Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Gurudeva & Sripad Gaurangachandra.
Hare Krishna
I have gone to many Hindu temples in my lifetime. I see that all of the people there pick up an Aarti Plate and perform Aarti worship to the deities with fire and incense.
I was requested to do so as well, but I did not because I know I am not qualified to even hold a flame up to the Supreme Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani. I have never been a Pujari and I know that it is very sinful to pretend to be one. Please instruct me on this topic, because I do not wish to offend the deities by not offering them worship (and at the same time, I do not want to overstep my boundaries with Them).
Your Confused Servant,
Bhakta David
Replies
Hare Krishna !
Such nice responces! Thank you so much!
Gaura Hari Bol
Hare Krishna David pr,
PAMHO. AGTSP. AGTSG&SG.
Once again very nice question as always. There are very strict rules and standards for deity worship according to Naradha pancharathirika vidhi (very strictly followed by Sri Vishnavas - Ramunaja aacharya sampradya). Chaitnya mahaprabhu saw the degraded condition of Kaliyuga and he made the process simple by adding the flavor of bhakthi to it.
To enter inside the alter and perform the aarthi is very much different then to perform it from outside. If you remember, even in ISKCON temples, we offer ghee lamp to Lord during Karthik moth. Every one who comes to temple offer it. Srila Prabhupada gives one very nice example. Stool and urine of any creature is very very abominable. But when Sun's hot rays falls on it, it gets dried and converts into manure. In this process, Sun never gets contaminated or offended that he had to dry the stool and urine. Similarly, even though we may be not on a right level to perform the deity worship, when you get an opportunity to do some service like this, you can happily do it as a service and you will get more purified if you are in a mood of an insignificant servant.
Hari bol!!!
Hare Krishna David Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
We offer 5 elements by offering aarati. Those 5 elements which constituents of our body: water, fire, earth, ether, air.
In this way we try to offer Him everything which we have.
"Na mo" not me but for You.
Yes, we are not qualified for anything but knowing this with humble heart we have to do given service. We are not qualified but we are doing this because my Gurudev wants, because He ordered me to do so.
We offer to Krishna food. We are not qualified even to do this but we do it a servant.
Krishna Himself told that anyone can offer Him a fruit, flower, a leaf and He will accept it.
To say every time that i am not qualified, not qualified, not qualified IT IS A SYMPTOM OF PRIDE. IT IS NOT A HUMILITY.
Your servant,
Hk Dear Devotees
Pamho, Agtsp.
Nice question.
I myself am not a qualified brahmana not even an initiated dev. yet i perform aarti every morning. If we simply remember that Sri Krsna Is our Supreme father just as how we gladly accept even a little of anything in any condition from our children, HE does the same with us so better we try and slowly find more subject knowledge and improve our service than to say "we are not qualified".Clearly the only thing we are naturally qualified to do is "enjoy".
Opinion written without any intenion to offend!
Have blissful KC day!