“If one is in full Krishna consciousness, he can make his home very happy because this process of Krishna consciousness is very easy. One need only chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krishna, have some discussions on books like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and engage oneself in Deity worship. These four will make one happy.”
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 13.8-12, Purport)
“The Deity is known as arca-vigraha or arca-avatara, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the form of material manifestation (brass, stone or wood). Ultimately there is no difference between Krishna manifest in matter or Krishna manifest in spirit because both are His energies. For Krishna, there is no distinction between matter and spirit. His manifestation in material form, therefore, is as good as His original form, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. A devotee constantly engaged in Deity worship according to the rules and regulations laid down in the sastras and given by the spiritual master realizes gradually that he is in direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 13.139, Purport)
DEITY WORSHIP AT HOME
Regardless of the level of worship, we should always try to be clean when performing worship of the Lord. That means that we should take a shower, wear clean clothes, apply tilaka, do acamana and offer obeisances to the Guru. Apart from cleanliness, we should also try to increase our devotional mood. Rules and regulations are incomplete without the cultivation of love and devotion towards the Lord.
Worship Krishna with love. That is the qualification for Deity worship. If you love Krishna, you will worship Him very nicely.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 7, 1974)
Never think of the Deity as made of stone or wood. Every worshipper must remember that Krishna is personally present. He is simply kindly presenting Himself before us in a way that we can handle Him. That is His mercy, otherwise He is unapproachable.”
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 10, 1975)
MORNING SERVICE
OPTION 1 (suitable for those who only have pictures on the altar)
WAKING THE LORD
- Ring the bell and say Jay Sri Sri (name the Deities/form of Krishna in the photo). It can be Gaura Nitai, Radha Krishna, Radha Madhava, etc.
- Open the altar (curtain, doors, partition, etc.)
- Small arati – offer incense, flower and camara whisk and sing Gurvastakam and/or the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
OPTION 2 (For those who have Deities but are new to Deity worship or don’t have time for more elaborate worship)
WAKING THE LORD
- Ring the bell and say Jay Sri Sri (name the Deities on your altar)
- Open the altar (curtain, doors, partition, etc.)
- Touch the Lotus feet of the Guru, Srila Prabhupada, and the Deities and visualize that they are waking up from their sleep. Offer flower petals if you have any.
OFFERING BHOGA
- Perform an acamana for each of your Deities by offering a small spoon of water towards Their mouths, while chanting “Idam Acamaniyam”
- Place a bowl with cut fruits on the altar, sprinkle with water from the acaman cup and offer with mantras.
- After 5 minutes finish the offering and again offer Them water for rinsing Their mouths. Chant “Idam Acamaniyam”
ARATI
- Offer small or full arati as described in the Mangala arati section
OPTION 3 (more elaborate worship)
WAKING THE LORD
- Ring the bell and say Jay Sri Sri (name the Deities on your altar)
- Open the altar (curtain, doors, partition, etc)
- Touch the Lotus feet of the Guru, Srila Prabhupada, and the Deities and visualize that they are waking up from their sleep. Offer flower petals if you have any.
If They were placed in Their beds, place Them back on the altar, decorate with the jewellery that was removed the previous night and offer petals to Their feet.
MANGALA ARATI and Tulasi devi puja. LINK
After Mangala arati you can bathe your Deities.
BATHING THE DEITIES
You can do it daily, once a week or on Ekadasi days.
Prepare a clean place and paraphernalia (towels, cotton wool, tilaka, bowl for bathing, bell, bowl with warm water, fresh clothes, jewellery, flowers, acaman pot, sandalwood paste, small conch, cut fruits for offering, incense, ghee wicks)
PROCEDURE:
- Perform acamana
- Place dressed Deities in a bathing bowl
- Guru and Srila Prabhupada are placed to the side
- Sprinkle acamana water on your hands and recite Hare Krishna maha-mantra
- Offer petals with sandalwood paste and pray to Guru and Srila Prabhupada for their mercy in worshipping the Deities
- Remove Their clothes and wrap them with a small cloth
- If you have brass Deities, use cotton wool soaked in tilaka paste or a mixture of tilaka and lemon juice to polish Them (keep in mind that lemon juice can damage the brass, so use cautiously). Marble and wooden Deities are NOT polished.
- Use a small conch to pour warm water over Deities to rinse off the tilaka paste. If you have wooden or marble Deities, just wipe Them with a wet cloth.
- Wipe Them with a dry cloth, dress Them in fresh clothes and adorn Them with jewellery
- Place a Tulasi leaf with some sandalwood past on Their lotus feet
- Offer some flower petals with sandalwood paste
- Offer bhoga – offer some cut fruits
Perform an acaman for your Deities by offering a small spoon of water and reciting these mantras:
ETAD PADYAM – for Their feet
IDAM ARGYAM- for Their hands
IDAM ACAMANIYAM- for Their mouth[DG1]
Place a bowl with cut fruits on the altar, sprinkle with water from the acaman cup and offer with mantras.
After 5 minutes finish the offering and again offer Them water for rinsing while reciting these mantras –
IDAM HASTA MUKHA PRAKSALANAM- face
ETAD PADYAM – feet
IDAM ACAMANIYAM- mouth[DG2]
- Offer one incense and a small ghee lamp
- Place Them back on the altar
- Offer obeisances and beg for forgiveness for any offenses
- Remove and wash all paraphernalia
After this, Deities are ready for Darshan arati.
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THROUGHOUT THE DAY (For all stages of devotional life)
OFFERING FOOD
Ideally, everything you eat should be offered to the Lord first.
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NIGHT RESTING SERVICE
Offer obeisances to your Guru/ Srila Prabhupada.
Perform Acaman
OPTION 1:
Close the altar and offer your obeisances.
OPTION 2:
By meditating in your mind, massage Their Lotus feet, place Them in their beds and then repeat for Srila Prabhupada/your initiating Guru.
Offer your obeisances, turn off the lights and close the altar.
OPTION 3:
Remove all the jewellery and flowers from the Deities, physically massage their feet and offer Them beds, either in meditation or if They are small and you have real beds, you can actually place Them in Their 3-D beds.
If you have night clothes for your Deities – remove Their day garments, jewellery and flowers, briefly massage Their bodies, wipe them first with a damp cloth and then with a dry one, dress Them in Their night dress and proceed with inviting Them to take rest.
You can recite these mantras:
For Sri Sri Radha Krishna
agaccha sayana-sthanam priyabhih saha kesava divya-puspatya-sayyayam sukham vihara madhava
Now come, O Kesava, along with Your beloved Srimati Radharani and Her friends, to the bed covered with transcendental, aromatic flowers. Now happily enjoy Your pastimes, O Madhava.
For Lord Gauranga
agaccha visrama-sthanam sva-ganaih saha gauranga ksanam visramya sukhena lilaya vihara prabho
O Lord Gauranga, please come to Your resting place along with Your associates. O Lord, rest comfortably for a moment, enjoying Your pastimes.
For Lord Nityananda
agaccha sayana-sthanam nityananda jagad-guro tava rupe maha-visnor anante sayanam kuru
O spiritual master of the universe, Lord Nityananda, please come to Your place of rest. In Your form of Maha-Visnu, please rest upon the thousand-headed serpent known as Sesa.
For Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Srimati Subhadra devi
agaccha sayana-sthanam agrajena hy adhoksaja agaccha nija-sayyam ca subhadre me dayam kuru
O Lord Jagannatha, if You please, You and Your elder brother Balarama may now come to Your beds. O Mother Subhadra, please come to your resting place and kindly bestow your mercy upon me.
For any other Deities:
agaccha sayana-sthanam sva-ganaih saha and the name of the Deity.
Chant one or all of the following mantras to ask for forgiveness for all the offenses you might have committed during your service (aparadha-shodhana)
sadhu vasadhu va karma yad yad acaritam maya tat sarvam bhagavan visno grhanaradhanam param apam samipe sayanasane grhe diva ca ratrau ca yatha ca gacchata yad asti kincit sukrtam krtam maya janardanas tena krtena tusyatu
O Lord, please accept all I have done, whether complete or incomplete, as if it were the best kind of worship. O Lord Janardana, if I have performed any pious deeds, please be satisfied with what I have done during the day or night, while sitting or moving, in the house or outside.
anga-hinam kriya-hinam
vidhi hinam chayad bhav
astu tat sarvam atchhidram krishna-karshana-prasadatah
yat kinchid waigunyam jatam
tad dosha prasamanasya
sri krishna-smaranam karomi
May the mercy of Krishna and His devotees nullify all errors in our observance of the rules of worship and in our acts of worship. Now I remember Krishna to annul all the mistakes I could have made.”
mantra-hinam kriya-hinam
bhakti-hinam janardana
yat pujatam maya deva
paripurnam tad astu me
O my Lord, O Janardana, whatever little puja or worship I may have done, though it be without devotion, without right mantras, and without right worship, please let it be completed.
Close the altar and bow down offering your obeisances to your spiritual master and Srila Prabhupada.
“…If one attains perfection in Deity worship, that is called Arcana Siddhi. Arcana Siddhi means simply by Deity worship one goes back to Godhead, immediately after this life.
So this Arcana Siddhi program is given in the Narada Pancaratra especially for the householders. Householders cannot undergo strict disciplinary activities of austerity, therefore for every householder the path of Arcana Siddhi is very much recommended. According to Vedic system, all householders are ordered to keep Deity at home and follow strictly the worshipment process.
That makes the home pure, body pure, mind pure, and quickly promotes one to the pure platform of spiritual life. The temple is also specially meant for the householders. In India, in every town, in every village, in every neighborhood, still there are Visnu temples for the convenience of the surrounding householders….”(Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 18, 1969)