leyh 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2002 Are those who are not strictly following the regulative principles (No meat eating,no illicit sex,no intoxictants and no gambling) allowed to worship Sri Sri Radha Krsna? I brought this small wooden deity of their Lordships yesterday but am hesitant as to whether or not to worship them as I am still far from perfectly following the regulative principles and also,my family is non-vegetarian... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Citta Hari 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2002 Radha-Krsna in particular are not good Deities for beginners since it is very easy to commit sevaparadha to them, whereas Deities like Gaura-Nitai do not take offense so easily. Even so, devotees who have yet to recieve the mantra from a sadhu should not perform arcana. Arcana is for those who have received diksa from a guru. If you are not initiated it is better for you in the long run to wait until a sadhu engages you in the worship of the Deity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRdd 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2002 You give good advice regarding first taking on the worship of Gaura Nitai, Citra prabhu. However,I am inclined to respectfully disgree on the second point, because leyh is strongly connected to Srila Prabhupada, as is evident by his innumerable wonderful and appreciative posts both about Srila Pprabhupada and in the mood of Srila Prabhupada; he has a good philosophical understanding, as taught to him by Srila Pprabhupada, he chants Hare Krsna (the real initiation), and Deity worship may be just the spiritual medicine he needs, to get him even more attached to serving the lotus feet of the Lord. And by getting this higher taste, he may find that the anarthas still clinging to him will drop away by themselves. There are good links to sites for worshipping Gaura Nitai, leyh, which Srila Prabhupada recommended for those living away from a temple; these links I think are on some India Divine thread, but if not I can dig them up and paste them in, if you want them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leyh 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2002 Thank you very much for your advice,Citta Hari and JRdd,please accept my humble obeisances.All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. JRdd,I have read some of the websites regarding the worship of the Nitai-Gaura deities and I will be very glad to worship them (being an unrealized neophyte) but I don't think its possible to get Nitai-Gaura deities in Singapore.I have not seen any during my shopping trips in the religious paraphernalia shops in Serangoon Road (the "Little India" of Singapore.)Ganesh deities on the other hand,are so popular. The problem is that I have already purchased this small wooden carved Sri-Sri Radha Krsna.They were in this shop with many other wooden carved deities of other demigods and they must have been very bored,so I bought them and now I don't know how to entertain their Lordships.Because I am still unable to fully follow the regulative principles,I fear that it would be offensive if I were to worship Them... I have a very nice devotee friend who is chanting regularly and following the regulative principles very nicely.I am thinking of entrusting the deity to His care,but then They look so alluring that I can't bear to part with Them. A really transcendental dilemma... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRdd 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2002 Don't part with Them if you feel that way! They obviously inspire you! I am that way about the picture of Murali Manohara, playing the flute by moonlight, which I ended up painting for myself from a small tattered print I'd been carrying around for twenty years. (A few months ago I FINALLY saw the poster on ebay and snatched it up So now I have the original in one room, and the painting in another room.) Because we are to engage all our senses in Krsna consciousness, including the eyes, I think it is very very important that when an image of the Lord just captures your heart, that you should keep that image. You could keep your beautiful wooden Radha Krsna kind of like keeping a picture. Give Them a nice place, and offer Them a flower or incense when you can. I don't think I would start very formal worship yet though, if I were you. If you are not too tight moneywise (I know postage is expensive from USA to China), there are devotee sites online that sell Gaura Nitai deities, different kinds, brass, polyresin (marble dust with resin so they do look wonderfully marble--but these kind are terribly expensive). One is I think iskcon.org, which links to a catalog section. I would have to dig up the others. My bookmarks are so extensive that it's no longer an entirely handy item for me . Maybe someone else has the exact links. hope this helps, ys, Jayaradhe PS I too wish to have Gaura Nitai deities. I think this wish has to increase in order for Them to actually come to me. I prayed for a beautiful two-armed form of Krsna to come to me and the next day, for the first time in my town, there was a Krsna deity in a store, that I immediately feel for. Out went the budget, in came Krsna, Kanea. Same thing happened about Nrsimhadev. I spent a month painting an enormous picture of Lord Nrismhadev, and before the month was up, someone handed into my care a sila from the actual Pillar at Ahovalam. Before that, I had no deities. More recently, I had this strong desire to have a baby Krsna deity, Ladu Gopal, and to my great surprise one came in the mail for me, sent by a friend. In the couple of months or so since then, I have been wanting so much a Srila Prabhupada Deity, and now have been offered a little one who sounds just right. So keep fanning the flames of your spiritual desires, and if Krsna wants, He may appear to you in the form you desire. Sri Jagannath also is very very kind and if you are attraced to Him, well, they are very joyous and compassionate Deities to have in your home. They also overlook many offenses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gauracandra 1 Report post Posted February 15, 2002 I agree, I don't think you should give them away. I also agree it probably isn't the best thing to do full scale worship of the deities. Basically my thinking is that what ever you start, you shouldn't fall back from. So I think it would be best to keep your offerings simple and heartfelt. They do obviously inspire you so that can't be bad. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leyh 0 Report post Posted February 15, 2002 Thank you so much,JRdd and Gauracandra for your advice.Please accept my humble obeisances.All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. I agree with with the both of you that I shouldn't start formal,full-scale deity worship.I think I will just place the Divine Couple in a nice place,offer them some nice foodstuffs or flowers and talk to Them... Since Sri Sri Radha-Krsna have captured my heart,it would be churlish of me to send Them packing. Btw,JRdd,I don't stay in China.I live in Singapore,a little South-East Asian island-state south of Malaysia,populated by Chinese,Malays,Indians,Eurasians and others.Singapore is known as the "Garden City" as there are trees planted all over the island. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRdd 0 Report post Posted February 16, 2002 LOL! I can get so ignorant or forgetful about geography. As I was typing China I was thinking, wait a minute, isn't he in Singapore? Oh but Singapore must be in China. So I went ahead and typed it. (I beg ignorance due to tiredness. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) Wonderful to hear you are keeping Their Lordships! ys, Jayaradhe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leyh 0 Report post Posted February 16, 2002 Originally posted by JRdd: LOL! I can get so ignorant or forgetful about geography. As I was typing China I was thinking, wait a minute, isn't he in Singapore? Oh but Singapore must be in China. So I went ahead and typed it. (I beg ignorance due to tiredness. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) Wonderful to hear you are keeping Their Lordships! ys, Jayaradhe Jayaradhe Mataji: Please accept my humble obeisances.All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! I understand about the tiredness.Our material bodies and our minds are always coming up with unpleasant surprises... May we one day find ourselves in that eternal land where tiredness is non-existent and geography is a non-issue.You know where I'm talking about. I've placed the Divine Couple in a small porcelain house,but have yet to remove the plastic wrapping from them as I would like to do it on an auspicious day.Is there any auspicious Vaisnava festival coming soon? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leyh 0 Report post Posted February 16, 2002 I am thinking of unwrapping the deities only on February 25th,which is the appearance day of Sri Nityananda Prabh according to the Vaisnava calendar. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livingentity 0 Report post Posted February 16, 2002 "patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah" If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, flower, fruit or water, I will accept it. Bg. 9.26 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
