Questions And Answers: Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship

Did Caitanya Mahāprabhu ever agree on deity worship done by women?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-08-25
His mother did deity worship in her house, Mother Saci, to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
His mother did worship in the house and offered prasāda.
In the big formal temples, generally male pujārīs are there,
but sometimes if they fall sick their wife may also come in, somehow they have to keep their worship going.
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Temple Deity Worship], [Women]
I have a question about offering of ārati and the articles of worship.
Questioner: Nirguṇa Dāsa
Date: 2022-08-02
Jayapatākā Swami: Well, the incense is pretty obvious, offering scent.
Lamp - you are greeting.
This ārati means greeting.
This is the way you greet a person; you offer lights to him, very aesthetically pleasing, lighting up the person, it is a form of greeting.
Similarly, the conch shell, there is some significance, I don’t know.
I have heard something, I can’t remember all of them, just off hand.
The water in the conch shell, these are different auspicious, auspicious offerings which are very pleasing to Kṛṣṇa,
but there are so many different significances you know.
Some of them are just purely practical like the incense, or the Cāmara, or fanning an incense or even the cloth, you are wiping the Lord,
something to wipe Him, wipe His face, offer water, then after that you offer the… you are offering water you know, then you offering the wipe.
But it has you know this type practical significance, and it also has so many esoteric meanings.
Offering flowers, these are different offerings.
You can offer five items, sixteen items, sixty-four items, different items are being offered with devotion.
So that’s a form of greeting the Lord and by witnessing these things also it’s very purifying.
Even today in India, say like when I come to some places, then a lot of time there is a kīrtana party meets me
and then the people there take a… they take a tray with a ārati lights on it, then they offer like this.
They offer the lamp, and on it they have piles of rice sometimes and then different offerings.
And these are Vedic uh, traditions for receiving someone, you see.
But it’s very uh, auspicious and it’s very beautiful, at the same time.
So, like this uh we… I sent a newsletter.
I am writing a book on uh, the revised Arcana-paddhati in a book on… handbook for these different types of spiritual practices.
So I said that, “Anyone has any question, if they write, I will research you know, and include that in the book.”
It’s there, it’s there in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, I read it what the water and the conch shell,
it’s I think water of the seven seas are there and all the holy rivers, different thing.
Each has some significance but uh, normally we don’t think about those, you know, every day we are meditating on mantras and chanting doing our service.
But if you want to know this, then we can consider not keeping the book two volumes,
whatever… it’s just people ask the questions, if enough people want to know a particular thing
and if it’s simple enough to explain it then we can put that in a book itself,
so that it can be there for people on the future.
But the basic attitude when you are offering should be, you know, more… rather thinking about what the individual thing is,
the actual idea is that you are greeting the Lord, you are receiving Him,
and so in that type of, this is just giving an opportunity to receive right?
Just like when you meet… when you see people meet at the airport, right?
We were landed in the Nashville, it was Christmas Eve.
So many people are coming in and they are laughing and hugging each other and, “Oh!” They were so happy to see their relatives and everyone, you know.
Then some people it was just like you know, a handshake, and other people, they were just you know laughing
and hugging and everything, then after that it was all, you know, after a few seconds it died down.
Some people, they went on and on, and it was going on in the hallways, they were going to get their baggage.
But usually, by the time everyone got down to the baggage collection there was already kind of work you know… petered out.
But you know for five minutes, some… two seconds and you know, ten minutes,
you know they kept a lot of you know, enthusiasm, then gradually you know, that type of…
So here, you know, we can keep that enthusiasm for 45 minutes with the Lord doing ārati.
This is… So many things that Kṛṣṇa has given us the procedure, where we can go on expressing our joy to be able to greet the Lord, and to receive Him,
and meditate on His transcendental form, that lotus feet is a vehicle for our receiving for meditation, for serving.
So, that’s the principle trying, we meditate chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and receiving the Lord.
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Temple Deity Worship], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Please guide us to the right method of worshipping śālagrāma.
Questioner: Tāriṇī Rādhikā devī dāsī, UK.
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: You can also learn the process
from the Māyāpur Academy on Deity Worship.
And also from the minister of Deity worship.
Śrīla Prabhupāda personally taught Jananivāsa Prabhu
how to worship the śālagrāma-śilā.
The śālagrāma should be worshiped every day.
At least bathe with water and put tulasī leaf on it.
But if you want you can also bathe with milk or pañca-gavya or pañcāmṛta.
And draw a smiling face on the śālagrāma-śilā with a tilaka.
More details you can get from the Deity Worship ministry.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship]
Sometimes it does not get cold enough to offer winter clothes for the Deities, in regard to house Deities. So then can the service be delayed until it is cold?
Questioner: Sumukhi Hariṇī devī dāsī
Date: 2023-07-10
Jayapatākā Swami: It is not that they offer starched wool.
They are offering a cotton cloth,
which is starched,
at the Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī they just offer the cotton chadars, cotton cloths.
When it is colder, then they use woolen.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship]
We hear these verses that Deity worship is done very elaborately. However, I worship Gaura Nitāi Deities in my home with very basic standards. What should one’s mood be while worshiping Gaura Nitāi?
Questioner: Mathurā Līleśvarī devī dāsī
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: Since in Gītā Nāgari they have very special Deities of Rādhā Dāmodara,
which were personally worshiped by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
So as the community Deities, we try to worship those Deities with the highest standard,
very elaborately.
And in your house if you have Gaura Nitāi Deities,
it will be alright to worship Them with basic standards.
If you are worshiping the temple Deity or the community Deity then it has to be done
very elaborately.
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship]
What is the process of Deity worship for gṛhasthas? Is there any book which we can refer for Deity worship at home?
Questioner: Avatārī Gaurāṅga dāsa
Date: 2022-01-05
Jayapatākā Swami: The Pāñcarātrika Dīpikā is for the second initiated devotees 
and other devotees who are just worshiping the practice Deities,
they can do the basic worship of
ārati and offering bhoga. 
We chant the prayers to our spiritual master and Śrīla Prabhupāda, 
Lord Caitanya 
and Lord Kṛṣṇa 
and then... so we offer our food before the Lord.
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Home Deity Worship]
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