Namaste esteemed devotees,
Many people have lectured that to attain Krishna prema, one should get the mercy of Sri Sri Sri Gaura, to attain the mercy of Gaura, one should first please Sri Sri Sri Nitai (who is Guru tattwa), that to please Nitai, one should please the shad-goswamis and to please the shad-goswamis, one should please Swami Prabhupad.
I am from a Srivaishnava background and been into intense Krishna worship only for few years now. I have image of Prabhupada Guru Maharaj in my shrine and a Krishna idol and I chant 16 rounds of mahamantra.
What other worship should I do to progress in Krishna prema? Should I also get idols of Sri Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and start worshiping them?
I'm having this question for sometime now. Will be glad to receive an enlightening response.
PAMHO!
Dhanyavad.
Replies
Hare krsna, Please dont at all be in a hurry to install deities, people do it early in over enthusiasm and later loose interests or fall from the standards. What you need to do is first read chaitanya bhagwat and chaitanya charitamrit, any sampraday and any acharya has focused only on smaran. See devotees around you how they are going about deity worshipping, I have seen people changing sampraday in later stages of bhakti so be careful. Focus on your background more, that is srivaishnava sampradray because that is natural to you. There is reason you are born with that backround.
I chant and sing kirtan of gaur nitai before chanting that you can start as soon as you can because it makes chanting easy. To progress in Krsna bhakti futher, i hope you are worshipping tulasi maharani, then worship and serve cows as krsna was and is himself a cowherd boy, hear lectures of advanced devotees, visit vrindavan if you can because mahaprabhu says dham vaas , kirtan, chanting, reading scriptures and deities you got from your ancestors, worship them.
Sorry for the delay, Shri. Vrindavana Krsna Dasa ji, just now noticed your response. Excellent suggestions, I am not worshiping Tulsi maharani. I will do Tulsi seva in future, if possible to grow a Tulsi plant at home. I live in the US (Boston area) and there is no room for the plant nor I know how to care for the plant. I once installed Tulsi near the home altar and in spite of watering, the plant withered away. I felt very bad. Thank you for all helpful suggestions. Hare Krishna.
Hare Krsna Mataji,
PAMHO.
So inspired to read your post.
Since you are a Sri Vaishnav, you would have put your guru parampara on the altar, right? If yes, and you have added Srila Prabhupada to the altar, it is very good. If no, then ideally add your guru parampara. If that is not possible for any reason, then you can add the 6 goswamis and our guru parampara photos (Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Srila Gaur Kishore Das Babaji Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami maharaj, Srila Prabhupada - you will get pictures in any ISKCON gift shop.
Regarding addign Gaur Nitai deities to the altar, you may add pictures of Gaur Nitai or of Pancha tattva, of Nrisimhadev, of Jagannath Baldev Subhadra to the altar. Praying to deities has more rules than taking care of pictures. Thats why we recommend pictures. To bring deities and install, we normally take permission of our diksha guru and commit the minimum level of worship, before bringing in deities.
Normally alongwith Krsna, we keep Radha rani. If that is not possible, then keep cow/ calf along with Krsna. That is pleasing to Krsna.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Thank you very much Radha Rasamayi DD. Very good response.
Dhanyavad and warmest regards to you.