Classes and Bhajans

Hare Krishna!

Welcome to my collection of Lectures and Bhajans. Please enjoy these!

If you would like a DVD or audio CD of these please contact me at rupa@rupa.com. I sell them for $25/DVD (usually about 2-3hrs of video per DVD) plus shipping.  Choose which clips you want and send me an email.  DVDs that are made and ready to ship are here.

Giriraj Swami arranged for Nanda Kumar Prabhu to speak on his service to Srila Prabhupada as his cook and personal servant. 

Some highlights: Landing in Cairo and Giriraj Swami and other devotees doing harinam to the soldiers guarding the plane. Preaching in India.  Last days with Srila Prabhupada.  Plus many other jewels.

Dallas, TX
2010-05-27

Harivilas Prabhu remembering Srila Prabhupada's first visit to France.   (fixed video)

Dallas, TX
2012-01-12 

TKG Academy (Dallas Gurukula) hosted a festival for Gaura Purnima.  This included bhajans, presentations from the students and a short lecture by Giriraj Swami.

Dallas, TX
2011-03-13 

Indradyumna Swami's lecture on the Importance of Initiation given at the "Festival of the Holy Name" held here in Dallas on May 2011 with Indradyumna Swami and Giriraj Swami.   

Purchase the DVDs with full content of this event.  

VERSE 7.9.28

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?

PURPORT

As will be seen in later verses, even though Prahlada Maharaja was directly offered all the benedictions he might have desired, he refused to accept such offerings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the contrary, he asked the Lord to engage him in the service of His servant Narada Muni. This is the symptom of a pure devotee. One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaisnava. Narottama dasa Thakura says:

One should not be anxious to offer direct service to the Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised that one become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah). This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord. The first service should be rendered to the spiritual master so that by his mercy one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to render service. While teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Krsna. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado **. One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja proposed that he engage in the service of Narada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion. Therefore he said, so 'ham katham nu visrje tava bhrtya-sevam: "How can I give up the service of my spiritual master, who has favored me in such a way that I am now able to see You face to face?" Prahlada Maharaja prayed to the Lord that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Narada Muni.

Indradyumna Swami's lecture at the "Festival of the Holy Name" held here in Dallas on May 2011 with Indradyumna Swami and Giriraj Swami.   

Purchase the DVDs with full content of this event.  

Dallas, TX
2011-05-28

During the last few days of May 2011, Indradyumna Swami visited Dallas for a weekend filled with amazing Bhajans and Kirtans by Bada Haridas and Indradyumna Swami and discourses collectively called the "Festival of the Holy Name".  During this time there was also the celebration of Indradyumna Swami's Vyas Puja and an Initiation Ceremony for many new disciples.  These incredible days are now available as a set of DVDs.  Purchase just the events you want or get all three for a discount:

DVD Choices

All Three $60.00 USD Festival Of the Holy Name $30.00 USD Initiation Ceremony $15.00 USD Vyas Puja $30.00 USD

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 10, Text 3 given by Nityananda Prabhu.  This lecture was on Rama Navami - the appearance day of Lord Rama. 

Dallas, TX
2011-04-12

TRANSLATION 

O King Parikshit, the transcendental activities of Lord Ramacandra have been described by great saintly persons who have seen the truth. Because you have heard again and again about Lord Ramacandra, the husband of mother Sita, I shall describe these activities only in brief. Please listen.

PURPORT

Modern Rakshasas, posing as educationally advanced merely because they have doctorates, have tried to prove that Lord Ramacandra is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead but an ordinary person. But those who are learned and spiritually advanced will never accept such notions; they will accept the descriptions of Lord Ramacandra and His activities only as presented by tattva-darsis, those who know the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gita (4.34) the Supreme Personality of Godhead advises:

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." Unless one is tattva-darsi, in complete knowledge of the Absolute Truth, one cannot describe the activities of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore although there are many so-called Ramayanas, or histories of Lord Ramacandra's activities, some of them are not actually authoritative. Sometimes Lord Ramacandra's activities are described in terms of one's own imaginations, speculations or material sentiments. But the characteristics of Lord Ramacandra should not be handled as something imaginary. While describing the history of Lord Ramacandra, Sukadeva Gosvami told Maharaja Parikshit, "You have already heard about the activities of Lord Ramacandra." Apparently, therefore, five thousand years ago there were many Ramayanas, or histories of Lord Ramacandra's activities, and there are many still. But we must select only those books written by tattva-darsis (jnaninas tattva-darsinah), not the books of so-called scholars who claim knowledge only on the basis of a doctorate. This is a warning by Sukadeva Gosvami. Rishibhis tattva-darsibhih. Although the Ramayana composed by Valmiki is a huge literature, the same activities are summarized here by Sukadeva Gosvami in a few verses.

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 3, Text 25, given by Vidhura Priya das titled "Universal Cycle".

Dallas, TX
20011-03-23

TRANSLATION

After millions of years, at the time of cosmic annihilation, when everything, manifested and unmanifested, is annihilated by the force of time, the five gross elements enter into the subtle conception, and the manifested categories enter into the unmanifested substance. At that time, You alone remain, and You are known as Ananta Sesha-naga.

PURPORT

At the time of annihilation, the five gross elements -- earth, water, fire, air and ether -- enter into the mind, intelligence and false ego (ahankara), and the entire cosmic manifestation enters into the spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who alone remains as the origin of everything. The Lord is therefore known as Sesha-naga, as Adi-purusha and by many other names.

Devaki therefore prayed, "After many millions of years, when Lord Brahma comes to the end of his life, the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that time the five elements -- namely earth, water, fire, air and ether -- enter into the mahat-tattva. The mahat-tattva again enters, by the force of time, into the nonmanifested total material energy, the total material energy enters into the energetic pradhana, and the pradhana enters into You. Therefore after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation, You alone remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and paraphernalia.

"My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the director of the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir of the material nature. My Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under the influence of time, beginning from the moment up to the duration of the year. All act under Your direction. You are the original director of everything and the reservoir of all potent energies."