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Giriraj SwamiHindu Krishna religious figure
Date of Birth: 13.09.1947
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Spiritual Search
- Awakening to Spirituality
- Meeting His Guru
- Joining ISKCON
- Service in India
- Leadership and Renunciation
- Later Life
Early Life and Spiritual Search
Glenn Phillip Titon was born on September 13, 1947, in Chicago, to a wealthy Jewish family. His father, an esteemed lawyer, judge, and philanthropist, had a courtroom named after him in recognition of his service to society.
Awakening to Spirituality
In the late 1960s, while studying psychology at Brandeis University in Boston, Glenn experienced a deep desire for spiritual guidance. He embarked on a quest to find a guru who could lead him on a path of self-realization. He traveled extensively, meeting Indian yogis and swamis, but he found flaws in each one.
Meeting His Guru
In March 1969, Glenn met Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Bengali Vaishnava guru and founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Glenn's psychology professor, James Klee, had invited Prabhupada to give a lecture on campus. Due to an argument with friends, Glenn arrived late and only caught the tail end of a kirtan, a devotional chant.
After the event, Satyswarupa, one of Prabhupada's disciples, asked for someone to give the devotees a ride to the ISKCON Boston temple. Glenn volunteered his car and engaged in philosophical discussions with the devotees en route. The following evening, he visited the temple and heard Prabhupada lecture for the first time, which profoundly impacted him.
Joining ISKCON
In the summer of 1969, after graduating from university, Glenn Titon joined ISKCON and received spiritual initiation from Prabhupada, receiving the Sanskrit name "Giriraja Dasa." He soon became a prominent leader in the Boston temple.
Service in India
In 1970, at Prabhupada's request, Giriraja Swami traveled to India to assist his spiritual master in his missionary work. From 1970 to 1972, he actively traveled and preached Gaudiya Vaishnavism in India. In 1972, Prabhupada entrusted him with the leadership of the Hare Krishna Land project, a large temple and Vedic cultural center in Mumbai. He also became a trustee of the newly formed Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Leadership and Renunciation
In 1978, a year after Prabhupada's passing, Giriraja Swami received sannyasa initiation (the renounced order of life) from Tamal Krishna Goswami. In 1982, he was elected to the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON. He served on the GBC until 2000, overseeing ISKCON in Mumbai, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.
Later Life
In 2000, due to declining health, Giriraja Swami stepped down from his administrative duties in ISKCON. He currently resides in California, where he writes his memoirs and shares his spiritual insights with devotees around the world.
