Hare Krishna
I am a new devotee, from a non Hindu background. I have just purchased a beautiful Murti of the Lord, and I am not sure what to do to invoke the Lord in it. How do I ask Krishna to come stay in this Murti with me? What are the typical rituals people do right after they buy a Murti? Any guidance would be much appreciated.
thank you,
Hari Bol
Replies
Hare Krishna Mataji
Thank you for sharing this beautiful pastime with me.
I have a question, for the aarti, what type of lamps can one use? Is a wax candle good enough?
Hari bol
Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Please can you specify what that murti is made of - metal, wood, picture, plaster of paris....?
Are you interested in doing daily deity worship at home? Who is there to help you - any family member or friend who stays with you?
Accordingly I will suggest further.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krishna Mataji,
It is a fiberglass Murti, that's been painted in gold, looks metallic, but it's fiberglass.
Doing daily deity worship is not possible at all for me in the current situation, as much as I'd like to.
I am the only seeking Krishna in my family, and I live with them, who practice Islam.
Thank you for your guidance
Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Fibreglass is not approved element for murti puja. So very nice you got this beautiful murti. You can keep in showcase or wherever permitted and pray to Him. Do not install in altar or do daily deity worship of this deity.
Keep the desire in your heart, chant very sincerely. Very soon the obstacles in your path will clear and you will be able to do deity worship.
Haribol,
Your servant
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krishna,
I am glad to hear that you have got yourself a beautiful Murti of Lord Sri Krishna.
It is to be noted that Deity Worship is difficult in Kaliyuga. Deity worship, yoga, meditation, etc., were mainly practiced in Satya, Treta, and Dwapar Yugas. In Kaliyuga, chanting and hearing the name of the Lord (the Mahamantra) is recommended. Just to give you an example of how difficult it is for common people, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of the Lord, said that He would accept bhog from a person only after he has completed chanting 64 rounds of Mahamantra for the day.
That being said, God is merciful and accepts pure love and bhakti from anyone who offers Him with a pure heart. Here I will list some things that you may offer to your Deity.
1. Offer rajnigandha garland every day.
2. Offer food like sweets. You can also offer rice and vegetables. This is to be noted here that you CANNOT offer non-vegetarian food to Lord Shri Krishna, like no meat, no fish, no egg, no onion, no garlic, etc.
3. Dress Him beautifully, when He incarnated on earth in Dwapar yuga He was dressed in yellow, which could be your preferred colour.
Just fall in love with Shri Krishna, and He will love you back and come and stay with you.
This is to be noted here that the pointers that I have mentioned are very basic. There are actual mantras to offer food to the Lord, mantras to make Him sleep at night, mantras to wake Him up in the morning. You can only touch the Deity after you have taken a proper bath. That person who is offering service needs to be a pure vegetarian. There are mantras and a process to Prāṇa Pratiṣṭhā the Deity, which only a spiritual master can do. Every time you offer service to the Lord, offer it with the Mahamantra for now.
If you want to learn more about a proper Prāṇa Pratiṣṭhā and the things you need to do, I suggest you visit your nearest ISKCON Temple and meet a prabhuji (someone who is wearing saffron coloured clothes.)
Here is the Mahamantra for you:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Apologies if I have said something wrong. Anyone with knowledge is free to correct me. I am not a spiritual master.
Warm Regards
Continuation...
4. Offer incense sticks every evening, preferably of rajnigandha fragrance but you may offer other fragrances as well.
5. Place tulsi leaves dipped in chandan on His feet.
Warm Regards
Thank you prabhuji for your guidance. 🙏🏼
Hare Krishna