Giridhari Swami found himself at a very young age to be especially inclined to religion and religious activities. From his early childhood he always tried to see a philosophical or religious aspect to everything and was attracted to reading various types of books and gathering different ideas pertaining to philosophy, religion and spirituality. He remained unsatisfied, being unable to see the practical application of those philosophical ideas.
In the course of his search, he encountered many religious communities, and came in contact with various persons, searching for the same things, trying to apply philosophies matter-of-fact. Striving to understand them, nothing really hit him as being the thing he was looking for. His questions remained unanswered, and the process of application, remained vague.
Giridhari Swami would very often and intensely pray to God, asking God to show him the answer, point the way. Shortly after that, in 1974, believing it to be Krishna’s arrangement, he somehow or other went to a second-hand bookstore.
When he moved to Florida, USA. It had been practically a year that he was continuously chanting sixteen rounds, following the principles, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, listening to his lecture tapes, and training himself to cook and offer his food. He had not yet visited any temple nor met one of the devotees. Receiving a copy of the Back to Godhead magazine with the complete list of ISKCON temples worldwide and noticing that ISKCON Gainesville, Florida, USA was only about 60 miles from where he was living, he was elated.
Giridhari Swami joined the GBC in 1996. He became GBC chairman in 2002.