Floral Park, NY (pictured in the accompanying photos) and earnestly began supporting all our preaching efforts there.… Read More...