Question: Did Caitanya Mahāprabhu ever agree on deity worship done by women?
Author: 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.
Related Questions
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the dacoits when they first saw Lord Nityānanda,
They were facing different difficulties previously.
Now, actually I did not take my dinner yet.
I was seeing in Mumbai, everybody was crowding around Rādhā-Rāsabihārī and Sītā-Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān,
not so many people around Nitāi-Gaura.
Actually, it is by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura that we get the mercy of Rādhā-Rāsabihārī or Rādhā-Kālacandajī.
That thing we should realize that Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, They are giving us this special mercy.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1973 in London, was giving a lecture on his Vyāsa-pūjā,
and he said that he wanted all his gṛhastha followers to be parāmahaṁsas.
His gurudeva was the son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
All the gṛhasthas, they should do the garbhādāna-saṁskāra, they should pray to the Deities and they should make ācāryas as their sons.
Śrīla Prabhupāda he said that his gṛhastha followers, did things that even his gurudeva sent sannyāsīs, they could not do it.
There was a British Lord, he asked a sannyāsī preacher, could you make me a brāhmaṇa?
Oh yes!
Just give up eating meat, eggs, intoxication, wine, illicit sex, gambling.
You can become a brāhmaṇa.
Impossible that Lord said.
Now we have so many youths, so many devotees who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
so many gṛhasthas.
That should be the way to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and become really saturated with kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you take one step toward Lord Kṛṣṇa and He takes ten steps towards us.
Why don’t you want Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda’s mercy?
They want to give you!
Haribol!
How many of you have my Jayapatākā Swami App?
How many don’t have it?
I am paying for it, it is yours for free!
Both on Android and Apple.
So how many of you have mobile phones?
Right now go on Google Play store and look up for the Jayapatākā Swami App.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-05-13
Jayapatākā Swami: I mean if the husband or someone has to go out working,
then they may wear their working clothes and bow down to the Lord.
There should be some reason.
Vaiṣṇava clothes are more relaxing.
But everyone may have some particular situation.
So, accordingly they may dress.
Category: [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Harshita Sharma
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya advised that we should do yukta-vairāgya.
Everything we do, we do as an offering to Kṛṣṇa.
So, ideally the wife can marry a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Just by assisting him,
she is also directly doing devotional service.
If she is not so fortunate to have a devotee,
she can also try to bring up her children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
She can offer bhoga to the Deities
and take prasāda and give prasāda to the family.
There are different ways one can engage in devotional service.
I had the good fortune of visiting many gṛhastha families,
seeing how they have Deities,
how they are offering the bhoga,
offering āratī to the deities.
Some people have picture altars,
some have Deities.
So, we are seeing how the families are spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
how they are practicing.
This is the way that one can achieve success in this lifetime.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Married life], [Day-to-day Life / Parents], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Varṇāśrama / Gṛhastha], [Women]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-21
Jayapatākā Svāmī: Without being married.
Ah, there is no such stipulation that liberation is dependent upon getting married.
But it has been recommended very strongly that women should be married.
But as far as being… What if a girl dies when she is twelve, or something?
It’s not, it’s not lean on the soul that you have to get married to go back to Godhead.
It’s a question of what consciousness you’re in when you leave your body.
If you’re in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you’ll go back to Godhead.
In a general sadhana practice of devotional service,
it’s conducive for women to be married and have a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband.
If the husband is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, then there is a problem.
But actually, the husband should be Kṛṣṇa conscious and the wife should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
In this way, they give each other association.
I can elaborate.
But we’re on short of time right now.
But it’s not contingent on going back to Godhead, per se.
That is not contingent on any material thing.
It’s contingent on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, serving the spiritual master, following his instructions.
Hare Krsna.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Married life], [Kṛṣṇa (Godhead) / Spiritual World / Dhāma], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Women]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-23
Jayapatākā Swami: In our major temples in Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur, in Bombay
we don’t purchase any store-bought fruits uh these where store-bought sweets.
In the smaller temples sometime, they purchase.
Of course, purchasing is that has got some other implications.
Purchasing is sometime allowed.
but that would be considered to be not as perfect as if we could make the things ourselves,
because, they are not having any pure standard.
We don’t know what type of, actually technically speaking store-bought things which are made outside by non-devotees,
they are not… even in the West, we don’t also offer fruit juice.
We make the juice ourselves,
because whether that people are washing their hands after they are going in bathroom,
or something like that, or what they’re doing, you don’t know, what standard they have.
There are many rules, you see.
If you go to the bathroom, you have to take an entire shower.
The same cloth you shouldn’t use, if you are going to cook for the Deity.
If people are negligent of this, they will get worse than sinful reactions.
They will get offensive reactions from Kṛṣṇa.
Their devotion will be stuck up.
And for preaching sometime, you can pray to Kṛṣṇa that for preaching sometimes, we have to just do these things,
and there is no alternative.
But normally one should be very careful.
It’s an opportunity to get the blessing; it’s an opportunity at the same time if you are not careful to also get punished.
So, we should be very careful when we do these things to do it properly.
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Food], [Prasāda and Bhoga], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Purnima
Date: 2022-10-22
Jayapatākā Swami: You see,
if one
worships Kṛṣṇa,
chants Hare Kṛṣṇa,
reads Bhāgavatam, Gītā
and other Kṛṣṇa conscious things,
you can make use of this
temporary relationship
*repetitition*
to
be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
To help others be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
and some people have certain desires
so you can regulate these desires
and
cross over all the obstacles.
Although
things are temporary,
they can last for this life.
If you have a Kṛṣṇa conscious husband
then you can practice your Kṛṣṇa consciousness
very peacefully.
So it is important
that a man finds a woman
and a woman finds a man who is krsna consciousness or atleast favorable.
at least favorable.
Maybe you can make him a devotee.
I know some women
who have overestimation of their ability
to make people devotees. (Laughing)
Category: [Day-to-day Life / Married life], [Material World], [Sādhanā / Philosophical questions], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings / Etiquette / Sadācāra], [Women]
Questioner: Anon
Date: 2022-08-01
Jayapatākā Swami: Now in every country there is a situation and procedure.
In the West there is no problem.
Women and men mix freely.
Women go for preaching and book distribution and there is no problem.
But in Bangladesh I cannot say much.
As per Bangladesh culture, I don’t know if unwed girls can go with men.
That the leaders of Bangladesh can say.
But mostly the ladies cannot mix with men and men cannot mix with women.
This way if women mix with women what is the inconvenience?
I don’t know if there it is convenient for women to go along with men in Bangladesh.
In the university there are hostels for women, there the women can go.
Ordinarily, the Hindus have a separate hostel.
And men cannot go to women’s hostel.
This way women can go and distribute books in the women’s hostel.
When I was in Montreal, I used to go the university hostel to distribute books.
Women are generally at home, they can in the evenings or when they are free they can distribute books.
In this time of pandemic, many people distribute books through the telephone or internet.
Here every day 100 or more Bhagavad-gītās, 10 or 12 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets, Caitanya-caritāmṛta 2 or 3 sets are distributed.
Today was the birthday of a devotee, therefore, from our virtual book table they donated 50 Bhagavad-gītās.
Because I cannot go to all, I have this virtual book table and the devotees donate here.
Some people send by courier and some just donate.
That way you can call your friends, relatives and distribute the books.
His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami knows very well in this regard.
Every day the boys in the saṅkīrtana team distribute books.
There are ten buses but they are not able to go but still they distribute books.
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!
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!
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!
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2022-09-10
Jayapatākā Swami: It depends, what the thinking is.
We saw in many households the wife is worshiping Deities, cooking bhoga and offering to the Deities.
So like that the wife is showing a good example of serving Kṛṣṇa
and if that inspires you and helps you to increase your service,
then that remembering is good.
But if you are simply thinking how you are going to enjoy her,
then even though she is a devotee that will be less important.
Questioner: Saṅkīrtana Manohara dāsa, Dacca, Bangladesh.
Date: 2022-10-04
Jayapatākā Swami: The point is that if you do the maṅgala-ārati at 4.30,
we should do the tulasī-pūjā when the Deities are closed.
So, you have the choice to do tulasī-pūjā before maṅgala-ārati, or after.
So I think it is difficult enough for devotees to attend maṅgala-ārati at 4.30 am!
That is why they do it later in the morning.
But in the afternoon, when the deity is being offered bhoga,
they do the tulasī-āratī,
because after the sandhyā-ārati,
the deities are not closed.
But we have to offer worship to tulasī, when the deities are closed.
Or you can do tulasī-pūjā at 8.30 at night,
when the deities are closed.
Then it is too late,
if you have to get up for maṅgala-ārati.
Category: [Sādhanā / Sevā], [Sādhanā / Technicalities], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship) / Temple Deity Worship]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: This was 500 years ago, it was still Kali-yuga.
Kali-yuga is going on for 5000 years.
And this happened 500 years ago.
And I am asking every temple to keep a book where they tell the type of miracles that the Deities performed.
Actually, I don’t know if I told here but in San Diego, the Deity Subhadrā was burnt out.
And then they investigated, and they found that the pūjārī was breaking the principles.
And Rukmiṇī Dvārakādīśa have many, many miracles.
It is quite possible to have such relationship.
In Māyāpur we have the ancient Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā Deities.
One blind man he could not go to Jagannātha Purī,
nobody wanted to take a blind man walking to Purī.
But then these Deities, They manifested
and so although the Deities were on a termite hill,
what do the termites eat? Wood.
What is Lord Jagannātha made of? Wood.
But they did not eat Jagannātha.
And there are many, many miracles of these Deities.
I personally, like there were 25 owners of the land.
So I got everybody to sign except two members.
I told the pūjārī once we take over the Deities’ worship, we cannot stop.
When the two people sign, then we would start.
He did not tell me, he had already started.
And then he stopped,
being afraid that it would displease me.
I had said, once we start we cannot stop.
We opened up the door of the temple where the Deities were.
The Deities were gone.
They were walking over the field,
They said, “We are starving, We will go and take prasāda with Rādhā Mādhava
and take the bhoga there.”
Then I found out that the service was started and stopped.
After some time, one pūjārī, he was riding on a bicycle back to the Rādhā Mādhava temple,
on the road there was a man lying down.
He just drove-by and the man jumped up and scared him. Ah!
You scared me!
Then, he was lying on the ground, he thought what mistake did I do to Lord Jagannātha?
He went back,
he found out, instead of sugar in the caraṇāmṛta, he had put salt!
You cannot mess around with Lord Jagannātha in Rājāpur!
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
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]
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.
Questioner: Harihara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa
Date: 2022-09-08
Category: [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vaiṣṇava Dealings], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
We have so many varieties of devotional service, like chanting, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda, Deity worship and visiting holy dhāmas. Sometimes we see that when we are more attracted to one method the other methods are getting less importance and we are not able to do them. So whether more reading or more of chanting, or more of Deity worship or more of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books reading, which one is more important?
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-08-16
Jayapatākā Swami: In every yuga, there is a particular, which is most important.
In Kali-yuga, śravaṇam kīrtanam is most important.
Reading books is one form of śravaṇam.
There are nine practices of devotional service
and by practicing any one then also it is possible to be delivered.
But in Kali-yuga it is especially recommended that we chant and hear.
But we should chant, hear remember,
pay obeisances, offer prayers
and do the arcanam,
and do pāda-sevanam, do some service,
considering oneself as the servant of the Lord,
considering the Lord as one’s friend
and offering everything to the Lord,
ātma-nivedenam.
These are the nine practices of devotional service.
Category: [Emotions / Confusion], [Sādhanā], [Sādhanā / Chanting (Japa)], [Sādhanā / Reading / Śāstra], [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
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]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-04-27
Jayapatākā Swami: Varnāśrama has certain duties.
But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness every devotee, every girl for instance, also has to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness and preach it to others.
Last night a lady asked me, “What to do if our husband is not Kṛṣṇa conscious?”
Then I said, “Become a Bollywood actor.”
That means, you go up to your husband, and tell him, do you know what this means – Bhagavad-gītā, show him a śloka and say, you are a man, you are intelligent, can you tell me what it means?
Like this trick your husband to read the Bhagavad-gītā!
Category: [Women]
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]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2024-02-19
Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting question.
We tend to offer a very short and limited ārati
with incense, lamp and flower.
I don’t know whether there is any particular instruction against,
we generally offer this very simplified ārati to Tulasī.
In Vṛndā-kuṇḍa the Deity of Vrnda Devī, Tulasī,
I wonder whether they offer more elaborate pūjā there.
Does anyone know?
In Vṛndā-kuṇḍa for Vṛndā Devī they offer cāmara and all that.
So, it is just for that the tulasī plant they offer a very minimal pūjā.
Just like for Lord Narasiṁhadeva we don’t offer all the articles.
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-05
Jayapatākā Swami: You see the custom in India is that the elder brother, the wife, should not be present where the elder brother is present.
And since Balarāma is the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa and His consort should not be along with Balarāma.
Kṛṣṇa could be with Balarāma but not with the consort.
The consort should not be.
That is why in the same temple, in the Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha you have Rādhā and Ṭoṭā Gopīnātha.
We have also Revatī and Balarāma but in a different altar.
Questioner: Devotee
Date: 2023-09-06
Jayapataka Swami: Who taught you this?
Is it given in any śāstra?
To consider Kṛṣṇa like our father, probably would be in śānta-rasa.
Because we are just appreciating Kṛṣṇa .
But actually to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is dāsya-rasa.
So, there we see Kṛṣṇa as our Master.
In sakhya-rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our friend
and in paternal rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our child.
In mādhurya-rasa we see Kṛṣṇa as our lover or husband.
So to consider Kṛṣṇa like father, is like śānta-rasa.
There is a song where it says Kṛṣṇa is everything to us.
In that way it is alright.
But that song was Kṛṣṇa-mātā, Kṛṣṇa-pitā Kṛṣṇa-dhana-prāṇa,
He is our life and soul.
So He is everything.
Any other question?
Category: [Vigraha Āradhana (Deity Worship)]
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